Lovington Refinery
The Lovington, New Mexico refinery is owned and operated by the Navajo Refining Company; the same company that runs the plant in Artesia. Their plant in Lovington was faced with the same environmental problems as the Artesia facility.
In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) went after the Navajo Refining Company, claiming they had violated both the Clean Air Act and the New Mexico Air Quality Control Act by failing to control the level of dangerous emission that were produced within the refinery. To make matters worse, the EPA claimed that the owners of the plant had been made aware of the situation, and chose to ignore it. This led to an official charge being brought against the company.
The Lovington Refinery was forced to go through an optimization period in which the entire plant was brought up to code. Any leaks in the piping were to be fixed, emission control equipment was to be upgraded and contaminated materials on the premises had to be dealt with. Plant owners were given a commencement deadline for this project of June 30, 2004.
The EPA reached an agreement with the Navajo Refining Company that the upgrades to the plant were to be made at an estimated total cost for the project at $16-$21 million. On top of that, the company was expected to pay a $750,000 civil penalty, and $1.5 million on programs that would benefit the areas of Artesia and Lovington in an environmental manner.
Refinery officials had to work hard to bring the plant up to these dictated standards, but this was not the first time the plant had to undergo a massive operation in the name of public safety. As with the Artesia facility, the refinery in Lovington utilized products that were created with asbestos, a material that was determined to be extremely hazardous. All the asbestos had to be removed from the premises and disposed of properly. Being around, or attempting to move the toxic material is dangerous, because it is made up of small fibers that are easy to inhale. When that happens, the fibers can remain in the body for years, and cause respiratory damage and even Mesothelioma, a form of cancer that is known to be lethal.
Every person who worked at either refinery should contact their doctor for an appointment immediately. It is important to be checked out for these medical conditions if you have been exposed to asbestos.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
