MARTINEZ — Hazardous materials and air officials paid a visit to a troubled Martinez refinery Tuesday to start an unannounced inspection into why it has been at the center of numerous health-threatening incidents for more than a year.
The inspection by Contra Costa Health Services and assisted by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will observe the operations, reliability and safety programs at the Contra Costa Refining Company, which is owned by the New Jersey-based PBF Energy, Inc., health officials announced in a statement.
Deputy Health Director Matthew Kaufmann said during a Tuesday conference call with reporters that the inspection could last “a few days, even weeks” because officials want to do “a deep dive” of the refinery.
“We’re partly focused on the reliability of the refinery in general,” Kaufmann said. “Their staff is really integral to safety. So we want to make sure they’re well-trained, understand the procedures and are committed to safety.”
Federal Glover and John Gioia, two members of the county’s Board of Supervisors, also are expected to meet Thursday with corporate officials for the refinery.
“Repeated commitments to the community and to regulators to improve the culture of safety at PBF have not resulted in improvement,” Glover said in the county’s statement announcing the inspection. “We intend to hold PBF accountable for making the necessary investments to become a better neighbor.”
In an email, refinery spokesperson Brandon Matson wrote, “We have been cooperating with all agencies and investigations related to our refinery and will continue to do so.”
The refinery last drew the health agency’s attention on Dec. 15, when a public advisory went out after refinery flaring caused excess sulfur compounds to leak and stink up the air around Martinez, Pacheco and Pleasant Hill like rotting garbage.
In October, the refinery sent a plume of black dust down upon Martinez that nearly canceled the city’s homecoming parade. That was caused by “coke dust” and marked the third such event since July.
In its statement, health officials said there have been 21 documented releases or spills in 2023, including one earlier this month that caused a grass fire at the facility. Kaufmann said refinery officials did not initially report that flaring of certain chemicals caused the blaze.
The refinery has been in the news since Thanksgiving 2022 when flaring at the facility caused a white powdery substance to rain down on Martinez.
“This is not a regular inspection,” Kaufmann said. “We have conducted unannounced inspections in the past, but I will say the health department is very concerned, and that’s why we embarked on this particular inspection.”
Kaufmann added that the investigation is in its earliest stages and that it’s “a bit early to speculate what the findings are and what the consequences may or may not be.”
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