A recent review of post-storm data from the National Response Center shows that the hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused at least 595 incidents that released untold amounts of oil, natural gas and other chemicals into the air, onto land and into the water, according to a Houston Chronicle report.
Representatives of the oil industry say there was no way they could have foreseen or prepared for the environmental mess.
Environmentalists say faulty equipment, not the hurricanes, was to blame for many of the spills. As Congress considers building new refining capacity, environmentalists are already pushing for lawmakers to require companies to have plans for natural disasters, according to the report.
Source: The Houston Chronicle