Environment

People of Richmond: What’s your biggest environmental concern?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: What is your greatest environmental concern in Richmond? “My greatest concern is Chevron and air pollution. The air is not good here and causes diseases, and Chevron is the greatest cause. They have to find a solution for that because our lives matter.” (Hector Maguna, mechanic) “The other day we had a game…

Chevron settles for $200,500 with county and state over 2021 diesel spill in San Francisco Bay

The Contra Costa County district attorney’s office announced Friday that it and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have reached a settlement with the Chevron Richmond Refinery over a 2021 pipe rupture that dumped nearly 800 gallons of diesel into San Francisco Bay. Under the agreement, approved Monday in Contra Costa County Superior Court, Chevron will cover cleanup costs of $130,543.26 and will pay $70,000 in civil penalties to the state and county. “Corporations must be held strictly liable for…

Bay fishers still reeling from summer’s red tide, which could make a fall return

As dozens of dead fish pile along the shoreline, rotting under the baking sun, the stench is a minor inconvenience to the local anglers who are struggling with the financial burdens brought on by the recent algae bloom. In late July, the San Francisco Bay Area witnessed the largest Heterosigma akashiwo bloom in recorded history. Notoriously dubbed the red tide, this environmental tragedy resulted in a mass fish kill that ravaged the marine life in the bay, decimating over tens…

Remembering Richmond native and environmental leader Henry Clark: ‘a soldier on the battlefield, making things happen’

Family, friends, co-workers and community members gathered at Lucky A’s North Richmond Baseball Field on Saturday to celebrate the life and legacy of Henry Arthur Clark, a pioneer of the environmental justice movement in Richmond and beyond. Clark passed away on June 2, at 77 years old.  To a gathering of more than 50 people, speakers recounted the leadership that would be a hallmark of Clark’s life. He grew up in the shadow of the Chevron Refinery and Richmond’s industrial…

Cleanup Day volunteers rid the Richmond shoreline of bags, bottles and other debris

Bright and early, in the Saturday morning chill, roughly a dozen Boy Scouts  arrived at Shimada Friendship Park ready to clear the Richmond shoreline of washed up trash. They eagerly raced up and down the trail, competing to see who could retrieve the most unusual waste lodged in the rocks. Each scout filled buckets with disposable masks, Styrofoam, miscellaneous plastics, water bottles, straws, plastic hangers, and driftwood. The Boy Scouts joined Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and dozens of other volunteers for…

Don’t be surprised if you see more rattlesnakes on East Bay trails this summer

Sandra Rose hikes frequently in East Bay Regional Parks and is no stranger to rattlesnakes. Last month, she saw three in one week.  “We all heard the hiss as the snake went up the hill.” Rose said, referring to a hike in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in Oakland. Rose says she expects to see snakes in the park. “They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them,” she said. “I’m not scared of them, I think they’re fascinating.”  Last month,…

County contractor with Chevron ties has yet to investigate refinery’s 2021 diesel leak

Fifteen months after about 800 gallons of diesel spilled into San Francisco Bay from a leaking pipe at the Richmond Chevron Refinery, the public is still waiting for a promised investigation by Contra Costa County  Chevron has filed a half dozen follow-up reports with the county between February and October 2021, as required by law. But Contra Costa Health Services has not produced the independent investigation that county officials said would take six to 12 months. In fact, the contractor Health…

How to make Richmond’s air cleaner? BAAQMD turns to residents for answers

Like many Richmond residents, Jim Zahradka starts his morning commute with a ride across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge. But while others drive, Zahradka, an avid cyclist, pedals his way up and over the 325-foot tall structure.  Rumored plans to close the bridge’s bike lane, which opened in 2019, so more vehicle traffic can pass into Marin County were just one concern discussed at a Virtual Town Hall held by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Tuesday evening. The…

Herring fishers sue Chevron for answers about spill in San Francisco Bay

Amid the hum of the Bay Area’s cities, it is easy to forget that to live here is to live alongside a vast ecosystem. The biggest and most vital is the Pacific Ocean. And once a year, the ocean reveals its abundance to herring fishers.  “‘The water will be white, that’s when you know,” said Keith Nguyen, a kayak fisher from San Jose. Nguyen is describing the herring spawn, an annual event from November to February, when adult herring migrate…