Chemical company director to stand trial for 2022 Flint River oil spill
The president of Lockhart Chemical Company will stand trial in connection with an oil spill in the Flint River in June 2022.
Rajinder Singh Minhas, 60, of Rochester, was bound over for trial in Genesee County on four felony charges. Minhas served as Lockhart's president, treasurer and director.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel accuses Minhas of "mismanaging and neglecting critical maintenance and upgrades" at Lockhart, which led to oil spilling into the Flint River.
On June 15, 2022, more than 15,000 gallons of an oil-chemical mixture were released from Lockhart's Flint facility, which makes rust-preventative additives, and spilled into the Flint River. State officials say an investigation and chemical fingerprinting analysis revealed that the oil chemical mixture that pulled in the Flint River matched the material that left the Lockhart facility.
Nessel charged Minhas in December 2024 with one count of falsely altering a public record, uttering and publishing a false or altered public record, substantial endangerment to the public and discharge of injurious substance to waters of the state.
"Serious violations by businesses that endanger the health and well-being of Michigan residents and our environment cannot be tolerated," said Nessel in a statement. "I am grateful to the talented prosecutors in my office, the dedicated experts from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Michigan State Police, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, and detectives of the EGLE and DNR Environmental Investigation Section, who all played a significant role in advancing this case through the judicial process."
Minhas is also charged with one count of false statements and omissions regarding air pollution and general violations of the air pollution law, as well as 11 other misdemeanor offenses for violating hazardous waste statutes, permits or rules. He also faces nine other misdemeanor violations of the state's Liquid Industrial Waste law for reportedly discharging industrial by-products, violating reporting requirements after a discharge, and violating other provisions related to properly labeling chemical containers, maintaining adequate records, and the storage, disposal, protection, and discharge prevention of liquid industrial waste.
A pretrial date has not yet been set.
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