Why are you doing this project? What is the purpose/benefit of butane blending?
Phillips 66 has been upgrading infrastructure at several of our terminal facilities, including the Glenpool Terminal, to enable butane blending in gasoline. Butane generates less carbon emissions than gasoline, qualifies as an alternative fuel additive, and when added to gasoline improves winter engine performance, thus decreasing the city’s carbon footprint. Product blending such as adding ethanol, butane and/or additives to gasoline is a normal operation for fuel terminal facilities and in compliance with the light-industrial zoning for our facility.
How will you ensure the safety of the community around the terminal?
Nothing is more important to us than ensuring the safety of the people who work at or live near our facilities. We take pride in being an industry leader in safety:
- Our Glenpool Terminal has passed rigorous requirements to earn OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Star which recognizes employers and employees for going above and beyond industry safety requirements.
- We haven’t had an employee injury at this facility in almost 40 years.
- Phillips 66 has been recognized with Safety Excellence Awards from the International Liquid Terminals Association for the past three years.
- This facility will be regulated under OSHA PSM and EPA RMP and we put systems and procedures in place to meet those regulations.
- Phillips 66 has a corporate Health, Safety, and Environment Management System (HSEMS) which applies to all of our business units, including Glenpool Terminal. Key elements of the Management System are Risk Management, Asset and Operation Integrity, Emergency Preparedness, and Corrective Action Item Management.
- Phillips 66 has a Corporate Audit Program and this facility is audited regularly to ensure compliance with regulations and company policies and procedures.
Facilities that store hazardous products routinely calculate consequence scenarios to understand the possible safety concerns and then ensure the appropriate safety systems are in place to mitigate those risks. The butane blending system is designed to meet and exceed State of Oklahoma Liquefied Petroleum Gas Administration and the National Fire Protection Association code for liquefied petroleum gas, and has many redundant safety controls, including.
- Interlocking Emergency Shutdown (ESD) system which goes above and beyond standard safety requirements.
- An alarm system alerts the operator(s) and area personnel, via audible & visual alarms, should any hazardous situation be suspected or identified.
- Emergency shutdown actuators (ESDs) are installed at 8 separate system locations.
- Atmospheric hydrocarbon detectors are placed in areas where leaks might be possible and can shut down the system if vapors are detected.
- A grounding system ensures that proper grounding is in place between the delivery truck trailer and the offload station prior to offloading.
- A breakaway hose and low-emission hose coupler are installed at the offload station.
- Built-in interlocks prevent the tank from being overfilled and/or over-pressurized.
- Pressure & thermal relief valves are installed system-wide around valves and check valves to prevent pressure build-up.
- Fire extinguishers are located at the offload station, pump/tank area, injection skid and analyzer Enclosure.
- Signage properly identifies all devices and operational equipment.
- Additionally, the system uses pneumatic fail-safe valves, internal excess-flow valves on all tank inlet and outlet connections; and multiport pressure reliefs on the butane tank.
- Blending is periodically shut down to provide maintenance, life-expectancy replacement & system-wide recalibration checks on the components.
Additionally, through our process hazards review process and consultation with the Jenks Fire Department, we have added remote activated fire monitors to the design.
Phillips 66 has built and operated butane blending systems at several of its terminal facilities across the United States with no safety incidences, nor are we aware of any safety incidents involving similar facilities within our industry.
In the event of an incident at our facility, Phillips 66 has emergency response plans in place and regularly exercises those plans with the Jenks Fire Department.
Do you have a plan if there is an explosion at your facility?
We have thoroughly researched and used a variety of models to test the potential consequences of a significant incident at our site and we have put into place numerous safety measures to prevent such an event from occurring. In the event of a significant emergency at our facility, we have emergency response plans and regularly exercise the plans with the Jenks Fire Department.
How do you respond to citizens’ concerns about blast zones?
Phillips 66, along with third-party experts, the city and the state, have evaluated the potential risks of our project and we have implemented multiple layers of safety precautions, above and beyond industry standards, to mitigate risk. Phillips 66 is uncertain of the source of data or calculations used to determine “blast zone” information presented on a community website. The information on the website is misleading and, at the very least, greatly exaggerated compared to our own calculations and third-party expert evaluations.
Phillips 66 hired a world-renowned explosion expert to conduct a facility siting study, and he could not identify a credible explosion scenario. The congestion and/or confinement elements necessary to create such a scenario simply are not present at our facility. In the event of an emergency at our facility, we have emergency response plans in place and have shared and exercised those plans with the Jenks Fire Department.
One of the city’s concerns is that there is no secondary access to your facility in case of emergencies?
There is secondary access to our facility on S. Elwood. We are evaluating the need for additional access.
Why aren’t you taking responsibility for trucks knocking over light poles near your facility?
Phillips 66 does not own or operate the trucks that stop at our facility. We do ensure that the trucks and the truck drivers meet our standards and training requirements.
How many more trucks will be traveling to the terminal as a result of this project?
During the cooler months, an additional 2-3 trucks per day would deliver to the terminal. There would be no additional trucks during the summer months.
How do you ensure the safety of the community where butane trucks are traveling?
The trucking companies we work with must meet state and federal safety standards as well as our own company standards and are inspected annually.
What was the permitting process you followed? Why wasn’t the community informed/consulted about the project?
Storage of LPGs such as butane and propane is common in this community, throughout the state and all around the United States. Phillips 66 has followed the permitting process established by the State of Oklahoma and the City of Jenks for this type of facility and received approval from the State of Oklahoma Liquefied Petroleum Gas Administration as well as three permit approvals from the City of Jenks (Earth Change, Building and Special Use). Phillips 66 also followed the normal process for notification, which included meetings with the City Planner, City Engineer, City Manager and Fire Department representatives during the permitting process. Informational material with terminal product and safety information was mailed to residents within a mile of the Glenpool facility in September 2017.
What city officials have you met with?
Since receiving the permit approvals from the city, we’ve had additional meetings and hosted tours at our facility with Mayor Dr. Josh Wedman, Vice Mayor Mike Sharp, City Manager Chris Shrout, Assistant Fire Chief Ostrem, Fire Department Inspector Fujikawa and Councilors Lonnie Sims and Robert Lee.
Does your project violate Jenks zoning regulations?
The butane blending project is in compliance with the light-industrial zoning for our facility. Butane blending is no different from other existing activities at the terminal, which include blending fuel with ethanol and additives.
Why did Phillips 66 make donations of $40,000 and $100,000 to the City of Jenks?
In mid-2017, city officials approached Phillips 66 about planned improvements to Elwood Avenue that would improve access and traffic safety at our terminal. We agreed to fund $100,000 of the road improvements.
We routinely work with organizations and agencies in the communities where our employees live and work to seek opportunities to enhance public safety, education and literacy, and the environment. We regularly train with the Jenks Fire Department and identified an opportunity support their training needs. We made a philanthropic donation in 2017 to assist with the costs of that training. The Jenks City Council unanimously voted to accept our philanthropic donation at their regular meeting on January 3, 2018.
Another way we promote safety in our communities is by sponsoring local firefighters to attend training programs. In response to a request from city officials, we are also sponsoring two Jenks firefighters to participate in a week-long fire training program at Texas A&M later this year.
We are also sponsoring a National Energy for Education Development (NEED) teacher workshop in Jenks later this year which provides teachers with energy-related lessons they can take back to their classrooms.
None of these gestures has any connection to the butane blending project.
How much is being invested in the upgrades at the Glenpool Terminal?
Approximately $5.5 million for the butane blending project. Other recent investments have included the installation of an ethanol storage tank and removal of pipelines across Polecat Creek.
What is the benefit to the community? How many jobs are being created? How many people work there currently? What do you contribute in local taxes? How long has the terminal been there?
This project and other projects at the facility create construction jobs, generate sales of materials, and increase purchases of local goods and services that help fuel the local economy. The Glenpool terminal also employs 9 fulltime employees, and pays an average of $100,000 annually in local taxes.
What is the timeline for the proposed work at the terminal?
Work is already underway on the project and is expected to be complete in June 2018.
What products are handled at the terminal?
The Glenpool Terminal stores and handles clean refined products including: ethanol, gasoline, premium gasoline, ultra-low sulfur diesel. Additives in smaller quantities are also stored at the terminal.