HOUSTON – The Harris County Attorney's Office announced Tuesday its filing a lawsuit against AT&T over underground storage tanks that leaked fuel.
The lawsuit contends that the communications giant has not cleaned up the environmental mess left behind after the county removed underground storage tanks from 13 AT&T properties. Â
The properties include a facility on Campbell near Clay Road. A city pumping station, a factory and facilities for children surround it. County attorneys said petroleum was also released into the groundwater and soil on an AT&T property along Travis in Midtown.Â
The suit also showed fuel from a tank contaminated groundwater at an AT&T office on Jefferson in downtown.Â
"First, they need to clean up their mess, and secondly, they need to compensate the public. There is environmental damage that's resulted from these leaks," said Rock Owens, the managing attorney for environmental and infrastructure in the County Attorney's office.Â
"It can be extremely dangerous. Hopefully this stuff doesn't come into contact with human beings. But when it does, it's the byproducts of gasoline, like benzene, not only is benzene a carcinogen, it's extremely flammable," Owens added.
AT&T issued a statement, saying, "We are proud of our environmental compliance efforts and contributions to green programs across the country and in Texas. While we have not been served with a lawsuit or contacted by the Harris County Attorney's office, their public comments appear to include some errors about AT&T's environmental compliance management system for underground storage tanks, among other things. We look forward to learning more about the basis of the lawsuit's claims from the Harris County Attorney's office, and to seeing if we can work together without expending resources needlessly on what appears to be unnecessary litigation."
The lawsuit does not ask for specific damages, but Owens said penalties could range from $50 to $25,000 per day for each violation.