In another sign of ongoing risks facing the refining industry and people who live nearby, a fire broke out Wednesday morning at Sunoco Inc.’s Philadelphia oil refinery. It was at least the fourth blaze this year at the plant, which uses a highly toxic acid that threatens more than 1.3 million people in the Philadelphia area.
Washington is poised to become only the second state to require employers to correct workplace hazards even while challenging alleged safety violations identified by regulators, a move advocates for workers say is badly needed in the rest of the country.
A massive fire roared through a mostly residential neighborhood in San Bruno, Calif. in September 2010, triggered by a ruptured line that had sprung a gas leak in a spot nearby only a few years before.
Pipeline operators and their trade organizations shaped, managed and provided sizable funding for numerous safety studies conducted by the federal agency that regulates the industry.
Suzie Canales, advocate for residents in Corpus Christi's Hillcrest neighborhood, wonders how criminal violations of the Clean Air Act can be a victimless crime. Behind her is a refinery operated by Citgo, convicted in 2007 in connection with pollution that afflicted the community. Citgo still hasn't been sentenced.
For a decade, a Citgo refinery's toxic emissions into the air swept into a mostly poor, minority neighborhood in Texas, resulting in a 2007 conviction for criminal violations of the Clean Air Act. Now, four years later, the company still hasn't been sentenced - a delay legal scholars say is unusual.
An ongoing series by iWatch News reporters, Fueling Fears, is investigating hidden hazards at oil refineries across the U.S. Our first story exposed how the use of a toxic chemical — hydrofluoric acid — at 50 refineries puts at least 16 million Americans in the path of the acid in the event of an accidental release. To see if your community might be at risk, check out our interactive map.
Another piece revealed how regulatory flaws allow the refining industry to delay safety fixes, putting workers in harm's way.
Reporters Jim Morris and Chris Hamby are interested in hearing more about how oil refineries affect workers and surrounding communities. If you live near or work in a refinery, or know someone who does, please take a minute to tell us your experience.
Interested in learning more about the Public Insight Network? Read about how you can assist award-winning investigative journalists by sharing your expertise.
Refinery manager finds little sympathy at hearing on use of an extremely toxic, cloud-forming acid that poses a risk to 16 million Americans, as reported by iWatch News and ABC News. Pleads state lawmaker: "Look to safer alternatives."
A Pennsylvania lawmaker will convene a hearing Thursday on risks posed by toxic releases from oil refineries, notably hydrofluoric acid, a deadly compound featured in a joint investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and ABC News in February.
This piece of equipment, known as a heat exchanger, blew apart on April 2, 2010, at Tesoro Corp.’s oil refinery in Anacortes, Wash., killing seven workers.
The company planning to build the nation’s first new major oil refinery in 35 years will use a safer technology as a substitute for a highly toxic acid that can travel great distances and threaten nearby communities.
Jim Morris is a senior reporter and editor at the Center for Public Integrity and co-leader of the environment and labor team.... More about Jim Morris
Chris Hamby’s reporting on the environment and labor has been recognized with awards from the National Press Foundation, the White House ... More about Chris Hamby
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