U N Human Rights Day

As residents of St Bernard Parish we have the human right to secure tenure, including the right to equal access to all the information before decisions are made. And we have the right to association without neighborhood surveillance.  And we have the right to access basic services such as side walks and transportation, including safe bus stops with sidewalks. The powers that be seem more concerned about relocation of trees than with how people were treated beneath human dignity when being forced from their homes and trailer parks.


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U N Human Rights Day  Dec 10 2016


The human right to security of tenure includes:

• The human right to adequate housing.
  
• The human right to an adequate standard of living.
  
• The human right to security, including enforceable legal security of tenure.
  
• The human right to protection from forced evictions and the destruction and/or demolition of one's home including in situations of military occupation, international and civil armed conflict, establishment and construction of alien settlements, population transfer, development projects and international events.
  
• The human right to full equality between men and women.
  
• The human right to freedom from discrimination based on sex, race, or any other status.
  
• The human right to equal protection of the law and to judicial remedy in case of violation of the right to adequate housing.
  
• The human right to freedom of expression and of association.
  
• The human right to education and access to information.
  
• The human right to participate in public decision-making.

The human right to Security of Tenure is prerequisite to the full realization of the human right to adequate housing, which includes:

• The human right to choose one's residence, to determine where and how to live, and to freedom of movement.
  
• The human right to livelihood and land.
  
• The human right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
  
• The human right to a safe and healthy environment.
  
• The human right to access to resources, including energy for cooking, heating, and lighting.
  
• The human right of access to basic services, schools, transportation and employment options.
  
• The human right to freedom from arbitrary interference with one's privacy.
  
• The human right to affordability in housing so that other basic needs are not threatened or compromised.

http://www.pdhre.org/rights/tenure.html

HCU repairs

flaring and hydrocarbon odors attributed to mechanical issues with the hydrocracker unit which was shutdown


Update 12/12/16  Although initially reported to residents on November 29 2016 that there was a unit shutdown and were emitting mainly hydrogen, the Valero report to LDEQ indicates over eleven thousand pounds sulfur dioxide emitted.  Valero also reports no impact to air quality.

UPDATE 1-Valero Meraux refinery HCU repairs may finish next week ...

www.ubs.wallst.com/ubs/mkt_story.asp?docKey=1329-L1N1DY032-1&first=0

1. Cached 

1 day ago -  UPDATE  -Valero Meraux refinery HCU repairs may finish next week -sources ... HOUSTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Valero Energy Corp may complete repairs next week to the hydrocracking unit (HCU) at the company's 125,000-barrel-per-day ...

CPRA Community Conversation

CPRA TO HOST COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH                    5:30pm to 7:30pm at DOCVILLE
Includes Dinner provided by Restore or Retreat and Open House for resident input
RSVP     carters@nwf.org.


more info

"before the flood"

National Geographic Channel


documentary   Before the Flood


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VH1fQk6zM8

Community Conversations & Dinner

CPRA TO HOST COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH                    5:30pm to 7:30pm at DOCVILLE
Includes Dinner provided by Restore or Retreat and Open House for resident input
RSVP     carters@nwf.org.

 Hosted to inform development of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan

As part of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority - in partnership with numerous community partners throughout coastal Louisiana - will host a series of Community Conversations during the Fall to update residents on the master plan and receive valuable input and feedback that will be used in developing the draft plan. 


 The event will take place at Docville Farm
5124 East St. Bernard Highway, Violet, LA 70092
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.           FREE and open to the public.

Learn more about:
THE 2017 COASTAL MASTER PLAN
POTENTIAL DRAFT PLAN PROJECTS
WAYS TO GET INFORMATION

Includes dinner, provided by Restore or Retreat
An open house for residents to learn more and provide valuable input


RSVP     carters@nwf.org.

public library

If you ever want to end democracy and destroy America, you begin by denying citizens the chance at accessing information and opportunities for education. A people who cannot learn will always be oppressed -- just look at everywhere from Soviet Russia to North Korea.

--NOLA_Fredo comments on Library

elevated sulfur dioxide levels in neighborhood --- 4,000 ppb SO2

In late August 2016, a  sulfur recovery plant unit tripped, caused interruption to electrical power, and elevated sulfur dioxide levels for 21 hours.


Sulfur dioxide levels measured downwind in the neighborhood were reported to be 4 parts per million [ppm] on Despaux Drive, which is FOUR THOUSAND parts per billion [ppb].  Average readings were reported at less than 0.5 ppm [500 ppb], however, there is no public access to the data which comprised those averages or how the averages were calculated.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0brISkNUPw2SjhYVS1zUldST00/view?usp=sharing
LDEQ document 10368357 dated Sept 2nd 2016 recently posted to EDMS.  As of Oct 18 2016 this document was still NOT AVAILABLE either in EDMS or through a public records request dated Sept 24 2016.

 http://edms.deq.louisiana.gov/app/doc/view.aspx?doc=10368357&ob=yes&child=yes

There was no notification or alerts made to the community. It is unclear if the future fence line monitoring data will be available in real time to the public, or if the public will continue to have to wait weeks for information.  A Sept 24 2016 public records request thru LDEQ for a copy the incident report was still not available by mid-October.  The report posted sometime later in October to LDEQ EDMS, although it is dated September 2, 2016.


This type of public health issue is the reason residents previously requested public access to real time data, real time notification of incidents at the plants, and allowing the public to attend the plant's CAP meetings.  These same concerns were voiced three years ago about another incident. It was on October 25 2013 when residents were told there were no issues, yet the plant report indicates worker's were monitored for exposure to benzene and the offsite benzene was reportedly detected at 0.015 ppm or 15 ppb. http://concernedcitizensaroundmurphy.blogspot.com/2013/11/benzene-exposure.html 



Local officials who are interested in sustainable solutions to St Bernard's air quality and public health issues should demand no less.  At the very least, they should obtain the actual readings taken during this August 2016 event.


LDEQ should review its public records procedures and not allow "inspectors" to hold information.

update crude oil tank car projects

"The community of Benicia, [California,] in the crosshairs of history, made one of those decisions that will make a difference for the country. They stood up and said the safety of our communities matters.”


The Sept 30, 2016 STB [Surface Transportation Board] "decision appears to be a game-changer in the oil-by-rail story. With it, perhaps now more politicians will agree that “the safety of our communities matter” — much more so than oil company profits."


http://beniciaindependent.com/ruling-by-little-known-federal-agency-paves-way-for-communities-to-say-no-to-oil-by-rail/

neighborhood surveillance

"In the refinery towns where I’ve worked for 17 years, the police and private security have consistently harassed me and those I work with. When we stop near a refinery and take a picture of a burning flame or black cloud of pollution, we know to snap fast. A police officer or oil industry security guard will pull up and tell us what we’re doing is illegal, even though it’s not. The law may be on our side, but these security forces are not. It’s often not worth risking a dangerous encounter in a small southern town to stop and record pollution. What we’re recording is another form of violence – this kind the long, steady attack of carcinogens and neurotoxins that ruin the health and the lives of those in Louisiana, usually African Americans, who are unfortunate enough to live cheek to cheek with Big Oil’s refineries."   -   Anne Rolfes, Founding Director Louisiana Bucket Brigade


http://www.labucketbrigade.org/blog/i-expect-more-violence-oil-industry

crude by rail news

Interesting developments in Benicia, California, where a small city's local council struggled to uphold its right to decide land use and protect its residents' health and safety.  The local council denied "a land use permit to bring in volatile Bakken and Tar Sands crude oil from North Dakota and Canada by train".   


Hopefully this company doesn't  attempt the same crude by rail project in Chalmette.  Although Chalmette has similar tax base dependencies, we struggle to find apparent prosperity, while  the poverty rate, especially for children, continues.




http://beniciaindependent.com/grant-cooke-cbr-permit-denied-and-new-green-inudstrial-revolution-developments-impact-benicia/


excerpts from The Benicia Independent article by Grant Cooke




Which is why Valero pushed so hard to transport volatile Bakken crude by rail cars through the densely populated Sacramento corridor and cram the trains into Benicia and a refinery that is not designed or equipped to deal with them. The industries, the refineries and all connected to the fossil fuel era, know that the incredibly lucrative period when oil was king and black gold flowed from the sand is coming to an end.


Bringing this back to Benicia, we see a city that is dependent on Valero for tax revenue and its governing process glimpsing a new reality. Small cities like Benicia that have been so dependent on the fossil fuel industries for so much and for so long, struggle to change. Other cities like those in the deindustrialized Midwest that have suffered sudden collapses of their major companies and tax bases have had to reinvent their economic drivers or just blow away. But it’s hard for a city like Benicia with its apparent prosperity and ease of living to understand that its fossil fuel base is in decline and that the future is elsewhere.

Grant Cooke is a longtime Benicia resident and CEO of Sustainable Energy Associates. He is also an author and has written several books on the Green Industrial Revolution. His newest is “Smart Green Cities” by Routledge.

night time flaring

mid September night time flaring (Sept 18, 2016)

Public Meeting Florida Corridor

PUBLIC MEETING Thursday September 8 2016 4pm-7pm
Public Comments due September 28 2016


UPDATED  9/13/2016:    Presentation at Public Meeting   http://wwwapps.dotd.la.gov/administration/public_info/projects/docs_test/97/documents/Florida_Ave_PublicMeeting1_Sept8_2016_Presentation.pdf


Other Documents and Maps from DOTD at bottom of link
http://wwwapps.dotd.la.gov/administration/public_info/projects/home.aspx?key=97




Florida Avenue Project (H.005720)

Florida Avenue Project Environmental Assessment (EA)

St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes

State Project No. H.005720

Federal Aid Project No. H005720

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) will be conducting a public meeting in open house format for the above project. LADOTD is proposing to construct a new roadway bridge adjacent to the existing Florida Avenue Bridge over the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal (IHNC) in Orleans Parish. In addition to a new bridge, the improvements include: upgrade and extension of the existing Florida Avenue corridor from Elysian Fields Avenue (LA 3021) to Paris Road (LA 47) into St. Bernard Parish; operational improvements along existing Tupelo Street; and several North-South alignment options are being considered for a connector between Florida Avenue and St. Claude Avenue. The purpose of the meeting is to present the proposed project to the public and to solicit comments about the project from the public. The meeting will include a looping presentation that describes the project as well as stations where attendees can speak informally with representatives from LADOTD and the project team. Comments and suggestions will be invited from all interested parties to help insure that the project team addresses the full range of environmental issues during the EA study process.

The meeting is scheduled:

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
St. David Catholic School Gymnasium
1230 Lamanche Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(Enter on Caffin Avenue)

All interested citizens are invited and encouraged to attend. Should anyone require special assistance due to a disability to participate at the public meeting, please send a request at least five working days prior to the public meeting by mail, email, or telephone. Written and verbal comments will be received at the meeting. Additional written comments emailed or mailed to the address shown, if postmarked by Monday, September 28, 2016, will become part of the record of this public meeting. Comments must include name and address of person making comment. Please see the contact information listed below:

Mail:
Florida Avenue Project
HP.O. Box 56845
New Orleans, LA 70156
Phone:
504-648-3619

Email:
FloridaAvenueEA@gmail.com

no zoning changes, no trees

zoning change seemed traded for ball park in what residents think is a quid pro quo donations for zoning change

shortly after the council approved a zoning change for Valero's administration building on Ohio Street, it is slowly being revealed that councilmembers have been discussing Valero's funding of a ball park in District C in the area of the oil spill, reminiscent of the zoning change for trees trade by Murphy.  

reposted from Tuesday, March 16, 2010

no title

Playing politicians against survivors instead of taking responsibility for failing to implement its own hurricane preparedness plans, and with little to no humanitarian aide to residents while gifting generous donations to politicians post crude oil spill, Murphy Oil adds insult to injury in its proposal to use residential homes for its own gain. Although presented as a transient contractor's parking lot, Murphy Oil admits it really wants heavy industrial zoning for future usage. Future heavy industrial usage not just on the north side, but the south side as well.

Industrial and Commercial Usage of residential properties in this area are a determent to the residents who have returned, provide nothing towards the safety of the community and lowers the buffer while rewarding an unjust enrichment for an incident of their own negligence.

Encroachment, incursion, a taking, you name it what you want, the result makes the parish further liable.

.

It's our land, we'll use it as we do, if you please. [We'll do what we d*** well please]

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Denying secure tenure to victims after the worse environmental disaster, the worse land based oil spill, Murphy Oil proposes the financially strapped community raise its own funds to construct a dog park and other recreational usage where existing residual crude oil remains on the land of domiciled residents. Residents want no such thing and point out the numerous, readily available parks and parkways throughout the parish, which would be better suited for these suggestions.

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Accepting donations for trees with the implication "No Zoning Changes, No Trees", newly elected officials are pushing this lovely linear park as the best thing for the community, while not only ignoring their constituents, but also the existing facilities and economic development opportunities at Val Reiss Park .

.

Slicker than oil and more offensive than obnoxious smells, this proposal was rejected by residents who serve on the Council's Murphy Oil Buffer Zone Committee. Yet, the Council continues the misnomer that if Murphy were only to reveal "The Plan"-- "The Plan" which everyone but the land owners and surrounding neighbors seem to have access to -- that it could move forward --- just exactly what the council wants to move forward is unclear to those homeowners who would be asked to once again lose everything.

more or less the same

Thursday, February 21, 2008

more or less on the horizon

FROM 2008   
47302. NOLA FORUM

INTEGRITY

02/21/08 11:34 AM
The people of St. Bernard deserve to be informed by their elected officials. Residents of District C, who are and have been for many years concerned about the expansion of industrial giants and the poisonous emissions from the manufacture and refining, have indeed been lied to by their elected officials. The stone walling and lies of deception continue to this day. When even one resident asks, " what is being built here?" he has a right to be answered. Our neighbor, Murphy Oil USA is going to build a lab on the site of the old Campagna Skiff Company location. We were NEVER given an opportunity, as a neighbor or neighborhood to examine the plan, ask questions or express our concerns. To offer input now is obviously an insult. As I stated before it was a done deal. Probably years in the making between our government and that industrial giant. Encroachment. A nasty word. But it is happening. Murphy, in moving it's lab from the river side of St. Bernard Hwy (probably to expand it's plant) now finds that the location where they plan to build the new lab is not large enough to accommodate parking. They want to (ENCROACH) on to residential property. They want a zone change. After everything said about greenspace, and bufferzone. Our government continues to play along with the plan. The Murphy plan.Our parish president and council members as well as zoning and planning commissions need to remember who pays them. Or is that exactly what they are doing?

 

The refinery was originally located on the other side of the highway and the land behind the neighborhood was not zoned for industrial use.  Then over the years there were a series of wise decisions to allow more and more industrial zoning changes further and further away from the river and into the backyards of our community. The processing plant doubled in the 1970's and several large additions including a clean fuels process began in the late 1990's early 2000's. How did the Parish ever allow these units to be constructed so close to family dwellings??

 

Let's not make the same mistake again with warehouses, administration buildings, parking etc. on Jacob Drive; that land was purchased with the pretense of a green zone buffer and a good neighbor would honor that agreement.  Any other use makes the Parish further liable.

 

 

Above, EPA Region VI map of oil spill

Notice the area just west of the processing plant was not "in the oil spill" but this is the area most often pushed by parish officials to participate in the buyup.

Below map of oil spill first purported by Parish government

 

 

Thursday throwback

The obvious reality that oil refineries are not good neighbors (go to www.oilrefinerypollution.com) and contemplating expansion of one in a fragile wetlands ecosystem, knowing that sulfur dioxide is the principal precursor to acid rain and the risks to human health, is irresponsible and ultimately a formula for long-range health and environmental costs we can’t even begin to envision.

We’ve all driven through and, if possible around, cities or towns that choose to chase smokestacks for their economic vitality. Evidence is abundant that making billions in profits superseded quality of life considerations

For the sake of our health, we must choose wisely. It’s no longer a question of whether we can. Global indicators increasingly are telling us that the real question for the future is whether we should?!

http://www.superiortelegram.com/content/letter-refinery-expansion-would-degrade-city

 

excerpts from LETTER: Refinery expansion would degrade city

The Daily Telegram - 07/08/2008
To The Telegram:

From     — Paul D. Helbach,  Brule

 

SIP Calls for excess emissions --- Sulfur Dioxide

 

 

State Implementation Plans:

 

The Louisiana DEQ must submit a plan to the United States EPA that demonstrates changes at the nearby plants will bring the air quality of St Bernard Parish into healthy levels for Sulfur Dioxide.
 
Currently, St Bernard Parish’s air quality is in violation of the one-hour health standard for sulfur dioxide [ 75 ppb ], and the amount of sulfur dioxide in our air is causing public health issues.  

Sulfur dioxide is a nonflammable, colorless gas that is heavier than air, and has a strong, pungent odor with irritating properties.

 

Acute exposure occurs when sulfur dioxide levels are ten parts per billion (10 ppb) for 15 minutes; it is not uncommon to have acute exposure events in St Bernard Parish.

  

Below is a chart of 5 minute readings from various days at the Chalmette Vista monitor, which is located at the site of Blue Bird Park playground.  The one-hour average is displayed as CDLST intervals.  The 5 minute chart illustrates the importance of keeping the one-hour average below 75 ppb, and easily shows how often the 15 minute intervals with concentrations of sulfur dioxide at or higher than 10 ppb occur.

CHALMETTE VISTA SO2 005m
Date	Time (CST)	Final Value (PPB)
July 4, 2016	16:00	6.0
July 4, 2016	16:05	4.2
July 4, 2016	16:10	4.0
July 4, 2016	16:15	3.4
July 4, 2016	16:20	25.9
July 4, 2016	16:25	67.4
July 4, 2016	16:30	19.1
July 4, 2016	16:35	14.0
July 4, 2016	16:40	22.6
July 4, 2016	16:45	35.9
July 4, 2016	16:50	83.5
July 4, 2016	16:55	66.0
5 pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		29.3 ppb
July 4, 2016	17:00	44.9
July 4, 2016	17:05	190.8
July 4, 2016	17:10	178.0
July 4, 2016	17:15	169.3
July 4, 2016	17:20	140.2
July 4, 2016	17:25	146.5
July 4, 2016	17:30	170.9
July 4, 2016	17:35	118.0
July 4, 2016	17:40	18.8
July 4, 2016	17:45	95.7
July 4, 2016	17:50	88.9
July 4, 2016	17:55	61.5
6 pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		118.6 ppb
July 6, 2016	16:00	62.4
July 6, 2016	16:05	8.0
July 6, 2016	16:10	5.1
July 6, 2016	16:15	13.0
July 6, 2016	16:20	84.0
July 6, 2016	16:25	97.4
July 6, 2016	16:30	31.1
July 6, 2016	16:35	37.9
July 6, 2016	16:40	147.7
July 6, 2016	16:45	29.0
July 6, 2016	16:50	16.9
July 6, 2016	16:55	55.9
6pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		49 ppb
July 6, 2016	17:00	9.0
July 6, 2016	17:05	6.5
July 6, 2016	17:10	63.5
July 6, 2016	17:15	127.7
July 6, 2016	17:20	145.4
July 6, 2016	17:25	189.4
July 6, 2016	17:30	216.6
July 6, 2016	17:35	173.1
July 6, 2016	17:40	20.5
July 6, 2016	17:45	19.6
July 6, 2016	17:50	12.2
July 6, 2016	17:55	6.4
7pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		82.4 ppb
July 7, 2016	13:00	11.0
July 7, 2016	13:05	131.5
July 7, 2016	13:10	31.6
July 7, 2016	13:15	60.2
July 7, 2016	13:20	164.2
July 7, 2016	13:25	38.6
July 7, 2016	13:30	29.3
July 7, 2016	13:35	56.9
July 7, 2016	13:40	25.8
July 7, 2016	13:45	24.6
July 7, 2016	13:50	285.2
July 7, 2016	13:55	54.0
3pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		76 ppb
July 7, 2016	14:00	22.0
July 7, 2016	14:05	111.6
July 7, 2016	14:10	23.9
July 7, 2016	14:15	20.9
July 7, 2016	14:20	148.6
July 7, 2016	14:25	89.8
July 7, 2016	14:30	12.4
July 7, 2016	14:35	7.6
July 7, 2016	14:40	6.4
July 7, 2016	14:45	37.4
July 7, 2016	14:50	32.1
July 7, 2016	14:55	38.2
4pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		45.9 ppb
July 7, 2016	15:00	252.6
July 7, 2016	15:05	137.2
July 7, 2016	15:10	38.8
July 7, 2016	15:15	101.5
July 7, 2016	15:20	38.0
July 7, 2016	15:25	52.2
July 7, 2016	15:30	9.4
July 7, 2016	15:35	7.2
July 7, 2016	15:40	7.7
July 7, 2016	15:45	5.9
July 7, 2016	15:50	20.2
July 7, 2016	15:55	142.2
4pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		67.7 ppb
July 7, 2016	18:00	122.1
July 7, 2016	18:05	118.6
July 7, 2016	18:10	113.3
July 7, 2016	18:15	161.8
July 7, 2016	18:20	127.5
July 7, 2016	18:25	25.3
July 7, 2016	18:30	21.5
July 7, 2016	18:35	28.9
July 7, 2016	18:40	10.7
July 7, 2016	18:45	13.8
July 7, 2016	18:50	8.4
July 7, 2016	18:55	6.6
7pm (CDLST) one-hour avg		63.2 ppb