TODAY’S ODOR IN BAYTOWN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY EXXONMOBIL The most recent smell, of rotten eggs, has been claimed by the folks at ExxonMobil’s Baytown Refinery. Fortunately, local news outlet Reuters UK is on the story, filing one of the few reports on the incident, which we quote here in full: “Exxon Mobil said Wednesday there was an operational issue at its 562,500 barrel-per-day refinery in Baytown, Texas but gave no details as to the scope and units involved. ‘I can tell you there was no impact to production,’ said Kevin Allexon, a spokesman for the company.” [Reuters UK]
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Oh, well thank God there was no impact to production.
“Fortunately, local news outlet Reuters UK is on the story”
HAHA! I learn more about what is going on in Houston from outside news agencies all the time.
The Chronicle is crap. A self respecting person couldn’t read it.
I work in the oil industry and do not get why a PR person would say something like that and especially for a super major like XOM without legal and corporate approval. They are very good about this kind of stuff. I expect that guy may get re-assigned or at least re-trained!
Also, local news not covering this story before a UK outlet covers this story is shameful. Bad Chron.com, no excuse! This is what happens when you lay-off my reporter friend :)
Well, seeing as how this article was in the ‘Markets’ subsection of the ‘Business & Finance’ section, I’m thinking that the announcement was probably intended to stave off volatility in the commodities markets rather than to reflect on the humanitarian situation.
For all we know, Exxon’s commodities traders were short gasoline and had contracts coming due in the near future, and the release of this article was intended to stave off intra-day market volatility.
Given all the refineries, industrial plants, chemical plants, railroads, stagnant swamps and cesspools, traffic pollution, and the like that plague this hellhole of a town, it is a freaking wonder that Houston doesn’t lead the nation in cancer cases.
Then why do you live here if you think it’s a hellhole.
All those products these plants produce people want.
Practically everything you use is made with stuff from a facility here in Houston or another city with similar refineries.
Why can’t you people leave that hate Houston so much and let the rest of us that love this place enjoy it?
B/c we are defacto slaves and therefore stuck in Houston. If you don’t like it maybe YOU should leave.
From kjb434:
Why can’t you people leave that hate Houston so much and let the rest of us that love this place enjoy it?
=====================================
You actually care so much about what a random poster on Swamplot thinks that you want him or her to leave Houston? Harsh.
InsolubleTraces, you may be a slave to your job, but I chose to live here. I could have went to many places, but Houston offered the most opportunity and the better lifestyle I wanted.
RWB, I just get aggravated at a lot of people that just go on and on about how they hate it here in Houston. Not just on some random website. I meet people like this on the street and in stores. I ask them why the don’t like Houston, it usually the standard tripe you would here from idiots who don’t live here anyway but always have something to knock us down with.
It’s one thing if you have some things you like to change where you live, but it’s a completely different thing if you just plain hate where you live. Grow up and get another job. NO ONE is ever stuck in a job. You can do something else. It may mean a slight lifestyle change, but at least you can do something you like for a living.
Defacto slaves? Great name for a punk band. Not a great descriptor of reality, however, as it implies that you were taken captive, held against your will, forced to work demeaning jobs that you aren’t paid for, and are subjected to corporal punishment at the whim of your master.
…that is, as opposed to the possibility that you’d have to give up the spare bedroom, live in an apartment instead of a house, and drive a Toyota instead of a Lexus if you decided to make a career/location change.
You have multiple choices in the matter (and actually, quite many) such as would not sacrifice your human dignity. Therefore you are not a slave.
Thanks for the pep talk guys, I took a deep breathe and feel better now.
The Chronicle probably didn’t cover it because it would be a bigger story if the Baytown refinery didn’t smell like rotten eggs. I worked in refineries for years and they smelled like rotten eggs every single day. It’s no big deal. If they had a serious S02 or H2S leak you’d be dead before you smelled it anyway.
Thanks jgriff. I was going to post about the sulfur but was sure someone who actually works or worked in the field would.
Growing up in South Louisiana, there are petrochemical refineries from the north side of Baton Rouge to the southeast side of New Orleans all along the Mississippi River.
The same rotten egg smell can be found in many places in the swamps near natural releases of sulfur or methane gas. There is even great fish location in Lafourche parish that was once a sulfur mine. The bottom of the small lake dropped to nearly 80-ft even though most bayou near it are about 25-ft at the deepest. The depth provide a great haven for fish in winter and excellent fishing.
BUY LOCAL!!!
kjb434 wrote:
…
Practically everything you use is made with stuff from a facility here in Houston or another city with similar refineries…
Why can’t you people leave that hate Houston so much and let the rest of us that love this place enjoy it?
“Why can’t you people leave that hate Houston so much and let the rest of us that love this place enjoy it?”
Because we grew up here and you didn’t, and we think it was better before people like you got here. So if you don’t like what we think about our town, take your own advice and move back to Louisiana or whatever garbage dump spat you out.