Tag Archives: Air Quality

Air Monitoring, Air Quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Refinery emissions

Air District and Environmental Democracy Project Announce Landmark Settlement Agreement

July 17, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO – The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Environmental Democracy Project are proud to announce a landmark settlement agreement designed to further a shared commitment to transparency, public health and environmental justice.

The Air District has reached a positive resolution with the Environmental Democracy Project to address community concerns and enhance reporting and public engagement practices under the Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Information and Assessment Act of 1987.

“This agreement represents a significant step forward in our efforts to protect public health and ensure transparency,” said Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the Air District. “We are grateful for the collaboration with the Environmental Democracy Project and look forward to continuing our work together. By prioritizing transparency, we empower the public with the information they need for cleaner air and a healthier environment.”

“The Environmental Democracy Project is absolutely thrilled with this agreement and look forward to working closely with the Air District,” said Tanya Boyce, executive director of the Environmental Democracy Project. “It’s a huge win for our communities, providing them with the vital information they need to understand the health risks posed by industrial emissions. Participatory democracy makes things better, and this agreement is a shining example of howempowering residents can lead to stronger environmental protections and healthier, happier communities. We are so excited to continue this important work together!”

As part of this agreement, the Air District has committed to several key actions:

  • Annual Health Risk Reports: The Air District will publish annual reports identifying industrial facilities that pose cancer risks and other health threats. These reports will include information about each facility’s toxic air pollutant emissions and will be distributed to county boards of supervisors, city councils, and local health officials.
  • Public Hearings: The Air District will hold public hearings to present these reports and discuss their significance, ensuring that the community has the opportunity to engage with the findings and understand their implications.
  • Comprehensive Facility Map: The Air District will include the information about each facility’s emissions on the comprehensive facility map available on its website. Making this information more easily available on the internet will serve as a critical tool for community members seeking to understand local environmental health risks.

The Air District will continue to work closely with community stakeholders, including the Environmental Democracy Project, to ensure that residents living near industrial facilities are well-informed about health risks from emissions.

The Environmental  Democracy Project works to ensure that all communities, particularly those most impacted by industrial pollution, have a voice in environmental decision-making processes. EDP advocates for transparency, accountability and justice in environmental governance.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. Connect with the Air District via X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Air Monitoring, Air Quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Good Neighbor Steering Committee, Refinery emissions, Valero Benicia Refinery

Air District launches new air monitoring station in Benicia

[BenIndy: This information is at the bottom of the release, but it’s worth repeating top and center. You can view data from the Benicia-Fitzgerald air monitoring station (BFAMS) on the Air District website by Air Quality Index level and by pollutant concentration level. If you go to those pages, scroll down to the “Eastern Zone” section to check on BFAMS’s data. More info on the effort to expand air monitoring in communities near refineries can be found here. A brief BenIndy overview of the site with screenshots follow this release. To be totally transparent, the BenIndy has unilaterally assigned the station acronym of BFAMS  as it’s currently unclear if there’s an official acronym.]

July 18, 2024, 10:01 AM

SAN FRANCISCO – The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is announcing a new air monitoring station in Benicia as part of the agency’s efforts to establish or expand air monitoring stations in areas where large sources of pollution may contribute to localized pollution sources that are not captured by the Air District’s existing network.

The additional data generated by community monitors, like the Benicia air monitoring station, will provide refinery frontline communities with real-time, local-scale air pollution data, reflecting day-to-day cumulative air pollution levels. This data also supports analysis of air quality trends and other air quality assessments.

“This new, state-of-the-art air monitoring station in Benicia is a major step forward in assessing and addressing refinery emissions in a community impacted by those emissions” said Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the Air District. “The station will provide crucial data to better respond to incidents and to inform our plans to better protect residents. It is one of many tools the Air District is employing to improve air quality in communities near large pollution sources such as refineries.”

“This new Benicia air monitoring station is a vital addition to our community, providing us with the detailed, real-time data needed to understand and address our air quality concerns,” said Steve Young, Benicia mayor and member of the Air District Board of Directors. “It’s a step in the right direction for ensuring the health and safety of Benicia’s residents.”

The Air District is prioritizing communities with petroleum refineries and large renewable fuels manufacturing facilities, such as Benicia. The new station, the Benicia-Fitzgerald air monitoring station, is located near East 2nd and East J Street in Benicia.

The Benicia-Fitzgerald air monitoring station provides real-time data on the following pollutants: particulate matter, or PM2.5, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and black carbon.

While the Air District operates numerous ambient air monitoring stations across the Bay Area, the data from those stations does not reflect pollutant concentrations in every neighborhood. In addition, exposure to pollution varies from place to place and some communities near large industrial facilities bear a disproportionate burden from emissions or other forms of air pollution.

Data from the Benicia-Fitzgerald air monitoring station can be viewed on the Air District website by Air Quality Index level and by pollutant concentration level. More info on the effort to expand air monitoring in communities near refineries can be found here.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. Connect with the Air District via X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Notes on BFAMS from BenIndy:

So what does this new beast look like? Let’s take a look. The following screenshots were taken around 7 pm on July 18, 2024. They are here for illustrative purposes only.

 

  • This screenshot from BAAQMD’s Air Quality Data webpage shows the Benicia-Fitzgerald Air Monitoring Station’s (BFAMS) readings of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), helpfully indicating elevated levels with yellow.

 

  • Users can click the Pollutants button to toggle the display to check on other pollutants.

 

  • The pollutants BFAMS is monitoring include Ozone, Fine Particulate Matter, High Conditions, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulfur Dioxide. Clicking the pollutant you are interested in will change the display to show those readouts specifically.

 

  • Per BAAQMD’s explainers, “High Conditions displays the highest overall AQI value estimate for each hour, and in the right-hand column the highest AQI for the day, which will usually be for ozone in the summertime and PM2.5 in the wintertime.”

This is a wonderful tool for a refinery town.

Air Monitoring, Air Quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Good Neighbor Steering Committee, Progressive Democrats of Benicia, Refinery emissions, Valero Benicia Refinery

Reminder! Zoom in tonight at 7pm for an Air District panel on refinery violations and ‘community payback’

[Note from BenIndy: A quick reminder, shortened a bit from the first posting. This meeting is free and open to all, regardless of Party preference or city of residence. This should be a fascinating discussion.]

Smoke from the Valero Benicia refinery wafts over residential neighborhoods  during a 2017 incident. | Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

From Progressive Dems of Benicia Meeting Notice, sent April 2, 2024:

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), or “the Air District,” is our local regulatory agency when it comes to air pollution.  It’s been around for decades, but its mission and activities are a mystery to many.  Luckily, our amazing panel of Air District representatives will be on hand to guide us through what it does, how it does it, and what it’s working on to keep Bay Area residents healthy and safe.

Air District Panel

We are pleased to share that our panel will include BAAQMD’s Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer, Dr. Philip Fine, formerly a presidential appointment to the EPA and the South Coast Air Management Quality District; Deputy Executive Officer of Public Affairs; BAAQMD Board of Directors member and Benicia Mayor Steve Young; and BAAQMD’s Community Advisory Council Co-Chair Ken Szutu, who also founded the  Citizen Air Monitoring Network in Vallejo before serving as its director.  We also expect that other staff members of the Air District will join us.

Zoom Details

Topic: PDB General Meeting
Time: April 9, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86273821941?pwd=WktDazJLaTJHVTBPNWd3dzlXaGd2Zz09
Meeting ID: 862 7382 1941
Passcode: 528756

 

One tap mobile
+16699006833,,86273821941#,,,,*528756# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86273821941#,,,,*528756# US

For more information, check out the Progressive Democrats of Benicia’s website.

Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Health Services - Hazardous Materials Programs, Martinez CA, Martinez Refining Company

Contra Costa to hold Apr. 11 public meeting on 2022 Martinez refinery releases (Zoom available)

Click to enlarge.

Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Program, issued April 1, 2024

The public has an opportunity to comment on the Incident Investigation/ Root Cause Analysis report (from a third-party consultant)associated with a spent catalyst release from the Martinez Refining Company (MRC) which occurred between November 24-25, 2022. The 45-day comment period is opening on April 4, 2024, and then closes on May 20, 2024. A public meeting will be held at the Contra Costa County Administration Building, Room 110A/B/C located at 1025 Escobar Street in Martinez on April 11, 2024, from 6:00PM to 8:00 PM.

To join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/98874840760
or Dial: (669) 900-6833 Webinar ID: 988 7484 0760

At this meeting, Contra Costa Health’s Hazardous Materials Programs (CCHHMP) will discuss the findings from the Independent Incident Investigation/Root Cause Analysis and receive comments about the report.

A copy of the report can be found at the following link: https://cchealth.prod.govaccess.org/home/showdocument?id=29932&t=638471488684042938

More about the release

MRC had a particulate matter release from their Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (CCU) on November 24-25, 2022. This release was estimated to have emitted 20-24 tons of fine particulate matter, called spent catalyst, into the surrounding community. TheCounty, working with an Oversight Committee, hired Scott Berger and Associates to perform the incident investigation. TheOversight Committee included members of the community, the City of Martinez, the City of Benicia, United Steel Workers, a refinery representative, and CCHHMP.

If you are interested and are available, attend the Public Meeting or submit comments on the report to Hazmat.Arpteam@cchealth.org or mail comments to the following address:

Contra Costa Health Hazardous Materials Programs
Attn: Michael Dossey
4585 Pacheco Blvd., Ste. 100
Martinez, CA 94553

More about Contra Costa’s search for accountability and transparency from refineries on BenIndy:

Elsewhere: