Company News
May 21, 2020
More Dow Midland Updates
Midland — Dow Inc. activated its emergency operations center at its Midland facilities Wednesday after flood waters reached historic levels and mixed with chemical plant containment ponds, raising fears of an environmental disaster. Another fear: That the deluge will stir up cancer-causing dioxins in the river downstream of the federal Superfund site.
The multinational chemicals giant headquartered in Midland temporarily shut down its operations in the Michigan Operations industrial park as the failure of two dams on the Tittabawassee River forced thousands of residents to evacuate. The company’s operating units were shut down except for facilities needed for safely managing chemical containment, company spokesman Kyle Bandlow said in a statement.
The potential release of any chemicals in the containment ponds is just one concern that could necessitate environmental remediation once the water recedes. The historic flood also has stirred up the contaminated sediment laying at the bottom of the Tittabawassee River put there by the Dow plant that helped build the city around it. The 1,900-acre facility abuts the river, and for years dangerous dioxins contaminated it, pushing the federal government to create a Superfund site there.
“The chemicals that are there as part of the Superfund site in the river are in the sediments and they do not break down. All this flood is doing is moving those around and possibly moving those around into the flood plain,” said Allen Burton, a professor of environment and sustainability and of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan. “I’m assuming Dow or the state will have to go in after and do a lot of sampling in the river and the flood plain to see if there are any pockets of contamination.”
The prospect worries Terry Miller, chairperson of the Lone Tree Council, a local environmental group that pushed for years to have the site cleaned up. Miller is now the secretary of the Saginaw-Tittabawassee Rivers Contamination Community Advisory Group created through the Superfund to allow for exchange of information between residents and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We have been working on this damn thing for 13 years with Dow, the EPA, with the state and we are real concerned,” Miller said. His fear: That all of the work to stabilize contaminated banks ”may be literally eroded. I hope that’s not the case. I sincerely do. A lot of people and a lot of money have gone into this cleanup.”
To stabilize the banks, old soil was removed and new soil was put in, but there still are toxins deep in the soil that Miller is concerned will surface and make their way back into the river.
“This is a supreme test of the success of this stabilization and cleanup process,” he said. “And I’m worried.”
The containment pond mingling with flood waters may be less of a concern. Dow said late Wednesday that the pond is used for storm water and brine system/groundwater remediation and the material “does not create any threat to residents or environmental damage.”
“The reality is there’s a massive amount of water which means a massive amount of dilution, so in all likelihood any chemicals that escape are going to be diluted below levels of concern,” UM’s Burton said.
Additionally, Dow said there has been no reported release of chemicals from its manufacturing facilities.
Dow is working with its site tenants and Midland County officials, and has partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to activate emergency plans. The state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has also been “in regular contact with Dow regarding the impacts of the flood on their facilities and are ready to assist, as needed,” a department spokesman said.
Midland is where a young Herbert Henry Dow founded the Dow Chemical Co. in 1897.
Dow’s Michigan Operations now encompass a 1,900-acre manufacturing site in the city where some 3,000 people work to support 10 Dow businesses that operate 26 manufacturing plants, according to the company. The site also is home to a research and development campus.
Dow in 2019 separated from the DowDupont conglomerate; the Dow Michigan Operations Industrial Park is made of Dow facilities as well as other tenant companies.
The company makes everything from automotive materials to insecticides to polymers for food and liquid packaging materials in Midland, according to its website. Dow has numerous other facilities in the city, including a corporate center that sits on 150 acres.
Last June, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with a Dow Silicones Corp. for the company to spend about $1.6 million on supplemental environmental projects and to pay a $4.55 million penalty to resolve several environmental violations at its Midland facility.
In November, Dow entered into an agreement with the federal, state and tribal governments to settle an environmental complaint for an estimated $77 million. The funds are to restore fish, wildlife and habitats harmed when hazardous substances were released in past decades from Dow’s manufacturing facility in Midland.
Beyond any new environmental issues at Dow’s operations caused by the flood, there is also potential contamination from overwhelmed wastewater treatment plants and likely contamination from chemicals like paint and solvents from inside people’s homes.
“All of that bad stuff is just getting moved around,” Burton said. “There will be public health concerns in any of these zones that got flooded because you never know what’s going to be there. It’s going to be important to have a good sampling after this is over.”
khall@detroitnews.com
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2020/05/20/dow-moves-shut-down-midland-operations-amid-historic-flooding/5227509002/
May 21, 2020
More Dow Midland Updates
Midland — Dow Inc. activated its emergency operations center at its Midland facilities Wednesday after flood waters reached historic levels and mixed with chemical plant containment ponds, raising fears of an environmental disaster. Another fear: That the deluge will stir up cancer-causing dioxins in the river downstream of the federal Superfund site.
The multinational chemicals giant headquartered in Midland temporarily shut down its operations in the Michigan Operations industrial park as the failure of two dams on the Tittabawassee River forced thousands of residents to evacuate. The company’s operating units were shut down except for facilities needed for safely managing chemical containment, company spokesman Kyle Bandlow said in a statement.
The potential release of any chemicals in the containment ponds is just one concern that could necessitate environmental remediation once the water recedes. The historic flood also has stirred up the contaminated sediment laying at the bottom of the Tittabawassee River put there by the Dow plant that helped build the city around it. The 1,900-acre facility abuts the river, and for years dangerous dioxins contaminated it, pushing the federal government to create a Superfund site there.
“The chemicals that are there as part of the Superfund site in the river are in the sediments and they do not break down. All this flood is doing is moving those around and possibly moving those around into the flood plain,” said Allen Burton, a professor of environment and sustainability and of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan. “I’m assuming Dow or the state will have to go in after and do a lot of sampling in the river and the flood plain to see if there are any pockets of contamination.”
The prospect worries Terry Miller, chairperson of the Lone Tree Council, a local environmental group that pushed for years to have the site cleaned up. Miller is now the secretary of the Saginaw-Tittabawassee Rivers Contamination Community Advisory Group created through the Superfund to allow for exchange of information between residents and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We have been working on this damn thing for 13 years with Dow, the EPA, with the state and we are real concerned,” Miller said. His fear: That all of the work to stabilize contaminated banks ”may be literally eroded. I hope that’s not the case. I sincerely do. A lot of people and a lot of money have gone into this cleanup.”
To stabilize the banks, old soil was removed and new soil was put in, but there still are toxins deep in the soil that Miller is concerned will surface and make their way back into the river.
“This is a supreme test of the success of this stabilization and cleanup process,” he said. “And I’m worried.”
The containment pond mingling with flood waters may be less of a concern. Dow said late Wednesday that the pond is used for storm water and brine system/groundwater remediation and the material “does not create any threat to residents or environmental damage.”
“The reality is there’s a massive amount of water which means a massive amount of dilution, so in all likelihood any chemicals that escape are going to be diluted below levels of concern,” UM’s Burton said.
Additionally, Dow said there has been no reported release of chemicals from its manufacturing facilities.
Dow is working with its site tenants and Midland County officials, and has partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to activate emergency plans. The state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has also been “in regular contact with Dow regarding the impacts of the flood on their facilities and are ready to assist, as needed,” a department spokesman said.
Midland is where a young Herbert Henry Dow founded the Dow Chemical Co. in 1897.
Dow’s Michigan Operations now encompass a 1,900-acre manufacturing site in the city where some 3,000 people work to support 10 Dow businesses that operate 26 manufacturing plants, according to the company. The site also is home to a research and development campus.
Dow in 2019 separated from the DowDupont conglomerate; the Dow Michigan Operations Industrial Park is made of Dow facilities as well as other tenant companies.
The company makes everything from automotive materials to insecticides to polymers for food and liquid packaging materials in Midland, according to its website. Dow has numerous other facilities in the city, including a corporate center that sits on 150 acres.
Last June, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with a Dow Silicones Corp. for the company to spend about $1.6 million on supplemental environmental projects and to pay a $4.55 million penalty to resolve several environmental violations at its Midland facility.
In November, Dow entered into an agreement with the federal, state and tribal governments to settle an environmental complaint for an estimated $77 million. The funds are to restore fish, wildlife and habitats harmed when hazardous substances were released in past decades from Dow’s manufacturing facility in Midland.
Beyond any new environmental issues at Dow’s operations caused by the flood, there is also potential contamination from overwhelmed wastewater treatment plants and likely contamination from chemicals like paint and solvents from inside people’s homes.
“All of that bad stuff is just getting moved around,” Burton said. “There will be public health concerns in any of these zones that got flooded because you never know what’s going to be there. It’s going to be important to have a good sampling after this is over.”
khall@detroitnews.com
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2020/05/20/dow-moves-shut-down-midland-operations-amid-historic-flooding/5227509002/
May 21, 2020
Tempur Sealy Reopening Stores
Tempur Sealy Opening U.S. Retail Locations and Announces Clean Shop Promise™ Protocol
LEXINGTON, Ky., May 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (TPX) announced today that customers and associates are welcomed back into the Company’s U.S. Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Outfitters retail stores. After temporary closures, the Company has begun opening its domestic retail stores in a phased approach in compliance with recommended safety precautions from the CDC, state and local health authorities and its Clean Shop Promise™ protocol. Tempur Sealy expects the vast majority of its approximately 160 U.S. retail locations to be open by the end of May. Some may operate with reduced hours and/or modified delivery services.
In addition to opening its Company-owned stores, the Company continues to support third-party retailers in the opening of their stores through offering its Clean Shop Promise™ protocol as a resource. The Company built upon its unique combination of robust consumer insights and global industry experience to develop a holistic set of guidelines designed to offer consumers a clean and comfortable in-store experience.
Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson commented, “One of our strengths is our powerful omni-channel distribution model, which allows us to reach consumers wherever they want to shop. We believe about 65% of the third-party retail doors will be open in the U.S. by the end of May, which is up from 40% at the end of April.”
Thompson continued, “We see consumers shopping both online and in-stores. While it is early, stores that have re-opened are generally experiencing strong closing rates with reduced traffic. As more third-party retail locations open and we leverage our Clean Shop Promise™ protocol, we expect that traffic will continue to increase as consumers seek to experience our products first-hand.”
https://seekingalpha.com/pr/17878316-tempur-sealy-opening-u-s-retail-locations-and-announces-clean-shop-promise-protocol
May 21, 2020
Tempur Sealy Reopening Stores
Tempur Sealy Opening U.S. Retail Locations and Announces Clean Shop Promise™ Protocol
LEXINGTON, Ky., May 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (TPX) announced today that customers and associates are welcomed back into the Company’s U.S. Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Outfitters retail stores. After temporary closures, the Company has begun opening its domestic retail stores in a phased approach in compliance with recommended safety precautions from the CDC, state and local health authorities and its Clean Shop Promise™ protocol. Tempur Sealy expects the vast majority of its approximately 160 U.S. retail locations to be open by the end of May. Some may operate with reduced hours and/or modified delivery services.
In addition to opening its Company-owned stores, the Company continues to support third-party retailers in the opening of their stores through offering its Clean Shop Promise™ protocol as a resource. The Company built upon its unique combination of robust consumer insights and global industry experience to develop a holistic set of guidelines designed to offer consumers a clean and comfortable in-store experience.
Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson commented, “One of our strengths is our powerful omni-channel distribution model, which allows us to reach consumers wherever they want to shop. We believe about 65% of the third-party retail doors will be open in the U.S. by the end of May, which is up from 40% at the end of April.”
Thompson continued, “We see consumers shopping both online and in-stores. While it is early, stores that have re-opened are generally experiencing strong closing rates with reduced traffic. As more third-party retail locations open and we leverage our Clean Shop Promise™ protocol, we expect that traffic will continue to increase as consumers seek to experience our products first-hand.”
https://seekingalpha.com/pr/17878316-tempur-sealy-opening-u-s-retail-locations-and-announces-clean-shop-promise-protocol
May 20, 2020
Huntsman Unveils Name for Spray Foam Business
Huntsman Unveils Spray Polyurethane Foam Business Name: Huntsman Building Solutions
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that it has branded its world leading spray polyurethane foam (SPF) Business as Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS). HBS is a global platform within Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division.
The SPF Business was formed when Huntsman acquired leading North American SPF company Icynene-Lapolla in February and combined it with Demilec, which Huntsman acquired in 2018. HBS is now one of the world’s leading SPF providers and the fifth largest insulation manufacturer. Simon Baker, previously president of Demilec, and Doug Kramer, formerly president of Icynene-Lapolla, jointly lead HBS. Baker is responsible for Canada and international business and Kramer for U.S. business.
Commenting on the new name, Tony Hankins, President of Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division, said: “Integration of the two legacy companies is progressing well and the selection of the new name is an important milestone for the Business. I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, notwithstanding the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. SPF is a highly attractive growth business; we have a product offering which is second to none and our products provide significant environmental benefits – not just in terms of energy savings, as they are the most effective thermal insulants in the market; but also in terms of the upcycling of PET bottles and scrap, which are used in our TEROL® polyols, a key ingredient in the production of SPF. HBS will consume significant volumes of our lower margin polymeric MDI – the other key ingredient in SPF formulations – to produce higher margin specialized SPF systems.”
https://ir.huntsman.com/news-releases/detail/442/huntsman-unveils-spray-polyurethane-foam-business-name
Everchem Updates Archive 
Sign Up for Email Updates