Number of oil industry
accidents reported in Louisiana so far in the wake of Hurricane Isaac,
according to an analysis by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade: 93
Pounds of pollution released
in those incidents, a conservative figure given that amounts are self-reported
by polluters: 4.9 million
Minimum gallons of pollution
that were released: 171,000
Pounds of sulfur dioxide -- a
toxic chemical associated with respiratory problems, preterm births and
premature death -- released during the disaster by the Chalmette refinery, a
joint operation of Exxon Mobil and Venezuela's national oil company, located
just east of New Orleans: 554,000
Pounds of other volatile
chemicals released in that incident, which was reportedly caused by a hasty
shutdown despite ample advance warning of the storm's approach: 10,000
Pounds of benzene, a chemical
known to cause cancer, that were released: 100
Number of accidents reported
at that refinery from 2005 through 2012 that involved pollution releases: 491
Total number of pounds of
toxic chemicals released in those incidents: 6,881,115
Pounds of toxic chemicals
including cancer-causing benzene and butadiene that the Shell Motiva refinery
in Norco, La. reported releasing during Isaac after it failed to keep its flare
lit and vented directly to the atmosphere: unknown
Date on which St. Charles Parish,
where the Shell Motiva refinery is located, issued a mandatory evacuation
order: 8/26/2012
Date on which Isaac came
ashore in Louisiana: 8/28/2012
Date on which Shell shut down
the refinery without explanation, after keeping it operating at reduced
capacity during the storm: 8/30/2012
Number of accidents reported
at the Shell Motiva refinery from 2005 through 2012 that involved accidental
pollution releases: 205
Total number of pounds of
toxic chemicals released in those incidents: 1,823,421
Gallons of oil spilled during
Isaac from a storage tank facility owned by Texas Petroleum Investment Co. of
Houston and located in the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Plaquemines
Parish, La.: 16,800
Amount that company was fined
in September 2011 for violating federal spill prevention control regulations at
two storage tank facilities in Louisiana, including its Plaquemines Parish
operations: $134,895
Amount the company was fined
in August 2011 for Clean Water Act violations at oil production facilities in
Plaquemines and four other Louisiana parishes, and for spilling oil into
wetlands: $163,487
Year in which the company was
sentenced to two years of probation for violating the federal Clean Water Act
by negligently causing a spill from its Plaquemines Parish operations: 2009
Amount it was ordered to pay
in fines and other penalties for that incident: $525,000
(Click on figure to go to
source. Much of the data and the map are from the Louisiana
Bucket Brigade, a grassroots environmental health and justice
nonprofit based in New Orleans. For a larger version of the map, which does not
show all 93 incidents, click here.)
Source: ZNet