For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, At first, it was unclear what was causing the black smoke above the Chevron oil refinery, Later, Chevron revealed an "unplanned upset" caused the flaring activity, The same site dealt with a fire on March 25, 1999, with smoke from that explosion pictured here, Chevron refinery fire fears as thick black smoke seen rising from huge 2,900-acre oil site in Richmond California, Inside sinister rise of pink cocaine sweeping UK nightclubs as warring cartels battle to control 'Coca Cola of drugs', We live on Britain's WORST street - it's rife with drug addicts, crime & prostitutes we're terrified for our lives, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. "By my count - this is Chevron's 13th flaring incident of the year," he added. 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. (Richmond Our Power via Bay City News). RICHMOND An unspecified equipment issue at the Chevron refinery led to flaring Thursday evening, officials said, with smoke visible for miles around the facility. Chase has degrees in journalism and history from Loyola University Chicago. 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.. This process shall use established qualitative, quantitative, and/or semi-quantitative methods such as Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA). This program shall: Require that Process Hazard Analyses required under California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5189 Section (e) include documentation of the recognized methodologies, rationale and conclusions used to claim that safeguards intended to control hazards will be effective. (BCN) Bay Area activists plan to gather Saturday in Richmond for a march and actions commemorating the 10-year anniversary of an explosion and fire that tore through the Chevron Richmond refinery. A march organizer leads protesters in chants as the group proceeds through Richmond to the Chevron oil refinery. The goal of Saturdays march is to advocate for the eventual phaseout of oil refineries statewide. RESIDENTS of Richmond, California became concerned after they spotted smoke billowing out of an oil refinery on August 10, 2021. Here is the correct one: https://t.co/07Y6hJYVu2Thanks @insights724 for pointing that out. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! c. In Section 9.3 Investigation of Leaks, require users to follow the leak response protocol requirements established in API RP 2001: Fire Protection in Refineries (pursuant to 2012-03-I-CA-R31). 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. Randy Sawyer of Contra Costa Countys Health Services department, who oversees hazmat response, said hazmat staff responded to the refinery to monitor conditions. 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. 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. Require a thorough review of the comprehensive process hazard an alysis by technically competent regulatory personnel; c. Require preventative audits and preventative inspections by the regulator to ensure the effective implementation of the comprehensive process hazard analysis (PHA); d. Require that all safety codes, standards, employer internal procedures and recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP) used in the implementation of the regulations contain adequate minimum requirements; e. Require mechanisms for the regulator, the refinery, and workers and their representatives to play an equal and essential role in the direction of preventing major incidents. Recommend users to incorporate the following actions into their leak response protocol: a. Our workforce . It may never get built, Hit bean company Rancho Gordo embroiled in discrimination lawsuit, San Francisco citizens once traveled by gondola. 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. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. 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. Residents memories of a leak that sent hundreds of gallons of oil and water into San Francisco Bay this February are still fresh. When you operate industry in an urban environment, there needs to be precautions to protect life.. Bay Area activists plan to gather Saturday in Richmond for a march and actions commemorating the 10-year anniversary of an explosion and fire that tore through the Chevron Richmond. The Richmond refinery was in an excellent position with its plentiful crude oil, state-of-art equipment and prime location to capitalize on the increased demand for petroleum products on the West Coast. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. 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. There was a large demonstration at Chevron in 2013, one year after the explosion. "The Chevron refinery in Richmond is sending gases to its flares,@CoCoHealth confirms," Ted Goldberg, a KQED reporter shared on Twitter, referring to Contra Costa Health Services, the county public health services department. 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. @ktvu @KCBSRadio @KRON4Desk @Chevron @ChevronRichmond pic.twitter.com/1JHczDsoiu, Pennie Opal Plant (@PennieOpal) May 28, 2021, Richmond Chevron right now with huge gray smoke and fire coming from 2 stacks. d. Incorporate as a normative reference API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries; and. Kayaktivists protest fossil fuel permits in an undated photo. At a minimum: a. The periodic process safety culture report shall be made available to the plant workforce. @CoCoHealth HazMat crews on scene doing air monitoring. 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-26(b)) and API 570: Piping Inspection Code: In-service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems (pursuant to 2012-03-I-CA-28(c)) for carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components. 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.. 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. 2 The Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California appears to have smoke pouring out of it Credit: Twitter/@PennieOpal A massive fire broke out at an oil refinery in northwestern Iran on Saturday, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. James Wiseman, leadership genius? @TedrickG @AirDistrict @supejohngioia @MayorTomButt pic.twitter.com/JoHKp72Mkz, Gretchen Takes Her Shots (@gbdonart) August 10, 2021, Major flaring occurring at the Chevron Richmond refinery now. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 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. RICHMOND An equipment issue Tuesday at the Chevron refinery led to clouds of black smoke billowing into Bay Area skies. Replace the identified at-risk carbon steel piping with a steel alloy that is more resistant to sulfidation corrosion. After an initial explosion, a black cloud was visible over the fire, which contained heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and ammonia. ii. 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. someone wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of the site with an alarming amount of smoke rising above it. Open - Unacceptable Response/No Response Received (O - UR) - Recipient responds by expressing disagreement with the need outlined in the recommendation. In a statement, a refinery spokesperson said a process upset that was quickly corrected within the refinery led to a safety flare at 2:40 p.m. There protesters painted and touched up colorful murals on the roadway with anti-Chevron slogans, waving yellow and black banners that said Stand Up to Big Oil.. Smoke from a Chevron oil refinery fire fills the sky above Richmond in 2012. An estimated 15,000 people in the area sought treatment after a 2012 incident at the facility. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. 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. pic.twitter.com/9mPWfx6Fbs, Contra Costa Health Services (@CoCoHealth) August 10, 2021, 1-Hr #timelapse from @AlertWildfire's Nichol Knob 1 Camera showing the progress of the smoke plume coming from the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, CA. h. Ensure that a means of sustained funding is established to support an independent, well-funded, well-staffed, technically competent regulator. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. The Chevron Refinery is reporting a Level 1 incident, its lowest in severity, with no response from Richmond Fire. 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. ", "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.". 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. Revise API RP 571: Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry to: a. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. Ensure the effective implementation of the damage mechanism hazard review program (2012-03-I-CA-R1 and 2012-03-I-CA-R2), so that all necessary mechanical integrity work at the Chevron Richmond Refinery is identified and recommendations are completed in a timely way. CSB stressed that the petrochemical refiners . 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Closed - Acceptable Action (C - AA) - The recipient has completed action on the recommendation. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. It ended badly, California snowpack hits highest level this century for March, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. CSB Releases New Safety Digest on Worker Participation to Help Prevent Catastrophic Chemical Incidents, Statement from Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland on the California Department of Industrial Relations Approval of New Refinery Safety Rules, CSB Board Approves Chevron Refinery Final Report with a Unanimous Vote, Final Investigation Report - Chevron Refinery and Fire, CSB Announces Public Meeting in Richmond, California to Release Final Report and Safety Recommendations Resulting from Chevron Refinery Investigation; Report Released Prior to Meeting. Revise API RP 578: Material Verification Program for New and Existing Alloy Piping Systems, to require users to establish and implement a program to identify carbon steel piping circuits that are susceptible to sulfidation corrosionand may contain low-silicon components. ", Bay Area Air Quality tweeted after the smoke was spotted by several residents in the area, "The Air District is closely monitoring the current incident at the #Chevron Refinery in Richmond. Open - Awaiting Response or Evaluation/Approval of Response (O - ARE/AR) - The recipient has not submitted a substantive response, or the evaluation by CSB staff of a response is pending, or the Board has not yet acted on staff recommendation of status. 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. We need a (Richmond) general fund that is not dependent on fossil fuels, Robinson said. 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. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. Its complicated, Bay Area city cracks top 10 best for sleep: US News. b. Our workforce is working to minimize and stop the flaring. Chevron officials said the flaring that started around 6 p.m., creating visible flames and smoke. Well @ChevronRichmond at it again. Gas prices in Berkeley have been on the rise since a fire at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond rendered a portion of the facility inoperable. Around 6:25 p.m., reports of smoke plumes over the refinery drew multiple posts to social media. This is causing smoke to come out from the flares. 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.. This process shall use established qualitative, quantitative, and/or semi-quantitative methods such as Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA). Workforce participation practices should be documented by the refinery to the regulator; f. Require reporting of information to the public to the greatest extent feasible, such as a summary of the comprehensive process hazard analysis (PHA) which should include a list of inherently safer systems implemented; safeguards implemented for remaining hazards; standards utilized to reduce risks to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) or similar; and process safety indicators that demonstrate the effectiveness of the safeguards and management systems; g. Implement an approach or system that determines when new or improved industry standards and practices are needed and initiate programs and other activities, such as an advisory committee or forum, toprompt the timely development and implementation of such standards and practices; and. How close we are to bringing lights back. 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. RICHMOND A process upset unit at the Chevron refinery Sunday sent flames, smoke and foul odors into rain-soaked West Contra Costa County skies. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. "That is more than the number of flaring operations conducted by all other Bay Area refineries combined so far in 2021. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines.