Refuse Fascism-Houston Holds Press Conference in Crosby, Texas, to Denounce Arkema Inc.’s Responsibility for the Developing Environmental Catastrophe at Its Crosby Plant

September 5, Refuse Fascism attempted to deliver demands to people at the Arkema chemical plant outside Crosby, Texas. After two chemical storage units with highly toxic chemicals exploded in the water of Hurricane Harvey, Arkema set the other six units on fire in what they called a "controlled burn."

Following is the statement issued by Refuse Fascism in Houston:

Arkema Inc. has responsibility for the deepening environmental catastrophe at its chemical plant outside Crosby, putting the health and lives of thousands of people at risk. They are aided and abetted by the Trump/Pence regime, which cut funding for the EPA, eliminated safety regulations, deregulated the oil and gas industries, eliminated limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and more. This is an outrage!

We demand:

Stop poisoning us.
Reveal the name of every chemical stored at the Crosby plant and the effects on people’s health, short term and long term.
Full free medical care for everyone exposed to these toxins.

Three of nine containers holding 500,000 pounds of highly flammable and toxic chemicals have caught fire when power was lost for their refrigeration, producing two explosions. More explosions are expected. At least 18 people have been taken to the hospital complaining of problems caused by the smoke produced by the burning chemicals. A mandatory evacuation order for a 1.5 mile radius around the plant has been ordered. What is Arkema’s solution? They are igniting the six remaining containers!

This is “A Nightmare: The whole planet in peril from a regime that denies global warming and shreds all environmental protections.” (From the Refuse Fascism Call for November 4, This Nightmare Must End. The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go, In the Name of Humanity We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!)

Press reports are that the plant flooded like this before in 2006, lost power, and chemicals ignited because of a loss of refrigeration. Since then, Arkema has not done enough to prevent this from happening again, according to their own safety expert.

Arkema is responsible for chemicals exploding at the plant and endangering the lives of thousands. This must stop.

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