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"content": "\u003cp>Benicia lawmakers are considering a proposal that could eventually require the city to fact-check political campaign advertisements — a novel response to alleged election misinformation that could face legal scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordinance comes after a political action committee funded by Valero, the oil giant that runs a refinery in town, tried to influence voters in the last two city council elections. The company's involvement in city politics also came as the Valero plant experienced two of the region's worst refinery accidents in the last four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1094721/Staff_Report_-_Consider_Updates_to_Campaign_Ordinances.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ordinance\u003c/a> was co-authored by Mayor Steve Young, whom the Valero PAC opposed in the last election. He said the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Working_Families_for_a_Strong_Benicia_496_7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">committee\u003c/a> put out ads that manipulated photos of him and distorted his record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11843632\" label=\"Related Posts\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Young said, the city should consider whether its campaign regulations \"can be amended to prohibit digital or voice manipulation of images and whether any lying can be prohibited.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The PAC, dubbed Working Families for a Strong Benicia, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 2018 and 2020 city council elections. Both votes revived debate between some city officials and environmentalists on one side, who want more regulations on the refinery, and oil executives and unionized refinery workers on the other, who say they fear the city's real motivation is to shut the plant down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two candidates backed by the PAC\u003c/a>, which is also funded by several labor organizations allied with the refinery, won seats on the Benicia City Council. Another candidate, an environmentalist who was opposed by the committee, lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Young won the mayor's race \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11843632/valero-funded-pac-pours-more-than-250000-into-benicia-mayors-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">despite the PAC's opposition\u003c/a> to his candidacy. The ads said that he was against affordable housing and that he didn't need a job because he receives a pension from previous local government work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayor said he does want cheaper housing and there's nothing wrong with receiving a pension. He said Valero's opposition to him began in 2016, when the Benicia Planning Commission, which Young was a member of, voted to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marinij.com/2016/02/12/benicia-commissioners-deny-valeros-crude-by-rail-application/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reject the company's crude-by-rail proposal\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Steve Young wants to turn Benicia into a place where young families can't afford to live and work,\" one flier stated. \"Who would vote against kids playing at the ballpark? Steve Young did,\" another one said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young and the proposal's co-author, Councilmember Tom Campbell, said the ads mean the city should do a better job of making sure future elections are fair and honest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jessica Levinson, Loyola Marymount University professor\"]'We know the First Amendment does in fact protect lies. I think this is absolutely open to a legal challenge the second they pass it, if they do.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But turning the government into a fact-checking body would be ripe for a legal challenge, according to Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Marymount University professor specializing in election law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We know the First Amendment does in fact protect lies,\" Levinson said in an interview. \"I think this is absolutely open to a legal challenge the second they pass it, if they do.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Who decides what's an embellishment, what's misleading, what's just an omission versus what's actually a lie?\" Levinson asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the 2016 election and the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency, misinformation has become one of the biggest issues in American politics, said Levinson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are tackling a situation where there are more lies and there's more technology that allows us to lie than for sure the framers every dreamed of,\" she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the local news industry, which traditionally acts like a fact-checking body, has been decimated. Benicia gets some news coverage but is often overshadowed by larger Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jessica Levinson, Loyola Marymount University professor\"]'One of the things that keeps me up at night is not just misinformation and disinformation and the fact that people believe it, but the fact that we have a dwindling press corps and particularly in smaller jurisdictions.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One of the things that keeps me up at night is not just misinformation and disinformation and the fact that people believe it, but the fact that we have a dwindling press corps and particularly in smaller jurisdictions,\" Levinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The details over how the city would fact-check political ads has yet to be worked out. The proposal, set to go before the city council on Tuesday, would forward the issue to Benicia's Open Government Commission, a body that would consider changing the city's election campaign regulations. The commission would work on new rules and forward them to the city council next April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero fought with the city's last mayor, Elizabeth Patterson, after she called for more regulations to be placed on the refinery following a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 2017 power outage\u003c/a> that led to a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders. Less than two years later, the plant had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a series of malfunctions\u003c/a> that led to another significant pollution release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jason Kaune, the PAC's treasurer and head of political law at Nielsen Merksamer, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm, declined to comment. Representatives for Valero and unions that supported the committee did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Benicia lawmakers are considering a proposal that could eventually require the city to fact-check political campaign advertisements — a novel response to alleged election misinformation that could face legal scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordinance comes after a political action committee funded by Valero, the oil giant that runs a refinery in town, tried to influence voters in the last two city council elections. The company's involvement in city politics also came as the Valero plant experienced two of the region's worst refinery accidents in the last four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1094721/Staff_Report_-_Consider_Updates_to_Campaign_Ordinances.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ordinance\u003c/a> was co-authored by Mayor Steve Young, whom the Valero PAC opposed in the last election. He said the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Working_Families_for_a_Strong_Benicia_496_7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">committee\u003c/a> put out ads that manipulated photos of him and distorted his record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Young said, the city should consider whether its campaign regulations \"can be amended to prohibit digital or voice manipulation of images and whether any lying can be prohibited.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The PAC, dubbed Working Families for a Strong Benicia, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 2018 and 2020 city council elections. Both votes revived debate between some city officials and environmentalists on one side, who want more regulations on the refinery, and oil executives and unionized refinery workers on the other, who say they fear the city's real motivation is to shut the plant down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two candidates backed by the PAC\u003c/a>, which is also funded by several labor organizations allied with the refinery, won seats on the Benicia City Council. Another candidate, an environmentalist who was opposed by the committee, lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Young won the mayor's race \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11843632/valero-funded-pac-pours-more-than-250000-into-benicia-mayors-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">despite the PAC's opposition\u003c/a> to his candidacy. The ads said that he was against affordable housing and that he didn't need a job because he receives a pension from previous local government work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayor said he does want cheaper housing and there's nothing wrong with receiving a pension. He said Valero's opposition to him began in 2016, when the Benicia Planning Commission, which Young was a member of, voted to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marinij.com/2016/02/12/benicia-commissioners-deny-valeros-crude-by-rail-application/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reject the company's crude-by-rail proposal\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Steve Young wants to turn Benicia into a place where young families can't afford to live and work,\" one flier stated. \"Who would vote against kids playing at the ballpark? Steve Young did,\" another one said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young and the proposal's co-author, Councilmember Tom Campbell, said the ads mean the city should do a better job of making sure future elections are fair and honest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But turning the government into a fact-checking body would be ripe for a legal challenge, according to Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Marymount University professor specializing in election law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We know the First Amendment does in fact protect lies,\" Levinson said in an interview. \"I think this is absolutely open to a legal challenge the second they pass it, if they do.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Who decides what's an embellishment, what's misleading, what's just an omission versus what's actually a lie?\" Levinson asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the 2016 election and the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency, misinformation has become one of the biggest issues in American politics, said Levinson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are tackling a situation where there are more lies and there's more technology that allows us to lie than for sure the framers every dreamed of,\" she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the local news industry, which traditionally acts like a fact-checking body, has been decimated. Benicia gets some news coverage but is often overshadowed by larger Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One of the things that keeps me up at night is not just misinformation and disinformation and the fact that people believe it, but the fact that we have a dwindling press corps and particularly in smaller jurisdictions,\" Levinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The details over how the city would fact-check political ads has yet to be worked out. The proposal, set to go before the city council on Tuesday, would forward the issue to Benicia's Open Government Commission, a body that would consider changing the city's election campaign regulations. The commission would work on new rules and forward them to the city council next April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero fought with the city's last mayor, Elizabeth Patterson, after she called for more regulations to be placed on the refinery following a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 2017 power outage\u003c/a> that led to a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders. Less than two years later, the plant had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a series of malfunctions\u003c/a> that led to another significant pollution release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jason Kaune, the PAC's treasurer and head of political law at Nielsen Merksamer, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm, declined to comment. Representatives for Valero and unions that supported the committee did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Benicia Councilman Steve Young, a candidate attacked by a political action committee funded mainly by the Valero Energy company, will be the city’s new mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11843632/valero-funded-pac-pours-more-than-250000-into-benicia-mayors-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Working Families for a Strong Benicia PAC\u003c/a> raised more than $250,000 to defeat Young and support Councilwoman Christina Strawbridge. The committee said Young would put blue collar jobs, like those at Valero’s Benicia refinery, at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the city’s voters were not swayed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With Young leading the race with \u003ca href=\"https://www.livevoterturnout.com/SolanoCA/LiveResults/en/Index_6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">close to 52% of the vote\u003c/a>, Strawbridge, who garnered about 31%, conceded the election Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe the voters reacted strongly against the negative ads and mailers that the Valero-funded PAC tried to use against me,” Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, Valero will learn the obvious lesson from this result: Interference in Benicia elections will be rejected in the future as well,” Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/TedrickG/status/1324030762966900737?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge called Young’s election a “decisive victory.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Congratulations to him,” Strawbridge said, adding that the two lawmakers exchanged text messages Wednesday morning. “Even though it was a tough election, we have and will work together for Benicia.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2019, Valero has donated $240,000 to the political action committee targeting Young. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 549 donated some $50,000 as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same PAC \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spent thousands\u003c/a> to help Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada win seats on the Benicia City Council, and to defeat Kari Birdseye, who chairs the city’s Planning Commission and was a member of the same panel that denied Valero’s crude-by-rail expansion project in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young will take over from Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, a critic of Valero who has served in Benicia city government for two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson had become increasingly outspoken about efforts to place more regulations on the Valero plant, scene of the two worst refinery accidents in the Bay Area in the last three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that Young withstood the Valero PAC’s campaign is hugely significant, according to Matto Mildenberger, an assistant professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara, who focuses on oil politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It means that Benicia voters are willing to take their climate future into their own hands and are going to resist efforts by oil companies to control local politics,” Mildenberger said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>— Ted Goldberg (\u003ca href=\"http://@TedrickG\">@TedrickG\u003c/a>)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Benicia Councilman Steve Young, a candidate attacked by a political action committee funded mainly by the Valero Energy company, will be the city’s new mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11843632/valero-funded-pac-pours-more-than-250000-into-benicia-mayors-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Working Families for a Strong Benicia PAC\u003c/a> raised more than $250,000 to defeat Young and support Councilwoman Christina Strawbridge. The committee said Young would put blue collar jobs, like those at Valero’s Benicia refinery, at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the city’s voters were not swayed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With Young leading the race with \u003ca href=\"https://www.livevoterturnout.com/SolanoCA/LiveResults/en/Index_6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">close to 52% of the vote\u003c/a>, Strawbridge, who garnered about 31%, conceded the election Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe the voters reacted strongly against the negative ads and mailers that the Valero-funded PAC tried to use against me,” Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, Valero will learn the obvious lesson from this result: Interference in Benicia elections will be rejected in the future as well,” Young said.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge called Young’s election a “decisive victory.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Congratulations to him,” Strawbridge said, adding that the two lawmakers exchanged text messages Wednesday morning. “Even though it was a tough election, we have and will work together for Benicia.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2019, Valero has donated $240,000 to the political action committee targeting Young. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 549 donated some $50,000 as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same PAC \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spent thousands\u003c/a> to help Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada win seats on the Benicia City Council, and to defeat Kari Birdseye, who chairs the city’s Planning Commission and was a member of the same panel that denied Valero’s crude-by-rail expansion project in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young will take over from Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, a critic of Valero who has served in Benicia city government for two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson had become increasingly outspoken about efforts to place more regulations on the Valero plant, scene of the two worst refinery accidents in the Bay Area in the last three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that Young withstood the Valero PAC’s campaign is hugely significant, according to Matto Mildenberger, an assistant professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara, who focuses on oil politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It means that Benicia voters are willing to take their climate future into their own hands and are going to resist efforts by oil companies to control local politics,” Mildenberger said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>— Ted Goldberg (\u003ca href=\"http://@TedrickG\">@TedrickG\u003c/a>)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Valero-Funded PAC Pours More Than $250,000 Into Benicia Mayor's Race",
"title": "Valero-Funded PAC Pours More Than $250,000 Into Benicia Mayor's Race",
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"content": "\u003cp>A political action committee funded mainly by the Valero Energy company has raised more than a quarter-million dollars to convince Benicia residents to vote for its preferred candidate in the city's mayoral race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Antonio-based oil giant runs the Benicia refinery, one of California's largest, which is located in the small Solano County city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Christina Strawbridge, Benicia city councilwoman and mayoral candidate\"]'Once again, Valero has gone after my opponent with negative ads. That does not work in Benicia.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contributions to the Working Families for a Strong Benicia PAC represent four times the total combined amount raised from individual donations by the city's three mayoral candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the mayor's race, Valero and one of its allied unions are supporting \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Christina_Strawbridge_Candidate_Statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christina Strawbridge\u003c/a>, a councilwoman and vice mayor, against Councilman \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Steve_Young_Candidate_Statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steve Young\u003c/a> — both Democrats — funding phone polls, digital ads and mailers and reigniting a debate over the city's future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2019, Valero has donated $240,000 to the committee. The donations come two years after the Valero-funded PAC spent thousands to help Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">win seats\u003c/a> on the Benicia City Council and defeat Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist candidate who supported tighter regulation of the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The PAC also received a $25,000 contribution from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Lodge 549 in what the union calls an effort to stop \"coastal politicians\" from killing manufacturing jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Steve Young wants Benicia to be a town where tech professionals buy a latte and telecommute. Christina Strawbridge wants it to be a place where our members who live in Benicia, who come home from work dirty and tired, can continue to raise their families, too,\" said Timothy Jefferies, the union's business manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia's current mayor and one of Valero's leading critics, is leaving office after serving in that position for 13 years and on the City Council for 17 years prior to that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The election arrives as Valero and other oil companies that produce and process petroleum in California face declining sales because of the coronavirus pandemic and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11841676/behind-the-battle-for-the-future-of-californias-oil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increasing calls\u003c/a> for the state to move away from fossil fuels as it battles climate change-driven wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11839077/strong-california-gas-demand-unlikely-to-return-as-even-refineries-go-renewable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gasoline demand dropping\u003c/a>, two of the Bay Area's refineries, the Marathon plant in Martinez and Phillips 66 in Rodeo, are shifting to producing renewable fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Thursday, Valero announced a \u003ca href=\"https://investorvalero.com/news/news-details/2020/Valero-Energy-Reports-Third-Quarter-2020-Results/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">loss of $464 million in the third quarter\u003c/a> of this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two worst refinery accidents in the Bay Area in the last three years took place at Valero's Benicia refinery. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A May 2017 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">power outage at the refinery\u003c/a> led to a major release of toxic sulfur, prompting city leaders to call for an industrial safety ordinance. In March 2019, the plant had a series of malfunctions that led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">another significant pollution release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson and Young have since pushed for the city to have more regulatory control over the refinery. Attacks from the Valero PAC followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Steve Young doesn't need a job because he is supported by the taxpayers of California. He has no reason to protect Benicia's jobs and tax base,\" states one of the recent mailers from the Valero PAC that was widely distributed to Benicia voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Christina is a local business owner and knows how important it is to keep Benicia working. Now, more than ever, we need leaders like Christina Strawbridge,\" it states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia residents have also received several rounds of calls paid for by the Valero-funded PAC, aimed at convincing voters to back Strawbridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Young: 'Leave it to Benicia Voters'\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Young says he's not against the refinery, noting that it's a major part of Benicia's economy and that Valero frequently contributes to \"worthy local causes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the PAC is targeting him because he led a Planning Commission vote several years ago that ultimately led to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/index.asp?SEC=B7EDC93A-FFF0-4A14-9B1A-1C8563BC256A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rejection of Valero's crude-by-rail application\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Their ongoing attempts to influence the makeup of the City Council go far beyond normal corporate interest in local affairs,\" Young said in an email. \"Leave it to Benicia voters to elect their own representatives.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young says he wants the company to be more transparent about problems and accidents at the refinery and to send out immediate alerts to Benicia residents when accidents occur. He also says the city should have stronger air quality monitoring systems in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The relationship between Valero and the community is strained,\" Young said, adding that city officials and refinery executives can change that by holding monthly meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young says he's a stronger candidate than Strawbridge because of his career working in local government and his better understanding of how to address problems facing the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Strawbridge: 'Heal the Divide'\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge says that since she was elected to the City Council in 2018, relations between Benicia and the refinery have improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She notes that while the city did not put in place the more stringent regulations that Young and Patterson wanted, Benicia reached an agreement with Valero that includes the addition of portable air monitors, notifications during hazardous material incidents and increased disclosure on incident investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"valero\"]But she also acknowledges that the campaign work by the company's PAC is not helping the two sides get along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The relationship needs to improve and may have had a setback with this election cycle and Valero's formation of a PAC,\" Strawbridge said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is now a continued lack of trust within the community about the methods used during the election that were similar to 2018,\" she added. \"Once again, Valero has gone after my opponent with negative ads. That does not work in Benicia.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge believes the pushback from Valero's critics has also gone too far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There has been a concerted effort to discredit me on social media and the local paper by supporters of my opponent,\" Strawbridge said. \"As mayor of Benicia, I plan to heal the divide our city has experienced for many years.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge touts her experience promoting nonprofits, preserving historic buildings and advocating for parks and local tourism. She says her background in small business will help guide the city through the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third mayoral candidate, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Jason_Diavatis_Candidate_Statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Diavatis\u003c/a>, who has not been supported or opposed by the Valero PAC, did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Influence in California\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Valero's donations to the PAC represent just one place the oil company has made campaign contributions to influence California races.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oil giant and its various political action committees have contributed at least $14.1 million to California groups and congressional candidates in the state since 2015, according to a review of state and federal campaign finance data by \u003ca href=\"https://maplight.org/data/\">MapLight\u003c/a>, a Berkeley-based nonprofit that follows money in politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jason Kaune, the Benicia PAC's treasurer and head of political law at Nielsen Merksamer, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm, declined to comment. A Valero spokeswoman also did not return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">work of a similar PAC in the 2018 election\u003c/a> led to a significant divide in Benicia, pitting environmentalists against refinery workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During that election, the city filed a complaint with state campaign finance regulators, alleging that Valero sponsored a so-called push poll intended to negatively characterize Birdseye, the environmental candidate. The state's Fair Political Practices Commission, though, declined to investigate the calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dispute led the City Council to approve stronger disclosure rules for political committees involved in local elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contributions to the Working Families for a Strong Benicia PAC represent four times the total combined amount raised from individual donations by the city's three mayoral candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the mayor's race, Valero and one of its allied unions are supporting \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Christina_Strawbridge_Candidate_Statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christina Strawbridge\u003c/a>, a councilwoman and vice mayor, against Councilman \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Steve_Young_Candidate_Statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steve Young\u003c/a> — both Democrats — funding phone polls, digital ads and mailers and reigniting a debate over the city's future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2019, Valero has donated $240,000 to the committee. The donations come two years after the Valero-funded PAC spent thousands to help Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">win seats\u003c/a> on the Benicia City Council and defeat Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist candidate who supported tighter regulation of the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The PAC also received a $25,000 contribution from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Lodge 549 in what the union calls an effort to stop \"coastal politicians\" from killing manufacturing jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Steve Young wants Benicia to be a town where tech professionals buy a latte and telecommute. Christina Strawbridge wants it to be a place where our members who live in Benicia, who come home from work dirty and tired, can continue to raise their families, too,\" said Timothy Jefferies, the union's business manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia's current mayor and one of Valero's leading critics, is leaving office after serving in that position for 13 years and on the City Council for 17 years prior to that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The election arrives as Valero and other oil companies that produce and process petroleum in California face declining sales because of the coronavirus pandemic and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11841676/behind-the-battle-for-the-future-of-californias-oil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increasing calls\u003c/a> for the state to move away from fossil fuels as it battles climate change-driven wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11839077/strong-california-gas-demand-unlikely-to-return-as-even-refineries-go-renewable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gasoline demand dropping\u003c/a>, two of the Bay Area's refineries, the Marathon plant in Martinez and Phillips 66 in Rodeo, are shifting to producing renewable fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Thursday, Valero announced a \u003ca href=\"https://investorvalero.com/news/news-details/2020/Valero-Energy-Reports-Third-Quarter-2020-Results/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">loss of $464 million in the third quarter\u003c/a> of this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two worst refinery accidents in the Bay Area in the last three years took place at Valero's Benicia refinery. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A May 2017 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11681218/cpuc-probe-says-pge-mistakes-led-to-benicia-refinery-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">power outage at the refinery\u003c/a> led to a major release of toxic sulfur, prompting city leaders to call for an industrial safety ordinance. In March 2019, the plant had a series of malfunctions that led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">another significant pollution release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patterson and Young have since pushed for the city to have more regulatory control over the refinery. Attacks from the Valero PAC followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Steve Young doesn't need a job because he is supported by the taxpayers of California. He has no reason to protect Benicia's jobs and tax base,\" states one of the recent mailers from the Valero PAC that was widely distributed to Benicia voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Christina is a local business owner and knows how important it is to keep Benicia working. Now, more than ever, we need leaders like Christina Strawbridge,\" it states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia residents have also received several rounds of calls paid for by the Valero-funded PAC, aimed at convincing voters to back Strawbridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Young: 'Leave it to Benicia Voters'\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Young says he's not against the refinery, noting that it's a major part of Benicia's economy and that Valero frequently contributes to \"worthy local causes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the PAC is targeting him because he led a Planning Commission vote several years ago that ultimately led to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/index.asp?SEC=B7EDC93A-FFF0-4A14-9B1A-1C8563BC256A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rejection of Valero's crude-by-rail application\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Their ongoing attempts to influence the makeup of the City Council go far beyond normal corporate interest in local affairs,\" Young said in an email. \"Leave it to Benicia voters to elect their own representatives.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young says he wants the company to be more transparent about problems and accidents at the refinery and to send out immediate alerts to Benicia residents when accidents occur. He also says the city should have stronger air quality monitoring systems in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The relationship between Valero and the community is strained,\" Young said, adding that city officials and refinery executives can change that by holding monthly meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young says he's a stronger candidate than Strawbridge because of his career working in local government and his better understanding of how to address problems facing the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Strawbridge: 'Heal the Divide'\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge says that since she was elected to the City Council in 2018, relations between Benicia and the refinery have improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She notes that while the city did not put in place the more stringent regulations that Young and Patterson wanted, Benicia reached an agreement with Valero that includes the addition of portable air monitors, notifications during hazardous material incidents and increased disclosure on incident investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But she also acknowledges that the campaign work by the company's PAC is not helping the two sides get along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The relationship needs to improve and may have had a setback with this election cycle and Valero's formation of a PAC,\" Strawbridge said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is now a continued lack of trust within the community about the methods used during the election that were similar to 2018,\" she added. \"Once again, Valero has gone after my opponent with negative ads. That does not work in Benicia.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge believes the pushback from Valero's critics has also gone too far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There has been a concerted effort to discredit me on social media and the local paper by supporters of my opponent,\" Strawbridge said. \"As mayor of Benicia, I plan to heal the divide our city has experienced for many years.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge touts her experience promoting nonprofits, preserving historic buildings and advocating for parks and local tourism. She says her background in small business will help guide the city through the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third mayoral candidate, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Jason_Diavatis_Candidate_Statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Diavatis\u003c/a>, who has not been supported or opposed by the Valero PAC, did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Influence in California\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Valero's donations to the PAC represent just one place the oil company has made campaign contributions to influence California races.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oil giant and its various political action committees have contributed at least $14.1 million to California groups and congressional candidates in the state since 2015, according to a review of state and federal campaign finance data by \u003ca href=\"https://maplight.org/data/\">MapLight\u003c/a>, a Berkeley-based nonprofit that follows money in politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jason Kaune, the Benicia PAC's treasurer and head of political law at Nielsen Merksamer, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm, declined to comment. A Valero spokeswoman also did not return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700855/valero-backed-group-spends-heavily-to-sway-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">work of a similar PAC in the 2018 election\u003c/a> led to a significant divide in Benicia, pitting environmentalists against refinery workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During that election, the city filed a complaint with state campaign finance regulators, alleging that Valero sponsored a so-called push poll intended to negatively characterize Birdseye, the environmental candidate. The state's Fair Political Practices Commission, though, declined to investigate the calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dispute led the City Council to approve stronger disclosure rules for political committees involved in local elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Solano County Says Valero Violated State Regulations in March Refinery Shutdown",
"title": "Solano County Says Valero Violated State Regulations in March Refinery Shutdown",
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"content": "\u003cp>Solano County inspectors documented a long list of shortcomings and inadequate procedures at Valero's Benicia oil refinery that contributed to a major pollution release from the facility earlier this year, newly released county documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county's Department of Resource Management documented violations of eight separate state regulations. The infractions included failure to fix important sensors in a refinery furnace unit, infrequent inspections of key equipment, and failure to have an operating plan in place to deal with unexpected refinery conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano's probe relied in part on \u003ca href=\"http://solanocounty.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=30736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's root cause analysis\u003c/a> of the shutdown, which found that one of the worst refinery incidents in the Bay Area in years was caused by a mistake made months earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both reports focused on tubes in the refinery's furnace that heat up crude oil before it's routed to other parts of the facility for processing. County and refinery officials say those furnace tubes were damaged during maintenance work last November, which caused the devices to fail and contributed to the plant's malfunctions in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero complex ended up belching out a massive amount of black sooty smoke, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health concerns\u003c/a> for people living nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[documentcloud url=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6382447-Valero-Benicia-Exceedance-Investigation-Report.html\" responsive=true text=false]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[documentcloud url=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6382464-Solano-County-Valero-Inspection.html\" responsive=true text=false]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery's subsequent closure contributed to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statewide spike in gasoline prices\u003c/a> and prompted investigations by several government agencies, renewing attention on the refinery two years after a power outage caused a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero spokeswoman Lillian Riojas declined to comment directly on the company's violations. Instead, she pointed to the company's May filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in which it reported \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11746990/valero-says-it-faces-342000-in-penalties-over-benicia-refinery-pollution-incident\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">it's facing more than $342,000 in fines\u003c/a> in connection with the incident. The company told the SEC it expects to face $242,840 in proposed penalties from Solano County and $100,000 from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's root cause analysis, completed in July, examines a series of problems that led to the refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Company inspections during the refinery shutdown found that furnace tubes were bulging and leaking. Valero says when the facility was restarting a unit last November, a safety valve improperly \"lifted,\" allowing crude oil to bypass one of the refinery's furnaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero says \"it was not appreciated at the time\" that allowing the bypass \"exposed the furnace tubes to elevated temperatures.\" Extreme heat gradually deformed the tubes and allowed a solid substance called petroleum coke to form inside. Valero's analysis concedes that the deteriorating conditions were \"not timely identified and mitigated, leading to the tubes' subsequent failure\" and the March refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's investigation reported that carbon monoxide and oxygen sensors in the refinery furnace were not operational for at least three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Proper functioning sensors would have provided an indication that the furnace was malfunctioning to Valero staff, allowing them to act sooner to correct the condition and prevent additional release,\" said Terry Schmidtbauer, the county's assistant director of resource management, in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The issue with the furnace upset the system,\" Schmidtbauer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those system issues became more evident in early March as two other refinery components experienced problems. One was a fluid coker, which heats up and \"cracks\" the thickest components of crude oil processed at the refinery. Another, a flue gas scrubber, removes fine particles before gases are released from the facility's smokestacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malfunctions with those devices led to an increase in carbon monoxide levels, according to Valero, To reduce those levels, refinery crews ended up increasing the temperature on the furnace tubes, thus accelerating their deterioration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"valero\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was little liquid in the tubes, which puts them at risk of damage, according to Professor Eric Smith of Tulane University's Energy Institute, who specializes in refinery operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One result is thermal degradation of the metal tube,\" said Smith, who reviewed company and county findings. \"Another effect is that the liquid that does make it through the tube is converted into petroleum coke.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That dynamic led to the release of sooty smoke and resulted in elevated levels of particulate matter and a health advisory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County inspectors discovered several problems with lines that carry petroleum coke. On the day the refinery was shut down, one was leaking. Valero staff told Solano officials in April another line had failed five times in the last three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county's Department of Resource Management has ordered Valero to make a series of changes, some of which it has already completed. They include orders to reduce petroleum coke releases, new procedures for preventing the overheating of furnace tubes and increased training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's Schmidtbauer said the department was still assessing what penalties it will levy against the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local air regulators issued 12 notices of violation against Valero. Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the air district, said the agency's probe is not yet complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An investigation by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal/OSHA, is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks, according to agency spokesman Frank Polizzi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Solano County inspectors documented a long list of shortcomings and inadequate procedures at Valero's Benicia oil refinery that contributed to a major pollution release from the facility earlier this year, newly released county documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county's Department of Resource Management documented violations of eight separate state regulations. The infractions included failure to fix important sensors in a refinery furnace unit, infrequent inspections of key equipment, and failure to have an operating plan in place to deal with unexpected refinery conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano's probe relied in part on \u003ca href=\"http://solanocounty.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=30736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero's root cause analysis\u003c/a> of the shutdown, which found that one of the worst refinery incidents in the Bay Area in years was caused by a mistake made months earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both reports focused on tubes in the refinery's furnace that heat up crude oil before it's routed to other parts of the facility for processing. County and refinery officials say those furnace tubes were damaged during maintenance work last November, which caused the devices to fail and contributed to the plant's malfunctions in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero complex ended up belching out a massive amount of black sooty smoke, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health concerns\u003c/a> for people living nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery's subsequent closure contributed to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statewide spike in gasoline prices\u003c/a> and prompted investigations by several government agencies, renewing attention on the refinery two years after a power outage caused a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero spokeswoman Lillian Riojas declined to comment directly on the company's violations. Instead, she pointed to the company's May filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in which it reported \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11746990/valero-says-it-faces-342000-in-penalties-over-benicia-refinery-pollution-incident\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">it's facing more than $342,000 in fines\u003c/a> in connection with the incident. The company told the SEC it expects to face $242,840 in proposed penalties from Solano County and $100,000 from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's root cause analysis, completed in July, examines a series of problems that led to the refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Company inspections during the refinery shutdown found that furnace tubes were bulging and leaking. Valero says when the facility was restarting a unit last November, a safety valve improperly \"lifted,\" allowing crude oil to bypass one of the refinery's furnaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero says \"it was not appreciated at the time\" that allowing the bypass \"exposed the furnace tubes to elevated temperatures.\" Extreme heat gradually deformed the tubes and allowed a solid substance called petroleum coke to form inside. Valero's analysis concedes that the deteriorating conditions were \"not timely identified and mitigated, leading to the tubes' subsequent failure\" and the March refinery malfunctions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's investigation reported that carbon monoxide and oxygen sensors in the refinery furnace were not operational for at least three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Proper functioning sensors would have provided an indication that the furnace was malfunctioning to Valero staff, allowing them to act sooner to correct the condition and prevent additional release,\" said Terry Schmidtbauer, the county's assistant director of resource management, in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The issue with the furnace upset the system,\" Schmidtbauer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those system issues became more evident in early March as two other refinery components experienced problems. One was a fluid coker, which heats up and \"cracks\" the thickest components of crude oil processed at the refinery. Another, a flue gas scrubber, removes fine particles before gases are released from the facility's smokestacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malfunctions with those devices led to an increase in carbon monoxide levels, according to Valero, To reduce those levels, refinery crews ended up increasing the temperature on the furnace tubes, thus accelerating their deterioration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was little liquid in the tubes, which puts them at risk of damage, according to Professor Eric Smith of Tulane University's Energy Institute, who specializes in refinery operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One result is thermal degradation of the metal tube,\" said Smith, who reviewed company and county findings. \"Another effect is that the liquid that does make it through the tube is converted into petroleum coke.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That dynamic led to the release of sooty smoke and resulted in elevated levels of particulate matter and a health advisory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County inspectors discovered several problems with lines that carry petroleum coke. On the day the refinery was shut down, one was leaking. Valero staff told Solano officials in April another line had failed five times in the last three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county's Department of Resource Management has ordered Valero to make a series of changes, some of which it has already completed. They include orders to reduce petroleum coke releases, new procedures for preventing the overheating of furnace tubes and increased training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's Schmidtbauer said the department was still assessing what penalties it will levy against the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local air regulators issued 12 notices of violation against Valero. Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the air district, said the agency's probe is not yet complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An investigation by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal/OSHA, is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks, according to agency spokesman Frank Polizzi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The industry group representing oil companies in California says if the state's utilities shut off power to refineries during periods of high fire danger, the facilities could be knocked offline, resulting in major pollution releases and increased gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western States Petroleum Association asked California regulators in early May for exemptions from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11751074/regulators-ok-pges-big-wildfire-safety-program-and-set-new-rules-for-protective-power-shutoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">power shutoff plans\u003c/a> that the state and electrical utilities have adopted to reduce the chances of power lines starting fires during extremely windy and hot conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11767619,news_11750896,news_11750455\" label=\"PG&E and Wildfire Safety\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry group warned that an outage as short as a minute could result in refineries going off line for up to three weeks, triggering a series of ugly consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"An uncontrolled shutdown of a refinery from a de-energization action would result in immediate emergency load shedding, flaring and a heightened risk of a catastrophic event,\" the association wrote in a \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M292/K287/292287411.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter\u003c/a> to the California Public Utilities Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The filing has prompted an angry reaction from a leading environmental group, which says it fears the oil companies will use a power shutdown as a justification for harmful emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's outrageous that action to protect against wildfire risk might result in dangerous pollution,\" said Clare Lakewood, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. \"Refineries shouldn't be allowed to use this as an excuse to contaminate the air we breathe.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked recently about the petroleum association's concerns, a PG&E representative said the utility would work to restore power faster for refineries after the shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are continually working to analyze our systems, refine our procedures and further assess how we can minimize the impacts of a public safety power shutoff. This includes working towards the ability to be able to prioritize the re-energization of critical infrastructure like oil refineries,\" said Jeff Smith, a PG&E spokesman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two weeks after the association's filing, the commission \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M296/K598/296598822.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">approved PG&E's shutoff plans\u003c/a>. Oil companies did not get the break they wanted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the association's concerns have not faded. The head of the industry group continues to call on the state's utilities to keep the power flowing to refineries even during periods of high fire danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Unplanned shutdowns imposed by a utility can result in health, safety and environmental impacts,\" Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the group's president, said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If a utility's actions disrupt the fuel supply chain, this could significantly impact affordable fuel costs for businesses and consumers in California,\" Reheis-Boyd said. \"Utilities need to make sure that they are investing adequate resources to protect critical facilities to ensure that any de-energization event is used as an absolute last resort and does not cause more harm to Californians.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>PG&E Shutoff Plan Scrutinized\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry's concerns were highlighted last week when state lawmakers scrutinized PG&E's shutoff plans. State Sen. Scott Wiener. D-San Francisco, mentioned the refineries while questioning a PG&E executive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We saw the oil industry, and I'm not usually aligned with the oil industry, but their letter was very compelling. That's pretty problematic for that to happen,\" Wiener said during a state Senate subcommittee \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Very-broad-and-very-dangerous-PG-E-14304972.php?psid=amCL5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hearing\u003c/a> last Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it recently met with the industry to discuss its concerns, but it has not signaled an intention to alter its shutoff plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sumeet Singh, the PG&E vice president overseeing the company's wildfire safety program, told the panel that the transmission system serving refineries is built with redundancy in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When you look at our transmission system, by nature, especially the 100-kilovolt and above ... there's quite a lot of reliability that's built into it,\" Singh said. That means \"if you lose a line, you have another\" line as a backup, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh also suggested that the oil industries can take PG&E to court \"if they fundamentally believe that the decision that we made was inaccurate, inappropriate, targeted in some way, led to some harm.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2017 Power Outage at Valero Refinery\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An oil company lawsuit against the utility would not be unprecedented. A May 2017 power failure at Valero's Benicia plant triggered a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC blamed PG&E for the outage, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">declined to punish the company.\u003c/a> Valero filed 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> against the utility, seeking more than $75 million in damages. That lawsuit is currently on hold pending the outcome of PG&E's bankruptcy proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry's filing with the commission says the 2017 Valero outage proves the dangers an electricity failure poses to a refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the Valero refinery is not in an area designated by PG&E as one at high risk for a public safety power shutoff. Solano County inspectors and Benicia fire officials note that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2019/06/14/questions-on-pge-public-safety-shut-offs-prompt-benicia-response/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">refinery gets power from two separate lines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terry Schmidtbauer, Solano County's assistant director of resource management, which oversees the Benicia facility, says the likelihood of Valero losing power from a pre-emptive shutoff is low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That being said, we are all aware of the past events where Valero did lose all power and had to shut down rather quickly. Such an event is not impossible, even if highly unlikely,\" Schmidtbauer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both in 2017 and last March, when Valero shut down due to two refinery component malfunctions, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cost of gasoline in California increased\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schmidtbauer said after the 2017 outage, county inspectors told Valero to set up a procedure by which it would rely more on fuel gas and steam to generate electricity at the plant to run the refinery if it were to lose power from PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contra Costa County's refineries — the Chevron, Shell, Phillips 66 and Marathon plants — are expected to rely more on their cogeneration facilities and reduce refining in cases of power shutoffs, according to Randy Sawyer, the county's chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I am expecting that they will cut back on their operations so they can continue to operate somewhat on their own,\" Sawyer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shell's Martinez refinery has emergency backup systems, but they are not enough to power the entire plant, according to Shell spokeswoman Ann Notarangelo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We do not have enough onsite generation to sustain plant operations in the event of a complete loss of power from PG&E,\" Notarangelo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamal Kheiry, a spokesman for Marathon, which also runs a refinery in Martinez, said the company is working with PG&E \"to ensure the reliability and safety of our operations.\" He did not provide specifics on those plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesman for Chevron's Richmond refinery referred questions on the issue to the petroleum association. A representative for Phillips 66 in Rodeo did not return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oil industry group also noted in its filing that while utilities like PG&E hope to give \"industrial customers\" an early heads up before they cut off electricity, it's possible they will not get advance notification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This message is shocking,\" WSPA's filing said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Center for Biological Diversity's Clare Lakewood doesn't buy the association's arguments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This situation is profoundly unfair to people living around these refineries,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These highly profitable enterprises are already responsible for shocking levels of air pollution and planet warming emissions,\" Lakewood said. \"If they can't find a way to obey the same rules as other businesses and operate safely as California tries to curb wildfire risk, they should shut their doors.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The industry group representing oil companies in California says if the state's utilities shut off power to refineries during periods of high fire danger, the facilities could be knocked offline, resulting in major pollution releases and increased gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western States Petroleum Association asked California regulators in early May for exemptions from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11751074/regulators-ok-pges-big-wildfire-safety-program-and-set-new-rules-for-protective-power-shutoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">power shutoff plans\u003c/a> that the state and electrical utilities have adopted to reduce the chances of power lines starting fires during extremely windy and hot conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry group warned that an outage as short as a minute could result in refineries going off line for up to three weeks, triggering a series of ugly consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"An uncontrolled shutdown of a refinery from a de-energization action would result in immediate emergency load shedding, flaring and a heightened risk of a catastrophic event,\" the association wrote in a \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M292/K287/292287411.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter\u003c/a> to the California Public Utilities Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The filing has prompted an angry reaction from a leading environmental group, which says it fears the oil companies will use a power shutdown as a justification for harmful emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's outrageous that action to protect against wildfire risk might result in dangerous pollution,\" said Clare Lakewood, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. \"Refineries shouldn't be allowed to use this as an excuse to contaminate the air we breathe.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked recently about the petroleum association's concerns, a PG&E representative said the utility would work to restore power faster for refineries after the shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are continually working to analyze our systems, refine our procedures and further assess how we can minimize the impacts of a public safety power shutoff. This includes working towards the ability to be able to prioritize the re-energization of critical infrastructure like oil refineries,\" said Jeff Smith, a PG&E spokesman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two weeks after the association's filing, the commission \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M296/K598/296598822.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">approved PG&E's shutoff plans\u003c/a>. Oil companies did not get the break they wanted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the association's concerns have not faded. The head of the industry group continues to call on the state's utilities to keep the power flowing to refineries even during periods of high fire danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Unplanned shutdowns imposed by a utility can result in health, safety and environmental impacts,\" Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the group's president, said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If a utility's actions disrupt the fuel supply chain, this could significantly impact affordable fuel costs for businesses and consumers in California,\" Reheis-Boyd said. \"Utilities need to make sure that they are investing adequate resources to protect critical facilities to ensure that any de-energization event is used as an absolute last resort and does not cause more harm to Californians.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>PG&E Shutoff Plan Scrutinized\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry's concerns were highlighted last week when state lawmakers scrutinized PG&E's shutoff plans. State Sen. Scott Wiener. D-San Francisco, mentioned the refineries while questioning a PG&E executive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We saw the oil industry, and I'm not usually aligned with the oil industry, but their letter was very compelling. That's pretty problematic for that to happen,\" Wiener said during a state Senate subcommittee \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Very-broad-and-very-dangerous-PG-E-14304972.php?psid=amCL5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hearing\u003c/a> last Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it recently met with the industry to discuss its concerns, but it has not signaled an intention to alter its shutoff plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sumeet Singh, the PG&E vice president overseeing the company's wildfire safety program, told the panel that the transmission system serving refineries is built with redundancy in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When you look at our transmission system, by nature, especially the 100-kilovolt and above ... there's quite a lot of reliability that's built into it,\" Singh said. That means \"if you lose a line, you have another\" line as a backup, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singh also suggested that the oil industries can take PG&E to court \"if they fundamentally believe that the decision that we made was inaccurate, inappropriate, targeted in some way, led to some harm.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2017 Power Outage at Valero Refinery\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An oil company lawsuit against the utility would not be unprecedented. A May 2017 power failure at Valero's Benicia plant triggered a major release of toxic sulfur dioxide and prompted emergency shelter-in-place orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC blamed PG&E for the outage, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">declined to punish the company.\u003c/a> Valero filed 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> against the utility, seeking more than $75 million in damages. That lawsuit is currently on hold pending the outcome of PG&E's bankruptcy proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The industry's filing with the commission says the 2017 Valero outage proves the dangers an electricity failure poses to a refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the Valero refinery is not in an area designated by PG&E as one at high risk for a public safety power shutoff. Solano County inspectors and Benicia fire officials note that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2019/06/14/questions-on-pge-public-safety-shut-offs-prompt-benicia-response/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">refinery gets power from two separate lines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terry Schmidtbauer, Solano County's assistant director of resource management, which oversees the Benicia facility, says the likelihood of Valero losing power from a pre-emptive shutoff is low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That being said, we are all aware of the past events where Valero did lose all power and had to shut down rather quickly. Such an event is not impossible, even if highly unlikely,\" Schmidtbauer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both in 2017 and last March, when Valero shut down due to two refinery component malfunctions, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cost of gasoline in California increased\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schmidtbauer said after the 2017 outage, county inspectors told Valero to set up a procedure by which it would rely more on fuel gas and steam to generate electricity at the plant to run the refinery if it were to lose power from PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contra Costa County's refineries — the Chevron, Shell, Phillips 66 and Marathon plants — are expected to rely more on their cogeneration facilities and reduce refining in cases of power shutoffs, according to Randy Sawyer, the county's chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I am expecting that they will cut back on their operations so they can continue to operate somewhat on their own,\" Sawyer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shell's Martinez refinery has emergency backup systems, but they are not enough to power the entire plant, according to Shell spokeswoman Ann Notarangelo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We do not have enough onsite generation to sustain plant operations in the event of a complete loss of power from PG&E,\" Notarangelo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamal Kheiry, a spokesman for Marathon, which also runs a refinery in Martinez, said the company is working with PG&E \"to ensure the reliability and safety of our operations.\" He did not provide specifics on those plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesman for Chevron's Richmond refinery referred questions on the issue to the petroleum association. A representative for Phillips 66 in Rodeo did not return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oil industry group also noted in its filing that while utilities like PG&E hope to give \"industrial customers\" an early heads up before they cut off electricity, it's possible they will not get advance notification.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This message is shocking,\" WSPA's filing said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Center for Biological Diversity's Clare Lakewood doesn't buy the association's arguments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This situation is profoundly unfair to people living around these refineries,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These highly profitable enterprises are already responsible for shocking levels of air pollution and planet warming emissions,\" Lakewood said. \"If they can't find a way to obey the same rules as other businesses and operate safely as California tries to curb wildfire risk, they should shut their doors.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Benicia officials are set to consider a plan designed to keep the city and its residents better informed when the town's largest employer, the Valero refinery, has problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council on Tuesday plans to vote on an \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/383071/Staff_Report_-_Valero_Update_June_25_2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agreement\u003c/a> with the company aimed at establishing a stronger air monitoring network, improving communication and giving the public more access to information about the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes three months after a series of serious refinery malfunctions and in the wake of a battle over operations at the facility that spilled over into the Solano County city's last council election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March the refinery sustained its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second major accident\u003c/a> in two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The malfunction led to a significant release of soot and smoke that prompted a brief health advisory and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more than 40-day shutdown\u003c/a> of the facility -- a closure that contributed to last spring's increase in gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/383072/1._Resolution.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new proposal\u003c/a> up for a vote on Tuesday, Valero would pay $278,000 a year to fund a division chief position at the Benicia Fire Department. The person who holds that job would work as a public liaison and be the point of contact for residents who have concerns or complaints about releases from the refinery. Valero would respond to the division chief's \"reasonable requests for information.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal also calls for Valero to give risk management and safety plans to the city, provide the Fire Department with incident reports 72 hours after significant refinery malfunctions and hand over investigative reports to city officials. The city would also work to create a \"single, easy\" place where residents can find such reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement also promises improved air monitoring by Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last November, the company completed installation of a set of air monitors along parts of the fence line of its refinery. But after the releases in March, the site that publishes the fence line data included a warning that all of its measurements should be considered \"questionable until further notice\" because several of its parts required adjustments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City staff say Valero plans to build, install and maintain more air monitors along its northwest boundary at a cost of $1.5 million. The company is also expected to spend $460,000 on adding \"community\" air monitors that would be located in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure has drawn mixed reaction from members of the City Council, which in the past has considered an industrial safety ordinance, or ISO, to give local officials more oversight of the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson called the proposal a \"good first step\" but wanted assurances the new air monitors would be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We clearly need to improve our air quality and acknowledge all the sources of air pollution,\" Patterson said in an email Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This looks like a decent attempt to deal with all the issues that have been presented regarding air monitors and ISOs,\" said Councilman Tom Campbell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Campbell pointed out that there's no timetable for the proposed actions. He said if the Fire Department's new division chief who worked as a public liaison is aggressive, the agreement would work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The division chief is in our seat at the table,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilman Steve Young called the proposal \"an improvement\" over current practices, but said it should be stronger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There should also be warnings to the public prior to any planned instances of increased flaring, as happens during turnarounds or other major maintenance activities,\" Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Christina Strawbridge, the town's vice mayor, called the agreement \"well thought out and void of politics.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokeswoman for Valero declined to comment on the proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The March problems were the latest in a series of incidents in which the city and company have sometimes been at odds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September 2016, the Benicia City Council \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/21/benicia-valero-crude-oil-by-rail-facility-rejected-by-city-council/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejected Valero's plan\u003c/a> to build a railroad terminal that would allow trains to deliver crude petroleum to the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2017, the refinery suffered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a power outage\u003c/a> that triggered the release of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That 2017 episode led to an effort by some on the council to consider an \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\">industrial safety ordinance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson, who complained that Valero and agencies that have oversight of its refinery have failed to provide the city \"a seat at the table\" when it comes to information about the facility's problems, championed the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council \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\">rejected the ordinance\u003c/a> a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But debate over the regulations set the stage for last November's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hard-fought election\u003c/a> in which Strawbridge and another council candidate, both backed by a political action committee funded by Valero and its workers' unions, beat an environmentalist candidate backed by Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge, who voted against Valero's bid to build a crude-by-rail terminal, acknowledged in an email Sunday that \"tension had escalated with the refinery since the city went through that process. It intensified with last year's election.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The March malfunctions are the source of several ongoing investigations: Valero, the air district, state workplace regulators and Solano County inspectors are still looking into the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The releases \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">exposed\u003c/a> weaknesses in how the air in Benicia is monitored after a refinery incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When soot began spewing from the refinery's stacks, for instance, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District had to send a van to Benicia because it does not run a stationary air monitoring device in the city's residential areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then the agency has been working on finding a monitoring site, air district spokeswoman Kristine Roselius said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District officials visited six potential sites and determined that it wants to place a new air monitor at Robert Semple Elementary School, which is three-quarters of a mile southwest of the refinery, Roselius said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Benicia officials are set to consider a plan designed to keep the city and its residents better informed when the town's largest employer, the Valero refinery, has problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council on Tuesday plans to vote on an \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/383071/Staff_Report_-_Valero_Update_June_25_2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agreement\u003c/a> with the company aimed at establishing a stronger air monitoring network, improving communication and giving the public more access to information about the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes three months after a series of serious refinery malfunctions and in the wake of a battle over operations at the facility that spilled over into the Solano County city's last council election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March the refinery sustained its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second major accident\u003c/a> in two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The malfunction led to a significant release of soot and smoke that prompted a brief health advisory and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more than 40-day shutdown\u003c/a> of the facility -- a closure that contributed to last spring's increase in gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/383072/1._Resolution.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new proposal\u003c/a> up for a vote on Tuesday, Valero would pay $278,000 a year to fund a division chief position at the Benicia Fire Department. The person who holds that job would work as a public liaison and be the point of contact for residents who have concerns or complaints about releases from the refinery. Valero would respond to the division chief's \"reasonable requests for information.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal also calls for Valero to give risk management and safety plans to the city, provide the Fire Department with incident reports 72 hours after significant refinery malfunctions and hand over investigative reports to city officials. The city would also work to create a \"single, easy\" place where residents can find such reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement also promises improved air monitoring by Valero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last November, the company completed installation of a set of air monitors along parts of the fence line of its refinery. But after the releases in March, the site that publishes the fence line data included a warning that all of its measurements should be considered \"questionable until further notice\" because several of its parts required adjustments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City staff say Valero plans to build, install and maintain more air monitors along its northwest boundary at a cost of $1.5 million. The company is also expected to spend $460,000 on adding \"community\" air monitors that would be located in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure has drawn mixed reaction from members of the City Council, which in the past has considered an industrial safety ordinance, or ISO, to give local officials more oversight of the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson called the proposal a \"good first step\" but wanted assurances the new air monitors would be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We clearly need to improve our air quality and acknowledge all the sources of air pollution,\" Patterson said in an email Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This looks like a decent attempt to deal with all the issues that have been presented regarding air monitors and ISOs,\" said Councilman Tom Campbell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Campbell pointed out that there's no timetable for the proposed actions. He said if the Fire Department's new division chief who worked as a public liaison is aggressive, the agreement would work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The division chief is in our seat at the table,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilman Steve Young called the proposal \"an improvement\" over current practices, but said it should be stronger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There should also be warnings to the public prior to any planned instances of increased flaring, as happens during turnarounds or other major maintenance activities,\" Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Christina Strawbridge, the town's vice mayor, called the agreement \"well thought out and void of politics.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokeswoman for Valero declined to comment on the proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The March problems were the latest in a series of incidents in which the city and company have sometimes been at odds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September 2016, the Benicia City Council \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/21/benicia-valero-crude-oil-by-rail-facility-rejected-by-city-council/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejected Valero's plan\u003c/a> to build a railroad terminal that would allow trains to deliver crude petroleum to the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2017, the refinery suffered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a power outage\u003c/a> that triggered the release of more than 80,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That 2017 episode led to an effort by some on the council to consider an \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\">industrial safety ordinance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Patterson, who complained that Valero and agencies that have oversight of its refinery have failed to provide the city \"a seat at the table\" when it comes to information about the facility's problems, championed the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council \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\">rejected the ordinance\u003c/a> a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But debate over the regulations set the stage for last November's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11704576/valero-backed-candidates-win-benicia-city-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hard-fought election\u003c/a> in which Strawbridge and another council candidate, both backed by a political action committee funded by Valero and its workers' unions, beat an environmentalist candidate backed by Patterson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Strawbridge, who voted against Valero's bid to build a crude-by-rail terminal, acknowledged in an email Sunday that \"tension had escalated with the refinery since the city went through that process. It intensified with last year's election.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The March malfunctions are the source of several ongoing investigations: Valero, the air district, state workplace regulators and Solano County inspectors are still looking into the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The releases \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">exposed\u003c/a> weaknesses in how the air in Benicia is monitored after a refinery incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When soot began spewing from the refinery's stacks, for instance, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District had to send a van to Benicia because it does not run a stationary air monitoring device in the city's residential areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then the agency has been working on finding a monitoring site, air district spokeswoman Kristine Roselius said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District officials visited six potential sites and determined that it wants to place a new air monitor at Robert Semple Elementary School, which is three-quarters of a mile southwest of the refinery, Roselius said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "State Officials: High Gas Prices Could Be Due to Refinery Problems — and Market Manipulation",
"title": "State Officials: High Gas Prices Could Be Due to Refinery Problems — and Market Manipulation",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Refinery outages and potential market manipulation could be to blame for California's high gas prices, according to the California Energy Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission's analysis comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101870725/governor-seeks-answers-as-california-gas-prices-pass-4-per-gallon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked the state agency in April\u003c/a> to investigate what he called an \"unaccounted-for price differential\" in the state. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6015287-Letter-to-Governor-Newsom-Regardin-Gas-Prices.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">memo to Newsom on Wednesday\u003c/a>, Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild said California gas prices have been higher than the national average since 2015, and \"most recently, that difference has soared to more than a dollar.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=”right” citation=\"Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court\"]'Oil companies should not be able to use this state like an ATM anymore. It's time to reverse the cash flow.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6015285-CEC-MEMO-Gasoline-Price-Final-05-15-2019.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">agency's analysis\u003c/a>, the phenomenon can roughly be traced to early 2015, when an \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-mobil-refinery-20170502-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explosion at Exxon Mobil's Torrance refinery\u003c/a> prompted state officials to \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exxon-mobil-refinery-explosion-20150813-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">order the company\u003c/a> to shut down the refinery until it could demonstrate safe operation. While the ensuing outage at that refinery only lasted about a year and a half, the commission said spiking prices at the pump in California \"remained well after the restoration of normal operations at Torrance.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2015, the analysis found — after accounting for the state's additional taxes and other program costs — that price increases have ranged between 17 cents and 24 cents per gallon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission said those price increases may be due, in part, to some oil companies charging more than others for the same product. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"While this practice is not necessarily illegal,\" the report says, \"it may be an effort of a segment of the market to artificially inflate prices to the detriment of California consumers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The analysis found a number of other reasons for the continued differences between California prices and the U.S. average, including crude oil prices and other recent refinery outages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read the full analysis:\u003cbr>\n[documentcloud url=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6015285-CEC-MEMO-Gasoline-Price-Final-05-15-2019.html\" responsive=true height=800]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED reported\u003c/a> that a recent shutdown of Valero's Benicia refinery may have contributed to increasing prices at the pump in California this year. Valero \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began restarting\u003c/a> operations at the facility earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer advocates are applauding the Energy Commission's analysis and Newsom's call for the investigation. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/energy/consumer-watchdog-applauds-governor-newsoms-energy-commission-report-taking-gas-price\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement\u003c/a>, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog said they have issued a series of reports since 2015 finding that oil companies may be manipulating the market in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Governor Newsom's Energy Commission has finally acknowledged that the extra dollar we pay at the pump is likely highway robbery because it's not justified by production costs,\" said Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court in the statement. \"At last we have a real investigation into the Golden State Gouge.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his letter to Newsom, Energy Commission Chair Hochschild proposed spending another five months further examining the causes of skyrocketing gas prices. Consumer Watchdog is asking Newsom and the state Legislature to take action against oil companies before that full investigation is complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Californians need relief now,\" Court said. \"Oil companies should not be able to use this state like an ATM anymore. It's time to reverse the cash flow.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A new analysis from the California Energy Commission came after Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the agency to investigate an “unaccounted-for price differential\" in the state.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Refinery outages and potential market manipulation could be to blame for California's high gas prices, according to the California Energy Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission's analysis comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101870725/governor-seeks-answers-as-california-gas-prices-pass-4-per-gallon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked the state agency in April\u003c/a> to investigate what he called an \"unaccounted-for price differential\" in the state. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6015287-Letter-to-Governor-Newsom-Regardin-Gas-Prices.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">memo to Newsom on Wednesday\u003c/a>, Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild said California gas prices have been higher than the national average since 2015, and \"most recently, that difference has soared to more than a dollar.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "'Oil companies should not be able to use this state like an ATM anymore. It's time to reverse the cash flow.'",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6015285-CEC-MEMO-Gasoline-Price-Final-05-15-2019.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">agency's analysis\u003c/a>, the phenomenon can roughly be traced to early 2015, when an \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-mobil-refinery-20170502-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explosion at Exxon Mobil's Torrance refinery\u003c/a> prompted state officials to \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exxon-mobil-refinery-explosion-20150813-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">order the company\u003c/a> to shut down the refinery until it could demonstrate safe operation. While the ensuing outage at that refinery only lasted about a year and a half, the commission said spiking prices at the pump in California \"remained well after the restoration of normal operations at Torrance.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2015, the analysis found — after accounting for the state's additional taxes and other program costs — that price increases have ranged between 17 cents and 24 cents per gallon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission said those price increases may be due, in part, to some oil companies charging more than others for the same product. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"While this practice is not necessarily illegal,\" the report says, \"it may be an effort of a segment of the market to artificially inflate prices to the detriment of California consumers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The analysis found a number of other reasons for the continued differences between California prices and the U.S. average, including crude oil prices and other recent refinery outages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read the full analysis:\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED reported\u003c/a> that a recent shutdown of Valero's Benicia refinery may have contributed to increasing prices at the pump in California this year. Valero \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began restarting\u003c/a> operations at the facility earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer advocates are applauding the Energy Commission's analysis and Newsom's call for the investigation. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/energy/consumer-watchdog-applauds-governor-newsoms-energy-commission-report-taking-gas-price\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement\u003c/a>, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog said they have issued a series of reports since 2015 finding that oil companies may be manipulating the market in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Governor Newsom's Energy Commission has finally acknowledged that the extra dollar we pay at the pump is likely highway robbery because it's not justified by production costs,\" said Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court in the statement. \"At last we have a real investigation into the Golden State Gouge.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his letter to Newsom, Energy Commission Chair Hochschild proposed spending another five months further examining the causes of skyrocketing gas prices. Consumer Watchdog is asking Newsom and the state Legislature to take action against oil companies before that full investigation is complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Californians need relief now,\" Court said. \"Oil companies should not be able to use this state like an ATM anymore. It's time to reverse the cash flow.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Valero Says It Faces $342,000 in Penalties Over Benicia Refinery Pollution Incident",
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"content": "\u003cp>Valero says it's facing $342,000 or more in fines from county and regional agencies after a major air pollution incident earlier this year at its Benicia refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"http://www.investorvalero.com/static-files/9441629f-ad5a-4573-b98f-1953160586a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filing\u003c/a> last week with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the company says it expects to face $242,840 in proposed penalties from the Solano County Department of Resource Management and at least another $100,000 in fines to settle a dozen notices of violation from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=”right” citation=\"Hollin Kretzmann, Oakland-based lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity\"]'These fines don't mean much to a giant oil company worth tens of billions of dollars.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reported penalty amount is about 1/100th of 1% of the San Antonio, Texas-based company's reported adjusted net profit for 2018 — $3.2 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"While it is not possible to predict the outcome of the following environmental proceedings, if any one or more of them were decided against us, we believe that there would be no material effect on our financial position, results of operators, or liquidity,\" the company said in its filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SEC document also reported a \u003ca href=\"https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2019/05/14/valero-says-could-facing-1-3-m-fine-texas-attorney-general/1192540001/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">much larger penalty\u003c/a>, $1.3 million, that Valero believes it faces in connection with an incident in the Texas city of Corpus Christi, where contaminated backflow from a company asphalt plant contaminated the area's water supply for several days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia's mayor and a local environmentalist who has followed the Benicia refinery's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent problems\u003c/a> said the penalties barely amount to a drop in the bucket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fines are the cost of doing business,\" said Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, who says Valero should reimburse the city for the money it spent on handling the refinery accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These fines don't mean much to a giant oil company worth tens of billions of dollars,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, an Oakland-based lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Valero Refinery Coverage\" tag=\"valero\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's likely only a matter of time before we see another incident, so the communities near these dangerous refineries deserve better protection from toxic air pollution,\" Kretzmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lillian Riojas, a Valero spokeswoman, said the company would not comment beyond its public filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the BAAQMD, emphasized that the Valero fines were not settled yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district tends to spend several years negotiating settlements with local refineries, bringing together a handful of violations into a package long after they are the subject of media coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, the district announced in March that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11732859/shell-martinez-refinery-fine-for-2016-air-pollution-incident\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shell\u003c/a> had agreed to pay $165,000 to settle violations at its Martinez refinery that took place in 2015 and 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency's violations associated with a larger problem at Valero, the full facility power outage in May 2017 that caused a more significant pollution release, have been not been resolved yet, according to Borrmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's investigation into Valero's most recent incident is ongoing, according to Terry Schmidtbauer, the county's assistant director or resource management, who emphasized that the agency has yet to produce or negotiate any final violations in connection with Valero's March releases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Schmidtbauer said it was typical for his department to discuss tentative findings and potential penalties with companies it's investigating, talks he said would be preliminary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Two refinery components\u003c/a> — a processing unit called a fluid coker, which heats up and \"cracks\" the thickest and heaviest components of crude oil, and a flue gas scrubber, which is supposed to remove fine particles before they're released from the facility's smokestacks — are under scrutiny in Solano County's probe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They began malfunctioning on March 11, resulting in the release of sooty smoke from the refinery. The releases intensified two weeks later when the facility belched out a large amount of black soot, leading to elevated levels of particulate matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The smoke prompted county officials to issue a health advisory for those with respiratory problems. Refinery managers shut down the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's SEC filing came as the Benicia refinery \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began a gradual process of restarting\u003c/a> after being offline for more than 40 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resumption of operations at the facility coincided with a slow and very small drop in gas prices, after two months of increases. On March 24, the day Valero shutdown, the average cost of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in California was $3.49, according to AAA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 7, as the Benicia refinery gradually got back online, the the average price was $4.10. On Tuesday, it had dipped slightly to $4.07.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Energy experts have said Valero's shutdown, coupled with other refinery problems in California and the high cost of crude oil globally, led to the state's recent gas price hikes, which are currently the subject of a state Energy Commission investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Valero says it's facing $342,000 or more in fines from county and regional agencies after a major air pollution incident earlier this year at its Benicia refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"http://www.investorvalero.com/static-files/9441629f-ad5a-4573-b98f-1953160586a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filing\u003c/a> last week with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the company says it expects to face $242,840 in proposed penalties from the Solano County Department of Resource Management and at least another $100,000 in fines to settle a dozen notices of violation from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reported penalty amount is about 1/100th of 1% of the San Antonio, Texas-based company's reported adjusted net profit for 2018 — $3.2 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"While it is not possible to predict the outcome of the following environmental proceedings, if any one or more of them were decided against us, we believe that there would be no material effect on our financial position, results of operators, or liquidity,\" the company said in its filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SEC document also reported a \u003ca href=\"https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2019/05/14/valero-says-could-facing-1-3-m-fine-texas-attorney-general/1192540001/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">much larger penalty\u003c/a>, $1.3 million, that Valero believes it faces in connection with an incident in the Texas city of Corpus Christi, where contaminated backflow from a company asphalt plant contaminated the area's water supply for several days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia's mayor and a local environmentalist who has followed the Benicia refinery's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent problems\u003c/a> said the penalties barely amount to a drop in the bucket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The fines are the cost of doing business,\" said Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, who says Valero should reimburse the city for the money it spent on handling the refinery accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These fines don't mean much to a giant oil company worth tens of billions of dollars,\" said Hollin Kretzmann, an Oakland-based lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's likely only a matter of time before we see another incident, so the communities near these dangerous refineries deserve better protection from toxic air pollution,\" Kretzmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lillian Riojas, a Valero spokeswoman, said the company would not comment beyond its public filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the BAAQMD, emphasized that the Valero fines were not settled yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district tends to spend several years negotiating settlements with local refineries, bringing together a handful of violations into a package long after they are the subject of media coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, the district announced in March that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11732859/shell-martinez-refinery-fine-for-2016-air-pollution-incident\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shell\u003c/a> had agreed to pay $165,000 to settle violations at its Martinez refinery that took place in 2015 and 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency's violations associated with a larger problem at Valero, the full facility power outage in May 2017 that caused a more significant pollution release, have been not been resolved yet, according to Borrmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County's investigation into Valero's most recent incident is ongoing, according to Terry Schmidtbauer, the county's assistant director or resource management, who emphasized that the agency has yet to produce or negotiate any final violations in connection with Valero's March releases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Schmidtbauer said it was typical for his department to discuss tentative findings and potential penalties with companies it's investigating, talks he said would be preliminary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Two refinery components\u003c/a> — a processing unit called a fluid coker, which heats up and \"cracks\" the thickest and heaviest components of crude oil, and a flue gas scrubber, which is supposed to remove fine particles before they're released from the facility's smokestacks — are under scrutiny in Solano County's probe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They began malfunctioning on March 11, resulting in the release of sooty smoke from the refinery. The releases intensified two weeks later when the facility belched out a large amount of black soot, leading to elevated levels of particulate matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The smoke prompted county officials to issue a health advisory for those with respiratory problems. Refinery managers shut down the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's SEC filing came as the Benicia refinery \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11745576/valero-restarts-benicia-refinery-helping-to-slow-statewide-gas-price-hike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began a gradual process of restarting\u003c/a> after being offline for more than 40 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resumption of operations at the facility coincided with a slow and very small drop in gas prices, after two months of increases. On March 24, the day Valero shutdown, the average cost of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in California was $3.49, according to AAA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 7, as the Benicia refinery gradually got back online, the the average price was $4.10. On Tuesday, it had dipped slightly to $4.07.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Energy experts have said Valero's shutdown, coupled with other refinery problems in California and the high cost of crude oil globally, led to the state's recent gas price hikes, which are currently the subject of a state Energy Commission investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Valero Restarts Benicia Refinery, Further Easing Statewide Gas Price Spike",
"title": "Valero Restarts Benicia Refinery, Further Easing Statewide Gas Price Spike",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Valero is restarting its Benicia refinery more than 40 days after a major malfunction and pollution release forced the energy giant to shut down the facility, contributing to the state's recent spike in fuel costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related\" tag=\"valero\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Valero Benicia refinery has commenced the startup process, which is a multi-day sequenced event,\" the company said in a notification sent to Benicia city officials over the weekend. The message warned of potential \"visible, intermittent flaring\" as a necessary safety precaution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That flaring began Tuesday morning, according to a state hazardous materials database, and included a \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/7a2d6d5a9ff37ac9882583f3004557c2?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,valero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release of sulfur dioxide\u003c/a>. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District sent staff to the refinery to observe the flaring, said agency spokesman Ralph Borrmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero has also been in touch with the Benicia Fire Department about the startup and flaring, according to Fire Chief Josh Chadwick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735065/problems-at-valeros-benicia-refinery-increase-prompt-health-advisory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero shut down the refinery\u003c/a> on March 24 after ongoing equipment problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, along with California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and Solano County inspectors, has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735237/valeros-benicia-refinery-now-target-of-several-probes-into-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigating\u003c/a> the refinery's problems since then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The focus of the county investigation centers on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">two key refinery components\u003c/a> that malfunctioned, allowing petroleum coke (petcoke), an oil processing residue, to escape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For several hours on March 24, county officials issued a health advisory, warning residents with respiratory issues to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The petcoke releases later prompted Benicia's mayor and air quality advocates to call for local air regulators and the city to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create a more robust and coordinated strategy\u003c/a> to measure what gushes out of the refinery. Two years earlier, the same facility experienced a full outage and a much \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more extreme pollution release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, which issued 12 notices of violation against Valero for the most recent releases, does not have a stationary air monitoring device in Benicia's residential areas and had to drive a van to the area to monitor the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shutdown took place several weeks after California's gas prices began to increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Energy experts correctly predicted\u003c/a> that the refinery's problems, coupled with maintenance issues at several other California refineries, would prompt an increase in crude oil prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'The news about Valero was actually a pretty big reason for the prices evening out.'\u003ccite>Mike Blasky, AAA spokesman\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The average cost of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in California on the day Valero shut down its Benicia refinery was $3.49, according to the American Automobile Association. It has increased by more than 60 cents since then, and on Tuesday stood at $4.10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101870725/governor-seeks-answers-as-california-gas-prices-pass-4-per-gallon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ordered the California Energy Commission to investigate\u003c/a> the hikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the average price increases have slowed in recent days, and an AAA representative said Tuesday that costs may be beginning to stabilize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The news about Valero was actually a pretty big reason for the prices evening out,\" said AAA Northern California spokesman Mike Blasky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said just the talk of the Benicia refinery restarting contributed to a recent 8-cent drop in the average wholesale cost of a gallon of gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When those units do restart, that's going to really contribute to a higher utilization rate, which will lower prices as we see our stocks resupplied,\" Blasky said. \"Any major refinery shutdown in California tends to really throw things out of whack.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Peter Jon Shuler contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The refinery warned of a new round of flaring during the restart, more than 40 days after a major malfunction and pollution release forced a shutdown.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Valero is restarting its Benicia refinery more than 40 days after a major malfunction and pollution release forced the energy giant to shut down the facility, contributing to the state's recent spike in fuel costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Valero Benicia refinery has commenced the startup process, which is a multi-day sequenced event,\" the company said in a notification sent to Benicia city officials over the weekend. The message warned of potential \"visible, intermittent flaring\" as a necessary safety precaution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That flaring began Tuesday morning, according to a state hazardous materials database, and included a \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/7a2d6d5a9ff37ac9882583f3004557c2?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,valero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release of sulfur dioxide\u003c/a>. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District sent staff to the refinery to observe the flaring, said agency spokesman Ralph Borrmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero has also been in touch with the Benicia Fire Department about the startup and flaring, according to Fire Chief Josh Chadwick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735065/problems-at-valeros-benicia-refinery-increase-prompt-health-advisory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Valero shut down the refinery\u003c/a> on March 24 after ongoing equipment problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, along with California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and Solano County inspectors, has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735237/valeros-benicia-refinery-now-target-of-several-probes-into-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigating\u003c/a> the refinery's problems since then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The focus of the county investigation centers on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">two key refinery components\u003c/a> that malfunctioned, allowing petroleum coke (petcoke), an oil processing residue, to escape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For several hours on March 24, county officials issued a health advisory, warning residents with respiratory issues to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The petcoke releases later prompted Benicia's mayor and air quality advocates to call for local air regulators and the city to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create a more robust and coordinated strategy\u003c/a> to measure what gushes out of the refinery. Two years earlier, the same facility experienced a full outage and a much \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11685464/state-decides-not-to-penalize-pge-for-major-valero-outage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more extreme pollution release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air district, which issued 12 notices of violation against Valero for the most recent releases, does not have a stationary air monitoring device in Benicia's residential areas and had to drive a van to the area to monitor the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shutdown took place several weeks after California's gas prices began to increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Energy experts correctly predicted\u003c/a> that the refinery's problems, coupled with maintenance issues at several other California refineries, would prompt an increase in crude oil prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'The news about Valero was actually a pretty big reason for the prices evening out.'\u003ccite>Mike Blasky, AAA spokesman\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The average cost of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in California on the day Valero shut down its Benicia refinery was $3.49, according to the American Automobile Association. It has increased by more than 60 cents since then, and on Tuesday stood at $4.10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101870725/governor-seeks-answers-as-california-gas-prices-pass-4-per-gallon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ordered the California Energy Commission to investigate\u003c/a> the hikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the average price increases have slowed in recent days, and an AAA representative said Tuesday that costs may be beginning to stabilize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The news about Valero was actually a pretty big reason for the prices evening out,\" said AAA Northern California spokesman Mike Blasky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said just the talk of the Benicia refinery restarting contributed to a recent 8-cent drop in the average wholesale cost of a gallon of gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When those units do restart, that's going to really contribute to a higher utilization rate, which will lower prices as we see our stocks resupplied,\" Blasky said. \"Any major refinery shutdown in California tends to really throw things out of whack.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Peter Jon Shuler contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Valero Could Restart Troubled Benicia Refinery by Mid-May",
"title": "Valero Could Restart Troubled Benicia Refinery by Mid-May",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Valero's Benicia refinery, shut down since last month because of equipment malfunctions, could be back online by mid-May, Benicia city officials and state regulators say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the company won't provide a date that it plans to restart the Solano County facility, Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick said Monday he estimates the refinery will be back online in the next three to four weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chadwick said a Solano County hazardous materials specialist assigned to Valero provided him with the estimated timetable. County officials did make the specialist available for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Energy Commission said Monday that the Benicia refinery is one of three California crude oil processing facilities that the agency expects to be restarted over the next several weeks. Shutdowns at the refineries — including two in the Los Angeles area — have helped drive up the cost of gasoline statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero powered down its Benicia facility on March 24 after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">failing to resolve\u003c/a> malfunctions that led to the release of soot-laden smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident prompted Solano County to issue a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health advisory\u003c/a> for people with respiratory issues to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero representative said the company will not disclose its restart date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I know we shared information about the status of the refinery on March 24, but beyond that, it is Valero's policy to not comment on operations or possible outages/restarts at its facilities beyond what is publicly reported,\" said Lillian Riojas, a company spokeswoman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Energy Commission has been in touch with Valero but does not release certain data about its operations due to regulatory restrictions, according to agency spokeswoman Sandy Louey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Louey said refinery issues that have played a part in recent gas price increases — including the Valero shutdown — would be coming to an end in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Energy Commission can say that the three large refinery maintenance issues are scheduled to be resolved over a period beginning late April through the middle of May,\" she said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides Valero, the facilities involve two in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson: a Phillips 66 refinery that suffered a fire and a Marathon Oil refinery that's been down for planned maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The statewide average cost of a gallon of regular has increased 62 cents since Valero's March 24 shutdown, according to \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AAA\u003c/a>. It now stands at $4.006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've had major refinery issues all spring,\" said AAA Northern California spokesman Michael Blasky. \"I've heard it referred to as a perfect storm in the industry, with a lot of refinery incidents of flaring or shutting down for days or weeks at time.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Chevron's Richmond refinery experienced its seventh \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/4f3f06b2dc673589882583db002cb46c?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,chevron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flaring incident\u003c/a> of the year on Saturday, according to Contra Costa County's chief environmental and hazardous materials officer, Randy Sawyer. The incident caught the attention of the Oil Price Information Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/OPIS_WestCoast/status/1117816827608993792\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monday's price marks the first time the statewide average cost for a gallon of regular has topped $4 in close to five years, Blasky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said that while other factors have played a part in the rise — for instance, an increase in the price of crude oil worldwide — the refinery issues have been a major contributing factor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I would hope, as refineries come back to their normal levels of production, that we start to see prices level out and hopefully start to come down by mid-May,\" Blasky said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The Solano County facility is one of three where problems have curtailed gasoline production, helping drive up prices at the pump to more than $4 a gallon. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Valero's Benicia refinery, shut down since last month because of equipment malfunctions, could be back online by mid-May, Benicia city officials and state regulators say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the company won't provide a date that it plans to restart the Solano County facility, Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick said Monday he estimates the refinery will be back online in the next three to four weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chadwick said a Solano County hazardous materials specialist assigned to Valero provided him with the estimated timetable. County officials did make the specialist available for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Energy Commission said Monday that the Benicia refinery is one of three California crude oil processing facilities that the agency expects to be restarted over the next several weeks. Shutdowns at the refineries — including two in the Los Angeles area — have helped drive up the cost of gasoline statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero powered down its Benicia facility on March 24 after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735870/two-parts-of-valeros-benicia-refinery-under-scrutiny-in-probe-of-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">failing to resolve\u003c/a> malfunctions that led to the release of soot-laden smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incident prompted Solano County to issue a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737076/valeros-pollution-release-exposes-weaknesses-in-benicias-air-monitoring-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health advisory\u003c/a> for people with respiratory issues to stay indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Valero representative said the company will not disclose its restart date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I know we shared information about the status of the refinery on March 24, but beyond that, it is Valero's policy to not comment on operations or possible outages/restarts at its facilities beyond what is publicly reported,\" said Lillian Riojas, a company spokeswoman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Energy Commission has been in touch with Valero but does not release certain data about its operations due to regulatory restrictions, according to agency spokeswoman Sandy Louey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Louey said refinery issues that have played a part in recent gas price increases — including the Valero shutdown — would be coming to an end in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Energy Commission can say that the three large refinery maintenance issues are scheduled to be resolved over a period beginning late April through the middle of May,\" she said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides Valero, the facilities involve two in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson: a Phillips 66 refinery that suffered a fire and a Marathon Oil refinery that's been down for planned maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The statewide average cost of a gallon of regular has increased 62 cents since Valero's March 24 shutdown, according to \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AAA\u003c/a>. It now stands at $4.006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've had major refinery issues all spring,\" said AAA Northern California spokesman Michael Blasky. \"I've heard it referred to as a perfect storm in the industry, with a lot of refinery incidents of flaring or shutting down for days or weeks at time.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Chevron's Richmond refinery experienced its seventh \u003ca href=\"https://w3.calema.ca.gov/operational/malhaz.nsf/f1841a103c102734882563e200760c4a/4f3f06b2dc673589882583db002cb46c?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,chevron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flaring incident\u003c/a> of the year on Saturday, according to Contra Costa County's chief environmental and hazardous materials officer, Randy Sawyer. The incident caught the attention of the Oil Price Information Service.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Monday's price marks the first time the statewide average cost for a gallon of regular has topped $4 in close to five years, Blasky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said that while other factors have played a part in the rise — for instance, an increase in the price of crude oil worldwide — the refinery issues have been a major contributing factor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I would hope, as refineries come back to their normal levels of production, that we start to see prices level out and hopefully start to come down by mid-May,\" Blasky said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Two Parts of Valero's Benicia Refinery Under Scrutiny in Probe of Pollution Releases",
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"content": "\u003cp>Two key components at the Valero refinery in Benicia experienced problems earlier this month, leading to weeks of releases of petroleum coke dust that intensified on Sunday, culminating in the shutdown of a large portion of the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new details on the refinery's malfunctions are laid out by Valero in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Press_Release_-_Valero_72_Hour_Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">preliminary report\u003c/a> filed with Benicia city officials this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The malfunctions are the focus of at least one part of an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735237/valeros-benicia-refinery-now-target-of-several-probes-into-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigation\u003c/a> by Solano County inspectors into an incident that led to health concerns for people living near the refinery and to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a statewide spike\u003c/a> in gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's report says that the recent problems at the refinery began March 11 when a crude oil processing unit called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mckinseyenergyinsights.com/resources/refinery-reference-desk/coker/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a fluid coker\u003c/a> experienced \"operating difficulty.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, a fluid coker heats up and \"cracks\" the thickest, heaviest components of crude oil processed at a refinery, breaking them down into material that can be used in diesel or other petroleum products. One of the byproducts of the process is solid carbon residue called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mckinseyenergyinsights.com/resources/refinery-reference-desk/pet-coke/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">petroleum coke\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problems with Valero's fluid coker unit allowed petroleum coke dust, called coke fines, to flow to a second unit called a flue gas scrubber. The scrubber cleans out fine particles before they're released from the refinery's smokestacks into the air. That process is supposed to ensure that the refinery's emissions don't violate air quality standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the coke fines moving through the scrubber unit set the stage for a release of particulate pollution from the refinery -- a release that was clearly visible from outside the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The presence of coke fines in the FGS resulted in a darker than normal plume appearance,\" Valero's 72-hour report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County investigators want to know if the scrubber was somehow overwhelmed or damaged, according to Terry Schmidtbauer, the county's director of resource management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We know something's not operating properly,\" Schmidtbauer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health Cal/OSHA and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are also investigating the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the problem surfaced, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11733145/air-district-hits-valero-with-violations-over-benicia-refinery-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">air district issued eight notices of violation\u003c/a> against Valero for public nuisance and visible emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Refinery crews worked to reduce the releases and Valero said the situation showed \"significant improvement\" by last Friday, when the plume coming from the refinery's stacks \"returned to normal appearance,\" Valero's report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that changed the next day. The scrubber \"experienced an operational upset resulting in a dark, opaque plume and emissions of particulate matter,\" the report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new surge of petroleum coke dust billowing from the refinery's stacks prompted Benicia officials to issue 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>The refinery began to shut down several units, and the air district wound up issuing four more violation notices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The powering down of the the facility is contributing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an increase in gasoline prices\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday the average cost of a gallon of unleaded gas in California jumped to $3.59, up 16 cents from a week ago, \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Energy analysts and state regulators say the price will continue to rise until operations at Valero return to normal.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two key components at the Valero refinery in Benicia experienced problems earlier this month, leading to weeks of releases of petroleum coke dust that intensified on Sunday, culminating in the shutdown of a large portion of the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new details on the refinery's malfunctions are laid out by Valero in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Press_Release_-_Valero_72_Hour_Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">preliminary report\u003c/a> filed with Benicia city officials this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The malfunctions are the focus of at least one part of an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735237/valeros-benicia-refinery-now-target-of-several-probes-into-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigation\u003c/a> by Solano County inspectors into an incident that led to health concerns for people living near the refinery and to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a statewide spike\u003c/a> in gasoline prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valero's report says that the recent problems at the refinery began March 11 when a crude oil processing unit called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mckinseyenergyinsights.com/resources/refinery-reference-desk/coker/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a fluid coker\u003c/a> experienced \"operating difficulty.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, a fluid coker heats up and \"cracks\" the thickest, heaviest components of crude oil processed at a refinery, breaking them down into material that can be used in diesel or other petroleum products. One of the byproducts of the process is solid carbon residue called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mckinseyenergyinsights.com/resources/refinery-reference-desk/pet-coke/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">petroleum coke\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problems with Valero's fluid coker unit allowed petroleum coke dust, called coke fines, to flow to a second unit called a flue gas scrubber. The scrubber cleans out fine particles before they're released from the refinery's smokestacks into the air. That process is supposed to ensure that the refinery's emissions don't violate air quality standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the coke fines moving through the scrubber unit set the stage for a release of particulate pollution from the refinery -- a release that was clearly visible from outside the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The presence of coke fines in the FGS resulted in a darker than normal plume appearance,\" Valero's 72-hour report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solano County investigators want to know if the scrubber was somehow overwhelmed or damaged, according to Terry Schmidtbauer, the county's director of resource management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We know something's not operating properly,\" Schmidtbauer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health Cal/OSHA and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are also investigating the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the problem surfaced, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11733145/air-district-hits-valero-with-violations-over-benicia-refinery-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">air district issued eight notices of violation\u003c/a> against Valero for public nuisance and visible emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Refinery crews worked to reduce the releases and Valero said the situation showed \"significant improvement\" by last Friday, when the plume coming from the refinery's stacks \"returned to normal appearance,\" Valero's report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that changed the next day. The scrubber \"experienced an operational upset resulting in a dark, opaque plume and emissions of particulate matter,\" the report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new surge of petroleum coke dust billowing from the refinery's stacks prompted Benicia officials to issue 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>The refinery began to shut down several units, and the air district wound up issuing four more violation notices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The powering down of the the facility is contributing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735475/california-gas-prices-expected-to-spike-in-wake-of-shutdown-at-valeros-benicia-refinery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an increase in gasoline prices\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday the average cost of a gallon of unleaded gas in California jumped to $3.59, up 16 cents from a week ago, \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Energy analysts and state regulators say the price will continue to rise until operations at Valero return to normal.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "California Gas Prices Expected to Spike in Wake of Shutdown at Valero's Benicia Refinery",
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"content": "\u003cp>California drivers — or the millions of them whose cars still run on refined petroleum — can expect to pay more to fill up their gas tanks in the coming days thanks to the partial shutdown of Valero's Benicia refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The retail cost of a gallon of gasoline in the state is expected to rise immediately, according to David Hackett, president of Stillwater Associates, a transportation energy consulting company based in Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11735237 label='Valero Refinery Trouble']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's after a 12-cent spike in wholesale gas prices on Monday, Hackett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That price increase is likely to get passed through to motorists over the next week or so,\" he said. \"You'll start seeing prices go up starting probably today.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in California is $3.51, 16 cents higher than a week ago, \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several agencies \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735237/valeros-benicia-refinery-now-target-of-several-probes-into-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">are investigating\u003c/a> a series of petroleum coke dust releases at the Benicia refinery that began more than two weeks ago. Those releases intensified on Sunday, prompting city officials to issue a health advisory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero refinery's flue gas scrubber malfunctioned, a problem that led to a sooty plume of petroleum coke to billow out of the facility's smokestacks. To deal with the problem, the refinery is slowly shutting down a significant part of its operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11735509\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11735509\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning-632x474.jpg 632w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Valero's Benicia refinery on March 24, 2019. \u003ccite>(Solano County)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last week, problems at two other California refineries contributed to the recent jump in gas prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AAA says a fire at a crude processing unit at the Phillips 66 refinery in Los Angeles County and a series of flaring incidents at Chevron's Richmond refinery drove prices higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AAA spokesman Michael Blasky said price spikes are the norm when refineries suffer problems that lead to curtailed production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When a refinery goes offline and supply drops, retailers incorporate price increases almost immediately in California,\" Blasky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wholesale suppliers that sell fuel to gas stations and hear about the Benicia refinery's shutdown will probably go into the so-called spot market to buy gas, sending the price up, Hackett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery problems come amid a jump in the price of crude oil over the last year, which has sent gas prices up nationally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's after a 12-cent spike in wholesale gas prices on Monday, Hackett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"That price increase is likely to get passed through to motorists over the next week or so,\" he said. \"You'll start seeing prices go up starting probably today.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in California is $3.51, 16 cents higher than a week ago, \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several agencies \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11735237/valeros-benicia-refinery-now-target-of-several-probes-into-pollution-releases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">are investigating\u003c/a> a series of petroleum coke dust releases at the Benicia refinery that began more than two weeks ago. Those releases intensified on Sunday, prompting city officials to issue a health advisory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Valero refinery's flue gas scrubber malfunctioned, a problem that led to a sooty plume of petroleum coke to billow out of the facility's smokestacks. To deal with the problem, the refinery is slowly shutting down a significant part of its operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11735509\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11735509\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning-632x474.jpg 632w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/Valero-Refinery-2019-03-24.-morning-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Valero's Benicia refinery on March 24, 2019. \u003ccite>(Solano County)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last week, problems at two other California refineries contributed to the recent jump in gas prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AAA says a fire at a crude processing unit at the Phillips 66 refinery in Los Angeles County and a series of flaring incidents at Chevron's Richmond refinery drove prices higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AAA spokesman Michael Blasky said price spikes are the norm when refineries suffer problems that lead to curtailed production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When a refinery goes offline and supply drops, retailers incorporate price increases almost immediately in California,\" Blasky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wholesale suppliers that sell fuel to gas stations and hear about the Benicia refinery's shutdown will probably go into the so-called spot market to buy gas, sending the price up, Hackett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refinery problems come amid a jump in the price of crude oil over the last year, which has sent gas prices up nationally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"soldout": {
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