—-Mick Gregory
Why didn’t the major media report these federal grand jury indictments of Hugo ‘the boss’ Citgo’s ecological crimes by the Corpis Christi Citgo refinery?
Count One — Violations of the Clean Air Act to promote the public health and welfare…
Count Two — Hazardous Air Pollutants released…
Count Three — Release of Benzene…
Count Four — Well over EPA standards for Benzene treatment waste in Texas streams…
Count Five — Citgo failed to calculate and report Benzene spills…
Count Six — Owner or operator (Citgo) is required to follow EPA reporting and was granted waivers to comply…
Count Seven — Texas and the EPA are required to implement and enforce the Benzene controls with full cooperation of (Citgo)…
Count Eight — Violation of Clean Air Act with much more tha 10 megagrams of Benzene released in streams on a yearly basis…
Count Nine — Refineries are required to file a truthful, accurate annual reports to the EPA…
Citgo thumbs it’s nose at US EPA laws. Why would any American buy gas at Citgo?
4 responses so far ↓
Greg Michael // August 22, 2006 at 9:54 pm |
Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez visits China and may visit North Korea’s dictator…Venezuelan dictator is seeking political support as well as energy deals when he visits China today, but Beijing is keen to stick to business and avoid antagonizing Washington, analysts say.
The globe-trotting Stalinist will spend nearly a week in China on his fourth visit there and hopes to secure investment in oil production and shipping — exploiting the shared interests of the world’s number two oil consumer and its number five exporter.
But their courtship has raised hackles in U.S. corridors of power, where some officials fear the emerging Asian heavyweight is trying to edge its way into Washington’s sphere of influence in South America.
Chavez will be aiming to drum up support for Venezuela’s bid for a slot on the United Nations Security Council, in opposition to U.S.-supported Guatemala.
And he is always ready to bait Washington, which buys around 12 percent of its crude imports from Caracas, by flaunting his ties with oil-hungry Beijing.
“All (Latin American) countries want autonomy but Chavez wants more than that. He wants to go a step further and even confront the United States, so for that China is an important actor,” said Juan Gabriel Tokatlian, of the University of San Andres in Buenos Aires.
Chavez may even visit China’s secretive neighbor, North Korea, which recently infuriated the United States by test-firing missiles. Hello? Time to boycott Citgo? Ya think?
Greg Michael // August 23, 2006 at 7:55 am |
Update: The Oil and Gas Journal reports a federal grand jury in Corpus Christi, Tex., returned a 10-count criminal indictment last week against Citgo Petroleum Corp., its Citgo Refining & Chemicals Co. subsidiary, and the environmental manager at its 156,750 b/cd refinery in Corpus Christi. Why doesn’t the Houston Chronicle, or New York Times report this kind news. I believe we would know if George Bush Senior didn’t wrap his recycled cans and papers properly.
The indictment said Citgo violated the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Citgo denied all charges, saying it is confident that no criminal conduct will be found once the evidence is heard.
Citgo was indicted on two counts of operating the refinery in violation of the National Emission Standard for Benzene Waste Operations and two counts of operating open-top tanks as oil-water separators without the legally required emission controls.
CAA regulations require Citgo to control the emission of benzene from wastewater produced at the refinery.
The indictment charged refinery environmental manager, Philip Vrazel, with failing to inform the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the year 2000 about all points in the refinery wastewater system where benzene was generated.
Citgo was indicted for operating its refinery in 2000 with more than 57 Mg of benzene in waste streams that were exposed to the air. A megagram is equal to 1 tonne.
Federal regulations limit refineries to operating with no more than 6 Mg of benzene in their exposed waste streams.
In addition, Citgo was charged for operating in 2001 with more than 7 Mg of benzene in its exposed waste streams.
During an unannounced inspection in March 2002, state inspectors found 4.5 million gal of oil in the two open top tanks, the indictment said.
Citgo Refining and Vrazel also face five counts of violating the MBTA for the illegal taking of protected birds. The birds were found coated with oil after landing in open tanks that are legally required to be fitted with nets or other equipment to keep out birds.
If convicted, Citgo faces fines of up to $500,000 or twice the gross economic gain (whichever is greater), and 5 years of probation. If convicted, Vrazel faces fines of up to $500,000 and up to 5 years in prison.
Tom Fowler // August 28, 2006 at 10:46 am |
The Houston Chronicle did do a story on the indictment way back on Aug. 10.
Thu, 8/10/2006
BUSINESS
Byline: PURVA PATEL, MICHAEL HEDGES, DAVID IVANOVICH
Citgo Petroleum and the environmental manager of its Corpus Christi refinery broke environmental laws, federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday.
Citgo, the Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, denied all the charges in a 10-count criminal indictment issued by a Corpus Christi grand jury.
A company spokesman declined to comment beyond a written statement that said Citgo was confident no criminal conduct occurred.
The Justice Department said in a prepared statement that the refinery operated two open-top tanks as oil-water separators without installing the required emission-control devices that prevent the release of benzene, a potential carcinogen.
During an unannounced inspection in 2002, Texas inspectors found about 4.5 million gallons of oil in the two open tanks, according to the government. Prosecutors said birds that landed in the open-top tanks were found coated with oil, prompting charges that the company violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Such tanks are supposed to be covered with netting or other material to keep birds out.
Prosecutors also allege Citgo’s Corpus Christi refinery released more than 57 megagrams of benzene in waste streams exposed to the air in 2000, although federal regulations limit refineries to 6 megagrams of benzene a year. A megagram equals 1 metric ton.
If convicted, Citgo could face fines of more than $500,000 and five years’ probation.
Citgo said in the statement that the laws the government is invoking don’t pertain to the tanks in question. It also said that since at least 1993, the company told regulators how it measured benzene in certain waste water streams at the refinery and that after a 1998 inspection, the Environmental Protection Agency found Citgo was in compliance with those regulations.
“Throughout the investigation leading to these charges, Citgo has maintained its innocence and continues to maintain today that none of these issues warrants criminal prosecution,” the statement read. “At most, they involve a good faith dispute over the interpretation of highly complex and vague environmental regulations.”
Philip Vrazel, the refinery’s environmental manager, was charged with failing to identify in a report to Texas regulators all the locations in the refinery’s wastewater system where benzene was generated.
Vrazel, who faces fines of up to $500,000 and up to five years in prison, could not be reached for comment.
Greg Michael // August 28, 2006 at 11:25 am |
Mr. Fowler, That’s refreshing to note, that on Aug. 10 The Chron printed this story on Citgo’s crimes against our EPA laws. I missed it and didn’t find it on a search. This is such a big event, I would think it deserved page one above the fold. But I am happy your paper did report it. I’m guessing in the business section? Are you also reporting on the fuel distributors dropping Citgo? Please check into that. I believe the spokespeople are still reporting some 14,000 Citgo stations when I last checked. By year’s end they may be below 12,000. This is a very dramatic event connected with Chavez signing a 500,000 barrel per day contract with China last week. I’ll look for further coverage from The Chronicle, but not from the New York Times or CNN.