Grist: "The Hidden Cost of Gasoline." The signature sweet smell of gasoline is benzene, an infamous carcinogen, strongly linked to acute myeloid leukemia [AML]. Leaks from underground tanks + piping contain lead, benzene, and the suspected carcinogen methyl tertiary-butyl ether. 'Ten gallons of gasoline can contaminate 12 million gallons of groundwater — a significant risk, given that groundwater is the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans.' Some 60,000 contaminated sites under gas stations await cleanup, according to the EPA. "One of the largest spills was in Brooklyn, where a 17 million-gallon pool of oil gradually collected beneath a Mobil gas station — a larger spill than the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989." The actual number of gas stations has been in decine for decades, dut to mediocre profits, rising land values + more fuel-efficient cars. "A 2019 analysis from Boston Consulting Group found that between 25 and 80 percent of gas stations nationwide could be unprofitable in 12 years — and that analysis was conducted before a slate of new policies, including federal tax credits, were passed to promote electric vehicles." The menace of leaking gas stations went public in 1983, 'when a 60 Minutes segment warned Americans that underground storage tanks were a “time bomb” in their neighborhoods.' Unsurprisingly, the petroleum industry has known about this since at least the 1960s. 'In 1961, advertisements in the trade magazine National Petroleum News acknowledged that “rusty, leaky storage tanks” were a problem.' The big oil majors have been proactive, essentially pushing almost all of this liability on individual station owners. And, often ultimately on to all of us as taxpapers. Hence the watchword: Big Oil Knew.   #petroleumindustry  #gasoline  #contamination

Therapists see surge in eco-anxiety as smoke fills skies.
"The climate crisis is a main talking point in the weekly therapy sessions. The more people experience the crisis first-hand, the more they realize they need to have support to talk about it...The fires have triggered a sense of fear, rage and despair, which is a completely healthy response to what we’re witnessing on Earth.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/09/climate-crisis-psychology-new-york-smoke

Never Forget: They Knew
"As fossil fuel executives join the rest of us currently choking on the ash of old growth forests being consumed in the apocalyptic conflagrations directly linked to their actions, we must never forget: THEY KNEW."
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/8/2174113/-Never-Forget-They-Knew
#OneHealth #FossilFuels #PetroleumIndustry #Fires #Bushfires #Smoke #Pollution #Forests #Biodiversity #EcoAnxiety #ClimateCrisis

@CaptCharon Well done, @AdamMackay — Darth Vader and Exxon make a perfect pair.
#ExxonKnew #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #PetroleumIndustry
https://boingboing.net/2023/03/13/darths-love-letter-to-exxon.html

AAAS: "U.S. proposal would expand where oil companies must look for shipwrecks before they drill" As oil + gas exploration + extraction continue to push into deeper waters off the coast, 'federal officials want to tighten rules for when energy firms must look for archaeological sites before drilling.' The draft rule would have its greatest impact in the Gulf of Mexico. "More than 600 shipwrecks or possible shipwrecks have been found there, most by energy companies as part of existing permitting requirements, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)." The agency now uses evidence such as remote sensing instruments detection of ferrous metals, sonar imaging, old news articles, accident reports + high-traffic historic sailing routes. "The agency drafted the rule after evaluating 40 years of evidence collected by industry, federal and state agencies, and academic institutions and concluding that its models may be identifying far fewer possible shipwreck locations than exist." Shawn Joy, an underwater archaeologist with the 'organization SEARCH, Inc. which looks for and studies submerged archaeological sites, said the proposal would bring requirements for oil and gas firms more in line with offshore wind industry rules adopted in 2020.' So, a level playing field, even if it's underwater. #archeology #petroleumindustry