A Joliet company, Illinois and Michigan Oil LLC, proposes a barge fleeting operation on the Illinois River east of Seneca. Attorney Jack Foley represents some area residents who object. They’re asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a hearing.
Foley says the project’s size—up to 106 barges—is staggering. He says all the water it would displace will have to go somewhere. And he says that’s one of the narrowest stretches of the river. He predicts choked traffic on an already stressed river system.
The company’s application doesn’t say what the barges would carry. Foley says if it’s oil, each barge would carry enough for around 150 truck tankers and one leak could be devastating. He says the Corps is required to do a thorough environmental assessment and his clients are demanding that.
Foley says he has sent letters to city and village leaders along the Illinois River in LaSalle County and other counties to make them aware of the proposal. He hopes they get on board with a demand for a hearing too. Foley says if the company causes flooding or pollution, it will affect numerous communities many miles down the river.
WCMY News has tried to contact Derek Egan with Illinois and Michigan Oil. We have not received a return call. You can hear more of what Jack Foley had to say when WCMY News spoke to him last week in this interview:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public notice about the project permit application is available here.
Image from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notice showing what Illinois and Michigan Oil LLC is asking to do near Seneca.