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PM ACC 4/9/17
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(ACC Mentioned) Maine Lobbyist Pay Nears $5 Million
Sep 4, 2017 | AP (In The Portland Press-Herald)
By Marina Villeneuve
Maine lobbyists have been paid $4.8 million so far this year, including familiar political faces involved in fights over solar power, voter-approved laws and the two-year, $7.1 billion budget. -
Touching Thermal-Paper Receipts Could Extend BPA Retention in the Body
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical and Engineering News
By Deirdre Lockwood
When people handle receipts printed on thermal paper containing the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical could linger in the body for a week or more (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03093). -
Procter & Gamble to Reveal All Fragrance Ingredients by 2020
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical Watch
By Tammy Lovell
US consumer goods giant, Procter & Gamble, has announced it will reveal the fragrance ingredients, down to 0.01% of content, for all products sold in the US and Canada by the end of 2019. -
Canada Clears Asphalt Substances in Final Screening Assessment
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical Watch
Asphalt and its oxidised form do not meet toxicity criteria under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (Cepa), according to a recently released final screening assessment. -
EU Commission Notifies WTO of Proposed Changes to FCM Regulation
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical Watch
The European Commission has notified the WTO of proposed amendments to its Regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food. -
(ACC Mentioned) INSIGHT: Hurricane Harvey Impact Leads to 50,000 Tonnes/Day Ethylene Loss
Sep 4, 2017 | ICIS
By Nigel Davis
It may take weeks to reach pre-hurricane production levels in the flood hit areas of Texas and Louisiana, the American Chemistry Council said on Friday. -
Phillips 66 Resumes Operations at US Terminals in Texas After Harvey
Sep 4, 2017 | ICIS
Phillips 66 resumed some operations over the weekend at crude and refined products terminals in Texas following Hurricane Harvey, the US-based refiner said. -
Harvey Exposes Striking New Energy Risks in the Age of Shale
Sep 4, 2017 | CNBC
By Jason Bordoff
As Houston and other Texas communities begin taking stock of the deadly devastation left by Harvey, the storm's impacts on the energy sector are being felt far and wide—in ways not seen before, reflecting how dramatically the U.S. energy landscape has changed in the last decade. -
Evacuation Order Lifted Near Arkema Chemical Plant in Texas
Sep 4, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal
By Dan Molinski
French chemical company Arkema SA on Monday told residents living near its plant outside Houston they can return home, six days after they evacuated before chemicals began exploding due to flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.
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(ACC Mentioned) Maine Lobbyist Pay Nears $5 Million
Sep 4, 2017 | AP (In The Portland Press-Herald)
By Marina Villeneuve
Maine lobbyists have been paid $4.8 million so far this year, including familiar political faces involved in fights over solar power, voter-approved laws and the two-year, $7.1 billion budget.
The Associated Press reviewed lobbying reports through July and found big spenders include the pharmaceutical industry, Maine’s largest electrical utility, a nonprofit energy group, and organizations hoping to shape the state’s recreational marijuana industry.
The spending follows renewed concern from political and advocacy groups over the influence of former lawmakers and administration officials. Maine bars lawmakers from registering as lobbyists in their first year after holding office, while certain former executive branch officials – like the governor’s policy advisers – don’t face such a prohibition.
But the state must better enforce a loophole that allows former lawmakers to lobby in that first year if they report lobbying fewer than eight hours a month, Maine Republican Party Executive Director Jason Savage said.
“Lobbyists play a huge role in how our State House functions,” he said, and noted all individuals – including those who lobby – have a right to petition their government. “I think it’s perfectly acceptable that we hold them accountable.”
FAMILIAR FACES
Four lobbyists for the Augusta-based Mitchell Tardy Jackson Government Affairs reported about $934,000 in pay since January. Its lobbyists include former Republican House leader Josh Tardy, and clients include Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Central Maine Power Co., and pipeline companies pushing for more natural gas infrastructure throughout the Northeast.
Other lawmakers-turned-lobbyists include former Democratic House Speaker Michael Saxl, former Democratic Rep. Edward Dugay, former Democratic Rep. Robert Howe and former seven-term Republican lawmaker Pamela Cahill.
Holly Lusk, a former adviser to Republican Gov. Paul LePage, and former Democratic Rep. Adam Goode lobbied this year after more recent departures. Lusk left the governor’s office in December 2015 and rejoined the firm Preti Flaherty to lobby for clients including private health provider Correct Care Solutions this year, while Goode – term-limited out of office in December – lobbied lawmakers for the Maine AFL-CIO.
This spring, Maine’s ethics commission voted against investigating Republican Rep. Sheldon Hanington’s complaint that Goode didn’t stay below the eight-hour lobbying threshold. Commissioners unanimously supported stalled legislation prohibiting any paid lobbying for lawmakers in the year after their service ends. A similar bill to extend such a ban to former executive branch officials died.
‘NO POWER IN THE LOBBY’
Maine is one of at least 34 states the National Conference of State Legislatures found have a “cooling off period” before formers lawmakers can lobby.
Tardy said effective lobbyists need a “comprehensive understanding of the legislative process and the executive branch” but takes exception to the commonly held belief that lobbyists carry outsized power to shape legislation.
“There’s no power in the lobby,” Tardy said. “The power is in the people who have a vote. Lobbyists don’t have a vote.”
Mary Orear, a Rockport resident and Democrat, wants a four-year lobbying ban and hopes to train Maine citizens to lobby. “It gives them incredible power and an unfair advantage, and it opens the door for financial wheedling and abuse,” she said.
Ann Luther, advocacy chairwoman of the League of Women Voters of Maine, said that it’s hard for the public to tell why former lawmakers may lobby, and that eliminating term limits could lead to more empowered lawmakers. “When the Legislature gets weaker, the lobby gets stronger,” she said.
Former Democratic Rep. John Brautigam, interim head of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, said that in his view, “legislators need more resources and they need more time to master the legislative process” than current law allows.
WINNERS, LOSERS
Some companies fared better than others in lobbying efforts.
Nonprofit Industrial Energy Consumer Group and Central Maine Power Co. reported spending over $200,000 on lobbyists, including Tardy. They helped quash a solar energy bill strongly supported by solar installation companies and environmental groups.
Lobbyists representing McDonald’s, Wal-Mart and Maine business groups took on the labor and education lobby to remove a voter-approved tax on high earners to fund schools and roll back a voter-approved minimum wage law impacting tipped workers. Droves of Maine residents testified on both sides.
Several leading tobacco producers lost their fight against a law barring tobacco sales to those under 21. A bill to prevent sale of furniture made with flame retardants became law over the objections of the American Chemistry Council and chemical manufacturer Albemarle Corp.
Groups such as Maine Professionals for Regulating Marijuana hoping to shape the state’s recreational marijuana industry have reported spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbyists.
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/09/03/maine-lobbyist-pay-nears-5-million/
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Touching Thermal-Paper Receipts Could Extend BPA Retention in the Body
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical and Engineering News
By Deirdre Lockwood
When people handle receipts printed on thermal paper containing the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical could linger in the body for a week or more (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03093). Jonathan W. Martin of Stockholm University and Jiaying Liu of the University of Alberta asked six male volunteers to handle paper containing isotopically labeled BPA for five minutes. The volunteers then put on nitrile gloves, wore them for two hours, removed them, and washed their hands with soap. Afterward, the researchers measured the labeled BPA and its metabolites in the volunteers’ urine regularly for two days and then once again a week later. Total BPA in the urine increased linearly over the first two days, and after a week, three of the volunteers still had BPA in their urine. In contrast, after the volunteers each ate a cookie containing labeled BPA, total BPA in their urine spiked within five hours and was fully cleared within a day. Ingested BPA is rapidly metabolized in the liver and quickly excreted, Martin says. But BPA absorbed through the skin is probably metabolized much less efficiently, which could lead to a longer and more toxic exposure.
http://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i35/Touching-thermal-paper-receipts-extend.html
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Procter & Gamble to Reveal All Fragrance Ingredients by 2020
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical Watch
By Tammy Lovell
US consumer goods giant, Procter & Gamble, has announced it will reveal the fragrance ingredients, down to 0.01% of content, for all products sold in the US and Canada by the end of 2019.
The initiative will include more than 2,000 products across 65 brands.
Consumers will first be offered details about Tide laundry detergents, Herbal Essences shampoos, Febreze air fresheners and Olay skin care products, in which P&G says there is "the greatest consumer interest". Additional product categories and geographies will be added over time.
P&G will also include information on where else these ingredients can be found, such as in fruits, food and other products.
It follows a similar move from Unilever earlier this year, which committed to provide US consumers with information about specific fragrance ingredients used in its personal care products.
Tracey Long, P&G senior communications manager, told Chemical Watch the company started working on its commitment five years ago. In 2012, P&G disclosed its full product fragrance palette and last year, it provided a full list of chemicals not used in its fragrances.
She added that as well as working in partnership with suppliers to ensure the accuracy of the listings, the company had in-house formulators "who develop many of our unique and proprietary fragrances and will be providing their expertise to this effort".
Confidentiality has been a longstanding concern with disclosure, as companies have expressed fear of revealing trade secrets.
Ms Long said that P&G is working closely with its suppliers "to ensure trade protection is maintained, even while helping provide more detailed fragrance ingredient information."
Sarada Tangirala, of the NGO Women’s Voices for the Earth, said the initiative "solidifies the notion that keeping ingredients a secret from consumers is simply not acceptable anymore".
Domino effect
Environmental Working Group president, Ken Cook, called the effort "the most sweeping fragrance ingredient transparency initiative to date".
"Because of the company’s sheer size and market share, P&G’s sweeping initiative could be the domino that triggers similar actions from the rest of the industry that has not yet embraced this level of transparency for fragrance ingredients," he said.
Health NGOs have long put pressure on P&G and other consumer companies to be fully open about the ingredients in their products.
Dev Gowda of the US Public Interest Research Group said it had recently delivered thousands of petitions to P&G’s headquarters, calling on the consumer giant to disclose its fragrance ingredients.
He called the initiative "a victory for consumer product transparency", but added that the company should "take the next step to protect public health and achieve full fragrance disclosure and remove all toxic chemicals of concern from their consumer product brands."
Other companies to announce such initiatives include SC Johnson, which has disclosed the 368 potential skin allergens that may be used in its products and RB which has committed to full ingredient transparency by 2020.
There has been increasing pressure for the same in cleaning products in the US.
Earlier this week, a key California Assembly committee advanced the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act (SB 258), which passed the Senate in June. Like a federal bill introduced in May, the measure would require increased disclosure of ingredients in cleaning products.
Also, the state of New York has announced plans to introduce the Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure programme, which will require cleaning product manufacturers to publicly disclose ingredients and identify chemicals of concern used in formulations.
https://chemicalwatch.com/58435/procter-gamble-to-reveal-all-fragrance-ingredients-by-2020
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Canada Clears Asphalt Substances in Final Screening Assessment
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical Watch
Asphalt and its oxidised form do not meet toxicity criteria under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (Cepa), according to a recently released final screening assessment.
The Canadian government found that the substances are not entering the environment in a quantity or concentration, or under conditions that constitute, or may constitute, a danger to human health or the environment in the country.
The vast majority – nearly 99% – are used in the construction of roads and in roofing materials. They may also be found in adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, and other miscellaneous products available to consumers.
Occupational exposures, however, were outside the scope of the assessment.
Asphalts are unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products or biological materials (UVCBs) rather than discrete chemicals. As such, they have no specific chemical formula or structure.
The substances – also known as air-blown or air-refined asphalt – were evaluated under the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) Petroleum Sector Stream Approach (PSSA).Environmental releases
The assessment found that the release of hazardous components to the environment is low. This was based on experimental studies on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) leaching from paving and roofing asphalt formulations.
The physico-chemical properties of asphalt components – including a high KOW, high KOC, very low vapour pressure and very low water solubility under environment-relevant conditions – mean they tend not to disperse in the environment, or become bioavailable. Coupled with their low toxicity, the report says, the ecological concerns associated with spilled asphaltic materials should be considered low.
The authors concluded that the substances pose low risk to organisms and the environment, and do not meet the criteria under section 64 of Cepa.Human health
In terms of human health, PAHs and benzene – both minor components of asphalts – have been identified as carcinogens by Health Canada and other international bodies.
But the final assessment found that exposure to the general population from asphalts does not constitute a risk to human health.
The evaluation examined inhalation exposure of the general population from asphalt-producing and refining industries, or from proximity to paving operations. It concluded that because asphalts are mainly composed of non-volatile substances, fugitive emissions in the vicinity of industrial facilities are expected to be low.
Dermal exposure can occur from the use of consumer products – including from the application of pavement sealants in residential settings. These do not pose a risk to human health, as there is a lack of toxicity exhibited by asphalt in short-term animal studies, and also low dermal absorption.
Based on these findings, the government has concluded that asphalt and oxidised asphalt do not meet section 64 criteria for harm to human health.
https://chemicalwatch.com/58457/canada-clears-asphalt-substances-in-final-screening-assessment
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EU Commission Notifies WTO of Proposed Changes to FCM Regulation
Sep 4, 2017 | Chemical Watch
The European Commission has notified the WTO of proposed amendments to its Regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.
The changes reflect further scientific opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) on particular food contact materials (FCM) substances, as well as on the permitted use of already authorised substances.
The proposals intend to amend Annex I of the Regulation to authorise four new FCMs and extend the uses of others.
The following substances are earmarked for addition to the authorisation list, with limits on uses:
· monomer 2,4,4-trifluorobenzophenone;
· monomer 2,3,3,4,4,5,5-heptafluoro-1-pentene;
· tungsten oxide; and
· mixture of methyl-branched and linear C(14)-C(18) alkanamides, derived from fatty acids.
And proposals for a current authorisation to be extended for new uses, with new set concentration limits, would apply to:
· butadiene;
· styrene;
· methyl methacrylate; and
· butyl acrylate.
The proposed date of adoption is December this year. The amended Regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal.
The Commission also amended the Regulation in May, by adding new limits on other substances and included migration tests.
https://chemicalwatch.com/58464/eu-commission-notifies-wto-of-proposed-changes-to-fcm-regulation
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(ACC Mentioned) INSIGHT: Hurricane Harvey Impact Leads to 50,000 Tonnes/Day Ethylene Loss
Sep 4, 2017 | ICIS
By Nigel Davis
It may take weeks to reach pre-hurricane production levels in the flood hit areas of Texas and Louisiana, the American Chemistry Council said on Friday.
Its assessment indicates that the cumulative loss of ethylene production from the storm will be 300,000 tonnes or a 1.0% of total US capacity. Seventeen crackers with a combined capacity of 11.2m tonnes were shut down while other olefins units were running at reduced rates.
The current loss of production is about 50,000 tonnes/day. Plants will come back on-stream but start-up is reliant on numerous factors, most of which are outside companies’ control.
Of course, it is not just ethylene; the ICIS chart accessible from the link at the end of this article shows the status of a wide range of chemical production plants and port facilities in Texas.
The ACC said some 30% of US propylene, butadiene and benzene capacity was shut down in the face of the storm.
Other facilities closed include ones producing methanol, on-purpose propylene (propane dehydrogenation), abroad range of plastics – low density, high density and linear low density polyethylene (LDPE, HDPE and LLDP. Polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) among them – synthetic rubber, downstream derivatives such as acrylic acid, cumene, ethylene oxide (EO), monoethylene glycol (MEG) , propylene oxide (PO), and styrene, chlor-alkali and air separation plants.
The list is not exhaustive.
Similarly, the ACC stressed that important issues when it comes to re-starting production plants will be the availability of power, natural gas and other materials and supplies. And, as we pointed out last week, the physical ability of plant employees other than emergency crews on-site, to return to work.
“The timing of resumption to normal activity will depend on how quickly the unprecedented waters recede from roads, railways etc to allow inspection and repair to possible damage as was as restoration of the movement of employees, raw materials and finished products. Restart procedures will begin as soon as the storm passes but it may take weeks to reach pre-hurricane levels,” the trade group said.
And ExxonMobil was saying over the weekend that the re-start of its Baytown refinery and chemicals plants in Texas was largely dependent on the transport infrastructure. The company was working with the Port of Houston to speed the movement of vessels through the Houston Ship Channel as well as coordinating with railroad companies on repairs.
The company’s Beaumont refinery remained shut but the polyethylene plant at the site was being started up.
Only last week the ACC was talking about a strong start for the chemical industry to the third quarter. The chart shows how production had ramped up particularly strongly on the US Gulf cost from April, to May, to June and July,
US chemical production was up 2.3% in July, year on year. Not a spectacular by any means but the upward trend was improving. The surge of investment on the US Gulf Coast over the past few years helped push up regional production by 5.8%.
That, of course, has changed, at least for the time being.
https://www.icis.com/resources/news/2017/09/04/10139856/insight-hurricane-harvey-impact-leads-to-50-000-tonnes-day-ethylene-loss/
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Phillips 66 Resumes Operations at US Terminals in Texas After Harvey
Sep 4, 2017 | ICIS
Phillips 66 resumed some operations over the weekend at crude and refined products terminals in Texas following Hurricane Harvey, the US-based refiner said.
At Phillips 66’s Beaumont terminal, crude oil operations except for marine have resumed. Refined product operations are expected to resume within days.
The Phillips 66-operated refined products terminal at Pasadena resumed truck loading on Saturday.
Phillips 66’s Freeport terminal – which includes its new liquefied petroleum gas (LGP) export terminal – was operational on Friday, when the Port of Freeport reopened with restrictions.
Meanwhile, Phillips 66 continues to assess equipment condition at its Sweeny refinery, conduct repairs as needed, as well as make other preparations to begin the restart process.
Operations are still suspended at the Phillips 66-operated Gulf Coast Fractionators plant in Mont Belvieu due to lack of available storage at the Mont Belvieu hub.
Phillips 66 said its Lake Charles and Alliance refineries in Louisiana and other terminals in the Gulf Coast region continue to operate.
The company worked with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to secure the release of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
Harvey and its aftermath
Operations at US Gulf Coast refineries and petrochemical plants have been disrupted this week by severe weather and flooding from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey, leading to a wave of force majeure declarations and logistical issues.
Visit the ICIS Dashboard for a list of all the plants, ports and markets affected by the storm. To view an interactive map of petrochemical plants in Texas, click here. Use the drop-down menu to see plants by products, and zoom in to see more details.
https://www.icis.com/resources/news/2017/09/04/10139832/phillips-66-resumes-operations-at-us-terminals-in-texas-after-harvey/
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Harvey Exposes Striking New Energy Risks in the Age of Shale
Sep 4, 2017 | CNBC
By Jason Bordoff
As Houston and other Texas communities begin taking stock of the deadly devastation left by Harvey, the storm's impacts on the energy sector are being felt far and wide—in ways not seen before, reflecting how dramatically the U.S. energy landscape has changed in the last decade.
The U.S. Gulf Coast energy hub is no stranger to extreme weather. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the region's refining capacity, production and pipeline operations. The industry learned critical lessons about resilience from the deadly storms, but the years since have seen massive changes to the sector that have altered the U.S. economy, the nation's energy outlook and global markets. It has also brought new risks to all three, some of which are only now being realized.
Consider that when Katrina and Rita hit, the U.S. was the world's largest importer of refined petroleum products and was importing record high volumes of oil. Dozens of projects were also being proposed to import costly liquefied natural gas (LNG). Thanks to the shale revolution, the U.S. is now the leading exporter of refined products and net oil exports have tumbled. We are now a net exporter of natural gas and are shipping large volumes of crude abroad as well.
The growing concentration of energy infrastructure – production, refineries, processing and petrochemical plants, storage terminals, ports and more— in the Gulf Coast creates a vulnerability for the U.S. and the world. Roughly half of U.S. refined product exports go to Latin America, and Mexico depends on the U.S. for half its imports. Harvey's disruptions caused European and Asian petroleum product prices to rise, as traders diverted cargoes to meet needs in the Americas. When the Gulf Coast's energy system takes a hit, it is now felt everywhere. And in the next few years, several new natural gas export facilities will come online, meaning the next disaster could have a big impact on global gas markets as well.
To be sure, there have been some clear resilience improvements since Katrina. Much progress has been made to harden energy infrastructure and improve the resilience of the fuel supply chain. A larger share of oil production now comes from onshore shale wells that are much better protected than large offshore platforms. The increase in supply options and infrastructure routes means markets can more quickly signal supply disruptions and respond to them through price movements.
It will take time to fully assess the impacts of Harvey on the energy system. But policymakers would be well-advised to consider some preliminary lessons:
First, while much progress has been made, much more remains to be done to harden energy infrastructure. This may prove especially true fornew facilities built quickly to respond to the rapid shale boom. And new infrastructure should be built taking into consideration the future impacts of climate change, which is why it was so short-sighted of the Trump Administration to streamline the process for approving infrastructure two weeks ago by eliminating the need to plan for climate change.
Second, well-functioning, interconnected, and flexible markets bolster energy security. Removing barriers to energy trade, like export restrictions, allows markets to function more effectively. Increased pipeline, storage and port capacity, allows the system to respond more flexibly. Policymakers should ensure an efficient infrastructure permitting process.
Third, while price spikes can divert needed supplies and thus resolve shortages, higher prices take a toll on consumers and the broader economy. These costs are not borne by private firms. Government thus has a role to temper price spikes and physical supply disruptions with strategic stocks.In recent years, Congress has sold off large quantities of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to fill short-term budget holes, assuming (incorrectly) that declining oil imports cut our vulnerability to supply disruptions. The Trump Administration has proposed selling off half the SPR. We should not get rid of this national security asset, but rather should modernize strategic stocks to match the risks we now face, including swapping a portion of oil for refined petroleum products and ensuring the infrastructure exists to bring both to market.
Fourth, it is clear that even if we import less, our vulnerability to oil disruptions is proportional to our economy's oil-dependence. Continued policy efforts to reduce the economy's oil-intensity will lessen the impacts of future outages and price spikes—a critical reason the Trump Administration's proposal to reduce the scheduled increases in fuel economy standards is unwise.
Finally, Harvey, along with the floods in southeast Asia that killed 1,200, remind us of the importance of acting more urgently to address the threat of climate change, which increases the risks of catastrophic weather events. Hurricanes are not new, of course, but climate change can increase the severity of their impacts, like the extreme rainfall and flooding seen during Harvey. Rising sea levels, warmer waters, and increased moisture in the atmosphere exacerbate the severity of extreme weather events.
The devastation wrought by Harvey reveals many new risks and impacts of the changed U.S. energy landscape. As the Gulf Coast recovers and rebuilds, we should heed the lessons of Harvey to prepare better for next time.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/01/after-harvey-5-lessons-us-energy-markets-must-learn-commentary.html
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Evacuation Order Lifted Near Arkema Chemical Plant in Texas
Sep 4, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal
By Dan Molinski
French chemical company Arkema SA on Monday told residents living near its plant outside Houston they can return home, six days after they evacuated before chemicals began exploding due to flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.
“The 1.5-mile evacuation zone around the Arkema Inc. facility has been lifted and is no longer in effect,” the company said in a statement, indicating all remaining dangerous chemicals had burned off. “It is safe for residents to return to their homes.”
Arkema executives and local authorities last Tuesday began warning people near the plant in Crosby, Texas, 25 miles northeast of downtown Houston, to get out of the area. The company said the plant was sitting in six feet of water and electricity had been cut, rendering it unable to keep cool a large inventory of organic peroxides that were at risk of exploding in warm temperatures.
Sure enough, the chemicals housed in large trailers began igniting Thursday, one trailer after another over several days. In some cases, flames could be soon shooting several stories into the air, while billowing black smoke lasted for several hours after each event.
But when some trailers failed to catch fire on their own, and amid increasing pressure from residents and authorities to bring the situation to a close, the company on Sunday said it decided to purposely ignite the final inventories. It said would be using “proactive measures,” but didn’t specify how this was done.
A top executive apologized Friday for the crisis, saying information could have been provided more quickly. “I’d like to once more apologize to everyone impacted by the events at our site,” said Richard Rowe, head of Arkema’s North American subsidiary.
There were no reports of serious injuries from any of the blasts, though about a dozen Harris County Sheriff’s deputies were briefly taken to the hospital after breathing in smoke from the fires.
The plant produces a variety of organic peroxides under the product name Luperox.
Arkema is based in a suburb of Paris, France, and the peroxides at the Crosby plant are used to make things like pharmaceuticals, polystyrene cups, building material and acrylic-based paint.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/evacuation-order-lifted-near-arkema-chemical-plant-in-texas-1504533762
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