County Conducts Unannounced Inspection At Martinez Refining Company

MARTINEZ, CA — Contra Costa Health launched an unannounced inspection Tuesday at Martinez Refining Company —owned and operated by PBF Energy, Inc. (PBF) — to request records and observe its operation with a focus on safety programs, reliability of equipment and to follow up regarding several recent accidents, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.

In the wake of recent chemical releases and other incidents at the facility on Pacheo Boulevard, the county's industrial safety ordinance requires PBF to allow inspectors onsite and give them full access to both the site and company records.

Around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, four members of Contra Costa Health's hazardous materials team as well as personnel with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District went to the front gate and were escorted inside the facility, Contra Costa Health Deputy Director Matthew Kauffman said during a media briefing Tuesday afternoon.

"Depending on what we find, it is safe to say the inspection is expected to take days," Kauffman said.

With 21 documented releases or spills of hazardous materials this year at PBF and flares at a rate of nearly one per week throughout the year, these are not normal frequencies, Kauffman said.

During the inspection, the county plans to review records about deferred maintenance of equipment at the site; programs and training relating to workplace safety among the refinery's 700 employees; and policies and procedures related to emergency response and community notification during accidental releases— including spent catalyst release over Thanksgiving 2022 and most recently, a sulfur release on Dec. 15.

The inspection will also focus on whether the records match what PBF has reported, Kauffman said.

"We have serious concerns about the frequency and severity of incidents at this refinery," Kauffman said. "Multiple times we have received reports from PBG that did not match what was on the ground."

For instance, the county found evidence that a fire reported Dec. 17 by PBF as a "grass fire" was caused when liquid hydrocarbon spilled out during flaring and ignited the surrounding vegetation, Kauffman told reporters.

"The facility told us it was a grass fire, however, it was flaring that resulted in a grass fire," he said.

Patch was not immediately able to reach refinery representatives Tuesday afternoon for comment.

As PBF states on its website, the refinery was built in 1915, and "as the first continuously running refinery in the United States, the Martinez [refinery] is considered the 'birthplace of the modern refining process.'" It also claims to be one of the largest employers in Contra Costa County.

The county's inspection is considered a "deep dive into the reliability of the refinery in general," Kauffman said. "We want to look at maintenance records and whether it is being maintained in a way that is reliable and does not affect our community."

In addition to the unannounced inspection that got underway Tuesday, Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover, whose district includes the refinery, will visit the facility Thursday with County Supervisor John Gioia to meet with PBF’s corporate leadership to discuss their concerns about how the refinery operates.

"Repeated commitments to the community and to regulators to improve the culture of safety at PBF have not resulted in improvement," Glover said. "We intend to hold PBF accountable for making the necessary investments to become a better neighbor."

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