Environment & Safety
Judge throws out fines against Tesoro for deadly refinery blast
HOUSTON (Reuters) — A Washington state administrative judge threw out $2.4 MM in fines levied against refiner Tesoro Corp for a 2010 explosion that claimed the lives of seven workers at the company's Anacortes, Washington, refinery.
Innovations
Siemens has been working closely with the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a cyber security project.
Digital: Transitioning from the spreadsheet to the Cloud
The Industrial Internet of Things is expected to create a $225-B market by 2020, opening new opportunities for industrial organizations related to data and asset management.
California safety, health board approves new hazard regulations for refineries
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Department of Industrial Relations' (DIR) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved a regulation to strengthen workplace safety and health at oil refineries across the state. The new regulation provides a framework for anticipating, preventing and responding to hazards at refineries.
Fire triggered by suspected fuel thieves kills four in Mexico
MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) -- A fire sparked by suspected fuel thieves killed four people and forced Mexico's state oil company Pemex to temporarily halt pumping operations along a pipeline in the country's violent eastern state of Veracruz, the company said on Saturday.
EPA: Grandview petroleum distributor to upgrade 180 storage tank alarm systems
The US Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with Christensen, Inc., a Grandview, Washington-based petroleum storage and distribution company over their failure to submit important emergency planning information for several years at five facilities in central Washington and one in Seattle.
Fire hits Lukoil refinery in Russia's Urals
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- A fire erupted at a refinery of Russia's No. 2 oil producer Lukoil in the city of Perm in the Urals region, a local branch of the company, Lukoil Permnefteorgsintez, said on Friday.
US agency: Weak safety standards led to Exxon refinery blast
HOUSTON (Reuters) -- The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has concluded that a 2015 explosion at a Torrance, California, refinery then owned by Exxon Mobil Corp could have been prevented, the agency concluded in a report issued on Wednesday.
Gas leak at chemical firm Ineos contained at Scotland's Grangemouth
EDINBURGH (Reuters) -- A gas leak inside chemical firm Ineos' Grangemouth site in Scotland was successfully contained on Tuesday after emergency services rushed to the scene, police said.
Business Trends: Human reliability—a disruptive innovation
Annual bottom-line losses due to equipment failures total more than $100 MM at major refineries and petrochemical complexes. Corporate executives charge plant personnel with improving the reliability of the facility.
- China's Shandong raises fuel oil import tax rebates for some refineries 7/3
- Executive Viewpoint: Heavy industry, light footprint—Helping the HPI run leaner and cleaner with AI 7/3
- Digital Feature: Flare system design—The importance of periodic evaluation of existing facilities 7/2
- Valmet to deliver Valmet DNA DCS to a bio-based process plant in Portugal 7/2
- EIA: U.S. crude and gasoline inventories rise, distillates draw down 7/2
- Indonesia's Pertamina seeks spot gasoline, including Singapore cargoes 7/2
