Just like with the rest of this capitalistic country, in the small town Lima, Ohio, it’s the least privileged suffer the most.
Proximity to Lima Refinery Company’s (LRC’s) refinery means exposure to toxic emissions and lifelong health implications, but it also means living where jobs are scarce and moving isn’t an option.
Benzene Emissions
The heart of the case lies in LRC’s excessive benzene emissions.
Benzene, a known carcinogen, is tightly regulated due to its hazardous impacts on human health, including the risk of cancer, respiratory issues, and long-term neurological damage.
LRC, however, consistently emitted benzene far beyond the regulated limits, driven by what appears to be a prolonged disregard for pollution control standards. This behavior violated the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) designed to regulate and reduce airborne toxins like benzene in petroleum refinery wastewater systems.
The legal documents indicate that LRC’s operations consistently exceeded this cap without adequate mitigation, failing to implement essential control technologies.
Health and Environmental Toll on the Community
The impact of these actions has been devastating. Residents of Lima, Ohio, report ongoing concerns about their health, noting an uptick in respiratory illnesses, increased cancer diagnoses, and other severe conditions likely linked to prolonged benzene exposure. The refinery, situated near residential zones, places vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly, in direct exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
Furthermore, benzene emissions have seeped into Lima’s local waterways, harming aquatic life and ecosystems that are central to the community’s natural environment and economy. The runoff from the refinery contaminates soil and groundwater, posing long-term threats to both biodiversity and agricultural activities in the region. Such pollution leaves lasting scars on local ecosystems, degrading the quality of soil and water that surrounding communities rely on for farming, fishing, and recreational activities.
Systemic Failures in Compliance and Environmental Protections
According to the lawsuit, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspected LRC’s facilities in June 2022, uncovering a pattern of non-compliance across various segments of their operations. The investigation highlighted multiple violations, including poorly maintained drains and junction boxes with inadequate seals, both of which are essential in preventing benzene leaks. Despite federal guidelines requiring these emissions controls, LRC’s system repeatedly fell short.
Further compounding the issue, the complaint reveals LRC’s frequent failures in routine maintenance and emission checks.
For example, the refinery’s sewer lines and oil-water separators were often left uninspected, allowing benzene and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to escape undetected into the atmosphere and water systems. Such lax practices show a flagrant disregard for established environmental protocols, which are in place specifically to prevent these very outcomes.
Proposed Remediation and Civil Penalty
In response, the proposed consent decree mandates that LRC not only comply with stringent benzene control standards but also execute corrective actions that address the structural and procedural failures responsible for these violations. Specifically, LRC is required to:
- Install Advanced Control Systems – This includes an immediate upgrade to their wastewater treatment infrastructure, such as the addition of a benzene flash column to curb emissions directly from the refining process.
- Enhanced Monitoring and Transparency – LRC must implement routine air quality monitoring around the refinery and publicly disclose emission data through six new monitoring stations. This is a crucial step for accountability and community protection, offering real-time insights into air quality levels in the surrounding area.
- Pay a $19 Million Civil Penalty – The company will pay one of the highest civil penalties for a refinery of its size. This penalty not only serves as punishment but is also a reminder to other corporations of the steep cost of environmental negligence.
Long-Term Implications and Community Empowerment
While the proposed decree offers a roadmap for LRC to amend its environmental practices, local residents continue to bear the brunt of this negligence. The trust between LRC and the community has been deeply eroded. Many are concerned that the company’s remedial measures may only be temporary fixes to a deeper, systemic issue.
On a larger scale, the LRC case signals a powerful warning to corporations that prioritize profit over environmental and public health. As environmental advocacy groups rally around this case, they call for even stricter regulatory oversight to ensure compliance. Advocates argue that without frequent and unannounced inspections, such companies may revert to practices that maximize output at the expense of environmental integrity.
it’s so sad that steve jobs died of ligma :'(
Cenovus Energy owns the entirety of Lima Refinery Company.
Their website can be found at: https://www.cenovus.com/