California Black Media

Gov. Newsom Rejects Plans to Expand Air-Quality Monitoring in Refineries

On Aug. 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill aiming to expand the State’s air-quality monitoring system to include more refineries. Newsom cited concerns regarding local control and high implementation costs. State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) authored Senate Bill (SB) 674, legislation that required real-time air monitoring of nearby petroleum refineries to keep track of sites producing biofuel and other pollutants.

Published

2 years ago

September 11, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Gov. Newsom’s Office.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Aug. 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill aiming to expand the State’s air-quality monitoring system to include more refineries.

Newsom cited concerns regarding local control and high implementation costs.

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) authored Senate Bill (SB) 674, legislation that required real-time air monitoring of nearby petroleum refineries to keep track of sites producing biofuel and other pollutants. The bill would have required communities close to refineries such as Chevron Refinery in Richmond, to get notifications when pollutants were dangerously high, requiring local governments and state agencies to address the poor conditions.

Newsom stated that although the bill had good intentions, the state had no funding to reimburse the refineries for implementing the required systems. The proposed bill obligated refineries to cover the costs of implementing the air monitoring systems, paying various fees over multiple years. However, State officials were unable to secure funding that could help expand programs that monitor air quality in all the refineries.

Oscar Espino-Padron, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, confirmed that two air quality districts in the Bay Area and South Coast Air Quality Management District supported SB 674.

Espino-Padron argued that the air quality districts would be “empowered to implement measures and to exercise their discretion to tailor this monitoring program based on when it’s appropriate in their jurisdictions.”

“It’s really a setback, not only for air quality but also for community safety,” he said.

According to SB 674, a report by the American Lung Association indicated that all 19 refineries in California are located in counties that received failing grades for particulate matter pollution. Environmental groups argued that communities are being deprived of data and information that could help them take proper and timely precautions as well as protect their families from pollution caused by the refineries.