You’re welcome, Gov. Corbett.
The governor yesterday stole a line we’ve used several times to describe the fate of the region’s refineries.
Corbett noted it was not just the refineries, not only jobs, but a way of life that was in jeopardy in the lower end of Delaware County.
The governor was in Trainer – along with a phalanx of local elected officials – to herald the purchase of the ConocoPhillips refinery by Delta Air Lines.
He didn’t come empty-handed. He brought along a check for $30 million to seal the deal, in exchange for a promise that the company would operate the refinery for at least five years and keep 400 jobs at the site.
We first heard the 'way of life' comment from a union official who was lamenting the decision months ago by both ConocoPhillips and Sunoco to get out of the refinery business. First, ironically the morning after Labor Day, Sunoco announced its intention to get out of refining and seek buyers for its plants in South Philly and Marcus Hook.
Two weeks later, it was ConocoPhillips’ turn. Only they decided to up the ante, announcing they were idling their plant immediately. Sunoco operated its iconic plant in the Hook for a couple of months, then shut it down. It is still doing refining work in South Philly.
Sunoco itself was sold this week to a Texas pipeline outfit for $5.3 billion. But that deal is not expected to have any effect on its intention to get out of the refining business. An agreement for joint operation in South Philly with the Carlyle Group will remain in place. But the company says it still has no legitimate offers for Marcus Hook.
County officials, including County Council boss Tom McGarrigle, and Corbett yesterday pledged to do the same for Sunoco as they did in pulling off the Trainer deal.
It’s hard to underestimate just how big a deal yesterday’s announcement was. You can read all about it here.
So we’ll fall back on that same sentiment. Sure, what was – and is – at stake in the lower end of the county is a lot of jobs tied to the refineries. But the truth is what was really teetering on the brink was a way of life, a ticket to a solid middle-class life.
For 400 workers at the Trainer plant, that ticket was redeemed yesterday.
Now the hope is the same can be done for Sunoco workers in South Philly and Marcus Hook.
The governor yesterday stole a line we’ve used several times to describe the fate of the region’s refineries.
Corbett noted it was not just the refineries, not only jobs, but a way of life that was in jeopardy in the lower end of Delaware County.
The governor was in Trainer – along with a phalanx of local elected officials – to herald the purchase of the ConocoPhillips refinery by Delta Air Lines.
He didn’t come empty-handed. He brought along a check for $30 million to seal the deal, in exchange for a promise that the company would operate the refinery for at least five years and keep 400 jobs at the site.
We first heard the 'way of life' comment from a union official who was lamenting the decision months ago by both ConocoPhillips and Sunoco to get out of the refinery business. First, ironically the morning after Labor Day, Sunoco announced its intention to get out of refining and seek buyers for its plants in South Philly and Marcus Hook.
Two weeks later, it was ConocoPhillips’ turn. Only they decided to up the ante, announcing they were idling their plant immediately. Sunoco operated its iconic plant in the Hook for a couple of months, then shut it down. It is still doing refining work in South Philly.
Sunoco itself was sold this week to a Texas pipeline outfit for $5.3 billion. But that deal is not expected to have any effect on its intention to get out of the refining business. An agreement for joint operation in South Philly with the Carlyle Group will remain in place. But the company says it still has no legitimate offers for Marcus Hook.
County officials, including County Council boss Tom McGarrigle, and Corbett yesterday pledged to do the same for Sunoco as they did in pulling off the Trainer deal.
It’s hard to underestimate just how big a deal yesterday’s announcement was. You can read all about it here.
So we’ll fall back on that same sentiment. Sure, what was – and is – at stake in the lower end of the county is a lot of jobs tied to the refineries. But the truth is what was really teetering on the brink was a way of life, a ticket to a solid middle-class life.
For 400 workers at the Trainer plant, that ticket was redeemed yesterday.
Now the hope is the same can be done for Sunoco workers in South Philly and Marcus Hook.
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