A Bay Area company that supplies chemical products connected to the Chevron Richmond Refinery has been fined $160,000 for committing multiple air quality violations during a 10-year period, authorities said Wednesday.
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The violations by Chemtrade West US came at its sulfuric acid manufacturing plant in Richmond, the Bay Area Air District said in a statement announcing the fines. The Richmond plant is connected to the Chevron Richmond refinery.
Chemtrade supplies various chemical products for the refinery industry. Sulfuric acid is a byproduct of refining crude oil.
Messages left with the company at its Richmond office and with its corporate headquarters in Toronto, Canada, were not returned immediately.
“The Air District is committed to holding facilities accountable in communities like Richmond, where residents historically have faced disproportionate air pollution,” Dr. Meredith Bauer said in a statement. Bauer is the deputy executive officer of engineering and compliance at the Air District.
The penalty came from violations that occurred between 2013 and 2023, according to the Air District. They said the violations included the failure of the company to monitor and record pressure across its venturi scrubber, an emergency abatement device; failure to abate internal combustion engine emissions; and the late reporting of violations.
“This penalty holds Chemtrade accountable for violations that caused excessive emissions, while reinforcing our commitment to deliver cleaner air and healthier communities in Richmond and throughout the Bay Area,” Bauer said.
The Air District said Chemtrade West has corrected the violations. They added that the money paid by the fine will support local products within the community that are aimed at reducing pollution.