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Limetree Bay Refining, which showered oil on St. Croix, announces it will remain shut indefinitely
Source: Washington Post
Alternate Washington Post headline: Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix says it will stay shut indefinitely due to ‘extreme financial constraints’
Controversial St. Croix refinery shuts indefinitely given ‘extreme financial constraints’
Limetree Bay Refining, facing tens of millions of unpaid bills and multiple class-action lawsuits, leaves the island with an uncertain future
By Juliet Eilperin and Darryl Fears
June 21, 2021 at 12:33 p.m. EDT
Limetree Bay announced Monday that it is ceasing operations following a series of catastrophic errors that rained oil droplets on its neighbors in St. Croix, sent residents to emergency rooms after noxious gas releases and caused homeowners to worry that water they used was laced with toxic chemicals.
The massive refinery, which had closed for nearly a decade under a previous owner because of financial issues partly related to pollution and toxic contaminants, was plagued with problems from the start after the Trump administration granted it permission to reopen in February. “Limetree,” said Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency official who monitored the plant under the Obama administration, “had a very high rate of environmental violations over a very short period of time. It was an environmental catastrophe unfolding in real time.”
Limetree’s effect on Black and Brown people in communities that surround it quickly emerged as a priority under President Biden, who made environmental justice and pollution that disproportionately impacts people of color as a major focus of his climate agenda. In May, the EPA ordered the refinery to suspend operations for 60 days as it weighed whether it had become “an imminent threat” to people’s health.
Monday’s announcement suggests that the refinery, which now owes tens of millions of dollars to contractors and faces multiple class-action lawsuits from residents, might never restart. The company, which will continue to operate an adjoining oil export terminal, told all 271 refinery employees they will be terminated as of Sept. 19. On Friday, many of the remaining contractors were sent home. On Monday, companies used heavy equipment to move their assets outside of the plant’s fence line.
-snip-
Limetree Bay Refining, facing tens of millions of unpaid bills and multiple class-action lawsuits, leaves the island with an uncertain future
By Juliet Eilperin and Darryl Fears
June 21, 2021 at 12:33 p.m. EDT
Limetree Bay announced Monday that it is ceasing operations following a series of catastrophic errors that rained oil droplets on its neighbors in St. Croix, sent residents to emergency rooms after noxious gas releases and caused homeowners to worry that water they used was laced with toxic chemicals.
The massive refinery, which had closed for nearly a decade under a previous owner because of financial issues partly related to pollution and toxic contaminants, was plagued with problems from the start after the Trump administration granted it permission to reopen in February. “Limetree,” said Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency official who monitored the plant under the Obama administration, “had a very high rate of environmental violations over a very short period of time. It was an environmental catastrophe unfolding in real time.”
Limetree’s effect on Black and Brown people in communities that surround it quickly emerged as a priority under President Biden, who made environmental justice and pollution that disproportionately impacts people of color as a major focus of his climate agenda. In May, the EPA ordered the refinery to suspend operations for 60 days as it weighed whether it had become “an imminent threat” to people’s health.
Monday’s announcement suggests that the refinery, which now owes tens of millions of dollars to contractors and faces multiple class-action lawsuits from residents, might never restart. The company, which will continue to operate an adjoining oil export terminal, told all 271 refinery employees they will be terminated as of Sept. 19. On Friday, many of the remaining contractors were sent home. On Monday, companies used heavy equipment to move their assets outside of the plant’s fence line.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/06/21/limetree-bay-refinery/