48,000 gallons of unrefined oil were sent airborne in mist form three weeks ago today in Lima, Ohio, a heavily industrial city of nearly 50,000 inhabitants. The former SOHIO (Standard Oil) refinery, a huge complex which can be spotted for miles by the iconic flare in the sky, is currently operated by Husky Energy, owned by an Alberta firm with substantial Chinese interests.
The misstep at the refinery sent the toxic mist more than five miles away, soiling hundreds of homes and cars, fouling the Ottawa River near the facility, and bespoiling the venerable Woodlawn Cemetery to the extent that all of the topsoil in the large burial ground has now been removed, though hundreds upon hundreds of headstones and mausoleums remain marred.
While Husky is working feverishly and around the clock to clean up the mess and limit damage, it is doing so under an incredible blanket of silence. Most residents of Lima itself have heard little about the grotesque incident, and the only coverage at all, so far as I have been able to determine, was limited to one article in the Lima, Ohio News (firewall).
One would think that an environmental oops this large, in the midst of a population center in the heart of our country would have been big news. The instant visuals it conjures up are powerful. But one would be wrong. How the Hell has Husky been able to keep such an airtight lid on such a nasty and widespread mess?
So far, again, so far as I can determine, the total penalty levied against Husky has been $7000 in OSHA fines....$7000!!!
Do you find this as shocking as I do? I look forward to your thoughts and comments below.