NEW ORLEANS, LA, Dec. 15, 2016 – As four Exxon workers remain in the burn unit from the November 22nd fire, no accident reports have been filed by Exxon with the National Response Center about the fire or other episodes in the two week period. Neighbors near the Exxon refinery reported five occasions of bad air during the same period.
“You can’t help but connect the dots,” said Anne Rolfes, Founding Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. “If Rex Tillerson, the nominee for Secretary of State, does for the world what Exxon has done for Louisiana, God help us. We will all be hospitalized from accidents and choking on polluted air. And Mr. Tillerson will refuse to hold a press conference while he actively funds misinformation.”
“There is just too much to talk about when we talk about the destruction of the oil industry,” said Ms. Rolfes. “Accidents, air pollution, burned workers, an eroding coastline, climate change. They get away with it because the harms are overwhelming. But we won’t stop. The industry is wrong. Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson is wrong.”
Report summary (map, key findings, spreadsheet of reports) available here.
The Louisiana Bucket Brigade uses grassroots action to create an informed, healthy society with a culture that holds the petrochemical industry and government accountable for the true costs of pollution. www.labucketbrigade.org