Articles by Erwin Seba

Tesoro Denies Plant Blast in Washington Due to Poor Maintenance

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said Tesoro Corp. had not adequately maintained a heat exchanger at its Anacortes, Washington, refinery, that exploded on April 2, 2010, causing the death of seven workers. Microscopic cracks had formed in the walls of …

Washington Fines Tesoro $2.3 Million for Deadly Refinery Blast

Washington state fined Tesoro Corp. $2.38 million for an April 2 blast at the company’s Anacortes refinery that killed seven workers, after a state investigation found the explosion could have been avoided. “The bottom line is this tragedy was preventable,” …

BP Searches for Oil Spill Solution After Metal Dome Setback

BP Plc engineers will search for a solution Sunday after suffering a setback in an attempt to contain oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with a huge metal dome, dashing hopes for a quick, temporary solution to a growing …

Safety Board: Citgo Texas Refinery Blast ‘Significant Near Miss’

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Wednesday called a July explosion at Citgo Petroleum Corp.’s Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery “a significant near-miss” for a widespread release of highly toxic hydrogen fluoride (HF) into a community. “It’s a significant near-miss of …

BP Refinery in Texas Hit with Record $87 Million Fine for Safety Violations

U.S. safety regulators on Friday hit oil giant BP with a record $87.4- million fine for failing to fix safety violations at its Texas City, Texas, refinery after a deadly 2005 explosion. In announcing the fines, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda …

Energy Firms Find Little Damage in Gustav’s Wake

Energy companies found little damage to their U.S. facilities during initial checks Tuesday in the wake of Hurricane Gustav — signaling a possible fast recovery from the biggest storm to threaten the oil sector since hurricanes Katrina and Rita in …