Planning Board mulls over Motiva expansion decision Board will give final approval or denial of application on July 11 BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE - The Planning Board has heard the proposal by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-week operation, to expand its existing rail-car rack system on its Sewaren site. The board heard the proposal at its June 27 meeting and will render its decision on July 11. Board Member Patricia Osborne suggested more time for the board to review the proposal before making a decision. "We want to review all the testimony and have a thorough understanding before we vote on the application," she said. The property at 111 State St. is a 26.25-acre parcel of land located on the western side of State Street. The property is located in the M-2 heavy industrial zone and contains multiple buildings, tanks, rail lines and other facilities used for fuel refinery and storage. Motiva proposes to demolish five existing buildings on the site and construct four new rail lines at grade level with a related 44,400-square-foot loading platform. The project would accommodate the unloading of ethanol from rail cars at the facility. Two existing buildings and an existing double rail line would remain on the site. The tract contains frontage along State Street. Mechanical structures and facilities and operator shelters are proposed in the area of the expanded rail rack and are associated with the transfer of petroleum from the rail cars to the storage tanks. Lighting and landscaping improvements also are proposed for the affected area. Township officials along with Motiva Enterprises, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern representatives presented the expansion plan at a meeting in February. Officials said the plan would relieve some of the noise problems from the Motiva rail cars for Sewaren residents, but not all of it. Scott Muir, who works in the Government Relations Department of the Norfolk Southern Corp., said the expansion would mean more cars inside the customer's plant at all times. "Empty cars can be pulled directly from the customer's plant," said Muir. "Loaded cars can be delivered directly and entirely inside the customer's plant. Customer plant improvements reduce the need for multiple-service events and it can eliminate overnight service events." Sean Murphy, operations manager at Motiva's Sewaren Terminal, said there are currently three train movements. "With the expansion, this will eliminate the 2-to-4 a.m. train movement and have a 12-hour window until the next train movement," he said. Currently, the first train movement occurs 8-10 a.m., the second train movement occurs 5-8 p.m., and the last train movement occurs 2-4 a.m. These movements require 20 hours. The maximum train length that the rail yard is currently capable of handling is 40 rail-car units. While the 40-rail-car-unit train goes in, the other rail cars that extend out about a mile have to sit and wait in Port Reading or the barber siding track. The expanded Motiva rail yard will be capable of handling two entire 80- to 100-rail-car-unit trains daily, which is the preferred method of transportation of ethanol suppliers and rail carriers. "This won't eliminate the coupling or banging, but with the expansion, it will happen less frequently," said Murphy. As of Dec. 18, 2006, Motiva, Norfolk Southern and Conrail agreed not to drill (move) between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.; however, residents said there have been six mishaps, including one in the early morning hours of Feb. 20. Residents who came to the board meeting said there was a lull in the noise from the trains in March and part of April, but there was a resurgence of noise in April and May. Murphy sympathized with the residents, but said the problem lies with Conrail. "It seems that it is good for a while, but then the noise becomes a problem again," he said. "I'm not going to say that there is no noise after 11 p.m. when our gates are closed; I hear that from residents. Unfortunately, no Conrail representatives are here and unfortunately they don't have to be here." Philip Bujalski, the township's chief health inspector, said he wanted to make it clear to residents that the local health department is exempt from having authority over the state's noise code. "The noise of 'bang, bang, bang, bang' and the other noise of the trains releasing slack is truly a mere annoyance," he said. "The profound noise of explosions is a real problem." Bujalski, who said he monitored the noise between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. over the months, said he did see some promise when he observed the trains stop drilling at the "stroke of 11 p.m. one time." "It does seem that Conrail has taken some consideration," he said.