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An oil refinery in St. Croix owned by Limetree Bay Ventures routinely emits dangerous airborne chemicals and endangers the health of residents and visitors, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
The class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a group of residents, property owners, and visitors to is the largest of the US Virgin Islands. The lead plaintiffs allege that the refinery has engaged in ongoing airborne chemical releases over the past 18 months, affecting communities in the western portion of St. Croix.
St. Croix is located 65 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. The Virgin Island Department of Health and private testing labs have documented emissions that include hydrogen sulfides, sulfur dioxide, sulfur oxides, and oil droplets, according to the class action lawsuit. These substances can result in respiratory distress, skin conditions, mental impairment, and cancer if released into the atmosphere, claim the plaintiffs.
“The people of these communities have suffered from any number of concerning and potentially deadly effects from the reckless reopening of this facility,” a lawyer representing the plaintiffs said in a Thursday press release. “The problems with this refinery should be fixed, and the needs of those who have suffered from those problems should be addressed.”
According to the class action lawsuit, the toxic releases have also created a foul odor, causing residents to experience headaches, coughing, nausea, and other symptoms. At one point, the intense smell forced the closure of three neighboring schools for multiple days, says the complaint filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
Limetree Bay Ventures acquired the 55-year-old refinery in 2018, more than 10 years after the facility was shut down by its previous owners. According to the lawsuit, the project faced multiple delays and mounting financial pressures before resuming full operations in February 2021. In April, officials with the US Environmental Protection Agency said that the agency would “send experts and staff to the facility to conduct a joint investigation” with territory officials.
The class action lawsuit seeks to represent two Classes. One set of Class Members should benefit from a long-term, court-supervised medical monitoring program funded by the refinery’s owners. The second set of Class Members are property owners who the plaintiffs say should receive compensation from Limetree for negligence and nuisance.
Have you ever lived near a factory or processing facility that emitted any type of pollution? Let us know in the comments section!
The plaintiffs are represented by Warren Burns of Burns Charest LLP.
The St. Croix Oil Refinery Pollution Class Action Lawsuit is Helen Shirley et al. v. Limetree Bay Ventures et al., Case No. SX-2021-CV-00411 in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
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