Refinery Once Key to New York’s Fuel Supply Ordered Shut
- Former Hovensa refinery a large fuels supplier to East Coast
- Fuel-making plant restarted in January after closing in 2012
Limetree Bay.
Photographer: Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the shutdown of a U.S. Virgin Island refinery that historically was positioned as a key fuel source for the East Coast due to public health concerns.
The 200,000-barrel-a-day Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix is required to pause operations after repeated operational infractions, according to the EPA. Since February, the facility has experienced major operational issues, culminating with an incident earlier this week that forced its owners to shut the plant after it spewed oil droplets on nearby communities and contaminated drinking water.