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Bloomfield Refinery

Western Refining is an independent corporation that runs a subsidiary called Giant. Giant operates the oil refinery located in Bloomington, New Mexico, a small a production facility that opened in the later 1950's, and currently outputs just over 16,000 barrels of crude oil per day. They took on the facility in 1995, and have since used pipelines and tanker trucks to transport their commodities.

Prior to 2005, the refinery seemed destined to be shut down. The plant was not producing and shipping out enough oil to remain profitable. The solution was found in the form of a large pipeline that cost Giant $9 million. With the 424-mile pipeline in place, the company is able to send out a much larger quantity of crude oil to its customers. Company officials have suggested that if it were not for the new pipeline, the refinery would likely have been closed permanently within a few months. Not only did the pipeline save the jobs of plant workers, the installation opened up new temporary construction jobs, and the completed project allowed for company expansion which would then lead to even more permanent on site job opportunities.

Although it is a smaller plant, the Bloomfield Refinery has seen its share of problems. In 2006 the facility was found to be polluting the San Juan River with several toxic materials. To make matters worse, this body of water is home to species of fish that are protected and part of the endangered species list. This led to the company being required to pay fines and make serious improvements to their facility, following a run in with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This was also not the first experience that the Giant Refining Company had with environmental groups. After purchasing the facility from the Bloomfield Refining Company, Inc., they had to deal with a petition from the EPA that would allow them to temporarily exclude a few specific waste materials that are generated within the plant from the EPS's official lists of hazardous wastes. Giant was granted a one time only exclusion for an amount of contaminated soil that was not to exceed 2,000 cubic yards. This soil was part of a landfill, and following an investigation it was determined that it did not contain toxic levels that would be considered dangerous.

The Bloomfield Refinery had yet another major dilemma to deal with during it's long history in New Mexico. Years ago, the plant purchased many products such as gaskets and insulation materials that were made with asbestos. This material was commonly used for many years, but eventually it was found to be toxic. Workers who were around the asbestos products were put at risk of developing respiratory problems, and a potentially life threatening form of cancer called mesothelioma. Individuals who worked at this facility are advised to talk to their healthcare provider about the possibility of exposure to this hazardous material.

Last modified: December 09 2009.