As discussions continue over the recent flareup at the Valero Benicia Refinery that led to an evacuation of the Industrial Park, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson will be advocating to have a discussion on a possible Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) at a future City Council meeting. The request will be made at tonight’s council meeting.

This is not the first time the adoption of an ISO has been considered by the council. In a two-step request form, Patterson said an ordinance was considered in the early 2000s, but no action was taken on it. In light of the recent incident, Patterson is suggesting the time is right to revisit the potential policy and model it on Contra Costa County’s ISO. Of the five refineries in the Bay Area, four of them are in Contra Costa: the Shell Refinery in Martinez, the Chevron Richmond Refinery, the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo and the Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery in Pacheco. The Chevron refinery is subject to the city of Richmond’s version of the ordinance, while the other three are subject to the ordinance itself. The Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Division, which employs trained engineers, implements and enforces the ordinance at all four of the refineries.

Patterson believes that having such an ordinance would be beneficial for Benicia, especially when modeled after Contra Costa’s ordinance, which has been considered the strongest local refinery safety ordinance in the country and has even been recognized the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. Patterson cited Stationary Source Committee Chair John Gioia, who wrote “The ISO has improved refinery safety in Contra Costa County since its adoption 1999. The number of serious accidents has decreased during this time.”

Portions of the ordinance are even being considered to be adopted into state law to be enforced at all refineries, Patterson wrote.

The ISO was passed by Contra Costa’s Board of Supervisors in 1999 with the goal of requiring refineries to install “inherently safer systems.”

Patterson also feels the ordinance would be helpful in aiming to prevent the power outage at the Valero refinery that led to the flareup.

“Unlike the other four refineries in the Bay Area, Valero is an ‘integrated refinery’ where power loss in one area of the refinery impacts the whole facility,” she wrote. “In other refineries in the Bay Area, power outages can be isolated to parts of a refinery.”

“I believe the public interest and safety (of both Solano and Contra Costa residents) would be served if Benicia had such an ordinance,” Patterson concluded.

The item is being brought forth to the council tonight. If approved, it could be reviewed possibly as early as July for a future meeting.

Also on tonight’s agenda, City Manager Lorie Tinfow will be introducing the 2017-19 proposed General Fund budget, and Acting Assistant City Manager Jim Lydon will provide an update on the Citywide User Fee Study.

The council will meet an hour earlier than usual tonight at 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers of City Hall, located at 250 East L St. There will not be a closed session.

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