The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has settled its case with Chevron Refinery in Richmond for $146,000 after saying the refinery released pollutants into the air.

The civil penalty settlement covers 22 notices of violation issued by the Air District for incidents that took place between 2012 and 2014.

In addition, the Air District is proposing four new rules that would toughen the limits on emissions releases and require both more monitoring and faster responses to equipment repairs and upgrade needs, Jack Broadbent, BAAQMD executive officer, said

Those changes are needed if the district is to meet its goal of reducing refinery emissions by 20 percent by 2020, Broadbent said.

The Air District began setting that goal in October 2014 in a move that is expected to affect the five refineries in the region, including Valero Benicia Refinery and the Chevron refinery in Richmond.

The Chevron refinery’s violations included discharging hydrogen sulfide and other pollutants through flaring, producing heavy smoke from flaring, failure to take flare samples and excess carbon monoxide from furnace operations, Broadbent said.

All the violations have been corrected, he said.

BAAQMD is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

It issues notices of violation when it decides company operations violate a specific air quality regulation or rule.

Violators usually must respond to a notice within 10 days and tell the Air District how they will correct the problem, Broadbent said.

These actions can include shutting down operation immediately, or changing operating methods or the equipment the company uses to return to compliance.

In the Chevron case, settlement funds will be used toward Air District activities, such as inspection and enforcement work.

“The Air District will continue to take action to ensure refineries follow all regulations for operations, both big and small, that are in place to protect public health,” Broadbent said.

“This settlement will help ensure this facility, as well as others, follow the rules and reduce their overall emissions.”

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