Indiana has spent over $20 million on cleanup of failed Pence family gas stations

Source: The Hill
Published: Jul 14, 2018
Author: Jacqueline Thomsen
Post Date: 2018-07-14 12:22:32 by Willie Green
Views: 1711

The state of Indiana has spent at least $21 million to clean up the contaminated sites left behind by Vice President Pence’s shuttered family gas stations, The Associated Press reported Friday.

The AP found that Indiana has spent an average of $500,000 to clean up each site left behind by Kiel Bros. Oil Co., which went bankrupt and closed down in 2004.

Pence’s father had created the business, which included more than 200 gas stations.

Kentucky and Illinois have also had to clean up contamination left behind by the gas stations, spending about $1.7 million on more than 25 of Kiel Bros.’s former sites, the AP reported.

Kiel Bros. has paid few of the costs: A court document obtained by the AP states that it made a $8.8 million payment for "indemnity and defense costs," but that the state covered $4.5 million of the payment.

Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah told the AP that the amounts were “a years old issue” and that Pence has addressed them in the past.

A spokesman for Indiana's Department of Environmental Management did not answer AP’s questions.

And a spokeswoman for Pence’s older brother Greg Pence, a current congressional candidate and the president of Kiel Bros. at the time of its closure, said he “has had nothing to do with Kiel Bros since 2004.”

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#1: misterwhite    To: Willie Green (#0)

The state of Indiana has spent at least $21 million to clean up the contaminated sites

They only have themselves to blame. Why wasn't an escrow fund established for cleanup when the business license was issued?

misterwhite posted on 2018-07-14 13:46:48   Reply   Private Reply


#2: misterwhite    To: Willie Green (#0)

The AP found that Indiana has spent an average of $500,000 to clean up each site

Kentucky and Illinois ... spending about $1.7 million on more than 25 of Kiel Bros.’s former sites

Why is Indiana spending $500,000 per site yet Kentucky and Illinois are spending less than $68,000 per site?

misterwhite posted on 2018-07-14 13:50:57   Reply   Private Reply


#3: Justified    To: Willie Green (#0)

Yes I remember they changed the EPA law or something back in the early 2000's. I had a friend that ran into this problem. Major suppliers would not sell them gas until they replaced all the gas tanks underground due to new EPA regulations. So he was screwed. Could not afford to pay to fix the tanks without a loan and he could not get a loan because he could not get gas to sell. It was a catch22. I think it was the big oil companies running the old mom and pap business out so they could put in bigger stations.

I believe he just closed down and left. That's really all the little guy could do. When like most business you live month to month or year to year.

Justified posted on 2018-07-14 14:14:50   Reply   Private Reply


#4: jeremiad    To: Justified (#3)

Spot on commentary. The EPA did this another time before the early 2000's. It was how they ran the independents out of business.

jeremiad posted on 2018-07-14 14:30:37   Reply   Private Reply