US DOJ drags out Tesoro investigation for 4 years; no criminal charges vs. Big Energy

[Divernan]

This is the kind of crap result you'd expect from the Bush Administration. The goddamn faulty equipment was FORTY-TWO YEARS OLD, AND HAD NEVER BEEN INSPECTED FOR THE CORROSION WHICH LED TO THE EXPLOSION KILLING SEVEN WORKERS.

http://kuow.org/post/no-criminal-charges-deadly-tesoro-refinery-explosion

No Criminal Charges In Deadly Tesoro Refinery Explosion
By John Ryan
The U.S. Department of Justice has closed its 4 year criminal investigation into whether environmental and worker safety laws were broken leading up to the fatal Tesoro refinery blast. The result: No one will face criminal charges in connection with the blast, which killed seven Tesoro workers in Anacortes, Washington, in 2010.

A Friday afternoon press release from the Justice Department said its investigation found the evidence “does not reach the exacting bar for criminal prosecution.” The announcement brings to a close the Obama Administration’s response to the deadliest industrial accident in Washington state in 50 years.

The federal Chemical Safety Board wrapped up its investigation in April. That inquiry found Tesoro was complacent about safety, routinely putting workers in dangerous situations next to leaky, poorly maintained equipment

“Tesoro got off easy,” said Gordon Janz of Anacortes. His brother, Lew Janz, was one of seven Tesoro employees killed by an exploding heat exchanger. It had never been inspected for the type of corrosion that led to the explosion, according to the Chemical Safety Board report. “They simply didn't want to spend the money to do what they needed to do,” Gordon Janz said of Tesoro management. “That heat exchanger was installed the same year Lew and I moved here with our parents, back in ’72. The only way these things are going to change is if people in those jobs, who are in charge of those inspections and what not, are held criminally responsible for not doing their jobs,” he said.