Thousands line up to join BP lawsuit

TEXAS CITY— More than 3,000 people packed the hallways and sidewalks outside the Nessler Center in Texas City on Wednesday to join a $10 billion lawsuit filed this week against BP.

Some were there just to find out what was going on. Others came because they or their children had been sick.

Brenda Gregorcyk and her husband, Mike, were there, too.

“We’re here to stand up for the city,” the lifelong Texas City resident said. “Yeah, I’m angry about it. (Benzene) is what killed my father. I don’t want it killing us, too.”

Friendswood attorney Anthony Buzbee filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday over the release of more than 500,000 pounds of pollutants — including high levels of benzene — into the air after a unit failure at BP’s Texas City refinery. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages in the release of pollutants between April 6 and May 16, when the refinery’s ultracracker’s hydrogen compressor went offline.

BP is adamant the release did not pose a risk to workers or residents.

Buzbee and other plaintiff’s attorneys, though, already had signed up more than 13,000 clients, and more lined up for a chance to sign on Wednesday. Buzbee said 3,500 potential clients signed up Wednesday, while attorney Brett Griffin, who was set up in a room next door, said he had several hundred people sign up as his clients.

Gregorcyk said she developed a respiratory infection during the time of the massive release, which the company did not make public until June.

Her husband said he developed a severe rash that he also blamed on the release.

Buzbee said his clients who already had signed up have experienced “the typical exposure symptoms — sinus and eye issues, coughing, feeling nauseous, feeling lethargic — all the common benzene exposure symptoms.”

Detractors said those are the same symptoms of a summer cold or flu.

BP doesn’t argue the fact that more than 250 tons of emissions were sent into the atmosphere during the 40 days. The company does take issue with claims the health of workers and residents was affected.

“If we believed there was a health impact associated with this event or any event, we would have notified the community,” BP spokesman Michael Marr said. “Based on monitoring data at the time of the event and our current understanding, there was not.”

Neecy Holt doesn’t agree with BP’s assessment. She said her husband works as a contractor at the refinery and inexplicably passed out during the time when the pollutants were being released.

She said on-site medical personnel never determined what caused the episode, but she believes it was related to the emissions. That wasn’t the main reason she was in line waiting to meet with attorneys.

“He brings this stuff home to us every day,” Holt said. “I’m looking out for me and my family. It’s my best interest to look out for my kids because their dad brings home these chemicals (after possible exposure) every day.”

Buzbee said not everyone who showed up Wednesday would be part of the lawsuit. He said his firm was screening people to make sure they had confirmed medical issues related to the emissions.

He said 250 people were turned away because they didn’t meet the basic standards to be part of the lawsuit.

A large number of those waiting in line were contractors who work at the refinery. Many still were wearing their flame-resistant jumpsuits, having just gotten off work.

None of those The Daily News approached wanted to talk on the record about the possible exposure or why they were seeking to join the lawsuit. Most feared they would lose their jobs if they talked.

Marr said the company was not putting pressure on contractors to fire workers who joined the lawsuit.

Not everyone in the city was happy to see the frenzy over the release.

Jack Cross, a member of the Texas City-La Marque Community Advisory Council and an ardent industry supporter, chastised the newspaper for its reporting of the event and blamed the news coverage for causing an uproar “by giving a false impression.”

He argued reporting on the emissions gave the impression that the air in the city was dangerous even as state and county data show it has improved steadily in the past 20 years.

“What you aren’t reporting is that the air in the city is perfectly fine,” he said Wednesday morning.

County health officials confirmed air quality within the city has improved but stopped short of saying the air quality didn’t pose health risks.

An investigation by state environmental regulators found the emissions to be “excessive” and turned its investigation over to the state attorney general.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found the problems at BP were not isolated to April and May.

“Based on a review of the incidents that occurred during the past year, there appears to be a pattern of poor operation and maintenance practices,” the investigation found.

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Coming Friday

Fact or fiction? Rumors swirl about the BP emissions event.