Refinery Subpoenas Flood Environmental Groups

Four St. Croix environmental and civic groups have said they are overwhelmed by seemingly needless legal requests from the former owners of the St. Croix oil refinery.

Representatives of the nonprofit organizations told a federal judge that 19 records-request subpoenas issued in November were beyond their capabilities to produce in the 30 days required — and that the sought-after files were largely unrelated to the underlying legal matter.

The organizations made the court filings themselves, claiming they didn’t have the money for attorneys and that a large number of Virgin Islands attorneys were ineligible to hire because they had represented refinery owners in the past.

The Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition, Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism, St. Croix Environmental Association, and St. Croix Foundation for Community Development leaders asked the Virgin Islands District Court to whittle the 19 documents requests down to four, and allow them until late January to compile and deliver them to the Christiansted offices of Carl Beckstedt, one of the attorneys representing Limetree Bay Ventures and other entities named in a 2021 lawsuit.