Does a free pizza make up for a giant explosion near your home? According to the Huffington Post, energy giant Chevron seems to think so.
Southwestern Pennsylvania residents who live near a Chevron natural gas well that caught on fire, burned for four days and exploded last week are getting compensation in the form of food from the corporation.
The gas company is under fire after sending out an letter to local residents of Dunkard, Greene County, PA who were affected by the explosion, which injured one worker and reportedly left another missing, suspected to be dead.
Attached to the letter were vouchers for a large pizza and a two-liter drink. An employee at Bobtown Pizza and Chevron confirmed that the company sent out about 100 vouchers.
According to the Huffington Post the letter read:
"Dear Neighbor,
We are sorry to have missed you. We wanted to provide you with a status update on the February 11 incident that occurred on Chevron Appalachia's Lancoe 7 H well pads in Dunkard Township and see if you had any questions or concerns that we could address.
Chevron recognizes the effect this has had on the community. We value being a responsible member of this community and will continue to strive to achieve incident-free operations. We are committed to taking action to safeguard our neighbors, our employees, our contractors and the environment.
If you have any concerns, please call our toll-free community line at 1-877-847-8408.
Thank you,
Chevron Community Outreach Team"
Some recipients are not happy with Chevron's attempt to makes nice.
"Worst apology ever: Sorry our fracking well exploded. Here's a free pizza," one angry Twitter user wrote Tuesday.
"It felt like a huge slap in the face," one resident who said he wished to remain anonymous told CNN. "I do not feel that they've addressed anything. I haven't even called their hotline yet because I'm just too upset. A pizza coupon? I mean come on!"
Chevron released a statement on the Huffington Post:
"The situation at the Lanco well site in Pennsylvania remains serious and teams are working around the clock to safely approach and shut in the well. There has been considerable construction activity adjacent to the site, resulting in increased traffic and congestion in the area. Recognizing that our neighbors have been affected by these activities, we are out in the community every day to listen to and address concerns. We have also offered a token of appreciation for their patience during this time, and our commitment to the community goes far beyond this and our outreach is ongoing."
The statement added: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of our missing colleague and we appreciate the strong support we have received from nearby residents as we work to respond to this incident in a safe manner."
