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document September 17, 2021

California Superior Court ruling on San Joaquin exemption to refinery regulations

The CA Superior Court ruled that San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (Valley Air)’s loopholes exempting petroleum refineries from monitoring their toxic emissions are unlawful and ordered the air district to remove these exemptions.

document February 29, 2016

Motion to Intervene Refinery Sector Risk Review and New Source Performance Standards

Earthjustice filed a motion to intervene to help defend the new refinery standards against attacks by the oil industry.

Hilton Kelley holds an image of an oil refinery "flaring" near a community playground in Port Arthur, Texas.
(Matt Roth for Earthjustice)
Press Release February 29, 2016

Community Groups Intervene to Defend Air Pollution Controls on Oil Refineries

Broad coalition will oppose attack by the oil industry on 2015 standards

document February 1, 2016

Petition for Reconsideration to EPA of New Final Rule for Petroleum Refinery Sector Risk and Technology Review and New Source Performance Standards

Community and Environmental Groups petition the Environmental Protection Agency for reconsideration of pollution exceptions in the Final National Air Standards for Oil Refineries.

The Motiva Refinery spews cancer-causing air pollution over homes in Port Aurthur, Texas due to a malfunction in April 2013. (Hilton Kelley)
Press Release February 1, 2016

Community and Environmental Groups Sue the EPA to Remove Refineries' “Free Pass to Pollute”

Petition and lawsuit urge EPA to strengthen protections from cancer-causing air pollution

Article November 6, 2015

5 puntos a conocer sobre la nueva ley de la EPA para las refinerías de petróleo

Un estándar actualizado de la Ley de Aire Limpio que disminuirá la carga tóxica sobre los vecindarios cerca de las refinerías de petróleo.

The EPA’s updated standard for oil refineries requires fenceline monitoring in nearby communities.
(pidjoe/iStock Photo)
Article November 6, 2015

5 Things to Know About the EPA’s New Rule for Oil Refineries

The EPA’s updated standard for oil refineries requires fenceline monitoring in nearby communities, reducing cancer risks from toxic emissions like benzene for more than 1.4 million people.

An oil refinery looms over the west side of Port Arthur, TX.
(Eric Kayne for Earthjustice)
Press Release: Victory September 29, 2015

Community and Environmental Groups Herald Improvements in New Oil Refinery Pollution Standards

All U.S. refineries must measure benzene in communities for the first time

The Refinery Healing Walk is an opportunity to bring people together to combat air pollution issues.
(Rebekah Olstad)
Article June 19, 2015

Quiet Contemplation: Refinery Healing Walks Seek to Bring Communities Together

This weekend people will come together for a Refinery Corridor Healing Walk to raise awareness to the dangers that refineries pose to surrounding communities.

document March 16, 2015

Technical Comment Letter on Refinery Air Toxics Rule

Groups file technical comments to strengthen EPA proposed Refinery Air Toxics Rule.

document March 16, 2015

Living in the Shadow of Oil Refineries: Community Impact Report

This addendum to the technical comments submitted to EPA highlights numerous communities that are overburdened by toxic air emission from oil refineries.

document October 27, 2014

Community Comment Letter on Refinery Air Toxics Rule

Community, Health and Environmental groups ask the Environmental Protection Agency to protect fenceline communites from toxic air pollution from oil refineries.

The ConocoPhillips oil refinery in Wilmington, California.
(Photo courtesy of Jesse Marquez)
Press Release October 27, 2014

Communities Call for Stronger Protection from Oil Refineries’ Air Pollution; EPA’s Public Comment Period Ending

More than 275,000 comments submitted from communities across the nation

feature October 21, 2014

Map: Oil Refineries in the United States

Everyone has the right to breathe clean air—and that right is being denied to millions of Americans living in the shadows of nearly 150 oil refineries across the United States. Are you one of 7 million at risk? Find the oil refinery near you.

Children in the danger zone in Wilmington, CA, walk near a Conoco Phillips oil refinery. (Photo provided by Jesse Marquez)
Article October 6, 2014

Could Your Child be in Danger From a Refinery or Chemical Disaster While At School?

Could your child be in danger from a refinery or chemical disaster while at school? Find out: New interactive map and report from Center for Effective Government.

Overburdened communities in Louisiana traveled to Houston to tell EPA the impact oil refineries have on their health and their lives.
(Photo by Deep South Center for Enviornmental Justice)
Article August 26, 2014

Louisiana Residents Travel to Texas to Ask for Strong Protections from Big Oil

After years of dealing with toxic air pollution seeping into their neighborhoods and homes, residents from all over Louisiana took a bus to Houston to tell EPA their toxic tales. Mary Williams of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice explains why they made the journey.

Article August 21, 2014

Communities Near Oil Refineries Must Demand Cleaner Air

Each year, the nation’s nearly 150 oil refineries operating in 32 states emit thousands of tons of hazardous air pollutants, including substances that cause cancer.

Marathon Oil resides in southwest Detroit, the dirtiest zip code in Michigan and third dirtiest in the country.
(ddatch54 / Flickr)
Article August 11, 2014

The Need to Fight for Michigan’s Dirtiest Zip Code

On April 27, 2013, thick, black smoke rose high above southwest Detroit from the flames at a nearby industrial facility. Three thousand residents were then ordered to leave their homes and evacuate the area. These residents are no stranger to poor air quality as their neighbors include a coal-fired power plant, a car factory, a water waste management plant, and the Marathon Ashland Petroleum oil refinery, one of 150 oil refineries in the country.