Posts Tagged ‘Company Town’
Refinery safety collaborative holds first Richmond forum
The microphone sputtered in and out as community members lined up for a turn to speak at the new Collaborative on Refinery Safety and Community Health’s public forum Wednesday evening. The meeting at St. Mark’s Catholic Church gym was the first of many conversations the group plans to have in Richmond and across the state.…
Read MoreNew bills take aim at Chevron
Two bills introduced in the State Legislature Friday take aim at Chevron in direct response to the August refinery fire. Berkeley Democrats State Senator Loni Hancock and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner co-announced legislation Monday that would impose higher fines against air quality polluters and ensure more timely corrections to unsafe workplace conditions. Hancock authored a bill…
Read MoreOfficials: Chevron failed to replace corroded pipe that caused Aug. fire
Federal investigators have concluded an aged and severely corroded pipe caused the Aug. 6 Chevron Refinery fire. Investigators and elected officials were quick to blame the oil giant for the explosion, arguing the corporation knew the pipe should have been replaced years ago. The findings, released by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board…
Read MoreEarnings report caps off week of mixed news for Chevron
The announcement this week of the approximately $11 million in losses Chevron sustained in fines and claims related to the August 6 Richmond refinery fire was dwarfed by its fourth-quarter earnings. Although Chevron’s total earnings for the entire year fell by three percent in 2012, the corporation brought in $7.2 billion in the final three…
Read MoreCity officials approve permits for Richmond refinery repairs
Days after a public meeting was held to discuss the repairing of piping, city staff gave the go-ahead for the approval of permits that allow for repairs on the No. 4 Crude Unit at Chevron’s Richmond refinery. Last Wednesday, City Manager Bill Lindsay held a public hearing to discuss the city’s approval of piping at…
Read MoreCity officials and experts hear public comment on Chevron refinery repair
While City Manager Bill Lindsay said Wednesday he’s still not ready to issue permits to allow Chevron to begin replacing the pipes that failed in the Aug. 6 fire, the city held a public meeting Wednesday evening to offer information about and a chance to comment on the debate…
Read MoreChevron’s pipe repair review consistent with industry standard, city expert says
The city’s metallurgical consultant wrote in a report submitted to City Manager Bill Lindsay Tuesday afternoon that Chevron’s choice of piping to replace the No. 4 crude unit at the Richmond refinery is “consistent with industry standards.” Chevron submitted plans detailing recommendations for repairing the piping in the refinery to Lindsay on Dec. 12. The…
Read MoreChevron submits technical analysis on piping material
The 55-page report, submitted to the city’s planning division on Wednesday, says Chevron based its decision to use nine-chrome alloy on the “expert judgment” of its refinery materials engineer.
Read MoreHenry Clark and three decades of environmental justice
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin first saw Henry Clark, as so many have, at the gates of Richmond’s Chevron oil refinery. It was a blustery day in June 2003 and Clark was calling for environmental accountability from the oil company – as he has for many years – in front of an impassioned crowd of community…
Read MoreCity Council presses Chevron to use recommended material for pipes
The City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night urging Chevron to use the best technology available when it rebuilds its damaged oil refinery. The meeting came a day after a Bay Area Air Quality Management District meeting at which a Chevron representative said that the crude unit would not be restarted until the “findings and…
Read MoreScience festival draws out Richmond students and families
Thousands of students, teachers and families — many proudly sporting Giants gear — poured into San Francisco’s AT&T Park to soak up some sun and science Saturday during the second annual Bay Area Science Festival sponsored by Chevron and organized by the University of California San Francisco. More than 500 Richmond students were bused to the event.
Read MoreLimit on campaign contributions may be increasing the spending of outside groups
The City Council’s attempt earlier this year to limit campaign contributions to council candidates seems to be working, last Thursday’s campaign finance deadline shows. But the limits might also be increasing the spending of outside groups on the election. Under the ordinance passed this summer, candidates must not accept more than $40,000 in campaign contributions…
Read MoreRichmond rabbits hop to new homes
The House Rabbit Society is a no-kill shelter in Richmond. They save rabbits from around the area from being euthanized. When you walk in, it neither smells like a shelter, nor looks like one. With carpeted floors and bright open enclosures, it looks more like a rabbit hotel.
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