With Neighors Unaware, Toxic Spill at BP Plant

COMMENT:

The permits for BP to do business come from state government agencies. Who are the people in charge in these agencies that are issuing "permits" (legalizing) these industries that cause these criminal acts upon the people and ecosystems? The state of Texas government put industry above the law when they put the children, adults, animals and ecosystem in harms way so that profits can be made. They made all people, animals and the ecosystem "property" by taking away their rights of knowledge about the toxic chemicals released in their atmosphere by BP.

Is the "cost of doing business" (fine issued by the Attorney General at $600,000) that cheap and easy that the health or life of the child, adult or animals comes with but a nod and a handshake by our governments and corporations?

When is enough enough?

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the
people fear the government, there is tyranny.".....Thomas Jefferson

Drilling Mora County

August 29, 2010
With Neighbors Unaware, Toxic Spill at a BP Plant
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
TEXAS CITY, Tex. — While the world was focused on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a BP refinery here released huge amounts of toxic chemicals into the air that went unnoticed by residents until many saw their children come down with respiratory problems.

For 40 days after a piece of equipment critical to the refinery’s operation broke down, a total of 538,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, including the carcinogen benzene, poured out of the refinery.

Rather than taking the costly step of shutting down the refinery to make repairs, the engineers at the plant diverted gases to a smokestack and tried to burn them off, but hundreds of thousands of pounds still escaped into the air, according to state environmental officials.

Neither the state nor the oil company informed neighbors or local officials about the pollutants until two weeks after the release ended, and angry residents of Texas City have signed up in droves to join a $10 billion class-action lawsuit against BP. The state attorney general, Greg Abbott, has also sued the company, seeking fines of about $600,000....continued....