https://socialistaction.org/2018/06/21/husky-refinery-fire-no-to-hydrogen-fluoride/
Husky refinery fire: No to hydrogen fluoride
/ 12 hours ago
July 2018 Husky fireBy LUCAS ALAN DIETSCHE
— SUPERIOR, Wis. — On April 26, around 10 a.m., on the same day as the
anniversary of the explosion at Chernobyl, the Husky Refinery here
exploded and caught fire. For nine hours, toxic fumes blew 30 miles to
the south. Eleven workers were injured but soon recovered. Most of this
city along the shore of Lake Superior had to be evacuated.
Without having yet learned the details about the damage, Superior’s
Democratic Mayor Jim Paine said that the air was unpolluted after the
fire was put out. Right away, however, community member began to express
their fears about the quality of the water, air, and soil.
Husky is an oil and gas corporation headquartered in Calgary, Alberta,
and a tripartite player with Enbridge and TransCanada. Its Superior
refinery takes in tar sands from Alberta and, as one of the projects,
turns the oil into asphalt. To make asphalt, Husky uses a deadly
chemical called hydrogen fluoride (HF). The burning asphalt on April 26
was merely a few feet from the tanks of this deadly substance. If the
fire had released the HF, Superior and much of the surrounding area
might resemble Chernobyl.
“A worst-case-scenario release from this facility would cover a radius
that would encompass the entire populated area of the city of Superior
and much of Duluth,” reads the Douglas County hazardous materials
response plan. “The number of people affected would vary by season and
current weather conditions but would range in the thousands any time of
year.”
Hydrogen fluoride is also an additive used in gasoline refining. About
50 refineries around the country employ the substance—a potential danger
to millions of people. In high concentrations, the fumes burn the skin
and lungs.
To present a business-as-usual facade, Husky held a public forum, which
was vigorously opposed by activists seeking answers. And so, activists
with local groups and Socialist Action organized an alternative forum,
which featured local environmentalists as speakers. About 100 people
attended.
In response to growing fears, Husky held a Q and A at a local middle
school within sight of the oil refinery towers. But instead of answering
community concerns with facts, Husky supplied catered food, Husky
paraphernalia, and plenty of mis-information. Community activists are
demanding that HF be removed from Superior. They want more transparency
about the fire and building green alternatives to the Husky Refinery.
This is Superior, not Huskyville!
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June 21, 2018 in Environment.
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