Aims to help protect citizens against potential fires, explosions, toxic emissions connected to Valero Refinery

By Thomas Gase, Vallejo Times Herald, March 31, 2025

Health will be the centerpiece of Tuesday night’s Benicia City Council meeting, set to feature a final vote on whether or not to adopt a draft of a safety ordinance.

The Industrial Safety Ordinance aims to help protect Benicians against potential fires, explosions and toxic emissions connected to the Valero Refinery and other facilities causing health concerns in the city for years.

Benicia is the only Bay Area refinery town to not yet have an Industrial Safety Ordinance. Community activists — including health and environmental advocates — have spent years calling for tighter regulations to protect citizens.

“Because this is the final up-or-down vote on the ISO, we are urging supporters to attend to show support, either in person or by Zoom,” said Terry Mollica, a member of Benicia Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance — a citizens group formed in 2023 to advocate for the passage of the ordinance. “This is our last, best chance to establish an ISO that will get Benicia a seat at the table to protect the health and safety of our kids, our seniors and everyone else in our wonderful city.”

The group has more than 250 supporters, with membership and website visits growing as more refinery incidents occur.

The Valero Refinery has been the site of a series of air pollution incidents, including the recent revelation that a hydrogen vent at the refinery had been leaking 2.7 tons of toxics into the air for 15 years. That discovery resulted in an historic $84 million fine imposed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (an oversight agency) in 2024.

Inspectors reported that Valero management had known about the leaks for years, but failed to report them or take steps to mitigate the leak. The fine reportedly was the largest penalty ever assessed by the district.

Valero was one of four other refineries that in 2023 didn’t meet requirements as defined by BAAQMD and Rule 12-15. That rule — passed in 2016 — requires refineries to monitor and report fugitive gasses from their operating equipment, such as valves, compressors, and storage tanks. These emissions impact the health of the surrounding communities — the toxic gases released include noxious chemicals like the cancer-causing benzene.

The Benicia council voted in January 2023 to begin the process of developing a draft to ultimately be presented to the council for vote. Since that time, a council subcommittee, led by Council Members Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye and Fire Chief Josh Chadwick, has conducted multiple meetings with stakeholders, citizens, experts in industrial emissions, environmental groups, other Bay Area refinery cities and many others to gain feedback as to the best ISO for Benicia.

On March 4, City staff, led by Chadwick, presented the draft ordinance to the council and the public. After presentations by many community members, the council voted unanimously to move forward with the draft, calling for a second reading and final vote that will take place on Tuesday.

“Our citizens group is thrilled that the ordinance is close to becoming a reality,” said Mollica. “Along with local health and environmental advocates, we have spent years calling for tighter regulations to protect citizens from dangerous industrial emissions that impact air quality and the health of Benicians. We are finally near the finish line and are so grateful that the city council has supported this effort.”

The ordinance is on its third draft, which was constructed last month. This newest draft incorporates significant revisions from the prior versions, with the most notable being a detailed legal analysis determining that various aspects of the previous versions included requirements that state law makes the responsibility of the the Solano County Certified Unified Program Agency.

The meeting will be at Benicia City Hall, 230 East L Street, Benicia, beginning at 6 p.m.