Watch whether fines ultimately get refinery to clean up operation
Is a $12 million fine, part of an overall $23.7 million penalty, enough to send
a strong message to the new owners of Delaware's only oil refinery? What is the
price of the life of worker Jeff Davis, whose body was never recovered after he
fell into a vat of exploding acid? Is it enough to make up for the 64 tons of
toxic chemicals that went into the air on the day of the tragedy?
A half-dozen workers were seriously injured and more than a million gallons of
gasoline-laced acid soaked into the ground. The refinery then owned by Motiva Enterprises,
faced state and federal fines of $70 million.
Is $12 million, plus millions more in local environmental upgrades, a fair
compromise?
It's difficult for a population weary of pollution, odor and safety violations at the
Delaware City refinery to answer those questions honestly. In local history, it is a
significant fine. Safety upgrades at the plant and new environmental monitoring stations
in the Delaware River are welcome changes.
It remains to be seen whether the refinery's new owners, Valero, will take the plant in a
direction that maintains a safer and more responsible operation compared to previous
companies.
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