Planners weigh new restrictions on Chevron to ease concerns about equipment upgrade

By Katherine Tam

 Richmond city officials slammed a restriction on the crude the Chevron refinery can process if it upgrades its equipment, a major provision that they say will ease public concerns over increased pollution and health risks.

The city's five-member Planning Commission made the decision around 12:15 a.m. Friday after more than five hours of public testimony and deliberation.

"Let's try something a bit groundbreaking and see if it flies," Commissioner Charles Duncan said. "The health of the community is at stake."

(06-06) 11:54 PDT Richmond - -- Richmond's Planning Commission agreed early Friday to limit the amount of a new type of crude oil that Chevron can process at its refinery in the city, a decision that drew cheers from environmental groups concerned that a planned expansion of the plant would increase air pollution.

Chevron wants to expand its 3,000-acre refinery on Richmond's waterfront to add a new power plant and crude oil refining facility. The material processed at the new facility would have higher contents of sulfur and other impurities, city officials said.

The commission also approved an environmental impact report for the project, a move that a Chevron spokesman described as significant.

RICHMOND, Calif.—Richmond officials have approved new restrictions on the amount and type of crude oil Chevron Corp. can process at its Bay Area refinery.

Richmond's Planning Commission voted 3-2 Friday for a "comprehensive crude cap" as part of Chevron's proposed expansion of its waterfront oil refinery. Commissioners will meet later this month to discuss details of the cap.

Environmental groups had called for the restrictions to stop Chevron from processing dirtier crude oil that could increase air pollution and harm the health of residents who live near the refinery.

Chevron officials say the modernization project will reduce pollution and won't increase greenhouse gas emissions.

By Vanessa Carr

If green is the new black, eco-populism is the new environmentalism

Michelle Chen

Angela Greene has a tough job: she and her workcrew scale the rooftops of Richmond, California to run wires, lay racks, and bend metal piping. Yet in the end, when she unfurls a gleaming solar panel over her community, it feels easy to save the planet.

After being laid off from her former job at a printing business, Greene went through a vocational training program and then joined Solar Richmond, an organization that is bringing sustainable energy along with new jobs to the heavily black and Latino port city.

Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco -- Thousands of Bay Area businesses - from boutique hotels to mammoth oil refineries - are poised to pay some of the nation's first fees tied to greenhouse gas emissions under a plan proposed by regional air pollution regulators.

By Brad Breithaupt

SustainLane has ranked the largest 50 U.S. cities based on recent city commute practices, metro area public transportation, sprawl, traffic congestion, local food and wireless network access (in order of importance: see chart). There are many other areas that rising oil prices will affect: construction, retail goods of all types, utilities (especially in the Northeast, the one part of the nation where heating oil is used)—virtually every aspect of our economy will be hit.

By  Preeti Mangala Shekar and Tram Nguyen

By Katherine Tam

Richmond city leaders are trying to extract a promise from Chevron to funnel millions of dollars into job training, public safety and other local services, an agreement unlike any other the city has secured.