Concerned about refinery safety? Have a refinery near you and want to learn more about its operations and you and your family's and friends' safety?

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) Interagency Refinery Task Force (IRTF) is holding a Refinery Safety Forum in Torrance tonight (Monday, April 23) from 6-8 p.m. at the city's Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Torrance. 

Two draft reports will be presented, according to the agenda:

• "Refinery Emergency Air Monitoring Assessment Report" presented by South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Air Resources Board
• "Analysis of Refinery Chemical Emissions and Health Effects Report" presented by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. 
  

The IRTF periodically holds refinery safety forums to encourage discussion between industry, labor, area residents, community groups, environmental groups, and regulators. The IRTF shares best practices, examines performance metrics, analyzes causes of incidents and other issues, as described in the task force’s guiding document: “Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries” published in February 2014.

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. created the Interagency Refinery Task Force in 2013 to facilitate statewide coordination among member agencies that help protect the public, nearby communities and refinery workers from risks associated with refinery operations throughout the state. CalEPA coordinates the task force among local, state and federal agencies. 

A fire at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA in August 2012 raised public questions and concerns about refinery safety and emergency response in California. The IRTF came out of a directive from the Governor’s July 2013 report on “Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries."

The public meeting in Torrance comes from California Assembly member Al Muratsuchi, author of Assembly Bill 1649 (Muratsuchi, 2017), requiring two IRTC meetings be public each year  beginning in 2018.

The agenda is available at https://calepa.ca.gov/refinery and can be seen in the PDF attached to this online article.

Contact Paul Penn (916) 327-9558 or [email protected] for more information.

Special Accommodations: People who need an interpreter or accommodations for a disability are encouraged to contact CalEPA by April 19. Call Jessica Diedesch at (916) 322-2935. TTY/TDD: 711 for the California Relay Service.