Marilyn Bardet, a Benicia resident known for her roles in various area environmental issues, has been named the recipient of the 13th annual Anthony Grassroots Prize from the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, Executive Director Tom Little said. The $1,000 Anthony Grassroots Prize is an annual Earth Day award that recognizes civilian-organized environmental […]
Latest Valero flaring labeled ‘minor risk’ to air
Valero Benicia Refinery released 3,927 pounds of sulfur dioxide during a flaring incident April 20-24, Terry Schmidtbauer, environmental health manager, wrote Solano County Board of Supervisors on May 2.
Crude-by-Rail plan review to be released June 10
Environmental impact report launched last summer to examine Valero proposal The draft of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) being prepared for the Valero Crude-by-Rail Project will be released by June 10, Principal Planner Amy Million announced Thursday. The long-awaited document will be given a 45-day public review, during which people may submit their comments, she […]
Is this really adios?
WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? Are Benicians just kittens in a burlap sack, down by the riverside, resigned to the inevitable? Let’s see if I’ve got this right. (a) We’re in earthquake country (see evidence of the Green Valley fault in terrain on the way to Cordelia); (b) We’re next to fragile wetlands (for spectacular […]
Joel Fallon: The Gold Rush and the Oil Rush, a sad parallel
BY THE 1850s, IT HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR SMALL-SCALE MINERS to find and profitably extract gold from California’s gold country. That’s when big-time operators moved in with hydraulic technology. Sediment, washed away by their high-pressure hoses, dammed or clogged riverbeds and lakes. Rivers’ courses changed. Agriculture was threatened in the Central Valley. Conflicts over […]
Valero puts safety first for the community, employees
IN RESPONSE TO A LETTER TO THE EDITOR last week in The Benicia Herald, I want to correct the most important misinformation the writer shared with the newspaper’s readers. It had to do with the suggestion that Valero would put profits above safety. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a Benicia resident and […]
Valero pays $183K for air quality violations
Valero Benicia Refinery has agreed to pay $183,000 to settle seven notices of violation that took place December 2010, Tom Flannigan, Bay Area Air Quality Management District administrative analyst, said.
For Benicia’s sake, stop Crude by Rail
MANY THANKS TO THE BENICIA HERALD for its detailed coverage of Valero’s presentation earlier this week on its Crude-by-Rail Project. Donna Beth Weilenman’s lengthy report presented the very best in understanding Valero’s message. I was somewhat disappointed, however. A small but growing segment of Benicia residents and business owners attended Valero’s meeting, offering a peaceful […]
Crude by rail: An opportunity to lead
THE VALERO REFINERY WANTS TO BRING IN A NEW FORM OF CRUDE OIL to process in their refinery here in Benicia. Union Pacific Railroad will be the transporter. There is a host of safety concerns, not the least of which is the volatility of this newer crude. Should a mishap in transportation cause any one […]
Valero: Reinforced tanker cars would be used to bring crude to Benicia
■ Oil would come from unspecified North American sources, public told If Valero Benicia Refinery gets permission to transport some of its crude by rail, the oil would come from North American sources and would arrive in tanker cars that are stronger than the ones that comply with current federal regulations, refinery officials said Monday. […]