Warren Refinery
In 1902 The United Refining Company was founded and began operating an oil refining plant in Warren, Pennsylvania. The plant has grown considerably since its inception, and currently operates at a production level of 70,000 barrels of oil per day.
The United Refining Company started its own chain of gas stations in 2002, under the name of Citgo. Many of the stations are known by the name Country Fair, Inc. Following a heated speech by Hugo Chávez , the President of Venezuela, in which he notoriously referred to President Bush as "the Devil", United Refining became very concerned about their Citgo brand. There was talk of boycotting the company's gas stations, and as a result the company took down many of their Citgo signs in an attempt to disguise ownership. The company, however, has continued to thrive in the United States.
United's Warren refinery has come under fire from groups of local activists who got together and formed the Warren County Quality of Life Coalition in 2003. They contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection (DEP) and managed to set a town meeting to discuss the planned expansion of the plant, as well as some of the permits the refinery had been able to receive. Some felt that the methods of obtaining those permits were not legal, and therefore not valid. Many people showed up to share their point of view at the meeting, and some claimed that the plant's practices were not up to the standards regulated by the Clean Air Act.
The Coalition is not the only difficult situation that The United Refining Company has faced since it began so many years ago. Earlier in its history, the plant purchased various items that were made out of asbestos for use on the premises. At the time this was a fairly standard practice - refineries preferred products made from asbestos because they could stand up to extreme temperatures. Years later, however, it was proven that asbestos is a harmful substance that can even be fatal to humans.
Asbestos is made up of small fibers and when products made with the material begin to break apart, those fibers are released into the air. They are tiny enough to not be seen my the human eye, and can be inhaled as they float in the atmosphere. When the fibers are ingested, they are prone to cause severe damage to the respiratory system, and often produce a form of cancer known as Mesothelioma. The results of exposure to asbestos can be extremely dangerous, and even life threatening, so anyone who worked in or around a refinery that had asbestos products on site should be examined by a medical professional as soon as possible.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
