08.03.08
Posted in ExxonMobil (XOM) at 11:53 am by Administrator
I went by the ExxonMobil’s Kelsey Compressor Station today. It was still churning and puffing smoke from it’s stacks. Something did catch my eye. Keep in mind this ExxonMobil facility covers about 50 acres. I know it looks bad, but don’t worry. The surface lease is very clear that they will return the place to the original condition. And, now that the surface lease expired, I am certain that they will get it all cleaned up — good as new. Looks like they have already started cleaning up. Things look tidier around some tanks. Oh… no…. wait a minute….. that isn’t cleaning up!! ExxonMobil is just dumping gravel on top of their latest rounds of leaks, spills and overflows. Here’s a nice view from the top of one of ExxonMobils huge leaking tanks. The tanks featured in this entry are way in the back on the horizon.
When I came up with this webpage idea, I figured that eventually someone over there at ExxonMobil would hear about it, and recognize there is a problem. I realize that it might take a month or a year or two years for someone in the higher echelons to get wind of it. Then, that individual will tell their secretary, “Print out this blog and put it on my desk.” This executive will read the blog and will be angry. They will say, “We need to clean that up.” I don’t know any high-level management at Exxon — but I have certainly notified all the mid level management, lead counsel and field personnel I come in contact with. They know that I am poking around making movies and taking photos. And this is how they respond…..
Please notice a tall tank with fresh gravel and fresh tracks of a small loader. Then notice that under the gravel is just soil soaked in Benzene. Also notice that the tank has a hatch open on top with smokey-looking fumes coming out. You have to look close at the photo. (I have good video footage but this blog doesn’t allow video. So, just look closely.) You can also see that this hatch over flows liquids and they drip down the tank. And the pump is leaking. So, what does ExxonMobil do about it? They bring in a load of gravel This is just an insult to my intelligence. What little I have…. That I would actually be fooled by fresh gravel thrown on top of an above ground lake of benzene. Note that Exxon even threw some gravel around the pump where the lake of benzene pools around the leaks. It would have been nice if they had fixed the leak, too.
Even the pump to the tank leaks.
Then I drive around some more and see some more fresh gravel around a tank and a ladder. I screech to a halt and grab my shovel. Sure enough, more gravel just dumped over disgusting sludge of who knows what that stinks of oil. Despite repeated attempts to caulk the seams, the tank is currently leaking. That ExxonMobil, they are such prudent operators.
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Posted in Carrizo (CRZO), Chevron (CVX), ExxonMobil (XOM), Proven Reserves -- accounting at 11:19 am by Administrator
Honestly, I don’t know what this thing is. It is part of the Kelsey Compressor Station. In July 2008, I saw that Exxon had sent some mechanics to work on it, so it must be something important. You don’t see a lot of things getting fixed around here. The mechanics’ presence in itself is newsworthy. The problem has been remedied and the contraption is up and running once again. I saw no screws plugging leaks. ExxonMobil has more than a roll of teflon tape and a few screws in their repair kit. That is reassuring. Here are some photos after the repairs were complete.
The neighbors, they have their own family owned oil company called Mestena Operating Ltd., are calling. They ask, “Hey, why aren’t you picking on Chevron. We just drilled 14 wells on our side of the fence and drained your gas. Aren’t you mad that Chevron, Carrizo, and Edge didn’t do any offsets?”. People are so impatient!! I’ve only had this blog for a week. I promise to get over to the Chevron side of the lease. ExxonMobil has these great tank slag roads and we just had a hurricane. Chevron has caliche roads and they are muddy. Plus, it’s not like Chevron, Carrizo and Edge aren’t going to have to pay us for all that gas they didn’t drill. There are only so many hours in a day, so I will get to the Chevron side, don’t worry. And, it’s ugly up there.
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08.01.08
Posted in ExxonMobil (XOM) at 6:43 pm by Administrator
I just posted my latest masterpiece!!
check it out! Watch ExxonMobil tanks leak — really action packed fun!
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Posted in Carrizo (CRZO), Chevron (CVX), EDGE, ExxonMobil (XOM) at 3:50 pm by Administrator
What should have been a simple day, got complicated. I had to take some friends by Central Tank Battery and the first thing I noticed…. a leaking tank. Not that a leaking tank is really anything out of the normal in an ExxonMobil facility. I happened to have my geiger counter on my person, and took a quick reading of 316. The background NORM is 30. So, whatever is leaking from this tank is very radioactive. All the tank said was “out of service” “NO hazardous chemicals”. Obviously, radioactive material is not considered hazardous to ExxonMobil. No telling what Exxon has in the tank. As you can tell by these photos, the tank has leaked before, it leaks until the level of the tank drops below the hole. Then a new hole forms and it leaks again. ExxonMobil is such a prudent operator. If they weren’t they wouldn’t have a lease. Checklist for a prudent operator — this is a page out of their manual:
1. Fill up tank with radioactive material
2. Take it out of service.
3. Watch tank leak out until it is completely empty
4. Repeat.
Oh, while I was out watching ExxonMobil dump “non-hazardous chemicals” all over the place, I saw some more illegal immigrants pass by. I tried to shout out “Hey be careful, this is a no smoking area. No fumar.” but they ignored me. These folks don’t realize that most of ExxonMobil’s stuff is leaking gas — adding a new deadly element to the smoking habit.
After Central Tank, we went to the Kelsey Compressor Station. Here I found a HUGE tank leaking. It’s so big, I wonder how many years it will take to actually empty. I have no clue what is in it. I’m sure it’s just some more non-hazardous radioactive waste. My geiger counter was out of batteries. Darn.
When I was leaving the compressor station I saw another leaking tank marked Benzene and it had two separate screw-repairs from previous leaks.
Then, my friends wanted to go see how Chevron’s big MERCURY contamination clean up was going. Chevron reported a big problem to the Texas Railroad Commission about MERCURY in October of 2007. We were able to verify from our on-site visit that the clean-up is moving right along.
Like I said, it has been a busy day.
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Posted in ExxonMobil (XOM) at 6:50 am by Administrator
I think some of the Exxon staff must be watching re-runs of MacGyver. To be fair, ExxonMobil HQ has to O.K. expenditures for repairs, and the local staff is probably just making do with what ExxonMobil gives them to work with. The tanks in these photos are located in Central Tank Battery. When I told Exxon they were leaking, the reply was, “Well, those tanks have been out of service for years.” I guess ExxonMobil figured they should have already leaked out. How many years does it take for a tank bottom to decay and leak into the ground water? Surely, enough time had passed since ExxonMobil took that tank out of service and left it full. The other three tanks around it have completely leaked out.
I insisted ExxonMobil come and look at this leaking tank last month. The Benzene was pouring out a hole in the side. (refer to my youtube movie “ExxonMobil to the rescue”) ExxonMobil came and they “fixed” the leak with a screw wrapped in Teflon tape. I suppose they had to do something as the landowner was right there. You can see where they fixed a previous leak with a screw right next to the new “repair”. The tank gauge shows 2 feet of product left in the tank. That seems about right — judging from feeling the temperature change on the side of the tank. So, hopefully, soon we will have one less leak on the ranch. The tank will empty itself and ExxonMobil can cross that off it’s list.
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