Environmentalists Beat IEPA & Conoco Over Permits
Published by Al Adomite on June 6th, 2008
According to the Alton Telegraph this morning, the $4 billion Conoco-Phillips could now be in limbo after environmental groups challenged the air permits issued by the EPA:
Ann Alexander, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, was lead litigator on the challenge. The council represented American Bottomlands Conservancy and the Environmental Integrity Project represented by Sierra Club.
“This is a huge win for anyone living near a refinery, but especially the communities in the Metro East area and for St. Louis. Excessive emissions from this expanded refinery would have harmed the health of everyone in the region,” she said in the council statement.
Is it truly a win for Madison County residents? $4 billion in industrial construction put in limbo. $4 billion to be spent on union construction jobs. $4 billion in oil industry profits to be reinvested here.
It would seem that Conoco and the Illinois EPA had agreed on environmental standards back in 2007:
An air permit for the project was submitted on May 15, 2006, and approved by the Illinois on July 19, 2007. The permit included approvals for the construction of many pollution control projects negotiated with the federal EPA under a consent decree. An appeal to this permit was filed with the federal EPA’s Board of Appeals on Aug. 22, 2007, by several environmental groups.
Can we not trust the IEPA to govern health standards for this project? The environmental groups mentioned above would seem to indicate that we couldn’t. State taxpayers spend a bunch of money on the IEPA each year considering that environmental groups seem to have little faith in the agency.
And, with record gas prices hitting the metro-east, isn’t it good to have an increase in refining capacity nearby? The next time I read about residents complaining of high gas prices, don’t blame “big oil company profits,” they tried to reinvest them in our own community.
In my previous post on this subject, I pointed out these statements from a City of Wood River brochure:
[T]he ConocoPhillips expansion will fund as many as 2,500 “construction jobs paying a union wage” that it “will completely tap the local work force thus attracting additional workers throughout the Midwest.”
And it’s not as if I’m advocating for loose environmental standards. The IEPA under a Democrat governor approved the permits. How “pro-business” could an IEPA under Rod Blagojevich possibly be?
So, are we truly “winners” today?
Filed under County Issues, State Issues
June 6th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Where is Dick Durbin etal when you need him!? Recently he has been going on and on about high gas prices and something needs to be done. Everyone knows one of the major reasons for high gas prices is the lack of refinery capacity. No knew refineries in the UNited States in 30 years. Conoco-Philips one day will get tired of all this and build the refeinery in Mexico or Canada and take all the good high paying jobs there. Of course, the Democrats like Durbin will be complaining then about outsourcing.
The DEMOCRATS continue to block pro business initiatives hiding behind the environmentalist outlandish and silly arguments. The DEMOCRATS will not be happy until we are paying $10 for a gallon of gasoline and all riding bikes.
The Madison County board should adopt a resolution in support of the Conoco-Philips project. They could send a message to the environmentalist that we are concerned about the environment, but we do want good high paying jobs.
Who on the county board will have the courage to show leadership on this issue?
June 8th, 2008 at 5:36 am
A resolution to show support? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the drafting and passing of resolutions that have no real impact. This would be one of those such resolutions. This has become a legal battle for the judiciary branch, not the legislative.
I also do not understand why Ron chooses to brow beat the democratic party with the injunction. This is not a partisan issue. These “watch-dog” groups, if you will, are acting on their own accord and not with party affiliation. It is the quick to point finger allegations of party politics that creates a negative impression of either side of the aisle; and it is most certainly unwarranted here.
Hopefully a quick resolution to the situation will happen that will secure the future of the jobs while still ensuring that we will not pay with our health down the road.
August 21st, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I live in Woodriver illinois & I’m doing backflips ! this is so great for my community that has been the dumping grounds for that refinery for over 90 years ! you dont like gas prices ? find another way to get around!this was blocked by the citizens of madison county illinois ! understand this ! conoco takes air samples of the air people of this county breathe & submit them to epa to obtain there permits to operate !they investigate themselves for air pollution ! the citizens of madison county already know they fudge the facts . the people of madison county have absolutly no reason to trust this company to do anthing other than screw us & the american people by creating a false scarcity of oil to drive up prices , just like enron did to the people of california with the rolling blackouts ! were not asking for an independent agency to test our air that we already know is not safe to breathe & get there current operating facility up to what should be todays standards! we are asking that the expansion is done to the highest guidlines possible(in order to suit the needs of the people being poisoned & progress of this great country. the people of madison county illinois blocked this , not government not epa , the people ! so you can defend one of the biggest oil companys in america or you can get on the side of the people who want them to dish out the cash to build it up to the highest standards possible .