** Community and Public Health Advocates Halt Chevron Refinery Expansion
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For Immediate Release: July 2, 2009
Contact:
Will Rostov, Earthjustice, (510) 550-6725
Torm Nompraseurt, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, (510) 323-5245
Greg Karras, Communities for a Better Environment, (415) 902-2666
Henry Clark, West County Toxics Coalition, (510) 232-3427
Community and Public Health Advocates Halt Chevron Refinery Expansion at
Richmond, CA
Martinez, CA – Contra Costa County Superiior Court Judge Barbara Zuniga has
ordered an injunction stopping work on an Chevron's refinery expansion
project in Richmond, CA designed to allow processing of heavier, dirtier
crude.
A new, legal Environmental Impact Report detailing the dirtier, heavier
crude oil Chevron planned to refine and the additional pollution and health
risks to residents it will generate will be required for the expansion work
to continue.
On June 4th 2009, the court found the Environmental Impact Report approved
by the City of Richmond legally inadequate because it did not fully
disclose, analyze, and mitigate the project's health and environmental
impacts.
In her order, Judge Zuniga said: "the EIR fails as an informational
document because the project description is unclear and inconsistent as to
whether project will or will not enable Chevron to process a heavier crude
slate than it is currently processing."
The coalition of groups who brought this lawsuit pointed out that Chevron
has refused to acknowledge its intentions to bring a heavier, dirtier crude
oil into the Bay Area to refine at its Richmond refinery. Refining this oil
will create more pollution over the Bay Area, especially those living in and
around Richmond and the workers at the refinery.
The court found that the city's Environmental Impact Report was unclear
about Chevron's intentions to increase the flow of dirtier crude oils
through the San Francisco Bay and to the refinery. The groups argued that
use of this dirtier crude oil will result in more air pollution in Richmond
neighborhoods already suffering significant public health impacts. The
heavier crude oil also posed greater risks to SF Bay in the event of an oil
spill, according to experts for the unions who submitted written testimony
in opposition to the Project.
"This decision shows that Big Oil is not above the law. Stopping this
project will ensure the City of Richmond studies the potential serious
environmental impacts of Chevron's refinery expansion," said Will Rostov,
an attorney with Earthjustice who filed the lawsuit.
"Today is a great victory for the people of Richmond. We stand with the
workers, who, through no fault of their own, began working on a project that
was not legal," said Greg Karras of Communities for a Better Environment.
"Considering Chevron earned $1.84 billion in the first quarter of this
year, Chevron should keep these workers on payroll while management fixes
the mistakes they made. They can certainly afford to do so."
"The residents of Richmond do not accept letting Chevron continue to
poison our community," said 33-year Richmond resident and APEN senior
organizer Torm Nompraseurt. "This is a victory for the grassroots, and the
people who have been suffering the health impacts of the refinery for the
past 100 years."
"This is a historic environmental justice victory," said Dr. Henry Clark
of the West County Toxics Coalition. The court's decision gives our
community hope and inspiration that the judicial system can work for the
people.
The case Communities for a Better Environment, Asian Pacific Environmental
Network & West County Toxics Coalition v. City of Richmond was filed in
Contra Costa County Superior Court on September 4th, 2008 by attorneys from
Earthjustice and CBE.
