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"content": "\u003cp>Two candidates backed by Texas-based Valero Energy Corp. won seats on the Benicia City Council in Tuesday's election, while another candidate attacked by the large oil company lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero — which operates a refinery that's one of Benicia's largest employers — along with five state and local labor groups donated more than $165,000 to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">political action committee\u003c/a> that backed Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and opposed Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That amount is more than three times as much as what the candidates raised combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By Wednesday morning, Strawbridge got more than 33 percent of the vote, Largaespada garnered close to 30 percent and Birdseye received 26 percent, according to the Solano County Registrar of Voters. Those numbers don't yet include all mail-in and provisional ballots.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">Valero-Backed Group Spends Heavily to Sway Benicia City Council Election\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/RS5894_IMG_1993-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Birdseye has conceded the election, but she expressed displeasure with the PAC's actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We ran a smart, clean campaign and played by the rules. These election results will only embolden special interests to throw in money to local races to buy candidates to do their dirty work,\" Birdseye said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero PAC's ads called Birdseye \"a yes man\" for Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, and \"another job killer\" that was \"bad for Benicia.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its work deepened a divide at City Hall and the rest of Benicia over the city's relationship with its refinery neighbor, 18 months after the facility experienced a full power outage that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">led to a major release of pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero PAC's work led to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11703159/state-rejects-benicias-bid-to-have-political-watchdog-investigate-valero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">failed attempt\u003c/a> by Benicia city officials to get the state's political watchdog to investigate some of Valero's communication with voters weeks before the vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it reminded critics of an \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/05/361875792/chevron-spends-big-and-loses-big-in-a-city-council-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">effort by Chevron to sway voters in Richmond\u003c/a> in 2014 when the company spent millions on an attempt to elect a slate of its allies to the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge, who was previously on the council, emphasized that she did not support what she called the committee's \"smear campaign,\" and said it's time for the city to come together and improve its dealings with Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's been a tough election,\" Strawbridge said in an interview Wednesday. \"I ran on my own credentials, my own experience and I feel like that resonated with the residents.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month the company wrote a \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2018/10/16/an-open-letter-from-valero-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter to the editor\u003c/a> at the Vallejo Times-Herald, emphasizing the refinery's strong safety record and criticizing Mayor Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union officials have said that Patterson's criticism of Valero puts the city's economic health at risk. And, since Birdseye was her ally and a spokeswoman for the National Resources Defense Council, she became the target of the PAC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Last night the voters of Benicia made it clear the path they want our city to take,\" said Don Zampa, president of the District Council of Ironworkers, in an emailed statement. Zampa's group is one of the those that donated to the PAC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Benicia is home to a blue-collar workforce. We've been here for generations and we are not going anywhere,\" Zampa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson, for her part, has said Valero tried to bully and buy its way into politics in Benicia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Largaespada did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "'These election results will only embolden special interests to throw in money to local races to buy candidates to do their dirty work,' said candidate Kari Birdseye. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two candidates backed by Texas-based Valero Energy Corp. won seats on the Benicia City Council in Tuesday's election, while another candidate attacked by the large oil company lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero — which operates a refinery that's one of Benicia's largest employers — along with five state and local labor groups donated more than $165,000 to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">political action committee\u003c/a> that backed Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and opposed Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That amount is more than three times as much as what the candidates raised combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By Wednesday morning, Strawbridge got more than 33 percent of the vote, Largaespada garnered close to 30 percent and Birdseye received 26 percent, according to the Solano County Registrar of Voters. Those numbers don't yet include all mail-in and provisional ballots.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">Valero-Backed Group Spends Heavily to Sway Benicia City Council Election\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/RS5894_IMG_1993-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Birdseye has conceded the election, but she expressed displeasure with the PAC's actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We ran a smart, clean campaign and played by the rules. These election results will only embolden special interests to throw in money to local races to buy candidates to do their dirty work,\" Birdseye said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero PAC's ads called Birdseye \"a yes man\" for Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, and \"another job killer\" that was \"bad for Benicia.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its work deepened a divide at City Hall and the rest of Benicia over the city's relationship with its refinery neighbor, 18 months after the facility experienced a full power outage that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">led to a major release of pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero PAC's work led to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11703159/state-rejects-benicias-bid-to-have-political-watchdog-investigate-valero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">failed attempt\u003c/a> by Benicia city officials to get the state's political watchdog to investigate some of Valero's communication with voters weeks before the vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it reminded critics of an \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/05/361875792/chevron-spends-big-and-loses-big-in-a-city-council-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">effort by Chevron to sway voters in Richmond\u003c/a> in 2014 when the company spent millions on an attempt to elect a slate of its allies to the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge, who was previously on the council, emphasized that she did not support what she called the committee's \"smear campaign,\" and said it's time for the city to come together and improve its dealings with Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's been a tough election,\" Strawbridge said in an interview Wednesday. \"I ran on my own credentials, my own experience and I feel like that resonated with the residents.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month the company wrote a \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2018/10/16/an-open-letter-from-valero-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter to the editor\u003c/a> at the Vallejo Times-Herald, emphasizing the refinery's strong safety record and criticizing Mayor Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union officials have said that Patterson's criticism of Valero puts the city's economic health at risk. And, since Birdseye was her ally and a spokeswoman for the National Resources Defense Council, she became the target of the PAC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Last night the voters of Benicia made it clear the path they want our city to take,\" said Don Zampa, president of the District Council of Ironworkers, in an emailed statement. Zampa's group is one of the those that donated to the PAC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Benicia is home to a blue-collar workforce. We've been here for generations and we are not going anywhere,\" Zampa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson, for her part, has said Valero tried to bully and buy its way into politics in Benicia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Largaespada did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "State Rejects Benicia's Bid to Have Political Watchdog Investigate Valero",
"title": "State Rejects Benicia's Bid to Have Political Watchdog Investigate Valero",
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"content": "\u003cp>State campaign finance regulators have decided not to launch an investigation into one of the apparent tactics the Valero Energy Corp. may have used in order to influence the Benicia City Council election. The San Antonio-based oil company operates a refinery that's one of the Solano County city's largest employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials last month filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) against the Valero refinery in connection with a series of phone calls made to Benicia residents about the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City Attorney Heather McLaughlin alleged that Valero sponsored a so-called push poll that may have involved a questioner laying out negative statements about one of the council candidates the company opposes, and positive ones about two candidates the company sees as allies — but did not disclose it was behind the poll during the calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FPPC said Thursday it would not pursue an enforcement action against Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Enforcement Division found insufficient evidence of a violation of the Political Reform Act,\" Galena West, the division's chief, wrote in a letter on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company says it's not surprised by the FPPC's decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It only highlights the greater concern that the Mayor and Vice Mayor consistently and inappropriately use their City Council leadership positions and our city resources to advance their agenda against our company,\" the refinery said in an open letter Thursday to the city's residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero and five of its allies have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spent more than $165,000 on a political action committee\u003c/a> to influence the election, an amount that's close to three times as much as all of the candidates have raised combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">Valero-Backed Group Spends Heavily to Sway Benicia City Council Election\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/RS5894_IMG_1993-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The PAC is pushing to defeat Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist, and is backing Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada, to candidates the committee sees as Valero backers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The energy company claims that McLaughlin, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson and Vice Mayor Steve Young inappropriately used city money, time and energy to go after Valero in an effort that supports Birdseye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The goal of these political antics is to provide the Mayor with a secure majority vote for a single minded agenda to negatively impact our refinery,\" Valero said. \"This is just the latest example of the Mayor using bully tactics against our company in her quest to shut down our business,\" the company said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birdseye has been critical of the refinery and has expressed support for the mayor's proposed safety regulations that emerged after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's May 5, 2017 full-facility power outage\u003c/a> that led to a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That proposal, called an Industrial Safety Ordinance, failed at the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge and Largaespada do not support the ordinance. The three candidates, along with a fourth candidate, William Emes, are running for two spots on the Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McLaughlin, the city attorney, said the city was disappointed with the FPPC's decision but is still looking into the matter. In fact, city officials still have not been able to confirm what questions were used in the poll, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Thursday night, the Council directed McLaughlin to get a copy of the questions from the commission and Valero to determine if they violated the city's clean campaign laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the firms Valero hired to conduct the poll, EMC, has refused to hand the questions over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Winuk, a lawyer representing EMC, argued that the poll was conducted in full compliance with federal, state and local laws. EMC does not engage in campaign advertising and the poll was not partisan, Winuk argued in a Oct. 9 letter to the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The poll's purpose was to gather feedback from local voters and the company is not obligated to hand over its questions, according to Winuk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Professional polling companies are under no obligation to provide you with the information you requested,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson and Vice Mayor Young disagree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are seeking facts to determine if the polling was for or against candidates,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We respect freedom of speech even for large, mega-billion-dollar fossil fuel corporations trying to bully and buy council seats.\" she said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is no reason why Valero or the polling company should not now agree to our repeated requests to provide a copy to the city,\" Young wrote, also in an email Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Benicia city officials had alleged that Valero may have commissioned a poll that advocated for certain City Council candidates the oil company sees as allies.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State campaign finance regulators have decided not to launch an investigation into one of the apparent tactics the Valero Energy Corp. may have used in order to influence the Benicia City Council election. The San Antonio-based oil company operates a refinery that's one of the Solano County city's largest employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials last month filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) against the Valero refinery in connection with a series of phone calls made to Benicia residents about the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City Attorney Heather McLaughlin alleged that Valero sponsored a so-called push poll that may have involved a questioner laying out negative statements about one of the council candidates the company opposes, and positive ones about two candidates the company sees as allies — but did not disclose it was behind the poll during the calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FPPC said Thursday it would not pursue an enforcement action against Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Enforcement Division found insufficient evidence of a violation of the Political Reform Act,\" Galena West, the division's chief, wrote in a letter on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company says it's not surprised by the FPPC's decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It only highlights the greater concern that the Mayor and Vice Mayor consistently and inappropriately use their City Council leadership positions and our city resources to advance their agenda against our company,\" the refinery said in an open letter Thursday to the city's residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero and five of its allies have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spent more than $165,000 on a political action committee\u003c/a> to influence the election, an amount that's close to three times as much as all of the candidates have raised combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">Valero-Backed Group Spends Heavily to Sway Benicia City Council Election\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/RS5894_IMG_1993-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The PAC is pushing to defeat Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist, and is backing Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada, to candidates the committee sees as Valero backers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The energy company claims that McLaughlin, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson and Vice Mayor Steve Young inappropriately used city money, time and energy to go after Valero in an effort that supports Birdseye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The goal of these political antics is to provide the Mayor with a secure majority vote for a single minded agenda to negatively impact our refinery,\" Valero said. \"This is just the latest example of the Mayor using bully tactics against our company in her quest to shut down our business,\" the company said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birdseye has been critical of the refinery and has expressed support for the mayor's proposed safety regulations that emerged after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's May 5, 2017 full-facility power outage\u003c/a> that led to a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That proposal, called an Industrial Safety Ordinance, failed at the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge and Largaespada do not support the ordinance. The three candidates, along with a fourth candidate, William Emes, are running for two spots on the Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McLaughlin, the city attorney, said the city was disappointed with the FPPC's decision but is still looking into the matter. In fact, city officials still have not been able to confirm what questions were used in the poll, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Thursday night, the Council directed McLaughlin to get a copy of the questions from the commission and Valero to determine if they violated the city's clean campaign laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the firms Valero hired to conduct the poll, EMC, has refused to hand the questions over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Winuk, a lawyer representing EMC, argued that the poll was conducted in full compliance with federal, state and local laws. EMC does not engage in campaign advertising and the poll was not partisan, Winuk argued in a Oct. 9 letter to the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The poll's purpose was to gather feedback from local voters and the company is not obligated to hand over its questions, according to Winuk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Professional polling companies are under no obligation to provide you with the information you requested,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson and Vice Mayor Young disagree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are seeking facts to determine if the polling was for or against candidates,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We respect freedom of speech even for large, mega-billion-dollar fossil fuel corporations trying to bully and buy council seats.\" she said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is no reason why Valero or the polling company should not now agree to our repeated requests to provide a copy to the city,\" Young wrote, also in an email Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Valero-Backed Group Spends Heavily to Sway Benicia City Council Election",
"title": "Valero-Backed Group Spends Heavily to Sway Benicia City Council Election",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Valero Energy Corp. and several allies have spent more than $165,000 to influence the Benicia City Council election, an amount that's close to three times as much as all of the candidates have raised combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Antonio-based oil company, which operates a refinery that's one of the city's largest employers, has joined with five state and local labor organizations to donate to a political action committee formed to oppose an environmentalist candidate and back two others the group sees as friendly to the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee has funded ads and an aggressive telephone campaign to influence the city's 19,000-plus registered voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the magnitude of the spending in a small municipal election is unusual but that the Benicia campaign is part of a trend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're going to see a lot more of this spending,\" Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School specializing in money in politics, said about corporate political contributions in local elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Even though they are closer to constituents than a gubernatorial or Senate race, voters tend to know less about them. A little bit of spending ... can make a difference,\" Levinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's actions are reminiscent of an effort several years ago by Chevron to sway voters in Richmond, where it operates a massive refinery. In 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/05/361875792/chevron-spends-big-and-loses-big-in-a-city-council-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the company spent\u003c/a> millions in an unsuccessful attempt to elect a slate of its allies to the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the PAC's activities have led Benicia officials to call on the state's political watchdog to investigate claims that the committee has violated some of California's laws regulating campaign contributions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company's political activities, first reported by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2018/10/16/valero-spends-money-to-oppose-benicia-candidate-birdseye/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vallejo Times-Herald\u003c/a> and Roger Straw, an activist and blogger with the \u003ca href=\"http://beniciaindependent.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Independent\u003c/a>, come 18 months after a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide caused by a power outage at the Valero refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident prompted calls for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675407/in-wake-of-valero-refinery-incident-benicia-weighs-whether-to-pursue-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">city regulation\u003c/a> of the refinery and deepened a divide between the city's mayor and the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Candidates\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The election involves four candidates vying for two open spots on the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 34-word name of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/PAC_Working_Families_for_Benicia_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">independent expenditure\u003c/a> Valero is helping to fund explains clearly who it wants to win. It's called \"Working Families for a Strong Benicia, A Coalition of Labor, Industrial Services Companies, Public Safety and Local Leaders Supporting Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and Opposing Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council 2018.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero-backed committee calls Birdseye \"a yes man\" for Mayor Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Birdseye is bad for Benicia,\" one of its ads says. \"We don't need another job killer.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://birdseyeforbenicia.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Birdseye\u003c/a> is a spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She refers to the company's executives as \"the suits from San Antonio\" who \"sully our election\" and are engaged in a \"smear campaign\" involving \"dirty ads with lies.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Benicia deserves better than to be bullied and bamboozled by big money like this,\" she said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a member of the city's Planning Commission in 2016, Birdseye was among those who helped defeat a company plan to expand refinery operations to include crude oil shipped by rail. Birdseye is also a supporter of Mayor Elizabeth Patterson's failed 2017 proposal to create new local regulations for the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said with the Trump administration pulling back from regulating the oil industry and California's goal of sharply reducing its dependence on carbon-based energy sources in the coming decades, local governments need to take action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's up to the counties, cities and towns to plan for a clean energy future,\" Birdseye said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't want Valero to shut down tomorrow,\" she said. \"I drive a gas-powered car, and our economy still needs Valero in our community, but I do see the need for more transparency with our largest industrial neighbor.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birdseye \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Birdseye_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\">has raised about $20,000\u003c/a> for her campaign, nearly all from individual donors in Benicia and other Solano County communities, and none from businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pair Supported by Valero-Backed Group\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge and Largaespada, the two candidates supported by the Valero-backed coalition, emphasize that they have no ties to the independent expenditure group and have worked hard to keep their campaigns positive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.votelionel.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Largaespada\u003c/a> chairs the city's economic development board and works as director of marketing and business development at F3 and Associates, a firm providing advanced surveying and visualization services to a wide variety of customers -- including some in the oil and gas industry. Among its clients is Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Largaespada said Valero's involvement in the election has more to do with the company's frustration and its deteriorating relationship with Mayor Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"But that doesn't give Valero and its various associates permission to launch a negative campaign,\" Largaespada said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When this all started to come out I went on record, rejecting all of it,\" he said. \"It's not the kind of campaign I support at all.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Largaespada said Valero has a responsibility to keep Benicia safe and that the city and the refinery need to improve communication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said he opposed the mayor's proposal for city oversight of the company, noting that the ordinance was similar to regulations the state has already adopted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Largaespada_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Largaespada has raised close to $21,000\u003c/a>, mostly from individuals. He said he returned more than $1,000 he had received from a local labor PAC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candidate \u003ca href=\"http://www.christinaforbeniciacouncil.com/teams/?u=CHRISTINAFORBENICIACOUNCIL&s=htosports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christina Strawbridge\u003c/a> served on the council from 2011 to 2016, owns a clothing boutique in downtown Benicia and has been involved with community groups for 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Largaespada, she said she's wary of the support she's getting from the Valero-backed group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think they think they're helping me,\" Strawbridge said, stressing that she's not aligned with any group or other candidate. \"I'm an independent person, as I proved when I was on the City Council for five years.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge notes that Valero's taxes account for a large part of Benicia's budget and have attracted businesses that support refinery operations to the city's Industrial Park. She said the company \"has always stepped up\" to help community groups and to do volunteer work in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That said, I believe there needs to be better communication between Valero and the city of Benicia. It has gotten to be at an all-time low in our relationship,\" Strawbridge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she likes certain parts of the mayor's Industrial Safety Ordinance proposal, including its push for more air monitors, she said Patterson brought it to the council without gathering enough input from others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The public didn't get a chance to review it when it was introduced. Nor did city staff. They had less than a week,\" Strawbridge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Strawbridge_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Strawbridge has received close to $24,000 in donations\u003c/a> from a mix of individuals, businesses and political action committees. She said she returned more than $1,000 from political action committees associated with Valero's independent expenditure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Also in the Running\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fourth candidate running, \u003ca href=\"http://www.electwillemes.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">William Emes\u003c/a>, is a retired carpenter who has received no donations or endorsements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The only endorsement that counts is your vote,\" his website states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emes said he has worked in refineries and has a direct understanding of \"what safety means.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email he emphasized that he wants to be on a team that \"gets things done\" and that he places great value in being transparent and objective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The manner in which the unions and Valero involved themselves in our election was completely unprincipled and contrary to any meaningful public discussion,\" Emes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Valero's Stance and Labor Allies\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman did not answer questions about the committee's involvement in the council election but instead pointed out the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2018/10/16/an-open-letter-from-valero-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">company's views\u003c/a> in an Oct. 16 letter to the Vallejo Times-Herald.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter, signed by refinery general manager Don Wilson, emphasized the refinery's long-standing presence in Benicia and its strong safety record. It also directly criticized Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Unfortunately, at City Hall, the mayor has decided to make our operations, employees' jobs and the city's tax revenue her target,\" Wilson wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The five unions that have donated to the super PAC are the Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 16, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 549, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, the California State Pipe Trades Council and the District Council of Iron Workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The groups who have contributed to the committee represent workers at various refineries, among other industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Donald Zampa, president of the Iron Workers District Council, which contributed $30,000 to the committee, said his organization's involvement in Benicia is aimed at saving jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zampa said he was not familiar with Patterson's safety ordinance but believes she is putting the city's economic health at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If it was up to her, she would close down the number one job provider in Benicia,\" Zampa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Push for Investigation into Valero-Backed Group\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson, who supports Birdseye, calls the oil refining sector \"a fading industry\" that Benicia should pivot away from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Valero is trying to bully and buy its way into politics in Benicia,\" Patterson said. \"I had not seen it so vicious and ugly as it has been this year.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heather McLaughlin, Benicia's city attorney, has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission against the Valero refinery in connection with a series of phone calls made to Benicia residents about the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The so-called push poll involved a questioner laying out negative statements about Birdseye and positive ones about Largaespada and Strawbridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September McLaughlin emailed the firm believed to be behind the phone calls, Research America, warning them that the calls may appear to violate Benicia's municipal code requiring certain disclosures for campaign communications funded by independent expenditures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 18, McLaughlin requested an FPPC investigation, alleging that Valero sponsored the poll and \"did not disclose they were behind the poll during the telephone calls.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga said the commission is in the process of deciding whether to open an inquiry.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Valero Energy Corp. and several allies have spent more than $165,000 to influence the Benicia City Council election, an amount that's close to three times as much as all of the candidates have raised combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Antonio-based oil company, which operates a refinery that's one of the city's largest employers, has joined with five state and local labor organizations to donate to a political action committee formed to oppose an environmentalist candidate and back two others the group sees as friendly to the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee has funded ads and an aggressive telephone campaign to influence the city's 19,000-plus registered voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the magnitude of the spending in a small municipal election is unusual but that the Benicia campaign is part of a trend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're going to see a lot more of this spending,\" Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School specializing in money in politics, said about corporate political contributions in local elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Even though they are closer to constituents than a gubernatorial or Senate race, voters tend to know less about them. A little bit of spending ... can make a difference,\" Levinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's actions are reminiscent of an effort several years ago by Chevron to sway voters in Richmond, where it operates a massive refinery. In 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/05/361875792/chevron-spends-big-and-loses-big-in-a-city-council-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the company spent\u003c/a> millions in an unsuccessful attempt to elect a slate of its allies to the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the PAC's activities have led Benicia officials to call on the state's political watchdog to investigate claims that the committee has violated some of California's laws regulating campaign contributions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company's political activities, first reported by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2018/10/16/valero-spends-money-to-oppose-benicia-candidate-birdseye/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vallejo Times-Herald\u003c/a> and Roger Straw, an activist and blogger with the \u003ca href=\"http://beniciaindependent.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Independent\u003c/a>, come 18 months after a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide caused by a power outage at the Valero refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident prompted calls for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675407/in-wake-of-valero-refinery-incident-benicia-weighs-whether-to-pursue-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">city regulation\u003c/a> of the refinery and deepened a divide between the city's mayor and the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Candidates\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The election involves four candidates vying for two open spots on the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 34-word name of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/PAC_Working_Families_for_Benicia_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">independent expenditure\u003c/a> Valero is helping to fund explains clearly who it wants to win. It's called \"Working Families for a Strong Benicia, A Coalition of Labor, Industrial Services Companies, Public Safety and Local Leaders Supporting Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and Opposing Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council 2018.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero-backed committee calls Birdseye \"a yes man\" for Mayor Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Birdseye is bad for Benicia,\" one of its ads says. \"We don't need another job killer.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://birdseyeforbenicia.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Birdseye\u003c/a> is a spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She refers to the company's executives as \"the suits from San Antonio\" who \"sully our election\" and are engaged in a \"smear campaign\" involving \"dirty ads with lies.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Benicia deserves better than to be bullied and bamboozled by big money like this,\" she said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a member of the city's Planning Commission in 2016, Birdseye was among those who helped defeat a company plan to expand refinery operations to include crude oil shipped by rail. Birdseye is also a supporter of Mayor Elizabeth Patterson's failed 2017 proposal to create new local regulations for the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said with the Trump administration pulling back from regulating the oil industry and California's goal of sharply reducing its dependence on carbon-based energy sources in the coming decades, local governments need to take action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's up to the counties, cities and towns to plan for a clean energy future,\" Birdseye said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't want Valero to shut down tomorrow,\" she said. \"I drive a gas-powered car, and our economy still needs Valero in our community, but I do see the need for more transparency with our largest industrial neighbor.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birdseye \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Birdseye_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\">has raised about $20,000\u003c/a> for her campaign, nearly all from individual donors in Benicia and other Solano County communities, and none from businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pair Supported by Valero-Backed Group\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge and Largaespada, the two candidates supported by the Valero-backed coalition, emphasize that they have no ties to the independent expenditure group and have worked hard to keep their campaigns positive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.votelionel.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Largaespada\u003c/a> chairs the city's economic development board and works as director of marketing and business development at F3 and Associates, a firm providing advanced surveying and visualization services to a wide variety of customers -- including some in the oil and gas industry. Among its clients is Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Largaespada said Valero's involvement in the election has more to do with the company's frustration and its deteriorating relationship with Mayor Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"But that doesn't give Valero and its various associates permission to launch a negative campaign,\" Largaespada said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When this all started to come out I went on record, rejecting all of it,\" he said. \"It's not the kind of campaign I support at all.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Largaespada said Valero has a responsibility to keep Benicia safe and that the city and the refinery need to improve communication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said he opposed the mayor's proposal for city oversight of the company, noting that the ordinance was similar to regulations the state has already adopted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Largaespada_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Largaespada has raised close to $21,000\u003c/a>, mostly from individuals. He said he returned more than $1,000 he had received from a local labor PAC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candidate \u003ca href=\"http://www.christinaforbeniciacouncil.com/teams/?u=CHRISTINAFORBENICIACOUNCIL&s=htosports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christina Strawbridge\u003c/a> served on the council from 2011 to 2016, owns a clothing boutique in downtown Benicia and has been involved with community groups for 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Largaespada, she said she's wary of the support she's getting from the Valero-backed group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think they think they're helping me,\" Strawbridge said, stressing that she's not aligned with any group or other candidate. \"I'm an independent person, as I proved when I was on the City Council for five years.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge notes that Valero's taxes account for a large part of Benicia's budget and have attracted businesses that support refinery operations to the city's Industrial Park. She said the company \"has always stepped up\" to help community groups and to do volunteer work in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That said, I believe there needs to be better communication between Valero and the city of Benicia. It has gotten to be at an all-time low in our relationship,\" Strawbridge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she likes certain parts of the mayor's Industrial Safety Ordinance proposal, including its push for more air monitors, she said Patterson brought it to the council without gathering enough input from others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The public didn't get a chance to review it when it was introduced. Nor did city staff. They had less than a week,\" Strawbridge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Strawbridge_Form_460_Pre_Election_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Strawbridge has received close to $24,000 in donations\u003c/a> from a mix of individuals, businesses and political action committees. She said she returned more than $1,000 from political action committees associated with Valero's independent expenditure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Also in the Running\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fourth candidate running, \u003ca href=\"http://www.electwillemes.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">William Emes\u003c/a>, is a retired carpenter who has received no donations or endorsements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The only endorsement that counts is your vote,\" his website states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emes said he has worked in refineries and has a direct understanding of \"what safety means.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email he emphasized that he wants to be on a team that \"gets things done\" and that he places great value in being transparent and objective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The manner in which the unions and Valero involved themselves in our election was completely unprincipled and contrary to any meaningful public discussion,\" Emes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Valero's Stance and Labor Allies\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman did not answer questions about the committee's involvement in the council election but instead pointed out the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2018/10/16/an-open-letter-from-valero-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">company's views\u003c/a> in an Oct. 16 letter to the Vallejo Times-Herald.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter, signed by refinery general manager Don Wilson, emphasized the refinery's long-standing presence in Benicia and its strong safety record. It also directly criticized Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Unfortunately, at City Hall, the mayor has decided to make our operations, employees' jobs and the city's tax revenue her target,\" Wilson wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The five unions that have donated to the super PAC are the Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 16, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 549, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, the California State Pipe Trades Council and the District Council of Iron Workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The groups who have contributed to the committee represent workers at various refineries, among other industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Donald Zampa, president of the Iron Workers District Council, which contributed $30,000 to the committee, said his organization's involvement in Benicia is aimed at saving jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zampa said he was not familiar with Patterson's safety ordinance but believes she is putting the city's economic health at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If it was up to her, she would close down the number one job provider in Benicia,\" Zampa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Push for Investigation into Valero-Backed Group\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson, who supports Birdseye, calls the oil refining sector \"a fading industry\" that Benicia should pivot away from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Valero is trying to bully and buy its way into politics in Benicia,\" Patterson said. \"I had not seen it so vicious and ugly as it has been this year.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heather McLaughlin, Benicia's city attorney, has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission against the Valero refinery in connection with a series of phone calls made to Benicia residents about the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The so-called push poll involved a questioner laying out negative statements about Birdseye and positive ones about Largaespada and Strawbridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September McLaughlin emailed the firm believed to be behind the phone calls, Research America, warning them that the calls may appear to violate Benicia's municipal code requiring certain disclosures for campaign communications funded by independent expenditures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 18, McLaughlin requested an FPPC investigation, alleging that Valero sponsored the poll and \"did not disclose they were behind the poll during the telephone calls.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga said the commission is in the process of deciding whether to open an inquiry.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "State Decides Not to Penalize PG&E for Major Valero Outage",
"title": "State Decides Not to Penalize PG&E for Major Valero Outage",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATED: Thursday, Aug. 9 at 1:58 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which recently blamed PG&E for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11441696/benicia-refinery-power-outage-triggers-evacuations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">causing a major power outage at Valero's Benicia refinery last year\u003c/a>, has decided not to punish the utility for the mistakes that led to one of the worst Bay Area refinery accidents in years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The commission concluded\u003c/a> that PG&E's inadequate training of operations personnel and slow response to the failure of an electrical component led to the May 5, 2017, outage, which triggered a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders in Benicia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the state agency — at this point — does not plan to penalize the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"PG&E has agreed to take corrective actions that, in CPUC staff's opinion, would prevent a recurrence of the problems,\" commission spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"SED (The CPUC's Safety and Enforcement Division) does not plan to issue a citation with penalties at this time, but will monitor to ensure that PG&E addresses the problems sufficiently and in a timely manner,\" Prosper said, adding that if things change, the commission could reopen the probe and cite the utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC's decision did not sit well with the area's elected leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think it's outrageous,\" said state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), who represents the area. \"Not only continually has PG&E's safety protocols been called into question, but now this leads me to call into question the oversight of the California Public Utilities Commission.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Still Looking for Answers From Valero Six Months After Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621464/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solano County Probe Finds No Violations in Valero Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero Sues PG&E for 'Reckless' Outage at Benicia Refinery\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11500307/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11465002/more-of-the-bay-area-may-be-vulnerable-to-refinery-mishaps-than-was-thought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More of Bay Area May Be Vulnerable to Refinery Mishaps Than Previously Believed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11446718/benicia-mayor-calls-for-key-emergency-improvements-after-valero-refinery-outage-and-flaring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Mayor Calls For Key Emergency Improvements After Valero Refinery Outage and Flaring\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>On Thursday Dodd sent \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4705176-Dodd-Letter-to-CPUC.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a letter to CPUC President Michael Picker\u003c/a>, expressing outrage over the agency's decision. \"I have a difficult time understanding why the CPUC would fail to take any punitive action,\" Dodd wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), a longtime critic of PG&E, was also surprised to hear that the commission was not penalizing the company. \"They clearly violated the law,\" Hill said in an interview Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"To give them a pass certainly does not bode well for the change in culture and policies and prioritization at the PUC where safety is supposed to be paramount,\" said Hill, who's been pushing the commission to be a stricter regulator of PG&E since the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It indicates a systemic problem with PG&E,\" he said. \"The CPUC should do its job, enforce the law and cite PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, who has been pushing for the city to have more \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675407/in-wake-of-valero-refinery-incident-benicia-weighs-whether-to-pursue-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oversight over the refinery\u003c/a>, said the CPUC's decision means it failed to consider that the city was gravely affected by the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Residents and workers in Benicia are at risk because the CPUC cravenly fails to ensure that PG&E provide adequate training when working on power supply to the Valero refinery,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayor says the commission should have considered fining PG&E for costs associated with the city's opening of its emergency center and the work its police and firefighters did the day of the outage, among other sacrifices Benicia made in dealing with the refinery accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero shutdown led to several government investigations, a brief increase in gas prices and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit\u003c/a> by Valero against PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC said a lack of training and unclear company documents led PG&E workers to misunderstand the importance of a key piece of equipment that went down before the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero, when asked to comment on the commission's decision, reiterated that blame was on PG&E for the entire episode.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We agree with the CPUC report, which found that PG&E violated state regulations and is solely responsible for the May 5, 2017 power outage,\" company spokeswoman Lillian Riojas said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"PG&E must take the necessary corrective actions to prevent this from happening again,\" Riojas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E disputes the CPUC's findings and continues to blame Valero for the incident, but says it's taking steps to prevent a similar problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Since this incident, we have completed several corrective actions ... including adding alarms and alerts, regularly reviewing work processes and making changes to verification status of protective systems and holding regular refresher trainings for operators,\" said Deanna Contreras, a PG&E spokeswoman, in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The May 2017 outage at the Benicia refinery prompted a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and emergency shelter-in-place orders. Critics argue the CPUC isn't doing enough to protect residents.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATED: Thursday, Aug. 9 at 1:58 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which recently blamed PG&E for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11441696/benicia-refinery-power-outage-triggers-evacuations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">causing a major power outage at Valero's Benicia refinery last year\u003c/a>, has decided not to punish the utility for the mistakes that led to one of the worst Bay Area refinery accidents in years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The commission concluded\u003c/a> that PG&E's inadequate training of operations personnel and slow response to the failure of an electrical component led to the May 5, 2017, outage, which triggered a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders in Benicia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the state agency — at this point — does not plan to penalize the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"PG&E has agreed to take corrective actions that, in CPUC staff's opinion, would prevent a recurrence of the problems,\" commission spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"SED (The CPUC's Safety and Enforcement Division) does not plan to issue a citation with penalties at this time, but will monitor to ensure that PG&E addresses the problems sufficiently and in a timely manner,\" Prosper said, adding that if things change, the commission could reopen the probe and cite the utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC's decision did not sit well with the area's elected leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think it's outrageous,\" said state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), who represents the area. \"Not only continually has PG&E's safety protocols been called into question, but now this leads me to call into question the oversight of the California Public Utilities Commission.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Still Looking for Answers From Valero Six Months After Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621464/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solano County Probe Finds No Violations in Valero Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero Sues PG&E for 'Reckless' Outage at Benicia Refinery\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11500307/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11465002/more-of-the-bay-area-may-be-vulnerable-to-refinery-mishaps-than-was-thought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More of Bay Area May Be Vulnerable to Refinery Mishaps Than Previously Believed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11446718/benicia-mayor-calls-for-key-emergency-improvements-after-valero-refinery-outage-and-flaring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Mayor Calls For Key Emergency Improvements After Valero Refinery Outage and Flaring\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>On Thursday Dodd sent \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4705176-Dodd-Letter-to-CPUC.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a letter to CPUC President Michael Picker\u003c/a>, expressing outrage over the agency's decision. \"I have a difficult time understanding why the CPUC would fail to take any punitive action,\" Dodd wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), a longtime critic of PG&E, was also surprised to hear that the commission was not penalizing the company. \"They clearly violated the law,\" Hill said in an interview Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"To give them a pass certainly does not bode well for the change in culture and policies and prioritization at the PUC where safety is supposed to be paramount,\" said Hill, who's been pushing the commission to be a stricter regulator of PG&E since the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It indicates a systemic problem with PG&E,\" he said. \"The CPUC should do its job, enforce the law and cite PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, who has been pushing for the city to have more \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675407/in-wake-of-valero-refinery-incident-benicia-weighs-whether-to-pursue-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oversight over the refinery\u003c/a>, said the CPUC's decision means it failed to consider that the city was gravely affected by the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Residents and workers in Benicia are at risk because the CPUC cravenly fails to ensure that PG&E provide adequate training when working on power supply to the Valero refinery,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayor says the commission should have considered fining PG&E for costs associated with the city's opening of its emergency center and the work its police and firefighters did the day of the outage, among other sacrifices Benicia made in dealing with the refinery accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero shutdown led to several government investigations, a brief increase in gas prices and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit\u003c/a> by Valero against PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC said a lack of training and unclear company documents led PG&E workers to misunderstand the importance of a key piece of equipment that went down before the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero, when asked to comment on the commission's decision, reiterated that blame was on PG&E for the entire episode.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We agree with the CPUC report, which found that PG&E violated state regulations and is solely responsible for the May 5, 2017 power outage,\" company spokeswoman Lillian Riojas said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"PG&E must take the necessary corrective actions to prevent this from happening again,\" Riojas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E disputes the CPUC's findings and continues to blame Valero for the incident, but says it's taking steps to prevent a similar problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Since this incident, we have completed several corrective actions ... including adding alarms and alerts, regularly reviewing work processes and making changes to verification status of protective systems and holding regular refresher trainings for operators,\" said Deanna Contreras, a PG&E spokeswoman, in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "CPUC Probe Says PG&E Mistakes Led to Benicia Refinery Outage",
"title": "CPUC Probe Says PG&E Mistakes Led to Benicia Refinery Outage",
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"content": "\u003cp>State regulators say that PG&E's inadequate training of operations personnel and its slow response to the failure of an electrical component led to a power outage at a Benicia oil refinery last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 18-minute power failure early the morning of May 5, 2017, disrupted operations at the Valero refinery, triggered a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fallout from the incident has included several government \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11450295/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigations\u003c/a>, a brief increase in gas prices, a push for Benicia to impose its own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675407/in-wake-of-valero-refinery-incident-benicia-weighs-whether-to-pursue-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oversight\u003c/a> of the refinery and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit\u003c/a> filed by Valero against PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it rejects the conclusions of the California Public Utilities Commission investigation into the outage and maintains that the oil company is responsible for the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4613939/CPUC-PGE-Valero-Investigative-Report\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CPUC investigative report\u003c/a>, completed in April and released to KQED after a California Public Records Act request, lays out the events that began the day before the power failure. The document also outlines the complex way the Valero refinery is tied into PG&E's electrical network -- and how workers' misunderstanding of the connection led to the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report says the sequence of events that led to the outage began May 4, with a transformer failure at a substation adjacent to the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC report says that the PG&E operator who detected the problem reviewed company diagrams and documents and concluded the transformer issue would not affect a safety system designed to protect the refinery if it's disconnected from the utility's electrical network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The safety system is necessary because the refinery generates part of the electricity it needs from an on-site power plant. The system, known as \"anti-islanding\" protection, is designed to prevent electricity from flowing out of the refinery. The protection scheme is designed to kick in if both of the major PG&E transmission lines to the utility's Benicia substation suffer major problems or are taken offline simultaneously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early the morning of May 5, the CPUC report says, PG&E operators at the substation de-energized one of the transmission lines as the first step in a long-planned maintenance operation. Cutting power to the transmission line, along with the previously discovered transformer failure, activated the anti-islanding system. Power to the entire Valero facility went down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC investigation incorporates findings from Exponent, an engineering firm PG&E hired to analyze the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exponent found that the PG&E operator who first noticed the transformer failure did not understand that it could play a part in triggering the anti-islanding system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The engineering firm noted that the PG&E's document describing the system \"is perceived by operators to be unclear on conditions necessary to activate the scheme, the instrumentation equipment ... that the scheme depends on\" and other key information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exponent recommended a series of safety measures -- including improved training and maintenance procedures and the use of warning devices to alert operators of potential problems with the anti-islanding system -- to prevent future incidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC's investigation concluded that PG&E violated a state regulation that requires electrical substations to be operated and maintained safely and in a manner to provide adequate service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to failing to maintain the transformer involved in the incident, the CPUC said,\"PG&E did not provide adequate training, documents, or diagrams for its operators to fully understand the anti-islanding protection scheme. If the ... substation operators had sufficient training and documentation on the anti-islanding protection scheme, they would have properly identified and resolved the failed (transformer issue) and prevented the incident from occurring.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras reiterated the company's earlier apologies for the outage, but said it does not agree withthe CPUC's findings. The utility has maintained the electrical failure was Valero's fault.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"PG&E denies the CPUC's specific allegations that we failed to maintain a type of transformer for its intended use and that we failed to provide adequate training, documents or diagrams to operators,\" Contreras said in an emailed statement. \"Additionally, PG&E maintains that the responsibility for the unplanned refinery shutdown rests with Valero.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two previous probes, by Solano County and state workplace regulators, cleared Valero of wrongdoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contreras added that PG&E is adopting Exponent's safety recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steven Weissman, a lecturer at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy and a former CPUC administrative law judge, said the company should aggressively implement those measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's going to want to be responsive to this,\" Weissman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman declined to comment on the CPUC report, citing its pending litigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But earlier this week, a Valero executive told the Benicia City Council that the refinery and PG&E are working out new rules aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2017 incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to limit the number of times PG&E is sticking a screwdriver into the wires that supply our refinery,” Rich Walsh, vice president of Valero’s regulatory and environmental law programs, told council members on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new protocols would require PG&E crews to consolidate their maintenance work on the electricity lines that serve the refinery into shorter time periods and allow Valero to inspect PG&E equipment before those jobs, among other changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Read the CPUC report \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4613939/CPUC-PGE-Valero-Investigative-Report.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a> and below.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[documentcloud url=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4613939-CPUC-PGE-Valero-Investigative-Report\"]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State regulators say that PG&E's inadequate training of operations personnel and its slow response to the failure of an electrical component led to a power outage at a Benicia oil refinery last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 18-minute power failure early the morning of May 5, 2017, disrupted operations at the Valero refinery, triggered a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fallout from the incident has included several government \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11450295/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigations\u003c/a>, a brief increase in gas prices, a push for Benicia to impose its own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675407/in-wake-of-valero-refinery-incident-benicia-weighs-whether-to-pursue-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oversight\u003c/a> of the refinery and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit\u003c/a> filed by Valero against PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it rejects the conclusions of the California Public Utilities Commission investigation into the outage and maintains that the oil company is responsible for the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4613939/CPUC-PGE-Valero-Investigative-Report\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CPUC investigative report\u003c/a>, completed in April and released to KQED after a California Public Records Act request, lays out the events that began the day before the power failure. The document also outlines the complex way the Valero refinery is tied into PG&E's electrical network -- and how workers' misunderstanding of the connection led to the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report says the sequence of events that led to the outage began May 4, with a transformer failure at a substation adjacent to the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC report says that the PG&E operator who detected the problem reviewed company diagrams and documents and concluded the transformer issue would not affect a safety system designed to protect the refinery if it's disconnected from the utility's electrical network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The safety system is necessary because the refinery generates part of the electricity it needs from an on-site power plant. The system, known as \"anti-islanding\" protection, is designed to prevent electricity from flowing out of the refinery. The protection scheme is designed to kick in if both of the major PG&E transmission lines to the utility's Benicia substation suffer major problems or are taken offline simultaneously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early the morning of May 5, the CPUC report says, PG&E operators at the substation de-energized one of the transmission lines as the first step in a long-planned maintenance operation. Cutting power to the transmission line, along with the previously discovered transformer failure, activated the anti-islanding system. Power to the entire Valero facility went down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC investigation incorporates findings from Exponent, an engineering firm PG&E hired to analyze the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exponent found that the PG&E operator who first noticed the transformer failure did not understand that it could play a part in triggering the anti-islanding system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The engineering firm noted that the PG&E's document describing the system \"is perceived by operators to be unclear on conditions necessary to activate the scheme, the instrumentation equipment ... that the scheme depends on\" and other key information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exponent recommended a series of safety measures -- including improved training and maintenance procedures and the use of warning devices to alert operators of potential problems with the anti-islanding system -- to prevent future incidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC's investigation concluded that PG&E violated a state regulation that requires electrical substations to be operated and maintained safely and in a manner to provide adequate service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to failing to maintain the transformer involved in the incident, the CPUC said,\"PG&E did not provide adequate training, documents, or diagrams for its operators to fully understand the anti-islanding protection scheme. If the ... substation operators had sufficient training and documentation on the anti-islanding protection scheme, they would have properly identified and resolved the failed (transformer issue) and prevented the incident from occurring.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras reiterated the company's earlier apologies for the outage, but said it does not agree withthe CPUC's findings. The utility has maintained the electrical failure was Valero's fault.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"PG&E denies the CPUC's specific allegations that we failed to maintain a type of transformer for its intended use and that we failed to provide adequate training, documents or diagrams to operators,\" Contreras said in an emailed statement. \"Additionally, PG&E maintains that the responsibility for the unplanned refinery shutdown rests with Valero.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two previous probes, by Solano County and state workplace regulators, cleared Valero of wrongdoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contreras added that PG&E is adopting Exponent's safety recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steven Weissman, a lecturer at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy and a former CPUC administrative law judge, said the company should aggressively implement those measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's going to want to be responsive to this,\" Weissman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman declined to comment on the CPUC report, citing its pending litigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But earlier this week, a Valero executive told the Benicia City Council that the refinery and PG&E are working out new rules aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2017 incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to limit the number of times PG&E is sticking a screwdriver into the wires that supply our refinery,” Rich Walsh, vice president of Valero’s regulatory and environmental law programs, told council members on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new protocols would require PG&E crews to consolidate their maintenance work on the electricity lines that serve the refinery into shorter time periods and allow Valero to inspect PG&E equipment before those jobs, among other changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Read the CPUC report \u003ca href=\"https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4613939/CPUC-PGE-Valero-Investigative-Report.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a> and below.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Benicia Rejects Safety Ordinance Proposed After Last Year's Valero Outage",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, June 20\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia city leaders voted early Wednesday morning not to move forward with a proposal that could have given city officials more oversight of the Valero refinery, more than a year after a power outage at the facility triggered a major pollution release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, the City Council voted 3-2 to monitor Solano County's implementation of state refinery safety regulations adopted last October and to require Valero to install air monitors along its fence line within six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original Post\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thirteen months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11441696/benicia-refinery-power-outage-triggers-evacuations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a major air pollution incident\u003c/a> at Valero Energy Corp.'s Benicia refinery, city leaders will decide whether to assume more oversight of the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, the City Council plans to decide whether to direct staff to begin developing an industrial safety ordinance that would require Valero to pay for a set of air monitors, submit a safety plan to the city and provide Benicia with reports on serious refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/thebay/2018/06/BeniciaAirMIXMASTER.mp3\" title=\"When Oil Refineries Flare, What Happens To The Air?\" program=\"The Bay\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/06/TheBay_iTunes_3000x3000-672x372.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue is the latest to pit Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, other city officials, environmentalists and some residents against the San Antonio-based energy company, which is the city's largest employer and taxpayer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11471818/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began pushing for the reforms\u003c/a> in the weeks following the May 5, 2017, refinery \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11450295/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">power outage\u003c/a> that triggered the release of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The space for the city is to be at the table and not be kept in the dark,\" said Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage sent flames and black smoke into the sky, leading to shelter-in-place and evacuation orders. At least a dozen people sought medical attention for breathing difficulties. It took weeks for the refinery to return to full operations, and analysts said the incident prompted a rise in the state's gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Still Looking for Answers From Valero Six Months After Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621464/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solano County Probe Finds No Violations in Valero Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero Sues PG&E for 'Reckless' Outage at Benicia Refinery\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11500307/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11465002/more-of-the-bay-area-may-be-vulnerable-to-refinery-mishaps-than-was-thought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More of Bay Area May Be Vulnerable to Refinery Mishaps Than Previously Believed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11446718/benicia-mayor-calls-for-key-emergency-improvements-after-valero-refinery-outage-and-flaring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Mayor Calls For Key Emergency Improvements After Valero Refinery Outage and Flaring\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Patterson says that since the outage, neither Valero nor regulators have given the city detailed information about the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, city officials learned from KQED, not from Solano County, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621464/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">county environmental health investigators\u003c/a> concluded late last year Valero did not violate state regulations in connection with the accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We don't get those reports,\" said Patterson in an interview last week. \"We never did get a presentation by any state or regional agency, let alone Valero, about what had happened.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The public has a right to know,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero has consistently opposed a city safety ordinance, which would be modeled after those used in Richmond for the Chevron refinery and in the rest of Contra Costa County for the Shell, Phillips 66 and Andeavor (formerly Tesoro) facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We believe you will see there will be no need to pursue a duplicative and divisive Benicia Industrial Safety Ordinance,\" Donald Cuffel, the refinery's director of health, safety, environmental and regulator affairs, wrote in a letter to the City Council late last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuffel argued state and county agencies, as well as the local air district, already have similar regulations in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last October, California officials approved \u003ca href=\"https://calepa.ca.gov/new-regulations-improve-safety-at-oil-refineries/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rules\u003c/a> similar to Contra Costa County's ordinance for refineries statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That prompted Solano County's Department of Resource Management to spend close to 500 hours inspecting, reviewing and documenting the Valero refinery, according to Benicia city staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, neither the Bay Area Air Quality Management District nor Benicia have air monitors in place to measure air quality after refinery accidents. Air district officials say they rely on monitors in nearby cities to gauge Benicia's air quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson's proposal calls for Valero to pay for monitors to be placed throughout Benicia's residential and industrial areas, as well as on the refinery's fence line. Data from those devices would be placed on a website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week the regional air district approved a fenceline air monitoring plan by Valero, according to agency spokesman Tom Flannigan. The refinery has one year to install the devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is in the initial phases of looking for a location for a community air monitor, said Flannigan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Iron Workers Local 378, which represents some of the refinery's workers, is also opposed to the safety ordinance, calling it a \"duplicative, outdated, go-it-alone strategy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A local ISO won't make our workers, trainees or this community any safer,\" Jeff McEuen, the union's business manager, financial secretary and treasurer, wrote in a letter to the City Council last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a group brought together after last year's refinery outage to develop safety reforms says the law is needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is a signature moment for Benicia, as it will signal whether the City Council puts the health and safety of Benicia, its citizens and community members over the Valero refinery's 'just trust us' stance to its industrial safety record,\" said Constance Beutel, a member of the Benicia ISO Working Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least one other member of the council sees the proposed ordinance as a way for the city to get information more quickly when the next refinery accident takes place.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large\">'\u003cstrong>This is a signature moment for Benicia,\u003c/strong> as it will signal whether the City Council puts the health and safety of Benicia, its citizens and community members over the Valero refinery's 'just trust us' stance...'\u003c/span>\u003ccite>Constance Beutel,\u003cbr>\nBenicia's Industrial Safety Ordinance Working Group\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"There is a problem with getting sufficient information out in a timely manner,\" said Vice Mayor Steve Young. \"There is a need for greater transparency.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young noted that the conflict over an industrial safety ordinance is the biggest between city leaders and Valero since the council rejected the company's \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/09/21/benicia-valero-crude-oil-by-rail-facility-rejected-by-city-council/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oil-by-rail proposal\u003c/a> in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Council members could either direct city staff to draft an ordinance that the council would vote on in the coming months, or the city could continue to rely on Solano County's work in employing the new state regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the California Public Utilities Commission expects to complete its investigation of the refinery outage this summer, according to Garrett Toy, a CPUC lawyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero sued Pacific Gas and Electric after the incident, seeking $75 million for damage to refinery equipment and lost revenue. The company blames PG&E for the episode and claims it \"shut off all electricity\" to the refinery the day of the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E hired a third-party engineering firm, Exponent, to review the outage. The company submitted its report to the CPUC. Both PG&E and the commission have declined to release that report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's lawsuit is expected to go to trial next year.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Instead, the City Council voted 3-2 to monitor Solano County's implementation of state refinery safety regulations adopted last October and to require Valero to install air monitors along its fence line within six months.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, June 20\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia city leaders voted early Wednesday morning not to move forward with a proposal that could have given city officials more oversight of the Valero refinery, more than a year after a power outage at the facility triggered a major pollution release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, the City Council voted 3-2 to monitor Solano County's implementation of state refinery safety regulations adopted last October and to require Valero to install air monitors along its fence line within six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original Post\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thirteen months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11441696/benicia-refinery-power-outage-triggers-evacuations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a major air pollution incident\u003c/a> at Valero Energy Corp.'s Benicia refinery, city leaders will decide whether to assume more oversight of the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, the City Council plans to decide whether to direct staff to begin developing an industrial safety ordinance that would require Valero to pay for a set of air monitors, submit a safety plan to the city and provide Benicia with reports on serious refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue is the latest to pit Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, other city officials, environmentalists and some residents against the San Antonio-based energy company, which is the city's largest employer and taxpayer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11471818/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began pushing for the reforms\u003c/a> in the weeks following the May 5, 2017, refinery \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11450295/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">power outage\u003c/a> that triggered the release of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The space for the city is to be at the table and not be kept in the dark,\" said Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage sent flames and black smoke into the sky, leading to shelter-in-place and evacuation orders. At least a dozen people sought medical attention for breathing difficulties. It took weeks for the refinery to return to full operations, and analysts said the incident prompted a rise in the state's gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Still Looking for Answers From Valero Six Months After Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621464/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solano County Probe Finds No Violations in Valero Refinery Outage\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11541168/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero Sues PG&E for 'Reckless' Outage at Benicia Refinery\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11500307/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11465002/more-of-the-bay-area-may-be-vulnerable-to-refinery-mishaps-than-was-thought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More of Bay Area May Be Vulnerable to Refinery Mishaps Than Previously Believed\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11446718/benicia-mayor-calls-for-key-emergency-improvements-after-valero-refinery-outage-and-flaring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benicia Mayor Calls For Key Emergency Improvements After Valero Refinery Outage and Flaring\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Patterson says that since the outage, neither Valero nor regulators have given the city detailed information about the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, city officials learned from KQED, not from Solano County, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621464/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">county environmental health investigators\u003c/a> concluded late last year Valero did not violate state regulations in connection with the accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We don't get those reports,\" said Patterson in an interview last week. \"We never did get a presentation by any state or regional agency, let alone Valero, about what had happened.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The public has a right to know,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero has consistently opposed a city safety ordinance, which would be modeled after those used in Richmond for the Chevron refinery and in the rest of Contra Costa County for the Shell, Phillips 66 and Andeavor (formerly Tesoro) facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We believe you will see there will be no need to pursue a duplicative and divisive Benicia Industrial Safety Ordinance,\" Donald Cuffel, the refinery's director of health, safety, environmental and regulator affairs, wrote in a letter to the City Council late last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuffel argued state and county agencies, as well as the local air district, already have similar regulations in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last October, California officials approved \u003ca href=\"https://calepa.ca.gov/new-regulations-improve-safety-at-oil-refineries/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rules\u003c/a> similar to Contra Costa County's ordinance for refineries statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That prompted Solano County's Department of Resource Management to spend close to 500 hours inspecting, reviewing and documenting the Valero refinery, according to Benicia city staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, neither the Bay Area Air Quality Management District nor Benicia have air monitors in place to measure air quality after refinery accidents. Air district officials say they rely on monitors in nearby cities to gauge Benicia's air quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson's proposal calls for Valero to pay for monitors to be placed throughout Benicia's residential and industrial areas, as well as on the refinery's fence line. Data from those devices would be placed on a website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week the regional air district approved a fenceline air monitoring plan by Valero, according to agency spokesman Tom Flannigan. The refinery has one year to install the devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is in the initial phases of looking for a location for a community air monitor, said Flannigan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Iron Workers Local 378, which represents some of the refinery's workers, is also opposed to the safety ordinance, calling it a \"duplicative, outdated, go-it-alone strategy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A local ISO won't make our workers, trainees or this community any safer,\" Jeff McEuen, the union's business manager, financial secretary and treasurer, wrote in a letter to the City Council last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a group brought together after last year's refinery outage to develop safety reforms says the law is needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is a signature moment for Benicia, as it will signal whether the City Council puts the health and safety of Benicia, its citizens and community members over the Valero refinery's 'just trust us' stance to its industrial safety record,\" said Constance Beutel, a member of the Benicia ISO Working Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least one other member of the council sees the proposed ordinance as a way for the city to get information more quickly when the next refinery accident takes place.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large\">'\u003cstrong>This is a signature moment for Benicia,\u003c/strong> as it will signal whether the City Council puts the health and safety of Benicia, its citizens and community members over the Valero refinery's 'just trust us' stance...'\u003c/span>\u003ccite>Constance Beutel,\u003cbr>\nBenicia's Industrial Safety Ordinance Working Group\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"There is a problem with getting sufficient information out in a timely manner,\" said Vice Mayor Steve Young. \"There is a need for greater transparency.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young noted that the conflict over an industrial safety ordinance is the biggest between city leaders and Valero since the council rejected the company's \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/09/21/benicia-valero-crude-oil-by-rail-facility-rejected-by-city-council/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oil-by-rail proposal\u003c/a> in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Council members could either direct city staff to draft an ordinance that the council would vote on in the coming months, or the city could continue to rely on Solano County's work in employing the new state regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the California Public Utilities Commission expects to complete its investigation of the refinery outage this summer, according to Garrett Toy, a CPUC lawyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero sued Pacific Gas and Electric after the incident, seeking $75 million for damage to refinery equipment and lost revenue. The company blames PG&E for the episode and claims it \"shut off all electricity\" to the refinery the day of the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E hired a third-party engineering firm, Exponent, to review the outage. The company submitted its report to the CPUC. Both PG&E and the commission have declined to release that report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's lawsuit is expected to go to trial next year.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "When Oil Refineries Flare, What Happens To The Air?",
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"content": "\u003cp>On May 5th, 2017 the power went out at the Valero oil refinery in Benicia. Above the refinery, flares blazed and released thick clouds of black smoke. The surrounding areas were evacuated and nearby schools were ordered to shelter-in-place. In the days and weeks that followed, the flares released more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide. Tonight, the Benicia City Council will consider whether to add more air monitors and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guest: Ted Goldberg, morning editor for KQED\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Subscribe to The Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452?mt=2\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://play.google.com/music/m/I4n2qepiu5z3mcloidj7ajqluoi?t=The_Bay\">Google Play Music\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay\">Stitcher\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Local-News/The-Bay-p1101507/\">TuneIn\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://radiopublic.com/the-bay-Wa2Jpb\">Radio Public\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On May 5th, 2017 the power went out at the Valero oil refinery in Benicia. Above the refinery, flares blazed and released thick clouds of black smoke. The surrounding areas were evacuated and nearby schools were ordered to shelter-in-place. In the days and weeks that followed, the flares released more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide. Tonight, the Benicia City Council will consider whether to add more air monitors and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guest: Ted Goldberg, morning editor for KQED\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Subscribe to The Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452?mt=2\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://play.google.com/music/m/I4n2qepiu5z3mcloidj7ajqluoi?t=The_Bay\">Google Play Music\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay\">Stitcher\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Local-News/The-Bay-p1101507/\">TuneIn\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://radiopublic.com/the-bay-Wa2Jpb\">Radio Public\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Richmond, Benicia Mayors Say Refinery Penalty Bill Not Strong Enough",
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"content": "\u003cp>The mayors of Richmond and Benicia, home to the Chevron and Valero refineries, say a bill that could triple penalties for oil companies that violate air quality laws needs to be tougher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11649505/state-senate-bill-would-triple-penalties-for-refinery-air-violations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">legislation\u003c/a> that would raise penalties local air districts can levy against refinery operators when they violate emissions rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, air regulators can slap oil companies with fines up to $10,000 a day for the most common infractions -- essentially any time a refinery releases pollutants that violate existing state or regional air-quality standards or operating permits. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bill\u003c/a> would increase those penalties to as much as $30,000 a day. For less common violations, including those found to be due to negligence or those due to \"willful and intentional\" acts by refinery operators, penalties range as high as $250,000 a day. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd has said the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide\u003c/a> from Valero's Benicia refinery last May is one of the main reasons he proposed the the bill. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson believes the bill is not strong enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's weak in many areas,\" Patterson said in an interview. \"I don't think it's an effective measure to prevent these incidents that are public health threats and traumatizing.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fines as proposed are still the cost of doing business,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said air district fines should lead to refinery reforms aimed at preventing repeated malfunctions, and communities affected by incidents that lead to shelter-in-place orders should be compensated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why are we even considering a bill to increase fines that result in absolutely no guarantee of a change of behavior?\" Patterson asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson says she hopes Dodd includes amendments to the bill that give it more teeth in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson's comments came hours before the Benicia City Council was scheduled to vote on a \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/162927/Staff_Report_-_Support_of_SB_1144.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resolution\u003c/a> endorsing the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the council decided Tuesday night to postpone the vote, in part, because of the mayor's concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, a longtime critic of the city's Chevron refinery, agrees that the air district fines are currently too small and says the new proposal to increase them does not go far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"What Dodd is proposing might help, but it's still way too small,\" Butt said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malfunctions at the Chevron refinery have led to a number of shelter-in-place orders over the years. Typically, such orders can affect thousands of Richmond residents, according to Butt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A shelter-in-place alert is not much different than home detention,\" Butt said. \"It is difficult to place a dollar cost on this.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's office has yet to respond to the mayors' criticism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western State Petroleum Association, which has lobbied against previous efforts to increase refinery fines, is opposed to the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The\u003ca href=\"http://senv.senate.ca.gov/agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> state Senate's Environmental Quality Committee\u003c/a> is scheduled to consider the legislation on April 4.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The mayors of Richmond and Benicia, home to the Chevron and Valero refineries, say a bill that could triple penalties for oil companies that violate air quality laws needs to be tougher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11649505/state-senate-bill-would-triple-penalties-for-refinery-air-violations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">legislation\u003c/a> that would raise penalties local air districts can levy against refinery operators when they violate emissions rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, air regulators can slap oil companies with fines up to $10,000 a day for the most common infractions -- essentially any time a refinery releases pollutants that violate existing state or regional air-quality standards or operating permits. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bill\u003c/a> would increase those penalties to as much as $30,000 a day. For less common violations, including those found to be due to negligence or those due to \"willful and intentional\" acts by refinery operators, penalties range as high as $250,000 a day. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd has said the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide\u003c/a> from Valero's Benicia refinery last May is one of the main reasons he proposed the the bill. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson believes the bill is not strong enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's weak in many areas,\" Patterson said in an interview. \"I don't think it's an effective measure to prevent these incidents that are public health threats and traumatizing.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fines as proposed are still the cost of doing business,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said air district fines should lead to refinery reforms aimed at preventing repeated malfunctions, and communities affected by incidents that lead to shelter-in-place orders should be compensated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why are we even considering a bill to increase fines that result in absolutely no guarantee of a change of behavior?\" Patterson asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson says she hopes Dodd includes amendments to the bill that give it more teeth in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson's comments came hours before the Benicia City Council was scheduled to vote on a \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/162927/Staff_Report_-_Support_of_SB_1144.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resolution\u003c/a> endorsing the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the council decided Tuesday night to postpone the vote, in part, because of the mayor's concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, a longtime critic of the city's Chevron refinery, agrees that the air district fines are currently too small and says the new proposal to increase them does not go far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"What Dodd is proposing might help, but it's still way too small,\" Butt said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malfunctions at the Chevron refinery have led to a number of shelter-in-place orders over the years. Typically, such orders can affect thousands of Richmond residents, according to Butt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A shelter-in-place alert is not much different than home detention,\" Butt said. \"It is difficult to place a dollar cost on this.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's office has yet to respond to the mayors' criticism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western State Petroleum Association, which has lobbied against previous efforts to increase refinery fines, is opposed to the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The\u003ca href=\"http://senv.senate.ca.gov/agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> state Senate's Environmental Quality Committee\u003c/a> is scheduled to consider the legislation on April 4.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "State Senate Bill Would Triple Penalties for Refinery Air Violations",
"title": "State Senate Bill Would Triple Penalties for Refinery Air Violations",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, wants to triple some of the most serious penalties local air districts can levy against oil companies when their refineries violate emissions regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd, who represents a district that's home to refineries owned by Shell, Tesoro and Valero, introduced legislation on Wednesday that would raise the limits on certain fines for the first time in decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The reality is, oil refineries are still part of our transportation system and the bottom line is, we have to be as safe as possible,\" Dodd said in an interview. \"The fines ought to be commensurate with the actions, or lack of actions, taken by the refineries.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd says his bill, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SB 1144\u003c/a>, was prompted largely by two recent refinery incidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last May, a power outage at Valero's Benicia refinery led to the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/11/14/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release\u003c/a> of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, resulting in evacuation and shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents. In late 2016, an oil spill at the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/03/09/under-pressure-air-district-says-its-still-investigating-vallejo-fumes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sickened dozens of Vallejo residents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the maximum fine against an oil company found liable for violating air quality rules is $10,000 a day, an amount critics have described as pocket change for the energy industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's bill would raise that to as much as $30,000 a day in cases where a refinery or power plant accident injures at least one person or impacts at least 25 people -- for instance, in an incident that leads to a shelter-in-place order.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oil refiners that are found negligent would see fines go from a maximum of $25,000 to as much as $75,000 per day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In rare cases, when a refinery knows about a violation but fails to correct it in a reasonable time, current law calls for a fine of up to $40,000 a day. The bill would raise the maximum to $125,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In cases where an energy company intentionally violates an emissions rule, maximum fines would jump from $75,000 to $250,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penalties would also increase to as much as $500,000 a day for refineries responsible for the same serious violation within three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists and local air regulators agree that the current penalties are not high enough to provide a financial incentive for the industry to avoid serious violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, who represents an area that's home to Richmond's Chevron refinery, says Dodd's proposal doesn't go far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've had far too many chemical and refinery releases over the years and we need a higher penalty to provide even greater incentive for these companies to work even harder,\" said Gioia, who is a board member at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We would welcome the opportunity to work with Sen. Dodd to strengthen the bill so that it does truly have a meaningful impact on these facilities and protect public health,\" Gioia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district has sponsored previous legislative efforts to raise the fines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example in 2013, on the heels of a major fire at Richmond's Chevron facility, then state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, introduced legislation to raise the penalties higher than what Dodd is proposing. Under Hancock's measure, the maximum fine against a refinery found liable for a violation would rise to $100,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That bill was approved by the state Senate but failed on the Assembly floor amid opposition from energy companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Fines are so low. They are merely a cost of doing business for any large corporation,\" Hancock said. \"They need to be greatly increased to provide an incentive for better safety practices.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd, who's considered a moderate, business-friendly Democrat, says he understands the power of the energy industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I do recognize that there's a huge lobby from the oil industry,\" Dodd said. \"I've gotten some very difficult bills across the finish line.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry group that represents the region's refineries has yet to take a position on the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are looking at Sen. Dodd's proposed legislation and how it might impact existing laws and air quality regulations,\" said Kevin Slagle, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The safety and protection of our employees and the communities in which we operate are our members' top priority,\" Slagle said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, which is in charge of investigating air quality violations, has long supported an increase in fines. But the agency says it won't announce whether it will back the legislation until a vote by its board of directors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Bay Area air district has long supported efforts to reform the penalties for those who violate air quality laws,\" said Tom Addison, a senior policy adviser at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are some violations for which the penalties in statute today are inadequate. When people comply with air quality regulations, public health is protected,\" Addison said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill is expected to face its first hearing next month, before the state Senate Environmental Quality Committee.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, wants to triple some of the most serious penalties local air districts can levy against oil companies when their refineries violate emissions regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd, who represents a district that's home to refineries owned by Shell, Tesoro and Valero, introduced legislation on Wednesday that would raise the limits on certain fines for the first time in decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The reality is, oil refineries are still part of our transportation system and the bottom line is, we have to be as safe as possible,\" Dodd said in an interview. \"The fines ought to be commensurate with the actions, or lack of actions, taken by the refineries.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd says his bill, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SB 1144\u003c/a>, was prompted largely by two recent refinery incidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last May, a power outage at Valero's Benicia refinery led to the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/11/14/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release\u003c/a> of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, resulting in evacuation and shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents. In late 2016, an oil spill at the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/03/09/under-pressure-air-district-says-its-still-investigating-vallejo-fumes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sickened dozens of Vallejo residents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the maximum fine against an oil company found liable for violating air quality rules is $10,000 a day, an amount critics have described as pocket change for the energy industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's bill would raise that to as much as $30,000 a day in cases where a refinery or power plant accident injures at least one person or impacts at least 25 people -- for instance, in an incident that leads to a shelter-in-place order.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oil refiners that are found negligent would see fines go from a maximum of $25,000 to as much as $75,000 per day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In rare cases, when a refinery knows about a violation but fails to correct it in a reasonable time, current law calls for a fine of up to $40,000 a day. The bill would raise the maximum to $125,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In cases where an energy company intentionally violates an emissions rule, maximum fines would jump from $75,000 to $250,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penalties would also increase to as much as $500,000 a day for refineries responsible for the same serious violation within three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists and local air regulators agree that the current penalties are not high enough to provide a financial incentive for the industry to avoid serious violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, who represents an area that's home to Richmond's Chevron refinery, says Dodd's proposal doesn't go far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've had far too many chemical and refinery releases over the years and we need a higher penalty to provide even greater incentive for these companies to work even harder,\" said Gioia, who is a board member at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We would welcome the opportunity to work with Sen. Dodd to strengthen the bill so that it does truly have a meaningful impact on these facilities and protect public health,\" Gioia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district has sponsored previous legislative efforts to raise the fines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example in 2013, on the heels of a major fire at Richmond's Chevron facility, then state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, introduced legislation to raise the penalties higher than what Dodd is proposing. Under Hancock's measure, the maximum fine against a refinery found liable for a violation would rise to $100,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That bill was approved by the state Senate but failed on the Assembly floor amid opposition from energy companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Fines are so low. They are merely a cost of doing business for any large corporation,\" Hancock said. \"They need to be greatly increased to provide an incentive for better safety practices.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd, who's considered a moderate, business-friendly Democrat, says he understands the power of the energy industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I do recognize that there's a huge lobby from the oil industry,\" Dodd said. \"I've gotten some very difficult bills across the finish line.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry group that represents the region's refineries has yet to take a position on the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are looking at Sen. Dodd's proposed legislation and how it might impact existing laws and air quality regulations,\" said Kevin Slagle, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The safety and protection of our employees and the communities in which we operate are our members' top priority,\" Slagle said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, which is in charge of investigating air quality violations, has long supported an increase in fines. But the agency says it won't announce whether it will back the legislation until a vote by its board of directors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Bay Area air district has long supported efforts to reform the penalties for those who violate air quality laws,\" said Tom Addison, a senior policy adviser at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are some violations for which the penalties in statute today are inadequate. When people comply with air quality regulations, public health is protected,\" Addison said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill is expected to face its first hearing next month, before the state Senate Environmental Quality Committee.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Benicia Still Looking for Answers From Valero Six Months After Refinery Outage",
"title": "Benicia Still Looking for Answers From Valero Six Months After Refinery Outage",
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"content": "\u003cp>When a massive refinery \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/10/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">outage \u003c/a>sent flames, black smoke and toxic gas shooting into the sky from Valero's Benicia plant in May, the city's mayor said the local government had little information about what was going on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days later, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson called for the city to develop regulations that would give Benicia more oversight over the oil giant it hosts. She proposed \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/23/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">regulations \u003c/a>similar to those in Contra Costa County, home to several refineries, that require oil refining facilities to undergo safety audits and share their risk management plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those rules would be part of an Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) that would require Valero to provide Benicia with more data about its plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But six months after one of the Bay Area's worst refinery malfunctions in the last five years, the refinery oversight measure has not moved through the City Council. And according to Mayor Patterson and Councilman Steve Young, Valero has not provided the city with enough information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"fZbVsiaeEkDeTHZLLBtT60TOBvOw87uK\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They have given the council nothing. They have given the public nothing,\" said Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The City has still not received a report from Valero and has instead had to rely on media reports from KQED and others,\" Young said in an email. \"Significant questions remain unanswered.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero rejects the notion that it has not been forthcoming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We find Mayor Patterson's statements puzzling,\" said company spokeswoman Lillian Riojas in an email. \"We've been very up front and open with the city as well as other regulators about what we know.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The May 5 outage led to shelter-in-place and evacuation orders throughout the city, and at least a dozen people sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/08/23/epa-demands-answers-from-valero-months-after-massive-benicia-refinery-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">released \u003c/a>more than 80,00 pounds of \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/12/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sulfur dioxide\u003c/a> on the day of the outage and in the weeks afterward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two investigations, one by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and another by the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/10/23/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solano County\u003c/a> Environmental Health Division, cleared Valero of wrongdoing. Another probe, by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, is yet to be completed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials became aware of the county's investigative findings only after KQED obtained them and asked for a comment, according to Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"rJwBRQr4mTwFnYwTMiDM8ZuJuzBxgVbe\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayor says an industrial safety ordinance would get the city that kind of information directly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson and a coalition of local environmental and community groups want the city to move forward on an industrial safety ordinance. A \u003ca href=\"http://beniciaindependent.com/iso/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">town hall\u003c/a> meeting to educate the public on the proposal is scheduled for Tuesday night (Nov. 14).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordinance would allow Benicia to audit Valero's safety plans and take part in inspections of its refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero is lobbying against the proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A local ISO would not have prevented this power outage,\" Don Wilson, the refinery's vice president and general manager, wrote the City Council in a letter in June. \"A local ISO will be costly and duplicative of existing state and local programs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has blamed Pacific Gas and Electric and has \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/30/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sued \u003c/a>the San Francisco-based utility, seeking $75 million in damages and lost revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Let's remember, PG&E abruptly shut off all power to the refinery without any notice,\" said Riojas, the Valero spokeswoman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"DEYGj9hLl1JvfQF7uKjdXVkFJdWNLTKQ\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E hired a third party to investigate the outage. That report has been submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October California adopted \u003ca href=\"https://calepa.ca.gov/new-regulations-improve-safety-at-oil-refineries/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new statewide refinery oversight regulations\u003c/a>. Refineries are now required to adopt safety designs and systems, conduct periodic workplace safety culture assessments and investigate causes of serious refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilman Young, Councilman Tom Campbell and Terry Schmidtbauer, assistant director of Solano County's Department of Resource Management, which conducts audits on the refinery, say they're unclear on whether a city ordinance would add anything that the state's new rules don't already cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"An ISO may be a great idea but I don't want it to somehow get in the road of other already existing state and federal regulations,\" said Campbell in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"My only hesitation revolves around my desire not to have an ordinance that overlaps with recent Cal-OSHA requirements,\" said Young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson says a local ordinance would go further: It would require Valero to report information directly to the city about a refinery malfunction and the company's proposed actions to prevent a similar incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The ISO would give us a seat at the table,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tuesday's town hall meeting takes place at the Benicia Public Library at 7 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When a massive refinery \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/10/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">outage \u003c/a>sent flames, black smoke and toxic gas shooting into the sky from Valero's Benicia plant in May, the city's mayor said the local government had little information about what was going on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days later, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson called for the city to develop regulations that would give Benicia more oversight over the oil giant it hosts. She proposed \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/23/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">regulations \u003c/a>similar to those in Contra Costa County, home to several refineries, that require oil refining facilities to undergo safety audits and share their risk management plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those rules would be part of an Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) that would require Valero to provide Benicia with more data about its plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But six months after one of the Bay Area's worst refinery malfunctions in the last five years, the refinery oversight measure has not moved through the City Council. And according to Mayor Patterson and Councilman Steve Young, Valero has not provided the city with enough information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They have given the council nothing. They have given the public nothing,\" said Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The City has still not received a report from Valero and has instead had to rely on media reports from KQED and others,\" Young said in an email. \"Significant questions remain unanswered.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero rejects the notion that it has not been forthcoming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We find Mayor Patterson's statements puzzling,\" said company spokeswoman Lillian Riojas in an email. \"We've been very up front and open with the city as well as other regulators about what we know.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The May 5 outage led to shelter-in-place and evacuation orders throughout the city, and at least a dozen people sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/08/23/epa-demands-answers-from-valero-months-after-massive-benicia-refinery-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">released \u003c/a>more than 80,00 pounds of \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/12/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sulfur dioxide\u003c/a> on the day of the outage and in the weeks afterward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two investigations, one by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and another by the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/10/23/solano-county-probe-finds-no-violations-in-valero-refinery-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solano County\u003c/a> Environmental Health Division, cleared Valero of wrongdoing. Another probe, by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, is yet to be completed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials became aware of the county's investigative findings only after KQED obtained them and asked for a comment, according to Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayor says an industrial safety ordinance would get the city that kind of information directly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson and a coalition of local environmental and community groups want the city to move forward on an industrial safety ordinance. A \u003ca href=\"http://beniciaindependent.com/iso/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">town hall\u003c/a> meeting to educate the public on the proposal is scheduled for Tuesday night (Nov. 14).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordinance would allow Benicia to audit Valero's safety plans and take part in inspections of its refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero is lobbying against the proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A local ISO would not have prevented this power outage,\" Don Wilson, the refinery's vice president and general manager, wrote the City Council in a letter in June. \"A local ISO will be costly and duplicative of existing state and local programs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has blamed Pacific Gas and Electric and has \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/30/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sued \u003c/a>the San Francisco-based utility, seeking $75 million in damages and lost revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Let's remember, PG&E abruptly shut off all power to the refinery without any notice,\" said Riojas, the Valero spokeswoman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E hired a third party to investigate the outage. That report has been submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October California adopted \u003ca href=\"https://calepa.ca.gov/new-regulations-improve-safety-at-oil-refineries/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new statewide refinery oversight regulations\u003c/a>. Refineries are now required to adopt safety designs and systems, conduct periodic workplace safety culture assessments and investigate causes of serious refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilman Young, Councilman Tom Campbell and Terry Schmidtbauer, assistant director of Solano County's Department of Resource Management, which conducts audits on the refinery, say they're unclear on whether a city ordinance would add anything that the state's new rules don't already cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"An ISO may be a great idea but I don't want it to somehow get in the road of other already existing state and federal regulations,\" said Campbell in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"My only hesitation revolves around my desire not to have an ordinance that overlaps with recent Cal-OSHA requirements,\" said Young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson says a local ordinance would go further: It would require Valero to report information directly to the city about a refinery malfunction and the company's proposed actions to prevent a similar incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The ISO would give us a seat at the table,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tuesday's town hall meeting takes place at the Benicia Public Library at 7 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "EPA Demands Answers From Valero Months After Massive Benicia Refinery Outage",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>The Valero Energy Corporation is facing a deadline in the coming days to respond to questions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about power issues at its Benicia oil refinery several months after an outage shut down the entire facility for weeks, leading to a major release of pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EPA wants detailed information about the outages that have led to flaring events at the refinery over the last three years, and it wants inspection records for all of the facility's process units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"EPA believes that much of the requested information is, or should be, readily available at the facility,\" wrote Enrique Manzanilla, director of the agency's Pacific Southwest Superfund Division, in a letter obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has asked Valero to explain its policies on handling outages, its risk management program and its flare system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The company may not withhold any information from EPA on the grounds that it is confidential business information,\" the July 27 letter states. The EPA says Valero is required to respond to the agency within 30 days of receiving the letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage initially sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, prompting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders. It would later lead to several local and state investigations, a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, a decrease in profits for Valero and a push for more refinery oversight by the city of Benicia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero official says the company is working on providing answers to federal officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We did receive the EPA request, and we intend to respond accordingly,\" Lillian Riojas, a Valero spokesman, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EPA's demands seem to go against the image the Trump administration has established as less interested in strong regulations on the fossil fuel industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This letter is a bit surprising given that Trump's EPA seems to be ignoring many public health issues to the delight of just about every polluter in the country,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, at the Center for Biological Diversity, in an email. \"The EPA must think Valero's practices are especially concerning if it's asking for this information.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he says the agency is not being aggressive enough. \"This might be little more than a public relations exercise in the face of increasingly high-profile pollution problems at Bay Area refineries,\" Kretzmann said. \"There's no assurance that any of this information gathering will lead to meaningful action.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel Kammen, a professor in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley who has long advocated for strong solutions to climate change, says the EPA's demand for information from one of the nation's largest oil companies in connection with a local emergency should be the kind of on-the-ground work the agency does, no matter who's in the White House.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Actual workers at the EPA have to continue their jobs irrespective of political interference,\" Kammen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the EPA did not act on its federal mandate to react to Valero's pollution release, it could be sued by environmental groups, according to Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Despite (EPA Administrator Scott) Pruitt's stance on climate and environment in general, in numerous decisions he has shied away from taking actions that will certainly lose in court,\" Wexler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency's demands are part of a review of the refinery prompted by the May 5 outage, according to EPA officials who declined to comment further on the agency's letter to Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They came a month after Valero filed a \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/30/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lawsuit \u003c/a>against PG&E, blaming the utility for the power failure. The oil giant is seeking in excess of $75 million for damage to refinery equipment and lost revenue it says was the result of the shutdown that took place after PG&E \"shut off all electricity\" to the Benicia facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E has said the power failure was triggered by an \"inadvertent operation\" to protect electrical circuits. It has hired an engineering firm to review the cause. That company, Exponent, has yet to turn over a report to PG&E, according to utility spokeswoman Deanna Contreras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery released more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide from flaring in the days and weeks after the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, KQED revealed that the refinery released more than\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/12/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> 74,000 pounds of the toxic gas\u003c/a> during 14 days of flaring after the outage, described as a \"huge amount\" by experts. That information came from a report the company filed with state officials and was obtained through a California Public Records Act Request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero filed a separate report with the California Office of Emergency Services last month that showed the refinery released more than 8,200 pounds of sulfur dioxide on June 18 and 19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage prompted several investigations, including one that revealed damage to part of the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) inspected the refinery after the power failure, closed its investigation the same month and decided not to issue any violations afterward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the outage did damage one of the refinery's flares, according to Cal/OSHA. \"Attention was given to the South Flare, due to damage on flare tips and the dump stack,\" wrote Cal/OSHA safety engineer Sean Sasser in a notice after the inspection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued \u003ca href=\"http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/communications-and-outreach/publications/news-releases/2017/2017_045_valeronovs_050917-pdf.pdf?la=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">several notices of violation\u003c/a> against the company due to the flaring in the days after the shutdown. Its investigation is ongoing, according to district spokesman Ralph Borrmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's Department of Resource Management also launched a probe. That review is ongoing and is expected to be completed in October, according to Terry Schmidtbauer, the department's director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the outage led to an increase in the state's \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/10/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gasoline prices\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the shutdown hurt Valero's bottom line. Its lawsuit claimed that the company lost a \"substantial amount of profits.\" The company's \u003ca href=\"http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/eagle-ford-energy/article/Valero-2Q-profits-fall-32-7-percent-on-higher-11469580.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second-quarter earnings\u003c/a>, released last month, fell by more than 30 percent, apparently because it took several weeks to get the refinery back online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage has also prompted Benicia city leaders to consider increasing \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/23/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their oversight of the refinery\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/09/benicia-mayor-calls-for-key-emergency-improvements-after-valero-refinery-outage-and-flaring/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">improve how they communicate with residents\u003c/a> about emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the day of the shutdown, authorities imposed shelter-in-place evacuation orders for parts of the city, and at least a dozen people sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Valero Energy Corporation is facing a deadline in the coming days to respond to questions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about power issues at its Benicia oil refinery several months after an outage shut down the entire facility for weeks, leading to a major release of pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EPA wants detailed information about the outages that have led to flaring events at the refinery over the last three years, and it wants inspection records for all of the facility's process units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"EPA believes that much of the requested information is, or should be, readily available at the facility,\" wrote Enrique Manzanilla, director of the agency's Pacific Southwest Superfund Division, in a letter obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has asked Valero to explain its policies on handling outages, its risk management program and its flare system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The company may not withhold any information from EPA on the grounds that it is confidential business information,\" the July 27 letter states. The EPA says Valero is required to respond to the agency within 30 days of receiving the letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage initially sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, prompting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders. It would later lead to several local and state investigations, a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, a decrease in profits for Valero and a push for more refinery oversight by the city of Benicia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero official says the company is working on providing answers to federal officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We did receive the EPA request, and we intend to respond accordingly,\" Lillian Riojas, a Valero spokesman, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EPA's demands seem to go against the image the Trump administration has established as less interested in strong regulations on the fossil fuel industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This letter is a bit surprising given that Trump's EPA seems to be ignoring many public health issues to the delight of just about every polluter in the country,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, at the Center for Biological Diversity, in an email. \"The EPA must think Valero's practices are especially concerning if it's asking for this information.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he says the agency is not being aggressive enough. \"This might be little more than a public relations exercise in the face of increasingly high-profile pollution problems at Bay Area refineries,\" Kretzmann said. \"There's no assurance that any of this information gathering will lead to meaningful action.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel Kammen, a professor in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley who has long advocated for strong solutions to climate change, says the EPA's demand for information from one of the nation's largest oil companies in connection with a local emergency should be the kind of on-the-ground work the agency does, no matter who's in the White House.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Actual workers at the EPA have to continue their jobs irrespective of political interference,\" Kammen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the EPA did not act on its federal mandate to react to Valero's pollution release, it could be sued by environmental groups, according to Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Despite (EPA Administrator Scott) Pruitt's stance on climate and environment in general, in numerous decisions he has shied away from taking actions that will certainly lose in court,\" Wexler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency's demands are part of a review of the refinery prompted by the May 5 outage, according to EPA officials who declined to comment further on the agency's letter to Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They came a month after Valero filed a \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/30/valero-sues-pge-for-reckless-outage-at-benicia-refinery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lawsuit \u003c/a>against PG&E, blaming the utility for the power failure. The oil giant is seeking in excess of $75 million for damage to refinery equipment and lost revenue it says was the result of the shutdown that took place after PG&E \"shut off all electricity\" to the Benicia facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E has said the power failure was triggered by an \"inadvertent operation\" to protect electrical circuits. It has hired an engineering firm to review the cause. That company, Exponent, has yet to turn over a report to PG&E, according to utility spokeswoman Deanna Contreras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery released more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide from flaring in the days and weeks after the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, KQED revealed that the refinery released more than\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/12/valero-outage-sent-37-tons-of-toxic-gas-into-air-over-two-weeks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> 74,000 pounds of the toxic gas\u003c/a> during 14 days of flaring after the outage, described as a \"huge amount\" by experts. That information came from a report the company filed with state officials and was obtained through a California Public Records Act Request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero filed a separate report with the California Office of Emergency Services last month that showed the refinery released more than 8,200 pounds of sulfur dioxide on June 18 and 19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage prompted several investigations, including one that revealed damage to part of the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) inspected the refinery after the power failure, closed its investigation the same month and decided not to issue any violations afterward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the outage did damage one of the refinery's flares, according to Cal/OSHA. \"Attention was given to the South Flare, due to damage on flare tips and the dump stack,\" wrote Cal/OSHA safety engineer Sean Sasser in a notice after the inspection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued \u003ca href=\"http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/communications-and-outreach/publications/news-releases/2017/2017_045_valeronovs_050917-pdf.pdf?la=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">several notices of violation\u003c/a> against the company due to the flaring in the days after the shutdown. Its investigation is ongoing, according to district spokesman Ralph Borrmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's Department of Resource Management also launched a probe. That review is ongoing and is expected to be completed in October, according to Terry Schmidtbauer, the department's director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the outage led to an increase in the state's \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/10/after-valero-refinery-outage-three-probes-and-rising-gas-prices/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gasoline prices\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the shutdown hurt Valero's bottom line. Its lawsuit claimed that the company lost a \"substantial amount of profits.\" The company's \u003ca href=\"http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/eagle-ford-energy/article/Valero-2Q-profits-fall-32-7-percent-on-higher-11469580.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second-quarter earnings\u003c/a>, released last month, fell by more than 30 percent, apparently because it took several weeks to get the refinery back online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage has also prompted Benicia city leaders to consider increasing \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/23/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their oversight of the refinery\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/09/benicia-mayor-calls-for-key-emergency-improvements-after-valero-refinery-outage-and-flaring/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">improve how they communicate with residents\u003c/a> about emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the day of the shutdown, authorities imposed shelter-in-place evacuation orders for parts of the city, and at least a dozen people sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Rusty Navy: The Bay Area's 'Mothball Fleet' Enters a New Era",
"headTitle": "Rusty Navy: The Bay Area’s ‘Mothball Fleet’ Enters a New Era | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATED on Nov. 21, 2017\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve driven on I-680, across the Benicia–Martinez Bridge, you’ve probably seen them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clusters of old military ships are anchored side by side in Suisun Bay. Most of them are decades old. Their gray hulls are spotted with rust. Much of their paint has faded, or flaked away. Their decks are eerily deserted — no modern equipment, no sailors. They look abandoned, and on a foggy day, maybe even haunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people call this the Ghost Fleet, or Mothball Fleet — but its official name is the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Steve Yeager has been wondering about the fleet since he was a kid. He still passes the ships on his weekly commute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why are they there? And what is it doing to the environment?” he wants to know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11612545 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 2005, when there were more than 70 ships anchored there, including the legendary WWII battleship Iowa (foreground), now a floating museum in San Pedro.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 2005, when there were more than 70 ships anchored there, including the legendary WWII battleship Iowa (foreground), now a floating museum in San Pedro. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A Wartime Surplus\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet is a place for the Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine to park ships that are taken out of service, but \u003cem>might\u003c/em> one day be needed again — kind of like putting those sweaters into the cedar chest every spring. Hence the name “Mothball Fleet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suisun Bay was first used for this purpose in 1946. World War II had just ended and the Navy had a huge surplus of vessels. Benicia was one of eight places around the country where rows of mothballed ships were anchored. At its peak, Suisun Bay had 340 ships lined up in neat rows. It was a forest of steel and wires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612437\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11612437 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A view of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 1962. At its peak, the “ghost fleet” had 340 vessels at anchor. Ten remain, including the barge used as the fleet's offices and maintenance base.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 1962. At its peak, the “ghost fleet” had 340 vessels at anchor. Ten remain, including the barge used as the fleet’s offices and maintenance base. \u003ccite>(MARAD)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Joe Pecoraro has been managing the Mothball Fleet for nearly 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had just about every kind of Navy ship here except for an aircraft carrier,” Pecoraro says. “We had guided-missile cruisers, frigates. We had a battleship for 10 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The WWII battleship Iowa was a favorite of Pecoraro’s, before it was renovated into a floating museum and moved down to Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612493\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11612493\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joe Pecoraro manages the reserve fleet. He’s been tending the ships since 1991. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not all ships have such a glamorous afterlife as the Iowa. Many of them once anchored there were beyond redemption, and were stripped of their parts. Few were ever put back into action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad used to call it Joe’s rusty navy,” says Pecoraro. “We had a lotta rust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612485\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11612485 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-800x600.jpg\" alt='A 2009 study found that 20 tons of contaminants had drained or sloughed off of vessels in the \"mothball fleet\" anchored in Suisun Bay. Measures have since been put in place to protect the bay. ' width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 2009 study found that 20 tons of contaminants had drained or sloughed off of vessels in the “mothball fleet” anchored in Suisun Bay. Measures have since been put in place to protect the bay. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Environmental Concerns Surface\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Some ships in the fleet fell into such disrepair that environmentalists took notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You could hear the crunch of the paint chips or the metal under your feet as you were walking across the decks of the ships,” says Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “That was just really horrifying because the minute it rained or the minute it got windy, all of that pollution just went right into the bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it wasn’t just rust. Harmful chemicals, lead, hazardous paint and asbestos were all coming off the vessels. Researchers found 20 tons of it had washed off the ships and into the water over the years. It’s an especially big problem because just next to the fleet sits Suisun Marsh — the largest salt marsh in the western United States, and an environmentally sensitive area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612499\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11612499\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"This 2005 photo shows the proximity of the reserve fleet to environmentally-sensitive Suisun Marsh.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This 2005 photo shows the proximity of the reserve fleet to environmentally sensitive Suisun Marsh. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2009, \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Baykeeper\u003c/a>, along with other environmental groups and local water quality regulators, sued in federal court under various environmental laws. They won a settlement to get 57 creaky old ships out of Suisun and off to the scrapyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moving each ship cost about $1 million and involved a 45-day trip behind a seagoing tug. In August, the last of the scrapped ships were hauled away to Brownsville, Texas, where they are broken down and recycled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the top brass at the U.S. Maritime Administration, known as MARAD, which manages the fleet, agrees it was overdue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first ships that left, the first two dozen — someone said we should’ve put them out of their misery years ago. We couldn’t have reactivated them ever if we needed to,” says MARAD executive director Joel Szabat. “We needed to find a way to get rid of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole project cost about $57 million, but a MARAD official says they recouped about $30 million by selling the scrap metal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11632569\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11632569\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1.jpg\" alt='The Petersburg (foreground) is the newest addition to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. The Navy tanker is part of the \"Ready Reserve,\" meaning it can deploy quickly if needed.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1396\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-800x558.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-1020x712.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-1920x1340.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-1180x824.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-960x670.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-240x168.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-375x262.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-520x363.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Petersburg (foreground) is the newest addition to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. The Navy tanker is part of the “Ready Reserve,” meaning it can deploy quickly if needed. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Today’s Fleet\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Though much smaller than it once was, the Ghost Fleet isn’t going away entirely. Today, only nine ships remain, plus the barge used as an office and maintenance base.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it seems highly unlikely that we’ll ever see hundreds — or even the dozens of ships that reposed here less than 10 years ago — new ships can be added to the fleet. MARAD recently added a Navy tanker that’s part of the “Ready Reserve.” The Petersburg could be turned around in a few days if called back to duty, and a skeleton crew lives on board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The remaining ships are outfitted with screens and filters to keep pollutants out of the bay, and MARAD now regularly tests the water quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612543\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11612543\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-800x450.jpeg\" alt=\"A satellite view of the fleet in 2009 (left) and 2017.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-800x450.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-1020x574.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-1180x664.jpeg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-960x540.jpeg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-240x135.jpeg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-375x211.jpeg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-520x293.jpeg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A satellite view of the fleet in 2009 (left) and 2017. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.planet.com\" target=\"_blank\">Planet\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So what did Steve Yeager, the listener who asked us about the fleet, think of our answer? He’s glad the environmental issues have been addressed, and doesn’t mind that a few ships are hanging around for the next generation to see out of the car window on trips up Interstate 680.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My kids will ask me the same questions, but I’ll have a little more information now that I can tell them,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Watch this KQED video segment from 2008, when there were still more than 70 ships in Suisun Bay:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/1BHfiaPb5UI\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Rusty Navy: The Bay Area's 'Mothball Fleet' Enters a New Era | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATED on Nov. 21, 2017\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve driven on I-680, across the Benicia–Martinez Bridge, you’ve probably seen them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clusters of old military ships are anchored side by side in Suisun Bay. Most of them are decades old. Their gray hulls are spotted with rust. Much of their paint has faded, or flaked away. Their decks are eerily deserted — no modern equipment, no sailors. They look abandoned, and on a foggy day, maybe even haunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people call this the Ghost Fleet, or Mothball Fleet — but its official name is the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Steve Yeager has been wondering about the fleet since he was a kid. He still passes the ships on his weekly commute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why are they there? And what is it doing to the environment?” he wants to know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11612545 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 2005, when there were more than 70 ships anchored there, including the legendary WWII battleship Iowa (foreground), now a floating museum in San Pedro.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0665.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 2005, when there were more than 70 ships anchored there, including the legendary WWII battleship Iowa (foreground), now a floating museum in San Pedro. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A Wartime Surplus\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet is a place for the Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine to park ships that are taken out of service, but \u003cem>might\u003c/em> one day be needed again — kind of like putting those sweaters into the cedar chest every spring. Hence the name “Mothball Fleet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suisun Bay was first used for this purpose in 1946. World War II had just ended and the Navy had a huge surplus of vessels. Benicia was one of eight places around the country where rows of mothballed ships were anchored. At its peak, Suisun Bay had 340 ships lined up in neat rows. It was a forest of steel and wires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612437\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11612437 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A view of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 1962. At its peak, the “ghost fleet” had 340 vessels at anchor. Ten remain, including the barge used as the fleet's offices and maintenance base.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7800.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 1962. At its peak, the “ghost fleet” had 340 vessels at anchor. Ten remain, including the barge used as the fleet’s offices and maintenance base. \u003ccite>(MARAD)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Joe Pecoraro has been managing the Mothball Fleet for nearly 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had just about every kind of Navy ship here except for an aircraft carrier,” Pecoraro says. “We had guided-missile cruisers, frigates. We had a battleship for 10 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The WWII battleship Iowa was a favorite of Pecoraro’s, before it was renovated into a floating museum and moved down to Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612493\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11612493\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7783-1-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joe Pecoraro manages the reserve fleet. He’s been tending the ships since 1991. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not all ships have such a glamorous afterlife as the Iowa. Many of them once anchored there were beyond redemption, and were stripped of their parts. Few were ever put back into action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad used to call it Joe’s rusty navy,” says Pecoraro. “We had a lotta rust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612485\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11612485 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-800x600.jpg\" alt='A 2009 study found that 20 tons of contaminants had drained or sloughed off of vessels in the \"mothball fleet\" anchored in Suisun Bay. Measures have since been put in place to protect the bay. ' width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0662.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 2009 study found that 20 tons of contaminants had drained or sloughed off of vessels in the “mothball fleet” anchored in Suisun Bay. Measures have since been put in place to protect the bay. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Environmental Concerns Surface\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Some ships in the fleet fell into such disrepair that environmentalists took notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You could hear the crunch of the paint chips or the metal under your feet as you were walking across the decks of the ships,” says Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “That was just really horrifying because the minute it rained or the minute it got windy, all of that pollution just went right into the bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it wasn’t just rust. Harmful chemicals, lead, hazardous paint and asbestos were all coming off the vessels. Researchers found 20 tons of it had washed off the ships and into the water over the years. It’s an especially big problem because just next to the fleet sits Suisun Marsh — the largest salt marsh in the western United States, and an environmentally sensitive area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612499\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11612499\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"This 2005 photo shows the proximity of the reserve fleet to environmentally-sensitive Suisun Marsh.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-960x720.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-240x180.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-375x281.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693-520x390.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_0693.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This 2005 photo shows the proximity of the reserve fleet to environmentally sensitive Suisun Marsh. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2009, \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Baykeeper\u003c/a>, along with other environmental groups and local water quality regulators, sued in federal court under various environmental laws. They won a settlement to get 57 creaky old ships out of Suisun and off to the scrapyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moving each ship cost about $1 million and involved a 45-day trip behind a seagoing tug. In August, the last of the scrapped ships were hauled away to Brownsville, Texas, where they are broken down and recycled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the top brass at the U.S. Maritime Administration, known as MARAD, which manages the fleet, agrees it was overdue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first ships that left, the first two dozen — someone said we should’ve put them out of their misery years ago. We couldn’t have reactivated them ever if we needed to,” says MARAD executive director Joel Szabat. “We needed to find a way to get rid of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole project cost about $57 million, but a MARAD official says they recouped about $30 million by selling the scrap metal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11632569\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1.jpg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11632569\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1.jpg\" alt='The Petersburg (foreground) is the newest addition to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. The Navy tanker is part of the \"Ready Reserve,\" meaning it can deploy quickly if needed.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1396\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1.jpg 2000w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-800x558.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-1020x712.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-1920x1340.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-1180x824.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-960x670.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-240x168.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-375x262.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/IMG_7787-1-520x363.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Petersburg (foreground) is the newest addition to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. The Navy tanker is part of the “Ready Reserve,” meaning it can deploy quickly if needed. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Today’s Fleet\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Though much smaller than it once was, the Ghost Fleet isn’t going away entirely. Today, only nine ships remain, plus the barge used as an office and maintenance base.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it seems highly unlikely that we’ll ever see hundreds — or even the dozens of ships that reposed here less than 10 years ago — new ships can be added to the fleet. MARAD recently added a Navy tanker that’s part of the “Ready Reserve.” The Petersburg could be turned around in a few days if called back to duty, and a skeleton crew lives on board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The remaining ships are outfitted with screens and filters to keep pollutants out of the bay, and MARAD now regularly tests the water quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11612543\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11612543\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-800x450.jpeg\" alt=\"A satellite view of the fleet in 2009 (left) and 2017.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-800x450.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-1020x574.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-1180x664.jpeg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-960x540.jpeg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-240x135.jpeg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-375x211.jpeg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare-520x293.jpeg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/compare.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A satellite view of the fleet in 2009 (left) and 2017. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.planet.com\" target=\"_blank\">Planet\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So what did Steve Yeager, the listener who asked us about the fleet, think of our answer? He’s glad the environmental issues have been addressed, and doesn’t mind that a few ships are hanging around for the next generation to see out of the car window on trips up Interstate 680.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My kids will ask me the same questions, but I’ll have a little more information now that I can tell them,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Watch this KQED video segment from 2008, when there were still more than 70 ships in Suisun Bay:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"order": 9
},
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
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