Press Releases
CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT SHARES RESULTS OF LIMETREE ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEY
Washington, D.C.,
September 10, 2021
For Immediate Release Contact: Michael J. McQuerry PRESS STATEMENT CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT SHARES RESULTS OF LIMETREE ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEY Washington, DC - Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett released the following statement regarding the results of her office’s Limetree Economic Impact Survey: “My office recently conducted a survey to gather constituent information concerning the economic impact of the Limetree Bay Refinery shutdown. Over the past few months, although there was a great effort by community groups to gather information regarding the environmental and health impacts of the refinery, there did not appear to be much community conversations around how the refinery’s closure was affecting the people of the Virgin Islands from an economic standpoint. This survey provided an opportunity for individuals who may not have had a chance to share their experiences to do so. “I’d like to thank each of the individuals that took the time to participate in the survey, especially those who shared their specific comments and experiences regarding the shutdown. We value these experiences and hope to share the data with other members of Congress and the Biden administration, as well as our local government to give those decision-makers a sense of the community’s thoughts on the economic impact of the shutdown in the territory. The survey results are another touchpoint that demonstrate the dire need for the remediation efforts that the Biden infrastructure plan is focused on providing. President Biden’s Infrastructure bill invests $21 billion in environmental remediation, the largest investment in addressing much of the legacy pollution that has historically harmed the public health of communities and neighborhoods of color, it also creates good-paying union jobs in hard-hit energy communities and advances economic and environmental justice. Additionally, the aged electric grid we have in the Virgin Islands needs urgent modernization. With the right investment of federal dollars, we would have the ability to upgrade our power infrastructure and make a meaningful, lasting transition to clean energy jobs and to renewable energy sources.” The results are available to view here. ### |