AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL BENICIA IS AT A CROSSROAD: WILL YOU TAKE ACTION TO SAFEGUARD OUR HEALTH BY WORKING TO CLOSE VALERO NEXT APRIL OR LET THE STATE DECIDE OUR FATE? By Dirk Fulton, June 26, 2025 OUR ALARMING CANCER RATES There are several convincing reasons for the refinery to … Continue reading Dirk Fulton: A Great Day for Benicia, Part Four →

VALERO: City Sponsored 3-Year Delay of Closure Endangers Our Health & Promotes Risk of Benicia Remaining a Refinery Town Forever By Dirk Fulton, May 28, 2025 The long history of fires, explosions, shelter-in-place orders, and non-stop, cancer-causing toxic air emissions demand a Valero closure in April 2026 as announced. No later. Using financial scare tactics … Continue reading Dirk Fulton: A Great Day for Benicia, Part Three →

VALERO FIRE: A CALL TO ACTION FOR PERMANENT CLOSURE OF THE REFINERY By Dirk Fulton, May 8, 2025 [and appearing in the Benicia Herald on May 11, 2025] Last Monday’s Valero Refinery fire and shelter-in-place order provided Benicia residents-including Robert Semple Elementary School students and teachers- with a real time reminder that the refinery should … Continue reading Dirk Fulton: A Great Day for Benicia, Part Two →

A Great Day for Benicia By Dirk Fulton, April 23, 2025 [and appearing in the Benicia Herald on April 25, 2025] Valero Refining’s recent announcement to idle its petro-chemical plant next year is very encouraging news for our town and quite the opposite of the financial doomsday depicted by some fear-mongers. As a lifetime 71 … Continue reading Lifelong Benicia resident Dirk Fulton offers bold vision for closure of Valero refinery →