"RP states an unplanned upset occurred releasing an unknown amount of SO2 into the atmosphere," a statement noted. Chevron must GO!. c. Refer the reader to the 100 percent component inspection or pipe replacement requirements detailed in API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries (pursuant to recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-R26) and API 570: Piping Inspection Code: In-service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems (pursuant to 2012-03-I-CA-R28(c)) for carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components. In July, the Bay Area Air Quality Management Districts boardvoted to requireChevron Richmond Refinery and a separate refinery in Martinez to use wet gas scrubbers to clean up hazardous particulate matter. Conduct a pre-response meeting with personnel with specific technical expertise (e.g., inspectors, operators, metallurgists, engineers, and management) and the Incident Commander to determine pressure, temperature, remaining inventory of process fluids, potential damage mechanisms that caused the leak, and worst-case leak scenario; c. Establish a hot zone that identifies the area of risk of exposure or injuries due to flame contact, radiant heat, or contact to hazardous materials, taking into consideration the worst-case leak scenario; d. Limit site access around leak location to essential personnel only; e. Isolate the leaking piping or vessel, or if isolation is not possible, shutdown of the unit when the leaking process fluid poses immediate danger to safety, health, or the environmentsuch as piping fluid that is toxic or near the autoignition temperature. In that report, posted to social media by KQED reporter Ted Goldberg, refinery staff said the incident began at 5:40 p.m., with no injuries or fatalities and no reported evacuation. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. THE Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California appeared to have smoke billowing out of it on Tuesday afternoon, worrying nearby residents. Include requirements for inherently safer systems analysis to be automatically triggered for all Management of Change and Process Hazard Analysis reviews, prior to the construction of new processes, process unit rebuilds, significant process repairs, and in the development of corrective actions from incident investigation recommendations. At a minimum: a. "Seriously?!! The Board believes, however, that there is enough supporting evidence to ask the recipient to reconsider. Require the documented use of inherently safer systems analysis and the hierarchy of controls to the greatest extent feasible in establishing safeguards for identified process hazards. Maintain an auditable log of each of these potential turnaround work items, including the ultimate determination of approval, deferral, or rejection, justification determination, and the person or team responsible for that decision. Investigation Status: The CSB's investigation is complete. When you operate industry in an urban environment, there needs to be precautions to protect life.. Implement a compensation system to ensure the regulator has the ability to attract and retain a sufficient number of employees with the necessary skills and experience to ensure regulator technical competency at all levels of process safety regulatory oversight and policy development in Contra Cost County, California. Closed - Exceeds Recommended Action (C - ERA) - Action on the recommendation meets and surpasses the objectives envisioned by the Board. This process shall use established qualitative, quantitative, and/or semi-quantitative methods such as Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA). For other inquiries, Contact Us. Replace the identified at-risk carbon steel piping with a steel alloy that is more resistant to sulfidation corrosion. Anyone with questions may call the refinerys general number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, or email richmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. Why are some parts of CA so much foggier than others? Revise API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries to establish minimum requirements for preventing catastrophic rupture of low-silicon carbon steel piping. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications.George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. Lots of sirens. It ended badly, California snowpack hits highest level this century for March, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). RICHMOND An equipment issue Tuesday at the Chevron refinery led to clouds of black smoke billowing into Bay Area skies. Monitor and confirm the effective implementation of the damage mechanism hazard review program (2012-03-I-CA-R9 and 2012-03-I-CA-R10), so that all necessary mechanical integrity work at all California Chevron Refineries is identified and recommendations are completed in a timely way. Require the analysis and incorporation of applicable industry best practices and inherently safer design to the greatest extent feasible into this review; and. These circuits have the potential to contain carbon steel components that were not manufactured to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) A106 specification and may contain less than 0.10 weight percent silicon content. Implement a compensation system to ensure the regulator has the ability to attract and retain a sufficient number of employees with the necessary skills and experience to ensure regulator technical competency at all levels of process safety regulatory oversight and policy development in California. Anyone with questions may call the refinerys general number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, or email richmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. The march, led by Richmond Our Power Coalition, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the explosion at the refinery. ", "Air District inspectors are on scene investigating and we are working to find the root cause of the smoke in addition to any potential air quality violations.". Chevron needs to pay its fair share, Martinez said. Residents memories of a leak that sent hundreds of gallons of oil and water into San Francisco Bay this February are still fresh. The Chevron Refinery is reporting a Level 1 incident, its lowest in severity, with no response from Richmond Fire. CBE Richmond Organizer, Andres Soto and Senior Scientist, Greg Karras, are featured on KPFA's morning show Up Front regarding the Chevron refinery explosion and fire. The regulation should provide workers and their representatives with the authority to stop work that is perceived to be unsafe until the employer resolves the matter or the regulator intervenes. As the procession turned onto Richmond Parkway past the train yard stacked with shipping containers, Richmond native Doria Robinson, part of the Richmond Our Power Coalition and executive director of Urban Tilth, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating a more sustainable and just food system, recalled the explosion. Replace the terminology high-temperature sulfur corrosion with sulfidation corrosion; b. RICHMOND An unspecified equipment issue at the Chevron refinery led to flaring Thursday evening, officials said, with smoke visible for miles around the facility. Organizers will recall smoke from the fire that sent thousands to local hospitals and clinics on Aug. 6, 2012. The refinery apparently issued a level-one alert, one of the lowest on the countys community warning system scale, with no need for residents to shelter in place. CSB Releases Board Approved Regulatory Report on Chevron Refinery Fire - Proposes a More Rigorous Refinery Industry Regulatory System in California, New California Law on Refinery Maintenance Operations Can Prevent Accidents, Save Lives, Effective Regulation of Chemical Industry Still Elusive Since 1989 Accident - Houston Chronicle Op-ed, California is Leading the Way on Oil Refinery Safety - Sacramento Bee Op-ed, Testimony of U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso at March 6, 2014, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing, Statement from Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso on California Refinery Safety Interagency Working Group Final Report, Public comments on the CSB's Draft Report, "Regulatory Report: Chevron Richmond Refinery Pipe Rupture (Report No. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 910 | Washington, DC 20006. More than a hundred activists protested outside of Chevron's Richmond refinery today to recognize the ten-year anniversary of one of the worst refinery accidents in decades in the Bay Area.. Following an investigation, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a joint report with Cal/OSHA pointing to sulfidation corrosion as the cause of the incident. Establish an Incident Command structure upon identification of a process fluid leak; b. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potential process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure safeguards are in place to control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms. Lance Iversen/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 8 of 27 Smoke from a Chevron Oil . Volunteer recognized for work at UCSF Benioff, Whats the oldest city in California? Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. We are responding to the scene to conduct air monitoring in the surrounding community. The company also linked to a flaring fact sheet for more information. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Kat Lee, a Richmond resident and activist with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, said she remembers watching the news of the 2012 explosion from her aunts house in San Leandro, and worrying about the effects the black plume of smoke could have on her mother and sister, then a 2-year-old with asthma. Require an oversight committee comprised of the regulator, the company, the companys workforce and their representatives, and community representatives. 1999-03-26 04:00:00 PDT RICHMOND -- A fiery explosion at the Chevron refinery in Richmond yesterday afternoon sent flames and thick black smoke billowing into the air, forcing thousands of. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. An estimated 15,000 people in the area sought treatment after a 2012 incident at the facility. Richmond Vice Mayor Eduardo Martinez then called for the crowd to take local action on climate justice. Chase has degrees in journalism and history from Loyola University Chicago. Revise ASME PCC-2-2011: Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping to require users to follow the minimum process fluid leak response requirements established in API RP 2001: Fire Protection in Refineries, developed in response to recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-R31, before conducting process fluid leak repair. We coexist with industry in the area, which is why we have high regulatory standards. The goal shall be to drive the risk of major accidents to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) or similar. Richmond Chevron right now with fire coming from two stacks. Fire fighters contained the conflagration by the next morning. Im really frustrated how frequent their flaring is occurring. Chevron again will need to explain to the community why the Richmond refinery is worth the risks that accompany it. Establish a system to report to the regulator the recognized methodologies, findings, conclusions and corrective actions related to refinery mechanical integrity inspection and repair work arising from Process Hazard Analyses, California oil refinery turnarounds and maintenance-related shutdowns; Require reporting of information such as damage mechanism hazard reviews, notice of upcoming maintenance-related shutdowns, records related to proposed and completed mechanical integrity work lists, and the technical rationale for any delay in work proposed but not yet completed; Establish procedures for greater workforce and public participation including the public reporting of information; and. Why Pistons are praising Warriors' Map shows stunning improvement in California drought, A $200M bike bridge tantalized this Bay Area city. A Richmondcity public-safety alert sent at 9:06 a.m. said excess flaring began at the refinery at 8:25 a.m. and was ongoing. Chevron Richmond refinery issues visible, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map: Track this weekends rain in the Bay Area, Chevron Richmond refinery issues visible flares, smoke. Then the smoke blackened the sky, blanketing an Urban Tilth garden that local youth had been growing food in all summer with grimy, gooey black soot.. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. A fire at Tesoro Corporation's March Point facility near Anacortes, WA, on 04/02/2012 killed 7 people and idled that plant for months. We need Governor Newsom and the California Air Resources Board to say no to Big Oils carbon capture scams and dirty hydrogen projects, the Richmond Our Power Coalition said in a news release about Saturdays actions. Include leading and lagging indicators that are measureable, actionable, and standardized. Around 3 p.m. Contra. Smoke bellows from a fire at the Chevron refinery after a 2012 explosion in Richmond. In a statement to ABC7 News, Chevron writes: "This morning at approximately 11:20 a.m., the Chevron Richmond Refinery experienced flaring activity due to an upset at a process unit. Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) A major fire at one of the country's biggest oil refineries that sent scores of people to hospitals with breathing problems will push gas prices above $4 a gallon on the . Release has not been stopped and is not contained with no waterways impacted.. Will Bay Bridge go dark forever? All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Chevron officials said the flaring that started around 6 p.m., creating visible flames and smoke. This oversight committee shall: Closed - Acceptable Alternative Action (C - AAA). Review and comment on the third party expert report developed from the survey; c. Oversee the development and effective implementation of action items to effectively address identified process safety culture issues; and. We need a (Richmond) general fund that is not dependent on fossil fuels, Robinson said. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. @KRON4Desk #kutv #KCBSPhoneForce pic.twitter.com/UvOJriEG3G. @KRON4Desk #kutv #KCBSPhoneForce pic.twitter.com/UvOJriEG3G. Revise the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) to require that Process Hazard Analyses include documentation of the recognized methodologies, rationale and conclusions used to claim that safeguards intended to control hazards will be effective. @CoCoHealth HazMat crews on scene doing air monitoring. The Chevron refinery in Richmond is experiencing a flareup Thursday evening. pic.twitter.com/DZodFAhzNq, John Gioia (@supejohngioia) May 28, 2021, In a social-media post Thursday evening, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia expressed his frustration with what he described as how frequent their flaring is occurring.. After his speech Martinez acknowledged, The refinery is not going away anytime soon, but said the city and community could find ways to live with its presence until it was eventually decommissioned. He also floated ideas like Chevron putting money into an industrial risk bond that would pay for damage to the city and community the refinery caused. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Ten years ago, an explosion and fire at the Richmond Chevron refinery poured black smoke and rained acrid chemicals across the East Bay city, sending thousands to hospitals gasping for air. In that report, posted to social media by KQED reporter Ted Goldberg, refinery staff said the incident began at 5:40 p.m., with no injuries or fatalities and no reported evacuation. Chevron Oil Refinery Richmond; Richmond, CA. Randy Sawyer of Contra Costa Countys Health Services department, who oversees hazmat response, said the incident appeared to be a plant upset at the refinery, where gases in process were sent to a flaring system to be burned off. Heres who has offered big bucks so far. "We encourage our neighbors to visit www.richmondairmonitoring.org to view real-time air quality data," the statement added. RICHMOND (CBS SF) - Flaring at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond Tuesday afternoon sent a large plume of black smoke into the sky that could be seen across the Bay Area. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Require an oversight committee comprised of the regulator, the company, the companys workforce and their representatives, and community representatives. RICHMOND An equipment issue Tuesday at the Chevron refinery led to clouds of black smoke billowing into Bay Area skies. The purpose of this practice is to identify any low-silicon components that are corroding at accelerated rates. Smoke from a Chevron oil refinery fire fills the sky above Richmond in 2012. The company's refinery in El Segundo also had flaring activity just two days prior after a compressor went down, KTLA reported on August 9. RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON) Crews are responding a fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond Saturday afternoon, the company announced on Twitter. A march organizer leads protesters in chants as the group proceeds through Richmond to the Chevron oil refinery. A Richmond city public-safety alert sent at. By 1915, the refinery spread across 435 acres (176 ha), employed 1,700 workers, and had a capacity of 60,000 barrels (9,500 m 3) a day. RICHMOND A process upset unit at the Chevron refinery Sunday sent flames, smoke and foul odors into rain-soaked West Contra Costa County skies. Revise API RP 2001: Fire Protection in Refineries to require users to develop a process fluid leak response protocol specific to their own facility that must be followed when a process fluid leak is discovered. Chevron Richmond refinery flare visible in East, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map: Track this weekends rain in the Bay Area, Chevron Richmond refinery flare visible in East Bay. Here is the correct one: https://t.co/07Y6hJYVu2Thanks @insights724 for pointing that out. No actions by the public are needed. We expect industry to operate at the highest level with no room for error, because error causes harm to life, Gioia told this news organization last February. An August 6, 2012, release of flammable vapor led to a fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California. (Richmond Our Power via Bay City News). We need a plan for a full, coordinated phaseout of oil refineries by 2045, so that we can put in place a strong safety net for fossil fuel workers, invest in developing healthy local economies with good family supporting jobs, and clean up toxic sites.. According to a hazardous materials spill report filed soon after the release with the states office of emergency services and prominently shared by a KQED reporters social-media post, an unplanned upset occurred releasing an unknown amount of [sulfur dioxide] into the atmosphere. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potentia process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure effective safeguards are in place to prevent or control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. For piping circuits identified to meet the specifications detailed in 2012-03-I-CA-R26(a), require users to either (1) enact a program to inspect every component within the piping circuit once, known as 100 percent component inspection (per the requirements established pursuant to recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-R28(c)), or (2) replace the identified at-risk carbon steel piping with a steel alloy that is more resistant to sulfidation corrosion. Its complicated, Bay Area city cracks top 10 best for sleep: US News. Documented use of inherently safer systems analysis and the hierarchy of controls to the greatest extent feasible in establishing safeguards for identified process hazards. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. From what we saw, most of the smoke went up high and we didnt see anything on the ground here.. Reference API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries when discussing that nonsilicon-killed carbon steel is susceptible to sulfidation corrosion; and. The county did not activate its community warning system alert, and there were no plans to ask residents to shelter in place as a result, Sawyer said, adding that county staff were sending a crew to monitor conditions near the refinery on Thursday evening and that officials may ask Chevron to provide a report explaining what triggered the incident. According to this news organizations reporting, the refinery saw multiple flaring reports within the last year, includingthis Mayand lastAugustandNovember. Originally aired on KPIX-TV Date aired 1/25/1979 Recording medium 16mm color film, magnetic sound 0:36 Rights for this video belong to Require a comprehensive process hazard analysis (PHA) written by the company that includes: i. Chevron Richmond refinery flare visible in East, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Info stolen in Oakland ransomware attack set to be released, Map: Track this weekends rain in the Bay Area, Chevron Richmond refinery flare visible in East Bay. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Inspection may be performed through ultrasonic thickness measurements to establish corrosion rates for each component, destructive laboratory analysis, or other methods. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. "Seriously?!! Air District inspectors are on scene investigating and we are working to find the root cause of the smoke in addition to any potential air quality violations. https://t.co/iHVEEKjZR0, Ted Goldberg (@TedrickG) August 10, 2021, The Air District is closely monitoring the current incident at the #Chevron Refinery in Richmond. Protesters march to the Chevron Refinery in Richmond on Saturday. Revise the Richmond Industrial Safety Ordinance (RISO) regulations for petroleum refineries to require a process safety culture continuous improvement program including a written procedure for periodic process safety culture surveys across the work force. View our online Press Pack. Richmond Fire added that there was no response from their department needed and that no actions from the public were necessary in response to the event. This participation shall include contributing relevant data to the repository of investigation and inspection data created by the California Department of Industrial Relations and jointly coordinating activities. THE Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California appeared to have smoke billowing out of it on Tuesday afternoon, worrying nearby residents. We coexist with industry in the area, which is why we have high regulatory standards. b. Were all united in the need to get off fossil fuel, said Jack Lucero Fleck, a retired San Francisco traffic engineer marching with a sign depicting the marchs sunflower emblem. Lee said she hoped the march would help hold Chevron accountable, and highlight the need to transition to clean energy sources like solar power. Our workforce is working to minimize and stop the flaring. Revise the California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5189, Process Safety Management of Acutely Hazardous Materials, to require improvements to mechanical integrity and process hazard analysis programs for all California oil refineries. Richmond Chevron right now with fire coming from two stacks. KPIX Eyewitness News footage from January 25th 1979 featuring brief, aerial views of a fire at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond (Contra Costa County, CA). Use terminology consistent with API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries and other API standards and recommended practices discussed in this report. A massive fire broke out at an oil refinery in northwestern Iran on Saturday, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. A protester marches to the Chevron refinery in Richmond on Saturday, marking 10 years since an explosion at the refinery. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The shimmering Bay Lights turn off Sunday night as the effort to raise $11 million to fund a bigger, better version is only partway there. ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) An explosion and fire near an illegal oil refinery site in Nigeria's Niger Delta region killed at least 12 people Friday, police said, although local residents reported a . We need state authority to increase @AirDistrict fine& penalties. pic.twitter.com/uwMUf3DDrg, Bay Area Air Quality (@AirDistrict) August 10, 2021, The Contra Costa Hazardous Materials program is responding to a flaring incident that started at 2:40 pm at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. b. Inspect every component within all carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components once. At a minimum, this program shall: a. pic.twitter.com/aQTM8dxlfa, John Gioia (@supejohngioia) August 10, 2021, Chevron tells @Cal_OES the refinery is releasing sulfur dioxide, acknowledges this was unplanned and says the release is ongoing. RICHMOND An unspecified equipment issue at the Chevron refinery led to flaring Thursday evening, officials said, with smoke visible for miles around the facility. Include requirements for inherently safer systems analysis to be automatically triggered for all Management of Change and Process Hazard Analysis reviews, prior to the construction of new process, process unit rebuilds, significant process repairs and in the development of corrective actions from incident investigation recommendations. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. c. If low-silicon components or components with accelerated corrosion are identified in a carbon steel piping circuit meeting the specifications detailed in 2012-03-I-CA-R26(a), require designation of these components as permanent Condition Monitoring Locations (CMLs) until the piping components are replaced. These indicators shall be used to ensure that requirements described in 2012-03-I-CA-R9 are effective at improving mechanical integrity and process hazard analysis performance at all California oil refineries and preventing major chemical incidents. Richmond Fire added that there was no response from their department needed and that no actions from the public were necessary in response to the event. Revise the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) to require the documented use of inherently safer systems analysis and the hierarchy of controls to the greatest extent feasible in establishing safeguards for identified process hazards. A market analysis and benchmarking review should be periodically conducted to ensure the compensation system remains competitive with California petroleum refineries.