Posted on 09/02/2015 4:43:14 AM PDT by thackney
The potential ramp up of Exxon Mobil’s massive refinery in Torrance, California will be delayed after a state regulatory hearing on the matter was pushed back indefinitely.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said it delayed the hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning to further study the matter and ensure the health of residents living near the Torrance refinery is protected when the refinery increases production. No new date has been set.
Partly because of the pinch on refining, California is coping with the highest gasoline prices in the nation at an average of $3.35 a gallon on Sunday, compared to a $2.25 average in the Houston area, according to a GasBuddy survey data.
Exxon Mobil was hoping to increase gasoline production as soon as late September after the refinery was damaged in an explosion on Feb. 18. Exxon filed an application in mid-August to restart an old piece of equipment, called an electrostatic precipitator, or ESP, while equipment damaged in the blast is still being repaired. The refinery is currently operating at 20 percent capacity.
Exxon also is being cited and fined $560,000 for workplace safety and health violations following a probe into explosion at the Los Angeles-area refinery. The blast caused a fire and shot out debris and ash that fell on lawns and homes in the surrounding community. Four contractors were hospitalized with minor injuries.
When and if Exxon Mobil eventually gets permission to install the old ESP, then the refinery will have permission to operate at 65 percent capacity because the older equipment emits more carbon and pollution. It may take several more months to repair the ESP that exploded from a pressure buildup.
Exxon spokesman Todd Spitler would said that Exxon continues to work closely with regulatory agencies on a potential restart plan.
The Exxon fluid catalytic cracker unit refines gasoline and is key to producing fuel in a state where gasoline prices exceed the national average. When properly functioning, the refinery produces 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline a year, which accounts for more than 8 percent of the state’s total refining capacity.
Hey California!
Your government isn’t in any hurry to see your gasoline prices come down.
Regulators postpone hearing on Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-mobil-refinery-20150901-story.html
Air-quality officials postponed consideration of Exxon Mobil’s proposal to increase refining operations at its Torrance facility until after further review of how such a move would affect homeowners near the plant.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing board was scheduled to review Exxon Mobil’s proposal on Wednesday at the agency’s offices in Diamond Bar. The agency announced Tuesday that the Exxon Mobil hearing had been rescheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 8.
Cal/OSHA Cites ExxonMobil Refining & Supply After Torrance Explosion
https://ohsonline.com/articles/2015/08/19/torrance-citations.aspx
Aug 19, 2015
Cal/OSHA on Aug. 13 issued 19 citations to ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Company for safety and health violations following the agency’s investigation into the Feb. 18, 2015, explosion at the company’s Torrance refinery. Four workers were injured; the proposed penalties total $566,600.
Cal/OSHA classified 18 of the citations as serious “due to a realistic possibility of worker death or serious injury,” with six of those serious violations also classified as willful because Cal/OSHA found the company did not take action to eliminate known hazardous conditions at the refinery and intentionally failed to comply with state safety standards. ExxonMobil Refining & Supply has 15 working days to appeal the citations to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board.
“Petroleum refineries have the responsibility to keep workers safe and to also protect nearby communities and the environment,” said Christine Baker, director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. She said the investigation “revealed severe lapses in Exxon’s safety protocols.”
The explosion resulted from a hydrocarbon release from the refinery’s fluid catalytic cracker unit into its electrostatic precipitator, which exploded. Eight workers were decontaminated after the incident and four were treated for minor injuries.
Cal/OSHA said the investigation concluded that:
- A 2007 safety review uncovered concerns about flammable vapor leakage in the precipitator, and management knew of potential fire or explosion hazards from the leakage but did not correct the danger.
- ExxonMobil Refining & Supply’s incident response team, which included senior management, was aware of a leaking spent slide valve on the FCC unit before the explosion occurred.
- The FCC unit had not been working properly for as many as nine years prior to the incident, and there was no functional pressure transmitter, so the company was unable to monitor hydrocarbon pressure buildup inside the unit.
- There was no written operating procedure for placing the FCC unit in hot standby.
Cal/OSHA issued an order prohibiting use of the FCC unit on Feb. 18. The order remains in effect until ExxonMobil Refining & Supply can demonstrate that the unit is safe to operate.
20% can’t be covering overhead. They should shut it down, lay off the workers, and withdraw from California.
Wesley Mooch was said to be the force behind rescheduling the hearing saying that there was not enough data to review
No refined petroleum product deliveries in California until the Board at least meets!
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