No threat to public health, state officials say

On Thursday, sulfur dioxide was leaking from the refinery at a rate of 1,450 pounds per hour, according to a notice posted through the Delaware Emergency Release Notification System. In the most recent notice Saturday evening, the facility reported a release of more than 500 pounds of the chemical.

But sulfur dioxide levels detected by a nearby air monitoring station east of the refinery on Route 9 have remained “significantly below” health-based standards, Nikki Lavoie, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control spokesperson, wrote in an email.

Data available through the state’s air monitoring portal shows since May 26, 1-hour levels of sulfur dioxide at the Route 9 monitor peaked at 12 a.m. June 1, at 29 parts per billion — below the federal 1-hour health standard of 75 parts per billion. Most 1-hour readings have been even lower. The highest daily average recorded at the station since the incident began was around 6 parts per billion of sulfur dioxide, Lavoie said.

“Based on known quantities released along with real-time air quality data, there has been no indication of a public health threat from this incident that would require a broader emergency response,” she said.

Subscribers to the Delaware Emergency Release Notification System were notified of the release, but the state did not send out a broader emergency notification.

Release caused by a broken pollution control device

The release is the result of a mechanical issue with a primary air pollution control device at the refinery, Lavoie said. Because of this issue, the refinery switched to a secondary pollution control device, which does not manage sulfur dioxide, she said.

The refinery said it is working to repair the equipment, and that the work will take around two weeks.

“A team of competent, talented, and committed employees and contractors is working diligently around the clock to repair the equipment and return the refinery to its primary process configuration,” reads a statement provided by Randi Licciardello, lead community and government relations advisor at the refinery, which is owned by PBF Energy.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has not directed the refinery to shut down the equipment causing the release, because emissions during a shutdown can exceed the emissions from operation, Lavoie said.

State environmental officials are investigating the incident, and may take enforcement actions against the facility.

The Delaware City Refinery has a history of environmental violations, including three in just the past year.

The Delaware City Refinery has been continuously releasing more than permitted amounts of toxic sulfur dioxide into the air for a week now, yet there are still more questions than answers.

Here’s what we know.

What is the Delaware City Refinery?

The Delaware City Refinery is located on 5,000 acres just north of Delaware City, along the Delaware River, with a New Castle address.

It’s owned by PBF Energy, “one of the largest independent petroleum refiners and suppliers of unbranded transportation fuels, heating oil, petrochemical feedstocks, lubricants and other petroleum products in the United States,” according to the company’s website.

The Delaware City Refinery is “one of the largest and most complex refineries on the East Coast,” the website says, and can process up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day.

Historically, the Delaware City Refinery has been the state’s biggest polluter, frequently cited for air pollution violations. In October 2024, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control found that the refinery had deviated from its permit standards nine times between September 2022 and August 2023 and fined the refinery $75,000.

More than 86,000 people live within a 5-mile radius of the refinery, over half of whom are people of color and 20% of whom are lower-income, according to EPA data. Due to concerns with diversity, equity and inclusion, earlier this year, the EPA canceled a $500,000 grant that would have allowed the nonprofit Clean Air Council to monitor air pollution in the area of the refinery.

What is sulfur dioxide?

Sulfur dioxide is a gas composed of sulfur and oxygen. It forms when fuel such as oil, like at the Delaware City Refinery, is burned.

Background: Air monitor shows pollutant from Delaware City Refinery in acceptable range: DNREC

Sulfur dioxide can make it hard to breathe and harm the human respiratory system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It can also harm animals and plants.

Delaware Environmental Release Notification System, which reports on the Delaware City Refinery releases, says sulfur dioxide “may cause death or permanent injury after very short exposure to small quantities.”

Signs of acute sulfur dioxide exposure include symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, fatigue, chest discomfort, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and cyanosis, the reports say. People with asthma, subnormal pulmonary functions or cardiovascular disease are at a greater risk than others.

The fossil fuel industry is the largest contributor of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, according to the EPA. Refineries like the Delaware City Refinery are typically allowed to emit certain amounts of pollutants into the air and water through state and federal permits.

How much sulfur dioxide has been released in this incident and how much is unsafe?

The release of sulfur dioxide is ongoing and will continue “until the repairs are made,” a May 31 Delaware Environmental Release Notification System report says.

The refinery’s air quality permit doesn’t appear to be available online, so how much sulfur dioxide the company is normally permitted to release is unknown.

According to reports publicly posted on the Delaware Environmental Release Notification System website, the following amounts of sulfur dioxide were released by the Delaware City Refinery since May 25.

• 11:30 p.m., May 25: “over 100 pounds”
• 12:01 a.m., May 26: “greater than 500 pounds”
• 9:55 a.m., May 28: 500 pounds per hour
• 11:16 a.m., May 29: 1,450 pounds per hour
• 10:05 a.m., May 30: 1,450 pounds per hour
• 9 p.m., May 31: “greater than 500 pounds”

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a news release related to these incidents on May 31. It noted information from an air monitoring station east of the refinery on Route 9, but didn’t state the direction in which the wind was blowing at the time the information was recorded.

Delaware City Refinery ‘deviated’ from its permit 7 times in 2024 with no violations

The “health standard” for sulfur dioxide, according to the news release, is 75 parts per billion. The highest hourly measurement during “this incident” was 25 parts per billion for 6 a.m. on May 31, the release said. The highest-recorded daily average sulfur dioxide level was 2.5 parts per billion on May 26. When the news release was issued on May 31, the average was 7.33 parts per billion.

Since the news release was issued, more data has become available on the department’s Air Quality Monitoring Network website. It shows a new highest hourly measurement of 29 parts per billion at midnight on June 1.

What is causing the release?

Some DERNS reports cite “a boiler failure.”

DNREC and PBF representatives did not immediately respond to questions.

Why haven’t nearby citizens been notified?

DERNS sends out notifications of chemical releases, but only to people who have signed up.

DNREC spokesman Michael Globetti said concerning a past chemical release that DERNS is “not intended to be an emergency notification system, but rather a system to allow citizens to stay informed.”

The Department of Emergency Management Agency has sent out notifications of past chemical releases, but Director A.J. Schall said they haven’t sent out any releases related to the current refinery incident.

Why hasn’t the refinery shut down operations?

It’s unknown. DNREC and PDF representatives did not immediately respond to questions.

Molly McVety contributed to this story. Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.

PHILADELPHIA – Several times in 2024, the Northern Lights were visible in the region, which is an unusual and rare occurrence for the area. Another opportunity to view the beautiful spectacle is presenting itself Sunday night, scientists say.

What we know:

Remember when everyone was seeing the Northern Lights across southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and South Jersey one night last October?

We got to see the Northern Lights so much farther south than usual because of what forecasters called a “G4 (Severe) Geomagnetic Storm.”

That strong of a solar storm is pretty rare, and forecasters are calling for another Sunday night.

The backstory:

The sun constantly sends charged energy into space. While Earth’s magnetic field blocks out most of it, some of it sneaks in around the North and South Pole, leading to the northern and southern lights in those places.

Occasionally, a much bigger blast of charged energy leaves the sun, and that’s exactly what happened on Friday. You can see an example of that on X, here.

“Confidence in an Earth-arrival component to this [energy] is good” says the branch of the National Weather Service that focuses on space weather. “However, timing and intensity are more uncertain,” they note.

Timeline:

Right now, they anticipate 9 to 11 p.m. as the best time for you to see the Northern Lights with your own eyes Sunday night in the Philadelphia area.

If you head outside, but don’t see anything, try taking a picture with your cell phone on the night sight setting where it takes five to 10 seconds to capture a picture. Phones can capture the Northern Lights when our eyes cannot. However, Sunday night’s anticipated Northern Lights should be strong enough to see when you look up.

What you can do:

If you see them, share your picture with Kathy Orr and FOX29.  You might see one on air during our weather forecasts.