A local environmental justice organization is challenging a proposed refinery expansion, citing hazards to residents of Port Arthur's poorest neighborhoods.

Hilton Kelley, founder of Community In-power and Development Association Inc., held a press conference Wednesday near the Houston Avenue entrance to Motiva Enterprises, a Port Arthur refinery planning a $3.5 billion expansion project that will make it the largest refining facility in the country.

Two Port Arthur City Council members who represent the people in the affected area, John Beard Jr. and Martin Flood, attended the press conference to respond to Kelley's concerns.

"I agree with some of the concerns, but believe he (Kelley) is misinformed," Beard said. "Ignorance is a bad thing, especially when it is perpetuated through the media like this."

CIDA Inc. has filed a legal challenge to expansion and calls the proposal an "environmental injustice" to the largely poor, African American community living near the fence line.

"Port Arthur residents on the West Side are tired of being dumped on and left out of the benefits of these billion dollar projects," Kelley said. "If Motiva wants to build the biggest refinery in the nation on top of us then they need to be ready to sign a "Good Neighbor Agreement" that builds our community and protects our health."

Under the agreement, Kelley said Motiva should have a buy-out option for residents living along the refinery fence line, show a decrease in emissions, install a real-time monitoring system that reports instantly to a Web site accessible by residents, improve the warning network, have an evacuation plan for natural and terrorist disasters and develop an independent program to monitor environmental compliance. Kelley also wants the refinery to support a community controlled environmental education and health center run by CIDA.

Beard said the city already has a disaster evacuation plan, the Southeast Texas Alerting Network is in place to provide information to residents about emissions events and the TCEQ has almost a dozen monitors in place throughout the area to keep track of any releases from the refineries.

As for the education and health center, Flood said the area refineries have contributed to scholarships for Port Arthur students to receive a higher education and that Motiva regularly supports the Gulf Coast Health Center, which provides medical care for low-income residents.

"Good work is being done in Port Arthur, and the expansion is a good thing," Beard said. "Port Arthur is a poor city, and the petrochemical industry is the best opportunity this community has to end the cycle of poverty."

"The community needs a voice at the table to have input to what goes on in the area," Kelley said. "It's not that we are against the refineries operating, but we are against their blatant disregard of our citizens."

CIDA will seek full party status at a contested case hearing on Aug. 8 as part of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permitting process for the potential expansion.

Kelley is planning a community forum at 6 p.m. Friday at St. John Baptist Church, 801 Grannis Ave. Attorneys for CIDA led by Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer from Houston, will be on hand to address residents’ rights. For more information about the meeting or other CIDA concerns, contact Kelley at 498-1088.

Contact this reporter at mtennissen@panews.com or (409) 721-2426