Stolhaven Accident: 191,000 gallons of chemicals, including carcinogens, into the water

Company failed to prepare for Hurricane Isaac

(New Orleans) http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=1024157" target="_blank">A report made to the National Response Center yesterday and obtained today reveals that Stolthaven released over 191,000 gallons of benzene, styrene, toluene, xylene and other chemicals into the floodwaters near Braithwaite. The report cites Hurricane Isaac as the reason for the problem with a storage tank. Such tanks are notoriously unmaintained and in poor condition. “Stolthaven failed to prepare and our state Department of Environmental Quality failed to make them do so,” said Anne Rolfes, Founding Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.

Residents continue to struggle in the aftermath. "I understand that we all experienced a hurricane and its aftermath is far worse than we expected,” said Kelly Cagle.  “However, Stolthaven needs to step up to the plate and admit fault and clean up their mess.”

The National Response Center is the federal point of contact for spills. Stolthaven’s report discredits reassurances made last week by the Department of Environmental Quality.