The Joy of Benzene

Cleaning up benzene spills, even when they get into the water supply, is just the grudging cost of business for refineries and pipeline companies. It gets detected, the state makes you spend some money to clean it up, you do what you have to, and on to the next site.

'Dealing with the Suncor spill north of Denver, detected in November 2011, still ranks among the toughest environmental challenges in the region. Another oil and gas industry spill this year tainted Parachute Creek in western Colorado with benzene. Spills from industry pipelines and storage facilities at 12 other locations have contaminated groundwater with benzene, prompting state health department orders for corrective action. About 20 percent of the 300-400 oil and gas spills reported annually to state commissioners reach groundwater.'

Life goes on.  Except for, y'know, people and animals who get blood cancer from the contamination over the month to years it takes to more or less clean up.  No fines or punishments, necessarily, just "state-ordered corrective actions".

Y'know, I'll betcha if I poured benzene into a river, I wouldn't just get a "corrective action" order.