Valero Agrees to $196K Settlement for Air Quality Violations at Benicia Refinery

Valero will pay $196,000 in civil penalties to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District as part of a settlement over air quality violations at its Benicia Refinery, air district officials announced Thursday.

The settlement stems from violation notices the air district issued to Valero for incidents that occurred in 2012.

Violations referenced in the settlement include errors in the inspection database, which resulted in missed leak inspections for valves that had been omitted from the database, violations of emission limits, hydrocarbon vapor leaks from valve or seals on storage tanks, as well as late reports and minor administration violations, the air district said.

Valero corrected all of the violations once they were discovered, according to air district officials.

“The Air District takes every violation of air quality regulations very seriously,” the Air District’s executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement.

“Our inspectors are engaged and we are monitoring around the clock at each of the Bay Area refineries to ensure that air quality remains protected and every violation is uncovered and corrected,” Broadbent said.

Money from the settlement will be used to fund air district activities, such as inspections and enforcement procedures, according to the air district.

--Bay City News Service, photo courtesy of Valero