Chevron agrees to improve air pollution monitoring around Richmond refinery

Asked to be a better neighbor, Chevron has agreed to be more transparent in reporting off-site pollution, to file quarterly reports about it, and to engage the Richmond community on how it can better present pollution data.

The Bay Area Air District said Tuesday Chevron is the first of the area’s five refineries to agree to be more transparent in measuring pollutants near its property lines. The refineries don’t have a good track record with the monitoring program. The Air District had rejected all of the refineries’ plans in 2023, saying they did not follow the requirements. The district noted Tuesday that the Chevron agreement represents a change.

“This settlement goes beyond what’s required, and it reflects the Air District’s commitment to transparency, enforcement and public health,” Philip Fine, Air District executive officer, said in a news release. “It raises the bar for transparency and community access to air quality data, setting a positive example for the industry.”

Under the settlement, Chevron will add a fourth point monitor for hydrogen sulfide. A point monitor is said to be more accurate than open path equipment, which picks up pollution, including smoke, from nearby sources. There are point monitors for Atchison Village, Point Richmond and North Richmond. Chevron hasn’t determined where it will place the new point monitor.

The agreement also calls for Chevron’s fenceline pollution data, which already is public, to be downloadable and include historical data — from the current three-months-worth to five years of data.

The refinery agreed to file quarterly pollution reports with the Air District, which then will be available to the public. And it will solicit feedback later this year from residents on how to make the monitoring data clearer.

“We know this is important to the community, that’s why we agreed to the settlement,” said Caitlin Powell, a spokesperson for the Richmond refinery.

Setting reachable goals

The agreement includes a $100,000 penalty for the period when Chevron, like the other refineries, was out of compliance with the Air District’s monitoring requirements. Chevron would argue that those requirements weren’t attainable, Powell said. For example, the Air District requires hydrogen sulfide measurements in parts per billion and recommended meeting that requirement with open path monitors. But those monitors can’t fulfill the task because they are affected by ambient pollution, she said.

The resources Chevron has devoted to addressing the monitoring requirements highlights the need for the Air District to work more collaboratively with the industry on setting attainable goals, Powell added.

In recent months, Chevron has met with the Richmond community in an effort to be more transparent, regarding flares and other issues at the plant. And Contra Costa Health now sends alerts through the Community Warning System for Level 1 events at the refinery, including localized flares.

Some flares have resulted in violation notices. However, the Air District, has not been vigilant in collecting penalties from Chevron. Last year, a Richmond Confidential analysis found that 57% of the 4,500 violation notices issued in the previous five years had remained unresolved until Chevron cleared them in a sweeping $138 million settlement that also included the Martinez refinery.

This year, Chevron has racked up more than 60 notices of violations, the Air District website shows.

Improving air in schools

Chevron is one of several contributors to pollution in Richmond, where children have higher rates of asthma than the state average. Earlier this month, the Air District Board designated $1.3 million for air filtration upgrades in 14 West Contra Costa Unified School District buildings in Richmond, North Richmond, San Pablo and Tara Hills.

“This action reflects our agency’s commitment to environmental justice by reducing exposure to air pollution for some of our most vulnerable populations,” Fine said in June 4 news release.

The city also has worked to make Chevron, Richmond’s largest employer, more responsive to the community’s concerns. In August, the corporation agreed to pay Richmond $550 million over the next decade in exchange for the city dropping a proposed refinery tax from last November’s ballot.

The mayor’s office said the agreement enabled the city to avoid being sued by Chevron, while achieving the same goal as the measure.

Under the agreement, Chevron will pay Richmond $50 million annually in the first five years and $60 million annually in the remaining five. The council is engaging the community on how the city should distribute the money.

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