Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announce a settlement has been reached with Chevron over a diesel water mixture spill into the Bay.
The release happened on February 9, 2021, at approximately 2:30 pm when up to 757 gallons of a diesel water mixture leaked into the Bay at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Marine Terminal.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (“OSPR”) division investigated the release at a Richmond Long Wharf pipeline. There, they found a small hole in the line that discharged a mixture into the waters south of the Richmond Long Wharf to Cypress Point and north of the wharf to Point Molate.
The settlement between the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Chevron includes injunctive relief, civil penalties for wildlife funds, and enforcement costs.
“Corporations must be held strictly liable for any discharges of diesel into San Francisco Bay,” said District Attorney Diana Becton. “Chevron was cooperative with the investigation and agreed to specific provisions that will enhance their ability to prevent and mitigate the unauthorized release of diesel in the future.”
“Our law enforcement personnel led the investigation on behalf of the State of California, and we are pleased with the outcome,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement David Bess. “The judgment will help prevent the reoccurrence of another diesel spill from this facility and reinforces our commitment to keeping California’s coastline pristine.”
Some specific provisions in the judgment mandate that Chevron implement various prevention and response measures. These measures will address and mitigate the identified hazards discovered in the investigation.
They include a more comprehensive pipeline inspection program, the piloting of a leak detection system, a detailed review of existing systems, and improved training of staff.
