Two environmental impact reports were released in this October for refinery operations in Rodeo (Northern California) and Nipomo (Southern California).

In reality, it is just one big P66 refinery, spread apart, dubbed “The San Francisco Refinery.”   To be sure, P66 doesn’t want the public to be aware of how the operations are connected.  But one thing is perfectly clear:  P66 has played its hand. Explosive, “extreme” crude on rolling bomb trains will be traveling through a city near you on the way to Rodeo.  Unless….we stop them.  How?  After you read the article below, please click on the “Calls to Action” menu item above and find out how.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_26732724/Report-on-Central-Coast-refinery-project-that-could-bring-crude-oil-trains-through-East-Bay-cities-available-for-public-review

By Tom (Tamhas) Griffith, Global Community Monitoring (and the Martinez Environmental Group)

Roger Straw’s “Benicia Independent” reposts a great article from G.C.M.’s Tom (Tamhas) Griffith.  Roger Straw writes:  ” …Tamhas Griffith’s piece is a thorough exploration of the oil industry’s influence over local, regional and California government officials.  See especially his expose on the behavior of Jack Broadbent, Chief Air Pollution Control Officer of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.”

Big oil: influence peddling in California and the Bay Area

By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times

 The earliest the project will come back for review, if ever, will be 2015

“We’ve been keeping an eye out for when it comes back on city agendas, and being vigilant,” said longtime resident and Defense Council member Lyana Monterrey. The group has also been keeping an eye on crude-by-rail issues in Berkeley, Richmond and Benicia, she said.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_26264741/pittsburg-wes

By Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post

Chinese petrochemical companies are beginning to back peddle on Canadian tar sands due to trouble hustling funds. Now THAT is interesting. Not too long ago, P66 signed a major deal with Sinopec to deliver massive amounts of propane. Leads one to wonder… how this will affect Rodeo’s P66 project as much of their propane was slated to come from Canadian tars sands?   Sinopec seems displeased with its other Canadian energy investments, too. According to the Financial Post, the Canadian arm of China Petrochemical Corp. may back away from work on its Northern Lights oil sands lease or sell the property entirely.

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/07/10/why-chinas-mood-is-souring-on-canadas-oil-patch/?__lsa=7484-851e

Continue reading →

By Fox News

At a community meeting this week,Valero stated that the community’s safety concerns were not financially in the company’s interest and that the “benefits outweigh the risks.” Valero also assured the crowd that it will “only” have FOUR long oil unit trains a day and promised to make the trains move ….slower.

Setting aside the fact that over half of derailment happen in rail yards where the average speed is 1 mile an hour or less,  unloading four mile-long unit trains a day is a massive amount of crude.  Four trains a day is over 300,000 barrels of crude.

Andres Soto from Benicians for a Safe and Healthy Community unpacks other important concerns in the news footage.

http://fox40.com/2014/06/30/valero-tries-to-sway-public-opinion-at-crude-by-rail-meeting/

by Joe Romm (Climate Progress)

Fighting climate change is a money maker.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/24/3452323/world-bank-climate-change-economy/

By Kiley Krough (from Climate Progress)

Danish researchers have developed paper-thin OPV (organic photo voltaic) solar cells. Sheet of these cells could be applied to areas such sides of buildings, window curtains, car roofs, just to name a few.  And now Germany — a country that gets half of its energy from solar panels — has invested $21 million dollars to help advance the research.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/23/3451684/future-of-solar-technology/

http://www.thelocal.de/20140619/germany-produces-half-of-electricity-needs-with-solar-power

P.S.  Now here’s an idea for P66:  Cover the capped, superfund cleanup site, Selby Slag, with solar panels to power refrigerated (and safer) propane tanks. It could be a two-fer.  P66 complains that refrigerated units would be more expensive to run.  Well, let the sun provide the energy and build a project that won’t wipe out Northwest Rodeo in the event of an earthquake. When the refinery is finally decommissioned, sell the solar power system to a company that could sell energy to PGE…or hook up the town of Rodeo so its residents can live happily “off the grid.”     Just a thought!

KTVU News

The Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo responsible for dumping more than 740,000 pounds of toxic pollution into the San Francisco Bay.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/new-report-singles-out-worst-polluter-san-francisc/ngP7n/