Accident: Chevron Richmond Refinery Fire Location: Location: Richmond, CA Accident Occured On: 08/06/2012 | Final Report Released On: 01/28/2015 Accident Type: Oil and Refining - Fire and Explosion Investigation Status: The CSB's investigation is complete. According to @CCCounty HazMat there has been flaring at Chevron due to a process upset. RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON) Crews are responding a fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond Saturday afternoon, the company announced on Twitter. Revise API 570: Piping Inspection Code: In-service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems to: a. Inspect every component within all carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components once. We need clean waters for our sea animals too. 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. iv. On the afternoon of August 6, 2012, a thick black plume grew over Richmond, California, 10 miles northeast of San Francisco. "We encourage our neighbors to visit www.richmondairmonitoring.org to view real-time air quality data," the statement added. The county did not activate its community warning system alert, and there were no plans to ask residents to shelter in place as a result, Sawyer said, adding that county staff were sending a crew to monitor conditions near the refinery on Thursday evening and that officials may ask Chevron to provide a report explaining what triggered the incident. Residents memories of a leak that sent hundreds of gallons of oil and water into San Francisco Bay this February are still fresh. The company also linked to a flaring fact sheet for more information. Richmond Vice Mayor Eduardo Martinez then called for the crowd to take local action on climate justice. RICHMOND A process upset unit at the Chevron refinery Sunday sent flames, smoke and foul odors into rain-soaked West Contra Costa County skies. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. A market analysis and benchmarking review should be periodically conducted to ensure the compensation system remains competitive with California petroleum refineries. According to a hazardous materials spill report filed soon after the release with the states office of emergency services and prominently shared by a KQED reporters social-media post, an unplanned upset occurred releasing an unknown amount of [sulfur dioxide] into the atmosphere. The regulation should provide workers and their representatives with the authority to stop work that is perceived to be unsafe until the employer resolves the matter or the regulator intervenes. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. These circuits have the potential to contain carbon steel components that were not manufactured to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) A106 specification and may contain less than 0.10 weight percent silicon content. Inspection may be performed through ultrasonic thickness measurements to establish corrosion rates for each component, destructive laboratory analysis, or other methods. Fire fighters contained the conflagration by the next morning. We need state authority to increase @AirDistrict fine& penalties. A protester marches to the Chevron refinery in Richmond on Saturday, marking 10 years since an explosion at the refinery. Closed - Exceeds Recommended Action (C - ERA) - Action on the recommendation meets and surpasses the objectives envisioned by the Board. This process shall use established qualitative, quantitative, and/or semi-quantitative methods such as Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA). He also floated ideas like Chevron putting money into an industrial risk bond that would pay for damage to the city and community the refinery caused. 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. The refinery apparently issued a level-one alert, one of the lowest on the countys community warning system scale, with no need for residents to shelter in place. Our workforce is working to minimize and stop the flaring. THE Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California appeared to have smoke billowing out of it on Tuesday afternoon, worrying nearby residents. The goal shall be to drive the risk of major accidents to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). It may never get built, Hit bean company Rancho Gordo embroiled in discrimination lawsuit, San Francisco citizens once traveled by gondola. Today on Democracy Now, Richmond Green Mayor Gayle Mclaughlin called for a full investigation of the August 6th Chevron Richmond Oil Refinery fire that sent 900 people to the hospital, "not only by Chevron, but by independent sources so that we can get a full analysis of what caused this fire and how we can assure the safety of our community that has suffered for decades from environmental and . A march organizer leads protesters in chants as the group proceeds through Richmond to the Chevron oil refinery. Ten years ago, an explosion and fire at the Richmond Chevron refinery poured black smoke and rained acrid chemicals across the East Bay city, sending thousands to hospitals gasping for air. On August 6th, 2012, a major explosion and fire occurred at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California. 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. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. From my front porch on 12th Street, I could see the fire, Robinson said. 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 910 | Washington, DC 20006. Anyone with questions may call the refinerys general number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, or email richmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. 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. John Sebastian Russo/Special to the Chronicle 2012, Photos by Amaya Edwards / Special to The Chronicle, Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. 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. Revise the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) to require that Process Hazard Analyses include documentation of the recognized methodologies, rationale and conclusions used to claim that safeguards intended to control hazards will be effective. Lots of sirens. Chevron officials said the flaring that started around 6 p.m., creating visible flames and smoke. 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. Kat Lee, a Richmond resident and activist with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, said she remembers watching the news of the 2012 explosion from her aunts house in San Leandro, and worrying about the effects the black plume of smoke could have on her mother and sister, then a 2-year-old with asthma. I posted the wrong incident report above. This process shall use established qualitative, quantitative, and/or semi-quantitative methods such as Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA). A massive fire broke out at an oil refinery in northwestern Iran on Saturday, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. Around 6:25 p.m., reports of. Ensure the effective implementation of the damage mechanism hazard review program (2012-03-I-CA-R1 and 2012-03-I-CA-R2), so that all necessary mechanical integrity work at the Chevron Richmond Refinery is identified and recommendations are completed in a timely way. A fire at Tesoro Corporation's March Point facility near Anacortes, WA, on 04/02/2012 killed 7 people and idled that plant for months. h. Ensure that a means of sustained funding is established to support an independent, well-funded, well-staffed, technically competent regulator. 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. Lee said she hoped the march would help hold Chevron accountable, and highlight the need to transition to clean energy sources like solar power. Lance Iversen/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 8 of 27 Smoke from a Chevron Oil . 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. View our online Press Pack. ii. RICHMOND An equipment issue Tuesday at the Chevron refinery led to clouds of black smoke billowing into Bay Area skies. Work with the regulator, the petroleum refining industry, labor, and other relevant stakeholders in the state of California to develop and implement a systemthat collects, tracks, and analyzes process safety leading and lagging indicators from refineries and contractors to promote continuous safety improvements. @KRON4Desk #kutv #KCBSPhoneForce pic.twitter.com/UvOJriEG3G. Residents memories of a leak that sent hundreds of gallons of oil and water into San Francisco Bay this February are still fresh. Around 6:25 p.m., reports of. Select an expert third party that will administer a periodic process safety culture survey; b. 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. Review and comment on the third party expert report developed from the survey; c. Oversee the development and effective implementation of action items to effectively address identified process safety culture issues; and. In July, the Bay Area Air Quality Management Districts boardvoted to requireChevron Richmond Refinery and a separate refinery in Martinez to use wet gas scrubbers to clean up hazardous particulate matter. A report on the explosion found that it was made worse by a faulty emergency response and a lax approach to safety measures and inspections that might have prevented the event. Yes, that's a toucan flying around Walnut Creek, Last chance to see: Bay Bridge lights turn off on Sunday. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. b. Participate in the joint regulatory program described in recommendation 2012-03-I-CA-R11. A Richmondcity public-safety alert sent at 9:06 a.m. said excess flaring began at the refinery at 8:25 a.m. and was ongoing. Revise API RP 571: Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry to: a. Some families brought small children, including one woman with two children on the back of her bicycle that sported a cardboard sign written in a childs hand that read: We need clean air to breathe. Require the analysis and incorporation of applicable industry best practices and inherently safer design to the greatest extent feasible into this review; and. This oversight committee shall: a. ", "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.". Require an expanded role for workers in management of process safety by establishing the rights and responsibilities of workers and their representatives on health and safety-related matters, and the election of safety representatives and establishment of safety committees (with equal representation between management and labor) to serve health and safety-related functions. RESIDENTS of Richmond, California became concerned after they spotted smoke billowing out of an oil refinery on August 10, 2021. Chevron did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about the march commemorating the anniversary. In a statement, a refinery spokesperson said a process upset "that. How long have Keir Starmer and Sue Gray been secretly cooking up their plot? ", 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. Last month, the Bay Area Air Quality Management Districts board voted to require Chevron Richmond Refinery and a separate refinery in Martinez to use wet gas scrubbers to clean up hazardous particulate matter. Implement a compensation system to ensure the regulator has the ability to attract and retain a sufficient number of employees with the necessary skills and experience to ensure regulator technical competency at all levels of process safety regulatory oversight and policy development in Contra Cost County, California. The county has asked Chevron to provide a report within three business days explaining what triggered the incident. After his speech Martinez acknowledged, The refinery is not going away anytime soon, but said the city and community could find ways to live with its presence until it was eventually decommissioned. We coexist with industry in the area, which is why we have high regulatory standards. Documentation of the recognized methodologies, rationale and conclusions used to claim that inherently safer systems have been implemented to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) or similar, and that additional safeguards intended to control remaining hazards will be effective; iii. RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) A major fire at one of the country's biggest oil refineries that sent scores of people to hospitals with breathing problems will push gas prices above $4 a gallon on the . Richmond Fire, CA (@RFDCAOnline) August 10, 2021. We are responding to the scene to conduct air monitoring in the surrounding community. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Organizers will recall smoke from the fire that sent thousands to local hospitals and clinics on Aug. 6, 2012. Exclusive: Stunning photos show Yosemite National Park under 15 feet of California snowpack hits highest level this century for March, could Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his Map shows which parts of California exceeded entire years worth of rain. We coexist with industry in the area, which is why we have high regulatory standards. Incorporate as a normative reference API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries; b. (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. "That is more than the number of flaring operations conducted by all other Bay Area refineries combined so far in 2021. "RP states an unplanned upset occurred releasing an unknown amount of SO2 into the atmosphere," a statement noted. The Richmond refinery produces about 150,000 barrels of gasoline a day or 16 percent of the region's daily gasoline consumption of 963,000 barrels, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil . Investigators with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board reported that Chevron had ignored warnings about corrosion in the pipe that eventually caused the fire. Describe the potential for increased rates of sulfidation corrosion occurring in low-silicon carbon steel in Section 4.4.2.3 Critical Factors; b. Exact date yellow weather warning for snow and ice forecast to hit UK - will you be affected? Randy Sawyer of Contra Costa Countys Health Services department, who oversees hazmat response, said the incident appeared to be a plant upset at the refinery, where gases in process were sent to a flaring system to be burned off. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! In a statement Sunday, Chevron spokesman Brian Hubinger said the refinery was experiencing intermittent flaring due to a process unit upset. Chevron Oil Refinery Richmond; Richmond, CA. 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.. The Board believes, however, that there is enough supporting evidence to ask the recipient to reconsider. Sunflowers were in sight all around as symbols of the climate justice movement. 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. While (Contra Costa Health Services) did not order a shelter-in-place, this flaring incident impacted our communities through its odors and visibility.. An August 6, 2012, release of flammable vapor led to a fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California. CSB stressed that the petrochemical refiners . These improvements shall include engaging a diverse team of qualified personnel to perform a documented damage mechanism hazard review. Richmond police vehicles kept watch over the event, and no Chevron representatives came out of the black gate enclosed behind a layer of cyclone fencing. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. THE Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California appeared to have smoke billowing out of it on Tuesday afternoon, worrying nearby residents. Why Pistons are praising Warriors' Map shows stunning improvement in California drought, A $200M bike bridge tantalized this Bay Area city. pic.twitter.com/uwMUf3DDrg, Bay Area Air Quality (@AirDistrict) August 10, 2021, The Contra Costa Hazardous Materials program is responding to a flaring incident that started at 2:40 pm at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. Following an investigation, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a joint report with Cal/OSHA pointing to sulfidation corrosion as the cause of the incident. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. Specify that sulfidation corrosion rates in carbon steel piping can be significantly faster in a few, individual piping components in section 4.4.2.5 Appearance or Morphology of Damage; and. 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. All Rights Reserved. Chevron Richmond refinery smoke visible in East, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map: Track this weekends rain in the Bay Area, Chevron Richmond refinery smoke visible in East Bay. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. "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. Then the smoke blackened the sky, blanketing an Urban Tilth garden that local youth had been growing food in all summer with grimy, gooey black soot.. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. A market analysis and benchmarking review should be periodically conducted to ensure the compensation system remains competitive with California petroleum refineries. Chevron Richmond refinery issues visible, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map: Track this weekends rain in the Bay Area, Chevron Richmond refinery issues visible flares, smoke. 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. 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. KPIX Eyewitness News footage from January 25th 1979 featuring brief, aerial views of a fire at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond (Contra Costa County, CA). He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. 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 athttps://www.richmondairmonitoring.orgor e-mailrichmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. ", The Twitter account for the Richmond County fire department in California noted that the Chevron Refinery reported "a Level 1 incident, its lowest in severity.". Ten years ago, an explosion and fire at the Richmond Chevron refinery poured black smoke and rained acrid chemicals across the East Bay city, sending thousands to hospitals gasping for air.. Require the documented use of inherently safer systems analysis and the hierarchy of controls to the greatest extent feasible in establishing safeguards for identified process hazards. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Richmond Fire added that there was no response from their department needed and that no actions from the public were necessary in response to the event. Revise the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) to require the documented use of inherently safer systems analysis and the hierarchy of controls to the greatest extent feasible in establishing safeguards for identified process hazards. Chevron refinery is on fire again?!!?" Around 60 protesters assembled at the Richmond BART Station Saturday morning, holding signs emblazoned with sunflowers and slogans like End Climate Chaos, Chevron Kills and Chevron has a flare for business, a reference to the pillars of fire that continue to burn near the refinerys smokestacks. 6 of 27 7 of 27 Smoke from a Chevron Oil refinery fire fills the sky above Richmond Calif, Monday August 6, 2012. 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. Between 2010-2012, refinery shutdowns caused by fires at three West Coast oil refineries helped drive up the cost of fuel to over $4.00 per gallon. Heres who has offered big bucks so far. The fire is at an unoccupied warehouse in. On Aug. 6, 2012, a hydrocarbon release and massive fire occurred at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, Calif. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Initial Notification: On April 10, 1989, there was an explosion and fire at Chevron's hydrocarbon cracking tower at the Richmond Long Wharf. Richmond Chevron right now with fire coming from two stacks. Smoke from a Chevron oil refinery fire fills the sky above Richmond in 2012. No actions by the public are needed. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Fleck said the march was a remembrance, but also a call to action to use available technology to move away from dirty energy sources like fossil fuels. Our workforce . 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