"Ecocide"
Noun; destruction of the natural environment by deliberate or negligent human action.
The ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery produces about 9 million gallons of gasoline & diesel fuel every day as per the companies website. In April 2021 the US Department of Justice mandated the Joliet Refinery lower its air pollution (link sited below) and according to a January 2023 Environmental Integrity Project study (link sited below) it is one of the worst water pollutants in the United States.
I remember having a visceral reaction when I drove by this plant because it was such a clear night out until I began to approach its spewing its grey smoke in the sky. Looking back, it feels even worse that the true pollution shown in this picture is just a tip of a very large iceberg.
This photograph was taken by Kevin DeAngelis on 12/26/2022 near Channahon, IL - while driving back to St. Louis after Christmas back home in Chicago.
US Government & ExxonMobil's April 2021 Agreement:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-government-and-state-illinois-announce-agreement-exxonmobil-s-joliet-refinery-reduce-air
Environmental Integrity Project's Jan 2023 Study:
https://environmentalintegrity.org/news/report-exposes-vast-amount-of-unregulated-water-pollution-from-oil-refineries/
JPG, 3696 x 3024px
2023
CC0 / Public Domain
