Employees at the Coffeyville Resources Refinery in Kansas failed to close a valve on one of the plant’s storage tanks during emergency shutdown procedures, an oversight that allowed more than 71,000 gallons of crude oil into the town of Coffeyville, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said. But refinery management disputes that finding, claiming that an “act of God” and not human error was to blame for the massive oil spill.
The June 30 oil spill occurred as the town was bracing for a massive flood. Coffeyville Resources was attempting to shut down the refinery before it was inundated with flood waters. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management said during the flood, oil continued to pour oil into a larger storage tank, and that tank eventually overflowed. The problem was not noticed for several hours. The state’s investigation found that one valve was not closed by plant employees during the emergency shutdown, allowing the oil to escape.
