INFORMATION FROM CITY OF SUPERIOR MAYOR JIM PAINE


City of Superior 

5/3/18 - 11:35 - INFORMATION FROM CITY OF SUPERIOR MAYOR JIM PAINE
The Superior City Council had several questions asked at the May 1, 2018 meeting, regarding the Husky fire.
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PRESS RELEASE FROM CITY OF SUPERIOR MAYOR JIM PAINE
I just spoke with the officers of Husky Energy including the Rob Peabody, President and CEO, and Rob Symonds, COO. We discussed the use of Hydrogen Fluoride at the refinery and I forwarded many of the concerns that our community has expressed about the use of this dangerous chemical in the community. I asked them to discontinue its use and convert to a safer chemical process and to report back to me on any and all cost and infrastructure challenges that might prevent them from doing so. In the meantime, I asked them to disclose all of the safety measures they had and still have in place that prevent this chemical from harming the public as well as any other relevant facts regarding HF so that the public can remain informed during this debate.

I have asked Husky to commit to full transparency during their own and the several independent investigations and they have agreed. They have also committed to providing counseling and mental health services to those members of the community that may have been affected by the incident, especially children and the Husky employees and contractors.

I asked them to confirm a working number for any person to submit claims related to the incident including, but not limited to, transportation, lodging, and lost wages. That number is: 1-855-527-5002.

I asked if citizens would be required to sign a release of liability and how long they would be required to wait for reimbursement. They are not asking for release of liability and in many cases, reimbursement can take place immediately via direct deposit.

Most importantly, Husky Energy and its officers committed to an open and ongoing relationship with the people of Superior. They intend to rebuild and operate the Superior Refinery. They intend to make whole any person or property damaged by the incident. They intend to discover and report what happened and prevent any similar incident from happening again. I will take them at their word but I will also follow up with your questions and concerns as well as my own in the coming days, weeks, and months.
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PRESS RELEASE FROM CITY OF SUPERIOR MAYOR JIM PAINE
I just met with U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). This is an independent, non-regulatory, non-cabinet federal agency. They arrived in Superior last Thursday night and their investigation was underway within 18 hours of the start of the refinery fire. Their mission is to determine the probable cause of the explosion and resulting fire. In addition, they will also investigate any environmental impacts as well as our emergency response.

t the conclusion of their investigation, they may issue recommendations to relevant agencies including, Husky, the City of Superior, Douglas County, or state and federal agencies. In other words, they are here to find out what happened and how we prevent it in the future.

While their final report could take up to a year to complete, the CSB will issue interim factual updates as they begin to collect analyze the facts on the ground. They have assured me that if they discover any potential adverse effect on human or environmental health, that they will release that information to my office and the public immediately. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________