The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has issued two new compliance orders against Williams Olefins over air and potential water releases stemming from a June 13 fire and explosion at its Ascension Parish facility in Geismar.The Mississippi River in Louisiana is the dumping ground for any number of chemical discharges and waste from refineries and plants along its banks, which, added to fertilizers and waste already present in the river from plants, farms, and farm animals on its borders in states to the north, makes for a mix of heaven only knows what in our source of drinking water. The mighty Mississippi - aka the sewer of the country. In addition, the plants release chemicals into the air in the vicinity and their very presence is a reminder of the danger that something terrible could go wrong.
The new compliance order dealing with air quality cites the Tulsa, Okla.-based company for at least 39 air permit or reporting violations starting in 2007 and extending to the day after the June blast.
The explosion sent a fireball high in the air seconds after a 200-foot-high vapor cloud was emitted from the facility, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board officials testified to Congress last week. Two men were fatally burned and 114 people were injured.
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Separately, DEQ has issued another compliance order over contaminated water that ended up in a pond on site that is usually pumped into the Mississippi River. That order, issued June 19, puts water quality limits on future discharges from the pond.
Since the plants are a source of well-paying jobs, the regulatory agencies tend to treat them with kid gloves, and there's not a lot of push-back from the people in the area until something goes badly wrong.
As you read the article and keep in mind the recent explosion of the West Fertilizer plant in West, Texas that killed 14 people, injured more than 200, and destroyed a number of structures in the town, and think about the pathetic oversight by state and federal regulatory agencies offered to the citizens of the the two states. I assume some states are more diligent than Louisiana and Texas in inspections and follow-up to make certain that citations for violations are corrected. What's the point in issuing citations for safety and environmental violations, if there is no follow-up? Where is the incentive for businesses to make their operations safer?
Don't forget the current horror in Quebec. They may never find some of those bodies. RIP.
ReplyDeleteQuebec was on my mind as I wrote my post, but I wanted to stay with the two places I knew had weak regulations and oversight
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