Exxon sues government over Baton Rouge refinery

Exxon Mobil has filed suit in federal court in Houston, saying the U.S. government should reimburse it for costs related to the investigation and remediation of hazardous waste disposal at its Baton Rouge refinery. The petrochemical giant says the government is liable for the “significant environmental contamination” it caused when it took control of the plant during World War II, according to Courthouse News Service. The suit charges the government with barring Exxon’s predecessor, Standard Oil, from updating equipment. This decision led to substantial hazardous waste generation at the plant in the 1940s and 1950s. “The government specifically knew that the primary separator at the refinery was not able to adequately handle the increased waste loads generated by the wartime production plants, but denied Standard Oil the requisite approval to install much-needed improvements to the waste processing system that Standard Oil recommended and would have funded,” according to Exxon Mobil’s suit. Courthouse News Service says Exxon sued the government for costs associated with the pollution in 2009; that case is still pending. See the full story here.