USVI ‘refinery’ to close down
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 23, (AP): A huge oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands that contaminated the environment in a series of events that sickened dozens of people and forced schools to close announced Monday that it would remain shuttered indefinitely.
Limetree Bay Energy said it would lay off more than 270 workers by September because it faced “extreme financial constraints” after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suspended its petroleum refining and processing operations last month.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for us,” CEO Jeff Rinker said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this is our only option.”
The EPA paused the company’s operations last month as part of a 60day emergency order after noting that Limetree had significant air pollutant and oil releases since February. The incidents, which the agency called “totally unacceptable,” include exceeding the emissions limit of sulfur dioxide, which can harm a person’s respiratory system.
“Each had an immediate and significant health impact on people and their property,” the EPA said.
The announcement of the indefinite closure comes a month after a group of people filed a class action suit accusing Limetree of routinely emitting dangerous airborne chemicals. Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator, said in a phone interview that the contamination led to the hospitalization of dozens of people, the temporary closure of schools and even forced a COVID-19 vaccine site to shut down for a day.
“Limetree caused tremendous damage on St. Croix,” she said, adding that while people can breathe easier for now, much work remains. “There is a legacy of toxic contamination at the property that needs to be cleaned up.”
Enck added that it would take decades to do so: “This is probably going to be a long, drawn-out fight over hundreds of millions of dollars. This cleanup is not going to be cheap.”
Hours after Limetree made its announcement, David Bond, a professor at Bennington College in Vermont, stood outside a grocery store in the U.S. territory as he continued to survey people about how the refinery has affected their health.