HB edits – Site History

History of Remedial Investigation
at the Philadelphia Refining Complex

The former Sunoco Philadelphia Refinery, now known as The Bellwether District, covers over 1,300 acres along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Its petroleum activities date back to the 1860s when Atlantic Petroleum Company established an oil distribution center. Crude oil processing began in the 1900s, and gasoline production ramped up during World War II. Refining operations ended in 2019 after Philadelphia Energy Solutions went bankrupt, and Hilco Redevelopment Partners bought the site in 2020. Nearby, the Belmont Terminal, once a petroleum trucking terminal, is now owned by Energy Transfer. 

Investigations at the complex date back to the 1980s, with additional environmental investigations in the 1990s as part of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permits. Since 1993, the Point Breeze Processing Area has been investigated under a Consent Order and Agreement (CO&A) with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). A new agreement in 2003 expanded the investigation to include more areas, such as Girard Point, Belmont Terminal, and the Schuylkill River Tank Farm. To streamline the process, the complex was divided into Areas of Interest (AOIs) based on location and operations.

In 2012, the complex was transferred from Atlantic (as to Point Breeze)/Sunoco (as to Girard Point) to Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) at which time a Buyer-Seller Agreement between the PADEP, PES, and Sunoco replaced the 2003 CO&A. The First Amendment to Consent Order and Agreement was signed in June 2020 to amend the Buyer-Seller Agreement after purchase of the site by Hilco Redevelopment Partners. In addition, a 2012 Settlement Agreement and Covenant Not to Sue was signed by Sunoco, PES and the USEPA. Since December 30, 2013, Philadelphia Refinery Operations, a series of Evergreen Resources Group, LLC, which is an affiliate of Sunoco, Inc., now known as ETC Sunoco Holdings LLC (Evergreen), has managed the legacy (contamination prior to 2012) investigation and remediation at the refinery.

The current site activities at the former refinery of Evergreen and Hilco Redevelopment Partners are summarized in the organization chart below; with Evergreen in green, Hilco in blue, and shared responsibilities in the center. Please note that this graphic only provides a summary of responsibilities and is not a complete list/representation of each entity’s duties.