Ashland_Oil_Inc.

Ashland Oil Inc. Introduction In 1987 Ashland Oil, Inc. was the sixtieth largest company in the country with revenues exceeding $7 Billion; it was also the nation’s largest independent oil refiner. A significant portion of oil supplies came from the Middle East and Nigeria under contract. In order to reduce dependence on the volatile refining industry Ashland Oil, Inc diversified into other activities such as transportation of products, chemical marketing, coal etc. Refining continued to be a corporate leader however Ashland Petroleum Company captured 30% of sales in 1987. Catastrophe struck on January 2, 1988 when a 4 million gallon storage tank owned by Ashland Oil, Inc. split apart, collapsed and spilled diesel fuel in the surrounding area. The tank had formerly been at an Ohio location where it was dismantled and moved to the facility in Floreffe, Pennsylvania for reassembly. The spilled diesel fuel breached containment dikes ran through the adjacent property and ran into a storm drain that emptied into the nearby Monongahela River. The river within minutes washed the fuel over dam locks into the Ohio River contaminating drinking water affecting residents in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Vast areas of river ecosystems were contaminated destroying wildlife, causing damage to private property oil, ashland, tank, water, inc, spill, hall, permit, floreffe, press, industry, violate, tested, standards, river, issue, drinking, construction, act, testing, tanks, storage, steel, standard, petroleum, permits, ohio, legal, year, old, information, fuel, ethical, discharge, constructed