inequitable developments

if we change the future land use map of our neighborhood, then what St Bernard Parish Government is saying is that all these commercial buildings could go into the neighborhood, and that is a step backwards

while the rest of the United States is making great strides towards environmental justice, here comes Valero Energy and a political narrative that says our neighborhood will be improved with a larger refinery footprint, even closer to houses, because their workers make a lot of money and the company pays its taxes

they want the residents to suffer the health and safety burden so Valero can  make  more money

its not moral, but its also not uncommon in a Valero community

“Valero does plan to build a new Security Building,  Warehouse, Maintenance Bays, Maintenance Offices, Safety Offices, Nurses Station, and Fire Station within the existing footprint of the Refinery in the future, when funding is available”   Valero would spend over $20 million on these buildings

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0brISkNUPw2VXRUYTVCQnl4bUk/view?usp=sharing 

Valero could be a good neighbor and construct the Administration Building within the existing footprint of the refinery. or better yet, Valero could spend the money on investments in better control technology

An interesting evening at City Hall last night By Craig Snider

An interesting evening at City Hall last night

By Craig Snider, April 19, 2016It was an interesting evening at City Hall last night.

http://beniciaindependent.com/craig-snider-an-interesting-evening-at-city-hall-last-night/


According to Valero, and the “City’s” Valero-funded contract attorney; the City of Benicia has no right to deny the project, because Valero is a “shipper” and when a shipper uses a train to ship their goods, under federal law, nobody can stop them. That’s it in a nutshell.


In other words, if Valero wanted to ship nuclear waste to their refinery and store it there, the City can do nothing to stop them. End of discussion.


Someone needs to tell the citizens of Oakland to stop wasting their time fighting the Utah coal proposal since that city is apparently powerless to prevent a coal exporter from setting up shop and shipping coal out of the Port of Oakland.


Fortunately, our Attorney General and many other knowledgeable attorneys have informed the Council that this interpretation is wrong. A shipper’s rights do not trump State, County, or City zoning laws.


Unfortunately (for those of us that are tired of this issue), three City Council members agreed to postpone the decision until an “opinion” can be obtained from the Federal Surface Transportation Board which may or may not choose to offer their opinion regarding our situation.


Their opinion, if they offer it, is just that. And the City Council will still have to weigh the merits of the various arguments on either side of this issue and choose.


And in either case, a suit will likely follow.

Please share!

Valero Energy Meraux refinery expansion plans

Valero Energy Meraux refinery expansion plans includes administration building in adjacent neighborhood.   https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0brISkNUPw2dVVIQUlBSm9fNTA/view?usp=sharing

 "The land use designation is to accommodate adjacent Valero Refining expansion."

The Public Hearing is Tuesday February 23rd at 4pm in the SBPG Council Chambers. 




Below is from a 2/16 meeting of the planning executive committee, which meets to receive such proposals, but does not have public hearings. 


Hopefully Valero sends the appropriate representatives Tuesday so it can be a public meeting with resident input and not a PR meeting .... residents in this neighborhood have gone that route, more than once, for many years. Let's keep all discussions in public so we all know what's being negotiated. 

The homes on Despaux Drive are noted Residential properties currently being sought out by Valero? (Not on critical path for admin bldg completion if buffer zone can fall on side of block already owned by Valero).  There are also two houses on the river end of Despaux and one house on the river end of Lena that Valero indicates in commercial use.


It is unclear what this proposed land use map change really is; it doesn't seem this could be the entire plan, because there were several references about other inherent parts of the plan that are not in this proposal. 

here today gone tomorrow

we re gonna need a tree museum

Letter to all CEO's of Louisiana Petroleum Refineries

August 29, 2014 Letter from Pete's Articles to CEO's of all oil refineries in Louisiana



RE:  NON ETHANOL GAS IN LOUISIANA DISAPPEARING

Gentlemen:

I am writing to each of the major gasoline producing refinery CEO’s which have crude oil refining facilities in Louisiana to plead with you to help us with more availability of conventional, non ethanol gasoline in Louisiana.

Approximately three years ago, there were five (5) refineries in Louisiana that manufactured and sold non ethanol gasoline to service stations through the State’s 64 Parishes.  These were Murphy Oil Refinery in Chalmette, Chalmette Refining in Chalmette, Marathon Oil Company in Garyville, Placid Oil Company in Port Allen and ConocoPhillips Oil Refinery in Westlake.  These refineries provided an ample volume of non ethanol gas to meet consumer’s needs throughout Louisiana.  HOWEVER, since that time, Valero purchased Murphy Oil in Chalmette and now manufacture only ethanol fuels at that facility, Chalmette Refining discontinued the manufacture and sale of non ethanol gas from their refinery in early June and lastly, Marathon Oil discontinued the manufacture and sale of non ethanol gas from their Garyville refinery in mid 2012.   READ MORE

As you know, south Louisiana is highly susceptible to hurricanes.  In 2012, Hurricane Isaac hit south Louisiana and flooded over 6,000 homes in St. John Parish where I live.  Two weeks before the hurricane’s path was realized, I took my garden tiller out of storage to till a few rows in my small home vegetable garden to prepare for planting my fall crops.  When I pulled the recoil to start the engine, the recoil rope broke. I took the tiller to a small engine repair shop near my home. When I entered the shop yard, I counted over 50 gas powered home generators in his yard awaiting repairs.  The shop owner told me that customers began flooding him with request to repair their generators when the path of the hurricane became known since their generators would NOT start.  The last time they used them in the last power outage with ethanol gasoline and they would now NOT start.  He had to hire extra workers (in addition to his normal staff of four) to take the carburetors apart and clean and re-assemble them as quickly as possible so the customers would have the generators available when power was lost from this hurricane.  And, this was just ONE repair shop. This is just another example of the problems we experience in Louisiana, particularly in south Louisiana when conventional, non ethanol gasoline is not readily available.
 READ MORE

clear the air, it's filthy

EPA asked to Veto Air Permit

"If our air has too much of a pollutant like sulfur dioxide already, then its important to know the facts when a facility plans to put much more of it in our air. If pollution exceeds a certain level, then requiring controls could rein it in to safer levels. We can have both safer emissions as well as provide for public health and our quality of life -- the choice doesn't have to be one or the other."
 /9_22_2011__Press_Release_EPA_Veto_Murphy_Oil_Air_Permit

 

 

Filthy air

Courthouse News Service May 16 2013

The U.S. EPA illegally allows Valero Energy's oil refinery in St. Bernard Parish, to pollute and poison the air, Concerned Citizens Around Murphy claim in Federal Court. 

Federal Court Complaint:  Concerned Citizens Around Murphy vs EPA, filed Wednesday May 15 2013 in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/156928829/Concerned-Citizens-Around-Murphy-vs-EPA

There seems to be a systemic problem of harmful emissions simply eluding permit applications in St Bernard Parish, Louisiana and the result is a significant deterioration of the air we breathe and the various adverse health consequences.  Just yesterday, the SBPG HRQLC  Commissioners expressed the community’s health concerns about the non-permitted emissions at a St Bernard calcining plant ; emissions of chemicals that LDEQ’s monitoring may not even sample for, including antimony, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and sulfates. 

.

 

The Federal Court Complaint filed May 15 2013 by students at Tulane University’s Environmental Law Clinic, on behalf of an association of neighbors, concerns a benzene saturation unit at Valero Energy’s Meraux refinery. The unit was constructed by Valero’s predecessor, Murphy Oil, U.S.A.
.

EPA previously objected  to Murphy Oil’s Title V Permit because, among other reasons, the permit record did not provide an adequate basis for LDEQ’s determinations. Petitions to EPA demonstrated that emissions calculations  were low-balled and some emissions eluded the application. If corrected, the application would require more stringent pollution controls.  LDEQ's response  only supplemented the permit record, without an opportunity for public input, and failed to resolve the objections in EPA’s Order. 

Concerned Citizens Around Murphy now seeks relief in Federal Court to compel EPA to act without further unreasonable delay, to modify, terminate, or revoke the permit.  A proper permit would lower emissions and protect human health. http://www.epa.gov/NSR/psd.html

 

The community wants Prevention not Dilution as the solution to pollution.

http://sbpg.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=cf25b0023310f0d05aba507d8dd3c84e