City Forms Advisory Group For Philly Refinery, Meetings Set

PHILADELPHIA — In the wake of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery suffered a fire and explosion on June 21, the City of Philadelphia has officially formed the PES Refinery Advisory Group and has set meetings to address the impact of the incident.

The Refinery Advisory Group is comprised of community members, academic and environmental experts, business leaders, city officials, and organized labor.

It will organize a series of focused public meetings aimed at gathering testimony and information from experts and stakeholders.

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Each of these committees will be hosting public meetings in the weeks ahead. Members of the public who are interested in presenting at one of these meetings are encouraged to register by emailing refinery@phila.gov.

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The group was formed after Mayor Jim Kenney called for Managing Director Brian Abernathy and Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel to convene an advisory group of stakeholders with diverse experience, knowledge, and perspectives on the PES refinery site and operations to better inform how the City approaches the future use of the site.

>>>RELATED: Philly Refinery Explosion, Fire Probe Could Take Years: Officials<<<

The first public meeting of the full Refinery Advisory Group will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at Preparatory Charter School, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., Philadelphia.

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At this meeting, City staff will provide an introductory overview of the Refinery Advisory Group, give a brief presentation about the refinery site, and discuss the structure of future Advisory Group meetings. Public comments that are limited to these topics will be welcomed at the end of the meeting.

The next two public meetings will be hosted by committees of the Refinery Advisory Group and held at the following dates and times:

• Community Committee - Tuesday, Aug. 20, 5:30 p.m.
• Environmental and Academic Committee - Tuesday, Aug. 27, 5:30 p.m.

Both committee meetings will be held at Preparatory Charter School and are open to the public. Testimony and comments from relevant stakeholders will be welcomed at these respective committee meetings.

Through the committee meetings, members of the Advisory Group hope to gather information from a wide array of stakeholders and subject matter experts to share with City officials. People who are interested in presenting at any of these meetings are strongly encouraged to register in advance by emailing refinery@phila.gov.

Additional meetings will be scheduled and announced in the weeks ahead. Future meeting dates and locations, as well as informational updates about the work of the Refinery Advisory Group, will be made available at online here.

"The fire at PES last month and the company’s decision to shut down the South Philadelphia refinery will have a profound impact on Philadelphia for years to come," Abernathy said. "The City is taking the necessary steps to ensure the operations wind down safely and that we have a robust public conversation about what the future of the site could look like. I am grateful for the Advisory Group members for lending their time and expertise to this important endeavor. I encourage the community to get involved by attending these public meetings so their voice can be a part of the process."

Advisory group members include:

Co-Chairs

• Brian Abernathy, Managing Director, City of Philadelphia
• Adam Thiel, Fire Commissioner and Director of Emergency Management, City of Philadelphia

Government Members

• Harold Epps, Director of Commerce, City of PhiladelphiaAnne Fadullon, Director of Planning and Development, City of Philadelphia
• Tom Farley, Commissioner of Public Health, City of Philadelphia
• Christine Knapp, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia
• Rich Lazer, Deputy Mayor for Labor, City of Philadelphia
• Patrick Patterson, SE Regional Director, PA Department of Environmental Protection

Business Members

• Anne Bovaird Nevins, Chief Strategy and Communications Officer, PIDCMatt Cabrey, Executive Director, Select Greater Philadelphia
• Edward Hazzouri, Chairman, Hazzouri and Associates, LLC
• Denis O’Brien, Senior Executive Vice President, Exelon Utilities
• Anna Shipp, Executive Director, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
• Jerry Sweeney, Chairman, Philadelphia Regional Port Authority
• Craig White, President & CEO, Philadelphia Gas Works

Environmental/Academic Members

• Peter DeCarlo, Associate Professor, Drexel University
• Mark Alan Hughes, Founding Faculty Director, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, University of Pennsylvania
• Christina Simeone, PhD Student, Colorado School of Mines/National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Community Members

• Jody Della Barba, President, Girard Estates Area Residents
• Otis Bullock, Jr., Executive Director, Diversified Community Services
• Shawn Jalosinski, Executive Director, Sports Complex Special Services District
• Irene Russell, President, Friends of Stinger Square and Member of Philly Thrive

Labor and Employment Members

• Mark Lynch, Safety Coordinator, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
• Ryan O’Callaghan, Business Manager, United Steelworkers Local 10-1
• Jim Snell, Business Manager, Steamfitters Local 420
• Tony Wigglesworth, Philadelphia Area Labor Management Committee

Advisory Group Staff

• Javon Davis, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Philadelphia Fire Department
• Patrick O’Neill, Divisional Deputy City Solicitor, City of Philadelphia
• Chris Rupe, Chief of Staff, Managing Director’s Office, City of Philadelphia