Officials Address Safety Concerns At Shuttered Oil Refineries

By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Delaware County Emergency Service officials met with representatives from Sunoco and Conoco Phillips oil refineries on Thursday to discuss public safety concerns following the closure of the two facilities.

Ed Doyle is the Chair of Delaware County's Local Emergency Planning Committee.  He says the biggest concern with idled refineries is fuel left over in tanks that could catch fire, but Doyle says Sunoco and ConocoPhillips officials have assured the county that they are taking all necessary precautions:

"They'll be working to clean all the tanks and safe those tanks. Right now, all the vessels that held flammable liquids have all been (deemed) safe.  They are under a nitrogen purge at this time."

Doyle says the refineries will keep trained fire and safety crews in place, along with firefighting equipment.

"We walked out of that meeting knowing that both Conoco Phillips and Sunoco know what their responsibilities are."

He says even though the closure of the refineries and loss of jobs has hurt the area, residents can rest assured that safety is a top concern.