Working to ensure the well-being of workers and the community
Torrance - Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) today announced the introduction of a package of bills and budget requests to increase safety at the refinery in Torrance. Two years ago, an explosion at the Torrance refinery injured four workers and damaged equipment, forcing a shutdown of the refinery and raising the concerns of residents living in the surrounding area. Last fall, Muratsuchi worked with community stakeholders to develop a six-point plan to improve safety at the Torrance refinery.
“The Torrance Refinery must prioritize public safety over profits,” stated Assemblymember Muratsuchi. “When the refinery exploded two years ago, my family and I lived just a few miles away. To protect our community, I am introducing legislation designed to carry out my six-point refinery safety plan. I will commit to working with the refinery, their workers, and the City of Torrance to protect jobs while fighting for a safer refinery and a safer South Bay.”
Specifically, the bills would:
- AB 1645 will be the vehicle to address a ban on the use of Hydrofluoric Acid at refineries.
- AB 1646 will require a refinery to maintain a publicly accessible risk management plan which includes notification to residents for emergencies (reverse 911, text, email, PSAs, etc.) and public alerts (alarms, sirens, etc.). How far that notification has to be heard, methods by which people must be notified, and a number of other community alarms will be included.
- AB 1647 will require that the refinery install and maintain air quality monitors at both fence-line and in the community; require that the refinery publicly report the readings from the monitors in real-time.
- AB 1648 will increase the number of refinery inspectors at Cal-OSHA. A budget request will be made in conjunction with this bill.
- AB 1649 will codify the existing Refinery Task Force created by the Governor to ensure that, after Governor Brown leaves office in 2018, the Task Force will continue.
The bills are expected to be heard in various Assembly policy committees in the spring.
In addition, Assemblymember Muratsuchi will join with members of Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA), Families Lobbying Against Refinery Exposure (FLARE), and the community tomorrow for a family friendly rally to commemorate the second anniversary of the explosion at the Torrance refinery. The rally will take place tomorrow, February 18th at 10:00 a.m. at Columbia Park, NW corner of W 190th St. and Prairie Ave.
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