The Trump administration is voicing support for keeping oil refining operations at a Philadelphia Energy Solutions site that could soon be sold in bankruptcy court to a new owner expected to turn the property into a mixed-use development, the Wall Street Journal reported. The oil refiner filed for bankruptcy last year just weeks after explosions at the 1,300-acre plant on the outskirts of downtown Philadelphia rocked nearby homes. Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, said that he would “love” the property to remain a refinery. He said that he has met with more than a dozen representatives from groups that include the Laborers’ District Council, the Ironworkers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98, Steamfitters Local 420, Boilermakers Local 13 and Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, as well as union lobbyists. Representatives from those groups want to keep the site as a refinery. Philadelphia Energy said days after the June 21 fire and explosion that it would shut down its refinery after more than 150 years of operation. The facility had about 1,000 employees. The company said it would sell its assets. Hilco Redevelopment Partners has agreed to pay $240 million to acquire the site.
