The weather matches the mood in the lower end of the county this morning.
Nasty.
Still reeling from news a few weeks back that Sunoco would close its iconic Marcus Hook refinery if a buyer could not be found, the region got hit with a second haymaker yesterday.
ConocoPhillips was following suit.
The company said it would begin to shut down business at its Trainer plant. If a buyer can’t be found for it as well by the end of the year, it also will be shuttered.
Combined, more than 1,000 jobs are at stake at the two facililities.
But it’s more than that. If you live in the lower end of Delaware County, it’s a way of life.
One that is apparently going away.
You can read our coverage here. And here.
A couple of generations of Delaware County families have given their lives to the companies that ran these refineries. In return they were given a decent wage that formed the backbone of a solid, middle-class life.
Now the companies are walking away. Easy for them. Not so easy for the people, and the towns, and the school district that is left behind.
Our front page today declared: It’s oil over. That’s the stark reality of an overcast rainy, morning in the lower end of the county. It’s one of many that is headed their way.
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