As part of the county’s continuing economic recovery initiatives, Commission Director Robert M. Damminger and Commissioner Heather Simmons have been advocating for local employers to restore operations and workforce stability. Among them is Paulsboro Refinery, which is fighting to reverse compliance costs of the federal biofuel mandate. These costs are driving up costs for Gasoline — adding 30 cents per gallon nationally — and causing refineries to close. Paulsboro Refinery, part of PBF Energy, is among the independent refineries at risk, this on top of suffering significant losses due to the pandemic and laying off nearly 200 of our local residents last year. This recent editorial by Commissioner Simmons, published nationally this week in the USA Today network of news publications, summarizes the issue.