Health officials from Contra Costa County (CCH) in California issued a letter to PBF Energy’s Martinez refining company on Thursday, expressing their dissatisfaction with the number of incidents at the refinery over the past year and highlighting a perceived lack of investment.
The CCH health officials conducted an unannounced inspection of the refinery earlier this week.
“CCH has documented 46 flaring incidents since November 2022 and 21 releases or spills of hazardous materials in the last year,” said the letter published on the CCH website.
It was stated that PBF also disclosed instances of flaring occurring at a frequency of nearly once per week.
“The number of incidents at the refinery over the past year is unacceptable for a facility operating in Contra Costa County and points to an apparent fundamental lack of investment on the part of PBF in ensuring the reliability of its systems and maintaining a facility that is safe for its workers and the neighboring community.”
CCH insisted that PBF grant regulators unrestricted access to the facility, furnish documentation about deferred maintenance of equipment, allow access to employees, and provide data concerning maintenance and safety practices.
CCH stated that in the event of an incident, all expenses related to incident response would be the responsibility of PBF.
Moreover, given the facility’s track record of spills and other incidents, PBF is mandated to permit CCH observers on-site at all times, providing them access to any part of the facility upon request.
On Tuesday, CCH initiated an unscheduled inspection at PBF Energy’s 156,400-barrel-per-day refinery.
The inspection aimed to request records and observe the operation, focusing on safety programs, equipment reliability, and follow-up on several recent accidents.
In October, the facility discharged petroleum coke dust, echoing a similar incident in July.
Additionally, the Department of Justice is conducting an investigation into the refinery for a release in November 2022 involving a powdery substance that was subsequently identified as a spent catalyst.
