Air-quality violations at refinery in Benicia
The Valero Refinery in Benicia was hit with a half-dozen air-quality violations after a power failure at the plant Friday caused major flaring, sending plumes of black smoke wafting for miles, officials said Tuesday.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District said it issued four violations Friday and two Monday.
It wasn’t clear how much Valero will be fined to settle the violations, which could range collectively from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the severity of the violations. A Valero spokeswoman declined to comment.
The amount will be finalized over an investigation that could last three months, said Tom Flannigan, a spokesman for the air district. The refinery, which was not fully operational Tuesday, could face additional infractions, he said.
In October, Valero agreed to pay $249,000 to settle a series of airquality violations.
The blackout that was reported Friday around 6:45 a.m. at the refinery at 3400 E. Second St. was traced to an electrical disruption caused by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment, the utility said.
Significant flaring from the refinery’s smokestacks continued for hours and led officials to evacuate an industrial park and issue shelter-in-place orders for two elementary schools. No injuries were reported.
Though minor flaring, the burning of unrefined fuel to release pent-up pressure in gas lines, isn’t unusual at refineries, the extent of the flaring Friday was. Vallejo resident Christopher Douglas, 26, said Friday that the air smelled like a “gas station mixed in with oil.”
The three initial violations issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Friday were for excess smoke emissions.
Officials said they issued a fourth violation Friday for public nuisance after the evacuation. Additional emissions from the refinery Monday led to two more violations: one for excess visible emissions and one for public nuisance.