WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Representative Mary Gay Scanlon led a letter, alongside Representatives Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle, to Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia is support of more than 600 workers applying for Trade Adjustment Assistance following the June 2019 incident at Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery.
A copy of the letter has been made available below.
“Dear Mr. Secretary:
“We write in support of the more than 600 displaced workers of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery (PES) who have submitted an application for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). These highly skilled workers are being displaced largely due to an increase in imports caused by the June 2019 fire at PES which created a significant lack of production at the facility.
“Following the fire, PES was unable to secure the financing necessary to repair plant infrastructure that was damaged in the fire. That, combined with the increased importation of oil products from overseas, forced PES to close and left hundreds of skilled workers without jobs. Additionally, PES recently completed a bankruptcy-supervised sale process where the only bidders for the assets were two real estate developers who plan to repurpose the property for other uses.
“When PES was functioning, it was the largest oil refinery on the East Coast with a 335,000-barrel-per-day output. The Philadelphia facility previously qualified for TAA benefits in 2012, which highlights the threat import penetration of refined products has on the facility. With fair trade and even economic conditions, their highly skilled workers enabled PES to compete in the domestic and international markets.
“It is crucial that these workers receive the resources afforded to them through TAA certification. This certification will allow them to receive reemployment and retraining opportunities critical to ensuring their skills are not gone to waste, and further help them to continue being essential participants in our local economy and communities.
“We respectfully urge that you review their petition in a timely manner. These trade-affected workers deserve federal assistance so that they may continue to maintain financial stability and use their skills to the benefit of all Pennsylvanians and Americans.”
