Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
Superior Refinery Community Advisory Panel
February 7, 2002
Attendees: Robyn Bass, Bobbi Engstrom Germond, Doug Finn, Charlie Glazman, Pat Heiser, Keith Kesler, Carol Lindberg, Assistant Chief Tad Matheson, Tom Strewler.
Industry Representatives: Dave Podratz, Liz Lundmark, Corey Mead, Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
Guest: Mike Woolridge, BNSF Railway Company.
Facilitator: Mary A. Green, Ann Green Communications, Inc.
Minutes: Mary A. Green.
The regular meeting of the Superior Refinery Community Advisory Panel (CAP) was called to order by facilitator Mary A. Green, beginning at 6:04 p.m., February 7, 2002, at WITC.
Mary welcomed guest speaker Mike Woolridge. She asked everyone to introduce themself. Mary said Kaye Tenerelli agreed to join the panel.
Meeting logistics were covered:
· The agenda and handouts were reviewed.
· The minutes from the January meeting were approved as distributed.
BNSF Railway Company
Mike introduced himself to the panel and said he has been with the railway company for 20 years. His region covers six states and includes Minnesota and Wisconsin. He is responsible for 50 projects, including remediation projects. He also has responsibility for hazardous materials and TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response), a program that manages transportation incidents. [Two reports Mike distributed are attached to these minutes for those not present.]
As for the company's preparedness and response plans:
· Mike works with local fire departments to ensure they are trained in emergency response. His goal is to train 500 people annually.
· Superior is an interchange point for various railways. That makes it difficult to count the number of cars and to identify the contents.
· Majority of hazardous materials move through Minnesota from Fargo and then Minneapolis then on to Chicago.
· As for the railcars in Duluth, there is no hard data.
· The railway industry is highly regulated by the federal government. All incidents are investigated.
· Most trains have two people on them: a conductor and an engineer. If the trains are switching tracks, there is a brakeman to do that.
· The goal is to move the material as quickly as possible. The company does not allow material to sit for a period of time. That is a loss of revenue.
· The industry relies on local law enforcement officials for security. They also work closely with the Local Emergency Planning Committee and local fire departments.
· If there is a leak, those involved include the railway company, the local hazardous materials team and the material shipper.
· The railway tracks are inspected on a regular basis, using ultrasound and x-rays. This is a continuous process.
· The company prides itself on having the lowest air emissions of any railway company. They use the least amount of fuel to ensure they meet the air emission requirements.
· More leaks occur because shippers do not secure valves and because of overfilling of material in carriers.
· The company has zero tolerance for environmental problems.
· As for class-one railway companies, BNSF is number three in safety.
· He expects the railway company to be operating on the east coast in the coming years. This will occur through the purchase of an existing company.
Doug Finn said it would be helpful if the trains carrying coal did not come into the east end. Mike said the surface transportation board controls that.
Plant Report
Dave presented the refinery’s report since the last meeting. [A copy is attached to these minutes for those not present.] He said the plant had its first spill in two years. This happened at the wastewater treatment plant when a coupling on a tank broke. Most of the material was contained. Because it involved at least one gallon of material, the incident had to be reported.
There were four air exceedances. Dave said he will report the amounts for CO at the next meeting. There was one water permit exceedance. This was for BOD.
As for safety, Dave talked about the fire that occurred soon after the January meeting. [A news release was sent out with the January minutes about this issue.] There were four first-aid cases.
Dave said the plant's charge rate for operations is the lowest it has been in some time. This is due to low margins.
Additional plant information can be found in the plant report.
Dave said the company and the state have come to terms regarding the lawsuit settlement. He said the company must pay $5 million as a penalty and will construct a tail-gas recovery unit. This project's cost is $9 million. He said the company also will be subject to tighter standards and more testing. The company must apply for a new air permit. The plans to move forward and to address the requirements of the settlement will be discussed during the March meeting.
Committee Reports
Communications – The committee is moving forward:
· Optimist Club - Third week in February. Frank Giesen will give the presentation with Dave.
· City Council - Frank and Bob will give the presentation with Dave.
· Development Office - Second Monday in February. Bob will give the presentation with Dave.
· Bobbi Engstrom Germond agreed to continuing working with the realtors group to see when they would like a presentation.
· Bob Browne will contact the Lions Club.
· Committee members are Frank Giesen, Fariba Pendleton, Bob Browne, Kate Whitby.
Emergency preparedness – Funding for the emergency notification system has been approved. [A newspaper article is attached to these minutes for those not present.] Mary suggested the panel begin thinking about ways to educate the public about the system. She will bring examples to the next meeting. (Committee members are Dave Podratz, Bob Browne, Carol Lindberg.)
Youth environmental education programs – Tad said Peggy Smith is working to secure grants that may be helpful in getting the program off the ground. Tad said Peggy is hopeful the grants will help entice teachers to participate in the programs. An update will be provided during the next meeting. (Committee members are Lori Keute, Tad Matheson, Jay Mitchell, Liz Lundmark, Kate Whitby, Devin Pacheco).
Next Meeting Date and Agenda
The March meeting will include committee updates. Murphy Oil will talk about its plans to comply with the settlement requirements.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
Next Meeting Date: Thursday, March 7, 2002
WITC
5:30 p.m. - Dinner
6 p.m. – Meeting
Attachments:
Plant Report
Newspaper Article (Emergency notification plan receives approval)
Two railway reports distributed by Mike
American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal (Air Emissions from Petroleum Hydrocarbon Fires During Controlled Burning)
Environmental Law Update