Immediate Release: October 5, 2006 

 President Chavez Chided Over Venezuelan Sulfur Pollution from Oil Refineries

Controversial Remarks by President Chavez About President Bush and “Smell of Sulfur” 

 Termed “The Pot Calling the Kettle Black”

(Corpus Christi, TX) The irony of all ironies enfolded at the U.N’s Annual General Assembly recently when President Chavez commented on the sulfur smell left in the wake of President Bush’s presence. As these comments were being made, tremendous amounts of sulfur were spewing out of Corpus Christi CITGO Refineries. CITGO is Venezuela’s state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). In Corpus Christi, it’s mostly people of low-income and people of color that live by these refineries, the people Chavez claims to care about.

On September 20, 2006, TIME Magazine article include a quote from Chavez on Bush made during the U.N. Annual General Meeting: “The devil came right here….And it still smells of sulfur today.” 

One refinery alone, CITGO East, dumped 73,251 lbs. of sulfur dioxide on the community from upsets alone in one year, January 31, 2003 – January 31, 2004, (upsets are events that can release huge amounts of pollution in a short period of time. This does not include the tremendous amount of sulfur and other emissions released daily in order for the plant to operate).

Venezuelan crude oil, that CITGO process, is cheap, dirty and high in sulfur and even “environmental units” that remove sulfur from gasoline adds additional sulfur pollution on the surrounding community. In addition, Corpus Christi CITGO is undergoing an $828,000,000 expansion, one of the nation’s largest expansions.

Jesse Garcia, spokesperson for CITGO told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times “While the overall expansion will lead to more jobs and investment, the new step of reducing sulfur content in gasoline could lead to an increase in air emissions near the project construction site.” Adding, “Are we going to have more right here? Yes.” (Corpus Christi Caller-Times, April 12, 2005).

Citizens for Environmental Justice (CFEJ), based in Corpus Christi, a watch dog environmental justice activist group has been battling CITGO’s expansion on a permit proposal for a unit at the east plant that would increase sulfur dioxide by over 500 tons per year. CFEJ is well known for conducting their own air monitoring using a bucket equipped to take samples and conducting environmental patrols along refinery row, documenting events to use as a tool to fight for reducing emissions. Nevertheless, last spring CITGO reported the group’s leader, Suzie Canales, to the National Response Center during one of their many patrols, as a possible terrorist threat which led to the F.B.I interviewing and questioning her at her home.

“We have been conducting our environmental justice work for years and all the refineries know this,” said Suzie Canales. “But since we’ve started fighting CITGO on permits that propose increasing emissions and lack adequate monitoring, the intimidation tactics, harassment and threats seem to have increased. At times, we’ve been illegally detained for up to an hour at a time while patrolling on public roads.”

In August 2006, a federal grand jury retuned a 10 - count indictment charging CITGO and their environmental manager with criminal violations at the east plant which included benzene releases and violations of the Clean Air Act. “I just think it’s hypocritical for Chavez to say he cares about the poor when it’s predominately people of color and low-income that live by CITGO refineries and have to bear a disproportionate amount of the plants’ pollution from upsets, normal operations and when they violate environmental laws,” said Cindy Pena, also with CFEJ.

The group requested a meeting with President Chavez and hand-delivered a packet of information to the Venezuelan Embassy in DC last summer with documentation of harassment and intimidation tactics at the hands of CITGO. To date, Chavez has not agreed to a meeting.

Suzie Canales is the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Award for Outstanding Achievements in Environmental Justice.

Contacts:

Suzie Canales, Citizens for Environmental Justice, CFEJ, 361-334-6764 (cell 361-814-9134)
Denny Larson, National Refinery Reform Campaign, RRC, 415-845-4705