Delaware
Delaware City Refinery continues toxic chemical release. Here’s what we know
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.
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.
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.
DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. — All lanes closed on I-69 in the southbound direction in Delaware County on Friday morning.
Authorities with the Indiana State Police were dispatched to the 240.5 mile marker on a report of a crash involving a semi at approximately 8:08 a.m.
All lanes are now open.
Pennrose and JPMorganChase help neighborhoods – and residents – thrive.
Finding an affordable place to live continues to be a challenge for many as widespread housing shortages persist across the U.S. Rising home prices and high interest rates have made homeownership inaccessible for a large portion of the population. Meanwhile, as rental demand increases, the number of renters facing affordability challenges is also on the rise.
The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025 by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies reveals that cost burdens for renters reached another record high in 2023. Similarly, the JPMorganChase Institute reports that renter affordability is declining and forcing people to devote more of their take-home pay to housing costs. There is a growing need for affordable housing across the U.S., and that rings true here in Wilmington.
To close that gap, it’s essential that all Wilmington residents share in its growth with housing options that accommodate a range of needs and budgets. For the Pennrose real estate firm, this meant delivering a concrete solution to the local community, resulting in housing for individuals and families who otherwise might not have been able to live in the area.
Reinvesting in Wilmington’s Riverside
In Wilmington, the Riverside redevelopment initiative is focused on neighborhood stability at a scale that can be felt across generations – bringing housing, education and community resources together so families can remain rooted and move forward. Imani Village, developed by Pennrose in partnership with the Wilmington Housing Authority and nonprofit community organization REACH Riverside and constructed with support from JPMorganChase, is part of this broader effort, which is expected to create more than 600 high-quality, mixed-income homes while also enhancing and expanding EastSide Charter School and Kingswood Community Center to help establish a “cradle to college/career readiness education pipeline.”
By tying new housing to strengthened local institutions, the redevelopment aims to reduce the pressure that forces families to relocate and instead keep children closer to school, neighbors closer to one another and residents connected to the services that help them thrive. In practical terms, Imani Village represents not just additional homes, but a commitment to building a neighborhood where opportunity is easier to access and easier to keep.
“We’re proud of the far-reaching impact this project will have. It reflects Pennrose’s mission to uplift our communities and expand the supply of high-quality, affordable homes,” said Brett Macleod, Community Development Banking, J.P. Morgan. “Every additional housing unit matters – and increasing the number that are affordable is critical.”
A broader commitment to Wilmington’s future
While Imani Village is foundational, the vibrancy of a community depends on much more. In Delaware, the firm provides banking services to 215,000 customers and works across sectors to expand economic opportunity. Over the last five years, JPMorganChase has invested more than $25 million in local nonprofit organizations, supported 25,000 small business clients and delivered financial health education to thousands of residents to broaden access to banking, financial health resources, homeownership and other wealth-building tools.
“As we work with local stakeholders to expand housing options, JPMorganChase’s goal is to create inclusive economic opportunity for all,” said Don Mell, Location Management, Americas East Region Lead and member of the Delaware & Philadelphia Market Leadership Team at JPMorganChase. “When our communities thrive, we all thrive.”
Learn more about affordable housing and community development at jpmorgan.com/commercial-real-estate.
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