Long Beach port to hold public meetings on fuel terminal expansion

Long Beach port to hold public meetings on fuel terminal expansion Long Beach port officials are seeking public input at two meetings this week on a proposed 22 percent capacity expansion of a fuel storage yard on the port's Pier F.
   Located in the shadows of the city's downtown office buildings, the project seeks to expand the Chemoil diesel and gasoline storage facility by adding two storage tanks and readjusting the facility property lines.
   The site now has 13 tanks with a storage capacity of 461,000 barrels. The two additional tanks would increase Chemoil's storage capacity by 130,000 barrels. The new capacity would be the equivalent of just under 2.5 million gallons.
   The project will also expand the facility's boundaries to 4.1 acres by acquiring 0.7 acres of the neighboring Morton Salt facility.
   Singapore-based Chemoil is one of the world's largest independent suppliers of marine fuel products. The firm's Long Beach facility is a major import point for jet aircraft and diesel bunker fuels. The firm's joint venture IPC USA, which also imports through the Long Beach facility, is the third-largest supplier of jet fuel to Los Angeles International Airport, accounting for more than 16 percent of the LAX jet fuel supplies.
   In addition to Long Beach, the firm operates tank farms in New York, Houston, Rotterdam, Singapore and Panama.
   This week's Long Beach hearings, a required step in the preparation of environmental documents for port development, are set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Port of Long Beach Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza; and at 7 p.m. Thursday at Long Beach City Council Chambers, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.
   Written comments can also be sent through July 21 to Robert Kanter, Port of Long Beach, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90802.