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Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s Assembly Bill (AB) 1646, which will require that a refinery’s risk management plan be available to the public and calls for the creation of a community alert plan, passes the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committe

For immediate release:

AB 1646 part of Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s “California Refinery Jobs and Safety Action Plan,” which includes five Assembly bills to improve public safety at all California refineries

Torrance, CA –The Committee on Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials passed Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s (D-Torrance) Assembly Bill (AB) 1646, which will require that a refinery’s risk management plan be available to the public and calls for the creation and maintenance of a publicly accessible community alert plan, using notifications such as reverse 911, text, email PSAs as is consistent with California’s emergency alert system plan.  It also requires the maintenance of a public alert system including, but not limited to, alarms and sirens to alert the public in case of an emergency.

AB 1646 is part of Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s “California Refinery Jobs and Safety Action Plan,” which includes five Assembly bills to improve public safety at all California refineries.

“The public deserves to know immediately if an accident has happened at the refinery.  The South Bay is a very dense urban area and if an accident like that one occurs again, it could cost many thousands of lives.  Residents need to be alerted so they can seek safety, if necessary,” said Muratsuchi. “This bill will establish guidelines for alerting residents if another unfortunate and potentially dangerous disaster happens again.”

In addition to AB 1646, Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s “California Refinery Jobs and Safety Action Plan” includes the following important Assembly Bills:

  • AB 1645, which will ban the use of Hydrofluoric Acid at California refineries.
  • AB 1647 will require that the refinery install and maintain air quality monitors at both fence-line and in the community, and require that the refinery publicly report the readings from the monitors in real-time.
  • AB 1648 will increase the number of state refinery inspectors at the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal OSHA).  A budget request has been made in conjunction with this bill. 
  • AB 1649 will codify and make permanent the existing Interagency Refinery Task Force created by Governor Jerry Brown.