A Greener Future For the PES Refinery Site

The 1400-acre Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) oil refinery in South and Southwest Philadelphia is shutting down. The refinery was Philadelphia’s  largest industrial source of air toxics and greenhouse gas pollution and refinery operations on this site have endangered public health and the environment for over a century and half.  A catastrophic explosion last summer put many neighborhoods  in danger and resulted in the refinery closing and filing for bankruptcy. 

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of the shuttered PES refinery to Hilco Redevelopment Partners in February. Hilco beat out a competing bid that would have allowed for continued operation of an oil refinery on the site. Now, the former PES site is expected to transition from oil refining to a light industrial and logistics hub in the coming years. Hilco does not plan to operate a refinery, which will put an end to refinery operations at the site for good. This is a major win for protecting air quality and public health and curbing climate change. 

The Council played a key role during this critical moment in time to ensure the long-term use of the former refinery site will protect the environment, health, and safety, while spurring economic development and high-paying union jobs.

The Council’s staff of lawyers and advocates listened to and worked alongside community members following the refinery explosion to mobilize elected officials and other stakeholders to advocate for safer, healthier, and sustainable redevelopment of the site. The Council’s advocacy convinced Philadelphia City Council to unanimously pass a resolution calling for the future of the site to be more protective of the public and the environment. 

The Council’s  advocacy team organized a visioning process on the possible long term use of the refinery property and facilitated a discussion between the most relevant city agencies, local elected officials, community residents, and other important stakeholders.  The Council’s work directly influenced the city to consider supporting possibilities for future uses of the site beyond a refinery.

Council attorneys continue to complete an in-depth technical review of initial environmental assessments of the extremely contaminated site, which are the first stage of the cleanup planning process. The soil and groundwater at the site are heavily contaminated. Council attorneys and engineers identified the most polluted areas of the site and areas being overlooked by Sunoco’s technical consultant Evergreen Resources. The Council is calling for a more thorough and protective cleanup of soil and groundwater at the site. 

For more information on the Council’s visioning work for the refinery contact Matt Walker. 

For more information on the Council’s work on ensuring clean up of the site contact Chris Ahlers.