Michigan AG Brought Charges against Contractor Who Abandoned Barge on Lake Michigan

JUNE 22, 2023

On June 22, 2023, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced criminal charges against Donald Lewis Balcom, the owner of Balcom Marine Contractors, for abandoning an industrial barge on Lake Michigan in 2020, resulting in oil spillage, and then abandoning it a second time in 2021 after authorities instructed him to move it. The barge eventually sunk near a residential dock.

On August 16, 2023, AG Nessel announced that the barge had been towed from the area where it was illegally sunk, to an area where it is “no longer in apparent violation of Michigan’s environmental laws.” However, the press release noted that the criminal case was still ongoing.

On December 8, 2023, AG Nessel announced that the owner of the barge would face trial on seven charges, including a felony for the release of hazardous substances, and misdemeanors for trespass and marine safety violations.

On April 23, 2024, AG Nessel announced that the owner of the barge pled guilty to one count of Water Resources Protection Violation for Discharge of Injurious Substances to Waters of the State and made the following statement: “This matter is not yet resolved. The barge must be moved to a legal location, otherwise Mr. Balcom will face sentencing on the felonious release of oil from the sunken vessel into state waters of Lake Michigan. We have made it abundantly clear he cannot treat the bay as his own personal junkyard, and if he does not resolve the issue, the State will. My department remains committed to resolving this years-long issue and to protecting the Great Lakes whenever they come under threat.””