On Aug. 14, the council set a 90-day moratorium on construction of chemical storage tanks in response to Blackwater New Orleans’s plans to build three 50,000 barrel tanks at its Westwego facility. The company wants to begin construction on the tanks, which would hold a sodium hydroxide caustic solution, by the end of the month, said Francis Marrocco, Blackwater’s chief commercial officer. Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is used in making textiles, soaps and detergents. Blackwater officials said it will be stored in a 50 percent solution at the facility. At a special meeting Monday, the council refused to lift the moratorium saying that city officials need to coordinate with state and federal officials to determine specifications for the tanks. Councilman Glenn Green, whose district includes Blackwater, said that he has to educate himself about tank construction. He chastised company officials for not advising him of their plans earlier. “I have got to know everything is correct,” said Green, adding that he’s gotten nearly three dozen calls from concerned residents about the proposed expansion. “I don’t expect anything to happen in this district and I don’t know about it.” The company, which opened earlier this year, has come under fire for three chemical leaks in its short history. In February, authorities said Blackwater had two leaks of highly corrosive sulfuric acid, which is used in the production of automotive batteries and fertilizer. In May, residents reported an odor of molasses and emergency authorities found that water in the Keyhole Canal turned orange. Marrocco said the company was not trying to hide its expansion plans. He said the company was told that it only needed to apply for a building permit, and it would be allowed to begin construction once plans were cleared by city building inspector Les Lombas. Marrocco said that Blackwater has complied with a city request to tear down several “rustbucket” storage tanks at the site, and is now trying to replace them with updated models. “We’re just re-constituting existing assets,” Marrocco said. He said the company is operating on a tight deadline and needs construction to begin quickly. Blackwater has signed a five-year lease for the three tanks that would be worth roughly $8 million, according to information released by the company. The company, which is also planning to build a ship dock at the terminal, would double the amount of taxes it pays to the city with the expansion. Blackwater officials said their tax bill would jump from about $80,000 to about $200,000 after the expansion. While acknowledging the company’s tight construction schedule, officials said it will take time to become knowledgeable about the tank construction process. Westwego Fire Chief R.T. Gisclair said his department lacks the expertise to inspect and certify the tanks and must depend on outside agencies to provide assistance. Mayor John Shaddinger said the city’s primary concern remains public safety. Gisclair said he has forwarded the company’s plans to the state Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. “We’re more of a reactive department,” Gisclair said, adding that that once the plans are cleared by the state, his office will be satisfied. While the council members said they are not opposed to the plant’s expansion, Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch Sr. said that most residents near the facility don’t want it nor support its expansion. Resident Ken Cantrell said that some of the facility’s previous owners have not been the best neighbors, and residents are understandably cautious. “It took you a month to get (the tanks) designed, it may take you three months to get a permit,” Cantrell said.