State EPA refers pipeline leak to attorney general

LIMESTONE, Ill. — Illinois environmental regulators are asking Attorney General Lisa Madigan to take action against two pipeline companies over a petroleum leak near Kankakee.

Houston-based Buckeye Partners says up to 1,500 gallons of petroleum might have spilled from two damaged pipelines in Limestone Township last week.

The EPA is asking the attorney general to seek a court order requiring Buckeye and Wood River Pipe Lines to investigate the leak and clean up any contamination, and to test nearby residential wells.

Buckeye health and safety director Patrick Hodgins says the pipelines were damaged last Wednesday when a power line fell. The company wasn't notified until Friday after firefighters received calls about a strong odor.

They found petroleum leaking into a ditch and placed booms to stop oil from reaching the nearby Kankakee River.