Green Party Stands Against PBF Energy's Crude-By-Rail Increase Through DE For Crude-By-Barge To Paulsboro, NJ Refinery

Green Party letter in today's News Journal ~ Delawareans right to fear oil-by-rail process

Delawareans have good rea­son to be concerned when read­ing about the news of the train explosion in Quebec. The tank­er cars were hauling the same Bakken oil as the trains coming into PBF Energy’s Delaware City Refinery. Currently 110 cars move through the state each day, to increase to 140 tanker cars over the summer, and then an additional 130 cars per day of tar sands oil starting next year.

This increase is because PBF expects to be permitted to use barges to transport oil across the Delaware River to its Paulsboro, N.J. facility (in violation of Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act).

The Canadian government is investigating three other train accidents that have occurred there in the last 12 months, all trains moving oil. In our own area, we’ve seen an increase of train incidents as well.

In November 2012, a train derailed in Paulsboro, N.J., spilling 23,000 gallons of vinyl chloride. In February 2012, a train hauling sulfuric acid de­railed just outside of Elkton, Md. And during Memorial Day weekend, four cars tipped over within the Delaware City Refin­ery complex; this went unre­ported at the time, since there was no spill and it happened on private property.

None of these received na­tional attention, just as similar incidents across the country don’t get ours.

This weekend’s tragedy in Quebec is no similar incident. Five confirmed dead, 40 miss­ing.

This isn’t something Dela­wareans should be inviting into our state. But a not-in-my-back­yard mind-set isn’t enough. We need to be saying “not in any­body’s backyard.”

Jennifer Wallace

Secretary Green Party of Delaware Newark

Meanwhile,

Save the date; August 6, at 6 PM, Delaware City Library, 250 5th St, Delaware City. For those of you from anywhere in DE who have questions about anything DNREC can answer:

Delaware Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice will be holding a public forum with a representative from DNREC on August 6th at 6pm at the Delaware City Library. The forum will offer residents the opportunity to ask questions about about what is the role of DNREC as well as their concerns regarding issues of health and safety.

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