Oil, Chemical Plants Released Tons of Pollutants While Shutting Down for Hurricane Laura
At a Glance The facilities released more than 4 million pounds of extra air pollution in the days before Laura arrived.The emissions include chemicals like benzene, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide.Some air monitors remain offline after Laura.A U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage site in Louisiana “sustained considerable damage” in the hurricane. With Hurricane Laura approaching the northern Gulf Coast last week, refineries, plastic manufacturers and chemical plants in Louisiana and Texas began shutting down. As part of their safety procedures,...