Citizen's Enforcement Action

39. Since October 2003, Defendant has emitted more than 800,000 pounds of pollutants in excess of the limits in its Permits. 40. On at least 15 occasions, Defendant has emitted more than half of its yearly permitted total for a pollutant in a single permit violation. 41. On more than 120 occasions in the past five years Defendant has emitted pollutants at a rate that exceeds the hourly emission limits set in its Permits. 42. Defendant has exceeded its hourly emission limits in its Permits at rates hundreds, thousands, and even millions times greater than the permit limits. 43. In one breach, Defendant discharged volatile organic compounds at a rate 48 million times greater than the hourly limit set in its permit. 44. Defendant has exceeded annual emission limits set in its Permits. On at least five occasions, Defendant has exceeded its annual emission limits during a single emission event.



 Murphy Oil's  acid gas flaring report





excerpts from court 12-09-2009

Murphy Oil repeatedly violated hourly and yearly emission limitations set by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and also that Murphy Oil failed to properly maintain certain pollution control devices....these violations endanger the health and impair the quality of life of those who live or own property near Murphy Oil's Meraux refinery.


excerpts from 2-16-11 Joint Motion to Dismiss


1. To resolve this litigation amicably, Murphy and Concerned Citizens (collectively “the Parties”) conducted negotiations as part of Global Consent Decree negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and, inter alia, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”). These negotiations resulted in a Consent Decree that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin entered on February 15, 2010 and made available on pacer today. (The Consent Decree was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin because it governs both of Murphy’s U.S. refineries, one of which is located in Superior, Wisconsin.)



Tulane University's Environmental Law Clinic: Citizen's Guide to Environmental Protection in Louisiana

Environmental Integrity Project:  Handbook for Citizen Participation in the Permitting of Oil Refineries under the New Source Review Provisions of the Clean Air Act

Clean Fuel Shouldnt Cost Air Quality

EPA Enforcement Alert - Acid Gas Flaring

Trends in EPA and State Refinery Flare Enforcement

New Subpart Ja Regulations

EPA announces Clean Air Act settlement agreement

Consent Decree Murphy Oil's Wisconsin and Louisiana refinery

additional copy Consent Decree

Public Comments Consent Decree

Citizen’s Enforcement Action
Concerned Citizens v Murphy Oil
Clean Air Act Case No CV-08-4986

Court Ruling -- Order and Reason 

Complaint

Citizens' Enforcement Suit

Plaintiff Statement Undisputed Material Fact

Defendant Statement Disputed Material Fact

Oral Arguments

Defendant Supplemental Memo in Opposition to MSJ

Notice Of Violations

Supplemental NOV

2005 Listing

2006 Listing

2007 Spreadsheet

2007 Incidents

2007 Listing

2008 Spreadsheet

2008 Analysis

2008 Incidents

2008 Listing

2009 Incidents

2009 Spreadsheet

SO2 emissions in tons since clean fuels project {page 4}


December 2009 OSHA citation

2010 Incidents

Conveyance Notice Requirements
Notice Requirement for residual contaminant concentrations, since remedial standards were based upon industrial exposure scenario

Tank 200 - 4 area of contamination
July 2010 Enforcement Correspondence to State Attorney General, request concurrence on proposed settlement
July 2010 Hazardous Waste PostClosure Plan


Links to Documents


Student attorneys at Tulane's University's Environmental Law Clinic are taking on a giant oil company
Environment News Service
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2009/2009-10-29-092.asp


Oil Co. Found Liable for Clean Air Act Violations
By SABRINA CANFIELD - Courthouse News Service
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/05/24440.htm

Murphy Oil Liable for Air Permit Violations at Louisiana Refinery
Environment News Service
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2010/2010-02-05-092.html

Murphy Oil U.S.A., Inc.'s Louisiana refinery found liable for Clean Air Act violations
Anne Rolfes - Louisiana Bucket Brigade
http://www.labucketbrigade.org/article.php?id=516


Murphy refinery found liable for Clean Air Act violations
Mark Schleifstein - Times Picayune
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/murphy_refinery_found_liable_f.html


-US court cites Murphy refinery for air pollution
Erwin Seba - Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0410346020100204

http://www.tulane.edu/~telc/assets/pdfs/2-3-10_Order.pdf

Louisiana Department Environmental Quality

July 2010 2nd Quarter Compliance Order Progress


May 2010 Response


April 2010 Conference Report



April 2009 Report (Tank 200-7)

Fourth Quarter 2009 Update

Enforcement Meeting December 2009

Petition to Administration to Object 2009

Enforcement Meeting Air Permit September 2009

Flare Gas Recovery System Study

Hearing Request

Murphy's Response Air Permit CO/NOPP

Murphy's Response Water Permit CO/NOPP

Amended CO/NOPP Air Permit "A"
Amended CO/NOPP Air Permit "B"

August 27 2008 CO/NOPP Water Permit

August 29 2008 Compliance Order/ Notice of Potential Penalty Air Permit

La DEQ Website Documents   EDMS  AI # 1238
2005 2010

October 2005 Expansion Application
" Refinery Expansion / Coker and Associated Facilities" Project - Changes to Fugitive Components Based on information in meeting on September 6, 2005"    LDEQ EDMS 33525655 page 312
Where were our residents on September 6, 2005 and in October 2005.  Some still could not return to their homes due to the crude oil spill post-Hurricane-Katrina.  While we were away, the 2005 Application was expanded to include a Coker and Associated Facilities.

August 26 2005 Addendum to Application

September 15 2005 Addendum to Application
Murphy Oil refers to the September 12, 2005 Meeting with Louisiana DEQ.  September 12, 2005 was the date when, across the State of Louisiana, most public, private and parochial schools opened their doors to St Bernard Parish children displaced from the Hurricane Katrina.  The application also suggests Murphy Oil is considering deletion of SRU #1 and construction of SRU #4, yet SRU #1 had not been on-line since the explosion of June 10, 2003.


August 15, 2005 Sulfur Recovery Unit down

News Article August 15 2005
Item #4 Page 3 "Firefighters used fans to ventilate the St Bernard Parish Health Unit.....on Palmisano Boulevard, where the odor was particularly strong...."

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