Protesting at Premcor
Environmental activists are angry about a proposed gasoline treatment
facility.
May 14, 2002
DAMIAN GUEVARA,
The Beaumont Enterprise
PORT ARTHUR - A handful of environmental activists protested outside the
Premcor Refinery Monday, accusing the company of increasing the amount of
pollutants it emits into the air.
Environmental activist and Port Arthur native Nelson Kelley attempts to
deliver petitions with about 500 signatures of Port Arthur residents calling
for public hearings concerning Premcor's planned expansion which he says
will result in increased emissions.
The group of five protesters, led by a local environmental watchdog, objects
to the company's plans to build a gasoline treatment facility, which it says
will increase air pollution by 525 tons annually.
Refinery spokesmen respond that the proposed facility would be permitted for
a maximum annual emission of 525 tons, considered to be a moderate amount
for a manufacturing plant of this type.
They note that the treatment plant is actually being built to meet EPA
requirements to remove 90 percent of the sulfur that is currently in the
gasoline manufactured for motor vehicles.
Lead protester Hilton Kelley, 41, who operates a private community center in
Port Arthur, said he has collected 500 signatures asking the Texas Natural
Resources Conservation Commission to hold a public meeting in Port Arthur
concerning the issue.
Premcor must receive a permit from the TNRCC to build the gasoline treatment
facility. The company applied for the permit in November, said Morris
Carter, manager of the environmental health and safety department at
Premcor.
The protesters say that Premcor has been emitting pollutants over their West
Side neighborhood for years, causing illnesses such as cancer, birth
defects, and asthma.
"People are suffering," said Dorothy Marcel, 33, a volunteer who lives
nearby on Kansas Avenue. "I think it's time for them to stop polluting the
air."
Morris said the refinery is making an effort to conform to EPA standards.
"It's being done all around the country by any refinery producing gasoline,"
Morris said. "We've tried to work with (Kelley) and reassure him that we're
doing the right thing."
The 525 tons is the maximum amount of pollutants the refinery would be able
to emit legally, Morris said. He called that number small and said the
company has worked diligently to diminish the tonnage of pollutants since
Premcor purchased the refinery in 1995.
Reporter Damian Guevara may be reached at dguevara@beaumontenterprise.com or
at (409) 833-3311, ext. 424.
ŠThe Beaumont Enterprise 2002
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