The Phillips 66 refinery is set to close this year. But local residents want stricter plans for the shutdown and resulting clean-up.
“Maria Serafin has lived in Wilmington for 27 years, about 1,500 feet from the Phillips 66 refinery. The company’s two facilities and a pipeline stretch across 659 acres in the South Bay. Over the years, Serafin said she’s put up with putrid smells, like rotten eggs, coming from the refinery that are most noticeable at night.
‘You guys are out here and can’t stand the smell,’ said Serafin in Spanish, speaking to LA Public Press. ‘Imagine us 24/7 with this.’
Serafin said she’s also concerned that the nearby refinery has contributed to her son’s asthma. She said he suffered an asthma attack at a young age and since then, can’t live without his inhaler. He’s like a ‘fish out of water,’ she said.
Serafin’s story is all too common in this Los Angeles neighborhood. Wilmington is home to the third largest oil field in the country. Environmental advocates from Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), a local nonprofit advocating for reducing pollution in low income communities of color, said residents experience the cumulative effects of being surrounded by polluting sources such as the LA ports, refineries, oil wells and two major freeways…”