The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) will be hosting a refinery air monitoring workshop next month at Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall.

The workshop is part of a series of four events BAAQMD– the agency responsible for protecting air quality in the Bay Area– will be holding over the next three weeks in the Bay Area’s refinery communities to discuss the implementation of additional air monitors in said communities. The workshops were established as part of the rulemaking process for Regulation 12, Rule 15, which deals with petroleum refining emissions tracking. As part of the process, BAAQMD has been directed to work with the refinery communities to discuss air monitoring.

“The Air District adopted Regulation 12, Rule 15 in 2016 to enable the Air District and the cities in refinery communities to gather more accurate air emissions data from refineries,” BAAQMD Executive Officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement. “We encourage the public, local government and refineries employees to join us at these workshops to ask questions, provide comment or simply hear the discussion around this new initiative.”

Communities are encouraged to learn about current and planning air monitoring at and near refineries, ask questions and provide input, according to a news release. In Benicia, a $200 air monitoring device is located at Ruszel Woodworks near the Valero Benicia Refinery, but no fenceline monitoring station is set up.

BAAQMD spokesman Ralph Borrmann said attendees can learn about what type of equipment is used and how they can access it as well as share concerns about issues in their communities and the best locations for monitoring.

Borrmann also said the monitoring effort would add to an existing air monitoring network which he described as “one of the most robust in the country.”

“It’s important that people distinguish what a regulatory air monitoring system is compared to some of the newest technologies that are handheld out there,” he said.

The monitoring network is compliant with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations and require staff technicians to operate, according to Borrmann.

“These are complex monitoring systems, and the new ones that will be added in the refinery locations will help to augment our existing network and hopefully fill in some gaps,” he said.

The workshop in Benicia will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 5 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, located at 1150 First St. Earlier workshops will be held Wednesday, Feb. 21 in the Bermuda Room of the Richmond Convention Center Complex, located at 403 Civic Center Plaza; Thursday, Feb. 22 at Martinez’s Council Chambers, located at 525 Henrietta St. ; and Thursday, March 1 at the Lefty Gomez Recreation Center, located at 470 Parker Ave. in Rodeo. All workshops run from 6 to 8 p.m. Those requesting language interpretation services must do so at least three business days before the event by calling Azibuike Akaba at (415) 749-8603 or emailing aakaba@baaqmd.gov. For more information, contact Katherine Hoag, principal air quality engineer, at khoag@baaqmd.gov.

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