"A pollution-plagued oil refinery that shut down in 2012 is now on the verge of reopening in the U.S. Virgin Islands, thanks to the aid of EPA chief Andrew Wheeler.

The Limetree Bay refinery, formerly one of the world's largest, is now primarily owned by a Boston-based private equity group with ties to President Trump. ArcLight Capital Partners LLC is hoping to restart the refinery in a poor, predominantly black and Latino area of St. Croix in time to cash in on an international low-sulfur fuel standard that takes effect in January.

The $1.6 billion bet, which includes the construction of a coral-destroying offshore fueling operation, could soon begin paying off because of a permitting effort personally directed and overseen by Wheeler — a rubber-stamping campaign that some EPA officials believe could serve as a road map for rushing through other environmentally destructive schemes."

Corbin Hiar reports for Greenwire November 21, 2019. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"EPA: Open for Business" Series Portal Page (E&E News) [3]