RSS Feed
February 15th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers rallied support on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for three imperiled Philadelphia-area oil refineries.
Sens. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Pat Toomey, a Republican, vowed to wage a tough fight to keep the refineries open and save jobs. They spoke at a meeting with about 150 refinery workers concerned that closing them could hurt the local workforce, push energy costs higher and endanger national security.
“We’re going to continue to fight with you,” Casey told the crowd. “This is all about you and your families. … We’ve got a lot more work to do.”
Sunoco is expected to shutter its plant in Marcus Hook this month. Another Sunoco refinery in Philadelphia is expected to close by July if a new buyer isn’t found. ConocoPhillips closed a refinery in Trainer last month.
If the refineries close, more than 2,600 workers will lose jobs, Casey has said.
Denis J. Stephano, 59, a millwright, recently lost his job in Trainer after working there for 35 years. He said there were about 230 union workers, many with families, who lost their jobs.
“It’s the younger people, the 30-year-old with two kids, who really have the toughest time with it,” he said. “That’s the bigger issue here.”
Joe Richardson, 47, of Philadelphia, a member of Boilermakers Local 13, said: “This is devastating to us all. There’s no reason except greed causing these people to shut these refineries down.”
Casey urged the corporate owners of the refineries to be more “up front” and “transparent” with workers and their unions about potential sales of the refineries and how they are proceeding.
Rich Johnson, a ConocoPhillips spokesman, said the company is doing all it can to find a buyer.
“We understand our decision to idle and seek a buyer for the Trainer Refinery has had a significant impact on our employees, their families and local communities,” Johnson said in an emailed statement. “We are making every effort possible to find a buyer for the refinery. We appreciate the ongoing support of local officials and other stakeholders who have offered to assist with the sales process, and we remain committed to keeping our stakeholders regularly informed of our progress.”
Thomas P. Golembeski, a Sunoco spokesman, said the company’s Northeast refining business has lost more than $900 million in the past three years.
“Unfortunately, the financial results reinforce in stark terms that market conditions for the foreseeable future are such that operation of these facilities is simply uneconomic and would jeopardize the future of the entire company, including 3,000 jobs in Pennsylvania,” Golembeski said in an emailed statement.
Golembeski added that on Feb. 2, Sunoco reported that “there is some degree of interest in Philadelphia as an operating refinery, but there has not been a single proposal received” to purchase Marcus Hook as an operating refinery.
“This is difficult news to communicate to employees and the community, and we are working hard to continue the sales process, consider alternative uses for the facilities if they do not sell as operating refineries, and assist our refining employees during this time of transition,” he said.
Toomey said the Pennsylvania congressional delegation is united in the fight to keep the refineries working.
“There’s no issue that’s more important to me than this,” said Toomey, recalling how his father had endured two strikes as a union worker installing underground cable for an electric company in Rhode Island.
Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Penn., said the House Homeland Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence he chairs will launch hearings into how nationwide refinery closures, including the three Philadelphia-area refineries, could increase risks to the nation’s critical infrastructure and threaten supply shortages in the event of a global crisis.
Meehan said the three imperiled refineries in the Philadelphia area account for 50 percent of the Northeast’s refinery capacity. He said more than 30 U.S. refineries have closed in the past decade.
“This hearing will help us understand the homeland security consequences of our declining domestic refining capacity, both in terms of threats to critical infrastructure and our dependence on imports from unstable parts of the world,” said Meehan, adding he would schedule the hearing as soon as possible.
Casey has called for a Senate hearing on the impact that the possible refinery closures could have on energy prices. He has warned that if no buyer is found and the refineries are permanently shuttered, the closures could drive up energy prices on the East Coast.
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
