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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Robert Donatucci |
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Uncommon stench lacked common sense, charges Donatucci
HARRISBURG, Jan. 14 – State Rep. Robert Donatucci, D-Phila., today vowed to get to the bottom of what caused last night's widespread release of a chemical smell from the Sunoco oil refinery in South Philadelphia and why it was so poorly handled by the facility operators.
The odor prompted hundreds of worried calls to emergency dispatch centers and the media from residents of South Philadelphia and South Jersey, but it was hours before the refinery told public safety officials about the incident, which they said was caused by oil that got onto the top of a high-rise tank at the facility during a cleaning operation.
Donatucci said it is inexcusable that residents were left guessing what was causing the smell and in fear of breathing in hazardous air.
"The turmoil could have been greatly reduced if authorities had been informed by the plant hours earlier so area residents who smelled the stench would not be so alarmed that it was poisonous or originating from their home," said Donatucci. "There was a total lack of common sense by refinery operators who, with a couple phone calls, could have quickly informed authorities and the news media about the cause of the smell and that it presented no danger."
Donatucci said he is concerned about the long delay in the refinery letting emergency officials know about the source of the smell, and has written John Hanger, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, to request a thorough investigation of the incident, including any potential of danger to the public.
"While Sunoco is quick to claim that the situation is safe and that it posed no health or safety hazard, my nose tells me different," wrote Donatucci. "I would like to know exactly what was emitted into the air, at what levels, and the degree of contamination that the residents of South Philadelphia were exposed to."
In addition, Donatucci has written Tom Huynh, director of air management services for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, to tell him about his request for a DEP investigation. He also informed Huynh that he will ask House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Chairman Bud George, D-Clearfield, to hold a public hearing in Philadelphia to examine the evolution of the incident and to determine if state law or regulations should be adapted to prevent a repeat.
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