TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Dana Murray, Environmental Programs Manager
George Gabriel, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Request by Mayor Howorth and Mayor Pro Tem Napolitano to Discuss Sending a Letter to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Regarding a Rule Prohibiting Use of Modified Hydrofluoric Acid at the Torrance Refinery (Community Development Director McIntosh).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council discuss and provide direction on sending a letter to the South Coast Air Quality Management District regarding a rule prohibiting use of modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF) at the Torrance Refinery.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
The Torrance Refinery has been in operation under various ownership groups since 1907. The Torrance Refinery covers 750 acres in North Torrance and is located 2.46 miles away from the City of Manhattan Beach. The Refinery is in close proximity to residential and large commercial areas.
The Refinery was recently purchased in July 2016 by PBF Energy (PBF). Prior to that, it was owned by ExxonMobil for 16 years. PBF's website states that, "[PBF] is one of the largest independent petroleum refiners and suppliers of unbranded transportation fuels, heating oil, petrochemical feedstocks, lubricants and other petroleum products in the United States." PBF has more than 600 employees and another 400-500 contractors working on-site daily. The refinery produces approximately 149,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF) is used at the Torrance Refinery as an alkalizing agent in the oil refining process.
Following an explosion at the Refinery in 2015, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board releas...
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