El Paso residents demand accountability after Marathon refinery release

The El Paso Marathon Refinery released more than 15 tons of pollutants on August 4, according to preliminary reports cited by KVIA, and residents will gather at a public meeting Tuesday to review investigation results and press for accountability.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reported that the refinery released 20 air contaminant compounds, including nearly 4,000 pounds of carbon monoxide, more than 1,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and over 10,000 pounds of propylene. The El Paso Hispanic Chamber is hosting the meeting, which will address air monitoring results, operational changes, improvements to community notification systems, and details of the contaminant release.

Neighbors reported immediate health effects. Some residents said the gases irritated their eyes and caused nausea; others reported smelling a strong odor during the incident. Connie and Josie Hernandez, sisters who have lived in El Paso for more than 60 years and reside just a few blocks from the refinery, were working outside when the release occurred. Josie Hernandez told KVIA she noticed a large flame with orange coloring coming from the facility. "I noticed that the flame was like really roaring, and I called Connie and I said 'Look at this thing!' It was dark with the orange flame and it was really nasty looking, but I didn't know what had happened until I heard the news later on that night," Hernandez said according to KVIA. "So when I found out, I said 'Gee, that's a lot of stuff that we ingested' and we're like maybe three blocks away from it."

The sisters plan to attend the meeting to demand safety improvements. "I'm hoping that this meeting will bring some sort of commitment, accountability from them to place safety features," Josie Hernandez said according to KVIA. "Because it's our lives, it's our lives, and I think most of us did not realize that until this big flare up happened."

The meeting will be held at Riverside High School from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Amistad will provide transportation for residents who need it; those seeking a ride can call 915-532-3415 and request transportation for the Marathon event. Marathon declined to comment to KVIA prior to the meeting.