Bay Area air quality officials have fined a Pacheco refinery nearly $375,000 after saying inspections of the facility uncovered 13 safety violations.
The Bay Area Air District leveled its $372,500 fine on the Marathon Martinez Refinery, which has its headquarters on Solano Avenue in Pacheco. The district said the violations were related to the refinery’s tanks, uncertified pieces of equipment at its on-site gas dispensing facility, and how the refinery reported delays.
“Communities near refineries like Marathon Martinez Refinery deserve transparency and accountability when air quality violations occur,” Air District executive officer Dr. Philip Fine said. “The penalty is part of our continued effort to hold polluters accountable and ensure that violations are addressed quickly and transparently.”
The refinery is also referred to as the Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery. It is operated by Marathon subsidiary Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company, LLC.
Air quality officials fined the same refinery $5 million in October 2024 following what the district said was 59 air-quality violations from 2018 to 2022. That fine was the second-largest the district ever assessed.
Messages left with the refinery in Martinez on Wednesday and the Tesoro headquarters were not returned immediately.
The refinery is not where a leak led to an explosion and massive fire that prompted a shelter-in-place for Pacheco and Martinez residents in May.
The air district said the Marathon refinery has corrected the violations and that those corrections will cause fewer excess emissions by the refinery. The funds from the fines are used to support projects that are aimed at reducing pollution and improving basic health.
Rick Hurd
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