Dear Friend, Energy Transfer (formerly Sunoco) is proposing to renew its stormwater discharge permit for the Fort Mifflin Terminal, which previously received shipments of oil by boat, immediately south of Philadelphia International Airport. The Fort Mifflin Terminal used to send crude oil and refined products to the former Philadelphia Refinery and the Darby Creek Tank Farm, but it has not operated in over five years. You can tell DEP to require Energy Transfer to decommission this facility and to ensure that, in doing so, Energy Transfer acts to prevent avoidable discharge of contaminants from the site. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) acknowledges that the Fort Mifflin Terminal has not received shipments of fossil fuels since the former Philadelphia Refinery exploded in June 2019. This facility includes several storage tanks that can hold a total of 570 thousand barrels of fossil fuels and those storage tanks are located entirely within the 100-year flood plain. The area around the Philadelphia International Airport is environmentally sensitive and known to flood during extreme rain events. DEP should not allow Energy Transfer to let this coastal fossil fuel storage facility sit idle in the 100-year floodplain for another 5 years. Residents impacted by flooding events near the Philadelphia International Airport deserve action to reduce local flood risks and remove potentially polluting fossil fuel infrastructure. Please click here to submit an official comment. Comments are due Monday, March 31st.  Sincerely, Russell Zerbo | |
