Criminal: Tulsa's Worst Neighbor

[aoxamaxoa]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=061214_To_A1_el2Re9617

Frank Condon Environmental Excellence Award name change to Frank CONDOM Excellence Award for cover up of real truth. $5.5 million no deterrent to future violations....

Claire Egan needs to be tougher....

[RecycleMichael]

This award was given out by a group called the Environmental Federation of Oklahoma.

Most environmentalists do not consider it a real environmental group. It is comprised almost exclusively of oil and utility company executives who fight environmental regulation. Their website says this is one of their missions...Provide an industry voice on environmental matters of public concern; provide positive business-oriented quotes to the news media

The vice-chairman of this organization comes from the Sinclair refinery who won the award.

Having a group of polluters saying that one of their own members pollutes less than the other members of the selection committee doesn't make me think they are worthy of an award.

I hope they don't hurt themselves patting themselves on their back.

[Hometown]

I bet that it's cheaper to pay an occasional fine than to comply with clean air standards.  My sense is that the city has given these guys a free pass over the years.  I recall the Tulsa DA's office secretly assisting the Mid Continent refinery during the infamous strike there.  Tulsans deserve a comprehensive unbiased look at what all the industrial facilities on the West Bank of the Arkansas are doing to our health.

[aoxamaxoa]

ABSOLUTELY! Good posts....Bad corporate citizens.

[AMP]

Seems to justify my points in previous posts about the water quality in the Arkansas River.

Update on the Water Quality and human contact questions:  Tulsa City/County Health Department gave me no answers but they did refer me to another agency that also had no answers to my questions regarding the quality of the water.  I am now asking the 3rd agency.  Doubt if any answers are coming.

[snopes]

"In a written statement, the company expressed regret for the violations, saying they didn't involve a safety breach or environmental spill and that "measures are in place at the refinery to prevent any repeat occurrence."

Ya, right. On whose word? Theirs, as if they can be trusted?

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by snopes

"In a written statement, the company expressed regret for the violations, saying they didn't involve a safety breach or environmental spill and that "measures are in place at the refinery to prevent any repeat occurrence."

Ya, right. On whose word? Theirs, as if they can be trusted?

Can't imagine what measures would be put in place to prevent repeat occurrences unless they consider adding "integrity and honesty" as personality traits to their employees.

[aoxamaxoa]

"Unfortunately, the EPA ignored its own science advisory committee, it ignored the American Medical Association, and it ignored its bedrock duty under the Clean Air Act to protect public health from harmful air pollution," said Vickie Patton, a senior attorney with Environmental Defense and a former attorney in the EPA's General Counsel's office. "

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/1215-06.htm

Tulsa's biggest liability are our refineries!

[aoxamaxoa]

TRUELY AMAZING THE LACK OF OUTRAGE OVER THIS FINE CORPORATE CITIZEN. WHAT A BUNCH OF DICKS! AND OUR COUNSELORS, COMMISSIONERS, MAYORS, and DEPARTMENT HEADS SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES OF HOW OUT OF TOUCH THEY ARE WITH THE TIMES!

The fact the citizens have said nothing is indicative of the borish selfish mindset in Tulsa.


And on this board, the lack of outrage exemplifies the total lack of concern for our future here by many who just want to talk about boozeries and eateries and skeemers and scamers. There is little discussion about education, the environment and the quality of life and lots of puffery about the things that really are insignificant.

Watch. Serious health issues will appear in this town someday as a result of this corporate rat and everyone will act surprised. what a hick town we are....
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=061217_Ne_A1_Sincl32171

Anyone care to guess about this punishment? I will. Another hand slap.

They need to be fined $100,000,000 and the money dedicated to improving the air and water and the river environment.

Or asked to leave....

[RecycleMichael]

I appreciate your passion on this topic, but don't overreact to the news and jump to the conclusion that no one is paying attention. Also remember that this is the Sinclair refinery, not the larger Sunoco refinery.

The Tulsa World has done a follow-up to this story today (using words I wrote last Thursday) and I suspect there will be more coverage as well.

I think that the citizens don't understand the complexity of the environmental rules and just kind of assume that all the industries on the river pollute the river. This Sinclair refinery has had lots of environmental problems and many of those problems are just now coming to light.

What concerns me about this particular violation is what they are guilty of. Face it, it is a nasty business and the potential for a spill or a fire is always present. But this violation was not for spilling something, but for purposely hiding contaminated water from the regulators.

They somehow knew when the inspectors were coming and diverted contaminated water by hiding it in temporary tank.

This refinery has it's own water treatment plant and is allowed to put a million gallons of treated water into the river each day. They had some water that they had been discharging that was a little too contaminated by oil and grease to meet the standards so they hid it that day from the regulators.

There is no evidence that they actually discharged this water into the river and they can make the case that they treated it later.  The charges are that they took measures to hide bad water from the inspectors.

Spills happen, but these guys are guilty of something way worse in my opinion.