Port Arthur Refinery Neighbors to Protest Premcor Pollution Increase by
Contesting Permit to TNRCC
Community Group to Deliver Petitions to Premcor Refinery Demanding Cleaner
Expansion Eliminate 525 Ton Increase in Toxic Air
CIDA & REFINERY REFORM CAMPAIGN Media Advisory
Contact; Hilton Kelley, CIDA: 409-498-1088;
Denny Larson, Refinery Reform, 415-845-4705
(Port Arthur, Texas) Neighbors of the troubled Premcor Refinery on Port
Arthur's Westside will deliver hundreds of petition signatures to the
refinery gates, Monday, May 13, 2002, demanding that the company reduce its
proposed pollution increase of 525 tons. Led by a local community
environmental justice and development organization, Community In-power and
Development Association (CIDA), refinery neighbors have challenged the
Premcor expansion that will enable the company to produce lower emission
fuels at the expense of air quality and health in the adjacent neighborhood.
"The low income neighbors of Premcor are being asked to suck up another huge
increase in pollution so everyone else can have cleaner air and that is
unfair and unnecessary," said Hilton Kelley, CIDA. "If Premcor would
reduce their pollution at older and dirtier units instead, we would breathe
a lot easier on this side of the fenceline and that would create more jobs,
too."
Premcor is expanding to make cleaner burning fuels that will reduce
pollution in the region, but increase pollution on nearby neighborhoods.
Refineries in other states have completed similar projects with no increase
in overall refinery pollution by installing cleaner technologies on existing
units at their facilities.
Premcor refinery has one of the worst compliance records in the state. In
the past year, the refinery has experienced frequent upsets, during which it
has emitted far more pollution than allowed by its permits, and has had a
number of chemical spills.
For example:
- April -3-2001, Violation; 30TAC 101.4;Tex. Health & Safety Code 382.
085: failure to prevent the discharge of one or more air contaminants,
documented reports confirm numerous people going to hospital with
complication from the spill.
- In January of 2001, Premcor reported another accidents resulting in the
dumping of 322,598 pounds of Sulfur Dioxide and 3,426 pounds of Hydrogen
Sulfide.
- In another incident January-1-2002, Premcor released 2,479 pounds of
sulfur dioxide per hour, 295 pounds of Volatile Organic Compounds per hour
and 6 pounds of nitrogen oxides. The upset lasted 168 hours.
"We are already a very sick community from constant toxic trespassing of
chemical pollution," said Dorothy Marcel of CIDA. "A recent survey of our
community showed that there is a connection between pollution and our health
problems."
A study conducted by Doc Marvin Legator concluded that there was a definite
difference in the health condition of people that live in refinery
communities and those that didn't.
Who: Church members, youth groups, sick and dying refinery neighbors
What: Protest rally and delivery of hundreds of signatures to Premcor
Where: Carver Terrace Park, on the corner of Welford and 15th street West
Port Arthur.
When: Monday May 13, 2002, 11:00 am
Why: Residents are angry by another pollution increase and fighting to
clean up Premcor's expansion by challenging the permit.
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