Hi John,
On June 21, PA-05 was rocked by the explosion at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions plant. PES, which has now filed for bankruptcy and been put up for sale, is planning to shut its doors on the 25th, laying off hundreds of hardworking Pennsylvanians.
This is devastating for PA-05’s workforce -- and we are closely monitoring efforts to reopen PES and find employment for its skilled workforce -- but the implications of what happened at PES reach much further. As a 150 year old refinery, PES presents an avalanche of environmental issues, including a history of air pollution that researchers have linked to increased childhood asthma and other health issues. But we also have new concerns about the cause of the explosion and the residual impact. As the PES facility shuts down, we need to to assure the health and safety of workers and area residents, whether or not the refinery reopens.
It recently came to light that the Philadelphia Health Department detected elevated levels of deadly hydrogen fluoride gas near the site of the explosion. While the health department claims that the reading was a false positive and that the instrument that took this elevated reading wasn’t properly calibrated, I’m far from satisfied by this explanation and will continue to press for answers from the Chemical Safety Board and other relevant investigators.
Hydrogen fluoride, a chemical used in the refining process, can travel seven miles in just ten minutes, which means that over a million Pennsylvanians could have been exposed to this deadly gas during and after the explosion. PES can’t just shut its doors and evade responsibility. In addition, PES has started the complicated process of neutralizing and removing the hydrogen fluoride on site, and we need to make sure that is done safely.
The PES facility needs to transition responsibly for the public health and safety of our workers and our community. That is why our office spearheaded an effort requesting that federal agencies ensure a safe shutdown and thorough investigation -- because we must protect our community and deserve the truth about whether the health of Pennsylvanians was compromised.
I will continue to keep you updated on further developments regarding the PES site and the environmental and health consequences of the refinery explosion and shut down.
-Mary Gay
