Wyo. Trucking Co. Facing Nearly $1 Million Fine for Illegal Dumping

A Wyoming trucking company is facing fines of nearly $1 million for allegations of dumping oil drilling waste on a country road in North Dakota, state mining officials said.

Leo Slemin, a driver for Casper-based Black Hills Trucking Inc., was charged April 15 with dumping salt water, a violation of the state’s industrial commission rules. The action is a Class C felony, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years,

“The division is seeking maximum penalties totaling more than $950,000 in this case,” Lynn Helms, director of the Oil & Gas Division of the state’s Department of Mineral Resources, said in a statement.

The Department of Health also is pursuing enforcement actions related to the Williams County dumping incidents that were observed by a state inspector Feb. 14, officials said.