A Martinez refinery has been fined $5 million for air-quality violations over a four-year interval, authorities mentioned Thursday.
The Bay Space Air High quality Administration District introduced the penalty towards Marathon Martinez Refinery, saying it was for 59 violations from 2018 to 2022. The District mentioned the penalty is the second-largest it has ever assessed.
The refinery is operated by Marathon subsidiary Tesoro Refining & Advertising Firm, LLC.
In accordance with the district, the fines are civil penalties for flaring that occurred when Marathon idled its refinery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Marathon improperly flared vapors from storage tanks and loading racks that remained in operation instead of burning them in the production processes,” the district wrote in its assertion. “The company also flared gasses related to the shutdown, idling and decommissioning of refinery process units. Much of the refinery was shut down and idled during this time, including the gas plants and related production heaters.”
The district mentioned it additionally fined the refinery for improperly venting gasses for 2 hours by way of a flare that was shut down for upkeep; for 3 situations of seen emissions from smoky flares; and for a number of violations involving extra air air pollution emissions that included sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and visual particulate emissions.
The delays by the corporate in finishing the mandatory repairs additionally introduced fines, the district mentioned.
The district mentioned the corporate has since corrected the violations. Efforts to succeed in representatives of the corporate weren’t profitable instantly.
Please verify again for updates.
Initially Printed: October 2, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
