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 […]
Council hears update on Valero flaring incident
Fire Chief Jim Lydon delivered a preliminary report on the May 5 Valero Refinery incident at Thursday’s City Council meeting which prompted additional questions by residents. On the morning of the incident, Valero’s Benicia refinery experienced a power outage as Pacific Gas & Electric was doing maintenance on power lines. The outage resulted in black […]
Council to hear update on Valero incident
An update on the May 5 flaring at the Valero Benicia Refinery is on the City Council agenda for Tuesday and will be provided by Jim Lydon, the fire chief and acting assistant city manager. No additional information or supplemental documents on the item were presented in the agenda. A power outage at 6:30 a.m., […]
Letters: Incident handled well
Incident handled well The Valero flareup was handled very well by both Valero and the city of Benicia. We all should be giving them a standing ovation for their very fine job. That does not seem to be how the mayor looks at it. I understand her concerns, but to get answers as fast as […]
BREAKING: Valero flareup prompts evacuation of Industrial Park
A power outage at the Valero Benicia Refinery at 6:30 a.m. this morning resulted in a massive flare up releasing a large plume of black smoke and prompting an evacuation at the Industrial Park. At 6:46 a.m., the city was notified of the flaring and made the decision to evacuate businesses and residents in […]
Letters: Cannabis, refinery emissions and Gold Ribbon Awards
The real public safety issue At a recent City Council meeting, an elected official reaffirmed disapproval of storefront cannabis dispensaries, citing public safety concerns. I can find no credible evidence to sustain a view that crime goes up when cannabis dispensaries are introduced in a neighborhood. To the contrary, many notable sources, including the FBI, […]
2016 year in review: Crude-by-rail battle came to an end
(The last of the Herald’s articles focusing on the big Benicia stories of 2016 will be focusing on the biggest one of all.) Valero Benicia Refinery’s three-year battle to have its crude oil delivered by train rather than by boat came to an end in 2016. The year saw perhaps the biggest wave of developments […]
City Attorney: Valero won’t sue over crude-by-rail decision
Following the City Council’s unanimous denial of Valero’s proposed crude-by-rail project in September, speculations abounded over whether or not the refinery would sue the city of Benicia over its decision. Residents received an answer at Tuesday’s council meeting when City Attorney Heather McLaughlin reported that Valero would not go forward with a lawsuit. During the […]
US Environmental Protection Agency reaches settlement with Valero Refinery
Benicia Herald Staff Report On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Valero Refining Company – California over improper management of hazardous waste and toxic chemicals at its crude oil refinery in Benicia. Violations included illegally disposing benzene into an unlined stormwater retention pond and not alerting the public about all of […]
‘Significant’ impact to air quality from crude by rail
Long-awaited environmental report addresses, dismisses some concerns over Valero proposal, but says effect on area air would be ‘unavoidable’ After months of investigation and more than one delay, Benicia released the draft of an environmental report on the Valero Crude-by-Rail Project on Tuesday. The city chose to have the report drafted to meet requirements of […]