People at an April 2010 memorial vigil remember 29 miners who died in the explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va. A year after the disaster, an independent report criticizes federal inspectors for laxity and missing important clues leading to the explosion. The report also briefly mentions another problem that has eluded remedy for years: Most of the dead miners had the disease known as black lung.
The mining industry, under increased scrutiny a year after the deadliest U.S. mine accident in decades, is asking the government for a more cooperative form of regulation that would allow some mines to avoid regular inspections.
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.
Plastic bottles at a recycling center in Portland, Me. Some contain BPA, which a new study concludes is safe. Researchers on the study have ties to industry.
Four authors of a new report concluding that bisphenol A is safe have ties to companies and groups that benefit from the controversial chemical, which is used to harden everyday plastics found in some food containers, cups and baby bottles.
Two of the researchers – Hermann Schweinfurth and Wolfgang Völkel – reported their affiliations in the report's "declaration of interest." Two others – Werner Lilienblum and Peter-Jürgen Kramer – have professional websites linking them to the chemical industry.
The report was written by the nine-member Advisory Committee to the German Society for Toxicology, the country's national association of toxicologists.
Schweinfurth acknowledged in his declaration that he works for Bayer Schering Pharma AG, the largest producer of bisphenol A, or BPA, in Europe.
Völkel reported receiving funding from the international industry group BPA Global in the past.
Lilienblum runs a “consultancy for the industry.” And Kramer describes himself as a "leading toxicologist in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry" who is currently "developing and shaping" toxicology in Germany and throughout Europe.
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.
Matt Gumbel was killed in a explosion at the Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington in April 2010. Regulators said afterwards that the company had failed to conduct proper safety tests. Could the explosion — and Matt Gumbel's death — been prevented?
