Open Letter to the Bulk Petroleum Terminals in the Port of New Haven
We live in the constant presence of the large oil terminals located in the Port of New Haven. Day after day, we breathe and smell foul, contaminated air when we step outside and, too often, we see slick, oily sheens on the waters near our homes. If that weren’t enough, we are well aware that these terminals have been flooded during major storms in the past and their owners have not taken action to prepare for the ever-increasing risk that they will flood again and contaminate our communities with oil and harmful chemicals.
Recent storms, including Sandy and Irene, have made us all too aware of the dangers that climate change has brought to our community. We know these changes are only getting worse each day as the risks from extreme storms, flooding, and sea level rise increase. The Port oil terminals are right at the water’s edge and all are extremely susceptible to dangerous flooding that could breach their tanks and release thousands of gallons of petroleum and toxic substances into our streets.
The climate crisis is causing the bulk petroleum terminals in the Port of New Haven to flood more often, and each time, our homes and communities are threatened with catastrophic harm. It’s long past time for the large companies that own these facilities to prepare for these imminent threats and protect their neighbors from the terrible risks their activities pose.
Conservation Law Foundation has initiated legal actions against five of the bulk petroleum storage terminals in the Port to address the risks the terminals face because of climate change and to protect our neighborhoods and our environment. We stand in support of CLF and these legal actions and call upon the Port terminal owners to step up and protect our New Haven communities by taking immediate action to evaluate the risks facing the terminals and implementing measures to protect the community.
We, the undersigned residents of New Haven, Connecticut, demand that the owners of the bulk petroleum storage terminals in the Port of New Haven address the risks that their facilities pose to our neighborhoods in the face of climate change. These Terminals stand to put the Annex, East Shore, and Fair Haven communities, our beloved Quinnipiac and Mill Rivers, and New Haven Harbor in grave danger. It’s time the terminal owners do what’s right and protect our neighborhoods and waters from disaster.