[StBernard] buffer zone newprint excerpts

[Westley Annis]

	More excerpts from news articles:
	Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

	July 2, 2007 Monday

	SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. 1
	HEADLINE: Murphy Oil seeks to add 4 storage tanks; 
	Company says program will lower refinery emissions
	BYLINE: By Paul Rioux, St. Bernard bureau
	
	The refinery agreed to pay $330 million to settle a federal
class-action lawsuit involving an estimated 6,500 property owners and
renters affected by the spill. So far, the company has bought 356 homes in a
four-block radius of the refinery and is tearing them down, Zornes said.
	
	"We have no current plans for this land except to create an initial
buffer zone," he said. "We will know more after we see how many homes are
purchased."
	
	
	Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

	January 5, 2007 Friday

	SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1
	HEADLINE: Judge favors settlement in St. Bernard oil spill; Governor
at hearing to back residents
	BYLINE: By Susan Finch, Staff writer
	
	
	Murphy attorney Kerry Miller said the buyout price reflects "the
absolute top end of the range of real estate sales in St. Bernard" since
Hurricane Katrina. Murphy wants to use the purchased property to create a
buffer zone of green space between its refinery and residents.
	
	Owners in the buyout area can choose to keep their homes and get
payments from Murphy based on the level of oil damage to their property, but
if they decide to sell, "They can sell to Murphy, the Road Home or on the
open market, whichever brings them the most," Blanco said.
	
	Attorneys for Murphy and the state will meet next week to determine
how to help owners decide which option will yield the most money if they
choose to sell.
	
	
	
	Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
	February 21, 2006 Tuesday

	SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1
	HEADLINE: St. Bernard makes plans for rebuilding, protection
	BYLINE: By Karen Turni Bazile, St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau
	
	
	The committee also suggested the parish seek funding to buy out
properties and create a nonresidential buffer near the parish's two oil
refineries, which are now surrounded by residential neighborhoods. More than
1,600 homes in Chalmette were affected by an oil spill from the Murphy Oil
refinery after Hurricane Katrina.
	
	
	Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
	December 13, 2005 Tuesday 
	
	SECTION: A SECTION; FINAL; Pg. A1
	HEADLINE: THE DANGER ZONE
	Hurricanes pound coastal industries, inviting disaster.
	BYLINE: Jim Stratton, Sentinel Staff Writer
	
	
	When Katrina roared ashore, its floodwaters ripped a Murphy Oil tank
from its foundation and cracked it open, smearing just about everything in
the town once named Louisiana's cleanest community.
	
	Three months after the storm, the stains on homes, cars and yards
are still visible. It's unclear when, or whether, the community will fully
recover.
	
	Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez said that for years,
Murphy had offered to buy homes from residents who no longer wanted to live
near the refinery.
	
	"They were looking to create a buffer zone around their refinery,"
Rodriguez said. "They've got a buffer zone now. They've got one hell of a
buffer zone."
	
	Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
	July 16, 2002 Tuesday
	
	SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1
	HEADLINE: Boat firm expansion sails to approval;
	Council OKs rezoning despite objections
	BYLINE: By Karen Turni Bazile; St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau
	
	
	But Jason Licciardi, whose father owns an adjacent duplex, said the
change allows for a setback of about 25 feet from his doubles and the
industrial work, while normal industrial setbacks in St. Bernard require at
least a 100-foot buffer zone.
	
	Hunnicutt agreed that because the business is less than an acre, it
could have the smaller setback under the codes. That is one of the reasons
he opposed the change.
	
	Two nearby duplex owners, including Licciardi's father, complained
at an April public hearing that the business had caused them to lose tenants
because of fumes and other production issues.
	
	Cosse and Rodriguez objected to the change, and Rodriguez said it
set an unhealthy precedent because other business owners could ask for
similar expansions.
	
	Cosse agreed the zoning change would be a "step backward" and could
cause a domino effect on Jacob Drive.
	
	"If someone wants to build a home next to an industrial zone, that's
their choice. But for this council to move an industrial zone next to
residents, in my opinion, is just not sound planning," Cosse said. "You run
a good business, but I just can't with a clear conscious move industrial
zoning right next to residential zoning."
	
	
	
	Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
	June 11, 2006 Sunday
	
	SECTION: BUSINESS
	HEADLINE: Small refinery's future murky Wisconsin operation seen as
low priority for Murphy Oil
	BYLINE: BY EDWARD KLUMP ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
	
	
	Murphy has purchased about 60 acres near the Superior refinery that
act as a buffer with the surrounding neighborhood, Hulse said.
	
	The company is dealing with a federal class-action lawsuit in
Louisiana over a spill of about 1 million gallons of oil that occurred in
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.
Some of the spilled oil went into the neighborhood surrounding the refinery,
and plaintiffs say Murphy was negligent. Murphy denies that allegation.
	
	West said acquiring land near the Superior refinery is not a direct
result of the Louisiana spill.
	
	"We're always looking to increase our buffer zone where we can," she
said.
	
	




-----Original Message-----
From: sjrkneale at aol.com
To: utopiafan0043 at yahoo.com
Sent: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 5:24 pm


Debbie: More excepts from news articles:
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

July 2, 2007 Monday

SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. 1
HEADLINE: Murphy Oil seeks to add 4 storage tanks; Company says program will
lower refinery emissions
BYLINE: By Paul Rioux, St. Bernard bureau

The refinery agreed to pay $330 million to settle a federal class-action
lawsuit involving an estimated 6,500 property owners and renters affected by
the spill. So far, the company has bought 356 homes in a four-block radius
of the refinery and is tearing them down, Zornes said.

"We have no current plans for this land except to create an initial buffer
zone," he said. "We will know more after we see how many homes are
purchased."


Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

January 5, 2007 Friday

SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1
HEADLINE: Judge favors settlement in St. Bernard oil spill; Governor at
hearing to back residents
BYLINE: By Susan Finch, Staff writer

Murphy attorney Kerry Miller said the buyout price reflects "the absolute
top end of the range of real estate sales in St. Bernard" since Hurricane
Katrina. Murphy wants to use the purchased property to create a buffer zone
of green space between its refinery and residents.

Owners in the buyout area can choose to keep their homes and get payments
from Murphy based on the level of oil damage to their property, but if they
decide to sell, "They can sell to Murphy, the Road Home or on the open
market, whichever brings them the most," Blanco said.

Attorneys for Murphy and the state will meet next week to determine how to
help owners decide which option will yield the most money if they choose to
sell.


Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
February 21, 2006 Tuesday

SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1
HEADLINE: St. Bernard makes plans for rebuilding, protection
BYLINE: By Karen Turni Bazile, St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

The committee also suggested the parish seek funding to buy out properties
and create a nonresidential buffer near the parish's two oil refineries,
which are now surrounded by residential neighborhoods. More than 1,600 homes
in Chalmette were affected by an oil spill from the Murphy Oil refinery
after Hurricane Katrina.

Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
December 13, 2005 Tuesday 

SECTION: A SECTION; FINAL; Pg. A1
HEADLINE: THE DANGER ZONE
Hurricanes pound coastal industries, inviting disaster.
BYLINE: Jim Stratton, Sentinel Staff Writer

When Katrina roared ashore, its floodwaters ripped a Murphy Oil tank from
its foundation and cracked it open, smearing just about everything in the
town once named Louisiana's cleanest community.

Three months after the storm, the stains on homes, cars and yards are still
visible. It's unclear when, or whether, the community will fully recover.

Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez said that for years, Murphy had
offered to buy homes from residents who no longer wanted to live near the
refinery.

"They were looking to create a buffer zone around their refinery," Rodriguez
said. "They've got a buffer zone now. They've got one hell of a buffer
zone."
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
July 16, 2002 Tuesday
SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1
HEADLINE: Boat firm expansion sails to approval; Council OKs rezoning
despite objections
BYLINE: By Karen Turni Bazile; St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

But Jason Licciardi, whose father owns an adjacent duplex, said the change
allows for a setback of about 25 feet from his doubles and the industrial
work, while normal industrial setbacks in St. Bernard require at least a
100-foot buffer zone.

Hunnicutt agreed that because the business is less than an acre, it could
have the smaller setback under the codes. That is one of the reasons he
opposed the change.

Two nearby duplex owners, including Licciardi's father, complained at an
April public hearing that the business had caused them to lose tenants
because of fumes and other production issues.

Cosse and Rodriguez objected to the change, and Rodriguez said it set an
unhealthy precedent because other business owners could ask for similar
expansions.

Cosse agreed the zoning change would be a "step backward" and could cause a
domino effect on Jacob Drive.

"If someone wants to build a home next to an industrial zone, that's their
choice. But for this council to move an industrial zone next to residents,
in my opinion, is just not sound planning," Cosse said. "You run a good
business, but I just can't with a clear conscious move industrial zoning
right next to residential zoning."


Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
June 11, 2006 Sunday
SECTION: BUSINESS
HEADLINE: Small refinery's future murky Wisconsin operation seen as low
priority for Murphy Oil
BYLINE: BY EDWARD KLUMP ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Murphy has purchased about 60 acres near the Superior refinery that act as a
buffer with the surrounding neighborhood, Hulse said.

The company is dealing with a federal class-action lawsuit in Louisiana over
a spill of about 1 million gallons of oil that occurred in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. Some of the
spilled oil went into the neighborhood surrounding the refinery, and
plaintiffs say Murphy was negligent. Murphy denies that allegation.

West said acquiring land near the Superior refinery is not a direct result
of the Louisiana spill.

"We're always looking to increase our buffer zone where we can," she said.