Updates
| Common Ground: the Call for Cooperation to Reduce Accidents at Refineries in Louisiana The fourth annual report on accidents and emissions in 2011. |
| Black Elk Energy Explosion Shows Careless Culture of the Oil Industry
November 16th, 2012 Statement from Anne Rolfes and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade |
| St. Charles Herald: Motvia Slapped with $500,000 fine October 26th, 2012 265 violations reported at Norco facility |
| Motiva fined half a million dollars for Clean Air Act Violations October 18th, 2012 |
| Read the full settlement here |
| The Drum (Baton Rouge): Baton Rouge residents say Benzene spill ignored as environmental crime |
| Pray for Our Air Come out November 2nd for the next meeting! |
| WWLtv (NOLA): N.O. S&WB calls for precautionary boil water order on east bank October 8th, 2012 |
 | Call for Yard Art!! |
 | Join our DRiL Team! Don't Ruin Louisiana!! |
| The Times-Picayune (NOLA): ExxonMobil to expand two Louisiana chemical and lubricants plants September 27th, 2012 Click to read the Air Prayer Litnay of "Pray for Our Air", and the new permits approved to expand a chemical facility |
| The Times-Picayune (NOLA): Louisiana Bucket Brigade sues EPA over rules governing cancer-causing air pollution September 27th, 2012 |
| Examiner: Quake, fire, then Mexican pipeline blast kills 30: Sinkhole residents fear same September 21st, 2012 |
| WDSU (NOLA): Environmental watchdog wants federal takeover of DEQ September 19th, 2012 Click to watch WDSU news coverage |
| DEQ admonished for covering up Stolthaven problems; Resignation, federal takeover called for September 19th, 2012 |
| LABB Program Manager, Anna Hrybyk, interview with WTUL September 18th, 2012 |
| The Times-Picayune (NOLA): Holding DEQ accountable on Stolthaven's chemical release: Editorial September 16th, 2012 |
| Stolthaven Reported Chemical Release to the State September 14th, 2012 |
| Stolthaven Report Confirms Spill September 14th, 2012 Click to read the full report |
| WWL4 (NOLA): Plant admits to release of more chemicals in Braithwaite than originally thought September 13th, 2012 |
| Stolthaven Accident: 191,000 gallons of chemicals, including carcinogens, into the water September 13th, 2012 Company failed to prepare for Hurricane Isaac |
| The Advocate (Baton Rouge): Officials aided by past storm lessons September 10th, 2012 |
| WWL4 (NOLA): More than 90 oil and gas releases reported in SE Louisiana September 6th, 2012 We led the evening news! Click the link to watch. |
| Hurricane Prep Failures in Every Sector of the Oil Industry September 6th, 2012 Oil Industry Accidents During Hurricane Isaac Total Released: 4.9 million pounds and 171,000 gallons |
| Lack of Preparedness = 93 Oil Industry Accidents during Hurricane Isaac September 6th, 2012 |
| Isaac Oil Industry Accidents Press Conference Tomorrow September 5th, 2012 |
| Gambit (New Orleans): Louisiana Bucket Brigade Dance-a-thon August 21st, 2012 |
| NBC News (New Orleans): Authorities investigate chemical reaction inside Belle Chasse plant August 20th, 2012 |
 | Sneak-Peak Trailer! Learn the Crude-Step 2-Step! |
| The Advocate (Baton Rouge): Plant neighbors complain of ailments August 12th, 2012 |
 | Join us for our first annual Dance-A-Thon! August 25th at Cafe Istanbul from 2pm - 2am SIGN UP NOW and you could win a Jazz Fest Brass Pass and a Worksman Bike!! |
| Examiner: Exxon Mobil leaks more Benzene in Baton Rouge, a human rights abuse June 26th, 2012 |
| Oil Monitoring Group Announced Today June 19th, 2012 Newly Formed Observer Group to Monitor Oil Lease Sale Citizen Monitors Dispatched to the First Lease off Louisiana Coast since the BP Disaster |
 | Get Involved at the Oil and Gas Lease Sale -- Be a Citizen Monitor or take Creative Action On June 20, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will be auctioning off the final unleased areas in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area--just off the Louisiana coast--for exploration and drilling. Get involved! There are two ways... |
| Shell Chemical 40 Foot Flare Burns for Five Hours (at least)
May 9th, 2012 (Norco) Five-hour flaring episode at Shell Chemical- routed through the Motiva Refinery flare - was captured on the online iWitness Pollution Map. |
| Angolan Oil Industry Fuels Corruption, Damages Economy and Lives
May 7th, 2012 Parallels to Louisiana Cited at Today’s Presentation by Angolan Ambassador to the U.S. |
| New Orleans Earth Day Festival &
Green Business Expo set for April 22, 2012
April 11th, 2012 Event to focus on a green future for Louisiana |
 | Louisiana Bucket Brigade honored for oil spill response work August 31, 2011 |
 | Hands Across the Sand July 30th, 2012 Join us Saturday, August 4th, at 11:30 AM at Bayou St. John! |
| The Advocate (NOLA): DEQ Investigates Spill June 22nd, 2012 Benzene release greater than first reported |
 | LABB Bike Ride Join us Saturday, June 2nd at 10:00 AM at Bayou St. John |
 | Oil Monitoring Groups Says that Oil Industry-Government Coziness is Not in the Public Interest Join us tomorrow, Friday August 17, at the Roosevelt Hotel at 10:15 am! |
 | Statement in response to the first criminal indictment from the BP Spill April 24th, 2012 Today a former BP employee has been indicted. We believe that there are more criminal indictments of oil companies possible, if only the Department of Justice would look... |
| Request to revoke LDEQ Authority to administer environmental laws In the wake of four serious chemical emergencies in 63 days and an inadequate response by LDEQ. Read the full letter here. |
| WWL4 (NOLA): Congressmen tour oil production in Gulf amid protests May 25th, 2012 |
| New Results: Fifty Percent of Residents Surveyed Experienced Health Impacts from Chalmette Refining Accident April 9th, 2013 Fifty-five of 110 people surveyed by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s Rapid Response Team in Algiers reported health impacts from chemical exposure during last week’s accident at ExxonMobil’s Chalmette Refining. |
| Troubled Chalmette Refining Stinks Up Metro Area: Accident Prone Refinery Confirmed as Source of Chemical April 4th, 2013 Another accident at Exxon’s notorious Chalmette Refinery was responsible for the chemical exposure suffered yesterday throughout the metro area. |
| Widespread Chemical Exposure in Region
iWitness Pollution Reports from St. Bernard Parish to Harahan April 3rd, 2013 A strong petroleum smell throughout the metro area has resulted in scratchy throats, headaches, eye irritation and other health impacts as described by citizen reports to the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s iWitness Pollution Map. |
| Calumet Accidents Rage on - 13 since December April 3rd, 2013 Ongoing flares and accidents continue at the beleaguered Calumet Refinery, and neighbors are gathering today to detail the ongoing problems, to call on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the law and on the refinery to relocate its nearest neighbors away from its dangers. |
| New Release: Survey Results from Chevron’s Pipeline Fire March 18th, 2013 Ten percent of residents experience health impacts. |
| USW Says Problems EPA Found at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana Refinery are Prevalent throughout Refining Sector February 28th, 2013 The United Steelworkers (USW) comment on the universal failures brought forward by EPA's July 2012 inspection. |
| 90 Years of Oil and Gas Devastation LMOGA Meeting February 21st, 2013 FOIA Victory: Inspection of Exxon Released as Louisiana Mid Continent Oil and Gas Association Celebrates 90th Anniversary 90 Years of Wetland Destruction |
| St. Bernard Residents Sick from Oil Industry Pollution
New Door to Door Survey Released Today
January 25th, 2013 Seventy people in Chalmette reported respiratory problems, headaches, and / or eye irritation in a door to door survey conducted by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s Rapid Response Team on Friday, January 18th. |
| EPA's Surprise Inspection of ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Read the full report (with ExxonMobil's redactions) here. |
 | Common Ground IV The Call for Cooperation to Reduce Accidents at Refineries in Louisiana |
| BP to pay $4 billion for felonies in spill deaths; workers also charged November 15th, 2012 |
 | Refinery Managers Urged to Shut Down Safely in Advance of Isaac |
| UPDATE: Sun Drilling Divinylbenzene Accident
August 22nd, 2012 |
 | Hands Across the Sand Join us THIS Saturday, August 4th at Noon at Bayou St. John |
 | Dance-A-Thon Stomp Out the Stink on August 25th! |
 | Accident Report March 12th, 2012 There were 3,533 mapped incidents of chemical releases in Louisiana in 2010, up from 77 percent the previous year. To see the full findings, click the link below. |
| Want to make your voice heard? Join our direct action campaign today! March 12th, 2012 |
| Another Calumet Refinery chemical release: Hydrogen sulfide detected in the neighborhood December 20th, 2011 Just weeks after a harsh EPA inspection, the beleaguered Calumet Refinery in Shreveport continues to be unable to control its operations. |
| OUR PARTNERS: USW oil workers ratify National Oil Bargaining Policy December 14th, 2011 United Steelworkers proposed policy changes that address health and safety issues because of the numerous accidents within the oil sector. |
| Groups ask EPA to take over Louisiana Clean Air program December 14th, 2011 LABB and Environmental Integrity Project say action needed unless state steps up monitoring and enforcement. Read on to see the petition. |
| Louisiana’s troubled refineries averaged an accident a day in 2010 November 14th, 2011 Solutions: Hire more workers and increase federal enforcement |
| Surprise inspection of beleaguered Calumet refinery exposes serious problems November 9th, 2011 Refinery manager admits non-compliance and flaws. |
 | FROM OUR PARTNERS: United Steelworkers produced a new video called "Still Out of Control," about the petrochemical industry's disregard for facility safety and worker health. |
| FROM THE BLOG: September 28th, 2011 Community Organizer Dawn Collins' latest post: "Obstacles in organizing - Some people don't want to know what's polluting their communities and their children." |
| LEARN ABOUT Our new Outreach Campaign! This is a new opportunity to raise public awareness of petrochemical pollution through neighborhood visits. Find out more about this exciting project in our Programs section. |
| Three refineries report accidents caused by Lee: Lack of storm preparedness an ongoing concern September 8th, 2011 |
| Refineries and fenceline neighbors vulnerable as tropical storm bears down on Gulf Coast September 2nd, 2011 |
| Thousands of oil and gas wells and pits to be flooded: No clear plans from industry, state or federal government about preparation or cleanup May 18th, 2011 |
| Oil Industry Infrastructure in the Path of the Flood May 18, 2011 |
| Letter to DEQ, EPA and DNR regarding flood preparedness plans May 18, 2011 |
| Little information provided about facilities' emergency procedures during flooding May 16th, 2011 |
| Ozone Action Days are more about reducing
industrial emissions than delaying your yard work May 6th, 2011 |
| Chemical emergencies at Texas City refineries show how dangerous accidents can be to surrounding communities April 26th, 2011 |
| (FULL REPORT) Self-Reported Health and Economic Impact Survey: An Analysis of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster in Seven Coastal Louisiana Communities March 3, 2011 |
| Results of oil spill impact surveys from four coastal parishes released today March 3rd, 2011 |
 | (SUMMARY REPORT) The BP Oil Disaster: Results from a Health and Economic Impact Survey in Four Coastal Louisiana Parishes March 3rd, 2011 |
| (COMPLETE REPORT) Self-Reported Health and Economic Impact Survey: An Analysis of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster in Seven Coastal Louisiana Communities March 3rd, 2011 |
| Toxic acid poses an unnecessary health risk to more than a million in the Greater New Orleans region February 24, 2011 |
| Deadly Chemical and Dismal Safety Records Put Millions Living Near Refineries at Risk: Toxic Brew: U.S. Senator Calls Oil Refineries America's 'Ticking Time Bomb' ABC NEWS and CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY Feb. 24, 2011 |
| Media Advisory: LABB discusses results of health and economic impact surveys conducted in four coastal Louisiana parishes More than 950 responses show effects of the BP Oil Spill |
| Days before consent decree finalized, troubled Calumet refinery refuses to meet with neighbors
February 24th, 2011 |
| Letter to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries February 17, 2011 |
 | Analysis of oil, chemical and hazardous substance releases in Louisiana reported to the US Coast Guard's National Response Center in 2009 |
| Flaring at two Shell facilities concerns residents; officials claim process upsets are the cause December 21st, 2010 |
 | Common Ground II Report: Why Cooperation to Reduce Accidents at Louisiana Refineries is Needed Now December 13th, 2010 |
| Refinery accident reports expose poor maintenance, inadequate storm preparation and excessive flaring December 13th, 2010 |
 | Louisiana Oil Refinery Accidents 2005-2009 map December 13, 2010 |
| Concerned Citizens Ask EPA to Veto Murphy Oil's Air Permit December 3, 2010 |
 | Louisiana Bucket Brigade Holiday Benefit Party Celebrate the holidays with LABB while helping to support our misson! |
| Louisiana Bucket Brigade - Human Resources Volunteer December 1, 2010 |
| LABB Staff Present Work at National Conferences November 24, 2010 |
| Clean Cars Would Save Louisianans $2.9 million on Thanksgiving Travel November 23, 2010 |
| Murphy Oil leak another example of poor emergency response November 16th, 2010 |
 | LABB and the Environmental Integrity Project request that Governor Jindal raise emission fees for the state's largest polluters November 15, 2010 |
What is the bucket?
The EPA-approved "bucket" is a simple, community friendly tool that fenceline neighbors use to take air samples.
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