OAN Staff Avril Elfie
11:40am – Tuesday, December 24, 2024
A chemical company director has been charged in connection with an illegal oil release that left a chemical oil mixture for miles in Michigan's Flint River.
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Michigan State's Attorney Dana Nessel said Monday that Rajinder Singh Minhas, 60, was accused of falsely altering public records, posing a serious risk to the public, discharging hazardous substances into the state's waters and lying about air pollution control. It was announced that he was arrested on charges of making statements and omitting statements. Fee.
Minhas was also a director and treasurer of Lockhart Chemical Co., a Flint-based company that manufactures lubricants, hydraulic fluids, coatings and metalworking additives.
Critical maintenance and improvements to the facility were reportedly ignored and mismanaged, Nessel said.
June 15ththIn 2022, approximately 15,000 gallons of a mixture of oil and chemicals spilled into the Flint River. At the time, a representative from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said the leak was coming from a storm drain that feeds into the river.
The state then required the companies to make other adjustments and immediately stop using the defective stormwater and wastewater transportation systems. Lockhart has since declared bankruptcy.
Officials said Flint's drinking water was not at risk at the time. The city used the other river for drinking water in 2014 and 2015 until lead contamination forced Flint to turn Lake Huron water again from a local supplier.
Minhas was released on personal bail and is scheduled to return to court on January 2, according to court documents.n.d. for a probable cause conference.
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