Accident or Negligence?

Date: May 28th , 2019

Dear Editor/Newsroom,

Did the massive chemical fire which took place on Sunday 26th May 2019 in Pond “A” at Kaizen Environmental Services in La Brea occur accidentally or recklessly?

Did this chemical fire occur because of the unapproved disposal of highly flammable hydrocarbon condensate?

This fire released large volumes of carcinogenic chemicals into our air, sea and soil. This is a public interest environmental and health issue that should not be subject to typical Government secrecy. Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) insist that this investigation be conducted in an accountable and transparent manner and that the culprits be held fully responsible. Kaizen has for decades “disposed of”, “treated” or “stored” large volumes of toxic, including hydrocarbon waste such as highly flammable condensate from several companies in the oil and gas sector.
Hydrocarbon condensate when exposed to heat, can easily ignite depending on its flash point. Unchallenged eye witness reports confirm that there was a loud explosion before the fire was seen at Pond A.
FFOS have pointed questions for the Honourable Minister of Planning and Development Mrs Camille Robinson Regis, the line Minister responsible for the Environmental Management Authority (EMA):

1. Was Pond A being used contrary to its approval and openly dumping/storing flammable hydrocarbon condensate in exposed pits?
2. Does Kaizen have the required storage space to store the quantity of hydrocarbon waste being collected daily from the oil and gas extractors or are they accepting more waste than they can manage?
3. Did Senior officials of Kaizen knowingly act contrary to approvals and instruct that hydrocarbon condensate be stored or dumped into the open pit of Pond A?
4. If Pond A was misused, did the improperly stored flammable condensate spontaneously combust causing this massive fire?
5. Can Minister Robinson-Regis confirm if Pond A and all the other similar ponds are lined with concrete or other impermeable liners to prevent the leaching of toxic and dangerous carcinogenic compounds which can freely enter our water table and our Gulf of Paria?
6. Does the mandatory “Certificate of the Destruction” issued by Kaizen for hydrocarbon extractors, state where and how these large volumes of hydrocarbon condensate/waste are being disposed of/destroyed?
7. Should oil and gas companies being producers of these toxic hydrocarbon waste, be held accountable with the ‘cradle to the grave’ approach?
8. Will the EMA uses its legislated teeth or will the violator privately settle the matter behind closed doors?
9. Until Minister Regis and the EMA truthfully answer these and other questions, FFOS fear that this investigation, like many before it, will be smothered, settled in a cloak of secrecy, and our vulnerable and voiceless will continue to be put at risk for the sake of energy without conscience.
   
   FFOS call on our Government to lay the Waste Management Rules in Parliament. These Rules were drafted over a decade ago. While our nation has achieved world record cancer mortalities, critical public health legislation is being treated as low priority. If this disregard continues FFOS will use all means necessary to challenge this callousness. We must not only know the truth but we must ensure that legislation is timely and justice is served.

Sincerely,
Gary Aboud
Corporate Secretary