Politics & Government

Refinery in Benicia is Among the State's Top 10 Releasers of Chemicals: EPA

The Valero refinery in Benicia is at 3400 E. 2nd St. According to the EPA, the refinery released 504,472 pounds of chemicals into the environment in 2011.

Toxic chemicals managed, treated or released into the environment from facilities operating in California increased in 2011 compared to 2010, and one of the top 10 facilities releasing chemicals that year was the Valero refinery in Benicia.

Findings for 2011 were released Wednesday Jan. 16, and they are the most current available, Michael Ardito of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a phone interview from San Francisco.

A list of the top 10 chemical releases, and a list of the top 10 facilities releasing chemicals, is part of the latest Toxics Release Inventory data published by the EPA online.

Find out what's happening in Beniciawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Community Right-to-Know data helps all of us remain aware of the types and amounts of chemicals being used in our neighborhoods," Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, said in a statement released Jan. 16. "It is great to see pollution prevention activities at reporting facilities, and we encourage them to reduce their chemical releases via this method."

The Valero refinery in Benicia is at 3400 E. 2nd St. According to the EPA, the refinery released 504,472 pounds of chemicals into the environment in 2011.

Find out what's happening in Beniciawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/region9/tri/report/11.

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