Wednesday, August 11, 2010
BP is being sued by the state of Texas for excess pollution that has nothing to do with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In April and May, while all eyes were on the broken well that released millions of gallons of oil into the ocean, BP’s Texas City refinery released 538,000 pounds of pollutants into the atmosphere, including 17,000 pounds of the carcinogen benzene.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said BP was motivated by profits in allowing the harmful gases to leak into the air. “BP made very little attempt to minimize the emission of air contaminants caused by its actions, once again prioritizing profits over environmental compliance,” states Abbott’s lawsuit.
Abbott is already suing BP over other incidents of pollution at the same refinery, where in 2005 an explosion killed 15 workers and injured 180 others.
On August 3, workers at the refinery and residents of Texas City also filed a class action suit over the April-May pollution releases. More than 12,000 workers and residents have already signed on as plaintiffs in the suit.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Texas AG Sues BP for Refinery Pollution (by Erwin Seba, Reuters)
State Sues BP over Refinery (by Monica Hatcher, Houston Chronicle)
Attorney General Abbott Charges BP With Additional Violations At Texas City Refinery (Attorney General of Texas)
Texas v. BP (Texas District Court, Travis County) (pdf)
Thousands Sign on for $10 Billion BP Suit (by Monica Hatcher, Houston Chronicle)
Texas City Workers: Chemicals Spewed From Broken Pipe ‘Like Water From a Fire Hydrant’ (by Marian Wang, ProPublica)
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