positive contributions to the communities

To Welcome Murphy Oil Meraux Refinery (MOMR) to Residential District C, some volunteers planted trees to help remediate the oil spill properties and bring Murphy into compliance with the buffer zone landscaping ordinance . Our new neighbor's response was less than cordial as they strongly suggested the trees be removed in a way that they could be reused elsewhere. Or, so they say, Murphy will remove the trees themselves leaving little or no future use for the trees.

Other tree tales and donated tree projects have been unable to take root due to political problems

While Rediscover District C and Concerned Citzens Around Murphy have continued to invite Murphy Meraux refinery to participate in our community cleanups and tree planting programs, they have yet to accept.

In their seemingly purposeful misseedings of residential lots, Murphy failed to properly fill and seed the lot next door to residents who are active members in our neighborhood group. These residents are now still subjected to the daily presence of transient workers and have not forgotten the sheriff reports and arrests of workers from these very crews who carried guns, trespassed and stole. These are the same crews who in April and May were stopping residents on their daily strolls through the neighborhood to urge them to sell their homes to MOMR and also to firmly tell them not to walk the neighborhood anymore explaining in both cases that the entire area would be a fenced off refinery.

Its been 2 1/2 years since Murphy Oil Meraux Refinery (MOMR)'s irresponsibility caused the worse residential crude oil spill in America and the remediation crews are still not finished. No one resident watching this escapade can recall the contaminated soil of the properties North of Judge Perez being excavated. And while these properties may have been "released for intended purposes" through LDEQ's unique new MO classification for RECAP levels before demolition, we question why no one resident witnessed the excavation. Soil from the few remaining structures north of Judge Perez have not be excavated. We question if it is possible that the soil was just covered over with the sand fill and not removed. Is this why they wont plant trees for tomorrow ? Because the depth of the tree planting would distrub contaminated areas of concern? LDEQ officials contacted this week requested specific addresses to followup our concerns (will keep you posted) . http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/Default.aspx?tabid=2775


While the rest of St Bernard Parish is debating the new high grass fines http://sbpg.net/grass.html , this is the best explanation as to why the grass will grow on the north side and not the south. MOMR left the soil with its rooted grass on the north of Judge Perez. The south side soil was excavated and the crews left these lots unseeded through the winter. Remember, there was no oil South of Judge Perez, just this complicitous land grap for expansion.

The company refused to plant grass sodding as requested by the neighbors and have instead made ridiculous efforts to keep all the mud sediment runoff out the streets and storm drains and still there is mud everywhere. Murphy crews were working with shovels this week to remove the mud and will likely do the same with the coming rains this weekend.

Its quite comical to see the shovel brigade followed by a water pressure truck every time it rains. With all the weather in the last few weeks it has to be more expense to put up all these silt fences, bales of hay and straw, all the added man hours. Grass sodding such as St Augustine sodding for the first foot or two from the curb would have completed this project months ago; presumably leaving the crews no excuse to continue to harass the neighborhoods. Some lots were left since this Summer without proper fill levels and the company's subcontractor admittedly stopped seeding the lots with grass seeds due to the approaching winter . These residents want their new neighbor to feel welcomed in the district but expect them to control the mud and add landscaping. Perhaps we can help Murphy Oil Corporation make these positive contributions to the communities .

more or less on the horizon

FROM 2008   
47302.

INTEGRITY

02/21/08 11:34 AM
The people of St. Bernard deserve to be informed by their elected officials. Residents of District C, who are and have been for many years concerned about the expansion of industrial giants and the poisonous emissions from the manufacture and refining, have indeed been lied to by their elected officials. The stone walling and lies of deception continue to this day. When even one resident asks, " what is being built here?" he has a right to be answered. Our neighbor, Murphy Oil USA is going to build a lab on the site of the old Campagna Skiff Company location. We were NEVER given an opportunity, as a neighbor or neighborhood to examine the plan, ask questions or express our concerns. To offer input now is obviously an insult. As I stated before it was a done deal. Probably years in the making between our government and that industrial giant. Encroachment. A nasty word. But it is happening. Murphy, in moving it's lab from the river side of St. Bernard Hwy (probably to expand it's plant) now finds that the location where they plan to build the new lab is not large enough to accommodate parking. They want to (ENCROACH) on to residential property. They want a zone change. After everything said about greenspace, and bufferzone. Our government continues to play along with the plan. The Murphy plan.Our parish president and council members as well as zoning and planning commissions need to remember who pays them. Or is that exactly what they are doing?

 

The refinery was originally located on the other side of the highway and the land behind the neighborhood was not zoned for industrial use.  Then over the years there were a series of wise decisions to allow more and more industrial zoning changes further and further away from the river and into the backyards of our community. The processing plant doubled in the 1970's and several large additions including a clean fuels process began in the late 1990's early 2000's. How did the Parish ever allow these units to be constructed so close to family dwellings??

 

Let's not make the same mistake again with warehouses, administration buildings, parking etc. on Jacob Drive; that land was purchased with the pretense of a green zone buffer and a good neighbor would honor that agreement.  Any other use makes the Parish further liable.

 

 

Above, EPA Region VI map of oil spill

Notice the area just west of the processing plant was not "in the oil spill" but this is the area most often pushed by parish officials to participate in the buyup.

 

 

Above, SBPG map of oil spill

National Relief Network's volunteer community wide effort was in St Bernard Parish two weeks ago with 400 high school student council leaders volunteers and dozens of trees to help remediate the oil spill properties. According to nrn.org these plans were unable to take root due to political problems so they planted the saplings at the LosIsleños Museum Complex in St. Bernard Village http://sbpg.net/20081502rec.html

Around America neighborhoods customarily welcome new neighbors to the area. A recent trend is Gorilla Landscaping: since the new neighbor is presumably still adjusting with the move and all, the neighborhood helps by implementing landscaping. We'd like to offer simular assistance to MOMR to help achieve complaince on a number of items and perhaps even help going beyond the requirements of law

Who knows? MOMR may even recieve the garden of the month award .

Because we care, we have committed to rebuild our homes and our neighborhoods better and safer so that future generations will have the opportunity to live their peaceful lives in this community.

Because we care, we not only strive to preserve the integrity of residential neighborhoods for the future but also to preserve the environment and resources for tomorrow and beyond.

Because we care for those future generations' welfare and safety and also for clean air, clean water and uncontaminated soil, we question noncompliant issues with our industrial neighbors.

Because we care, we petition the people that be to hold this industry accountable to the same high standards in the very letter and spirit of (the law) the settlement, federal regulations, state statutes, local codes and ordinances.

Because we care we sincerely seek solutions to industry's trespasses which have resulted in de minimis regards to our quality of life; de minimis regards for domiciled neighbors and neighborhoods in the community of St Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

Because we care for each neighborhood that makes up a vital part of our community, we have an unwavering commitment to change that once current line of thought that certain neighborhoods could be sacrificed to special industry interests with little or no public notice and without answering why.

Because we care we ask why would we even think about sacrificing any one of our community's neighborhoods that came back after all that mother nature handed us?

no drawn plans

Murphy Oil Meraux Refinery (MOMR ) 's comments in the St Bernard Parish Council Meeting April 17, 2007 was that the buyout area is designated as green space. They did not say anything about refinery expansion, parking lots, administration building or any of the other rumors we were hearing.

MOMR 's comments to the June 19, 2007 expansion permit were " The proposed project, as permitted, doesnot include any construction in the area which the company acquired after the Hurricane Katrina." And yet by the end of June, officials were talking about expansions on Jacob and Despaux Drive simultaneously dispelling this as rumor by stating they had no drawn plans.

MOMR officials December 2007 request of the State owned LRA properties to be directly transferred to MOMR for use as a grassy area for a buffer zone. When questioned in the St Bernard Housing Authority meeting we were reminded that officials had been careful with their words regarding any expansion and that existing zoning would protect our neighborhood.

MOMR 's officials stated in LDEQ public comments February 11, 2008 that their "project will not expand Murphy beyond its current fenceline ". MOMR 's officials February 19, 2008 stated they had renderings for a lab to be constructed on Jacob Drive and had applied for within the last two weeks permits to construct on the property acquired after the Hurricane Katrina. We now question if this is an application for this area as an Economic Enterprise Zone to take advantage of any GO Zone Bonds? http://www.gozoneguide.com/story_3.html

We have requested but not yet received copies nor the opportunity to view these public documents at this time. With their explaination that it was Murphy's intention to make the best use of the land it acquired and felt the laboratory (which is Heavy Industrial use in this residential area - where people actually revitalized post hurricane) was an enhancement to the area. They must think they are making a contribution to St Bernard Parish by bringing this area back , not as a neighborhood, but as industry. They were also quick to say this was just a way of life.

We really have to agree with Murphy on this one; this is their contribution to the people of St Bernard in this area. They destroyed our residential subdivisions with their oil and actually persuaded some of us that the crude oil on our properties wasnt theirs or wasnt enough for them to have to remediate. This very area would be back if it werent for Murphy's mishandling of its product; Not only the Jacob Drive area, but truly all of District C and the St Mark's Community.

If Murphy 's own oil had not spilled into the homes of these neighborhoods the area would be revitalized. These homeowners who chose to participate in the voluntary buyout were told the land would be used as greenspace to buffer the hazards of the refinery from the neighborhood; not to expand the hazards closer to other homes and closer to the ONLY High School, just 14 blocks away.



wonder if they are also applying for any GO Zone bonds or tax credits for bringing this post Katrina development to our front yards?

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