Recent “upsets” like tripped compressors, pressure loss and freezing weather resulted in the thousands of pounds of illegal pollution but no fines or citations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The idled plant on St. Croix experienced a series of accidents over the course of last year that spewed noxious fumes and showered oil droplets onto nearby homes. Now deteriorating conditions at the massive facility are once again raising alarms.
A troubled refinery in St. Croix announced Wednesday evening it would temporarily halt operations after raining oil on local residents for the second time in just over three months.
An agency spokesperson and the Philly health department say the levels don't indicate health impacts for nearby neighborhoods. But the director of Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College said any exposure increases risk.
Hilco Redevelopment Partners, whose $240 million bid won an auction to acquire the bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery site, aims to move quickly to clean up the 1,300-acre South Philadelphia property and redevelop it.
