irresponsible planning

As St Bernard Parish Planning Commissioners begin discussions of changing
our code of ordinances they are considering what would be a new concept for
St Bernard Parish : a required "buffer zone" around heavy industry.
There are discussions towards defining this "buffer zone" landusage as a
commercial district and not a true protective greenspace. This would be out
of the norm. Other heavily industrialized parishes require any where from
600 feet to 2,500 feet of a nonutilized landscaped greenbelt to protect
their residents from the known risks of explosions and fires.

Most residents are adamantly opposed to this concept of commercial usage of
the buyout properties and disagree that a petrochemical refinery's
facilities would serve as a buffer for their protection or benefit.

We have the opportunity to create and to preserve a true protective green
zone belt on the most hazardous side of the Meraux refinery. To allow
anything else in not only bad planning, it is irresponsible and makes the
parish further liable. 


http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/stbernard/20080710/018470.html

define Murphy Oil Buffer Zone

As St Bernard Parish Planning Commissioners begin discussions of changing our code of ordinances they are considering what would be a new concept for St Bernard Parish : a required "buffer zone" around heavy industry. There are discussions towards defining this "buffer zone" landusage as a commercial district and not a true protective greenspace.

This would not only break our settlement agreement, it would bring hazards closer to our homes instead of providing protection. A true protective green zone buffer is supported by the Parish Master Landuse Plan recommended by the  CRC , adopted by the Council and used in previous landuse decisions. Most residents are adamantly opposed to this concept of commercial usage of the buyout properties and disagree that a petrochemical refinery's facilities would serve as a buffer for their protection or benefit.

Other heavily industrialized parishes in this river region require any where from 600 feet to 2,500 feet of a non utilized landscaped greenbelt to protect their residents from the known risks of explosions and fires.

We have the opportunity to create and to preserve a true protective green zone belt on the most hazardous side of the Meraux refinery. To allow anything else in not only bad planning, it is irresponsible and makes the parish further liable.

Refineries in Wetlands

excerpt fromTHE SCHOOL OF BIG STORMS
The High Cost of Compromising Our Natural Defenses and the Benefits of Protecting Them
Refineries in Wetlands (page6/7)
The Gulf Restoration Network (GRN)
The Sierra Club


"The lesson from this case is that industrial developments
need to have good hurricane response
plans that involve getting the plant properly
secured and shut down. Furthermore, building
refineries in wetlands close to a residential area in a
hurricane zone is not good planning. We must
consider future consequences when siting new
businesses. As communities rebuild, we need to
make good social and economic decisions to
ensure both prosperity and safety."



With the replacement of tankage at the Murphy Oil Meraux refinery Judge Perez tankfarm, so too should be the implementation of foundation and berm design improvements. Just think how different District C may have been if the tanks' foundations had not settled over time, the berm (or burm) had not failed or if the tank had not lifted. Shouldnt we now have better designed berms and tank foundations with anchoring?

Big Oil -- Little Neighborhood

BIG OIL

Public Participation

Active citizen participation in our community has never been more engaged and is truly an accomplishment to consider this Fourth of July Holiday.

From RDC 's community clean ups and RDC Beautification Projects to the EPA C A R E forums , residents now more than ever want to affect the ever-changing decisions in our community.

We have inspired each other and the results are amazing. Newly formed associations are making a difference throughout all districts, such as Eastern St Bernard Citizens . Residents from all walks of life are making a commitment to the future of our parish as seen in the emerging advocacy groups in District A and District B.

Recent strides include action on a proposed Truck Stop and the EPA's disaster asbestos experiment . Both developments were curtailed because engaged citizens volunteered their time and effort to place the health, safety and welfare of our family oriented neighborhoods above all other offered gains.


As Neighbors and Neighborhoods states: residents will come together to collectively support each other, to encourage, promote and facilitate community involvement and to work with local government and industry to achieve maximum growth with the re-development of safe, organized and productive neighborhoods as the primary goals.

Overall Air Quality Concerns - Asbestos

Because we care for the future of our community and for the safety and health of our children, all our residents, and the many workers in our area, we resolved to take action on the Clean Air Act violations in our community.

EPA's recent efforts to conserve landfill space explored disaster debris volume reduction with an experimental asbestos grind and burn at our Paris Road landfill. Asbestos containing debris scheduled to be incinerated with an Air Curtain Destructor pilot test was canceled because of citizens concerns for public health. The EPA curtailed their plans and chose only to test burn and grind non RACM containing C & D debris along with vegetative matter, as explained in the EPA 's pilot tests comments .

At prior council meetings, St Bernard Parish officials traded a temporary burn permit to the EPA for a renewal of a no action assurance from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The no action assurance was a renewal of permission to demo without asbestos abatement. The RACM houses however are to be 'burrito wrapped' and hauled to the River Birch Landfill on the Westbank of Jefferson Parish.


Residents first became aware of the incinerator project by attending EFC meetings; the Executive Finance Meetings where St Bernard Parish Councilmembers customarily discuss business matters and ordinances before voting to bring such items before the full council. However, the agendas for both the EFC and the Council Meetings never contained verbiage of asbestos. While residents may sign up to speak for two (2) minutes at a council meeting, the ability to comment was difficult given the lack of information prior to the council's February 7, 2008 vote. Through public records requests, CCAM received the information about two weeks later.

Several active CCAM members whose work and lifestyle brings them in and around the landfill area spoke up to the EPA about their concerns for public health through these prior council meetings and the subsequent EPA community outreach meetings in June. The EPA June meetings were held in response to residents claims that there had been no adequate public notice given even by local standards.

St Bernard residents who attended two community outreach meetings with EPA officials in June reported the agency's response to our questions.

Q: HOW are they going to know that the one home for C&D burn experiment is NON Asbestos containing?

answer. "the answer they gave us...They chose 1 house out of 12,000. It has been tested by EPA and the results were compared to other tests made by another company, and the parish demolition company. They said the asbestos was minimal and not harmful. It is in the joints of the house."

Q: This resident asked about the large variety of everyday items in a typical house that would never reduce its size even in the temperatures of the ACD. Examples given were the electrical outlets, ceramic fixtures and hardware and other such auxiliary goods. Questions were also raised about the lead paint, plastic and mercury contents of a typical house.

CCAM wants to recognize the improvements to our quality of life and protection of our public health achieved by a number of residents and workers who made a commitment to our community by taking action on Clean Air Violations.

CCAM is also very appreciative of the expertise and stealth field work by Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, especially Lacy Smith, student attorney at TELC and Jim Hecker, a lawyer with Public Justice in Washington, D.C.

Recent articles about this asbestos experiment can be read at

EPA to burn houses with asbestos During test run, air will be monitored Saturday, February 09, 2008 By Paul Rioux
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1202538125169240.xml&coll=1

EPA DELAYS CONTENTIOUS ASBESTOS DEMOLITION PLAN OVER RISK ERRORS
by: Anthony Lacey INSIDEEPA-29-26-13 http://www.insideepa.com/

Daily Environment Report - EPA Cancels Project to Grind, IncinerateNo. 117 Wednesday, June 18, 2008Page A-5 ISSN 1521-9402 http://www.bna.com/products/ens/bder.htm


Read more about EPA's Disaster Debris Reduction Project - St Bernard Parish Louisiana
http://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/debris_reduction.htm

Air Burners LLC http://airburners.com/?gclid=CNmI2ZmQl5QCFQuXGgodUH3_tw

Expanding Tank Farm in Flood Plain

Its time the US EPA change the regulations and requirements for refinery and chemical storage tanks that are allowed in flood plains. Our own experience with the crude oil spill in Chalmette, Louisiana and the crude oil spill in Coffeyville, Kansas bring several issues to light.

Murphy Oil Meraux Refinery and the Coffeyville Resources Refinery are both in a 100 year flood plain. Even if the Murphy Meraux Refinery was in compliance with federal regulations, they did NOT implement their hurricane preparedness plans. The Federal Regulations are not adequate. The tanks have been allowed too close to residential neighborhoods. Flood plains will flood and at times it will be catastrophic; and this flooding will happen whether the EPA anti-spill plan requires facilities to prevent inundation from catastrophic flooding or not.

Murphy's expansion plans include extending the tank farm north towards the flood plain that was effected most by the MRGO Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal . It is most irresponsible for EPA, LDEQ and the refinery to expand the tank farm in this flood zone. The results are a given. It is reckless of the refinery to expand the tank farm, knowing the results. Yet, it is not a surprise that they justify their irresponsibility by claiming they are at least in compliance.

Note: The spill prevention, control, and countermeasure (SPCC) regulations compliance deadline has been extended again to July 1, 2009. Thats two more hurricane seasons.
http://www.eqm.com/news.html

MRGO http://www.louisianasportsman.com/stories/2003/paradise-lost/future-of-mrgo.htm

Commitment to Greenspace or Political Gift to Murphy Oil

In keeping with the mission of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, we look for the LRA's support of "community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana."

The Louisiana Recovery Authority should designate certain LRA properties in St Bernard Parish as permanent greenspace and not transfer ownership to the Murphy Oil Meraux Refinery. We have valid concerns that any transfers of these LRA properties to the refinery would not only constitute a gift to the refinery but would also compromise the integrity of our residential neighborhood, the intent of the Citizen's Recovery Committee - St Bernard Parish Planning Commission's proposed greenspace around the refinery, and the federal court ordered "intended" buffer zone (from the crude oil spill class action law suit).

Our neighborhood in St Bernard Parish like so many others in our great State of Louisiana has a unique character and personality of its own; one which could be entirely and drastically changed with redevelopment decisions. Nestled between East St Bernard Highway and East Judge Perez Drive, Jacob, Despaux, Ventura and Lena Drives in Chalmette, LA comprise the James Place, Despaux and Ventura, Flora Estates and Sandra Park subdivisions. Here, like elsewhere in St Bernard Parish, residents rebuilt their homes and revitalized their community despite the devastating losses of 2005 : Hurricane Katrina and the Murphy Crude Oil Spill. Other homeowners participated in the voluntary buyout portion of the crude oil spill's class action lawsuit and a few have already sold their homesites through the LRA Grant program. These are the properties which should be designated greenspace, if they are not offered to adjoining homeowners first or to other future residential uses.

In June of 2007, we became aware of the refinery's plans to use these four streets for expansion; starting in particular with a land swap / sale of our Jacob Drive Firestation (http://sbpg.net/councilagenda7-10-07.pdf item #26 SBPC Agenda). From what little we know of the Jacob Drive Firestation and Murphy Oil Refinery Expansion plans include moving facilities, such as a warehouse, maintenance building, laboratory and the like, into the subdivision to allow processing unit expansion on the refinery's current campus. Some of these facilities are currently out of compliance with the new OSHA explosion cone regulations. Some of the new processing expansions may include a coker unit.

"LRA properties" on these four streets, if not offered to adjoining residents first or to other future residential uses, should be permanently designated greenspace or conservation easements and not be gifted, transferred, sold nor made available in any manner to the refinery for expansion or for any other use. Effecting our community's resurgence and not thwarting our renaissance, the government should never push the homeowners towards the refinery expansion acquisitions and should instead preserve the integrity of the existing residential zoning. The government's active participation in the refinery's expansion acquisitions not only is unethical but would only permeate and pervade the decades long encroachment of this heavy industry into the neighborhood. That action would literally move the refinery fenceline west onto the next four streets of the subdivision leaving little or no greenspace protection.

We petition the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the St Bernard Parish Housing, Redevelopment and Quality of Life Commission to consider first offering the residential properties to adjoining residents or other perspective homeowners. If not, they should designate "LRA" properties in these four street areas as permanent greenspace and not to transfer ownership to the Murphy Refinery.