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Petrochemicals - US

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Tue, 2013-10-08 20:10 — mdmcdonald
This working group focuses on issues surrounding the extraction, processing, and use of petrochemicals.

This working group focuses on issues surrounding the extraction, processing, and use of petrochemicals.

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Emissions Concerns Arise Over Port Arthur Plant

Wed, 2019-04-10 21:07 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

Oxbow Calcining, LLC, plant in Port Arthur operates recently. Photo taken Friday, February1, 2019 Photo by Kim Brent/The Enterprise

beaumontenterprise.com - by Kaitlin Bain - April 8, 2019

. . . Oxbow's Port Arthur calcining plant, on a 112-acre waterfront site near the Sabine Neches Ship Channel, uses petroleum coke, a byproduct from the oil refining process, to create calcined coke, which is then sold to make aluminum, titanium dioxide and other industrial products.

Sulfur dioxide and heat are two byproducts of this process.

Oxbow released more than 11,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air in 2016, according to calculations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, making it one of the top 10 emitters of the invisible chemical in the state.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

Country / Region Tags: 
US - South
General Topic Tags: 
Environment
Health
Petrochemical
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

Residents Near Fire Raging at Texas Chemical Plant Raise Health Concerns

Wed, 2019-03-20 06:36 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

Fire in Texas raging at chemical plant, nearby residents concerned for health - CBS News

cbsnews.com - by Janet Shamlian - March 19, 2019

A chemical plant near Houston has been burning since Sunday morning . . .

. . . The plant owner, Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC), said while the fire looks ominous, no one is in danger. ITC spokesman David Wascome said they continue to monitor air quality . . .

. . . Jorge Guerra, who lives three miles away, doesn't believe it.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

Country / Region Tags: 
US - South
General Topic Tags: 
Emergency Management
Environment
Health
Petrochemical
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

‘Unacceptable’: Lawmakers Question Decision Not To Monitor Harvey Pollution With NASA Jet

Fri, 2019-03-08 22:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

After Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast in August 2017, the storm stalled over Houston and dumped as much as 60 inches of rain on some parts of the region.  Katie Hayes Luke for NPR

Lawmakers called the decision “deeply troubling.”

houstonpublicmedia.org - by Davis Land - March 7, 2019

Lawmakers on the U.S. House science committee have questions for federal and Texas officials about a decision not to fly a NASA jet that would have provided more comprehensive data on air pollution after Hurricane Harvey.

Committee members Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) have requested documents relating to the decision from the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and NASA.

The request comes after an L.A. Times article revealed NASA officials offered up a high-tech air-sampling jet to help with pollution monitoring after Hurricane Harvey. The EPA and TCEQ reportedly pushed back on the offer, saying data from the state-of-the-art airplane would not be helpful. Their response informed NASA officials’ decision not to fly.

Country / Region Tags: 
US - South
General Topic Tags: 
Communication
Cooperation
Disaster Response
Emergency Management
Environment
Extreme Weather
Flood
Health
Petrochemical
Pollution
Vulnerability
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

More Than 300 Local Officials From 40 States Call For Green New Deal, End Of Fossil Fuels

Thu, 2018-12-20 07:03 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

Workers install solar panels.  Associated Press

The open letter includes a signature from a former high-level Mobil Oil executive.

CLICK HERE - Elected Officials to Protect America - Empowering lawmakers to act boldly on climate

huffingtonpost.com - by Alexander C. Kaufman - December 14, 2018

In a little over a month, the so-called Green New Deal has won endorsements from more than three dozen sitting or incoming federal lawmakers as Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) makes a high-profile bid to shift debate over climate change toward policy on the scale of the crisis. 

On Friday, the effort got a boost from 311 state and local officials.

Forty-four mayors, 63 county and state legislators and 116 city council members were among the officials from 40 states ― including some top oil and gas producers ― who signed an open letter issuing a sweeping, full-throated call for the phaseout of fossil fuels and adoption of Green New Deal-style climate policies.

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Climate
Energy
Petrochemical
Policy
Renewables
Sustainable Development
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

More Americans View Climate Change as 'Imminent' Threat

Thu, 2018-12-13 10:07 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

FILE PHOTO: Vapor is released into the sky at a refinery in Wilmington, California March 24, 2012. REUTERS/Bret Hartman/File photo

reuters.com - by Maria Caspani - December 13, 2018

A growing percentage of Americans see climate change as an “imminent” threat driven mainly by human activity, and more than two-thirds want Washington to work with other nations to combat it, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday . . . 

. . . The survey came close on the heels of a U.S. government report released last month that said climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century, undermining health, infrastructure, and industries from farming to energy production.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Climate
Economics
Petrochemical
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Rioting Engulfs Paris as Anger Grows Over High Taxes

Sat, 2018-12-08 18:34 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

Protesters demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes near the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018.  Sameer Al-Doumy/ AFP/Getty Images

chicagotribune.com - apnews.com - by ELAINE GANLEY and JOHN LEICESTER - December 8, 2018

The rumble of armored police trucks and the hiss of tear gas filled central Paris on Saturday, as French riot police fought to contain thousands of yellow-vested protesters venting their anger against the government in a movement that has grown more violent by the week . . . 

. . . Amid the melee, President Emmanuel Macron remained invisible and silent, as he has for the four weeks of a movement that started as a protest against a gas tax hike and metamorphosed into a rebellion against high taxes and eroding living standards . . .

. . . Macron on Wednesday agreed to abandon the fuel tax hike, which aimed to wean France off fossil fuels and uphold the Paris climate agreement. Many economists and scientists say higher fuel taxes are essential to save the planet from worsening climate change, but that stance hasn't defused the anger among France's working class.

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
France
General Topic Tags: 
Climate
Economics
Petrochemical
Security
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

This oil spill is poised to become one of the biggest environmental disasters in the US

Sun, 2018-10-28 23:16 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

An aerial image of an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, taken on April 28, 2018.  (Handout photo by Oscar Garcia-Pineda, Water Mapping, LLC)

circa.com - by Julia Boccagno and The Associated Press - October 24, 2018

Millions of gallons of oil have been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico for more than 14 years, forming what is poised to become one of the worst environmental disasters in the United States, according the Gulf Restoration Network, which has been tracking the chronic leak.

"There has been an uptrend of the areas of the slick during the last two years," wrote Oscar Pineda-Garcia, who runs a company that maps oil spills and is an adjunct professor at Florida State University.

Environmental leaders suggest that the Taylor Energy Co. oil spill has dumped anywhere between 10,000 to 30,000 gallons of oil a day since 2004, when its platform collapsed during Hurricane Ivan.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLES WITHIN THE LINKS BELOW . . .

Country / Region Tags: 
US - Gulf Coast
General Topic Tags: 
Environment
Oceans
Petrochemical
Pollution
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem
Situation Report

Texas, Refineries Urged to Plan Storm Shutdowns to Cut Pollution

Thu, 2018-08-16 09:31 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Shell Deer Park Manufacturing Complex is seen in Deer Park, Texas, U.S. August 31, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Preparing for the Next Storm (33 page .PDF report)

reuters.com - by Timothy Gardner - August 16, 2018

Texas environment regulators should coordinate shutdowns of oil refineries and other petrochemical plants during major storms to avoid big releases of air pollution like during last year’s Hurricane Harvey, a report said on Thursday.

A year ago Harvey dumped more than 60 inches (1.5 meters) of rain on southeastern Texas, halting refineries that produce a quarter of U.S. fuel and damaging infrastructure.

Texas industry, including refineries and petrochemical plants, released an extra 8.3 million pounds (3.8 million kg) of air pollutants including cancer-causing benzene, during Harvey, said the report . . . 

Country / Region Tags: 
US - South
General Topic Tags: 
Environment
Health
Petrochemical
Pollution
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Solutions
Problem
Situation Report

How Wind Energy Creates More Dependence on Fossil Fuels

Tue, 2018-08-07 13:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

'Any informed student of wind energy ... understands that'

michigancapitolconfidential.com - by Jack Spencer - March 2, 2015

Truth has a habit of emerging from unexpected places. An article in the Daily Kos about the desire to end dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs reveals a “nasty little secret” about wind energy: It relies on fossil fuels.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Energy
Grid
Petrochemical
Renewables
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Swiss Re No Longer Offers Re/Insurance to Firms with More Than 30% Coal Exposure

Thu, 2018-07-05 21:59 — Kathy Gilbeaux

           

CLICK HERE - Swiss Re - News Release - Swiss Re establishes thermal coal policy to support transition to a low-carbon economy (4 page .PDF file)

insurancejournal.com - July 3, 2018

Swiss Re announced it no longer is providing re/insurance to businesses with more than 30 percent exposure to thermal coal across all lines of business.

The thermal coal policy applies to both existing and new thermal coal mines and power plants, and is implemented across all lines of business and Swiss Re’s global scope of operations.

This move marks the implementation of Swiss Re’s thermal coal policy announced in June 2017, which aims to manage carbon-related sustainability risks and support the transition to a low-carbon economy, the company said in a statement.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLE HERE - Swiss Re limits thermal coal coverage

 

 

 

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Economics
Petrochemical
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

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