Check out the American Petroleum Institute's chart (pdf) of the refining capacity at risk from Hurricane Rita. Between that and Gulf Coast chemical plants, the economic impact may be huge.
The storm could also have serious economic and environmental consequences for chemical manufacturers on the Texas coast. More than 160 plants in Texas are in the potential path of the storm, according to the American Chemistry Council. Roughly half the nation's chemical-production capacity is in the region.Posted by Alan at September 22, 2005 05:26 PMTexas is home to 26 refineries, representing more than a quarter of the nation's crude oil processing capacity. Of those refineries, 17 are in cities along the coast.