De Valero Refining Co. has been fined the largest ever by Bay Area air quality regulators due to a history of toxic chemicals and other violations at the Benicia refinery dating back to 2003.
Valero faces nearly $82 million in fines for violations discovered during a 2019 inspection, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board.
The inspection found that the company had failed to report toxic emissions from the facility’s hydrogen system, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene – compounds that “cause cancer, reproductive harm and other toxic health effects,” according to the air district.
“Today’s historic punishment against Valero Refining Co. for its egregious emissions violations underscores the Air District’s continued commitment to holding polluters accountable and protecting the health of those living in refinery communities,” Air District Executive Officer Philip Fine said in a news release Thursday.
Air District officials said refinery management had known about the hydrogen system problems since 2003 but failed to report or prevent them.
“The refinery released an estimated total of 8,400 metric tons of these organic compounds during this period in violation of Air District regulations – an average of more than 2.7 metric tons for each day a violation occurred, more than 360 times the legal limit,” said the air district.
Follow-up inspections found other problems, including the company’s “inability to install required emissions reduction equipment, failure to inspect equipment for leaks and failure to report required information, among other violations,” air district officials said .
Most of the money from the fine will be spent on projects to reduce exposure to air pollution, mitigate its effects and improve public health in surrounding communities.
In addition to the fine, Valero must also “reconfigure the main plant hydrogen vents and vents at the hydrogen production plants to prevent emissions from being released directly into the atmosphere” and “implement a training program to ensure that personnel are fully aware of all relevant Air District regulations,” the air district said.
In a statement on its website, Valero officials said they have been working with regulators to reach an agreement on its operation.
“Valero is committed to environmental compliance and has worked closely with the District to make progress in reducing trace organic compound emissions from hydrogen discharge well in advance of this settlement,” company officials said.
“In 2022, the District’s own Health Risk Assessments (HRA) modeling indicated that the potential for exposure to these emissions at levels that could potentially cause short-term effects could have occurred for only two out of 43,710 hours, or 0.005% of the time. ,” said Valero. “The HRA also assessed that the risk of developing adverse health conditions from long-term exposure was negligible, below the recognized risk threshold.”
In response, air district officials said the company’s statement focuses on the potential short-term toxic health effects, rather than long-term impacts, putting the public at greater risk for a range of problems, including cognitive impairment, cancer and damage to the human body. the liver, kidneys and immune system.
“The statement does not acknowledge the harm to public health resulting from the additional smog and particulate matter generated by Valero’s more than 8,400 tons of illegal emissions during these violations,” air district officials said.
Earlier this month, Valero agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by environmental group Baykeeper for $2.38 million after the group discovered evidence that the company was spilling waste from oil refineries into the bay.
