Fire Erupts At Valero Refinery In California Weeks After Closure Announcement

Flames and a heavy achromatic unreality of fume roseate from nan Valero lipid refinery successful Benicia, Calif., connected Monday, triggering emergency alerts and shelter-in-place warnings for adjacent residents. The fire, which sent plumes of fume crossed nan Bay Area skyline, was brought nether power aft adjacent to 2 hours. Benicia occurrence crews confirmed that while particulate matter was recovered during cleanup, aerial value levels were not considered hazardous.

Valero said nary injuries were reported during nan May 5 fire. The origin of nan blaze remains nether investigation.

Valero plans to cease operations successful Benicia, California

The incident comes conscionable weeks aft Valero Energy Corporation announced it would cease refinery operations astatine nan tract by April 2026. The institution cited nan state’s strict biology regulations and rising operational costs arsenic cardinal reasons for nan determination successful an net telephone successful April, including raising state prices.

On X Tuesday, California Sen. Brian Jones posted that state prices wrong nan authorities could summation much than 75% successful April 2026, jumping to $8.43 per gallon, according to a USC professor. The analysis by Michael Mische details, “The corporate consequence of nan pending refinery exits to nan Golden State is perchance devastating to California’s economical maturation and position arsenic nan 4th largest economy, successful nominal terms, successful nan world.”

The Benicia installation presently processes astir 145,000 barrels of crude oil per time and is California‘s sixth-largest refinery.

In a missive to nan California Energy Commission, Valero said it would extremity producing petroleum-based fuels and alternatively attraction connected early alternatives.

“We understand nan effect that this whitethorn person connected our employees, business partners, and community, and will proceed to activity pinch them done this period,” said Lane Riggs, Valero’s president, president and CEO.

However, nan institution plans to activity pinch authorities and metropolis officials to find nan early of its operations. 

Valero says biology restrictions are starring to nan closure 

The institution antecedently faced regulatory challenges successful nan state. In 2024, Bay Area aerial value regulators fined Valero $82 cardinal for violating contamination standards and releasing excess emissions.

A 2019 inspection revealed Valero underreported emissions from their systems, which violated section regulations, according to nan California Air Resources Board. “The refinery emitted an estimated 8,400 tons of these integrated compounds successful full complete this play successful usurpation of Air District regulations – an mean of much than 2.7 tons for each time connected which a usurpation occurred, complete 360 times nan ineligible limit.”

Benicia Mayor Steve Young responded to nan news of nan upcoming closure, noting nan economical uncertainty it brings.

“Valero has agelong been a portion of Benicia’s personality and economy,” Young said. “We will beryllium moving pinch Valero, location partners, and authorities agencies to amended understand nan way ahead.”

Valero is not nan only lipid refiner scaling backmost successful California. Phillips 66 announced it will person 2 of its accommodation to biofuel production, which uses renewable resources specified arsenic plants. A 3rd Phillips 66 installation successful Los Angeles will unopen down completely.

Gov. Gavin Newsom tries to extremity lipid refineries from exiting California 

Gov. Gavin Newsom called connected nan California Energy Commission through a letter successful April to protect consumers by ensuring location is simply a reliable proviso of proscription fuels. In nan letter, Gov. Newsom asks nan commissioners to thief lipid refiners spot their worth successful California “even arsenic request for fossil fuels continues its gradual diminution complete nan coming decades.”