■ Kamala Harris letter to city: Crude-by-rail report fails to address multiple key issues In a letter composed Oct. 2, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris urged Benicia to revise the Draft Environmental Impact Report prepared for the proposed Valero Crude-by-Rail Project. She and Deputy Attorney General Scott J. Lichtig wrote Benicia Principal Planner Amy […]
From military to industrial: Benicia’s ‘overnight’ transition
How a refinery and the Industrial Park shaped the city In Benicia’s not-too-distant past, its financial situation was so dire that employees who were handed checks on Friday were told not to cash them until Tuesday. That was before the U.S. Army announced in the early 1960s that the Benicia Arsenal would be the first […]
Comment period on crude-by-rail extended to 90 days
Benicia Planning Commission decided Thursday to double the amount of time the public will be able to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Valero Crude-by-Rail Project, to 90 from 45 days. And rather than keep Thursday’s meeting going until those who filled City Hall had a chance to speak, the panel […]
Valero: Crude-by-rail plan would reduce emissions, make refinery more competitive
General manager: If you have a refinery in your community, ‘you want Valero to run that refinery’ Valero Benicia Refinery’s Crude-by-Rail Project is a logistics endeavor that ultimately would reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions not only in Benicia but throughout other Bay Area communities, a packed room in the local Ironworkers Union building heard Monday […]
Long-awaited Valero crude-by-rail EIR delayed again
A draft of the city’s environmental impact report (EIR) for the Valero Crude-by-Rail use permit request was due to be released Tuesday, but a last-minute staff decision has delayed the report by a week, Benicia Principal Planner Amy Million said. “City staff determined that additional information was needed to more completely address potential air quality […]