What others say...

UK Officials: BP Not Seeking Government Help

Huffington Post - Oil Spill Feed - Thu, 2013-05-16 09:33

LONDON (AP) — British government officials said Thursday that BP has not sought Prime Minister David Cameron's help in reducing compensation claims ...

“Chemical Odor That’s Causing Headache” in Standard Heights

Louisiana Bucket Brigade's Blog - Wed, 2013-05-15 17:18

By Anna Hrybyk, Program Director

On May 7, 2013 I attended a community meeting on Lupine Avenue in the Standard Heights neighborhood across from Honeywell and ExxonMobil. Twelve people texted and called to our iWitness Pollution Map regarding a strong chemical odor during that time and earlier that day. It disrupted the meeting because many people were getting sick from the chemical fumes.

LOCATION DESCRIPTION 2621 Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA I am at 2621 lupine its a bad smell in the air 2621 Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA I’m located at 2621 Lupine ave there’s a chemical odor in the air Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA Hello this is Bessie Johnson. I was standing outside on Luoine cross street of Chippewa if I’m not mistaken and I didn’t see anything but I smelled a foul odor coming out of the air. And once again this is Bessie Johnson and my address is 1501 Seneca and I smelled something yesterday, more of a rotten egg type smell and I really didn’t see anything. And I’m currently smelling gas in my house and I had it checked and I have yet to get reported that I have a gas leak. Thank you. 2550 Lobelia Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA 7am -11am today sulphur smell. 6:30pm-8:00pm 4 different smells caused me
to cough. Address 2550 Lobeila Ave, Baton Rouge, LA. Susan Boudreaux Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA Chemical odor that’s causing headache on lupine street may 5 13 at 7:55pm
name Laronica Douglas 2732 Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA Yes I am at 2732 Lupine. There’s a bad smell in the area and it has me feeling nauseous. You can give me a call back at 397-2323. Thank you. Baton Rouge, LA, USA my name is Chantay Eackels .and I live buy Exxon and I smell a bad odor Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA Hi I’m on Lupine. I smell the chemicals right now. Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA I’m in the subdivision right across from the Exxon plant on Lupine Street. It’s a bad smell in the neighborhood…Extremely…can’t hardly breathe. 2768 Lupine Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA Strong smell, suffocating. Eyes are burning and headache coming on 2757 Sorrel Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA Bad odor like dead meat on 2757 sorrel ave at 6:45pm on 5-7-13 2824 Pimpernel Ave, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States Across the street from Exxon. Wind blowing from north west. Scratchy throat and headache coming on

Peter Ricca from LDEQ’s response was the following:

One citizen’s odor complaint was called into the State Police at 8:26 pm on 5/7/2013. State Police and the Baton Rouge Fire Department Hazmat investigated the complaint that night and spoke with the complainant. Baton Rouge FD personnel conducted air monitoring and their results were non-detect. State Police followed up with Exxon Mobil, who reported no releases and non-detect on their monitoring conducted both inside and external to their facility. LDEQ received the LSP notification on 5/8/2013 at 10:59 am and once processed it will be sent to our capitol Regional Office for follow up.

At this time LDEQ has not received any Hazardous Materials Hotline or NRC notifications of releases in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The incident in question was assigned to our Capitol Regional Office and that investigation is open. The Baton Rouge Fire Department indicated that they conducted air monitoring at the complainant’s home and in the surrounding area and that the complainant was contacted by investigating trooper. You may wish to make a public records request to the Baton Rouge Fire Department Hazmat unit or State Police for a copy of their reports that may answer your question.

“Smells Like Pollution in Chalmette”

Louisiana Bucket Brigade's Blog - Wed, 2013-05-15 17:12

By Anna Hrybyk, Program Director

LABB received 10 reports to the iWitness Pollution Map on Thursday May 9, 2013 from the Greater New Orleans/Chalmette area concerning sulfur and petroleum odors and flaring from the Chalmette facilities. Many more came in on Friday May 10, 2013 and through the weekend as well.

INCIDENT TITLE INCIDENT DATE LOCATION DESCRIPTION Very strong gas smell in New Orleans

5/12/13 0:05

Louisiana Avenue & Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA There is a very strong gas smell bunsan-burner type/gas range near
Louisiana Avenue and Magazine 70115. Really strong gas smell in New Orleans

5/12/13 0:01

Louisiana Avenue & Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA I am at Louisiana and Magazine Street and outside. It’s about 11 o’clock and now I am smelling a really strong gas smell. There’s no wind at this time but I’m not outside much so I don’t have much health effect. If I were I would probably have a headache. Thanks. Sulfur smell like bad eggs in Covington

5/11/13 0:09

Interstate 12, Covington, LA 70433, USA Sulphur smell. Like bad eggs @ I- 12 and 190. Covington LA 11PM Stinky chemically smell in New Orleans

5/10/13 22:19

Mid-City, New Orleans, LA, USA Stinky smell in Midcity New Orleans tonight…chemically Sulfur smell blowing in through car vents

5/10/13 21:26

2710‚Äì3198 S Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Stinky stinky Very strong sulfur smell, came into house in New Orleans

5/10/13 20:09

734 France Street, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA Very strong sulfur smell. Even came into the house.Wind blowing from
chalmette. 734 france street in new orleans. My eyes are watering and my nose is tingling. petro chemical odor in Lower Ninth Ward, New orleans

5/10/13 13:15

430 Tupelo Street, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA Strong petro-chemical odor in the air right now at 430 Tupelo St. New Orleans, LA 70117. 7:15 pm, friday 5/10/13 Strong sulfur smell, mixed with fertilizer type smell, flaring, haze in Chalmette

5/9/13 20:35

8606 West Saint Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA 70043, USA Hi I am in front of the entrance to the Chalmette National Cemetary on St. Bernard parish very close to the RAIN CII plant and I’m smelling a sulfur smell, it smells almost like a strange, almost fertilizer type smell mixed in with it. There is very strong sulfur and a little bit of haze. I don’t see any flaring there. Oh no, wait, I see thy are flaring. Ok. Kristen 504-729-0550. Thank you. Bye. Flaring at Valero Meraux

5/9/13 20:28

East Saint Bernard Highway & Mary Ann Drive, Meraux, LA 70075, USA Hi I am in front of the Valero Meraux refinery at Mary Anne Drive and St. Bernard Highway and I see that it is flaring, it’s not creating a bunch of smoke but they are flaring and the wind direction is heading to the north. So its heading away from me so I can’t detect anything, if there’s a stinky odor or anything coming from it. I wanted to let you know about the flaring. My phone number is 504-729-0550. It’s Kristen. Ok, bye. Strong oily smell, nausea and mild headache

5/9/13 19:08

Magnolia Street, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA (1/2) Reporting a strong oily smell beginning at 1, 3, 4, am on may 8
through today may 9th. Can bs smelled from uptown new orleans 70115. Nauaea
and mild headache. Very disturbing. Thank you
Jason Miner
Magnolia st
New Orleans LA–
Sent using SMS-to-email. Smells strong like sulfur, two flares burning in Chalmette

5/9/13 17:21

West Saint Bernard Highway & Jackson Boulevard, Chalmette, LA 70043, USA Hi I’m on St. Bernard Highway right by the RAIN CII plant at the entrance of Jackson and St. Bernard Highway. It smells strong like sulfur and there are two flares burning. Right now I am at the entrance of CHalmette Refining and there’s a heavy stench in the air. It smells like sulfur mixed with some other smelly thing. the wind direction is blowing, goodness, I guess a little bit northish. It’s blowing from the refinery right towards St. Bernard Highway right in the direction of where I am. So and this is Kristen. If you need more information you know where to find me. Thank you. Bye. Smells like pollution in Chalmette

5/9/13 15:53

Chalmette, LA, USA Smells like pollution in chalmette Air quality still bad in uptown

5/9/13 10:39

Saint Charles Avenue & Napoleon Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA 9:30 am 5/9. St. Charles n Napoleon. Air quality still bad Petroleum smell Uptown New Orleans

5/9/13 9:49

Tulane University, 6823 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA My neighbor and I both smell a petroleum odor in the neighborhood this morning. The last time I smelled this kind of odor here, there had been an incident at the Chalmette refinery. We live Uptown near Tulane University. We aren’t experiencing any apparent health effects at this point. Thank you for tracking this! Laura Stell tel 504-861-1143 Burning Asphalt Smell in the Air

5/9/13 1:54

Camp Street & State Street, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA I’m smelling a terrible asphalt/burning smell in the air similar to one I smelled down in the French Quarter back in March. Smells like Chalmette in Uptown New Orleans

5/9/13 1:13

Saint Charles Avenue & Napoleon Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA 12:10 am 5/9.
St. Charles n Napoleon. Smells like Chalmette Smells like sulfur

5/9/13 1:10

4730 South Liberty Street, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA Heavy sulfur smell blowing in through the windows. Scratchy throat. Flare smell rotten egg tar mix

5/8/13 21:26

East Saint Bernard Highway & Octavia Drive, Chalmette, LA 70043, USA On st banard qnd Octavia there is a flare smell rotten egg tar mix flaring at Valero

5/5/13 21:00

2700 Ventura Drive, Chalmette, LA 70043, USA return of night time flaring at Valero, noticed last two nights Valero flaring

5/4/13 21:00

2700 Ventura Drive, Chalmette, LA 70043, USA around 9pm flaring at Valero refinery in Chalmette, causing sinus issues Odor or oil in air

5/2/13 1:21

Aurora Drive & Brighton Place, New Orleans, LA 70131, USA Smell of oil/crude persisting in the air. 5:15 am (CDT)

The response from Lee Lemond, LDEQ Emergency Responder on this was as follows:

I was in Chalmette on 5/9/13 and visited all 3 major SO2 emitters while out there and performed air monitoring downwind. No detections were noted.

Note:
- We received a complaint on 5/9/13 stating a haze near Ch. Ref/Rain from the St. Bernard FD.
- From Peter Cazeaux referring to 5/9/13: “There were elevated SO2 levels at the Chalmette Vista site on 5/9/13 at 16:00 CST logger .”

Valero Meraux

Email update from me on 5/9/13:

· Valero Meraux has been flaring and emitting SO2 over the RQ since last Friday (5/3/13).

· Current release rates are between 20 to 40 lbs/ hour.

· This is related to the hydrocracker unit startup; however after other measures to fix the problem have failed, the Hydrocracker unit will need to be shutdown in order for repairs.

· The shutdown is going to occur next Wednesday (5/15/13) and can’t last any longer than 10 days (due to the catalyst).

· They have reported no complaints.

· I monitored today downwind on Jacobs Dr and no detections of SO2 occurred. There was a noticeable odor.

5/12/13:

· New SO2 release associated pushed emissions to approximately 400 lbs/hour.

· This incident was secured that evening; though flaring has been ongoing.

Chalmette Refining

On 5/9/13:

· SO2 flaring likely to exceed RQ; though permitted.

· Associated with the shutdown of the Alky unit.

· Air monitoring by their contractor was in place.

· This flaring lasted through Friday evening, 5/10/13.

5/12/13:

· SO2 release incident; likely to exceed RQ.

· A high pressure alarm went down preventing computer control until it was isolated.

· Began at approx. 7:20pm and lasted to 10:30 pm.

Ex-BP Engineer Claims Feds Withheld Evidence

Huffington Post - Oil Spill Feed - Wed, 2013-05-15 07:50

NEW ORLEANS -- A former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico claim...

Wave Maker's News: Hundreds of Thousands of Fish Killed in the Pearl

Gulf Restoration Network - Tue, 2011-09-20 16:00

This summer, GRN’s Healthy Waters team has been busy keeping up the fight to protect the Gulf’s rivers, bayous and streams for future generations. From working to hold Temple-Inland corporation accountable for their massive fish kill in the Pearl River to pushing to make sure that the state of Florida acts to