Apr 13, 2007 9:21 pm US/Pacific
Group: Toxic Refinery Releases On Rise In Bay Area
by Anna Werner
OAKLAND (CBS 5) ―
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Chevron oil refinery in Richmond
AP
The level of toxins being released into the air by major Bay Area refineries may be on the rise, creating air pollution that regulators tried to limit two years ago by ordering the refineries to cut back on their emissions.
In 2005, regulators -- after years of community complaints -- told Bay Area refineries to come up with plans to reduce incidents of flaring, which is a process that happens when refineries release toxic chemicals.
But a new report obtained exclusively by CBS 5 says that at some plants, incidents of flaring may have actually increased.
The 2005 rule requires each refinery to reduce the hazards of their flares by setting up a program called a flare minimization plan. The refineries were given a grace period before submitting their plans.
But during the grace period, some refineries have increased their flaring, according to a report by Oakland-based Communities for a Better Environment, which analyzed three years of data from five East Bay refineries.
The Shell refinery in Martinez eliminated flaring from the "dirtiest flaring type of processes," said Greg Karras, a senior scientist with CBE.
But both Chevron and ConocoPhillips had emitted 30 to 50 times more pollution per flare than Shell, according to Karras.
"We found, to our surprise, that despite this first-of-its-kind flare rule, adopted in 2005, Chevron's flaring has been increasing drastically," he said, adding that the increase was by 80 percent.
Chevron spokesman Den O'Hair said, "I haven't seen those numbers, but our flaring has been consistent over the last several years. Our flaring is minimal, and I think it's going to get even better."
O'Hair declined to comment on the CBE report.
A ConocoPhillips spokesman disagreed with the report, saying he thought the data would show the company has the least amount of flaring of any of the refineries.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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