Wikipedia
KOCH
INDUSTRIES WIKI Environmental
and safety record[edit]
Bloomberg reports
that from 1999 to 2003, Koch Industries was assessed "more than
$400 million in fines, penalties and judgments."[38] Daniel
Indiviglio, in a reaction piece appearing in The
Atlantic argues that the Bloomberg article is biased and
misleading, asserting that the Bloomberg team "only found eight
instances of alleged misconduct by a giant multinational over the
span of 63 years".[39][dubious – discuss]
In
2000, for its 300 reported oil spills which had taken place across
six states, Koch paid the largest civil fine ever imposed on a
company under any federal environmental law for the illegal discharge
of crude oil and petroleum products. In a settlement with the U.S.
Justice Department and the state of Texas, the company
agreed to pay a "$30 million civil penalty, improve its
leak-prevention programs and spend $5 million on environmental
projects."[40][41][42][43][44][45]
In
1996, an 8-inch-diameter steel LPG pipeline
operated by Koch Pipeline Company ruptured near Lively, Texas and
began leaking butane gas.
The vapor cloud ignited when two residents drove their pickup truck
through the flammable vapors to get to a neighbor's house to
call 9-1-1 to
report the leak. The two were killed in the explosion, and
approximately 25 families were later evacuated from the neighborhood
without injury. An investigation conducted by the NTSB found
that the pipe section which failed had not been shown to have
excessive corrosion in a 1995 inspection. Regulations at the time did
not provide criteria for "adequate cathodic
protection."[46] Koch
also stated that the bacteria-induced corrosion acted quicker than
had ever previously been recorded in the industry. The explosion was
the only event of its kind in the company’s history. In 1999, a
Texas jury found that negligence had led to the rupture of the Koch
pipeline and awarded the victims' families $296 million - "the
largest compensatory damages judgment in a wrongful death case
against a corporation in U.S. history".[38][47]
In
2000, a federal grand jury returned a 97-count indictment against
Koch Industries and its individual employees for environmental crimes
relating to excess emissions of 85 metric tons of benzene, a known
carcinogen.[48][49] In
2001, Koch Industries was fined $20 million, of which $10 million was
a criminal fine and $10 million to clean up the environment.[50]
- "Lone Star Land Steward Awards Winners Announced"(Press release). Texas Parks & Wildlife. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Loder, Asjylyn; David Evans (3 October 2011)."Koch Brothers Flout Law With Secret Iran Sales".Bloomberg Markets Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- Jump up^ Bloomberg's Exposé on Koch Industries Reveals ... What Exactly? Daniel Indiviglio| 4 October 2011
- Jump up^ "Koch Pipeline Company L.P. - Newsroom". Kochpipeline.com. 2000-01-13. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
- Jump up^ By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz and Jeff Nesmith (2001-07-23)."Austin news, sports, weather, Longhorns, business". Statesman.com. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
- Jump up^ "Koch Agrees to $35 Million Settlement in Two Environmental Cases". Safety Online. 17 January 2000.
- Jump up^ NTSB report PIPELINE ACCIDENT SUMMARY REPORT, PIPELINE RUPTURE, LIQUID BUTANE RELEASE, AND FIRE.LIVELY, TEXAS AUGUST 24, 1996 pages 12-13
- Jump up^ National Transportation Safety Board (6 November 1998)."Pipeline Rupture, Liquid Butane Release, and Fire Lively, Texas August 24, 1996". Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Rubin, Jennifer (3 October 2011). "Koch responds to Bloomberg". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
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