New Sunoco CEO Brian MacDonald is a busy guy.
He's working to clean up the fallout created by the oil giant's moves to get out of the refinery business.
Now that former Sunoco CEO Lynn Elsenhans has indicated 'Mission Accomplished,' with the decision to seek buyers for both the South Philly and Marcus Hook plants - and shutter them if no one comes forward - the ball - and fallout - has landed squarely in MacDonald's lap.
He's already met with Marcus Hook officials and indicated the company is not thrilled about a zoning change that would limit the company's plans for the refinery site there should a buyer not be found.
Yesterday he and other Sunoco brass sat down with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. You can read Kathleen Carey's account of the meeting here.
Casey has been sounding a pretty tough line on the company's decision to close the refineries if a buyer can't be found. The Marcus Hook refinery already has been idled and pink slips issued to workers. The same will happen to the South Philly plant if a buyer can't be found.
There was a glimmer of help last week when a state czar for Community and Economic Development told a House Appropriations Committee hearing in Harrisburg that he was confident that two of the three local refineries could be saved. Most people took that to meant the two Sunoco refineries, as opposed to the ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer. The company idled that plant back in September. There also was word that the billionaire owner of United Refining was interested in acquiring the South Philly Sunoco plant.
Yesterday Casey seemed to be striking a more conciliatory tone. It's hard to tell if that is good or bad news for local workers.
We'll probably get a better idea when U.S.Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, of Drexel Hill, holds a House hearing on the refinery issue in a couple of weeks at Neumann University.
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