[StBernard] A St. Bernard Parish environmental group has served notice

[Westley Annis]

http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/library-151/12150637071
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Thursday, July 03, 2008 


By Bob Warren 


A St. Bernard Parish environmental group has served notice that it intends
to file suit against the Murphy Oil refinery in Meraux over alleged
violations of the federal Clean Air Act. 



Through the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, the Concerned Citizens Around
Murphy delivered "notice of violation" letters to the refinery, the state
Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection
Agency Tuesday. Such a letter must be sent to the company and environmental
regulatory agencies 60 days before the filing of a lawsuit in federal court.



Suzanne Kneale, a founding officer of Concerned Citizens, said the group had
repeatedly complained to Murphy representatives about its emissions and was
assured by the company it would reduce flaring. 


She said the refinery has not reduced flaring, but that the group
nonetheless hopes to resolve its complaints in an amicable manner. "Our
neighborhood association (Concerned Citizens) would really rather use this
(lawsuit) as a last resort," she said. 


A Murphy spokesman said Wednesday he had not seen the violation notice. 


In the violation notice, the group notes more than 130 dates, beginning Oct.
15, 2003, and ending Jan. 30, 2008, in which the plant allegedly violated
the Clean Air Act by releasing pollutants such as sulfur dioxide in excess
of its permit limits. 


"We've brought the facts forward," Kneale said. 


According to the EPA, peak levels of sulphur dioxide in the air can cause
temporary breathing difficulty for people with asthma who are active
outdoors. Longer-term exposures to high levels of sulphur dioxide gas and
particles cause respiratory illness and aggravate existing heart disease. 


Corinne Van Dalen, an attorney with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic,
said the alleged violations were culled from emissions reports the plant
must make to environmental regulatory agencies. 


Van Dalen said the law clinic got involved at the request of the Concerned
Citizens group. 


The group formed after Hurricane Katrina, in the wake of a massive oil spill
at Murphy. That spill sent a million gallons of crude oil from a damaged
storage tank into the neighborhoods around the plant, resulting in a $330
million settlement in which the refinery made damage payments and bought
several hundred homes. 
. . . . . . . 
Bob Warren can be reached at bwarren at timespicayune.com or 504.826.3363.