WRC land use limited, Rezoning part of voluntary remediation program

The Board of Weston County commissioners approved the application for a use control area for the Wyoming Refining Company during their regular meeting on Aug. 6. The commission approved the motion in a 3-1 vote with commissioner Vera Huber voting against the petition and commissioner Ed Wagoner abstaining due to employment.

The application, according to D.J. Dawson, principal environmental scientist with Rule Engineering, a longtime consultant for the Wyoming Refining Company, restricts the future use of the property.

“The application that we have restricts the uses into perpetuity to heavy commercial and industrial use,” Dawson said. The main purpose, he said, is to protect the public and not allow future owners to use the property for any unintended uses, outside of heavy commercial or industrial uses.

He explained that this is useful in protecting the public and allows the uses of the property to be defined. This, Dawson said, restricts certain people and uses off the property in the future.

“It protects those people from any type of contamination that may have existed,” he said.

He noted that this is part of a project with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and their optional voluntary remediation program. The approval of the use control area, Dawson said, allows the company to evaluate more options when it comes to cleanup of the property moving forward.

The necessity of the program was also explained to the News Letter Journal by Mike Baldwin, the health, safety, security and environment manager at the refinery. He said that the use control agreement protects the community from future development on the property for uses that are not consistent with an industrial environment.

“This agreement allows Wyoming Refining Company and the Wyoming (Department) of Environmental Quality to develop remediation programs to protect the health of our employees and the community,” he said.

A public notice announcing the request states that the property is currently used as a petroleum refinery with associated activities.

“Portions of the property may be underlain by contaminated soil and/or groundwater,” the notice states. “WRC proposes to restrict the future use of the property to industrial and/or commercial purposes to prevent long-term exposure to contaminated soil and/or groundwater.”

It further states that the property in the use control area would be prohibited from uses that include residential, agricultural and medical. Further, it would restrict the use of the property for hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, animal shelter or care facilities and water use of the uppermost groundwater aquifer.

Baldwin later told the News Letter Journal that “while testing results indicate that there are some localized areas of contamination, none of these areas pose a threat to the health and safety of our employees or community.”

“Results also indicate that the current groundwater recovery systems have been effective at shrinking the footprint of the contaminated groundwater located beneath refinery property and keeping it away from the surrounding community,” he said, noting that the refinery and WDEQ continually monitor the data from the program.

“Wyoming Refining Company is proud to be a longtime member of this community and as such, strives to be a good neighbor,” Baldwin said. “This process ensures that the refinery operates in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.”

Dawson reported during a public meeting held by the refinery that the use control agreement is part of the overall voluntary remediation program the Wyoming Refining Company began in 2014. Throughout the process, the facility has surveyed and monitored various areas of the refinery property and will continue to do so moving forward.

“The refinery entered into the Voluntary Remediation Program to partner with the WDEQ to develop a systematic approach to evaluate refinery property for the presence and extent of contamination,” Baldwin said. “Data from these investigations are then used to develop remediation programs as needed to protect our employees and community.”

To see the context of the above-mentioned public meetings, please visit the News Letter Journal’s YouTube channel. The Weston County commissioners’ discussion can be seen during the Aug. 6 meeting recording.

The public meeting for the Wyoming Refining Company’s Voluntary Remediation Program can also be found on NLJ’s YouTube channel.

Commission clips

Notes from the Aug. 6, 2024, meeting of the Weston County Commissioners

• The commissioners discussed the state statute for vicious dogs and the enforcement of said statute with Weston County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Fields. Fields reported that deputies respond to vicious dog situations when calls are received. He noted that there is little that can be done (about enforcement) without evidence and/or documentation, including video or seeing the situation with their own eyes.

• The board tabled a discussion on the use of hand counting ballots for the 2024 elections.

• Commissioner Vera Huber again raised concern with the lack of a human resource employee and/or contractor for the county.

• The board voted to return the Weston County Fairgrounds budget to the Weston County Fair Board. Commissioners noted that issues with a previous board and manager had led to the county taking over the budget until the issues were resolved. The motion came with the caveat that the board would maintain contact with the commissioners, including a profit and loss statement every month and a serious look at financials before the end of the fiscal year.

• Commissioner Garrett Borton questioned whether the Weston County Airport Board was an advisory committee or a board of trustees. He noted that when it was first formed, it was listed as an advisory committee. County Attorney Michael Stulken stated that he and County Clerk Becky Hadlock had been researching the topic but had yet to find documentation of when the switch to a board of trustees was made. He noted that the board functions as a board of trustees.

• Deputy Court Clerk Tina Cote received permission to explore quotes for sound dampening equipment for the courtroom after issues arose with echoing during private hearings.