New Haven Harbor. Photo: Christian Hinkle via Shutterstock
November 21, 2025 (New Haven, CT) – Conservation Law Foundation’s (CLF) lawsuit to hold Pike Fuels accountable for failing to address the serious risk posed by the fuel storage terminal in New Haven, Connecticut, can move forward. A federal judge denied Pike Fuels’ motion to dismiss the case.
“We are pleased to see the court deny Pike Fuels’ motion to dismiss,” said Christopher Kilian, CLF’s vice president for strategic litigation. “Pike Fuels has put the communities and waters near the New Haven oil terminal at risk. By offloading the facility mid-litigation, Pike has tried to avoid responsibility. While Pike tried to walk away from the courtroom, the people living near these vulnerable oil storage tanks are left facing the threat of floods, spills, and toxic contamination.”
Pike argued CLF’s case should be thrown out because the company sold its waterfront oil storage tanks it operated for more than 30 years to Global Partners Limited in 2024. The court’s ruling makes clear that transferring ownership does not automatically erase the company’s responsibility for longstanding violations associated with the facility. Notably, Pike’s corporate subsidiaries and massive parent company, ArcLight Capital, own numerous fossil fuel facilities that are regulated under the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. These continued financial and regulatory interests underscore the critical need to hold Pike accountable for compliance with these bedrock environmental laws.
CLF filed its lawsuit in 2021. The contaminated fuel terminal is located at the water’s edge on New Haven Harbor near the Quinnipiac and Mill rivers. The fuel storage terminal sits directly in a flood zone, ready to spill oil and toxic chemicals into neighborhoods as well as nearby waterbodies. Among other claims, the lawsuit seeks to hold the company accountable for failing to prepare the facility for flooding and extreme storms driven by climate change.
CLF filed a similar lawsuit against Shell for failing to take action to protect its facilities in New Haven and Providence, Rhode Island. The case against Shell in New Haven is expected to be decided in the next year.
The ruling can be read here.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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