PHILADELPHIA—The city announced on Monday it will hold another four public meetings this month and next of the newly formed PES Refinery Advisory Group to gage the economic impacts of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery fire in June.

The massive fire and explosion on June 21 led to the closure of the PES refinery, which affected more than 1,000 workers.

The Advisory Group was established by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to gather the perspectives of different stakeholders and community members to inform city leaders on the impact of the closure of the PES refinery on Philadelphia with respect to the economy, environment, public health and safety. Each committee represents experts and stakeholders from the community, business sector, academic and environmental sectors, and organized labor. The Advisory Group held its first public meeting on Aug. 6.

The Advisory Group will convene to hold four additional meetings in August and September at the following dates and times:

Community Committee – today, Aug. 20, 5:30 p.m.

Labor Committee – Wednesday, Aug. 21, 5:30 p.m.

Environmental and Academic Committee – Tuesday, Aug. 27, 5:30 p.m.

Business Committee – Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, 5:30 p.m.

All committee meetings will be held at Preparatory Charter School at 1928 Point Breeze Ave. and are open to the public. Members of the public who are interested in attending any of these meetings or presenting to the Labor, Environmental and Academic or Business committees are encouraged to register in advance by emailing refinery@phila.gov.

Managing Director Brian Abernathy and Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel also reported the addition of four more community leaders to the Advisory Group—Donna Henry—Southwest Community Development Corporation; Claudia Sherrod—Point Breeze community activist; Ethel Wise—Wilson Park Resident Council and Anton Moore—Unity in the Community

“During the first meeting of the Advisory Group, members of the public expressed a desire to see more of their neighbors and trusted community leaders in the group,” Abernathy said. “We listened to that feedback and doubled the number of community representatives on the Advisory Group—from four to eight. We are excited that these leaders are dedicating their time and energy to help the city with this important work, and we are grateful that they are helping to make sure the voices of their neighbors are heard.”

On June 26, PES announced it would close the refinery and sell the 1,300-acre site. On July 21, PES filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. According to the city, the firm ended crude oil refining in the complex, continued efforts to stabilize the area near the original incident and began to wind down operations. On Aug. 6, the neutralization process began for the remaining hydrofluoric acid at the site.

Instant Insights /

City to Hold Further Meetings to Discuss Refinery Fire’s Impacts

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