Lockport OKs concept plan for proposed crude-oil depot

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Updated: March 4, 2012 8:18AM

LOCKPORT — The city council on Wednesday unanimously approved a concept plan for a crude-oil depot on the former Texaco property.

The concept plan is an early stage in the development process, and Cogent Energy Solutions will have to return for preliminary and final approval.

Cogent has submitted plans for a depot on 15 acres. Crude oil would be brought in by rail and then piped to new tanks similar to the existing tanks owned by Shell Pipeline Co.

Texaco operated an oil refinery on 580 acres just northwest of Lockport for seven decades. The refinery was built in 1911 and closed in 1981. Chevron, the current property owner, now is seeking developers.

John Greuling, president and chief executive officer of the Will County Center for Economic Development, addressed the council on the Cogent issue Wednesday.

“If you look at it, just as a pure economic development project and the benefit to the community, it’s a minimum of 25 new jobs, good-paying jobs, refinery-type jobs, millions of dollars of new tax revenue for the city into the future,” Greuling said.

“But I think the most important part of this project is where this project is going to happen: The west side of Lockport historically has been an important job center for the whole region, for the whole central part of Will County,” he said. “The loss of a major refinery and some other support activities was a blow to this community — one that some communities never recover from.

“The investment that Texaco, now Chevron, has made in redeployment of those assets ... the millions of dollars of investment to make this a usable site, so close to the heart of your city, is something that you are not going to see all major corporations involved with.”

The Cogent project has drawn opposition from Citizens Against Ruining the Environment. The Lockport-based group, known as CARE, has been a watchdog on Texaco redevelopment.

“There are a number of issues that should concern the city as well as the council. They are environment, health and quality-of-life issues,” said Carol Stark, a director of the organization.

“This is not 1911. We do not have 1,000 residents here in a rural community. The city has grown to almost 25,000. We are on municipal well water. The Texaco, now Chevron, property is adjacent to a large residential population. Those residents should not be subjected to the possibility of oil tar sand leaks or the noise that will come with these additional rail cars,” Stark said.

Sandy Burcenski, a resident of the west side neighborhood, also has been critical of the plan.

“When voting, you have to consider not only this 15-acre standalone site, but the impact on future marketability and success of the overall 200-acre site,” Burcenski said Wednesday.

But aldermen supported the concept and brought up issues — including flooding — that they would like to see addressed when Cogent returns to the city in the future.