Bay Area refinery to pay $10 million penalty for multiple health, safety violations
By Carlos E. Castañeda
A Bay Area refinery will pay a multi-million-dollar penalty for a series of major violations, including fires, toxic emissions and leaking tanks that went on for years, prosecutors and air regulators announced on Wednesday.
A civil action against Martinez Refining Company resulted in a $10 million judgment against the company, along with $600,000 in mitigation payments for environmental projects in Contra Costa County, the district attorney and the Bay Area Air District said in a joint announcement. A judge signed the final judgment on the enforcement action on Wednesday.
The MRC refinery was issued 163 notices of violations at its facility on Pacheco Boulevard in Martinez between 2020 and 2024, which included offenses under the health and safety code, business and professions code, and fish and game code. One of the violations was the 2022 Thanksgiving Day release of spent catalyst, a toxic residue that left parts of the city and neighboring communities covered in a white ash-like substance with higher-than-normal amounts of heavy metals.
Other major violations included releases of an oil refining byproduct known as petcoke dust, illegal flaring, fires, and public nuisance-level odors.
“The residents of Martinez deserve to feel safe in their communities,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a prepared statement. “This civil action holds the Martinez Refining Company accountable for numerous violations, enforces compliance with the law, and reinforces our office’s dedication to protecting public health and safety through all available legal means, including civil action.”
The announcement said the enforcement action does not include the February 2025 fire and chemical release at the MRC refinery, which lasted for three days, and is being addressed in a separate action. Contra Costa Health said the byproducts from that fire and release included those that can cause cancer, along with heart and lung disease. A report on the incident blamed inadequate training and supervision of contractors, as well as regulatory hurdles that create a lack of qualified workers.
The $10 million penalty will go mostly toward air district projects in Martinez and the surrounding areas impacted by the violations, and the DA’s Office environmental unit, according to the judgment. MRC will also pay $600,000 to fund supplemental environmental projects such as school air filtration systems, scholarships for environmental regulator certifications, and enhancing the county’s fish and game resources.
MRC will also be required to change how it operates its catalytic cracking unit to better manage emissions during startup and shutdown operations and install additional emissions monitoring systems.
“This enforcement action reflects significant air quality violations and makes clear that compliance with air quality laws is mandatory,” said Bay Area Air District general counsel Alexander Crockett in a statement. “The penalty the Air District is collecting through this action will support local and regional projects that improve air quality and public health under our Community Benefits Policy. Strong enforcement ensures accountability while directing resources back to the communities most affected by pollution.”
CBS News Bay Area has reached out to MRC’s parent company, New Jersey-based BPF Energy, for a comment on the judgment. BPF acquired MRC from Royal Dutch Shell in 2020.
