There are growing concerns for the human environment along East St Bernard Highway in the area of the bike shop, produce stand, school board building, the Paul Noel youths recreational gym, Baptist Church and day care, and residential neighborhoods across the street from the Chalmette east tank farm area.
When first public noticed, the Chalmette refinery's application for a Pretreatment Unit/Renewable Diesel Unit, which will produce renewable biodiesel from renewable feedstocks such as soybean oil, distillers corn oil, and other biogenically-derived fats and oils, it was purported to be colocated at the existing Chalmette refinery, to be within the existing refinery footprint. With restrictions on the zoning for the tank farm, many of us incorrectly assumed this meant all industrial type activity other than the tank farm would occur at 500 W St Bernard Hwy, where it would have a much larger set back, away from the community.
With the very small space between the refinery and the community, every foot of separation makes a difference.
Although the diesel unit will be carved out from the existing hydrocracker unit at the refinery campus, it now seems probable that the pretreatment unit and feedstocks delivery and discarded wastes temporary storage may occur East of Paris Road on E St. Bernard Hwy. Currently, new tank storage at that location requires the local Council grant a conditional use to include requirements to protect the community's health and quality of life. Hopefully the PTU processing and feedstocks activity in that area will also require such protections.
At this time, there is not much public information towards odors, dust, particulate matter, and emissions from the pretreatment processes and activities. However benign the PTU emissions may be -compared to petro-chemical processing- these emissions will still affect public health, air quality and human lungs and respiratory systems.
LDEQ is fully expected to require the Chalmette refinery resubmit a more transparent and complete application and associated environmental assessment survey. Public notice and public participation information, including online submission of comments, should become readily available on the State Agency website, and include links to both the draft air permit proposal and EAS.
Without a complete and transparent EAS, it has been difficult to understand the impact to public health, our children, neighborhoods, shops, schools, churches, day care, youth sports, and school board services in this area.
Public comments already submitted on this issue can be viewed in LDEQ EDMS.
Comments before public hearing
Interfaith Coalition for Climate Change https://edms.deq.louisiana.gov/app/doc/view?doc=12907056
Residents from various neighborhoods, Holy Cross Neighborhood, ByWater Neighborhood, Lower Ninth, Arabi
Comments at public hearing
Environmental Lawyer and Consultant from Baton Rouge, J O I N for clean air (Jefferson Orleans Irish Channel Neighborhoods for clean air), and Interfaith Coalition for Climate Change
Residents and above groups public hearing transcript
Other public comments
17 different residents from region https://edms.deq.louisiana.gov/app/doc/view?doc=12993976
J O I N for clean air page 1, Resident page 106, Harahan / River Ridge group for air quality page 110, Concerned Citizens Around Murphy page 113
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