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Judge Orders Chevron to Stop Work on Richmond Refinery Created by Brian Shields on 7/2/2009 2:51:00 PM
RICHMOND (BCN) -- A Contra Costa County Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered Chevron to stop construction at its Richmond refinery, Greg Karras, a senior scientist with the environmental justice group Communities for a Better Environment, said today.
Judge Barbara Zuniga ruled in June that an environmental impact report on Chevron's Energy and Hydrogen Renewal Project failed to disclose whether the project would enable the refinery to process heavier crude oil.
The project, which broke ground in September after the Richmond City Council approved it by a 5-4 vote, included replacing the refinery's 1960s-era hydrogen plant and its 1930s-era power plant.
Refinery officials said the upgrade would increase the refinery's flexibility to process a wider variety of crude oil and improve the plant's energy efficiency and reliability.
However, experts at Communities for a Better Environment, Asian Pacific Environmental Network and the West County Toxics Coalition -- plaintiffs in the lawsuit -- said that the upgrade would enable the refinery to process heavier crude oil, which would lead to increased pollution and increased risk of upset and explosion.
Heavier crude oil can contain higher amounts of contaminants such as mercury and selenium, which can cause serious health problems, according to Communities for a Better Environment.
Zuniga's ruling Wednesday gives the refinery 60 days to demobilize its construction activities, and voids the refinery's permits to build the new plant, according to William Rostov, an attorney with Earthjustice.
If they decide to pursue the project further, refinery officials will have to complete a new environmental impact report that discloses whether they intend to process heavier crude and what the impacts will be on the environment and the community, Rostov said.
A spokesperson for Chevron was not immediately available for comment.
(Copyright 2009, Bay City News, All rights reserved.)
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| 7/6/2009 12:19:44 PM
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Anonymous
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| What you fail to realize it might be even simpler than that. Here are a few questions I would like answered?
1) Does Judge Zunica, prefers foreign oil or sweet crude over heavier American sour crude?
2) Should we even try to become independent of foreign oil?
3) If we stop buying foreign oil how will OPEC control our economy in the future?
4) Did Judge Zunica fill up at Chevron or an affiliate on her way to work this morning?
5) Did the environmentalist drive an electric car to the hearing?
What Judge Zunica should have done is define the original agreement to specific turns of use. Any changes to plant production in the future would have to be approved by a panel to include a percentage of environmentalists.
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| 7/3/2009 7:35:20 PM
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Anonymous
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| This is jobs we are talking about here!In the middle of the worst economic downturn in decades, when jobs are harder to find and keep than ever,the last thing any of us need is a holier than thow judge, that pretends to be on the side of the people, to make such a serious blunder that effects 1000 families so very negatively.It is a terribly mistake on judge Zunigas part to take real American's income's and toss them in the trash for what appears and seems to be a personal vandetta against Chevron. An attitude of (I'll show you) has no place here where these particular jobs have a real trickle down effect all around the Bay Area and far beyond here to the families of the traveling brothers and sisters of Labor Unions from out of state.The judges order to stop work is based on a (what if) basis concerning the processing of heavier crude.I say this to judge Zuniga,yes refineries are dangerous and operate normally at a high risk level and yes they do produce pollution and an upset is allways a huge concern with everyone that works there, but this is the world we live in and until the powers at be allow electric cars to be mass produced at affordable prices, this is all we have to work with. If earthjustice and the other planiffs want to save the world ,then go see the world and see just how bad the air quality is in China, India and third world countries all over the globe and they might come to understand that Richmond Chevron is not the evil empire they make it out to be. |
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| 7/3/2009 7:58:50 AM
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Anonymous
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| What I want to know is when is the Governor going to go after one of our BIGGEST lost revenues.
California's refineries, chemical plants, pharmaceautical plants, nuclear power plants, power plants and so on employ over 100,000 so called TEMPORARY WORKERS from other states who come here on 90 day work assignments to collect per diem and avoid paying state income taxes. The problem is that the majority of them stay and have been here for as long as 20 year never paying one cent in state income taxes or other taxes. Typically they move from one site to another and their company knowing full well starts it as a new job. Although it may be a new job they have not left the state or they leave for a week and come back.
California has lost Billions of dollars in lost revenue because of these loop holes.
Now is the time to redefine the term temporary work to 90 days within a one year period!!! |
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