Philadelphia Energy Solutions News

Bankruptcy Court Ruling Secures $93M in Additional Coverage for Refinery Owners

The owner of a Philadelphia refinery that was shut down after a June 2019 explosion secured at least $93 million in additional coverage from its insurers after a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge ruled in favor of the policyholders’ interpretation of …

150 Years of Spills: Philadelphia Refinery Cleanup Highlights Toxic Legacy of Fossil Fuels

PHILADELPHIA — Wearing blue hard hats, white hazmat suits and respirator masks, workers carted away bags of debris on a recent morning from a sprawling and now-defunct oil refinery once operated by Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES). Other laborers ripped asbestos …

U.S. Refining Capacity Poised For First Big Drop in Nearly a Decade

NEW YORK/HOUSTON — U.S. oil refining capacity this year could decline by the largest amount in nearly a decade as pandemic-related travel curbs and a fire shut several plants, reversing years of small gains. Refiners globally have been idling plants …

Sale of Philadelphia Refinery Nears; Foes Vow Long Legal Fight

NEW YORK — Opponents of Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ bankruptcy plan have vowed a long legal fight if a federal court this week approves a sale that would keep the largest East Coast oil refinery permanently shut while paying out bonuses …

U.S. Refiners, Chemical Makers Pare Insurance Coverage as Accidents Boost Costs

U.S. refineries and petrochemical plants are cutting back on insurance because several years of severe accidents have driven up the cost of coverage, industry and insurance sources said. With less insurance coverage for physical damage and business interruption, energy companies …

Fire-Damaged Philadelphia Oil Refinery Heads for Auction

NEW YORK — The fate of the largest East Coast oil refinery is set to be decided on Friday in an auction that could determine whether the Philadelphia plant is restarted or used for a different purpose for the first …

United Steelworkers Sues EPA Over Weakening of Chemical Safety Rule

NEW YORK — The United Steelworkers sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in federal court on Thursday in a bid to reverse its gutting of a safety rule at chemical plants, the union said. The largest U.S. industrial union’s lawsuit …

Bankrupt Philadelphia Refinery Expects Second Insurance Payment

Insurers of Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) have indicated they will make a second payment of $15 million from its property policy in connection to the June fire and subsequent shutdown of the plant, court documents showed. The payout will be …

Cause of Philadelphia Fire Sounds Alarm Over Aging U.S. Refineries

PHILADELPHIA — How did a piece of piping installed when Richard Nixon was U.S. president go without once being checked before leading to a fire that devastated the East Coast’s largest and oldest oil refinery? That’s a question safety experts …

Safety Board Says Corroded Pipe Led to Philadelphia Refinery Fire

NEW YORK, Oct 16 — An old, degraded piece of metal pipe that had not been tested for corrosion led to a June fire and explosions at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation …