Ocean Point Wants To Avoid Resuming Water Distribution Program While Appeal is Pending

Ocean Point Terminals does not want to abide by the court’s ruling that it provides residents covered under a pending class action lawsuit with potable drinking water.

The company, which was known as Limetree Bay Ventures, LLC before changing its name following the collapse of Limetree Bay Refinery and its subsequent sale to new owners, had been ordered by Judge Wilma Lewis to establish a program to supply bottled drinking water to plaintiffs and other potential members of the affected class.

The issue stems from the ill-fated restart of refinery operations in February 2021. Three days after the restart, a flaring incident misted fine droplets of oil over fenceline communities, coating homes, cars, kitchen gardens, and cisterns with petroleum distillates. Refinery officials reported to the Environmental Protection Agency that almost 200 residences were affected by this incident.

In April, the refinery began exceeding regulatory limits for hydrogen sulfide emissions, an incident which was repeated the following month. On May 12, 2021 another flaring incident sent more oil misting over communities as far as Enfield Green. The refinery closed, the EPA issued an emergency shutdown order, and subsequently Limetree Bay Refining declared bankruptcy. The facility was since sold to Port Hamilton Refining and Transportation, who is waging its own legal battle to be able to restart refinery operations.

Before May was over, the class action lawsuits had been filed – at least three of them – claiming negligence on the part of Limetree in causing these hazardous occurrences. While bankruptcy proceedings were ongoing and the civil suits were stalled, a water distribution program was established for residents in Frederiksted, and areas in north central, south central, and southwest St. Croix. That program ended in September 2022, and the class action plaintiffs petitioned the court to order that Limetree Bay Ventures/Ocean Point Terminals continue the program until the lawsuit was resolved.