Martinez Refinery May Have Contaminated Local Ponds

by martinez

Tue, Dec 23, 2003 1:15PM

"The US Environmental Protection Agency is calling on the Tesoro refinery in Martinez refinery to study contamination in two ponds."

http://beta.kpix.com/news/local/2003/12/23/Martinez_Refinery_May_Have_Contaminated_Local_Ponds.html

If anyone has any more information on this (especially if its from noncorporate sources) please post it as a comment.

§EPA Orders Tosco to Study Waste at Calif. Refinery

by truthout

Tue, Dec 23, 2003 1:17PM

(Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered ConocoPhillips' (COP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) subsidiary Tosco Corp. to study contamination on the grounds of a California refinery it once owned, the EPA said on Friday.

A ConocoPhillips spokesperson was unavailable to comment.

The 168,000 barrel per day refinery in Martinez, California is now owned by Tesoro Petroleum Corp. (TSO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , which sued Tosco last month over contamination of two waste ponds that Tesoro is responsible for cleaning up. Tesoro claims Tosco did not disclose the contamination.

At the same time Tesoro filed the suit against Tosco in California, Tesoro informed the EPA of the possible dumping of oil, contaminated water and separation sludge in the two concrete-lined ponds in 1991, when Tosco owned the refinery, said Mark Merchant, EPA spokesman.

Tesoro purchased the refinery in 2002 for $945 million from Valero Energy Corp. (VLO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , which had taken over Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp., which bought the plant from Tosco in 2000. Phillips Petroleum bought Tosco in 2001 and merged with Conoco in 2002.

At the time Tesoro claims the dumping occurred, throwing the waste in the ponds was not illegal, Merchant said. He did not know what penalties Tosco may face if it is found to have dumped the waste in the ponds.

The study will attempt to determine, if possible, when the dumping occurred and if it was reported to the EPA.

A Tesoro spokesman declined comment about the possible affect of the EPA's order on the company's lawsuit against Tosco.

The EPA is overseeing the cleanup of the refinery grounds under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

http://truthout.org/docs_03/122103L.shtml

§more info

by more info

Tue, Dec 23, 2003 1:20PM

Another agency has joined the investigation of allegations that a former owner of the Golden Eagle refinery withheld evidence of the extent of contamination when it sold the 2,100-acre property east of Martinez.
http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2003/12/22/daily7.html

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