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Valero Refinery agrees to pay U.S. EPA $97,940 to settle environmental violations

Release Date: 4/1/2005
Contact Information: Contact: Laura Gentile ([email protected]) - 415/947-4227 (desk) or 415/760-9161 (cell)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Yesterday the Valero Refinery in Benicia, Calif. agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $97,940 penalty for alleged violations of state and federal hazardous waste regulations.

The EPA fined Valero, which is located at 3400 E. Second St., for the following violations of federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act:

* treating and storing sludge from petroleum processing -- a hazardous waste -- on a concrete pad without a permit;

* failure to maintain decontamination equipment;

* failure to label containers of hazardous waste with required information; and

* transportation of hazardous waste on a public road without a manifest.

"Improper hazardous waste management can put the surrounding community at risk," said Jeff Scott, director of the EPA's waste management division for the EPA's Pacific Southwest office. "This settlement sent a message to the regulated community that the EPA is committed to aggressively enforcing safe hazardous waste handling requirements."

The EPA discovered the violations during a June 2003 site inspection. Valero is required to pay the penalty by the end of April.

Valero is a petroleum refinery located on approximately 450 acres in Benicia, Calif. Valero processes approximately 180,000 barrels of crude oil each day to manufacture gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, liquid propane gas, coke and asphalt.

The EPA regulates the proper treatment, storage, transportation, disposal and general handling of hazardous waste under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.