By Adam Swift
Two oil terminals in Chelsea and Revere run by Global Partners, Ltd., are allegedly polluting the waters of Chelsea Creek with dangerous petroleum byproducts. The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) has notified Global Partners, Ltd., that they intend to sue the company for Clean Water Act violations at two oil terminals they run in Chelsea and Revere.
According to CLF, the two terminals are allegedly polluting the waters of Chelsea Creek with dangerous petroleum byproducts.
“Chelsea Creek is a landmark for residents of Chelsea, Revere, and East Boston, but it has been poisoned by industrial pollution from the fossil fuel industry for too long,” said Heather Govern, vice president of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “Global has a responsibility to comply with the law and must take action to reduce these dangerous levels of pollution now.”
CLF claims that it has found that Global allegedly is violating its 2022 Clean Water Act permit by releasing dangerous levels of pollutants, including cancer-causing petroleum byproducts, into Chelsea Creek. The creek has historically been popular among residents for catching big striped bass and other fish.
However, because petroleum byproducts build up in fish and shellfish, the fish in Chelsea Creek are unsafe to eat. Studies have found this “bioconcentration” can be as much as 100,000 times more contamination than the surrounding river, according to a press release from the CLF.
However, Global Partners officials stated that Since January of 2023, the company has been working closely with EPA to address the concerns identified by CLF.
“In fact, the company voluntarily disclosed these issues to EPA when the agency set new permit limits for certain metals and other compounds allowed under the permits in December of 2022,” said Jaclyn Harrison, Global Partners senior communications director. “In January 2023, EPA and Global began working together to develop a monitoring, compliance, and treatment plan to comply with the strict new permit requirements.”
Harrison said Global will continue to work closely with EPA to ensure that it meets its obligations to the environment and the communities.
CLF officials stated that the lawsuit continues its advocacy to protect Chelsea Creek and the nearby Mystic River from pollution discharged from oil terminals and oil operations.
In 2022, CLF collaborated with community partners to persuade the EPA to set stricter limits on how much Global can pollute, CLF officials stated, adding that late last year, ExxonMobil, under pressure from a CLF lawsuit, ceased operations of its Everett oil terminal and agreed to sell its aging facility.