10 Years of Pollution, $2 Million in Penalties
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas—"I am in the middle of my speech about your criminal activities, give me a break," Suzie Canales tells two security officers for oil refiner Citgo as they arrive at her car window.
Canales, a longtime environmental activist, is describing a years-long court battle over air pollution from the refiner, a case that led to a 2007 conviction but, more recently, a defeat for victims seeking restitution. And she's doing it while parked next to one of two Citgo refineries along the city's "refinery row" on a recent afternoon.
Her presence (and mine), as well as the fact that we were snapping photos, has drawn security's attention. One requests that no more photos are taken, arguing a pass is needed. Canales bristles because we're on a public street. The private cops accept my business card, and that's pretty much it.
The brief incident is a reminder of long-standing tensions between activists and the city's petroleum industry at a time when even more industrial development is headed here. Booming oil and gas production from the inland Eagle Ford Shale is prompting a wave of new and expanded petrochemical and manufacturing projects in the area.
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http://www.nationaljournal.com/new-energy-paradigm/10-years-of-pollution-2-million-in-penalties-20140521
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