The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has settled 17 notices of violation with Valero Refining Company stemming from noncompliance with air quality regulations at its Benicia refinery in 2017, a spokesperson for the district announced Thursday.
As per the settlement, Valero will pay $345,000 in fines. The settlement funds will go back into the air district to fund inspection, enforcement, and other district activities.
The violations, which the district says have since been corrected, include six for excessive visible emissions, three for public nuisances, three for exceeding carbon monoxide limits, one for exceeding sulfur dioxide limits, two for exceeding nitrogen oxide limits, one for oil on a tank roof, and five for late reporting.
BAAQMD was quick to note that this settlement agreement is not related to the recent abatement order given to Valero regarding a 2019 inspection of its Benicia refinery that found nearly 16 years’ worth of unreported, hazardous emissions at the site. The air district said it is currently assessing penalties “commensurate with the seriousness of the violation.”
According to the air district’s 2019 inspection, Valero had been releasing benzene, ethylbenzene and other organic compounds considered hazardous. District rules set a cap on such emissions at 15 pounds per day and a maximum of 300 parts per million. Valero had been emitting an average of 5,200 pounds per day and 19,148 parts per million over a series of years.
At a March 1 Benicia City Council meeting, Damian Breen, senior deputy executive officer of operations and enforcement at BAAQMD, told the body that the district will consider giving portions of any penalties collected from Valero for the 16-year breach back to the city of Benicia, something unprecedented that was also praised by Mayor Steve Young.
Just another reason why we need to get away from fossil fuels and keep the push to develop clean energy sources.
Yeah. Wait until they have lithium and cobalt dumped all over and burning electric cars polluting more than they save, then electric cars dumped all over when people find out it costs a small fortune to replace the batteries. You have excellent ideas.
Or, here is a wild idea… maybe not everyone needs to keep popping out kids. Especially if they cannot pay for said kids. That is the number 1 thing that would save this planet.
Yup – “clean” energy with the mining of those heavy metals and no way to recycle them ….. even though we hear “it will be available.”
Riiiiiight.
The greenies are all lying to push their program. Never trust a politician.
So the fines, as usual, go into the pockets of the Air Quality Board’s “self perpetuation” Fund. Not to help the citizen taxpayers who had to breath the toxins.
They’ll have a ton of fun and dough-re-me when we are forced to use fossil fuels to create highly explosive hydrogen. Wait a minute… use fossil fuels to avoid using fossil fuels? You mean like using fossil fuels to build windmills to generate electricity (when the wind blows) Right! Got it!
You hit the nail on the head. Shouldn’t the money from the fines go to the people who were allegedly harmed? Does it make any sense for it all to go to the agency doing the enforcement? How many people would be OK with the CHP keeping all the money from speeding tickets?