Skip to main content

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s Assembly Bill (AB) 1649 passes the Assembly Floor

For immediate release:

AB 1649 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 – On Thursday, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s (D-Torrance) Assembly Bill (AB) 1649 passed the Assembly Floor with bipartisan support. The bill will codify and make permanent the existing Interagency Refinery Task Force created by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

The bill is part of the California Refinery Jobs and Safety Action Plan, which includes five Assembly bills that will improve public safety at all California refineries.

“The Torrance Refinery, and all refineries across California, must make public safety their number one priority,” stated Muratsuchi.  “The Governor established a refinery safety task force in the aftermath of the fire at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA that injured numerous workers. But as we’ve seen in Washington, D.C., executive orders can easily be overturned.  By putting this task force in statute, we are ensuring its continuation.”

In addition to AB 1649, Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s “California Refinery Jobs and Safety Action Plan” includes the following important Assembly Bills:

  • AB 1645 will phase out the use of hydrofluoric acid by California refineries. 
  • AB 1646 will require the maintenance of a publicly accessible community alert 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, ways by which the community must be notified, and a number of other community alarms will be included.  
  • AB 1647 will require refineries to install and maintain air quality monitors at the refinery fence line and in the community, and require that the governing air quality agency 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. 

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi represents California’s 66th Assembly District, which includes El Camino Village, Gardena, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, and West Carson.  He serves as Chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace.  Muratsuchi is a member of the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Natural Resources, Utilities and Energy, and Veterans Affairs.