Lyondell Chemical Plant Failure Resulted in Temporary Evacuation

According to Bloomberg, a disruption at a LyondellBasell Industries NV chemical plant in Illinois caused the temporary evacuation of about 100 residents. An ethylene storage tank overloaded after the outage and was at risk of exploding, the National Response Center report said, citing an unidentified caller. People living near the Equistar plant in Morris, Illinois, 68 miles southwest of Chicago, were evacuated to the neighboring village of Minooka after a power outage at the facility. The evacuees were sheltered at the Minooka Bible Church for several hours. U.S. refineries must notify the response center if they release hazardous substances in excess of reportable quantities, according to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.