Beaumont Refinery
The oil refinery located in Beaumont, Texas is owned and operated by ExxonMobil corporation, which can be traced back directly to John D. Rockefeller's early oil company, Standard Oil. The plant has the ability to produce 348,500 barrels of crude oil on a daily basis.
Beaumont is home to one of the world's most famous oil fields, Spindletop. The field was first tapped in 1901, and immediately began to produce between 75,000 and 80,000 barrels of oil every day. It proved to be such a gusher that it took work crews several days to cap it of. Within its first year, Spindletop produced a remarkable 3.2 million barrels of oil. The discovery of this field led to dozens of other hopeful oil prospectors to Texas. Billions of dollars were spent on investments within the state, and all the excitement helped to turn Texas into the oil producing capital of the United States.
Although the discovery of massive oil deposits was one of the primary factors in the growth of the town of Beaumont, the refinery has come under harsh criticism from local residents who claim that it produces far more pollution than is legally allowed. These complaints were common throughout the 1990's, and locals hoped that regulations for the plant would be tightened. The opposite happened, and in 1999, ExxonMobil was given a permit that allowed them to increase their level of emissions by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC).
In 2003 there was a minor accident at the plant in which two employees received burns from a release of steam inside the plant. That same year there was a malfunctioning flare which led to an explosion. Neither incident was serious in nature, but they did bring even more awareness to a refinery that is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous and poorly run plants in America.
Yet another incident that caused problems at the Beaumont facility was the presence of industrial products that were made with asbestos. When asbestos based items were first introduced, they were widely accepted as sturdy goods that were able to survive in extremely high temperatures. It wasn't until years later that scientist's discovered that asbestos is actually a toxic substance that can do a large amount of damage to a person's respiratory system, and even lead to a potentially fatal form of cancer called mesothelioma.
To be infected by asbestos, all one must do is be near it. The material is made up of tiny fibers that can break off and be inhaled. This puts every person who has been near any asbestos product in potential danger. All former refinery employees should speak to their doctors and let them know about the possible exposure to asbestos.
In September of 2008 the children of a former ExxonMobil employee filed a lawsuit against the company in honor of their father, who died of mesothelioma cancer on July 24, 2007. The former worker had been employed at the Beaumont Refinery as a pipefitter and welder and had been exposed to dangerously high levels of asbestos while on the job. According to the lawsuit, ExxonMobil neglected to take the appropriate measures to protect their workers from asbestos exposure. A settlement may not be reached for several months.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
