By Mike Aldax
The Bay Area Air District has fined Chevron Richmond $900,000 over improperly configured air monitors. The agency says the monitors couldn’t detect the full range of possible pollution levels, while Chevron Richmond maintains its system was sufficient and that it reported any issues as required.
The issue centered on 20 additional monitors that the Air District required Chevron Richmond to install as part of an agreement. These monitors are separate and unrelated to Chevron Richmond’s already expansive, 24/7 fenceline and community air monitoring program, which the company has funded since 2013.
The Air District found that the 20 monitors in question were configured in a way that may have limited how high a level of emissions they could detect. The Air District states that after Chevron Richmond missed a deadline to upgrade the devices, the agency issued nine notices of violation.
The company took issue with the notices of violation, saying its existing monitors were already sufficient and that any potential monitoring gaps were small, short-lived and reported to the Air District. These gaps often occurred during routine maintenance or calibration periods the agency already exempts, officials said.
Chevron Richmond notes implementing the redundant set of monitors as required by the Air District goes beyond federal regulations and comes at a high cost with little added benefit. The company called the situation an example of the “regulatory landscape that is raising energy costs in California.”
Chevron Richmond added that it had been working cooperatively with the Air District for about a year to meet deadlines and thought discussions were moving constructively before the agency chose to pursue enforcement.
All required monitors have now been updated and submitted for certification. Chevron Richmond said it is “proud to support local suppliers and crafts” involved in the project.
The Air District says “a portion” of the $900,000 fine will go toward community projects that improve public health in Richmond.
“Chevron’s upgrades to its monitoring systems are an important step toward strengthened accountability and accessible information for the communities surrounding the refinery,” Executive Director Dr. Philip Fine said in an Air District statement.