Caterpillar sued over Joliet-area oil spill

Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of construction equipment, was sued by the state of Illinois for endangering the environment by allowing a waste treatment tank to overflow.

Caterpillar was charged in a seven-count indictment filed in Will County Circuit Court today, according to a statement from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. The charges were filed in connection with a Feb. 8 incident that spilled 65,000 gallons of waste oil into the ground, with about 10 percent of that seeping into the Des Plaines River.

Six of the counts seek a maximum penalty of $50,000 each and $10,000 for each day the violation continues, the statement said. The seventh count seeks a penalty of $10,000 for each day of violation.

The Peoria, Illinois-based company reported the waste oil spill to authorities and has since cleaned it up, the statement said. The spill occurred at Caterpillar's hydraulics plant near Joliet.

"Caterpillar is aware that the Illinois Attorney General's office has led a complaint in Will County Circuit Court relating to the February 8, 2009 incident at Joliet," Caterpillar said in an e-mailed statement. "Caterpillar has cooperated and continues to cooperate with state and federal authorities, and will respond to this complaint in due course."