Category Archives: City of Benicia

City of Benicia, Local Regulation, Local vigilance

Important Benicia meeting – Goal-setting needs YOUR voice!

March 25, 2019 – Notice from the City of Benicia

Benicia City Council Special Goal-Setting Meeting
has been scheduled for
March 29 & 30, 2019.

You may view the full agenda for Friday,
March 29 HERE.
You may view the full agenda for Saturday,
March 30 HERE.

The City Council Meeting will be held
Friday, March 29, 2019
at 12:00 PM
and Saturday, March 30, 2019
at 9:00 AM
City of Benicia Library, Dona Benicia Room
150 East “L” Street
Benicia, CA 94510

 

City of Benicia, Emergency Readiness & Response, Valero Benicia Refinery

Valero Benicia advises City of controlled shutdown

From the City of Benicia website, ANNOUNCEMENTS
[Editor: This announcement was also pushed out to residents who subscribe to the City’s Community Alert System / Alert Solano.  This 9:58 am SHUTDOWN announcement was an update to a 7:36 am alert advising of high levels of particulate EMISSIONS.  – R.S.]

Valero Advisory Update – 10 a.m.

Shortly after 9 a.m., the City of Benicia was advised that the Valero Benicia Refinery will be performing a controlled shutdown of the entire refinery. This shutdown is being conducted to improve conditions and minimize risk from earlier operational issues. This shutdown is expected to last for multiple days and will result in visible flaring.

Benicia Fire Department personnel continue to work with Solano County Environmental Health, Solano County Public Health, and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).

The advisory notice continues for all residents with respiratory issues.

Those with respiratory compromise should do the following immediately:

  • Go inside your home, workplace, or the nearest building that appears to be reasonably airtight and stay there.
    • Close all doors, windows, and any fireplace dampers.  Cracks around doors and windows can be sealed with tape or damp towels.
  • Stay tuned to receive emergency announcements and instructions.
  • Healthy individuals – limit outdoor activity.

Follow the City of Benicia Facebook and website (ci.benicia.ca.us) for routine updates.  Please do not call 9-1-1 unless you are experiencing an emergency.

#valeroscrubberincident

City of Benicia, Crude By Rail, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Crude By Rail

City of Benicia belatedly notifies public of opposition documents received on September 20

By Roger Straw, October 4, 2016

benicia_logoThe City of Benicia sent out notice today of postings on its website of materials submitted by the law firm Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo on September 20. The 34-page Adams Broadwell letter outlines a rebuttal of Valero’s attack on the facts and credibility of expert Phyllis Fox.

Note that the Adams Broadwell letter is labeled on the City’s website with date 9-21-16, but that the letter was sent on 9-20. I believe (but am not sure as of this writing) that the letter was in fact received on 9/20 and hard copies were made available to Council members (and the public?) prior to the Council meeting.

Note that a link is provided below for only the Adams Broadwell letter – a huge download, be patient.  The other docs can be found on the city’s website here.

Exhibits to SAFER California September 20, 2016 Letter

  • Adams_Broadwell_Joseph__Cardozo_Letter_9-21-16.pdf
  • Gordon_Schremp_Trends_in_Sources_of_Crude_Oil_2014_IEPR_Workshop_California_Petroleum_Overview__Background_Jun1.pdf
  • FEIR_Comment_B10-
  • Classification_and_Hazard_Communication_Provisions_for_Crude_Oil__Bakken_Crude_Oil_Dat1.pdf
  • Survey-of-Crude-Oil-Characteristics.pdf
  • North_Dakota_Petroleum_Council_Bakken_Crude_Quality_Assurance_Study.pdf
  • Analysis_of_Crude_From_North_Dakota_Raises_Further_Questions_About_Rail_Transportation.pdf
  • SJVAPCD_2007_Area_Source_Emission_Inventory_Methodology_310_-_Oil_Production_Fugitive_Losses.pdf
  • Preferred_and_Alternative_Methods_for_Estimating_Air_Emissions_from_Wastewater_Collection_and_Treatment_Final_Repo1.pdf
  • why-bitumen-isnt-nec.pdf
  • Transporting_Tar_Sands_As_Dangerous_as_Shale_Oil.pdf
  • EcoWatch_Yet_Another_Oil_Bomb_Train_Explosion_Marks_Fourth_Derailment_in_Four_Weeks.pdf
  • Haralampos_Tsaprailis_Properties_of_Dilbit_and_Conventional_Crude_Oil_February_2014.pdf
  • ChristinaLake-Railbit-MSDS.pdf
  • Cenovas_Heavy_Crude_OilDiluent_Mix_Flash_Point_-35_C_.pdf
  • MEG_Energy_Dilbit_.pdf
  • A_Dilbit_Primer_How_Its_Different_from_Conventional_Oil_Inside_Climate_News.pdf
  • The_Dilbit_Disaster_Inside_the_Biggest_Oil_Spill_Youve_Never_Heard_Of.pdf
  • The_Dilbit_Disaster_-_Part_1.pdf
  • Application_Enbridge_Superior_Terminal_Expansion_Application_2012.pdf
  • The_Dilbit_Diaster_-_Part_2.pdf
  • The_Dilbit_Diaster__-_Part_3.pdf
  • Application_Plains_7-21-15.pdf
  • NOV_Bakersfield_Crude_Terminal_5-4-15.pdf
  • Yuhuang_CAA_Title_V_Petition_Signed_Order_August_31_2016.pdf
Broken rail, City of Benicia, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Explosion, Rail infrastructure, Rail inspection, Train weight, Union Pacific Railroad, Valero Crude By Rail

AUBURN CALIFORNIA: No to proposal that would bring oil through Auburn

Repost from the Auburn Journal

Another View: No to proposal that would bring oil through Auburn

By: Rosalie Wohlfromm / Guest Columnist

Rosalie WohlfrommDo you remember back in 2013, when there was a train derailment carrying crude oil in Lac-Megantic, Quebec? That incident resulted in a fiery explosion and caused the death of 47 people.

It has been reported that crude oil from North Dakota and Canada into California would be expected to rise from just 1 percent of total oil imports in 2013 to 25 percent by 2016, according to state energy officials.

This oil would travel by rail through densely populated areas to refineries on the coast. One of these routes is right through our town of Auburn.  We could see trains pulling 100 oil tanker cars going past our homes, schools and parks.

Since 2013, we have heard of numerous derailments causing evacuations of citizens from their homes. One of the latest was last February in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is now known that the cause of the derailment was  a broken rail, which was missed in two previous inspections.

Oil giant Valero wants to build a massive terminal for oil trains at its Benicia refinery. Union Pacific runs from Reno via Donner Pass, a dangerous route that, according to the Environmental Impact Report for Valero Crude by Rail Project, has only 3.5 percent of Class 4 or 5 track, the quality deemed by the U.S. Dept of Transportation necessary to support daily travel of extremely heavy unit trains made up of over 100 tank cars loaded with crude oil.

The City of Benicia is currently in the process of approving or rejecting the Valero Refinery’s proposed CBR project, which would permit Union Pacific to haul crude oil through Auburn.  If this project is approved, Auburn could see oil trains loaded with highly flammable oil from North Dakota running right through our town on their way to Benicia. I ask you to remember what happened in Lynchburg. That could happen here.

Concerned citizens of Benicia are asking for those of us along the rail lines to call or write the City of Benicia City Manager, Brad Kilger, 250 E.L. Street, Benicia CA 94510 or e-mail Planner Amy Million at amillion@ci.benicia.ca.us.   Please submit your comments by 5pm on Oct. 30.