The following is from the KQED website. “This Week in Northern California” discussed the Richmond Chevron decision last Friday, July 18, and it can be seen on the “on demand” feature of cable subscribers. The discussion was not sympathetic to the action taken by the City Council.
Rage Over Richmond Refinery
At 2:30am Thursday morning, after two long nights of heated public comment and debate, the Richmond City Council voted five to four to approve Chevron’s controversial plan to upgrade and expand its oil refinery in Richmond. The agreement includes a $61 Million offer from Chevron to the city for environmental, education, health and safety programs. Supporters of the plan claim the expansion will provide badly needed jobs for the community, while critics say the oil giant is planning to refine dirtier crude oil that will increase pollution in nearby neighborhoods, which already suffer from extremely high rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases. The City Council had previously proposed that Chevron be required to limit the amount of crude oil processed at the refinery, but eliminated that stipulation from the final agreement. With: Brian Edwards-Tiekert.
Airdate: 7-18-08 Additional Resources
Ruling Reversed For Chevron. No Cap On Types Of Crude Oil At Refinery Christopher Heredia, San Francisco Chronicle Richmond Council Approves Chevron Upgrade Project Katherine Tam, West County Times Lively Meeting Expected On Chevron Expansion Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle