Posts Tagged ‘Communities for a Better Environment’
Chevron’s role in childhood asthma hazy
Richmond is home to higher than average childhood asthma rates and a refinery responsible for some the highest emissions in the state. How are the two connected?
Read MoreMayor highlights business, environment and council meeting improvements in his first 100 days
On April 23, new Richmond Mayor Tom Butt concluded his first 100 days in office. Butt, a longtime councilmember and Point Richmond architect, won the November election to replace termed-out former mayor Gayle McLaughlin, and took office in January. In politics, the first 100 days is considered an important period in which a new legislator…
Read MoreChevron plant upgrade promises more jobs and more greenhouse gases
City releases a draft Environmental Impact Report of Chevron’s Modernization Project.
Read MoreChemical Safety Board recommends industry-wide changes in Chevron fire report
U.S. Chemical Safety Board representatives and investigators on Monday recommended sweeping changes to the California petroleum industry following the August 2012 fire at the Chevron refinery in Richmond.
Read MoreRefinery towns draw lessons from Chevron project
Richmond isn’t the only town in the Bay Area that’s in the midst of approving a major oil project. Other nearby refineries are also upgrading. And surrounding communities are looking to Richmond for lessons on how to insure that environmental standards are met.
Read MoreChevron’s billion dollar modernization project moves forward
The project will primarily upgrade aging equipment at the 100-year old refinery. But environmentalists are wary, and they promise that every detail of the plan will be scrutinized in great detail.
Read MoreGreenhouse gas mitigation discussion stalled
The city council was hoping to hear public input on possible greenhouse gas mitigation measures relating to Chevron’s “Revised Renewal Project,” but Tuesday’s meeting ended before the council reached the comment period.
Read MoreEnvironmental group offers “toxic tour” of city
In late March 2013, a group of about 25 attended a “Toxic Tour” of Richmond led by Communities for a Better Environment organizer Andres Soto.
Read MoreRefinery 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 MoreLabor and environmental groups join forces on refinery issues
The fire at Richmond’s Chevron oil refinery on August 6, 2012 wasn’t the only reason the United Steelworkers union and several environmental organizations—disparate groups that rarely work in tandem—decided to join forces in an industry-wide conversation about health and safety, but it was certainly an accelerating factor. “Absolutely, that spurred us,” said Charlotte Brody, national…
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 MoreCommunity members wait hours to vent at Chevron’s fire update
The Aug. 6 refinery fire was caused by corroded pipes and that Chevron technical experts were aware of the potential danger.
Read MoreChevron failed to check pipes despite internal policies
Chevron failed to check pipes despite internal policies. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has found that sections of pipe that were measured following the August 6 fire at Chevron’s Richmond refinery had thinned in thickness by 80 percent. Chevron would have had to replace those sections to comply with its own standards, but the company…
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