Dear Source:
I don’t know what to say. Yes, I know, I usually don’t have any trouble saying something. Here we are at the end of another year. I have seen many of them end before, but not with some hope and enthusiasm for the upcoming year. Here on our beautiful St. Croix "there is no joy in Mudville" this year. I agree that the weather is perfect for a winter’s day and the sky is clear and the sea is shiny blue and all the creatures on the land, in the air and under the sea seem fine, in fact everything that our Senate has not touched is OK.
Dear reader I’m not one to look at the negative, certainly not in the Holiday season, however my heart is hurting. I remember the calm before the storm in Hugo. We looked around and thought “a little wind and rain so what.” A little time passed and then it hit. It hit St. Croix with a tornado’s force. Yes St. Thomas was hurt but we were destroyed. We are strong and survived but if we could have prevented it we would have been better off. The storm that I fear will hit us soon with the Refinery deal destroyed by our senate will damage us for a long time. Please say I’m wrong, I fear I’m right. And to satisfy what!
But wait, a strange thing happened at the end of the Senate session last week when they shot down the refinery deal; the senate did not end the session officially. To end a legislative session {not a meeting} the Latin words “sine die” should be said, they were not therefore, if I am correct they could still meet again. This is likely “hope against hope” but hope is all we have. They could still fix it and vote “Yes.”
We have worried that the EPA permits would go away after February if no work is resumed at the refinery but I think that the old Aluminum plant has kept their EPA permits going these ten years by showing some activity relating to their old coal fired generators, so hopefully this would be the case with Hovensa. It would likely die if they file for bankruptcy however. It would then be up to the Feds, I guess. For those with your safe trust funds and {you think} safe pensions, who cares. I’m OK! Well the rest of us may rot on the vine. I could go on but it is the holiday season and we are strong people. I’m only sorry that our strength must be tested again when it could have been prevented.
Please let us pray that a rabbit can be pulled from the hat and something that has not been announced puts us back on the right path. Let the New Year begin and let the sun rise.
Bob White, St. Croix
