This open house style session will summarize findings and allow for additional public feedback
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia today announced that the City’s Refinery Advisory Group will hold its final scheduled public session on Wednesday, September 25, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Preparatory Charter School (1928 Point Breeze Ave., Philadelphia PA 19145).
The Refinery Advisory Group was established to gather the perspectives of different stakeholders and community members to inform City leaders of the impact of the PES Refinery closure on Philadelphia with respect to the economy, environment, public health, and safety. The Advisory Group was organized by committee, with each committee representing experts and stakeholders from the community, business sector, academic and environmental sectors, and organized labor. The Advisory Group held five public meetings between August 6 and September 9 to gather testimony and comments from key stakeholders and members of the public. Presentation notes and videos from those meetings are available at www.phila.gov/refinery.
The Wednesday, September 25 session will be structured as an open house and will provide an opportunity for the Advisory Group to share a summary of the feedback it has heard using sign boards and small discussions. This will be an informally facilitated opportunity for the public to review the primary themes and issues that were raised throughout this process and to share any additional comments. There will be no witness or speaker’s list or structured program, and members of the public are welcome to come and go as they please at any point between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Following this session, the City will develop a report that summarizes the information gathered through the work of the Advisory Group. That report will be released later this fall.
“Throughout this process, the members of the Advisory Group worked hard to organize information and perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders to help the City better understand the complexities and issues around the refinery,” said Managing Director Brian Abernathy. “I want to thank each member of the Advisory Group for organizing their stakeholders to present information to the City throughout this process, and also thank the concerned members of the public who participated in this process by attending meetings and offering their comments. It is vitally important that we understand the community’s perspective, and we are grateful that so many people stepped forward to lend their voices to this important effort. As a result of this process, the City has a more complete understanding of the issues and impacts concerning the refinery, and we are better prepared to respond and move forward as the future of PES and the refinery site comes into clearer focus.”
Updates on the work of the Refinery Advisory Group will continue to be made available at www.phila.gov/refinery.