The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced that a malfunctioning fuel monitoring system probably led to the massive explosion at a Caribbean Petroleum Corporation facility near San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The October 23 blast endangered the lives of thousands and ignited an immense blaze that fed on jet fuel, bunker fuel, and gasoline stored at the facility. Plumes of thick, black smoke filled the air with hazardous contaminants, including carbon monoxide and sulfur; winds spread the toxins throughout San Juan and adjacent municipalities, exposing thousands and displacing over 1,500 people. The situation was no better for those forced to remain inside with windows closed to keep out the toxins. (more…)

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is stating that most of the coal ash “deemed critical” following last year’s historic spill, has been cleaned up, said WDEF. The authority said some two-thirds of the “critical” spill has been cleaned out of the Emory River

The catastrophic fly ash spill took place last December and released an unimaginable 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge, dumping toxins into Tennessee’s Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding the TVA’s Kingston plant. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report states that some “potentially toxic pollutants,” such as mercury and arsenic, found in coal ash, could present serious problems. (more…)

At a meeting to discuss last week’s Silver Eagle Refinery explosion in Woods Cross, Utah, city officials said there was little they could do to regulate the facility. However, City Administrator Gary Uresk told an audience of about 200 that the city would work with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or U.S. Chemical Safety Board to press for more oversight and safety.

Last Wednesday’s explosion at the Silver Eagle refinery occurred shortly after 9:00 a.m. MST, sparking a fire at the 10,250 barrel-per-day refinery, located just outside of Salt Lake City in Woods Cross, that burned until later that day. The blast created a huge fireball, which sent flames as high as 100 feet in the air. At least 10 homes sustained damage, and some were knocked off their foundations from the force of the explosion. Other damage to property included smashed windows, bent garage doors and peeled siding. (more…)

Caribbean Petroleum Corp., the company at the center of a massive explosion and fire in Puerto Rico last month, has a spotty environmental record. According to The Miami Herald, over the last ten years, Caribbean Petroleum Corp. has been cited for major environmental violations that have cost it a total of $1.3 million in penalties and fines.

The Caribbean Petroleum Corp. explosion occurred around 12:30 a.m. on October 23 at the company’s gasoline warehouse and distribution center in Catano, just outside of San Juan. According to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the blast produced a shock wave equivalent to a 2.8 magnitude earthquake. The explosion was so strong that it tore up a nearby highway, and shattered windows on nearby homes. Twenty-one of 40 tanks at the facility used to store jet fuel, bunker fuel and gasoline were destroyed or damaged by the fire. (more…)

The explosion that rocked the Silver Eagle Refinery in Utah last week was the second serious accident at the facility this year. The first incident, a flash fire that occurred on January 12, seriously injured four people at the Silver Eagle Refinery.

Luckily, no one was injured in last Wednesday’s Silver Eagle Refinery explosion, but the blast caused severe damage to nearby homes. The explosion occurred shortly after 9:00 a.m. MST, sparking a fire at the 10,250 barrel-per-day refinery, located just outside of Salt Lake City in Woods Cross, that burned until later that day. The blast created a huge fireball, which sent flames as high as 100 feet in the air. At least 10 homes sustained damage, and some were knocked off their foundations from the force of the explosion. Other damage to property included smashed windows, bent garage doors and peeled siding. (more…)

Despite a well-publicized accident involving the deaths of a family and a number of its own investigations, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), denies claims that it did not find any defects regarding a huge automobile recall and “unintended acceleration,” said the LATimes.

The regulators have criticized the Toyota Motor Corporation for making “inaccurate and misleading” statements claiming there was no defect in the nearly four million cars that were recalled following an accident in California that involved a loaner Lexus and the deaths of four family members, said the LATimes. Yesterday, the NHTSA stated that the cars involved in the recall—Toyota and Lexus vehicles—contain an “underlying defect” that involves the cars’ accelerator pedal and driver’s side foot well, said the LATimes. Toyota maintains that the issue is with an “improperly installed floor mat.” (more…)

The massive explosion and fire at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. storage facility outside San Juan, Puerto Rico last month was not an act of sabotage or a crime. According to the FBI, a fuel leak sparked the inferno.

The Caribbean Petroleum Corp. explosion occurred around 12:30 a.m. on October 23 at the company’s gasoline warehouse and distribution center in Catano, just outside of San Juan. According to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the blast produced a shock wave equivalent to a 2.8 magnitude earthquake. The explosion was so strong that it tore up a nearby highway, and shattered windows on nearby homes. Twenty-one of 40 tanks at the facility used to store jet fuel, bunker fuel and gasoline were destroyed or damaged by the fire. (more…)

We have been following events since the catastrophic fly ash spill that took place last December in Tennessee in which an unimaginable 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge was dumped into the Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Kingston plant. Now, an emerging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report states that some “potentially toxic pollutants,” such as mercury and arsenic, which are found in coal ash, could present serious problems.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, we wrote about how information pointing to “significantly higher cancer risks” for those living near coal-fired power plant ash dumps was allegedly covered up by the recent Bush Administration, citing a report by EnvironmentalIntegrity.org. The historic TVA spill’s involved over one billion gallons of toxic coal sludge and The spill ravaged the environment, the economy, and the lives and health of the families, wildlife, and aquatic life living in the area. KnoxNews previously noted that the toxic sludge destroyed three homes and damaged about two-dozen others. (more…)

The fire from Friday’s massive oil explosion outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico has finally been extinguished. Officials from the FBI and other government agencies have now descended on the smoldering Caribbean Petroleum Corp. depot in an attempt to find out what set off the blast.

The explosion at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. facility, in Catano, Puerto Rico occurred around 12:30 a.m. Friday. According to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the blast produced a shock wave equivalent to a 2.8 magnitude earthquake. The explosion was so strong that it tore up a nearby highway, and shattered windows on nearby homes. Twenty-one of 40 storage tanks at the storage facility were affected by the fire. According to the Associate Press, some contained jet fuel, and others supplied Caribbean Petroleum’s 200 Gulf gasoline stations. (more…)

The White House has declared a stated of emergency in Puerto Rico, following Friday’s massive oil explosion and fire at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. storage facility outside San Juan. According to a CNN report, the fire is still burning out of control, and the FBI is treating the site of the blast as a crime scene.

According to the Washington Post, on Saturday shifting wind threatened to bring plumes of toxic smoke closer to populated areas of the island. However, Puerto Rico’s Gov. Luis Fortuno said he does not believe more evacuations will be necessary. The number of people evacuated because of the disaster now stands at about 1,500. (more…)