Michael Redd a consulting engineer hired by Silver Eagle told Woods Cross City council members Tuesday he understands that city officials, the community and regulators have all lost confidence in the refinery, even though all units except the dewaxing unit that exploded on Nov. 4 are operational.
The refinery shut down after the explosion and employees are working to get the refinery running again.
Redd and Brian Gibbs, a consultant with ABS, introduced themselves to city council members Tuesday night and shared what they could about the repair operation going on at the refinery. They also promised to keep the city informed of progress being made in the clean-up.
ABS is the American Bureau of Shipping, whose operation has grown to include consultants in chemical industries.
Gibbs, whose focus is mechanical and structural integrity of refineries, said he and a team are at the refinery to investigate the incident and discover the underlying reason for the explosion, assist refinery officials in dealing with regulators, and assess the condition of the refinery.
Meanwhile state Rep. Roger Barrus has met with representatives of all five refineries in the first of an ongoing series of meetings. He told council members that the refineries recognize they’re all in this together and they are committed to helping each other.
Barrus told council members there’s no one agency which regulates refineries, but that they work most closely with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Even though the refinery’s operation is shut down, Redd said they continue to have lights on, a boiler in operation to keep equipment from freezing and trucks are moving product in and out. The refinery has some fuel product in storage tanks which is being shipped out to customers and additional product is being trucked in from Evanston for storage.
Redd said the refinery would like to start up operations again “as soon as we’re comfortable.”
But that may bring a reduction of the workforce, Redd said, explaining that because of the economy, refineries nationwide are reducing their workforce or shutting down operation. “It’s not good times in the industry. We want to produce jobs and pay taxes, but do so safely. If not, the refinery is nor sustainable.”
Council member Tamy Dayley said she appreciates more eyes at the refinery, but she worries what will happen down the road in a year or two, or even five or 10 years.
None of the men could give her the guarantee she was seeking, that there would be no more problems at Silver Eagle or any of the other refineries, but Barrus said one of his goals is to look at the laws governing refineries so that after current city and state leaders no longer represent residents, the laws will ensure safety.
mwilliams@davisclipper.com
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