Man tied to oil spills is a political player

Don Childers, the Eastern Kentucky businessman accused of twice contaminating Whitesburg’s drinking water supply, is a major political donor, according to campaign-finance records.

Childers and his family have given more than $50,000 in political donations in the last decade, including $13,000 to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and $6,660 to the Kentucky Republican Party. The Childers family has given lesser sums to U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky.; U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky.; U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky.; state Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville; state Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington; state Supreme Court Justice Will Scott; previous governors Paul Patton and Ernie Fletcher; and the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Childers is owner of Childers Oil Inc. in Whitesburg, which operates a chain of gas stations. According to the Kentucky Division of Water, oil leaks from two properties owned by Childers have been linked to incidents in which Whitesburg’s water supply — the North Fork of the Kentucky River — was contaminated and temporarily declared unsafe for consumption.

The first leak, in November, has led to a criminal investigation and a citation, state officials have said. The second leak is still being dealt with by Whitesburg residents this week as they’re unable to use their water for anything other than flushing toilets.