Big Oil Bob

"Drill, Baby, Drill." - Bob Ehrlich

Bob Ehrlich’s Baltimore Womble Carlyle office defended Center Point Terminal Baltimore LLC and the Petroleum Fuel & Terminal Company against charges by the State of Maryland over 80,000 gallons of heating oil the companies spilled into the ground in south Baltimore. MDE alleged that the defendants had known about the spill for weeks before notifying authorities, and that over that period over eight feet of oil had accumulated in groundwater monitoring wells at the site.  MDE accused the defendants of violating several environmental regulations.  According to news accounts and court filings, neighbors experienced petroleum odors and burning eyes.  Ehrlich’s firm argued that the company should pay the state nothing; and it further asked in a court filing for the state to pay the defendants for their costs and pay Womble’s fees for handling the case.  In May 2009, the parties reached a settlement in which the defendants agreed to pay the state $250,000 and to continue a state-monitored cleanup of the site. (Baltimore City Circuit Court, Case #24C08001846, Filed March 17, 2008; Citypaper, “Crying Over Spilled Petroleum,” February 20, 2008)