Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
Superior Refinery Community Advisory Panel
May 2, 2002
Attendees: Robyn Bass, Bob Browne, Scott Campbell, Bobbi Engstrom Germond, Doug Finn, Frank Giesen, Keith Kesler, Lori Keute, Carol Lindberg, Tad Matheson, Genevieve Schillo, Tom Strewler, Kate Whitby.
Industry Representatives: Liz Lundmark, Corey Mead, Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
Guests: Cindy Bessler, Sgt. Dan Slick, Department of Transportation.
Facilitator: Mary A. Green, Ann Green Communications, Inc.
Minutes: Mary A. Green.
The regular meeting of the Murphy Oil USA, Superior Refinery Community Advisory Panel (CAP) was called to order by facilitator Mary A. Green, beginning at
6:05 p.m., May 2, 2002.
Mary welcomed guests Sgt. Dan Slick and Cindy Bessler. She asked the panel’s permission for Sgt. Slick’s presentation to be moved to the beginning of the agenda.
Transportation
Sgt. Slick is the supervisor for commercial vehicle enforcement in the region. Cindy is an inspector. Sgt. Slick said work is underway to educate all personnel in his region about response to hazardous material spills. His division is responsible for the enforcement of regulations and inspection of hazardous material carriers. Inspections are conducted randomly, either on the roads or at the weigh station.
Inspections include:
- Review of drive credentials,
- Overall vehicle check,
- Placard inspection,
- Container inspection, and
- Material packaging and labeling.
Because Wisconsin does not have its own laws, federal regulations are used to govern the transporters.
Placards are used to indicate the type of material in the carrier. [A copy of the placard description booklet is attached to these minutes.] Sgt. Slick said some carriers opt to use the placard marked dangerous, which requires a response team to do more investigation into the carrier’s cargo before approaching an incident. Not all material must be labeled and not all loads must be placarded. If a transport contains any amount from Table 1 of the DOT Chart 11, which includes explosives, poison gas, and radioactive materials, it must be placarded. If the transport contains materials from Table 2, only quantities over 1,000 pounds have to be placarded
During an emergency, responders use the Emergency Response Guidebook to determine the proper approach. The guidebook details the volatility of the material and how a release should be addressed.
There are three types of vessels used to transport material over the road:
- Pressurized,
- Heavily corrosive, and
- Refrigerated.
Pressurized vehicles are inspected for:
- Remote shutoff valves,
- Shearer protection underneath carrier,
- Rollover protection,
- Ventilation, and
- Rear-end protection.
If a transporting vehicle does not meat the specified criteria, it is taken out of order – often immediately. If paperwork or labeling is incorrect, or the driver is not certified, it is removed from service. This also is true if there is a leak. Sgt. Slick said penalties are more stringent for hazardous material carriers.
During an emergency response, police, state police or someone from the sheriff’s department are often the first to respond. They then relay information to the fire department response team to prepare for the incident. As for nuclear and defense materials, Sgt. Slick said extreme precautions are taken to protect the cargo.
Liz Lundmark said for companies, labeling and proper placard use can be complicated. She said it must be done by someone very knowledgeable in regulations.
Sgt. Slick said most carriers are in compliance. He said when the regulations are followed, they are adequate.
Mary thanked Sgt. Slick and Cindy.
After a break, the panel approved the April minutes.
Frank Giesen said the visit is scheduled for May 21 or 22. A report will be given to the CAP at the next meeting.
Liz reviewed the plant’s report. [A copy is attached to these minutes for those not present.]
There were no incidents, water permit exceedances or odor complaints. There was one air permit exceedance. As for safety, the plant celebrated a year without a lost-time injury. There were two recordable injuries: a broken finger and a burn to an ankle.
The charge rate was 26,391 barrels per day. This is down from 2001.
As for other items, Liz added to the list the Tree Tales Award Ceremony was recently conducted. Tree seedlings also were given to the Girl Scouts for distribution on Arbor Day.
Liz said additional security measures have been put into place since September 11. New lighting and cameras have been installed around the parameters of the refinery.
Communications – The panel continues to schedule presentations to local organizations. Scheduled for May are:
Shrine Club, May 20 – Dave and Charlie
Lions Club – Bob Browne will schedule a presentation for June.
Realtors – Bobbie Engstrom Germond said the presentation was postponed until probably August.
Educators – Tom Strewler will talk to Jay about this. He thinks early fall will be the earliest.
Emergency Preparedness – Keith Kesler said a subcommittee is working on the policy for the new First Call System. Until that is completed, the installation cannot happen. Keith said officials want to ensure the system works as planned. The system will be used to notify residents in the event of a hazardous material emergency, fire, law enforcement action or a health-related threat. There is some concern that the system will not call as many numbers as advertised. There is no way to test the system with our telephone lines. There is concern about the age of the telephone lines and their ability to carry as many calls as might be needed.
Education – Lori Keute said the teacher and students will attend the June meeting to talk about the classroom’s water testing program. Tom Strewler said the drain promotion program is well funded and sponsorship is not needed. [A newspaper article about these programs is attached to these minutes for those not present.] He suggested the panel consider funding activities that will get students outdoors. This will be discussed at the June meeting. It was noted maybe the panel could promote the water study to other classrooms. Tad Matheson said the grant Peggy Smith is pursuing will be used to promote water quality studies at all grade levels and to get it into the curriculum. He continues to talk with Peggy. She plans to have a meeting once the grant is awarded. [Committee members include Lori Keute, Tad Matheson, Jay Mitchell, Liz Lundmark, Kate Whitby, Devin Pacheco, Tom Strewler.]
Frank asked if there was information about Murphy Oil’s consideration to use a pipe rather than Newton Creek and to send its effluent to the Bay. After discussions, Liz said that would be something that could be considered when the permit is up for renewal in 2004. Some panel members said the company could do that but it would only make sense if the company did not increase its permit levels from those used for Newton Creek.
Frank said rumors have surfaced in the community about the refinery’s longevity. He said several people told him the company plans to close the facility and use the tanks for distribution. Liz said that is not true.
The panel also talked about a plant tour since there are new members. It was agreed that the August meeting could include a tour and that we would discuss this at the next meeting.
The June meeting will include the classroom presentation, committee updates and a plant update.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Next Meeting Date: Thursday, June 6, 2002
WITC
5:30 p.m. - Dinner
6 p.m. – Meeting
Attachments:
Newspaper article
Plant Report
Department of Transportation Chart