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Common Ground II: Why Cooperation to Reduce Accidents at Louisiana Refineries is Needed Now

The BP oil disaster of 2010 was tragic for public health, the economy and the environment of Louisiana. Despite billions of dollars in profits, BP’s failure to properly manage its offshore oil rig resulted in 400 million gallons of oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico.

There are similar problems at refineries on shore.

Reports submitted by refineries to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality document 2,607 accidents from 2005 – 2009. This is an average of 10 chemical accidents every week. The purpose of this report is to raise an alarm about the accident trend at Louisiana’s 17 oil refineries so that potential catastrophes can be prevented.

More than 200,000 people live within two miles of these refineries. These accidents must be reduced now to protect public health, our environment and our economy.

Read the full report here.