news – Torrance Refinery Action Alliance

TRAA Response to the Explosion and Fire at the Chevron Refinery

On Thursday evening a huge explosion and fire engulfed the Chevron Refinery in El Segundo. (See reports in the Daily Breeze and the Los Angeles Times).

In response, TRAA has issued the following statement:

The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) is deeply concerned, yet not surprised, about the explosion and fire at the Chevron El Segundo Refinery. While we are glad to hear there have been no reported injuries or deaths, the incident reminds everyone in the South Bay of the inherent dangers of petroleum refining, especially in such proximity to densely populated areas. We are also deeply concerned for the safety of the refinery workers who are closest to danger.

While the El Segundo Refinery did not use Hydrofluoric Acid (HF), the incident nonetheless demonstrates why threatening chemicals such as HF should not be stored on refinery premises where they are subject to accidental release. Refineries in the South Bay must take immediate action to phase out hazardous chemicals, like HF, to ensure that their workers and the communities that surround them are safe from catastrophic releases. Ironically, Chevron has been a leader in this field having developed a commercially proven alternative, successfully converted their one HF unit in Utah and sold it to other HF refineries.

We also urge elected officials and regulatory agencies to take action. Today’s fire serves as a wake-up call for those in government to heed the warnings our organization has been making to them for ten years. We demand there be a serious effort to remove hazardous chemicals, like HF, from refineries that have consistently proven themselves to be unsafe to the people around them.

In a related article, the Times reports on the history of safety and environmental violations at the Chevron Refinery, and how little is being done. And it was considered one of the better refineries in the area.

NRDC and Others Sue EPA over HF

Community and environmental groups filed suit to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the threat of an unnecessary and dangerous chemical used in dozens of American refineries despite its potential to form toxic acid clouds.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Clean Air Council (CAC) and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) are filing the suit after the EPA rejected the groups’ petition to address the needless risks from use of hydrogen fluoride (HF)—an extremely corrosive chemical that, if released to the air, can form a lethal, ground-hugging plume that can travel for miles, causing severe injury or death to anyone in its path. More than forty oil refineries across the country—currently owned by companies including ExxonMobil, Marathon, Valero, and Delta Airlines, among others—use HF.

TRAA has been collaborating on this effort for over a year and a half. We are not a client but a collaborator and encouraged by the filing of this lawsuit.

Phillips 66 closing its LA Harbor-area refinery

Per the Daily Breeze, Oct.16 2024: Phillips 66 announced Wednesday it will close its Los Angeles-area refinery next year, idling 600 employees and 300 contractors who work at two sprawling facilities that straddle Wilmington and Carson in the port region.

^{(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)}

A statement cited uncertainty about the “sustainability” of the facility going forward.

“We understand this decision has an impact on our employees, contractors and the broader community,” Mark Lashier, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66, said in a statement. “We will work to help and support them through this transition.”

The refinery includes a crude-oil processing facility that operates on 235 acres in Carson and a separate 424-acre facility in Wilmington where the processed oil is finalized into “finished products.”

US files $4.2-million settlement for fire, explosion at former South Philadelphia refinery

From the Oil & Gas Journal Oct 8, 2024 The US government filed a $4.2 million settlement with Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining and Marketing LLC (PES) for Clean Air Act penalties related to the June 21, 2019, fire and explosion at its former South Philadelphia refinery.

The fire and explosion at the 335,000 b/d refining complex prompted a temporary shelter-in-place for area residents and injured five refinery workers (OGJ Online, June 21, 2019). PES and its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection a month later (OGJ Online, July 22, 2019).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the settlement, filed in US Bankruptcy Court, represents the largest Clean Air Act 112(r) penalty it has ever imposed for a single incident. That section of the CAA requires infrastructure owners and operators to ensure that regulated and other “extremely hazardous substances” are managed safely, EPA said in a press release.

The agency alleges that PES violated the rule that compels plants to identify and assess the hazards posed by regulated substances, develop an accident-prevention program to reduce the risk of accidental releases, and create an emergency-response program.

“The company violated these requirements by, among other things, failing to ensure that its refining operations, particularly the hydrofluoric acid unit, were designed, built and operated in accordance with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices,” EPA notes. The settlement marks EPA’s final settlement with PES, the agency said.

The settlement stems from the 2019 explosion and fire at the Pemex Philadelphia Refinery which included a release of HF. (The HF fortunately caused no injuries itself as it was evidently destroyed in the explosion). (See our report Wake-up Call: Refinery Disaster in Philadelphia from July 2023 for more information about the disaster. It gives details of the sequence of events, and points out that the safeguards to prevent an HF release they had in place DID NOT FUNCTION.)

Temporary office burns at Torrance refinery

According to the Daily Breeze, “a vacant work trailer caught fire at the Torrance Refining Company on Saturday, June 1, though officials said operations at the refinery were not impacted.” Daily Breeze link

It is worth noting that the refinery also endured an Unplanned Flaring Event on 05/30/2024 at 05:57 AM, the eighth unplanned event so far this year.

For the latest incident, Supervisor Janice Hahn posted:

Three temporary offices burned at the Torrance Refinery this weekend.

Worth remembering that this refinery is one of two in the state that uses highly toxic MHF. This fire is a reminder that accidents happen — and the wrong accident at this refinery could mean a mass casualty event.

MHF is too dangerous to have in our refineries and our communities will not be safe until it is gone.

US EPA adopts halfway measures that fails to protect communities from hydrofluoric acid (HF)

On March 1, the EPA released its Chemical Disaster Prevention Rules. Following that, TRAA released this Press Release:

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the release of a final revision to the Risk Management Plan (RMP) rule governing 11,740 facilities using dangerous chemicals, including 40+ oil refineries that use hydrofluoric acid (HF), a deadly chemical capable of causing thousands of deaths in a few minutes. (see attached “Summary Info Sheet”) (link)

The new RMP rule includes many positive improvements and states its goal is “to protect the health and safety of all communities by requiring industry to prevent accidental releases of dangerous chemicals that could otherwise cause deaths and injuries, damage property and the environment, or require surrounding communities to evacuate or shelter-in-place”. EPA 3/1/24. For some positive developments see the statement from Environmental Justice & Health Alliance (link).

However, the Rule fails to protect vulnerable Environmental Justice burdened communities living near HF refineries in 20 states. The EPA recognized that HF units are vulnerable to accidents, natural disasters, and terrorist acts. However, the new rule does not meet the standard set by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 20 other State AGs in their 2022 letter to the EPA which quoted the US Chemical Safety Board saying that it is “fully within the authority and responsibility of the EPA pursuant to …the [Chemical Disaster Rule] Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule (40 CFR Part 68.67) as well as through its General Duty Clause.” … “to impose a robust safer technology protocol that will drive the remaining hydrofluoric acid-using refineries to identify and implement safer alternatives”

(Full letter available on request, excerpts (link to AG excerpts)).

The new rule makes significant improvements over the Trump era version by restoring the requirement that HF refineries do an analysis of safer alternatives. It adds for the first time requirements to analyze the “practicality” of these alternatives, requiring HF refineries to state why they are not using safer chemicals. This provides the EPA a tool to “influence” HF refineries toward implementation of conversion. Many of the improvements over the draft rule stem from grass roots advocacy. For example, the United SteelWorkers scored victories in the significant expansion of worker participation in safety processes.

Many of the HF dangers highlighted by TRAA, as well as those alerted to by national security experts, are referenced in the EPA release. Nonetheless, TRAA sees this rule as a three-legged stool without its 3^rd leg. Without requiremening conversion to a safer alternative, the rule does little to protect the community from a catastrophic, and potentially deadly, release of HF.

There are significant improvements in response to community demands but for the 14 million people living around HF refineries and the nearly 1,000,000 in Los Angeles County alone, this effort by the Biden administration to improve on the terrible record of the Trump administration is shockingly inadequate. Especially, when it is well known that President Biden and his family live within the circle of risk for the Trainer, Pennsylvania HF refinery. TRAA will not stop calling for exceptional action at the local, state or federal level to remove this exceptional danger of mass casualties.

For Further background info with video links go to http://www.TRAA.Website

Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA)’s 9th Anniversary of a near-release of deadly HF – SAVE THE DATE

Informational gathering & rally

Join us on Saturday, February 17th from 10am until 1pm @ Columbia Park, Prairie Ave. (north of 190th St.) in Torrance, CA

Learn more about the dangers of Hydrofluoric Acid (HF/MHF) used at the Torrance & Wilmington refineries, hear from experts & elected officials, and rally for the safer community we all deserve! Join us in telling Valero Energy Corporation (based in Texas) & PBF Energy, Inc. (based in New Jersey) that communities deserve safer places to live, learn, and work!

While these private companies rake in hundreds of millions of dollars off of the South Bay, their investment into safer chemicals and safe practices remains lacking. Let’s make sure these two oil refining companies are protecting the safety of all children at nearby schools, of elderly people out for a walk, of our pets and wildlife, and for all! TRAA says, “OUR LIVES ARE WORTH THE COST TO CONVERT!”

For more information about the dangers of HF/MHF, a list of commercially-available alternatives to the deadly chemical, and the status of the fight for safer communities/working conditions, visit us at www.traa.website & join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TorranceRefineryActionAlliance

9 years ago, the Torrance Refinery narrowly missed a mass release of toxic HF/MHF. If the 40-ton piece of equipment had landed mere feet closer, the tank of Hydrofluoric Acid (aka HF/MHF) would have been damaged, leading to a potentially catastrophic, mass casualty event. People within a 5.3 mile radius of the refinery would have been put at risk for possible death or serious, irreversible damage to their health from the resulting deadly, ground-hugging gas cloud.

For years, people have rallied across the country for the refineries that use HF/MHF to convert to any of the safer, commercially-proven & available alternatives. Elected officials have attempted to pass legislation to require safer chemical usage at refineries. Government agencies have struggled to enforce safety measures.

WE NEED YOUR HELP MORE THAN EVER!

Join the fight for a safer community to live and work!

(Optional) RSVP using the event link: https://fb.me/e/58UqCsz33