Illinois' top environmental regulator says the feds are walking away from a mess that still is not cleaned up. Months after a massive spill of liquid asphalt into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, sticky material is still smeared along the shoreline, and state officials say wildlife and water-quality concerns have not gone away. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, is signaling that most of the hard work is done, leaving Illinois and the company that owns the terminal to argue with federal officials over who is on the hook for the rest of the monitoring and cleanup.
EPA Orders Cleanup, Then Backs Off
In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Petroleum Fuel & Terminal Co. to pull spilled asphalt out of the canal. But this month, the agency told Illinois officials that whatever is left should be handled by Gov. JB Pritzker's administration and the responsible company, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. EPA Regional Administrator Anne Vogel wrote that the agency had determined "significant work had been completed" and that the discharge "no longer poses a substantial threat to the public health or welfare," the Sun-Times reported.
State Regulator Pushes For Ongoing Federal Role
Illinois EPA director James Jennings is not ready to let the federal agency off the hook. In a letter, he wrote that "this release impacted water quality over three miles downstream and has required treatment of dozens of animals," according to WBEZ. Jennings said the state will keep backing up federal teams in the field but argued the EPA should stay in charge until shoreline cleanup is actually finished.
How The Asphalt Spread And What It Hit
Federal investigators say the spill, first detected in February, sent nearly half a million gallons of hot liquid asphalt into the Sanitary and Ship Canal. The asphalt cooled and thickened along miles of shoreline, leaving oily sheens on the water and thick sludge caked on the banks, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Crews removed visible slicks and heavy shoreline deposits and sealed storm drains and manhole covers that the EPA identified as entry points. Wildlife responders recovered, cleaned, and treated dozens of juvenile ducks, water snakes, and other animals caught in the mess.
Who Pays, What Happens Next
The terminal's owner, St. Louis-based Apex Oil Co., is expected to submit a final cleanup report at the end of December and, under the EPA's spring order, will be responsible for costs tied to the agency's removal work, WBEZ reported. Local water managers and environmental advocates say they plan to keep the pressure on for continued monitoring and clear public updates while officials decide whether more testing or a fishing advisory is needed.
