Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center - Sunoco Philadelphia Refinery Violations

Sunoco Refinery Update: Center Wins Additional Controls and Monitoring for Community in Settlement Agreement

On behalf of Community Labor Refinery Tracking Committee, the Center secured a negotiated settlement with Sunoco, Inc. of a federal Clean Air Act citizen suit alleging extensive violations of air permits at the Southwest Philadelphia refinery. The Consent Judgment, filed with the Court, provides for operational improvements to the amine system at the refinery's sulfur recovery plant which is anticipated to reduce emissions, and also funds the group's purchase of sophisticated community air monitoring equipment. The Consent Judgment further commits Sunoco to deliver detailed reports to the Committee that explore reasons for excessive flaring incidents. These items of relief come in addition to major pollution reduction changes, civil penalties, and supplemental environmental projects obtained via settlement of a parallel EPA enforcement action that the Center's suit helped speed to a conclusion.

Center brings Suit against Sunoco to Curb Violations

On behalf of an association of residents in Southwest Philadelphia known as the Community / Labor Refinery Tracking Committee, the Center filed a Complaint in April 2005 against Sunoco in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of PA. The suit alleges that Sunoco has committed significant and repeated violations of its Title V Clean Air Act permit and the underlying regulations at its Philadelphia Refinery to the particular detriment of the surrounding communities. The Committee has been a watchdog of the Refinery since the early 1990s and has successfully sued Sunoco in 1997 for some plant improvements. The Committee has been tracking continuing violations since 2000 and was asked by EPA to abstain from new litigation while the Agency attempted to negotiate a national settlement with Sunoco. After five years of waiting in the face of unabated pollution, the Committee asked the Center to begin proceedings against the company. Relief sought in the lawsuit includes corrective action to reduce air pollution from the Refinery and systems to increase reliability to prevent malfunctions resulting in unpermitted releases of hazardous air pollutants.