Tulsa Refinery Sinclair Oil
Tulsa, Oklahoma's oil refinery is owned by Sinclair Oil, which was founded in 1916. They are perhaps best known for their unique logo which features a large dinosaur under the company name. The facility has the capacity to process more than 70,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The founder of Sinclair Oil, Harry Sinclair, helped to found the city of Tulsa, and is recognized as being the first official citizen. Harry was already rich from previous oil prospects, but picked Tulsa as a location to settle in and open his company. Sinclair Oil has remained in Tulsa into the present time, and they have continue to be successful and grow throughout the years.
Top executives found themselves in serious trouble with the United States Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2007. They were accused of committing environmental crimes of gross pollution. Mangers from the facility, Harmon Connell and John Kapura, were found guilty of felony charges following a hearing over this matter in a northern Oklahoma court. As a result, they both received home detention sentences for six months each, and three years of probation afterwards. Both men were also fined and given community service. Connell was given a $160,000 fine and a 100 hour work sentence, and Kapura received an $80,000 fine with a 50 hour work sentence.
This was all a direct result of the company officials allowing high levels of contaminated wastewater to be dumped into into the Arkansas River. Although the refinery was legally allowed to dump the water, they were limited on the amount that they were allowed to dispose of, and were found to willingly exceed that limit on a regular basis.
That was not the only serious problem that faced the Tulsa Refinery over the years. It was also known to have asbestos on the premises. When it was first discovered, asbestos was used as the base for a large number of products, but after further studies it was found to be a highly toxic substance. Exposure to asbestos can lead to ongoing respiratory complications and diseases, as well as mesothelioma, which is a life threatening type of cancer. Anyone who worked at this, or any other refinery where products made from asbestos were in use, should immediately contact their doctor and make an appointment for a check up as soon as possible.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
