The Environmental Protection Agency has shifted its focus to recovery and returned control of the Smitty’s Supply Inc. facility in Tangipahoa Parish back to the company.
The handoff comes nearly two months after an explosion completely burned down the facility and spread soot and oily residue for more than a dozen miles in each direction through the air and a nearby river.
Representatives for the locally-owned Smitty’s said the EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will still offer guidance as they resume control of the now charred and empty site.
The explosion happened without warning and caused hundreds of Roseland, Louisiana, residents to evacuate. They returned days later to find their homes covered in the fallout. Soon after, officials with the EPA arrived to begin monitoring and a large-scale cleanup, already nearing a $40 million price tag.
To date, more than 11 million gallons of ‘liquid waste’ have been collected from the Tangipahoa River and connected ponds, according to the EPA’s fact sheet for the incident, and the agency said it’s stepping up sampling and cleanup efforts.
That same website shows only two water samples collected from the Tangipahoa River, on August 29, at one location 15 miles upriver and another 15 miles downriver, running toward Lake Pontchartrain.
For nearly two decades, the plant has manufactured motor oils and lubricants for some of the nation’s leading brands, and was a major employer in the area. Many of those products contain chemicals like hydrocarbons, which, when burned or combusted — as in an explosion — are linked to an increased risk of various cancers.
Weeks after the incident, the EPA published an inventory list of both products and chemicals stored at the facility, totalling more than 10 million gallons that covered a wide range of motor products.
In a written statement, Smitty’s leadership said it’s now contracting with private firms to begin the recovery process at the facility, which the company has previously said it intends to rebuild.
Shortly after regaining control of the facility, Smitty’s filed suit against two equipment manufacturers, alleging that they were negligent and sold faulty equipment that contributed to the explosion.
An oil plant in Tangipahoa Parish is also suing a manufacturer it claims sold them defective equipment and is at fault for an explosion in late August.
The explosion at Smitty’s Supply in Roseland polluted surrounding communities, and thousands of gallons of oil reached the Tangipahoa River.
In a suit filed this week, the company alleges Fulton Boiler Works and another company did not install or maintain its equipment properly, causing the explosion and fire that consumed the facility. Smitty’s is denying any responsibility for the explosion.
