News Release 578

DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONDER ASSISTS IN DIESEL FUEL CLEANUP FOLLOWING
RIPLEY COUNTY ACCIDENT

Volume 35-578

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 11, 2007 -- Missouri Department of Natural Resources emergency staff responded Monday to a tanker truck accident in Ripley County that resulted in the release of an estimated 100 gallons of diesel fuel.

The department's Environmental Emergency Response section was contacted Monday morning by the Missouri State Highway Patrol concerning a truck accident on Highway 160 at Route B near Fairdealing in Ripley County. An estimated 100 gallons of diesel fuel from the truck's fuel tanks had leaked into a road ditch.

The department dispatched a state on-scene coordinator from the department's Southeast Regional Office to the site of the accident. He deployed absorbent booms and pads to begin soaking up the fuel and to prevent it from spreading while the owner of the truck, Rainbolt Trucking, arranged for a contractor to complete the cleanup.

The department's Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department's 24-hour spill line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact spill line at
573-634-2436. For more information, contact the Department of Natural Resources at
800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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