Good afternoon,
Today we saw at least one online piece on the Delaware City refinery fire that was short on hard data and long on opinion and speculation.
Make no mistake about it. Refineries deal with pressurized processes. Fires and worse are possibilities even with a stringent safety culture.
A major mistake was made years ago when a buffer zone was not mandated for new home construction within a couple of miles of the refinery. That ship has sailed.
I was not around for the recent fire, but I have lived around the refinery for three decades and witnessed the progress made in reducing odors, flaring and overall pollution.
It is likely that many residents weren’t around in the earlier days of the refinery. Flaring sometimes lit up the night sky and a rotten egg smell kept windows closed on many days.
As conditions improved, it is easy to take for granted the necessities of daily life come with no risk. Worse yet, we often have little contact with those whose livelihoods depend on the hard and sometimes dangerous work of refining crude oil.
The refinery fire will be investigated, a cause will be determined, corrective actions will be taken, and fines may be levied.
The second-guessers and those with a “shut down the refinery agenda” should not jump to conclusions. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
