Environmental report available on Richmond-Martinez pipeline

By Katherine Tam
West County Times

Posted: 06/16/2009 12:10:05 PM PDT

Updated: 06/16/2009 12:10:06 PM PDT

The draft environmental impact report on Praxair's proposal to build a 21.3-mile hydrogen pipeline from the Chevron Richmond refinery to the Shell refinery in Martinez is now available.

Praxair's pipeline would require building about 13.5 miles of new pipeline; about 7.8 miles of existing pipeline would be reused. The project also calls for construction of a 1.1-mile lateral to the ConocoPhillips refinery in Rodeo and a 2.2-mile natural gas pipeline in North Richmond.

Air quality, water, hazardous materials, noise and traffic are listed among the potentially significant impacts.

The 45-day comment period ends July 13. A public hearing is scheduled at 10 a.m. July 8 in the McBrien Administration Building, Room 107, 651 Pine St. in Martinez. A second public hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. July 8 in the Pinole City Council chambers, 2131 Pear St. in Pinole.

Copies of the draft EIR are at the Richmond Main, Rodeo, Pinole and Pleasant Hill Main libraries. It's also available at Supervisor John Gioia's office at 11780 San Pablo Ave., Suite D, in El Cerrito and Supervisor Gayle Uilkema's office in the McBrien Administration Building's Room 108A in Martinez.

The EIR can also be viewed online at www.cocoplans.org.

Reach Katherine Tam at 510-262-2787 or ktam@bayareanewsgroup.com.