Lake Superior Mayors Want Refinery to Cease Using Dangerous Chemical

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The mayors of the Lake Superior twin port cities near last week’s oil refinery explosion and fire are calling on its owners to stop using a dangerous chemical compound at the site.

Husky Energy in Superior is one of about 50 refineries in the country that still uses hydrogen fluoride to process high-octane gasoline. The refinery explosion last Thursday injured at least 13 people, caused the evacuation of nearby homes and sent billowing plumes of black smoke into the air.

Superior Mayor Jim Paine and Mayor Emily Larson of the adjacent city of Duluth, Minnesota, have asked Husky Energy to use a safer alternative to hydrogen fluoride, a highly corrosive chemical that can produce toxic vapor clouds.

“There are other means to enable refining, and Husky has the capacity to choose new systems that maintain product integrity while protecting the health of their workers and decreasing risk to the families and loved ones in the Twin Ports,” Larson said.

Paine also requested information about safety procedures meant to stop the chemical’s release.

Officials are exploring different options for the refinery’s configuration and may consider removing hydrogen fluoride from the plant’s operations, said Kollin Schade, the refinery’s manager.

The tank containing hydrogen fluoride was not damaged by the explosion or fire.

The Environmental Protection Agency has finished monitoring the air at the site of the explosion and said it found no elevated levels of anything toxic.

WCCO-TV reports EPA officials say the agency will continue to provide oversight for additional monitoring done by a third-party company, GHD.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says the initial explosion took place in the fluid catalytic cracking unit. Wisconsin Public Radio reports the board will study why the metal failed in the unit that exploded.

Local authorities continue to work with federal agencies to determine what caused the explosion.