Company proposing to build crude oil depot in Lockport

by Tony Graf tgraf@stmedianetwork.com January 7, 2012 9:34PM

LOCKPORT ? A crude oil depot, including crude tanks and railroad-related improvements, is being proposed for the former Texaco property.

At a public meeting this week, the plan and zoning commission will hear the concept plan. The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the third-floor board room of the Central Square building, 222 E. Ninth St.

Texaco operated an oil refinery on 580 acres just northwest of Lockport for seven decades. The refinery was built in 1911 and closed in 1981. For several years after the closing, the company tried to sell the facility. About 20 years ago, Texaco began to dismantle the structures and prepare the property for redevelopment.

Lockport annexed much of the Texaco property in 2000 and the ?tank farm? section of the property in 2008. Texaco merged with Chevron in 2001, and Chevron now owns the property. Chevron is seeking new developers.

Now, a contract purchaser, Cogent Energy Solutions LLC, has submitted concept plans for a crude oil depot on around 15 acres.

?The property will be developed so that crude oil will be brought in on rail and then piped to new crude oil tanks similar to the existing tanks owned by Shell,? said Kimberly Jones, community development director, in her city staff report.

In the report, Jones writes: ?A rail spur is proposed at the northern boundary which will come off the existing Canadian National Line, head westerly to the canal over a new proposed bridge, travel south over another new bridge and terminate at the southern portion of the industrial park.?

?An additional five tracks will be installed for the stacking or storage of the cars along the western portion side of the property closest to (BNSF Railway?s) main line,? she said.

?The concept plan indicates that anywhere from 29-34 cars will be stacked on each track. There is also the potential to add another two storage tracks storing up to 60 cars each,? Jones said.

Environmental group

Citizens Against Ruining the Environment, a group based in Lockport, has followed the Texaco redevelopment issue for many years and has serious concerns about the new plan.

Ellen Rendulich, a director of the environmental group, is concerned that a heavy industrial use will set a precedent for development on the site.

?The Texaco facility has been remediated, and we can have a nice business-office park. If they go in and put in a rail yard, a freight yard, that?s going to set a precedent for the types of businesses that are going to be there in the future. Who?s going to want to be sandwiched between heavy industry?? she said.

Rendulich mentioned specific concerns about noise, train traffic, diesel fuel and the risk that crude-oil shipping poses to local groundwater and drinking water.

?Our area is too high density to have this type of heavy industry coming in,? she said.

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