The health problems caused by refineries are well-established. What about tank farms?
Valero Benicia 2023-09-21 M_do_Nascimento KQEDRichard Fleming, M.D., Benicia, CA
For the Benicia Independent, by Richard Fleming, M.D., Benicia resident and author, April 7, 2026
With the Valero refinery shutting down, a number of options are being considered for what to do with the property. One possibility is turning the location into a “tank farm,” a place which stores petroleum products in massive tanks. The health problems caused by refineries are well-established. But what are the health risks of tank farms? Are there reasons we should be worried about a tank farm being set up in our city? And should our city government be concerned about the possible public health impact of a tank farm replacing the refinery?
Good studies have been done looking at the potential health risks of tank farms. While they tend to be a bit less harmful to surrounding communities than refineries, they do present potential health problems we should all be aware of.
The two major areas of concern with tank farms are the risks they can send toxic chemicals into the air and the potential they can leak toxic materials into the land they sit on and into nearby groundwater systems. Let’s look briefly at each problem.
Emissions. Oil storage tanks produce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and others. Many of these chemicals are carcinogenic. As is true of refineries, when these emissions enter the air, they have an adverse impact on surrounding communities.
How do dangerous emissions happen at tank farms, given that they are just large tanks storing petroleum products? One of the main ways happens when additional oil or gasoline is being pumped into a partially filled storage tank. This inevitably leads to the densely-concentrated vapors inside the tank being pushed out into the air. These emissions are full of toxic VOCs. VOCs can also be emitted during pumping itself, as well as through leaking seals, vents, and fittings in the tanks themselves. It is impossible to guarantee that tanks will never have any possible breaches leading to toxic emissions.
Chemical leakage. Various factors can lead to the petroleum-based liquids stored in tanks leaking into surrounding soil and water. Corrosion of tank walls can create leaks, and these can be hard to detect until significant outflow has already occurred. Operational errors during filling or draining procedures can lead to leaks. Defective welds can leak.
Natural disasters like flooding and earthquakes can lead to massive leaks. The Valero property is at significant risk of flooding during massive storms, and these seem to be happening more frequently every decade. Sea level rise itself also puts the Valero property at risk of flooding, especially since some of the land is at or below sea level. And we all know that our state is at risk for major earthquakes.
The risk from leakage into groundwater is especially concerning because, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, one gallon of gasoline can contaminate one million gallons of water.
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So what is the take-home message? Establishing a tank farm on the Valero property would likely be somewhat less risky for public health than an operating refinery, but tank farms still pose major potential problems for Benicians and nearby communities. Since there are many other uses which could be developed on the Valero property after it is cleaned up, why not move towards safer development?
The Benicia Fiestas Primavera cultural festival will take place on Saturday, March 28th, 2026, Noon-5pm, featuring live music, dance, fine art, food, and activities for children, all free and family friendly. LOCATION: Benicia City Park (Gazebo Park), 150 Military West. (MAP)
ABOUT Fiestas Primavera
Benicia, California –Mark your calendars for March 28! It’s a day of embracing our differences and strengthening our community through voice and cultural celebration.
Fiestas Primavera will follow after the No Kings Protests in Benicia (9-10:30am) and Vallejo (10am-noon). Orchestrated by Mario Saucedo of the Solano Aids Coalition, Fiestas Primavera will bring this important day in our community home with an extravaganza of ceremony, speech, music, dance, crafts, food, and education. Fiestas Primavera will be held at City (Gazebo) Park from noon until 5pm. The festival is free, inclusive, and educational, and centers around the young people of our community.
Born out of the negative impacts of an unsafe and racially charged game the teens here used to play called “La Migra,” Fiestas Primavera has successfully replaced this unsanctioned, menacing, and eerily prescient event with a festival that promotes unity, acceptance, and collaboration. The festival particularly focuses on the contributions of the young people. There will be both student and professional art, music, dance, and speech featured at the event. The cultural performances are outstanding and engaging. In addition, there will be food from different cultures, activities for children, community information booths, and vendors selling arts and crafts from a variety of origins.
Now in its third year, Fiestas Primavera promises to raise your spirits with a vibrant celebration of the cultural contributions of all immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, Cuba, and Haiti.. It is a reminder that Benicia, like the rest of the country, is made up of a cultural blend of people, all of whom have greatly contributed to what we are today.
The Solano AIDS Coalition, in partnership with U.N.I.D.O.S and the Benicia Performing Arts Foundation, proudly present the 3rd Annual Fiestas Primavera—a vibrant celebration honoring the social and cultural contributions of immigrants through art, music, dance, and community.
Rooted in the rich traditions of Indigenous heritage, Fiestas Primavera marks the arrival of spring with a joyful gathering that embraces diversity, unity, and cultural pride.
This year’s celebration will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Benicia City Park (Gazebo), from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Let’s celebrate together!!
La Coalición del SIDA Solano, en colaboración con U.N.I.D.O.S y la Fundación de Artes Escénicas de Benicia, se enorgullece en presentar la 3ª Fiesta Anual de Primavera, una vibrante celebración que honra las contribuciones sociales y culturales de los inmigrantes a través del arte, la música, la danza y la comunidad.
Arraigada en las ricas tradiciones del patrimonio indígena Fiestas Primavera marca la llegada de la primavera con una alegre reunión que celebra la diversidad, la unidad y el orgullo cultural.
El evento se llevará a cabo el sábado 28 de marzo de 2026, en el Parque de la Ciudad de Benicia (Gazebo), de 12:00 p.m. a 5:00 p.m.
One of my favorite songs is “Humble and Kind,” popularized by country star Tim McGraw and composed by Lori McKenna (who herself performs a great version). I’ve been thinking longfully about it lately because the tenor of our times cuts so deeply against the song’s spirit.
The song is of course best appreciated if you actually listen to it; even better, I urge you to view the McGraw version’s surprising official video (which, with all due respect to country music’s great variety, isn’t typical of that genre). But I’ll try to get by in simply describing and quoting the composition…
Hold the door, say please, say thank you Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie I know you got mountains to climb but Always stay humble and kind
Even if you’re a fan of the guy currently occupying the White House, can you imagine him uttering anything at all like those lyrics?
On the national level, we’ve strayed so far away from such sentiments in this contentious and even cruel age, what with a president who promises his supporters that “I am your retribution” and who broadcasts so many other hateful messages.
“Humble and Kind” is not about America, per se. But it’s still a reminder of the gentler sides of this country and our shared humanity. Though I’m not religious and my grandparents are long gone, I still find its homespun opening comforting:
You know there’s a light that glows by the front door Don’t forget the key’s under the mat When childhood stars shine Always stay humble and kind Go to church ’cause your momma says to Visit grandpa every chance that you can It won’t be wasted time Always stay humble and kind
This is not to dismiss taking pride in who we are; pride and humility are not mutually exclusive.
Nor am I asserting we shouldn’t be angry, even furious, about what each day’s headlines bring; we can in fact channel our anger into productive action.
And I’m certainly not claiming that humility, kindness, courtesy and compassion are always my own daily calling cards.
I’m instead saying that in these times we stay sane and positive partly by cherishing these kinds of qualities. They’re of course valuable all the time. But they become even more so when our national leadership is so coarse and corrupt.
One of the things I love about Benicia is that we see such virtues on display every day, from our daily interactions to the way our city’s leadership conducts itself.
Yes, there are some intense differences of opinion, some clashes among the diverse personalities that constitute our community. “Kumbaya” is not the civic anthem. Sadly, this town has not been without its displays of hate.
But all in all, Benicia is a pretty polite, warm, welcoming and civil place to be. There’s a humility and kindness to it.
Which brings me back to “Humble and Kind.” In some ways, its message is as simple as a parent’s advice to their kids. It’s about how to live life.
It’s also about humanity. Check out that McGraw video to get a full sense of that.
Its closing lines additionally speak to displaying a generosity of spirit toward people in general and especially the less fortunate.
Finally, when I hear those final lines, they also bring to mind whether and how we welcome America’s immigrants, who – like all of our families if we go back far enough – made their ways here from somewhere else:
Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you When you get where you’re going don’t forget to turn back around And help the next one in line Always stay humble and kind
By Elizabeth Patterson (Benicia Mayor 2007-2020), January 26, 2026
Introductory Note: Dear Reader, if you are not familiar with Historic Jefferson Ridge, there is a brief description at the end of this editorial. The timeline for the following is uncertain – Santa Rosa project will take at least a year or two. The Benicia story has been going on for a long time and this is a phase that could end in bull dozing and grading by this year unless there is an appeal to the California Supreme Court.
– Elizabeth Patterson
>> Benicia declares it is a City of History with historic districts and landmarks including the State Capitol and Historic Arsenal.
Santa Rosa is debating development on land of its birthplace – Carrillo Adobe, a historic landmark on private land.
Benicia’s downtown is a State Registered Historic District, and the Historic Arsenal includes four districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area is part of the Delta National Heritage Area and became a state historic landmark in 1935.
Santa Rosa like Benicia must approve housing in numbers that are adopted by each city and approved by the state. [Benicia officials approved housing numbers in excess of state requirements – by about 15% with most of the housing designated in two eastside census tracts].
Decedents of the Santa Rosa Carrillo family and Indigenous people are debating the scale of the project that risks paving over one of the most culturally rich pieces of land not yet developed.
The Carrillo site developer will submit formal plans after listening to the public testimony and the plans will trigger a study of the land’s historical resources and other environmental and traffic reviews. The study will identify mitigation measures to maintain the historic values and cultural resources.
In the early 2000s, Benicia officials approved a private development in the Arsenal Jefferson ridge historic district, citing no significant environmental impacts. Opponents sued and initiated a referendum. Developers refused further environmental review, leading the city council to reverse its decision.
A few years later, Benicia officials created a specific plan and Environmental Impact Report for the Historic Arsenal. The report was recirculated because it lacked an assessment of historic impacts, as required by the State Office of Historic Preservation. The state then mandated detailed mitigation measures to protect viewpoints, preserve historic significance, and maintain the district’s designation by the State and National Parks.
The state Department of Toxic and Substance Control also identified U.S. Army pollution in the lower arsenal to be cleaned up which stalled the certification of the EIR and the specific plan.
The Santa Rosa Carrillo developer is quoted saying they are “evaluating ways to address concerns about views” and that “a substantial portion of the site will remain free of buildings.”
The Jefferson Ridge development in Benicia Arsenal replaces historic views outlined in the City’s 1990 Conservation Plan with buildings that fill the district’s open space. From the 1860s Officers Quarters, the view is now dominated by a wall of the proposed buildings and parking.
While the Carrillo project works with Santa Rosa officials, historians, housing advocates, and Native Americans, the City of Benicia officials accepted the Keith Rogal Jefferson Ridge project as qualifying for staff approval. Arsenal Protectors testified at the Planning Commission citing the Environmental Impact Report for the Specific Plan, summarizing the long list of mitigation measures and the adopted Historic Arsenal Conservation Plan.
The Arsenal Jefferson Ridge developer Keith Rogal has plenty of experience with historic properties since he is involved in the Sonoma project with historic buildings, wetlands, wildlife and open space. The county was sued on his inadequate environmental report. Rogal is currently in more litigation by protectors of historic values, wetlands and open space.
Benicia officials were unmoved by public requests to consider the history of the Jefferson ridge not be erased. The officials have been asked to consider layers of history that have some mystery to them and is a compelling place to be in the presence of and stand with the view sites mapped by the United States Army. [You may hear “we had no choice because of SB 35” – b.s].
The 1847 Arsenal is the first on the west coast. Has the most intact Civil War Era officers’ quarters in the United States (these structures remain, but the context of their being sited on the Jefferson Ridge is lost without the views of the Carquinez Strait as mapped by the Army). The historic infrastructure of paths and recreation for the officers will be bulldozed.
In fact, contrary to the Benicia Municipal Code stipulating the right to appeal staff decisions, the city officials returned the appeal fee and denied a hearing with city council.
Santa Rosa and Sonoma will consider the history, wetlands and open space and their decisions may not please all, but it will be a public process respecting the concerns of their historic resources.
To date the Protectors of the Arsenal are unsuccessful. They want the public to view Arsenal Jefferson Ridge as it appeared from the 1860s to 1964, in line with its status on the National Register of Historic Places and within the Delta National Heritage Area. However, the city and Rogal will proceed with their project ending preservation efforts and overriding these hopes unless halted by the California Supreme Court. It’s your history – will it be for future generations?
Elizabeth Patterson, Mayor 2007-2020
1000 Friends Protecting Historic Benicia
The Officers Row District on Jefferson Ridge in the Historic Benicia Arsenal is a well-defined Civil War era historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places and within the DeltaNational Heritage Area. This ridge was initially designated 1847 for an arsenal which is now our Clock Tower. It has a clear vantage point to watch, guard and if necessary, act against threats. It provided protection for 1850 gold rush manufacturing of dredgers and other mining needs.
The historic district exhibits a clear pattern of organization that displays military rank in the arrangement of the officer quarters, retains views of the Strait and sight lines between buildings that were instrumental to the operating a military arsenal, and incorporated parade grounds and exercise grounds in close proximity to the officers’ quarters.
These relationships are still visible today [it is uncertain for how long now], allowing the public to observe and appreciate the logic of the Army’s design for historic districts of this period. As evident from the Benicia Arsenal’s record of entry into the National Register of Historic Places, the relationship between individual structures that make up a historic district is what makes it identifiable as a district having historic preservation value. [Thus, a development that eliminates the relational features and that define an intact historic district and distinguish it from its individual parts would thereby eliminate the district itself – causing the loss of a unique historical structure].
The whole of the Arsenal consisted of approximately 2700 acres of which 235 or so were considered historic and designated by the State in 1935 as a California Landmark.
The Arsenal was a major player in many of the wars including the Civil War (to prevent gold being smuggled to the confederates), the attack on indigenous peoples, a major factor in WW I and WWII and supplied the munitions for the Tokyo raid. Tanks were cleaned on the lower arsenal streets with tetrachloroethene. Machine guns and other guns were repaired and reconditioned by as many an 1000 workers a day (mostly women). It was closed in 1964 without unexploded ordinance cleanup and other pollution except for the Nike missiles. There was no planning, no transition funds, no infrastructure upgrading – zero.
The city officials acted with little public advice. They acted in a manner that earned a law suit which was a major factor for the State Department of Parks and Recreation withdrawing from developing the historic part of the Arsenal as a state park. The city officials were willing partners with the industrial park investors allowing historic structures to be torn down, and new development inconsistent with the Secretary of Interior standards. For instance, the oldest Army cemetery in the West is cut off from the public by pipelines; the first Army Hospital west of the Mississippi sold for use by Amports as headquarters.
And here we are: tourism for cultural and historic resources is popular and brings in revenues to communities. It does not have to be built. It is here. Many former industrial cities in Europe and the United States have rebuilt their economies on tourism. It is the fastest growing investment a community can make. The Arsenal – this district specifically – is in the Delta National Heritage Areaa which is managed by the Delta Protection Commission that receives an annual federal funding of $500,000 to implement the Management Plan with policies and programs for tourism for the cultural, historic and natural resource heritage of the area. But it as if Benicia officials eat their young.
CALL TO ACTION
There is a good chance the California Supreme Court would take the case because of the legal issues involved. This is a cultural resource issue not a housing CEQA issue.
Letters to the editor, to city officials are helpful.
Donations to 1000friendsphb.org are essential. You can donate on the web or send check to address listed. It has been expensive effort to protect the Historic Arsenal. We get our largest donations from San Francisco individuals and historic societies. Now there is city that knows the value of history.
Benicia, California –Mark your calendars for March 28! It’s a day of embracing our differences and strengthening our community through voice and cultural celebration.
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