Murphy Oil USA Inc / Murphy Oil USA Inc - Meraux Refinery
AI 1238 Permit Number 2500-00001-V4
PER2008006 application date December 5, 2008
Murphy Oil's Meraux refinery has applied for an expedited air permit from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
The December 5, 2008 application and request for expedited permit processing is for "Maintaining tank capacity availability by replacement of existing tanks that are no longer in service with tanks with more stringent emission controls."
No further details are available at this time.
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/apps/pubNotice/pdf/open_expedited_requests.pdf
LDEQ public document # 38881578 dated 12/03/2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Army COE Meeting
December 11, 2008
Public Meeting (IERs 8 - 11)
United States Army Corps of Engineers 100-Year Hurricane Protection
Public Meeting
Open House: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Presentation & Discussion: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location Lynn Oaks School 1 Lynn Oaks Dr., Braithwaite, LA 70040
Time6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
ContactGib Owen (504) 862-1337
IER 8 - Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Dupre Control Structures, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=8
IER 9 - Caernarvon Floodwall, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=9
IER 10 - Chalmette Loop Levee, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=10
IER 11 - Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Navigable Floodgates, Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=11
Public Meeting (IERs 8 - 11)
United States Army Corps of Engineers 100-Year Hurricane Protection
Public Meeting
Open House: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Presentation & Discussion: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location Lynn Oaks School 1 Lynn Oaks Dr., Braithwaite, LA 70040
Time6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
ContactGib Owen (504) 862-1337
IER 8 - Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Dupre Control Structures, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=8
IER 9 - Caernarvon Floodwall, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=9
IER 10 - Chalmette Loop Levee, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=10
IER 11 - Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Navigable Floodgates, Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes, Louisiana
http://www.nolaenvironmental.gov/projects/usace_levee/IER.aspx?IERID=11
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Here's a link to an article about the suit -
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2135007820081121
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2135007820081121
citizens enforcement suit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday November 21, 2008 10 a.m.
Air Pollution Suit Filed in Federal Court
Against Murphy Oil U.S.A., Inc.
Louisiana residents filed a citizens enforcement suit Friday in Federal District Court against Murphy Oil USA, Inc. alleging violations of the Clean Air Act at the Murphy Oil Meraux refinery. The violations include numerous incidents that released tons of sulfur dioxide and other harmful pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds into the neighborhood's air.
Meraux, LA November 21, 2008 – Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, on behalf of Concerned Citizens Around Murphy (CCAM), filed a federal lawsuit Friday against Arkansas-based Murphy Oil USA, Inc. for violations of its air permit at its Meraux refinery.
This citizens enforcement suit is a last resort to a year-long attempt by the neighborhood association, CCAM, to obtain solutions to the refinery’s pollution and to preserve the residents' rights to clean air. CCAM seeks declaratory and injunctive relief that would provide continual compliance assurances, and civil penalties—paid to the U.S. Treasury— as high as $32,500 per day for each violation.
The Murphy Oil Meraux refinery allegedly violated the Clean Air Act over 130 times since October 2003 by releasing tons of sulfur dioxide and other harmful pollutants including hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds in amounts that exceed their permit limits. The lawsuit identifies incidents where Murphy Oil released pollutants at a pound-per-hour rate exceeding its permit limits often by a factor of a hundred, a thousand, and even a million. On a few occasions, the Murphy Meraux refinery exceeded its annual tons-per-year permit limit in a single emission event. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's public records note two of those plant malfunctions are still under investigation.
Residents believe these toxic releases adversely affect the community's health and safety. The concerned citizens seek declaratory and injunctive relief to force Murphy Oil to comply with their federal air permits and to deter future violations. The neighbors around Murphy's Meraux refinery view their enforcement action no differently than what other communities and homeowner associations do to protect their rights when a neighbor violates the law. CCAM member Suzanne Kneale explains, "What we have done is taken reasonable steps to assure the health and safety of our children. Murphy Oil left us no other course of action but to preserve our rights through the justice system."
Resident John Williams said, "The smells are so bad, we quit cooking outside. For a bar-b-que, we couldn’t even stay outside to enjoy it." John and his wife Kerry Williams have lived in the shadow of the Meraux refinery for nearly 22 years and fear the health effects of breathing their pollutants.
Other residents believe the refinery violated their rights by sending pollution across the fenceline. "Residents want the oil company to control their chemical discharges, noise and flaring within the limits of the law as they agreed to when they applied for air permits," stated Mike Sherwood, a life-long resident of St. Bernard Parish and a member of both the Meraux refinery's Citizens Advisory Panel and St. Bernard Parish's Murphy Oil Buffer Zone Committee.
Citing one of the recurring mishaps, such as broken compressors, Mike Miller asserts the vibrations from these malfunctions are felt inside his family's home and usually occur late at night. "I've called them several times before when the vibrations happen and they say, 'Everything is fine. We just blew a valve.' " Miller continues that "you go outside and the flames are blowing 60 feet in the air. I've also called DEQ several times. There hasn't been much change."
"It's difficult to raise our children here without the fear their development will be compromised or they will develop cancer one day from what Murphy puts out," Kneale added.
Friday November 21, 2008 10 a.m.
Air Pollution Suit Filed in Federal Court
Against Murphy Oil U.S.A., Inc.
Louisiana residents filed a citizens enforcement suit Friday in Federal District Court against Murphy Oil USA, Inc. alleging violations of the Clean Air Act at the Murphy Oil Meraux refinery. The violations include numerous incidents that released tons of sulfur dioxide and other harmful pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds into the neighborhood's air.
Meraux, LA November 21, 2008 – Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, on behalf of Concerned Citizens Around Murphy (CCAM), filed a federal lawsuit Friday against Arkansas-based Murphy Oil USA, Inc. for violations of its air permit at its Meraux refinery.
This citizens enforcement suit is a last resort to a year-long attempt by the neighborhood association, CCAM, to obtain solutions to the refinery’s pollution and to preserve the residents' rights to clean air. CCAM seeks declaratory and injunctive relief that would provide continual compliance assurances, and civil penalties—paid to the U.S. Treasury— as high as $32,500 per day for each violation.
The Murphy Oil Meraux refinery allegedly violated the Clean Air Act over 130 times since October 2003 by releasing tons of sulfur dioxide and other harmful pollutants including hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds in amounts that exceed their permit limits. The lawsuit identifies incidents where Murphy Oil released pollutants at a pound-per-hour rate exceeding its permit limits often by a factor of a hundred, a thousand, and even a million. On a few occasions, the Murphy Meraux refinery exceeded its annual tons-per-year permit limit in a single emission event. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's public records note two of those plant malfunctions are still under investigation.
Residents believe these toxic releases adversely affect the community's health and safety. The concerned citizens seek declaratory and injunctive relief to force Murphy Oil to comply with their federal air permits and to deter future violations. The neighbors around Murphy's Meraux refinery view their enforcement action no differently than what other communities and homeowner associations do to protect their rights when a neighbor violates the law. CCAM member Suzanne Kneale explains, "What we have done is taken reasonable steps to assure the health and safety of our children. Murphy Oil left us no other course of action but to preserve our rights through the justice system."
Resident John Williams said, "The smells are so bad, we quit cooking outside. For a bar-b-que, we couldn’t even stay outside to enjoy it." John and his wife Kerry Williams have lived in the shadow of the Meraux refinery for nearly 22 years and fear the health effects of breathing their pollutants.
Other residents believe the refinery violated their rights by sending pollution across the fenceline. "Residents want the oil company to control their chemical discharges, noise and flaring within the limits of the law as they agreed to when they applied for air permits," stated Mike Sherwood, a life-long resident of St. Bernard Parish and a member of both the Meraux refinery's Citizens Advisory Panel and St. Bernard Parish's Murphy Oil Buffer Zone Committee.
Citing one of the recurring mishaps, such as broken compressors, Mike Miller asserts the vibrations from these malfunctions are felt inside his family's home and usually occur late at night. "I've called them several times before when the vibrations happen and they say, 'Everything is fine. We just blew a valve.' " Miller continues that "you go outside and the flames are blowing 60 feet in the air. I've also called DEQ several times. There hasn't been much change."
"It's difficult to raise our children here without the fear their development will be compromised or they will develop cancer one day from what Murphy puts out," Kneale added.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Cypress Trees
Sign up for the December 4th Cypress Day of Action
Join Gulf Restoration Network, Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and others make a long-term commitment to Louisiana's forests.
Join Gulf Restoration Network, Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and others make a long-term commitment to Louisiana's forests.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
What You Don’t Have Can’t Leak
Please see your nearby Louisiana facilities in a new report, released today,
“Chemical Security 101 –
What You Don’t Have Can’t Leak, or Be Blown Up by Terrorists”
by Paul Orum, Reece Rushing
Center for American Progress
www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/chemical_security.html
"This report outlines how using safer and more secure chemicals or processes can make the most dangerous chemical facilities less attractive targets for terrorists" {and one might add, safer for our neighborhoods and the plant workers}.
The article states, "Solutions applicable to the top 101 facilities could improve safety and security at many other high-hazard facilities, including an additional 202 listed in this report."
{Both major refineries in St Bernard Parish are listed in this report. Exxon is in the top 101 and Murphy is ranked among the 202 high-hazard listed. Our community's only high school is located in between these two refineries. With only two east-west corridors, school buses, workers and residents traveling in the Meraux area have no choice but to travel through Murphy Oil's tank farm or processing-terminal area.}
Paul Orum continues: "Most of the top 101 facilities could convert to safer and more secure chemicals or processes already being used by similar facilities that do not endanger large numbers of people. In particular:
* Eight petroleum refineries could remove danger to 11 million Americans by substituting toxic hydrofluoric acid, used in refining crude oil, with sulfuric acid or emerging solid acid catalysts. This includes the ExxonMobil Corp. refinery in Chalmette, La., which puts over 1 million people in danger. " {A similar solution is suggested for the Murphy Oil Meraux refinery.}
Check out
Interactive Map:
101 Most Dangerous Chemical Facilities Can Convert to Safer, More Secure Alternatives
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/chemical_security_map.html
And CAP's 2007 study Toxic Trains and the Terrorist Threat: How Water Utilities Can Get Chlorine Gas Off the Rails and Out of American Communities
“Chemical Security 101 –
What You Don’t Have Can’t Leak, or Be Blown Up by Terrorists”
by Paul Orum, Reece Rushing
Center for American Progress
www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/chemical_security.html
"This report outlines how using safer and more secure chemicals or processes can make the most dangerous chemical facilities less attractive targets for terrorists" {and one might add, safer for our neighborhoods and the plant workers}.
The article states, "Solutions applicable to the top 101 facilities could improve safety and security at many other high-hazard facilities, including an additional 202 listed in this report."
{Both major refineries in St Bernard Parish are listed in this report. Exxon is in the top 101 and Murphy is ranked among the 202 high-hazard listed. Our community's only high school is located in between these two refineries. With only two east-west corridors, school buses, workers and residents traveling in the Meraux area have no choice but to travel through Murphy Oil's tank farm or processing-terminal area.}
Paul Orum continues: "Most of the top 101 facilities could convert to safer and more secure chemicals or processes already being used by similar facilities that do not endanger large numbers of people. In particular:
* Eight petroleum refineries could remove danger to 11 million Americans by substituting toxic hydrofluoric acid, used in refining crude oil, with sulfuric acid or emerging solid acid catalysts. This includes the ExxonMobil Corp. refinery in Chalmette, La., which puts over 1 million people in danger. " {A similar solution is suggested for the Murphy Oil Meraux refinery.}
Check out
Interactive Map:
101 Most Dangerous Chemical Facilities Can Convert to Safer, More Secure Alternatives
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/11/chemical_security_map.html
And CAP's 2007 study Toxic Trains and the Terrorist Threat: How Water Utilities Can Get Chlorine Gas Off the Rails and Out of American Communities
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