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Westlake Refinery

The ConocoPhillips Company runs the Westlake refinery in Louisiana. The facility has a daily production ability of 247,000 barrels of crude oil. Most of the products from the plant involve fuels (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel), but they also create a base oil that is used for industrial lubricants.

Between the years of 1993 and 2001, ConocoPhillips expanded the Westlake facility to increase the production of oil by 70 barrels on a daily basis. The National Refinery Reform Campaign was not happy about this expansion, and has been investigating this facility for possible violations of environmental policies such as the Clean Air Act. No violations have been cited so far, but the Refinery Reform Campaign continues to keep a close eye on the company, and other oil refineries in the area.

In 2006, a fire started at the Westlake plant following an explosion in one of their processing units that occurred just before midnight. Fewer than 100 employees were at the plant at the time of the explosion, and they were soon accounted for. No injuries were reported as a result. The fire continued to burn into the night, and it could be seen from miles away. Fire fighters had the blaze under control around 2am. Damage was done to the unit that contained the blast, but otherwise work was able to resume quickly at the plant.

Although this plant has not had any serious trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or other environmental groups beyond investigations into their safety procedures, the facility was forced to deal with a serious safety issue years ago. The issue was the presence of asbestos that was found in a variety of products used throughout the refinery. This was common before asbestos was found to be toxic and extremely harmful. Asbestos was a key ingredient in products that needed to endure high temperatures, such as those produced in the oil processing units. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the tiny fiber particles that make up asbestos would often break off and float in the air, where they could be inhaled by people without their knowledge. These fibers will then remain in the respiratory system for many years, and cause massive internal damage. They can also cause a form of cancer called mesothelioma, which can be fatal if not treated properly. It might take several years for any sign of the damage asbestos fibers are causing to become noticeable, so every person who worked at this or any refinery where asbestos based products were used is strongly encouraged to inform their healthcare providers that they may have been exposed.

Last modified: December 09 2009.