Investigations

On April 16, 2009, Texas Oil and Gathering, Inc., its owner John Kessel, and operations manager Edgar Pettijohn, pled guilty in U.S. District Court, Houston, Texas, to conspiring to violate hazardous material laws. Texas Oil and Gathering is located in Alvin, Texas, and was formerly authorized by the state to handle and transport used oil products. According to factual statements filed with the pleas, Mr. Kessel and Mr. Pettijohn directed the falsification of documents such as bills of lading and driver logs in order to dispose of hazardous waste water and/or industrial process waste water at an injection well in Rosharon, Texas. The defendants knew the well was not permitted to receive the hazardous waste waters. This DOT/OIG investigation was worked jointly with the US Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from other federal and state environmental law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section.