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Public Hearing On Delawre City Oil Refinery Not Good Enough, Environmental Groups say

PBF Energy

DOVER, Del. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union and Sierra Club are challenging how state environmental officials handled a recent public hearing regarding the Delaware City oil refinery.

The groups complained to the attorney general's office Tuesday about a June 4 hearing regarding the refinery's permit renewal application.

The ACLU says some 2,000 people were expected to attend, but that officials held the hearing in an auditorium seating only 175 people. The Sierra Club asked that the hearing be rescheduled to a larger facility. Officials declined the request but put up loudspeakers so the crowd outside could listen.

The ACLU and Sierra Club say that was not sufficient to comply with state law and a prior attorney general's opinion regarding open meetings. They are asking for another hearing at a larger facility.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.