It's Hurricane Season....Is your canal ready?

Jacob Canal culvert at Judge Perez is blocked from litter, sediment and debris from the refinery's makeshift parking lot. The overgrowth is unacceptable. According to Parish Public Works, Murphy Oil has been responsible to maintain the canal. Residents report the Jacob Canal was recently cleared at the construction site for the lab, but not in the area which directly effects the residential homes.

Clean fuel shouldn’t cost air quality

Letter to the Editor:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/50413727.html

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made good changes to the gasoline we use in our vehicles.

One of the first changes was to mandate unleaded gasoline, which has provided a healthier environment for us and our children. Then came low-sulfur gasoline, which also introduced ethanol into the product. Now the EPA requires a low-benzene gasoline.

While reduction of volatile organic compounds from our vehicles is an important goal to which we should all do our part to be part of the solution, it should not come at the cost of the little good air that is left in our neighborhoods around refineries.

The air quality in fenceline neighborhoods can be so poor at times that residents shelter themselves in place or hold their noses when they are on the roads that pass through some of the state’s 17 refinery facilities.

Louisiana law prohibits the state Department of Environmental Quality from issuing a permit that maintains a nuisance or a danger to public health and safety, and furthermore, technology exists that could protect public health and reduce toxic air emissions in fenceline communities.

Louisiana DEQ should require extra air monitoring to ensure its 17 refineries’ air permit limits are maintained, and air monitoring may even help the refineries become more efficient.

To protect public health and the quality of air we breathe, the best available technology should be utilized to result in the lowest achievable emission levels. That would be the best approach to maintaining a balance between our residential districts and our heavy-industry neighbors.

Without the installation and maintenance of appropriate pollution controls, the balance will unjustly shift toward industry — as we have so often witnessed — and that undermines our health and safety as well as that of our children.

LA DEQ EnvironSchool -- Remediation

RECAP = Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program values


LA DEQ has a class on Remediation July 9, 2009, from 10am to noon in Elmwood.

For more information:
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/tabid/2601/Default.aspx

Tomeka Prioleau 225.219.0877
tomeka.prioleau@la.gov

LA DEQ Public Hearing July 7, 2009

Tuesday, July 7, 2008, beginning at 6:00 p.m

Nunez Community College Auditorium, 3710 Parish Road, Chalmette, LA

During the hearing, all interested persons will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed permit.

Copy of Permit may be viewed at the St Bernard Parish Public Library

Written comments or written requests for notification of the final permit decision regarding this permit may also be submitted to

Ms. Soumaya Ghosn at LDEQ, Public Participation Group,
P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313

soumaya.ghosn@la.gov
Fax (225)219- 3309

Written comments and/or written requests for notification must be received by 12:30 p.m., Thursday, July 9, 2009.

All correspondence should specify AI Number 1238, Permit Number 2500-00001-V5, and Activity Number PER20090002

Permit maybe viewed at
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/apps/pubNotice/pdf/Murphypermit5-29-09.pdf
www.deq.louisiana.gov/apps/pubNotice/default.asp

EAS maybe viewed at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15892503/Murphy-Oil-USA-Inc-Title-V-Permit-Modification-EASMar2009

neighbors and neighborhoods

please, take a stand for safe and productive neighborhoods

like other neighborhoods, our's around the refinery, presented our
long range plans to the council, and it was supported by our valid
petition to keep the existing zoning and existing fenceline.

what we are really asking for is the full council's support for us to
retain our equal rights to revitalization and to keep our restored
houses.

with little to no representation and everything to lose, we presented
our views in court yesterday. and while the expected ruling may put an
end to the out of class - oil spill litigation's in Arabi and other
areas, our neighborhood's struggles are just beginning.

the Judge recently said, a parish divided is like a country divided,
it does not work.

we all need to support each other's neighborhoods.

government officials who would, to their own people, indicate a trade
of homes and neighborhoods for an unbridled expansion, well,there is
no such thing in America....maybe in other forms of government, sure,
but not here.

Our economic development goals should not be at the cost of
individuals homes and revitalized neighborhoods.

our economic development goals should have safe and productive, family oriented
neighborhoods as a primary goal.

May 19 2009

Villere Donation Request

The case arose from environmental wrongdoings and demonstrated
Murphy's difficulty in keeping its agreements. It could be that had the
defendant kept its hurricane preparedness agreement, we may not be here
before the court; but we are.

A commitment to the settlement agreement for greenspace; the greenspace which exists now, together with another Pres proposal, the donation of the historical Villere property, are better suited for Cy Pres projects around our existing residential neighborhoods than the zoning changes proposed in item # e" as presented to the residents.

Preserving the settlement agreement for greenspace and the donation of the Villere Property, which is located between the future tank farm expansion and our exiting Floral Estates Subdivision, not only acts as a reminder to Murphy Oil to keep its agreements and be more careful with oil tanks in a flood plain, but it can also become a reminder to our citizens of Murphy Oil's valuable part of our community.

The Villere Plantation"s historic tree line and brick structure are part of the actual British Invasion to the Battle of New Orleans 1814-1815.

In time for the 200 year anniversary, the donation from Murphy Oil could be part of St Bernard Parish's historical past while honoring our community"s promising future. Again, Murphy Oil is a valuable part of our community's future and they could take this opportunity to be a better neighbor and to keep agreements.

Turner v Murphy Cy Pres Hearing

RE: Turner V Murphy Case No 05 - 4206
CY PRES Settlement Proposal

Honorable Judge Fallon:

It was with the agreement for green space mentioned in the Fairness Hearing that residents sold the square footage of their homes to Murphy Oil in first place. There seems to be no basis to change the agreement now.

Please consider those families who chose not to participate in the voluntary buyout program, as they have little to no representation and everything to lose.

Please consider the health and safety benefits of a true green zone protective buffer, which would have neither trees nor building to provide for an explosion clearance.

The proposed distribution of $5 million considers to include an Item # e Landscaping and Beautification of Our Neighborhoods. The concern is this maybe the same "Plan" residents rejected as presented in the St Bernard Parish Council's buffer zone committee, as it called for industrial and commercial zoning changes to buyout properties, changes to the court ordered buffer for the benefit of Murphy Oil's use as a northside parking lot and a southside incursion into our neighborhood by way of a row of buildings on Jacob Drive South of Judge Perez Drive.

The suggestion in item # e that Murphy Oil landscape the buyout neighborhood by way of industrial and commercial landuse zoning changes, albeit for parking lots and a row of buildings, is a determent to the residents who have returned, provides nothing towards the safety of the community and lowers the buffer, bringing the next explosion that much closer to our homes. Such industrial and commercial use of the buyout properties rewards Murphy Oil with unjust enrichment for an incident of their own negligence.

If Murphy Oil wants to donate funding for healthcare, wetlands or education it would be a much appreciated contribution for the community as a whole without causing individual families the lost of rebuilt homes and lost of an entire neighborhood for others. However, the donation should NOT come from buyout funding because the buyout is not yet complete.

The neighborhoods around Murphy Oil's Louisiana refinery in Meraux have been revitalized since as early as Fall 2005 and are a vibrant part of the Southeast Louisiana community of St Bernard Parish which has experienced rapid repopulation and rebuilding, due to the spirit and commitment of returning residents.

Yet, our soil is still contaminated and most likely unsafe to grow vegetables or fruits and berries.

There is no commitment to preserve the Turner v Murphy settlement agreement for a green space court ordered buffer.

Residents have reported structural damage claims due to the vibrations from malfunctions at the refinery and the air quality and our health and safety have suffered from unauthorized emission releases.

Please keep our neighborhood in mind with these considerations.