Title
Authorizing City Council's Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings to examine the status of the Sunoco refinery in South Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Sunoco has already idled its refinery in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania and may shut down its refinery in Philadelphia if it cannot find a buyer for the facility in the near future; and
WHEREAS, ConocoPhillips has ceased producing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel at its refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, The refineries in Marcus Hook, Trainer, and Philadelphia comprise approximately fifty percent of the refining capacity in the Northeastern United States, the absence of which could raise fuel prices and increase the East Coast's dependence on imported fuel; and
WHEREAS, These refineries are situated within a twelve mile radius of one another. The shutdown and possible closure of these facilities could directly result in the loss of thousands of refinery jobs and tens of thousands of ancillary jobs. One study estimates that over eighteen jobs could be lost for every lost refinery job and that the area could lose more than $566 million in state and local taxes if the refineries are closed; and
WHEREAS, Most of the workers at the facilities in Trainer and Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania have already lost their employment and, according to Pennsylvania's Center for Workforce Information and Analysis's assessment, thirty nine percent of the workforce at the ConocoPhillips refinery may have a fair to difficult time finding new employment; and
WHEREAS, In February 2012, the United States Government reported that a shutdown of the Sunoco refinery in Philadelphia could result in increased diesel and gasoline prices. According to the Energy Information Administration, closure of the Philadelphia refinery would pose logistical challenges that could raise prices until the industry is able to adapt infrastructure to accommodate for the absence of the Philadelphia refinery, which could t...
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