St. Paul Park Refinery
Northwestern Refining built the refinery in St. Paul Park in 1939. It was later sold to the Ashland Petroleum Company. Today it is run by Marathon Oil, and has a daily production capacity of 70,000 barrels of crude oil. The refinery produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene and other petroleum based products, much of which comes from plentiful sources of Canadian crude oil.
In recent history, the St. Paul Park has received several accolades for their efforts, including a Certificate of Commendation for their high level of performance in wastewater treatment from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The plant also earned the National Petroleum Refiners’ Association Gold Award for establishing and maintaining a distinguished safety record between 1997 and 2004. In 2005, the Minnesota Safety Council presented them with the Meritorious Governor's Safety Award for establishing in recognition of their positive safety record for all employees.
These awards are held in high regard, and have brought esteem to the plant, but there have also been some serious issues for refinery owners to deal with. A fire erupted at the facility in 1997 after workers placed improperly sealed chemicals into the plant's sewer system. The chemicals reacted to a source of heat, and ignited into a large explosion. The ball of fire continued to blaze, and emergency crews were called in. Before they had an opportunity to fight the fire, it died down on its own. Several people were injured during the blaze.
This fire led to an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and it was determined that Ashland Petroleum Company was guilty of violating several environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act. Ashland officials were taken to court, and plead guilty of negligent endangerment in the case. The outcome was that Ashland had to pay a criminal fine of $1.5 million and the people who were harmed during the fire were each awarded monetary sums, most notably was one fire fighter who received $3.5 million and other compensations such as full medical coverage for life. In addition, Ashland was forced to pay several million dollars to go towards environmental projects, and given 4 years to upgrade their facility and implement better emissions controls and anti pollution policies.
Another fire broke out at the St. Paul Park refinery in January of 2007. A tank exploded at the plant, killing one employee and starting a major fire that could be seen from miles away. The exact cause of the explosion is being investigated by law enforcement officials, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and internal personnel.
One other situation that affected the St. Paul Park refinery was the result of products made out of asbestos being used on the premises. These items were common at industrial work sites, until they were found to be highly toxic, and a leading cause of respiratory illnesses and asbestos cancer. The results of exposure to asbestos can be deadly, so anyone who worked at this facility while asbestos products were in use should get checked out by a medical professional.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
