Petrochemical incidents aren’t always as visible as the East Palestine train derailment, but at least 322 happened last year.
by Emily Atkin, Heated
Climate policy obstructionists love to evangelize about the benefits of petrochemicals.
Last year, in commercials and Congressional hearings alike, the fossil fuel industry and its political allies upped their messaging around the chemical byproducts of oil and gas, calling petrochemicals “essential to life,” and warning it would be dangerous to phase them out or transition to greener alternatives.
What proponents consistently did not mention, however, was that petrochemicals were leaking, exploding, and catching fire all over the country last year, causing disastrous consequences multiple times per week.
There were at least 322 hazardous chemical incidents in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Chemical Incident Tracker, a database of media-reported accidental chemical releases compiled by the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters. That’s around a 70 percent increase in media-reported chemical incidents since 2022, when the coalition recorded only 189 disasters.
Recent Posts
The Winner at the DNC’s Latest Meeting? Israel, Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide
Take Action Now A panel named the Middle East Working Group gummed up all efforts to align the DNC with the views of most Democratic voters, even…
Will Youth Prisons Be Found Only in History Books?
Take Action Now At least two-thirds of youth prisons and jails have been shut down. This is an enormous, dramatic, positive development in an era…
Why are Democratic Leaders Still Ignoring Voters on Israel?
Take Action Now Decisions at the latest Democratic National Committee meeting emphasized the disconnect between the party’s leadership and its base……
DNC Chair Ken Martin’s Broken Promises Haunt his Tenure and the Party
Take Action Now Martin ran for chair on a platform that emphasized his commitment to transparency and to getting big money out of Democratic Party…