richmond oil refinery fire today

According to this news organizations reporting, the refinery saw multiple flaring reports last year, including two straight days in February 2020 and an August 2020 episode. For piping circuits identified to meet the specifications detailed in 2012-03-I-CA-R26(a), require users to either (1) enact a program to inspect every component within the piping circuit once, known as 100 percent component inspection (per the requirements established pursuant to recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-R28(c)), or (2) replace the identified at-risk carbon steel piping with a steel alloy that is more resistant to sulfidation corrosion. The Richmond refinery was in an excellent position with its plentiful crude oil, state-of-art equipment and prime location to capitalize on the increased demand for petroleum products on the West Coast. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. The CSB released three investigation reports into this incident - an Interim Report, a Regulatory Report and a Final Report. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Investigators with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board reported that Chevron had ignored warnings about corrosion in the pipe that eventually caused the fire. ", The Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department said on Twitter that residents in the area might see "dark smoke" due to the flaring but that "NO shelter in place orders have been issued for Crockett or Port Costa. Revise API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries to establish minimum requirements for preventing catastrophic rupture of low-silicon carbon steel piping. Include leading and lagging indicators that are measureable, actionable, and standardized. For all California oil refineries, identify and require the reporting of leading and lagging process safety indicators, such as the action item completion status of recommendations from damage mechanism hazard reviews, to state and local regulatory agencies that have chemical release prevention authority. Release has not been stopped and is not contained with no waterways impacted.. In that report, posted to social media by KQED reporter Ted Goldberg, refinery staff said the incident began at 5:40 p.m., with no injuries or fatalities and no reported evacuation. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. The periodic process safety culture report shall be made available to the plant workforce. Im really frustrated how frequent their flaring is occurring. Open - Unacceptable Response/No Response Received (O - UR) - Recipient responds by expressing disagreement with the need outlined in the recommendation. e. Require users to follow the minimum leak response guidance establishedinAPI RP 2001: Fire Protection in Refineries, developed in response to recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-R31. someone wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of the site with an alarming amount of smoke rising above it. We expect industry to operate at the highest level with no room for error, because error causes harm to life, Gioia told this news organization last February. After joining with another group of protesters and swelling their ranks to well over 100 people, protesters made their way to the gates of the Chevron refinery. Chevron Richmond refinery flare visible in East Bay - The Mercury News This oversight committee shall: a. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. "A safety flare was activated for a short time due to a process upset that was quickly corrected this afternoon," Richmond Public Affairs at Chevron told The US Sun in a statement. An August 6, 2012, release of flammable vapor led to a fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California. In that report, posted to social media by KQED reporter Ted Goldberg, refinery staff said the incident began at 5:40 p.m., with no injuries or fatalities and no reported evacuation. The elected representatives should have a legally recognized role that goes beyond consultation in activities such as the development of the comprehensive process hazard analysis, implementation of corrective actions generated from hierarchy of control analyses, management of change, incident investigation, audits, and the identification, prevention, and control of all processhazards. CSB Releases Board Approved Regulatory Report on Chevron Refinery Fire - Proposes a More Rigorous Refinery Industry Regulatory System in California, New California Law on Refinery Maintenance Operations Can Prevent Accidents, Save Lives, Effective Regulation of Chemical Industry Still Elusive Since 1989 Accident - Houston Chronicle Op-ed, California is Leading the Way on Oil Refinery Safety - Sacramento Bee Op-ed, Testimony of U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso at March 6, 2014, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing, Statement from Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso on California Refinery Safety Interagency Working Group Final Report, Public comments on the CSB's Draft Report, "Regulatory Report: Chevron Richmond Refinery Pipe Rupture (Report No. ", Bay Area Air Quality tweeted after the smoke was spotted by several residents in the area, "The Air District is closely monitoring the current incident at the #Chevron Refinery in Richmond. Chevron Richmond officials did not immediately respond to a request for information about the incident, but sent a hazardous-materials spill report to the state Office of Emergency Services. Require users to identify carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components. (BCN) Bay Area activists plan to gather Saturday in Richmond for a march and actions commemorating the 10-year anniversary of an explosion and fire that tore through the Chevron Richmond. Standard Oil Company of California, Richmond Refinery, Richmond, CA Systematic analysis and documentation of all major hazards and safeguards, using the hierarchy of controls to identify hazards and significantly reduce risks to a goal of as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) or similar; ii. Based on the findings in this report, enhance and restructure Californias process safety management (PSM) regulations for petroleum refineries by including the following goal-setting attributes: a. Require a thorough review of the comprehensive process hazard an alysis by technically competent regulatory personnel; c. Require preventative audits and preventative inspections by the regulator to ensure the effective implementation of the comprehensive process hazard analysis (PHA); d. Require that all safety codes, standards, employer internal procedures and recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP) used in the implementation of the regulations contain adequate minimum requirements; e. Require mechanisms for the regulator, the refinery, and workers and their representatives to play an equal and essential role in the direction of preventing major incidents. @TedrickG @AirDistrict @supejohngioia @MayorTomButt pic.twitter.com/JoHKp72Mkz, Gretchen Takes Her Shots (@gbdonart) August 10, 2021, Major flaring occurring at the Chevron Richmond refinery now. UPDATE: Flaring at Richmond Chevron Refinery Sends Massive - CBS News A Richmond city public-safety alert sent at. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Maintain an auditable log of each of these potential turnaround work items, including the ultimate determination of approval, deferral, or rejection, justification determination, and the person or team responsible for that decision. The purpose of this practice is to identify any low-silicon components that are corroding at accelerated rates. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON) Crews are responding a fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond Saturday afternoon, the company announced on Twitter. RICHMOND A process upset unit at the Chevron refinery Sunday sent flames, smoke and foul odors into rain-soaked West Contra Costa County skies. Residents memories of a leak that sent hundreds of gallons of oil and water into San Francisco Bay this February are still fresh. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. According to @CCCounty HazMat there has been flaring at Chevron due to a process upset. Refer the reader to the 100 percent component inspection or pipe replacement requirements detailed in API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries (pursuant to recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-26(b)) and API 570: Piping Inspection Code: In-service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems (pursuant to 2012-03-I-CA-28(c)) for carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components. Describe the potential for increased rates of sulfidation corrosion occurring in low-silicon carbon steel in Section 4.4.2.3 Critical Factors; b. Chevron filed a report with the state and revealed an "unplanned upset" caused the flaring activity, ABC7 reported. The county has asked Chevron to provide a report within three business days explaining what triggered the incident. Develop an approval process that includes a technical review that must be implemented prior to resetting the minimum alert thickness to a lower value in the inspection database. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Yes, that's a toucan flying around Walnut Creek, Last chance to see: Bay Bridge lights turn off on Sunday. Our workforce . Anyone with questions may call the refinerys general number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, visit the refinerys air-monitoring site at https://www.richmondairmonitoring.org or e-mail richmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. Revise API RP 2001: Fire Protection in Refineries to require users to develop a process fluid leak response protocol specific to their own facility that must be followed when a process fluid leak is discovered. This review shall be an integral part of the Process Hazard Analysis cycle and shall be conducted on all PSM-covered process piping circuits and process equipment. These indicators shall be used to ensure that requirements described in 2012-03-I-CA-R9 are effective at improving mechanical integrity and process hazard analysis performance at all California oil refineries and preventing major chemical incidents. Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Require the analysis and incorporation of applicable industry best practices and inherently safer design to the greatest extent feasible into this review; and. At the time, the tragedy dominated the airwaves. The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) will convene a public meeting on January 28, 2015, starting at 6:00 p.m. at 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA, 94804. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potential process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure safeguards are in place to control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. In a statement to ABC7 News, Chevron writes: "This morning at approximately 11:20 a.m., the Chevron Richmond Refinery experienced flaring activity due to an upset at a process unit. According to this news organizations reporting, the refinery saw multiple flaring reports within the last year, includingthis Mayand lastAugustandNovember. View our online Press Pack. According to this news organizations reporting, the refinery saw multiple flaring reports last year, including two straight days in February 2020 and an August 2020 episode. Chevron refinery explosion news archive | Communities for a Better pic.twitter.com/DZodFAhzNq, John Gioia (@supejohngioia) May 28, 2021, In a social-media post Thursday evening, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia expressed his frustration with what he described as how frequent their flaring is occurring.. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Conduct a pre-response meeting with personnel with specific technical expertise (e.g., inspectors, operators, metallurgists, engineers, and management) and the Incident Commander to determine pressure, temperature, remaining inventory of process fluids, potential damage mechanisms that caused the leak, and worst-case leak scenario; c. Establish a hot zone that identifies the area of risk of exposure or injuries due to flame contact, radiant heat, or contact to hazardous materials, taking into consideration the worst-case leak scenario; d. Limit site access around leak location to essential personnel only; e. Isolate the leaking piping or vessel, or if isolation is not possible, shutdown of the unit when the leaking process fluid poses immediate danger to safety, health, or the environmentsuch as piping fluid that is toxic or near the autoignition temperature. Establish a system to report to the regulator the recognized methodologies, findings, conclusions and corrective actions related to refinery mechanical integrity inspection and repair work arising from Process Hazard Analyses, California oil refinery turnarounds and maintenance-related shutdowns; Require reporting of information such as damage mechanism hazard reviews, notice of upcoming maintenance-related shutdowns, records related to proposed and completed mechanical integrity work lists, and the technical rationale for any delay in work proposed but not yet completed; Establish procedures for greater workforce and public participation including the public reporting of information; and. Open - Awaiting Response or Evaluation/Approval of Response (O - ARE/AR) - The recipient has not submitted a substantive response, or the evaluation by CSB staff of a response is pending, or the Board has not yet acted on staff recommendation of status. Select an expert third party that will administer a periodic process safety culture survey; b. Revise the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) regulations for petroleum refineries to require a process safety culture continuous improvement program including a written procedure for periodic process safety culture surveys across the work force. 1999-03-26 04:00:00 PDT RICHMOND -- A fiery explosion at the Chevron refinery in Richmond yesterday afternoon sent flames and thick black smoke billowing into the air, forcing thousands of. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle on the Transformation team, where he covers tech culture, workplace safety and labor issues in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and beyond. Richmond Chevron right now with fire coming from two stacks. The Richmond Our Power Coalition commemorates the 2012 Chevron refinery explosion. I will update with more details as I get them. Discovery of invasive mosquitoes in Martinez prompts action, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, JV talked about health struggles before disappearance, Building a CA dream home might be cheaper than buying, 11 displaced after fire breaks out at Union City, Rare Sighting: Bald eagles spotted in Alameda County, Martinez residents warned not to eat food grown in, Video: Benches clear in fight at high school hoops, Timeline of events following JVs disappearance, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The goal shall be to drive the risk of major accidents to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, At first, it was unclear what was causing the black smoke above the Chevron oil refinery, Later, Chevron revealed an "unplanned upset" caused the flaring activity, The same site dealt with a fire on March 25, 1999, with smoke from that explosion pictured here, Chevron refinery fire fears as thick black smoke seen rising from huge 2,900-acre oil site in Richmond California, Inside sinister rise of pink cocaine sweeping UK nightclubs as warring cartels battle to control 'Coca Cola of drugs', We live on Britain's WORST street - it's rife with drug addicts, crime & prostitutes we're terrified for our lives, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. Richmond sues Chevron over refinery fire - SFGATE Air District inspectors are on scene investigating and we are working to find the root cause of the smoke in addition to any potential air quality violations. USCG district 8. As the air grew thick with smoke, residents instinctively knew the source: the Chevron oil refinery that for decades has loomed over the working-class community. The action taken meets the objectives envisioned by the Board. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. RICHMOND An unspecified equipment issue at the Chevron refinery led to flaring Thursday evening, officials said, with smoke visible for miles around the facility. d. Develop process safety culture indicators to measure major accident prevention performance. Monitor and confirm the effective implementation of the damage mechanism hazard review program (2012-03-I-CA-R9 and 2012-03-I-CA-R10), so that all necessary mechanical integrity work at all California Chevron Refineries is identified and recommendations are completed in a timely way. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potentia process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure effective safeguards are in place to prevent or control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications.George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. A market analysis and benchmarking review should be periodically conducted to ensure the compensation system remains competitive with California petroleum refineries. Chevron Richmond refinery smoke visible in East Bay 2012-03-I-CA, December 2013), Working Papers on the Safety Case Regulatory Model and its Attributes, Chevron Regulatory Report Draft for Public Comment, In Wake of Chevron 2012 Pipe Rupture and Fire in Bay Area CSB Draft Report Proposes Overhaul of Refinery Industry Regulatory System in California and Urges Adoption of the Safety Case Regime to Prevent Major Chemical Accidents, Chairperson Moure-Eraso Applauds Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety Draft Report, Statement from Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso Applauding the Recent Action by the City of Richmond, California to Adopt CSB Safety Recommendations, CSB Board Members Approve Chevron Richmond Refinery Fire Interim Investigation Report, CSB Releases Narrated Safety Video Containing Detailed Animation of August 6, 2012 Chevron Refinery Accident, In Cooperation with Cal OSHA, CSB Releases Technical Report on Corrosion Found in Chevron El Segundo Refinery Crude Unit Piping, CSB Draft Interim Report on 2012 Chevron Fire Notes Company Failed to Apply Inherently Safer Design That Could Have Prevented the Accident, Chevron Draft Interim Report for Public Comment, Testimony of Don Holmstrom and Dan Tillema, P.E., U.S. Chemical Safety Board, CSB Investigators to Release New Findings and Analysis of Regulatory Oversight Related to the August 6, 2012, Chevron Accident TODAY April 5, 2013, at East Bay Legislators' Public Inquiry, CSB Announces April 19 Public Meeting in Richmond, California, In Cooperation with Cal OSHA CSB Releases Technical Report on Chevron 2012 Pipe Rupture and Fire Extensive Sulfidation Corrosion Noted, CSB to Hold Public Meeting Tonight, January 15, 2014, in Richmond, California - Webcast and Public Comment Available, Statement of CSB Chairperson Dr. Rafael Moure Richmond City Council Meeting on September 11, 2012, CSB Releases Photos of Vapor Cloud Involved in August 6 Accident at Chevron Refinery in Richmond, CA, CSB to Pursue Full Investigation of August 6 Fire at Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California, CSB Deploying to Fire and Explosion at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond California, Drivers of Critical Chemical Safety Change, Process Safety Management for the 21st Century, Emergency Planning and Response (Preparedness), Open - Awaiting Response or Evaluation/Approval of Response, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Open - Unacceptable Response/No Response Received, Board of Supervisors, Contra Costa County, CA, California Air Quality Management Divisions, California Environment Protection Agency (Cal/EPA), Governor and Legislature of the State of California, Open - Acceptable Response or Alternate Response, Mayor and City Council, City of Richmond, CA, CSB Public Meeting in Richmond, California, Metallurgical Evaluation of Pipe Samples from the Chevron USA Inc., El Segundo Refinery, Metallurgical Evaluation from August 6, 2012, Chevron Refinery Explosion and Fire, CSB November 17, 2012, letter to the City of RIchmond, Rafael Moure-Eraso Written Senate Testimony 3.6.14, CSB Responses to Public Comments on Chevron Regulatory Report Draft, Draft Regulatory Report as of May 1, 2014, Chevron Regulatory Report Draft for Public Comment 12.16.13, Chevron Regulatory Public Meeting Final Presentation January 15, 2014, Testimony of Greg Karras, Senior Scientist, Communities for a Better Environment, Statement of Dr. Paul Amyotte, P.Eng at the CSB April 19 Public Hearing, Transcript from January 28, 2015 Final Public Meeting, April 19, 2013, Public Meeting Transcript, Website design & development by Americaneagle.com.