Yet Another Oil Refinery is Shutting Down

On January 27th of this year, I posted a story about a ConocoPhillips oil refinery in New Jersey shutting down. Well, now comes word that a Sunoco refinery near Philadelphia is also closing up shop. Here is NBC 10 Philadelphia with the details:

Officials at a Sunoco refinery near Philadelphia say about 100 employees are being laid off at the end of the week.

The workers at the company's Marcus Hook plant in Delaware County were given layoff notices saying Friday would be their last day, reports the Delaware County Daily Times.

Sunoco spokesman Thomas Golembeski said Tuesday that the hourly employees were told not to return because the first phase of the plant decommissioning process has been completed. But he says the workers will be paid their wages through the end of the month.

Sunoco said last year that it would idle the refinery and lay off about 490 employees because of deteriorating market conditions. Another Sunoco refinery in Philadelphia is expected to close by July if a buyer isn't found.

And all the politicos can do is whine about it:

Pennsylvania politicians urged Sunoco CEO Brian MacDonald to find a buyer for the facilities.

"With so many jobs on the line and the risk of higher fuel prices for consumers across the northeast, Sunoco and ConocoPhillips must be held accountable for the impact refinery closures would have on the region," said Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) in a letter sent Wednesday. "We need these companies to be more transparent with workers and the public as they contemplate decisions that could have very damaging impacts not only on the local communities but on the entire northeast."

What a pathetic, pandering little worm. Do you really think these refineries are closing because the companies are deliberately being mean, Senator Casey? Or that they wouldn't sell the refineries if they could actually find buyers for them? They're shutting these refineries down because they can no longer turn a profit with them, for whatever reason. The implications of that fact ought to be as clear as they are dire. And you'd be much better off telling your constituents the truth instead of continuing to blow smoke up their asses.


Bonus: Bad boy that he was, Pennsylvania would still likely be better off with the fictional Senator Bob Roberts