Chicago-The Illinois attorney general has filed a four-count complaint against the trucking firm under investigation in connection with the release of up to 40,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia April 27 during transfer at a Seward farm business. The Winnebago County Circuit Court has approved an immediate injunction for the state to seize a tanker truck and equipment allegedly involved in the ammonia incident, which forced nearly all of the town’s residents to evacuate their homes overnight. The injunction orders Bradley Ellinor, doing business as Ellinor Trucking and River Rock Logistics of Lanark, to allow the Illinois EPA to secure the vehicle and liquid petroleum gas transfer hose for analysis. The injunction also prohibits Ellinor from using any equipment and hoses not appropriate for the safe delivery or transfer of anhydrous ammonia, and to assess the immediate and surrounding area and clean up the remaining effects of the alleged ammonia contamination. “When companies do not follow the required procedures for transporting hazardous material, serious accidents occur as they did in Seward,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is seeking the statutory maximum civil penalty for the alleged violations.
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