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<\/p>\nEL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 One El Paso City Representative fears that after several toxic incidents, as well as Friday’s sinkhole, the Marathon refinery is hiding something “really, really bad.”<\/p>\n
On Friday, KFOX14\/CBS4 spoke with City Rep Josh Acevedo, who represents parts of Central El Paso, who is demanding answers after another incident was reported Thursday and a sinkhole opened up near the refinery on Trowbridge Drive, prompting a street closure and crews to “monitor the air.”<\/p>\n
Acevedo said that he has received little to no information from Marathon about what has transpired in the last 48 hours. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Marathon’s continued lack of information, lack of transparency, lack of accountability to our community, to my constituents, and to all of Paso at this point,\u201d Acevedo said.<\/p>\n
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El Paso City Rep. Josh Acevedo. Credit: KFOX14\/CBS4<\/p>\n
From what Acevedo can piece together, he said that at about 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, “a lot of smoke was coming out,” and right after, he received messages that leadership at Marathon needed to “handle some operations,” canceling their planned meeting.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Marathon meeting canceled after another reported refinery incident, El Paso rep says<\/a><\/p>\n Video was shared on the popular social media account @therealfitfamelpaso<\/a> that appears to show that “smokey” incident.<\/p>\n “Smokey” incident shared on social media. Aug. 27, 2026. Credit: FitFam<\/p>\n<\/p>\n KFOX14\/CBS4 reached out to Marathon to learn more about this incident, but as of the time of this publication, the refinery did not reply.<\/p>\n However, when KFOX14\/CBS4 reached out to Marathon regarding the sinkhole, the refinery released the following statement:<\/p>\n Trained teams are working to repair and cover a sinkhole on Trowbridge Drive near the refinery. There have been no injuries. El Paso Police and Fire have closed Trowbridge Drive while crews work to resolve the situation. As a precaution, air monitoring has been deployed, and there was no indication of off-site impact. Our priority is the safety of our employees and contractors, first responders, and the community, as well as minimizing environmental impact.<\/p>\n Acevedo said people who live in the area feel frustrated. <\/p>\n “These people are really, really angry and they\u2019re really concerned about what is happening,” Acevedo said. “They feel that there is no accountability and that Marathon refuses to face them.”<\/p>\n Acevedo also said he believes the situation at the refinery is serious and that the lack of information is worsening public distrust.<\/p>\n \u201cThe longer that they stay quiet, the worse that this gets,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think I believe that what is happening at the refinery is really, really bad and they are hiding it.\u201d<\/p>\n Acevedo also wants people to share their experiences with the City Council, noting that people can sign up for public comment during the meetings.<\/p>\n RELATED: Residents press congresswoman for answers after Marathon pollution release<\/a><\/p>\n This recent event follows a significant pollution release on August 4 and 5, which was later updated to show that more than 15 tons of pollutants were released into the air. <\/p>\n The release included approximately 10,000 pounds of propylene, 3,800 pounds of carbon monoxide, and over 1,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide. <\/p>\n Residents and officials, including U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, have expressed frustration over the impact on the community and the level of transparency provided by the company.<\/p>\n Escobar issued a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the incident but the federal agency declined her request, saying oversight of the incident falls to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.<\/p>\n “We got a response from the EPA yesterday and they totally rejected our call for an investigation. They told us this is a TCEQ issue,” Escobar said. “[it is] in the hands of the TCEQ.”<\/p>\n RELATED: Update: El Paso Marathon refinery incident released 15.4 tons of pollutants<\/a><\/p>\n