Limetree Bay agreement is hardly 'manna from heaven'

Alana must have missed the post regarding recycling on STX. No recycling effort so far on STT.

STT and STJ have nearly 3 MILLION tourists each year tramping through their streets and beaches - defecating and urinating all the while stressing an already fragile sewage and septic system. They bring in and leave all sorts of trash behind. How is that protecting those two islands?

Cruise ships and their passengers in the volume STT sees each day are as nasty as any refinery.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/09/a_supposedly_green_thing_i_might_do_again.html

I'm not bashing STX.
I'm stating that y'all need to figure out what you want If you've decided that this is your home and you're going to do your darnedest to protect it.

No, you are bashing. The people of St. Croix do our darnedest to protect it. When you compare STX and STT to each other and how much better STT is about making decisions protecting their island, you are suggesting that you are somehow better. We all have the same governor and same decision makers. Never mind. I don't even know why I am posting. I think you just irritated me tonight with your constant superior attitude. Peace. Have a good night.

Tammy

It is so wonderful to see, and be a part of, the plastic recycling on STX!!!! So many wonderful volunteers and so much collected yesterday from the postings on the Facebook page!

Alana must have missed the post regarding recycling on STX. No recycling effort so far on STT.

STT and STJ have nearly 3 MILLION tourists each year tramping through their streets and beaches - defecating and urinating all the while stressing an already fragile sewage and septic system. They bring in and leave all sorts of trash behind. How is that protecting those two islands?

Cruise ships and their passengers in the volume STT sees each day are as nasty as any refinery.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/09/a_supposedly_green_thing_i_might_do_again.html

I'm not bashing STX.
I'm stating that y'all need to figure out what you want If you've decided that this is your home and you're going to do your darnedest to protect it.

No, you are bashing. The people of St. Croix do our darnedest to protect it. When you compare STX and STT to each other and how much better STT is about making decisions protecting their island, you are suggesting that you are somehow better. We all have the same governor and same decision makers. Never mind. I don't even know why I am posting. I think you just irritated me tonight with your constant superior attitude. Peace. Have a good night.

Tammy

Hahahah deficating and urniating all over? Give me a BREAK. I understand you’re triggered but that was an ridiculous statement. You make it sound like ship tourists are savage animals. Let me tell you right now, there is one group of people that are littering and trashing the islands L.O.C.A.L.S.

Whether it be because they just don’t understand what happens to the trash after they throw it down or whether they just don’t care I can tell you right now tourist or not the main culprits.

I’m sure that they have some kind of impact but let’s not pretend that they’re literally running around throwing crap each other like wild animals.

Hell. even if they were literally crapping on the streets and crapping on the beaches and peeing all over the place and throwing garbage down it would still not be as much of a devastating ecological impact as what’s happend in the past with the refinery and even the rum “run off”.

I don’t mean to speak for her but I’m pretty sure what Alana means is that you guys are going to be within “blast range“ of the refinery so if things go bad you guys are the ones that are going to have to suffer the consequences so I think what she means is that you guys will have to decide if that something that you’re willing to do or not.

The people of St Croix or the Virgin Islands don't get to decide. The politicians make the deals and decisions and we usually find out after the ink is dry.

Some people on this forum supported the refinery.

Cruise ships and their passengers do strain local resources, and some popular tourist destinations are considering or are limiting tourists. Venice is one example.

We need more tourists that are willing to spend money be they cruisers or land vacationers. Why have a tourist economy if the tourists aren't spending money locally?

AirBnB is a huge tourism game changer. Glad to see VI partnered with them. The properties are counted and help increase airlift. Just one of the benefits.

Every time a tourist flushes while on STT/STJ it stresses the sewage and septic system. STT has 100,000 citizens and 3 million tourists. With septic - particularly near the beaches - it leaches out and goes in the water rather quickly.

Think about each drink served to tourists with a plastic cup, straw and stir stick. Even if each STT islander had a metal straw and cup it would have little impact except making the user feel all warm and fuzzy.

Cruise and tourist industry pollution is easier to ignore than a smokestack I suppose - particularly if your livelihood is tourist dependent. Nonetheless, do the math.

And then there is the yachting business (pre-Irma), with each boat flushing directly into the ocean - into crowded anchorages. Holy moly - when I sailed two years ago I didn't get into the water on Tortola, STJ or JVD. Holding tanks - sure - I don't think so.

The cleanest place to live in the VI is east end STX. No obvious pollutants between the shore and Africa (Saharan dust is naturally occurring and part of the ecosystem). Upwind is best. Far (enough) from the madding crowd and the refinery. Lots of attorneys, too, to help keep the polluters (big new resorts) at bay. So far.

STT and STJ have nearly 3 MILLION tourists each year tramping through their streets and beaches - defecating and urinating all the while stressing an already fragile sewage and septic system. They bring in and leave all sorts of trash behind. How is that protecting those two islands?

Cruise ships and their passengers in the volume STT sees each day are as nasty as any refinery.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/09/a_supposedly_green_thing_i_might_do_again.html

I'm not bashing STX.
I'm stating that y'all need to figure out what you want If you've decided that this is your home and you're going to do your darnedest to protect it.

No, you are bashing. The people of St. Croix do our darnedest to protect it. When you compare STX and STT to each other and how much better STT is about making decisions protecting their island, you are suggesting that you are somehow better. We all have the same governor and same decision makers. Never mind. I don't even know why I am posting. I think you just irritated me tonight with your constant superior attitude. Peace. Have a good night.

Tammy

Hahahah deficating and urniating all over? Give me a BREAK. I understand you’re triggered but was an ridiculous statement. You make it sound like ship tourists are savage animals. Let me tell you right now there is one group of people that are littering and trash in the islands L.O.C.A.L.S.

Whether it be because they just don’t understand what happens to the trash after they throw it down or whether they just don’t care I can tell you right now tourist or not the main culprits.

I’m sure that they have some kind of impact but let’s not pretend that they’re literally running around throwing crap each other like wild animals.

Hell. even if they were literally crapping on the streets and crapping on the beaches and peeing all over the place and throwing garbage down it would still not be as much of a devastating ecological impact as what’s happend in the past with the refinery and even the rum “run off”.

I don’t mean to speak for her but I’m pretty sure what Alana means is that you guys are going to be within “blast range“ of the refinery so if things go bad you guys are the ones that are going to have to suffer the consequences so I think what she means is that you guys will have to decide if that something that you’re willing to do or not.

Love the use of “Blast Range”

Sounds like someone’s been watching too much CNN again.

It is so wonderful to see, and be a part of, the plastic recycling on STX!!!! So many wonderful volunteers and so much collected yesterday from the postings on the Facebook page!

Alana must have missed the post regarding recycling on STX. No recycling effort so far on STT.

I actually posted that link and started that thread on the STX Recycling efforts.

"I don’t mean to speak for her but I’m pretty sure what Alana means is that you guys are going to be within “blast range“ of the refinery so if things go bad you guys are the ones that are going to have to suffer the consequences so I think what she means is that you guys will have to decide if that something that you’re willing to do or not."

Exactly.
However, we will all share the consequences.

Calculating the blast radius is a little more complex than looking at a map and saying oh gee oil refinery we are all going to die. I’ve seen the calculations. Clearly she has no idea what she’s talking about. You should stop helping her spread misinformation.

Calculating the blast radius is a little more complex than looking at a map and saying oh gee oil refinery we are all going to die. I’ve seen the calculations. Clearly she has no idea what she’s talking about. You should stop helping her spread misinformation.

Yep!

I like the refinery. The best thing that's happened to STX in years was Limetree.

Anyone who depends upon BIG tourism for a living is supported by the oil and gas industry to get the tourists to their destinations.

Boom!

Don't believe tourists come to the islands to tour oil refineries but to enjoy the natural beauty on land and below our waters.
Boom!

Don't believe tourists come to the islands to tour oil refineries but to enjoy the natural beauty on land and below our waters.
Boom!

Ships need fuel....

"One of the worst offenders are the supersize cruise ships that swarm localities, straining local services and sites and giving back little in return."

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/intelligent-travel/2013/04/15/is-tourism-destroying-the-world/

The cruise industry is no less damaging to the VI environment than the oil refinery. It's just not as "in your face" as the behemoth sitting on STX's south shore.

Don't believe tourists come to the islands to tour oil refineries but to enjoy the natural beauty on land and below our waters.
Boom!

Ships need fuel....

True but they don't necessarily have to refuel on STX.

Senate approves Limetree Bay undersea pipeline

By BRIAN O’CONNOR Daily News Staff May 4, 2018

ST. THOMAS — At a sometimes-contentious, relatively short session Thursday, legislators approved an St. Croix oil pipeline, instituted emergency management for the hospitals, and the territory’s election laws.

Senators voted 10-4 with one absence — St. Croix Sen. Alicia Hansen did not attend the session — to approve a special Coastal Zone Management permit for the Limetree Bay Terminals on St. Croix. The permit will allow the company to construct roughly half a mile of undersea pipeline to allow some of the largest ships in the world to moor in the waters off St. Croix.

Minority senators Dwayne DeGraff, Janette Millin Young, Positive Nelson and Tregenza Roach voted against the bill, 32-0207.

In speeches before the bill’s passage, minority senators said they wanted more time to vet the proposal. The initial CZM proposal was heard Wednesday in a Committee of the Whole session, which meant each individual senator had approximately 10 minutes to ask questions, they said.

That wasn’t enough, Roach said.

“While we may believe that this may be in the economic interests of St. Croix to proceed, I believe that we should have had more time to digest this and the implications of it, and there was no need to rush it today,” he said.

Majority legislators were behaving poorly in the rush to pass the measure, said minority leader Nelson.

“You cannot see the monkey bottom unless it’s up the tree,” he said. “You all are up the tree. Show yourself.”

Majority senators said they had understood the construction of an off-shore single-point mooring system to be part of the original Limetree Bay Agreement approved in 2015. Minority senators should have done their homework, they said.

“Let’s cut the crap right now,” said Sen. Brian Smith. “Let’s just cut the crap about more time to vet this. Just give me a break. You don’t think the guys of St. Croix have suffered enough?”

Sen. Kurt Vialet pointed out that the total amount of questioning among 15 senators at the Committee of the Whole was 150 minutes.

“You already had two and a half years,” he said. “It is incumbent on each and every one of us to do our homework as the islands progress.”
************************************

Let's see, hmmm!
Dig thru reef, relocate sand, already endangered corals and sea life.
Lay pipe on seabed!

All it'll take is one spill.

I don't see you all, who wrongfully believe I'm bashing STX, complaining about the tourists that come to visit your island whether by air or sea?

I just think that the environment should be protected on ALL of our islands.
That's the main attraction, after all!

I liked the company that was going to use STX to launch rockets!!

No, they were going to build the boosters here.
There was never any intention to launch rockets.

Love the use of “Blast Range”

Sounds like someone’s been watching too much CNN again.

(tu) People that have no idea of how things really work...

So just to get things straight, according to our usual discontented posters:

- We’re all just animals, several billion of which need to be removed immediately, and those who are left should choose to never reproduce. Human beings really don’t belong anywhere in this ecosystem.
- We need to stop all construction and live under shade trees.
- People are the cause of global warming, it never took place before humans walked on the planet.
- There are mysterious black beaches somewhere on STX, only visible to those who want to see them.
-“Island pride” does not exist anywhere in the USVI.
- The local government does not govern.
- Reality is “sad”
- People who don’t agree with the points of view of certain individuals posting here are either delusional optimists or deniers. (I guess im included in that group)
-There is no freedom, safety, confidence, or support in the USVI.
- Stop eating meat, but it’s ok to spearfish and pull lobster from our protected reefs.
- We all need to be altruistic. Working to better ones own life is folly.
- Don’t drink ground water, especially with a straw.
- We all need to be “squeaky wheels” for the environment to get the greese, but not the kind of greese made from any petroleum products that are made in a dirty refinery.
- Get out and vote, but only for who we tell you too.
- Cruzan’s have absolutely no environmental concerns whatsoever.
- Nobody thinks STT is better than STX.
- Tourists only go on cruises to empty their bowels and dump trash on tropical islands.
- Tourists should only step on a dock, hand us money, and then immediately leave.

And my favorite,
- The best place to live in the USVI is the east end of STX (which I’ll admit I am partial to) but only because attorneys live there (which I do not agree with). But living anywhere near the island of STX is completely foolhardy because the entire island is inside an imaginary “blast range”

I don’t think these are the things this “vimovingcenter” site was designed for.

singlefin, that post was pretty darned funny

My fave:
Tourists only go on cruises to empty their bowels and dump trash on tropical islands.
- Tourists should only step on a dock, hand us money, and then immediately leave.

BOOM! Here ya have it! Too friggin funny!:@)

So just to get things straight, according to our usual discontented posters:

- We’re all just animals, several billion of which need to be removed immediately, and those who are left should choose to never reproduce. Human beings really don’t belong anywhere in this ecosystem.
- We need to stop all construction and live under shade trees.
- People are the cause of global warming, it never took place before humans walked on the planet.
- There are mysterious black beaches somewhere on STX, only visible to those who want to see them.
-“Island pride” does not exist anywhere in the USVI.
- The local government does not govern.
- Reality is “sad”
- People who don’t agree with the points of view of certain individuals posting here are either delusional optimists or deniers. (I guess im included in that group)
-There is no freedom, safety, confidence, or support in the USVI.
- Stop eating meat, but it’s ok to spearfish and pull lobster from our protected reefs.
- We all need to be altruistic. Working to better ones own life is folly.
- Don’t drink ground water, especially with a straw.
- We all need to be “squeaky wheels” for the environment to get the greese, but not the kind of greese made from any petroleum products that are made in a dirty refinery.
- Get out and vote, but only for who we tell you too.
- Cruzan’s have absolutely no environmental concerns whatsoever.
- Nobody thinks STT is better than STX.
- Tourists only go on cruises to empty their bowels and dump trash on tropical islands.
- Tourists should only step on a dock, hand us money, and then immediately leave.

And my favorite,
- The best place to live in the USVI is the east end of STX (which I’ll admit I am partial to) but only because attorneys live there (which I do not agree with). But living anywhere near the island of STX is completely foolhardy because the entire island is inside an imaginary “blast range”

I don’t think these are the things this “vimovingcenter” site was designed for.

Singlefin....spot on post
The same gloom and doom posters consistently find nothing but negatives about almost every subject. They should just crawl back in their holes and go away.

Hahahah deficating and urniating all over? Give me a BREAK. I understand you’re triggered but that was an ridiculous statement. You make it sound like ship tourists are savage animals. Let me tell you right now, there is one group of people that are littering and trashing the islands L.O.C.A.L.S.

Well actually they do and it goes right into the ocean where if they are playing by the rules ships dump waste a minimum of 3 miles off shore or if they are lazy do it right in STT harbor as has happened in the past more than once. Then there is the bilge oil and fuel that also gets released into the ocean.... Try going downtown on a busy ship day and look at all the garbage that is all over the place because the passengers cant seem to be bothered using a garbage can. Look at Megans on a busy ship day or Coki for that matter when you could count locals on one or two hands and see how trashed they are at the end of the day. I lived down from E&M at one point and cant count the times that tourists would dump garbage NEXT TO a garbage can because it was such a strain to put trash where it belonged. Everytime I saw that I would help them with their garbage and dump in on the front seat of their rental, I figured it was theirs so why not. I am not saying that locals are innocent in this entirely but to let tourists off so lightly is laughable......