Mount Vernon Refinery
The CountryMark Co-op was founded in the 1920's by a group of farmers who banded together to receive better prices when purchasing oils that were used to lubricate their farming equipment. By 1940, the group had decided to open it's own refinery and take control over their own oil production needs. CountryMark built a plant in Mount Vernon, Indiana that would collect crude out of the Illinois basin and transport it through a complex system of pipelines. Until recently, the site was able to produce up to 23,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and the owners were proud of their ability to supply American oil to local businesses.
In 2008, plans were completed to further expand the refinery. CountryMark spent $20 million on the growth project, and it increased their production capacity to 26,500 barrels each day. One of the major additions to the plant was a vacuum tower that recovers crude oil that may be processed into diesel fuel. This fuel is a high quality product that has a naturally low level of sulfur, which also makes it a more environmentally positive energy resource.
Prior to the expansion project, the Mount Vernon refinery was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency for suspicions of violating the Clean Air Act. The EPA first got involved in 2004 when the plant was noted for releasing a dangerous amount of hydrogen sulfide into the air. Since then the EPA has run tests and made claims that the facility does not have proper emission and leak controls in place, and accused plant owners of illegally burning fuel that contained hazardous chemicals.
CountryMark was surprised by the statements made by the EPA, because they had provided the organization with the details of the hydrogen release, and began making improvements to fix the problem. The company also began working on improved safety processes and systems that would control the amount of pollution produced within the refinery.
Even before the 2004 investigation, there was another serious condition that had to be handled by CountryMark officials. It involved the use of products that contained asbestos. The products in question were common to refineries around the world, but the primary ingredient was later noted to be extremely hazardous. Exposure to it can lead to respiratory diseases and mesothelioma, an often life threatening type of cancer. Indications of these conditions may take many years to materialize, but every person who worked in our around the Mount Vernon refinery may have been infected by this dangerous substance. Everyone who was employed at the plant while any item that contained asbestos was on the company grounds should notify their doctor and have some tests run to find out if they are developing health problems because of it.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
