Benicia deserves better

Here’s something that might take your breath away, literally.
I recently learned that the city of Benicia has not received a report from Valero concerning the events that led to a large release of toxic chemicals into the air in May.
The event was serious enough to cause evacuation of the industrial park, sheltering in place in parts of Benicia and the closure of nearby freeway off ramps.
The city should have minimally expected a report on what caused the event and Valero’s plans to avoid this happening again.  It’s been over six months.  The citizens of Benicia deserve better than this.
Since the City Council is our voice in situations like this, it is time for the council to demand that Valero begin to cooperate with the city.  I believe it is time to implement an Industrial Safety Ordinance for our city like the ISO currently in place in Richmond. This should give our city a seat at the table and access to safety reports that we currently do not get.

Rick Beeson,
Benicia

Sharing is caring!