Common Ground: Why Cooperation to Reduce Accidents at Louisiana Refineries is Needed Now
The oil industry is everywhere in Louisiana. Oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are visible from the beach at Grand Isle. Paddle through a bayou in St. Charles Parish or Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and you might see an oil sheen on the water or a glob of oil on the banks. And on your visit to the state capital you are likely to see large flames leaping to the sky. These are refinery flares, a symbol of the more than three million barrels of oil refined every day in Louisiana. The flares are also a signal that something is wrong.