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"content": "\u003cp>State workplace regulators, the region's local air quality district and Solano County health officials are trying to find out why a problem at Valero's Benicia refinery suddenly worsened over the weekend, leading to a release of petroleum coke dust that prompted fire officials to urge those with respiratory problems to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident led to a partial shutdown at the facility and represents the worst malfunction at the plant since a power outage caused a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">major pollution incident\u003c/a> in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The releases of elevated levels of particulate matter led several residents to complain of breathing problems and prompted Benicia's mayor to call on Valero to pay the city back for its work dealing with the emergency. The partial refinery shutdown is also expected to lead to a spike in higher gasoline prices throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said she's gotten a flood of phone calls and emails from residents wanting to know why it took so long for Valero to suspend refinery operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11735475 label='Refinery Incidents Impact Gas Prices']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There's a lack of understanding about how coke particulates could be continuously emitted throughout a couple of weeks,\" Patterson said. \"There's not a lot of information that's readily available to the public.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health began a probe into Valero on Monday, the day after the company began the gradual shutdown of a significant portion of the refinery, according to agency spokesman Frank Polizzi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA becomes the latest government agency to look into the breakdown of a key piece of equipment inside the refinery that went down two weeks ago. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Solano County officials have launched probes as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Refinery Problems Started Two Weeks Ago\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 11, the facility's flue gas scrubber began malfunctioning. That meant the facility's smokestacks began belching a sooty plume of petroleum coke dust — minute carbon particles that are a byproduct of the oil refining process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initial problem prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue eight \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11733145/air-district-hits-valero-with-violations-over-benicia-refinery-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notices of violation\u003c/a> against Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district and Solano County health officials said during the following days that the flue gas scrubber had been fixed and the coke dust releases were intermittent and gradually coming to an end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the black smoke returned on Saturday. On Sunday, fire officials detected high levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM10, around the refinery and issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735065/problems-at-valeros-benicia-refinery-increase-prompt-health-advisory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health advisory\u003c/a> urging people with respiratory issues to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"What we were seeing was dark gray, almost black smoke coming from the flue gas scrubber unit,\" Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PM10 is particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter — larger than PM2.5 many became familiar with during last November's Camp Fire, when smoke from the huge Butte County blaze prompted health advisories throughout much of Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like PM2.5, the larger particulate matter is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EPA spokeswoman Soledad Calvino said the agency would not comment on ongoing or potential investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has said that once inhaled, petroleum coke dust can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The additional concern is that this is more toxic than the standard stuff you'd find in the atmosphere,\" said Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis. \"It's probably similar in toxicity to diesel exhaust, which is a known carcinogen because it's sooty in nature.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday morning the wind in the Benicia area was blowing east to west at about 6 to 12 mph, according to meteorologist Jan Null.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That meant the coke dust was being blown toward residential neighborhoods, said Chadwick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That was one of the big concerns I had,\" Chadwick said. \"We had a wind shift ... that really turned it back toward the city.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Several Residents Complain of Breathing Problems\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chadwick said the Benicia Fire Department received two 911 calls for respiratory complaints. One of the calls was for one person who was transported to John Muir Medical Center in Concord. The other was for two people who told paramedics who showed up they didn't need to be hospitalized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wind on Sunday also sent the coke dust toward parts of Contra Costa County, according to air district spokesman Ralph Borrmann. The agency received several complaints from people in Benicia and a few in Rodeo, Borrmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire crews have been conducting air readings since Sunday morning and the levels of particulate are back to normal, Chadwick said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials are expected to release the results of their testing later this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's unclear why the flue gas scrubber began malfunctioning again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terry Schmidtbauer, Solano County's assistant director of resource management, said his department's investigation is focused on the scrubber unit, other refinery components that interact with the device and if refinery workers made a mistake in operating the unit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's also uncertain how long it will take to shut down the affected parts of the refinery and how long that closure will last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I am not sure how long Valero intends to have the affected portion shut down,\" Schmidtbauer said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lillian Riojas, a Valero spokeswoman, did not answer questions about how long the shutdown should last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday the company issued a statement about the refinery problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There may be a visible plume and flaring as part of the shutdown,\" Valero's statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mayor Renews Call for More Refinery Regulations\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson has been calling for more regulation of Valero's facility ever since the May 5, 2017, refinery incident — a push that so far \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\">has failed\u003c/a> to result in action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council rejected her proposal to develop an industrial safety ordinance, similar to one in Contra Costa County, that provides more information to town officials about refinery problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest incident has prompted her to renew her call for action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We definitely need an industrial safety ordinance with the fees to cover the costs that it's costing the city,\" Patterson said. \"When we are responding to these things, that means we're not doing something else.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson said she planned to bring up the issue of compensation at a City Council session this Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Bay Area environmental group critical of the oil industry and the agencies regulating it said the episode should raise concern about operations at other facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is the latest sign that Bay Area refineries and our air quality officials can't safely cope with current workloads, let alone the increased volume of oil processing planned by the industry,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, an Oakland-based lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State workplace regulators, the region's local air quality district and Solano County health officials are trying to find out why a problem at Valero's Benicia refinery suddenly worsened over the weekend, leading to a release of petroleum coke dust that prompted fire officials to urge those with respiratory problems to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident led to a partial shutdown at the facility and represents the worst malfunction at the plant since a power outage caused a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">major pollution incident\u003c/a> in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The releases of elevated levels of particulate matter led several residents to complain of breathing problems and prompted Benicia's mayor to call on Valero to pay the city back for its work dealing with the emergency. The partial refinery shutdown is also expected to lead to a spike in higher gasoline prices throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said she's gotten a flood of phone calls and emails from residents wanting to know why it took so long for Valero to suspend refinery operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There's a lack of understanding about how coke particulates could be continuously emitted throughout a couple of weeks,\" Patterson said. \"There's not a lot of information that's readily available to the public.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health began a probe into Valero on Monday, the day after the company began the gradual shutdown of a significant portion of the refinery, according to agency spokesman Frank Polizzi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA becomes the latest government agency to look into the breakdown of a key piece of equipment inside the refinery that went down two weeks ago. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Solano County officials have launched probes as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Refinery Problems Started Two Weeks Ago\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 11, the facility's flue gas scrubber began malfunctioning. That meant the facility's smokestacks began belching a sooty plume of petroleum coke dust — minute carbon particles that are a byproduct of the oil refining process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initial problem prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue eight \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11733145/air-district-hits-valero-with-violations-over-benicia-refinery-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notices of violation\u003c/a> against Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district and Solano County health officials said during the following days that the flue gas scrubber had been fixed and the coke dust releases were intermittent and gradually coming to an end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the black smoke returned on Saturday. On Sunday, fire officials detected high levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM10, around the refinery and issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735065/problems-at-valeros-benicia-refinery-increase-prompt-health-advisory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health advisory\u003c/a> urging people with respiratory issues to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"What we were seeing was dark gray, almost black smoke coming from the flue gas scrubber unit,\" Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PM10 is particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter — larger than PM2.5 many became familiar with during last November's Camp Fire, when smoke from the huge Butte County blaze prompted health advisories throughout much of Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like PM2.5, the larger particulate matter is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EPA spokeswoman Soledad Calvino said the agency would not comment on ongoing or potential investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has said that once inhaled, petroleum coke dust can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The additional concern is that this is more toxic than the standard stuff you'd find in the atmosphere,\" said Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis. \"It's probably similar in toxicity to diesel exhaust, which is a known carcinogen because it's sooty in nature.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday morning the wind in the Benicia area was blowing east to west at about 6 to 12 mph, according to meteorologist Jan Null.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That meant the coke dust was being blown toward residential neighborhoods, said Chadwick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That was one of the big concerns I had,\" Chadwick said. \"We had a wind shift ... that really turned it back toward the city.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Several Residents Complain of Breathing Problems\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chadwick said the Benicia Fire Department received two 911 calls for respiratory complaints. One of the calls was for one person who was transported to John Muir Medical Center in Concord. The other was for two people who told paramedics who showed up they didn't need to be hospitalized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wind on Sunday also sent the coke dust toward parts of Contra Costa County, according to air district spokesman Ralph Borrmann. The agency received several complaints from people in Benicia and a few in Rodeo, Borrmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire crews have been conducting air readings since Sunday morning and the levels of particulate are back to normal, Chadwick said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air district officials are expected to release the results of their testing later this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's unclear why the flue gas scrubber began malfunctioning again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terry Schmidtbauer, Solano County's assistant director of resource management, said his department's investigation is focused on the scrubber unit, other refinery components that interact with the device and if refinery workers made a mistake in operating the unit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's also uncertain how long it will take to shut down the affected parts of the refinery and how long that closure will last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I am not sure how long Valero intends to have the affected portion shut down,\" Schmidtbauer said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lillian Riojas, a Valero spokeswoman, did not answer questions about how long the shutdown should last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday the company issued a statement about the refinery problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There may be a visible plume and flaring as part of the shutdown,\" Valero's statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mayor Renews Call for More Refinery Regulations\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson has been calling for more regulation of Valero's facility ever since the May 5, 2017, refinery incident — a push that so far \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\">has failed\u003c/a> to result in action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council rejected her proposal to develop an industrial safety ordinance, similar to one in Contra Costa County, that provides more information to town officials about refinery problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest incident has prompted her to renew her call for action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We definitely need an industrial safety ordinance with the fees to cover the costs that it's costing the city,\" Patterson said. \"When we are responding to these things, that means we're not doing something else.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson said she planned to bring up the issue of compensation at a City Council session this Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Bay Area environmental group critical of the oil industry and the agencies regulating it said the episode should raise concern about operations at other facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is the latest sign that Bay Area refineries and our air quality officials can't safely cope with current workloads, let alone the increased volume of oil processing planned by the industry,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, an Oakland-based lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Chevron Refinery Suffers Third Power Outage in Two Months, With Another Round of Flaring",
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"content": "\u003cp>A power outage Wednesday morning at Chevron's Richmond refinery caused several processing units to shut down, prompting the facility to send gas through its flares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident marked at least the third time the refinery has suffered an electricity problem since mid-January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/558fd3ad183b2bf2882583b5003c2236?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,chevron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notified\u003c/a> state and Contra Costa County officials shortly after 2 a.m. that it was experiencing \"ongoing flaring\" because of the outage and that it had a team of experts working to address the issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four hours later, Chevron posted a tweet telling nearby residents about the incident, explaining that a Level 1 Community Warning System alert was sent out and that \"no environmental or public health impacts are anticipated.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/ChevronRichmond/status/1103299407917789184\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flaring is used to relieve pressure inside refinery process units during facility malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District launched an investigation into Wednesday's incident, according to agency spokeswoman Kristine Roselius.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's unclear what chemicals were released during the flaring. An overnight storm that brought wind and rain to the area may have reduced the spread of any toxic chemicals, according to Maria Duazo, a hazardous materials specialist at the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/CoCoHealth/status/1103326055949983746\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage was not connected to infrastructure run by PG&E, according to utility spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery also experienced a \"power dip\" on Feb. 2 that caused some units \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/8c29de3f6da492ad8825839500338e99?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,chevron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to go down\u003c/a>, resulting in a round of flaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/ChevronRichmond/status/1091962664639696896\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A power outage at the refinery on Jan. 17 also led to flaring, according to county officials and air regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That electricity failure caused some of their process units to \"wobble\", according to Randy Sawyer, the county's chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer. In that incident, the units \"lost some cooling\" and had to be shut down, Sawyer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Braden Reddall, a Chevron spokesman, did not answer questions about what caused Wednesday's outage and whether the company is doing something to address power issues at the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A power outage Wednesday morning at Chevron's Richmond refinery caused several processing units to shut down, prompting the facility to send gas through its flares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident marked at least the third time the refinery has suffered an electricity problem since mid-January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/558fd3ad183b2bf2882583b5003c2236?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,chevron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notified\u003c/a> state and Contra Costa County officials shortly after 2 a.m. that it was experiencing \"ongoing flaring\" because of the outage and that it had a team of experts working to address the issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four hours later, Chevron posted a tweet telling nearby residents about the incident, explaining that a Level 1 Community Warning System alert was sent out and that \"no environmental or public health impacts are anticipated.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flaring is used to relieve pressure inside refinery process units during facility malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District launched an investigation into Wednesday's incident, according to agency spokeswoman Kristine Roselius.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's unclear what chemicals were released during the flaring. An overnight storm that brought wind and rain to the area may have reduced the spread of any toxic chemicals, according to Maria Duazo, a hazardous materials specialist at the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Program.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The outage was not connected to infrastructure run by PG&E, according to utility spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery also experienced a \"power dip\" on Feb. 2 that caused some units \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/8c29de3f6da492ad8825839500338e99?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,chevron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to go down\u003c/a>, resulting in a round of flaring.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A power outage at the refinery on Jan. 17 also led to flaring, according to county officials and air regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That electricity failure caused some of their process units to \"wobble\", according to Randy Sawyer, the county's chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer. In that incident, the units \"lost some cooling\" and had to be shut down, Sawyer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Braden Reddall, a Chevron spokesman, did not answer questions about what caused Wednesday's outage and whether the company is doing something to address power issues at the refinery.\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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"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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"slug": "malfunctions-at-shells-martinez-refinery-more-serious-than-first-reported",
"title": "Malfunctions at Shell's Martinez Refinery More Serious Than First Reported",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 8/10 at 12:50 p.m. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several malfunctions at Shell’s East Bay refinery last month, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926961/health-advisory-lifted-for-martinez-pacheco-after-shell-refinery-shutdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a health advisory in Martinez and Pacheco\u003c/a>, were more dangerous than first acknowledged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the hours following a flaring incident on July 6, the company initially reported that a fire in a compressor unit at its Martinez facility led to the release of more than 100 pounds of hydrogen sulfide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/177039505666832/posts/due-to-unit-upset-there-is-a-potential-for-odors-to-reach-the-refinery-boundary-/1797965760240857/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Explaining the malfunction on Facebook\u003c/a>, Shell said there was a “unit upset,” but they had no reason to believe that its releases had drifted to nearby areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That day Kristin Marczak, a company spokeswoman, told reporters the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Shell-refinery-in-Martinez-has-unplanned-13053834.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">episode\u003c/a> was similar to a “car running and you have an unplanned shutdown of that car. We have a number of units within the plant that operate, and one of those units had kind of an unplanned shutdown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926961/health-advisory-lifted-for-martinez-pacheco-after-shell-refinery-shutdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Health Advisory Lifted for Martinez, Pacheco After Shell Refinery ‘Shutdown’\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>It is now clear there were five refinery problems at the site over four days, leading to the release of more than 8,500 pounds of gas, according to documents Shell recently filed with Contra Costa County officials and a notification it made to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists say this revelation follows a pattern of local oil refineries initially underestimating the severity of malfunctions at their facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The potential impact from the incident was more serious than we initially realized,” said Randy Sawyer, the county’s chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11685527\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 880px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11685527\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"880\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM.png 880w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-800x511.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-240x153.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-375x239.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-520x332.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Shell refinery. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Contra Costa Health Services)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The problems began just after 1 a.m. when a loss of pressure inside a refinery unit set off unplanned flaring. During that operation all three of the refinery’s flare pilot lights were accidentally extinguished by water, which had accumulated due to a faulty drainage system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pilot lights are supposed to remain on to ensure that gas released to the flaring system is burned off, which is considered safer than releasing the chemicals unburned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two hours later, while crews were investigating that problem, a small lubrication oil fire triggered one of Shell’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=9650\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hydrocracker\u003c/a> units (which help convert lower-quality fuels into higher-quality ones) to go offline, causing another flaring operation, resulting in the release of unburned gas again.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675741/when-oil-refineries-flare-what-happens-to-the-air\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When Oil Refineries Flare, What Happens To The Air?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Due to the failures, close to 1,500 pounds of methane, 860 pounds of hydrogen gas and 260 pounds of hydrogen sulfide were released into the air from the refinery that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The release of hydrogen sulfide accounts for five weeks’ worth of the typical emissions of that chemical from the refinery, according Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokesman Tom Flannigan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps more concerning, the malfunctions also led to the release of close to 5,700 pounds of unspecified “non-methane hydrocarbons.” This could include chemicals like propane and benzene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This amount may have been dangerous, according to Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is where the concerns may be,” Wexler said in an email, calling the release of those gases “an unspecified mix of potential nasties and lots of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two days later the refinery’s catalytic cracking unit “unexpected shutdown,” according to documents Shell filed with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. That caused another round of flaring that lasted close to six hours, leading to the release of 45 pounds of sulfur dioxide, Shell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following day, July 9, in the process of re-starting that unit, the refinery released close to 400 pounds of sulfur dioxide in yet another round of flaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The malfunctions have alarmed environmentalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s quite concerning to see the quantities of dangerous gases,” said Hollin Kretzmann, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “As is often the case, what was reported initially drastically underestimated the true extent of the release.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\u003cstrong>‘As is often the case, \u003c/strong>what was reported initially drastically underestimated the true extent of the release.’\u003ccite>Hollin Kretzmann, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“The fact that there were multiple flaring events in rapid succession over the course of a few days shows that whatever safety measures and protocols the refinery has in place are not adequate to prevent these accidents from happening,” Kretzmann said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local air regulators issued a notice of violation against Shell for the July 7 incident for failure to maintain continuous operation of its flare pilots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is investigating the malfunctions, Flannigan said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district sent staff to the scene several hours after the first refinery malfunction, according to an agency incident report filed that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said then its investigators did not observe any odors downwind of the refinery and it did not receive any complaints from residents near the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shell told the district it found no readings on its downwind ground-level monitors in excess of regulatory standards for hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives for the company have yet to respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in its report to the county, Shell says it’s in the process of making a series of changes to its Martinez facility to prevent a similar incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes updated information from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "It's now clear there were four refinery problems at the site over three days, leading to the release of at least 8,750 pounds of gas.",
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"title": "Malfunctions at Shell's Martinez Refinery More Serious Than First Reported | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 8/10 at 12:50 p.m. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several malfunctions at Shell’s East Bay refinery last month, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926961/health-advisory-lifted-for-martinez-pacheco-after-shell-refinery-shutdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a health advisory in Martinez and Pacheco\u003c/a>, were more dangerous than first acknowledged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the hours following a flaring incident on July 6, the company initially reported that a fire in a compressor unit at its Martinez facility led to the release of more than 100 pounds of hydrogen sulfide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/177039505666832/posts/due-to-unit-upset-there-is-a-potential-for-odors-to-reach-the-refinery-boundary-/1797965760240857/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Explaining the malfunction on Facebook\u003c/a>, Shell said there was a “unit upset,” but they had no reason to believe that its releases had drifted to nearby areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That day Kristin Marczak, a company spokeswoman, told reporters the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Shell-refinery-in-Martinez-has-unplanned-13053834.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">episode\u003c/a> was similar to a “car running and you have an unplanned shutdown of that car. We have a number of units within the plant that operate, and one of those units had kind of an unplanned shutdown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926961/health-advisory-lifted-for-martinez-pacheco-after-shell-refinery-shutdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Health Advisory Lifted for Martinez, Pacheco After Shell Refinery ‘Shutdown’\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>It is now clear there were five refinery problems at the site over four days, leading to the release of more than 8,500 pounds of gas, according to documents Shell recently filed with Contra Costa County officials and a notification it made to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists say this revelation follows a pattern of local oil refineries initially underestimating the severity of malfunctions at their facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The potential impact from the incident was more serious than we initially realized,” said Randy Sawyer, the county’s chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11685527\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 880px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11685527\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"880\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM.png 880w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-800x511.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-240x153.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-375x239.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-07-at-4.37.48-PM-520x332.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Shell refinery. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Contra Costa Health Services)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The problems began just after 1 a.m. when a loss of pressure inside a refinery unit set off unplanned flaring. During that operation all three of the refinery’s flare pilot lights were accidentally extinguished by water, which had accumulated due to a faulty drainage system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pilot lights are supposed to remain on to ensure that gas released to the flaring system is burned off, which is considered safer than releasing the chemicals unburned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two hours later, while crews were investigating that problem, a small lubrication oil fire triggered one of Shell’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=9650\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hydrocracker\u003c/a> units (which help convert lower-quality fuels into higher-quality ones) to go offline, causing another flaring operation, resulting in the release of unburned gas again.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11675741/when-oil-refineries-flare-what-happens-to-the-air\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When Oil Refineries Flare, What Happens To The Air?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Due to the failures, close to 1,500 pounds of methane, 860 pounds of hydrogen gas and 260 pounds of hydrogen sulfide were released into the air from the refinery that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The release of hydrogen sulfide accounts for five weeks’ worth of the typical emissions of that chemical from the refinery, according Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokesman Tom Flannigan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps more concerning, the malfunctions also led to the release of close to 5,700 pounds of unspecified “non-methane hydrocarbons.” This could include chemicals like propane and benzene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This amount may have been dangerous, according to Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is where the concerns may be,” Wexler said in an email, calling the release of those gases “an unspecified mix of potential nasties and lots of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two days later the refinery’s catalytic cracking unit “unexpected shutdown,” according to documents Shell filed with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. That caused another round of flaring that lasted close to six hours, leading to the release of 45 pounds of sulfur dioxide, Shell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following day, July 9, in the process of re-starting that unit, the refinery released close to 400 pounds of sulfur dioxide in yet another round of flaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The malfunctions have alarmed environmentalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s quite concerning to see the quantities of dangerous gases,” said Hollin Kretzmann, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “As is often the case, what was reported initially drastically underestimated the true extent of the release.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\u003cstrong>‘As is often the case, \u003c/strong>what was reported initially drastically underestimated the true extent of the release.’\u003ccite>Hollin Kretzmann, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“The fact that there were multiple flaring events in rapid succession over the course of a few days shows that whatever safety measures and protocols the refinery has in place are not adequate to prevent these accidents from happening,” Kretzmann said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local air regulators issued a notice of violation against Shell for the July 7 incident for failure to maintain continuous operation of its flare pilots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is investigating the malfunctions, Flannigan said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district sent staff to the scene several hours after the first refinery malfunction, according to an agency incident report filed that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said then its investigators did not observe any odors downwind of the refinery and it did not receive any complaints from residents near the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shell told the district it found no readings on its downwind ground-level monitors in excess of regulatory standards for hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives for the company have yet to respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in its report to the county, Shell says it’s in the process of making a series of changes to its Martinez facility to prevent a similar incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes updated information from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Facing Widespread Opposition, Lawmaker Ends Effort to Increase Refinery Penalties",
"title": "Facing Widespread Opposition, Lawmaker Ends Effort to Increase Refinery Penalties",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, is dropping a bill that would have tripled fines for refineries that violate air quality laws amid opposition from the oil industry, at least two Bay Area mayors, the region's air regulators and environmentalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's proposal was prompted by recent incidents at Benicia's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero\u003c/a> refinery and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11347210/under-pressure-air-district-says-its-still-investigating-vallejo-fumes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Phillips 66\u003c/a> in Rodeo that led to large pollution releases, illnesses, evacuations and shelter-in-place orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He introduced the bill in February but it quickly drew criticism from local officials, who said it was too weak, and opposition from the Western States Petroleum Association, which represents the state's major oil companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation was pulled before it was even heard in \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">committee\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I knew the refineries would not be supporting this bill. I didn't expect that the communities that were in the area and the air board would not support it either,\" Dodd said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd said he thought his proposal was a common-sense compromise that could win legislative approval and make its way through the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Frankly, I was trying to thread the needle in a space that I thought was fair,\" Dodd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, air regulators like the Bay Area Air Quality Management District can hand down fines of up to $10,000 a day when a refinery releases pollutants that violate air quality standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists, local elected officials and the air district have complained that the penalty is barely pocket change for companies like San Ramon-based \u003ca href=\"https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/static-files/ceb2ee1f-8f99-4cb1-a40a-da8f8a92b685\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chevron, which earned more than $9 billion in 2017\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's bill would have increased those penalties to as much as $30,000 a day. For less common but more severe violations, including those when refineries are found to be negligent or engage in \"willful and intentional\" acts that break regulations, penalties would have risen to as high as $250,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill's death marks the second time in the last five years an effort to raise penalties for serious oil facility violations has failed in the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, on the heels of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/chevron-refinery-fire/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">major fire\u003c/a> at Chevron's Richmond refinery, then-state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, introduced similar legislation. It was approved by the state Senate but failed on the Assembly floor amid opposition from the energy industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western States Petroleum Association opposed Dodd's bill, too, but a spokesman for the industry group declined requests for a comment on why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2015, the association and its member companies have donated close to $26 million to political action committees and the campaigns of current state legislators, according to an analysis of campaign finance data from the California Secretary of State's Office by MapLight, an organization that studies the influence of money in politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Dodd said it wasn't the oil industry's influence that led to the legislation's demise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't think the refineries being against it caused this to happen,\" he said. \"It was the fact that there was nobody else, no significant support, on the other side.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayors of Benicia and Richmond, home to the Valero and Chevron refineries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11656859\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said the bill was not strong enough\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson expressed disappointment that Dodd did not amend the bill after she and Richmond Mayor Tom Butt called for it to be strengthened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fines, even if tripled, aren't proportional to the cost of the event,\" Patterson said, adding that Dodd should have gathered more support for the bill in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It never had grass-roots support,\" Patterson said. \"There wasn't an outreach to the affected communities.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson had wanted funds from the fines to be directed to communities hurt by refinery malfunctions. Valero's power outage last May not only led to the release of a large amount of pollution, but also forced Benicia's city government to spend hours handling an emergency and led to evacuations and shelter-in-place orders, among other problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We got a pretty lousy image ... with a lot of black smoke,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District also wanted the fine amounts to be higher than those Dodd proposed. The agency's board of directors voted last week to push for amendments to the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists also felt the bill was weak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollin Kretzmann, at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the proposal was a good step but should have been stronger. State lawmakers, though, need to act, Kretzmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"California legislators need to end these political games and get serious about protecting our air and climate,\" Kretzmann said. \"Every day they fail to act, communities near these dirty refineries pay the price with their health and safety.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Measure would have tripled fines for oil refiners who violate air quality regulations. Many local officials wanted even higher penalties. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, is dropping a bill that would have tripled fines for refineries that violate air quality laws amid opposition from the oil industry, at least two Bay Area mayors, the region's air regulators and environmentalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's proposal was prompted by recent incidents at Benicia's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11630350/benicia-still-looking-for-answers-from-valero-six-months-after-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero\u003c/a> refinery and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11347210/under-pressure-air-district-says-its-still-investigating-vallejo-fumes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Phillips 66\u003c/a> in Rodeo that led to large pollution releases, illnesses, evacuations and shelter-in-place orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He introduced the bill in February but it quickly drew criticism from local officials, who said it was too weak, and opposition from the Western States Petroleum Association, which represents the state's major oil companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation was pulled before it was even heard in \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">committee\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I knew the refineries would not be supporting this bill. I didn't expect that the communities that were in the area and the air board would not support it either,\" Dodd said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd said he thought his proposal was a common-sense compromise that could win legislative approval and make its way through the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Frankly, I was trying to thread the needle in a space that I thought was fair,\" Dodd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, air regulators like the Bay Area Air Quality Management District can hand down fines of up to $10,000 a day when a refinery releases pollutants that violate air quality standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists, local elected officials and the air district have complained that the penalty is barely pocket change for companies like San Ramon-based \u003ca href=\"https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/static-files/ceb2ee1f-8f99-4cb1-a40a-da8f8a92b685\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chevron, which earned more than $9 billion in 2017\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dodd's bill would have increased those penalties to as much as $30,000 a day. For less common but more severe violations, including those when refineries are found to be negligent or engage in \"willful and intentional\" acts that break regulations, penalties would have risen to as high as $250,000 a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill's death marks the second time in the last five years an effort to raise penalties for serious oil facility violations has failed in the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, on the heels of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/chevron-refinery-fire/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">major fire\u003c/a> at Chevron's Richmond refinery, then-state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, introduced similar legislation. It was approved by the state Senate but failed on the Assembly floor amid opposition from the energy industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western States Petroleum Association opposed Dodd's bill, too, but a spokesman for the industry group declined requests for a comment on why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2015, the association and its member companies have donated close to $26 million to political action committees and the campaigns of current state legislators, according to an analysis of campaign finance data from the California Secretary of State's Office by MapLight, an organization that studies the influence of money in politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Dodd said it wasn't the oil industry's influence that led to the legislation's demise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't think the refineries being against it caused this to happen,\" he said. \"It was the fact that there was nobody else, no significant support, on the other side.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayors of Benicia and Richmond, home to the Valero and Chevron refineries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11656859\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said the bill was not strong enough\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson expressed disappointment that Dodd did not amend the bill after she and Richmond Mayor Tom Butt called for it to be strengthened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fines, even if tripled, aren't proportional to the cost of the event,\" Patterson said, adding that Dodd should have gathered more support for the bill in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It never had grass-roots support,\" Patterson said. \"There wasn't an outreach to the affected communities.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson had wanted funds from the fines to be directed to communities hurt by refinery malfunctions. Valero's power outage last May not only led to the release of a large amount of pollution, but also forced Benicia's city government to spend hours handling an emergency and led to evacuations and shelter-in-place orders, among other problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We got a pretty lousy image ... with a lot of black smoke,\" Patterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air Quality Management District also wanted the fine amounts to be higher than those Dodd proposed. The agency's board of directors voted last week to push for amendments to the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists also felt the bill was weak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollin Kretzmann, at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the proposal was a good step but should have been stronger. State lawmakers, though, need to act, Kretzmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"California legislators need to end these political games and get serious about protecting our air and climate,\" Kretzmann said. \"Every day they fail to act, communities near these dirty refineries pay the price with their health and safety.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "State Senate Bill Would Triple Penalties for Refinery Air Violations",
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"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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"disqusTitle": "Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution",
"title": "Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>The Valero refinery in Benicia released more than 74,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide during 14 days of flaring after a power outage in May, according to a report the company has filed with state officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A huge amount of sulfur dioxide was emitted,\" said Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis, who reviewed the Valero report KQED obtained through a California Public Records Act request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The data were submitted to the California Office of Emergency Services last week. They will be a part of at least one of the \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\">three investigations\u003c/a> into the refinery malfunction that led to an increase in the state's gasoline prices and has prompted Benicia city leaders to consider increasing their \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/23/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">oversight\u003c/a> of the refinery 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\u003c/a> with residents about emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the sulfur dioxide the refinery released -- 31,000 pounds -- was emitted on May 5, the day the plant went offline and began flaring after the outage. That was also the day authorities imposed shelter-in-place and evacuation orders for parts of the city and at least a dozen people sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fact that it was emitted over a short period of time in some ways makes it worse,\" Wexler said on Thursday. \"That would have a much larger health impact.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero refinery released a total of nearly 25,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide on May 6 and 7, the company's report said. On May 14, it released close to 8,000 pounds of the gas, the company's report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To put those numbers in perspective, \u003ca href=\"http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/compliance-and-enforcement/flares/graphs/flare-emissions-charts/flaring-so2-emissions-pdf.pdf?la=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">air district statistics\u003c/a> show that the Valero refinery released an estimated total of 13,800 pounds of sulfur dioxide in 2016 and 15,400 pounds in 2015 through flaring. From 2004 through 2016, flaring releases have ranged from a low of 13,400 in 2009 to a high of 277,000 pounds in 2008. The facility's average annual sulfur dioxide flaring release during the period was 76,000 pounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its report, Valero said the refinery also emitted 350 pounds of carbonyl sulfide, a highly toxic and extremely flammable gas, between May 12 and May 15.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's report said its monitoring did not show an increase in ambient sulfur dioxide levels outside the refinery site, a sprawling facility at the northern end of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. The company said exposure to the gas was limited to \"persons solely within the site or sites on which the facility is located.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document did not give details about the hour-to-hour release of sulfur dioxide or the concentration of the gas at the refinery during the episode. The report also did not indicate whether workers at the facility were treated for exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new details about the refinery releases prompted an angry response from one environmental group that has monitored the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's absolutely unacceptable that this dirty refinery spewed dangerous gases into the air we breathe for two full weeks,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute, in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These reckless air pollution releases are too frequent and too dangerous to continue,\" said Kretzmann, who also reviewed the data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's report will be a part of the investigation into the outage by local air regulators, according to Tom Flannigan, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first, he said, the agency needs to confirm the numbers are correct.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We review this data and information related to the flaring event for accuracy,\" Flannigan said in an email. \"Combined with other data from air monitors in and around the facility, we can create a comprehensive view of the incident.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, which has issued \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/05/benicia-refinery-power-outage-triggers-evacuations/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">notices of violation\u003c/a> to the refinery, also needs to look at data on wind speed and direction during the flaring episode, Flannigan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first three days of the incident, May 5-7, when sulfur dioxide releases were highest, the area experienced winds that veered from northwest to southwest. Sustained winds at two weather stations on the Martinez shoreline during the first day and a half of the episode ranged up to 30 mph, with gusts of up to 34 mph.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report covers the refinery's releases through May 18, but the facility had trouble restarting even after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of May, local air regulators opened a \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/30/air-district-investigating-latest-valero-refinery-release-weeks-after-power-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new investigation\u003c/a> into the facility after it sent another round of black smoke and toxic gas into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last releases took place on June 1, according to \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/8b2f2322f8d3ae12882581330075ad7c?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,valero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports\u003c/a> posted on a hazardous materials database managed by the California Office of Emergency Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, a Valero official said the refinery had finally restarted and for the first time explained what was behind the weeks-long flaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Due to the abrupt nature of the emergency shutdown, the refinery was unable to go through the systematic process we follow for planned shutdowns that allows the refinery to minimize emissions during shutdown and restart,\" company spokeswoman Lillian Riojas said in an email on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oil company continues to blame PG&E for the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco-based utility has said the electrical failure was triggered by an \"inadvertent operation\" to protect power circuits. PG&E has hired a third party engineering firm, Exponent, to review the cause.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Company reports facility emitted 74,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide in two weeks -- more than the total amount it released in previous two years. ",
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"title": "Valero's Benicia Refinery Outage Triggered 'Huge' Release of Pollution | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Valero refinery in Benicia released more than 74,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide during 14 days of flaring after a power outage in May, according to a report the company has filed with state officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A huge amount of sulfur dioxide was emitted,\" said Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis, who reviewed the Valero report KQED obtained through a California Public Records Act request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The data were submitted to the California Office of Emergency Services last week. They will be a part of at least one of the \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\">three investigations\u003c/a> into the refinery malfunction that led to an increase in the state's gasoline prices and has prompted Benicia city leaders to consider increasing their \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/23/valero-outage-prompts-benicia-to-consider-industrial-safety-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">oversight\u003c/a> of the refinery 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\u003c/a> with residents about emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the sulfur dioxide the refinery released -- 31,000 pounds -- was emitted on May 5, the day the plant went offline and began flaring after the outage. That was also the day authorities imposed shelter-in-place and evacuation orders for parts of the city and at least a dozen people sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fact that it was emitted over a short period of time in some ways makes it worse,\" Wexler said on Thursday. \"That would have a much larger health impact.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero refinery released a total of nearly 25,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide on May 6 and 7, the company's report said. On May 14, it released close to 8,000 pounds of the gas, the company's report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To put those numbers in perspective, \u003ca href=\"http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/compliance-and-enforcement/flares/graphs/flare-emissions-charts/flaring-so2-emissions-pdf.pdf?la=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">air district statistics\u003c/a> show that the Valero refinery released an estimated total of 13,800 pounds of sulfur dioxide in 2016 and 15,400 pounds in 2015 through flaring. From 2004 through 2016, flaring releases have ranged from a low of 13,400 in 2009 to a high of 277,000 pounds in 2008. The facility's average annual sulfur dioxide flaring release during the period was 76,000 pounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its report, Valero said the refinery also emitted 350 pounds of carbonyl sulfide, a highly toxic and extremely flammable gas, between May 12 and May 15.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's report said its monitoring did not show an increase in ambient sulfur dioxide levels outside the refinery site, a sprawling facility at the northern end of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. The company said exposure to the gas was limited to \"persons solely within the site or sites on which the facility is located.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document did not give details about the hour-to-hour release of sulfur dioxide or the concentration of the gas at the refinery during the episode. The report also did not indicate whether workers at the facility were treated for exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new details about the refinery releases prompted an angry response from one environmental group that has monitored the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's absolutely unacceptable that this dirty refinery spewed dangerous gases into the air we breathe for two full weeks,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute, in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These reckless air pollution releases are too frequent and too dangerous to continue,\" said Kretzmann, who also reviewed the data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's report will be a part of the investigation into the outage by local air regulators, according to Tom Flannigan, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first, he said, the agency needs to confirm the numbers are correct.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We review this data and information related to the flaring event for accuracy,\" Flannigan said in an email. \"Combined with other data from air monitors in and around the facility, we can create a comprehensive view of the incident.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, which has issued \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/05/benicia-refinery-power-outage-triggers-evacuations/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">notices of violation\u003c/a> to the refinery, also needs to look at data on wind speed and direction during the flaring episode, Flannigan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first three days of the incident, May 5-7, when sulfur dioxide releases were highest, the area experienced winds that veered from northwest to southwest. Sustained winds at two weather stations on the Martinez shoreline during the first day and a half of the episode ranged up to 30 mph, with gusts of up to 34 mph.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report covers the refinery's releases through May 18, but the facility had trouble restarting even after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of May, local air regulators opened a \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/05/30/air-district-investigating-latest-valero-refinery-release-weeks-after-power-outage/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new investigation\u003c/a> into the facility after it sent another round of black smoke and toxic gas into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last releases took place on June 1, according to \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/8b2f2322f8d3ae12882581330075ad7c?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,valero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports\u003c/a> posted on a hazardous materials database managed by the California Office of Emergency Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, a Valero official said the refinery had finally restarted and for the first time explained what was behind the weeks-long flaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Due to the abrupt nature of the emergency shutdown, the refinery was unable to go through the systematic process we follow for planned shutdowns that allows the refinery to minimize emissions during shutdown and restart,\" company spokeswoman Lillian Riojas said in an email on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oil company continues to blame PG&E for the outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco-based utility has said the electrical failure was triggered by an \"inadvertent operation\" to protect power circuits. PG&E has hired a third party engineering firm, Exponent, to review the cause.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"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. ",
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"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. ",
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"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.",
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"masters-of-scale": {
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"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>",
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"order": 12
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"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.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"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?",
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"order": 11
},
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"on-the-media": {
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"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",
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"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"planet-money": {
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"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",
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"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"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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"order": 5
},
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
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