Not a simple issue
As a citizen of Benicia who lives close to a refinery I, like many other Benicians, would simply like to know what is in the air that we breathe. At the June 19 City Council meeting, the council missed an excellent opportunity to get us that information. Valero clearly does not want us to know what is in the air we breathe. Unfortunately Tom Campbell joined Mark Hughes and Alan Schwartzman in opposing the proposed Industrial Safety Ordinance. Tom did say that he would vote for such an ordinance in November “if Valero doesn’t act”. I have no doubt that Valero will “act”, but I doubt that it will act in such a way that gets us real-time, publicly accessible air-quality monitors in our neighborhoods. People in our community have been working to get such monitors for close to 20 years. Valero has consistently hampered efforts in that direction. These are the simple facts. It raises the simple question: why does Valero not want us to know what is in our air?
My wife and I are not part of the ISO Working Group, but we and scores of Benicians supporting an Industrial Safety Ordinance sat through the marathon council meeting last Tuesday until the wee hours of the morning. We heard a very detailed, common-sense, comprehensive proposal for an ISO that included both fenceline and community air monitors and a “seat at the table” that would give our representatives a voice and access to information about events at the refinery. We heard requests from City Councilmembers for Valero to provide more information about the May 5, 2017 flaring incident, which prompted shelter-in-place warnings in our schools and evacuations and sent residents to the hospital, and explain why such information had not already been provided. We heard Valero stonewalling those requests to the obvious frustration of all five councilmembers. We heard them talking about installing only fenceline– not community– monitors, and even being unwilling to say where those would be located. (We found out they would be on the side of their facility that would measure air moving away from Benicia.) We saw an embarrassing moment when Robert Livesay, a frequent contributor to the Benicia Herald, claimed to be “an organized group” in order to speak out of turn and for an extended time – for an incoherent diatribe against community engagement on this issue – taking advantage of the courtesy the council extends to actual organized groups like Benicians for a Safe and Healthy Community and Valero Energy Partners. This was unfortunate as our local democracy flourishes only because of the civility and courtesy we show each other, even if we disagree on issues. We also saw many well-informed members of our community ask our elected representatives for an ISO that would get us the information we need to be able to save lives should an accident worse than the May 5, 2017 event occur at Valero in the future.
This is not a simple issue. The ISO is multifaceted and complex. However, the simple fact remains that we deserve air-quality monitors in our neighborhoods and access to the information from those monitors in real time. The council has again delayed this legitimate request. Let’s thank Mayor Patterson and Vice Mayor Steve Young for their leadership, and remember to hold the other three accountable in November.
Larnie Fox,
Benicia
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Lawrence get your facts correct. Valero only installs fence line monitoring. It is up to the BAAQD to install them around the community. It is BAAQD that has stalled. First said late 2017 and 2018. Now looks like 2018/2019. My turn as an organizer of one or two folks as the CBR folks did is perfectly fine. By the way my turn was not the full 15 minutes much less.. Look at the tape. Every thing I spoke about the council approved. Just where were you. It does appear you are calling the city council also incoherent. It does appear you are the one that is incoherent not me or the council. It appears the only one embarrassed was you Lawrence because you lost big time. My suggestion Lawrence is you practice what you preach. You made a very uncivil remark about me simply because you lost.
By the way Lawrence I spoke less than 5 minutes the allotted time for a person not a part of a group. I did not take advantage of anyone. My five minutes is exactly what the council motion was and approved 3/2 to your incoherent surprise. It does appear many folks had a full understanding of what I said. All facts Lawrence not scare tactics filled with emotion. Nice try.
Bob, you spoke out of turn and thankfully for only 7 minutes, ( I looked at the clock) by claiming to be an “organized group” – yes ~ “to our Incoherent surprise”.
You are wrong on the time I spoke just under five minutes. I looked at the clock also. You are also wrong on who does local city monitoring. It is not Valero it is BAAQD. So your comments are meaningless. just your biased ,opinion without facts.
Look again the first five minutes was clarification not on the subject.. Then it went to the 15 minutes when I started speaking on the subject. I actually spoke on the issue for 4:50 minutes. Quit spreading false news. You are not correct and you are embarrassing yourself and your cause..
Who says I was not. Not the Mayor and council they excepted that I was an organized group of one. Sorry to disappoint you Lawrence.
Larmie, why are you paranoid? Let’s suppose you had real time monitors. When the particulate matter increases while you are monitoring in real time, what are you going to do? What particulates are being sensed–the monitors won’t say, just that there’s more junk…so here you are…faced with another conundrum to be paranoid about; are the particulates from C&H doing a burn? Or a tug taking a load to try to slow down a coastal tanker or ro ro carrying cars? Maybe a train went through Port Costa? It certainly can’t be from Valero since it is DOWNWIND from you. SO, tell me, Larnie, what would you do with real time information that doesn’t really tell you anything except “the sky is falling”. I swear, it is amazing to me that paranoid folks get up in the morning and are able to dress themselves for fear of the synthetic fabrics in their underwear. Yah, I know, I speak to vegetables.
I hope you’re not considering me one of your vegetables! I would be a lot less paranoid if I knew what was in the air. I’m tired of hearing about our kids’ skyrocketing asthma rates, I’m tired of hearing of more friends and loved ones coming down with cancer.
Yes, the monitors will pick up pollutants from sources other than Valero. This is a good thing. With fence-line AND community based monitors, we’ll know whether the source is Valero or elsewhere. Then we’ll have a tool to make decisions with: when to evacuate, when to shelter in place, when to toughen regulations… when to move to Montana.
Valero is downwind of us 85-90% of the time. It’s that 10% that I’d like more information about. What is it that Valero doesn’t want us to know? Why don’t you want to know what you’re breathing? What’s wrong with a getting a little more information that may help us ease the paranoia that many of us are justifiably feeling.
PS ~ I do like cotton underwear better.
Laurence have you ever talked to the BAAQD about what your concerned about? They could give you an answer. At the same time ask them when the community monitoring is going in. How long have you lived in Benicia. The refinery has been in Benicia almost 50 years. The four in CCC all have been there for over 100 years. Yes Montana would be a good choice for you. If they would even take you in. My suggestion is to start doing your homework and understand who is who and what is what. I do understand your concerns but incoherent talk does not get anything done. Ask the Mayor elected four times and cannot get anything done. Yes she does get elected by very small margins. Now she and the Vice Mayor want to put good hard working people out of work. Maybe even drive them to Montana. All because of her agenda driven Socialist Ideals.
Lawrence my suggestion is you and the “Patterson Twelve” and others talk to the correct agency about monitoring around town. It is not Valero’s responsibility. Mayor Patterson and Vice Mayor Young just destroyed the chance to get their favorite candidate elected to the 2018 council with their backing of shutting down all fossil fuel operations. BAD MOVE. Yes they are the ones that do not care about the livelihood of Benicia residents. The truth is now out and on record. They do not care about the residents livelihood. They will pay dearly for this move in 2020 election. I hope this is coherent enough for you to understand. I can repeat it if necessary Lawrence. Just trying to help you out.
I have gone to innumerable meetings of the Air Board and have met with them. I was part of a group that filed comments about Valero’s fence line monitoring plan with the Air Board.. The Air Board never acknowledged that they got our comments and did not respond to them. For years people have been demanding community monitors, which are essential to work with fence line monitors, and the Air Board decided to go with the fence line monitors only, not community monitors. Maybe in the distance future we will get community monitors, but it will not be because of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. We have tried working with them for years, to no avail.
By the way the jobs argument falls a little flat. Very few refinery people live here. Industries change and jobs change over time and over time if we are to have a livable planet these jobs will be replaced by something else. Valero should be looking into how to produce fuel with out fossils. That is their responsibility to keep their company going. They will have years to work on it.
Couple of points. First, every oil company is looking for ways to produce fuel without fossil fuel as the basis. Second, I don’t care whether the workers live in Benicia or not. The question that I think you should be asking is, are the people who work in the refinery experiencing a greater rate of asthma, cancer or other health issues? They are the people who would be subject to the highest exposure, not the residents. As for the comment “Yes, the monitors will pick up pollutants from sources other than Valero. This is a good thing. With fence-line AND community based monitors, we’ll know whether the source is Valero or elsewhere. Then we’ll have a tool to make decisions with: when to evacuate, when to shelter in place, when to toughen regulations… when to move to Montana.” above from Lawrence Fox,what are you going to do when you find that something other than Valero is a major contributing factor say the internal combustion engine? Are we then to outlaw cars, trucks, boats, ships, trains, planes and mass transit buses etc?
Now John you are going to make Kathy and Lawrence mad . They will not like that.
That’s going to keep me up at nights tossing and turning.
The BAAQM said at the Library meeting that it would be late 2017 and early 2018. Now it is late 2018 and early 2019. They said they were going to do it. Was the refinery in Benicia when you moved to Benicia. I think Lawrence is loading a pack train to Montana. Better get your things together move to Montana. Valero is here to stay As far as jobs go it does not matter where they live.
Kathy how did you react when you lost the vote 3/2. Did you stomp out of the meeting showing emotion and anger? Just wondering.
I want to know if there is flaring what is in it. If it’s showing a lot of pollution coming my way I would go inside and close all of my windows. I would not go for a bike ride. I would make changes to my life to protect myself from the pollution. If my kids played soccer I sure would not have them go to a practice if the air was hazardous. Of course reasonable people will take steps to prevent themselves from being poisoned. It’s a little scary to think that some people may not even know this.
I’d like to know what percent of the time I’m being exposed to multiple pollutants. Fence line monitors don’t pick that up, community monitors do. By the way I believe these monitors will be run by Valero, not the Air Board. I’ll reread their plan on the air board website. Last week I was unable to find out about the revised plan on that site.
Other communities can see on line now what’s in the air at Airwatchbayarea.org.. Other community monitors are monitoring for multiple chemcials. Benicia deserves the same. All we can see now are privately held monitors keeping track of particulate matter.
By the way did you know we have 2x the breast cancer rate of the rest of the state.
I easily found an article that reported on breast cancer rates being 10% to 20% higher in the east Bay including Solano County.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/11/26/breast-cancer-rates-higher-than-average-in-parts-of-bay-area-counties-new-study-reveals/
I can’t find a source confirming your statement that it is 2X higher in Benicia. Can you cite a source on that? Thanks
Remember a few years ago when Marin County had one of the highest breast cancer rates in the country, if not the world? Now they don’t. And no one has been able to come up with a scientific reason.
“I want to know if there is flaring what is in it.” The short answer is, “A lot of fire”. Yuk, Yuk, Yuk…What you really want to know is which way the wind is blowing…if the answer is away from you, then no worries. If it is coming toward you, then might as well shelter in place or get on the road and visit your sister. Easy peasy, look out your window (assuming you see Valero and you must or you wouldn’t be so paranoid…then go outside and moisten your index finger and hold it to see which way the wind blows…SEE uncomplicated enough for the average paranoid American to figure out.
“I’d like to know what percent of the time I’m being exposed to multiple pollutants”. AGAIN, short answer is, 100% of the time. You live in an urban area with your spouse, your kids, cars, boats, planes, trains, sugar mills, refineries, farms (pesticide and herbicide pollutants), ranches (methane from those cute goats and cows). Seriously…get some education so you won’t be afraid of your shadow. OR (please), move to Coeur d’Alene, ID where it is reputed that the water is pure and the air is crisp and clean (having vacationed, there, I can attest that it is so).
Cœur d’Alene water does have high levels of Arsenic and other constituents of concern.
https://www.cdaid.org/files/Water/CDACCR2017.pdf
Maybe not so pure as you thought.
Hey, I’m not moving there…just encouraging those unfortunates who are unable to think to do so.
Larnie, thank you for your letter to the editor. I am also a Benicia resident who would like to have an Industrial Safety Ordinance to keep our citizens informed and empowered. I would like there to be community air monitors like the other refinery communities in the Bay Area have, so we can have real time information about what we may be exposed to in an event such as the one last May. I too, would like our city to have a “seat at the table” that would give our representatives a voice and access to information about events at the refinery. Why would we chose not to be informed and to not have a say in matters that affect the health and safety of our community?
LIsa, the reason why we would choose NOT to be informed and to NOT have a say in matters that affect the health and safety of our community is just this…folks are basically ignorant of toxic issues and easily frightened of things they do not understand nor comprehend. Add paranoia and you get hysteria. The “witches” in Salem would understand completely.
Teaching folks to understand sufficiently so that they are not ignorant is nearly impossible. No matter how many arguments folks give related to science based testimony to assuage fears….fears persist because ignorance requires serious effort to overcome…something that MOST folks are not willing (or able) to undertake.
There is literally NO WAY to assuage your fears (paranoia) unless you want to study chemical engineering, atmospheric modeling, plume dispersion, biological uptake, and other scientific disciplines to be able to understand the modern world you live in…OR, you can just keep asking for data that you won’t comprehend when you get it.
More succinctly: ignorance is bliss; out of sight is out of mind; or, What you don’t know can’t hurt you.
True enough. I also feel sorry for the savages that were awed by the sudden eclipse since it was not part of their world-view. Ignorance, however, is treatable if you start at an early age and work hard in science and math and (a sine qua non) have aptitude for learning. Comprehension is not god given…comprehension is earned through hard work. Only fools want pablum served to them by someone else that they trust implicitly. Such fools are the ones who repeatedly repost things on facebook that are not true but sound true because they fit their world view….
Talk about sore losers. Lawrence you and the “Patterson Twelve” and other followers get the gold medal for lack of knowledge. It does appear there are many in this city that do think you and the followers are not up to date on the issue. Maybe just attacking me is all you have. Attacking me gets you nothing except it does expose your lack of knowledge big time. If I were a member of this group I would go into hiding. Your tactics lack credibility. The information is available. Just go and look it up. The mayor and vice mayor just destroyed your chances of getting a Socialist Liberal elected to the council. The one candidate who has declared is not saying a word. But we all know who she is. She will have a lot of explaining to do. Remember she will be backed by the mayor and vice mayor. That is the kiss of defeat.
For anyone to believe that Valero, and Benicia, has a unique and specific problem with emissions or pollution, please consider this:
The federal EPA, the California state Air Quality and Environmental Board, the Bay Area Air Quality Board, and the County of Solano would ALL have to be colluding to fix the data and cover up all levels of pollutants that exceeded each of the four regulating bodies and hiding this data from the general public and governing agencies.
Does any one really believe federal, state, and local regulators are forming a massive conspiracy to hide this data?
Wake up people.
Matter and Speaker make a lot of sense. Try convincing the folks that have already made up their minds. They follow the mayor and vice mayor like they are Elisabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. That is all we need to know. They also now have a new Socialist in New York to follow. Very sad.
This is just anti-oil industry blather. Outside of banking, no other industry is as regulated as Big Oil. But that isn’t good enough for some. They don’t want regulation, they want punishment. And they believe we can shut down Big Oil so we can all live in a green utopia… starvation and Third World conditions.