oil shock: Four fuel stations in Massachusetts, USA, have been fined US $600,000 for failure to clean up spills of petrol and other petroleum products. The stations in Medford and Meldon areas of the state got fined by the Suffolk County Courthouse. The ruling requires Tony Eskanian and Ramona Eskanian of Winchester and J & S Petroleum Corporation, respectively, to clean up the contamination at the gas stations as per the schedule prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. "The judgment reaffirms the crucial role that state laws play in assuring that contaminated sites are cleaned up in a timely manner,' said attorney general Martha Coakley. The 2004 lawsuit alleged that the owners and operators of the fuel stations leaked petrol and other pollutants into the groundwater and soil, and failed to follow cleanup procedures required by the state.