FOX23 Investigates: Residents share concerns about Tulsa refinery's proposed plan

TULSA, Okla. — Some Tulsans spoke at a public meeting to make sure representatives from the HF Sinclair Refinery and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality heard their concerns.

It’s about the company’s draft permit that DEQ is considering whether to accept.

The HF Sinclair Refinery hasn’t always been called that, but the refinery’s been in business in Tulsa. Right next to the Arkansas River for more than 100 years, since 1913.

“l was watching a show the other night on TV and noticed that the Titanic sank in 1912, so that kind of puts it in perspective,” said Environmental Engineer Mike Schornick with DEQ.

DEQ started in 1993 and its mission is to protect our natural environment: the air, land and water. DEQ regulates companies like HF Sinclair Refinery.

The thing is, DEQ said long before its organization existed, there was already what they call ‘historical contamination’ at the refinery.

“These businesses, these industries, had to place their waste on the property. That’s what happened,” Schornick said.

In fact, DEQ told me contamination lies under the refinery that’s so big, it’s four times the size of the Gathering Place.

“You’ll begin to understand why these sites take a lot of time and are difficult to remediate,” Schornick said.

Schornick said the monitoring wells at HF Sinclair’s West Refinery were last checked in April 2024. Seven showed they were too high for arsenic. One showed too high for benzene. He said even though these are exceedances, they are not far from the drinking water standard.

“I think this is good progress. It’s DEQ’s expectation that progress will continue under the conditions and the requirements of the RCRA permit,” Schornick said.

Mike also talked about hydrocarbon sheening. I’ve told you Tulsans have complained about what they thought looked like hydrocarbon sheening on top of the water in the Arkansas River last year. Daniel Kane told me when he was fishing along the river, he saw what looked like hydrocarbon sheens on the water.

I asked Kane what it looks like.

“Kind of like oil or gasoline floating on top of the water,” Kane said.

Kane told me he could smell it too.

“I’ve smelled a strong odor like a varnished fuel down along the west bank,” Kane said.

When I asked DEQ about it, they wrote this in an email:

“There have not been sheens observed in the Arkansas River from the East Refinery since the completion of the second containment cap.”

I’ve told you the refinery put in two containment caps, one in 2022 and one in 2024, to try to stop hydrocarbons from getting into the water.

The only place the DEQ confirmed seeing hydrocarbon sheens since the beginning of 2024 is in the water near the West Refinery.

The refinery puts temporary booms in the water to help deal with hydrocarbons.

DEQ said the booms have to stay there all the time and the refinery must do three inspections a week.

“If you maintain booms, they’re very effective in managing hydrocarbon sheen,” Schornick said.

Schornick went over the refinery’s plan for the next 10 years, a draft permit.

The last one expired in 2019. Twenty-eight people had already sent in written comments. Now, all those who wanted to speak each had five minutes max.

“There is not a requirement for a sincere and descriptive commitment to remediating the site. There is orange pollution in the river,” said Kelsey Royce, a Tulsan.

Royce was talking about what she and other Tulsans have seen and taken photos of when the Arkansas River water looks orange-colored.

“I would just ask that you understand it as a moral obligation not to pass it on to our kids to have to deal with,” Royce said.

“Now today, we are left with the toxic remains of this industry and the nearly impossible task of restoring the land, air and water remaining,” said Barbara VanHanken, a Tulsan.

“The groundwater is still polluted. The river is polluted. We have all these fantasies of the river, but the boundary for the refinery is in the middle of the river, and that’s baloney,” Terry Stewart said.

“Stop poisoning our community. Stop making me come out in the morning and smell refinery smells,” Julie Sky said.

Some Tulsans talked about the booms in the water outside the West Refinery not being a good enough solution.

“Get real, gentlemen. I’ve counted several of them that broke loose and went down river and boy are they ugly. They’re not perfect. Don’t buy that,” Bob Jackman said.

“We’re tired of seeing duct tape solutions,” Royce said.

“You guys ran a pretty big profit last year. You have the money. You don’t have the will. What would it take for you to get the will to stop poisoning us, your neighbors?” Sky said.

I checked, and on HF Sinclair’s website, it said the entire company reported a net income of $177 million for 2024.

“The draft permit represents another 28 years of kicking the can down the road without a clue as to what happens after 2053. I certainly won’t last that long, and I doubt that the refinery will,” Fred Storer said.

“You guys are going to be stranded assets. You are not going to be here in 25 years, but we’re going to be left with this mess. Why don’t you go back to your board and back to your directors, and say we are going to do the right thing to Tulsa, Oklahoma,” Sky said.

Representatives from HF Sinclair Refinery listened but didn’t speak during the meeting.

“It’s really troubling to come here and hear ODEQ argue so hard on behalf of the refinery that is polluting our environment, versus on the side of taxpayers,” Royce said.

I emailed and asked HF Sinclair about its proposed permit. A manager wrote:

“HF Sinclair is continuing to work closely with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to finalize our RCRA permit for the West Tulsa refinery and to comply with all phases of the permit review process. HF Sinclair is a proud member of the Tulsa community, and we are committed to making the remediation investments required under our permits. “

Royce told FOX23 this after the meeting:

“When we have a refinery that is seeping chemicals into the river, we should be concerned. It’s kind of the elephant in the room,” said Royce. This is an issue that affects all of us. We’re all affected by pollution.”

DEQ said it will make a decision about the draft permit and send a notice of that decision to all the people who commented in writing or spoke publicly in the meeting. DEQ will also provide responses for all those comments. After the decision, the permit becomes effective 30 days later. HF Sinclair said they plan to have a public meeting this summer to let people know about their progress.