All posts by Roger Straw

Editor, owner, publisher of The Benicia Independent
Clean-up costs, Offshore drilling, Oil spill, Pipeline rupture, Pipeline transport, Spill prevention and response, Water contamination, Wildlife

Santa Barbara oil spill might have been far larger than projected

Repost from Associated Press
[Editor:  See also local coverage in the Benicia Herald.  – RS]

Oil spill might be larger than projected

By Michael R. Blood, Aug. 5, 2015 4:04 PM EDT
In this May 21 file photo, David Ledig, a national monument manager from the Bureau of Land Management, walks past rocks covered in oil at Refugio State Beach, north of Goleta. New documents released Wednesday show that the Plains All American Pipeline spill, originally estimated to be around 101,000 gallons, might have been much larger than projected. JAE C. HONG , THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than two months after oil from a ruptured pipeline fouled California beaches, documents released Wednesday disclosed that the spill might have been far larger than earlier projected.

Plains All American Pipeline had estimated that the May 19 break along a corroded section of pipe near Santa Barbara released up to 101,000 gallons of crude. The resulting mess forced a popular state park to shut down for two months, and goo from the spill washed up on beaches as far as 100 miles away.

In documents made public Wednesday, the Texas-based company said alternate calculations found the spill might have been up to 143,000 gallons, or about 40 percent larger.

The company is continuing its analysis, and the figures are preliminary. Plains All American has hired an outside consultant as part of the effort to reconcile the differences, the documents said.

At this point, the company considers the methodology used in its initial estimate to be “the most straight forward and accurate calculation.” However, it emphasized the estimate could change as the investigation continues.

In a statement, Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, faulted the federal agency responsible for regulating the nation’s pipelines for the conflicting figures.

“The revelation that the Santa Barbara pipeline spill was much larger than originally thought underscores the importance of our pipeline safety agency providing complete information to Congress and the American people. Unfortunately, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s operational culture has been to withhold information from the American people and Congress,” he said.

The company has been criticized for taking about 90 minutes to alert federal responders after confirming the spill, even though federal regulations require the company to notify the National Response Center, a clearinghouse for reports of hazardous-material releases, “at the earliest practicable moment.” State law requires immediate notification of a release or a threatened release.

The cleanup is nearly complete, although the cause of the break is under investigation. The state attorney general and local prosecutors are considering possible charges, and the documents said the U.S. Justice Department is also investigating.

The company said it’s covering legal costs for several employees who could be questioned by the Justice Department.

No timeline has been set to restart the pipeline.

CEO Greg Armstrong told Wall Street analysts in a phone call that the company faced as much as $257 million in potential costs from the break, which includes estimates for cleanup operations, possible legal claims and fines.

At the end of June, the company said cleanup costs had hit $92 million.

Wildlife officials reported that nearly 200 birds and more than 100 marine mammals were found dead in the spill area. Investigators have not yet determined what, if any, role the spill played in those deaths.

Crude By Rail

Tesoro refinery to pay $4M for inadequate air emission controls for 7 years

Repost from Contra Costa Times

Tesoro refinery to pay $4 million for inadequate air emission controls for seven years

By Denis Cuff, 08/05/2015 02:08:39 PM PDT

MARTINEZ — Saying Tesoro created unlawful and dangerous fumes periodically over a span of seven years, the Bay Area’s clean-air agency is collecting $4 million in penalties from the Golden Eagle refinery in one of its largest-ever pollution settlements.

Tesoro has agreed to pay the penalties for bypassing air pollution controls designed to capture butane, propane and other gas emissions, the agency announced Wednesday.

From 2007 to 2014, the refinery east of Martinez periodically drained gas-laden process water directly to its plant sewer system without first running it through equipment to capture vapors, air officials said.

As a result, officials said, volatile, smog-forming organic gases like butane and propane evaporated into the air at uncontrolled rates.

An aerial view shows the Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery in Pacheco on March 18, 2008. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

The fumes exposed plant workers to risks of explosions and the public to greater risks of smog, the air district said.

“We brought it to their attention several times, and it took a little less than a year to fix the problem,” said Ralph Borrmann, an air district spokesman. “The size of the penalty is related to the delay.”

An air district inspector discovered the periodic bypass during a routine refinery inspection in 2013, and the company fixed the problem in 2014 after repeated pleas to do so, officials said.

Tesoro spokesman Brian Nunnally said the refinery “responded quickly to the cited incidents once they were identified, and has taken corrective measures to avoid their recurrence.”

Repost from SFGate

Tesoro settles Martinez refinery pollution suit for $4 million

By Kurtis Alexander, August 5, 2015 5:08 pm

Texas-based oil manufacturer Tesoro Corp. has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the company spewed smog- and ozone-producing pollutants at its refinery in Martinez.

Bay Area air quality regulators announced the deal Wednesday after an eight-year investigation found that refinery workers disposed of the plant’s byproducts in sewer and water-treatment facilities without first removing contaminants that could evaporate and pollute the atmosphere.

The emissions of butane and propane hydrocarbon were recorded at the facility from 2007 to 2014, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Local regulations require refineries to treat liquid waste so that volatile compounds are removed.

District officials called Tesoro’s practices “unlawful and dangerous.”

Without admitting liability, the company said it has addressed the concerns of regulators.

“Tesoro takes compliance with environmental regulations seriously and strives to comply at all times,” the company said. “In all cases, Tesoro responded quickly to the cited incidents once they were identified, and has taken corrective measures to avoid their recurrence.”

The company is no longer discharging its waste illegally, according to the district.

“We require Bay Area refineries to control their emissions at every step of their process,” Jack Broadbent, the district’s executive officer, said in a statement. “Through the air district’s aggressive enforcement program, these violations were discovered and this uncontrolled release of air pollution stopped.”

Tesoro operates six refineries in the western United States and can produce up to 850,000 barrels of oil daily.

Carbon dioxide, Coal industry, Federal Regulation (U.S.), Natural gas, Oil Industry, Power plants

US carbon pollution from power plants hits 27-year low

Repost from the Associated Press
[Editor:  Significant quote: “A factor behind all these trends is that the writing is on the wall about the future of coal and thus the future of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. The regulatory noose is tightening and companies are anticipating a future with lower and lower dependence on fossil fuels and lower and lower carbon dioxide emissions.”  (Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer)  For background data, see U.S. Energy Information Administration report on April emissions.  – RS]

US carbon pollution from power plants hits 27-year low

By Seth Borenstein, Aug. 5, 2015 5:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Heat-trapping pollution from U.S. power plants hit a 27-year low in April, the Department of Energy announced Wednesday.

A big factor was the long-term shift from coal to cleaner and cheaper natural gas, said Energy Department economist Allen McFarland. Outside experts also credit more renewable fuel use and energy efficiency.

Carbon dioxide — from the burning of coal, oil and gas — is the chief greenhouse gas responsible for man-made global warming.

“While good news for the environment, we certainly would not want to assume that this trend will continue and that we can simply relax,” said John Reilly, co-director of MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.

Electric power plants spewed 141 million tons of carbon dioxide in April, the lowest for any month since April 1988, according to Energy Department figures. The power plants are responsible for about one-third of the country’s heat-trapping emissions.

April emissions peaked at 192 million tons in 2008 and dropped by 26 percent in seven years.

Carbon pollution from power plants hit their peak in August 2007 with 273 million tons; summer emissions are higher because air conditioning requires more power.

In past years, experts said the U.S. reduction in carbon dioxide pollution was more a function of a sluggish economy, but McFarland said that’s no longer the case.

“You don’t have a 27-year low because of an economic blip,” McFarland said. “There are more things happening than that.”

The price of natural gas has dropped 39 percent in the past year, he said. Federal analysts predict that this year the amount of electricity from natural gas will increase 3 percent compared to last year while the power from coal will go down 10 percent.

Those reductions were calculated before this week’s announcements of new power plant rules. The new rules aim to cut carbon pollution from electricity generators another 20 percent from current levels by 2030.

The pollution cuts in April are because efficiency has cut electricity demand and energy from non-hydropower renewable sources has more than doubled, said Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer.

“A factor behind all these trends is that the writing is on the wall about the future of coal and thus the future of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions,” Oppenheimer said in an email. “The regulatory noose is tightening and companies are anticipating a future with lower and lower dependence on fossil fuels and lower and lower carbon dioxide emissions.”

City of Benicia, Energy reduction, Recycling, Renewable energy, Water efficiency

Winners of first Benicia Eco Award announced

Repost from the Vallejo Times Herald

Winners of first Benicia Eco Award announced

By Times-Herald staff report, 07/28/15, 1:09 pm PDT; UPDATED 08/05/15
Constance Beutel and Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson. COURTESY PHOTO

Benicia >> A reception was held at the Benicia City Hall courtyard before the City Council meeting on July 21 to celebrate the accomplishments of the first Eco-Award winners. They were presented to the City Council afterward.

A resident and a business were selected in each category: energy reduction and renewable energy, water efficiency and conservation, recycling and trash reduction. A non-profit/community-based organization was also chosen as an overall winner.

The seven winners received a $100 gift certificate to First Street Café and a recycled glass trophy designed by Lindsay Art Glass of Benicia as well as a certificate signed by Mayor Patterson.

The Benicia Eco Award, by Lindsay Art Glass. COURTESY PHOTO

The winners are as follow:

  • Residents: Constance Beutel for energy reduction and renewable energy; Steve and Marty Young for water efficiency and conservation; and Mary Lou and John McVeigh for recycling and trash reduction.
  • Business: Ponder Environmental Services, Inc. for energy reduction and renewable energy; Pedrotti Ace Hardware for water efficiency and conservation; and Ruszel Woodworks for recycling and trash reduction.
  • Community-based or non-profit organization: Benicia Community Gardens.

The event was a “Zero Waste” event, meaning there was no trash from the event. All food scraps went to John & Mary Lou’s chickens, real dishes and utensils eliminated any paper or plastic waste, and the cups were recycled. The napkins were composted. Real fruit flavored water hydration stations were provided so no water bottles or sodas were needed.

The program is sponsored by the Green Umbrella group, a coalition of Benicia organizations and individuals dedicated to working together with a focus on environmentalism and sustainability. The group’s work is funded by a grant from the Community Sustainability Commission with support from Arts Benicia and the City of Benicia. Awards are sponsored by Marin Clean Energy, WattzOn, and Republic Services.