From KQED in San Francisco:
Energy giant Valero on Wednesday announced plans to cease operations at its Benicia oil refinery, which has been consistently hindered by malfunctions and unintended toxic releases in recent years.
The Texas-based company said it had submitted notice of its intent to the California Energy Commission to “idle, restructure, or cease operations” at the refinery by the end of April 2026.
The move to shutter the sprawling North Bay refinery comes six months after regional and state air regulators fined the company a record $82 million for exceeding toxic emissions standards for more than a decade before regulators found out. And last month, the city imposed new safety regulations on the facility.
There were other reports, as noted in the Oil & Gas Journal, that Valero could also close its Wilmington refinery. While the notification to CEC presumably confirmed only the planned shuttering of the Benicia refinery, Valero stopped short of providing any assurances regarding a commitment to maintaining ongoing operations of its other in-state businesses, which include an 85,000-b/d Wilmington refinery near Los Angeles.
“Valero continues to evaluate strategic alternatives for its remaining operations in California,” the company said in its release.
Torrance Refinery Action Alliance 