New Sarpy

Just on the other side of the sprawling facility from Norco, New Sarpy is located adjacent to the Valero oil refinery. After lightning ignited a poorly maintained gasoline tank which resulted in a 13 hour fire, residents of New Sarpy protested and demanded relocation. Rather than move the community the refinery launched a community improvement initiative which offered $25,000 home improvement loans forgivable over a 5 year period or smaller annual payments over the same period. This method of compensation resulted in a divided community, with some residents unsatisfied with the payoff and others eager for the loan. Residents remain in close proximity to potential impacts from this facility.