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ExxonMobil Sued Over Fisherman's Wharf Pollution

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Jun 19, 2008 4:07 pm US/Pacific

ExxonMobil Sued Over Fisherman's Wharf Pollution

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―

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San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera Thursday morning sued Exxon Mobil Oil Corp. for allegedly refusing to clean up decades of oil pollution from a former fueling facility at the city's famed Fisherman's Wharf.

Herrera filed the civil lawsuit Thursday morning in San Francisco Superior Court.

According to the City Attorney's office, the suit was filed in response to "a long pattern of broken promises and bad faith by the company" for its alleged failure to adhere to a 1994 agreement between the city and then-Mobil Oil to clean up soil and groundwater contamination from its Jefferson Street fueling facility.

The facility was located at 440 Jefferson St. and operated between 1938 and 1992, according to the City Attorney's office.

The complaint alleges the Texas-based oil conglomerate "has consistently stonewalled the city and reneged on promises to remediate its environmental pollution," the City Attorney's office said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

"Exxon Mobil has left us little choice but to litigate to protect our environment from further pollution," Herrera said in the statement.

Herrera said the "persistent inaction is the cause of ongoing pollution to our soil, our groundwater, and our bay. Residents and taxpayers have been footing the bill for this for too long," he said.

Herrera is seeking a court order compelling Exxon Mobil to comply with prior cleanup standards, to pay for ongoing and future cleanup costs, to permanently exempt the city from liability for the pollution, and additional damages.

Exxon Mobil officials were not immediately available for comment.