Los Angeles, CA — On October 2, a massive explosion at Chevron’s El Segundo oil refinery shocked South Bay residents, with the resulting fireball and flare visible for miles. Petroleum refineries are inherently dangerous facilities that regularly release toxic air contaminants into surrounding communities that are linked to serious health threats. Neighbors, like those around Chevron’s El Segundo refinery, live with the constant fear of explosions and fires, like the one that occurred late Thursday night.
The explosion shook the homes of neighbors near the facility, and despite the fact that flames raged overhead, it took the South Coast Air Quality Management District an hour to send nearby residents any information about what had happened. Eventually, the agency emailed nearby residents seriously downplaying the situation by calling it an “unplanned flaring event.”
This refinery disaster comes on the heels of a legislative session increasingly overshadowed by concerns about planned refinery shutdowns across California. That session culminated with Governor Newsom signing SB 237 — a move that environmental and climate advocates broadly condemned as a reckless concession to oil-industry pressure. SB 237 will result in thousands of new oil wells every year that will continue to expose Californians to the toxic pollution and dangers of oil infrastructure.
Last Chance Alliance members offered the following quotes in response to the El Segundo refinery fire:
“We’re very glad Chevron’s refinery workers are reportedly safe and without injuries. The workers also always strive to keep neighbors safe. We don’t yet know what sparked last night’s explosion, but we do know that California’s oil refiners have been repeatedly found by the State and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to neglect upkeep and skimp on maintenance. The deeper problem is the inherent danger of oil refining — processing thousands of barrels a day of explosive, flammable, toxic materials, with most of California’s refineries over 100 years old. We need a serious plan for gradual phaseout of this antiquated, dirty energy, through a Just Transition Plan for the community and workers, consumers, and the planet,” said Julia May, Senior Scientist with CBE
“Last night’s fire is another painful reminder that California families — especially in frontline communities — are paying the price for Big Oil’s recklessness. While families are closing their windows and doors and worrying about toxic exposure, Governor Newsom is handing out deals to oil companies that reward them for their negligence,” said Seng So, Organizing Director with Asian Pacific Environmental Network.
“Time and again, I see patients living near pumpjacks and in the shadow of the refineries struggling to breathe. My patients with asthma and COPD struggle to breathe simply for daring to spend time outside their own homes—homes that sit beside active oil wells. Los Angeles’ most vulnerable residents are paying for the oil industry’s “business as usual” with their health. Last night’s incident is yet another painful reminder of the burdens these communities are forced to endure. Families deserve better—health is not optional,” said Lorenzo González, MD, MPL., Health Professional Ambassador for Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles
“It is not safe for our communities to live next door to the Chevron refineries. As a lifelong community member of Richmond, CA, we know too well what a refinery explosion does to our community, and we are in complete solidarity with the community of El Segundo,” said Lazuli Trujano, Richmond Community Organizer with Communities for a Better Environment. “When the Richmond Chevron refinery exploded in 2012, it sent more than 14,000 workers and community members to local hospitals. This is not okay, and we must put a stop to the harms that Chevron causes to our frontline communities.”
“This massive fireball shows how dangerous aging, fire-prone fossil fuel infrastructure is to our communities,” said Christina Scaringe, California Climate Policy Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s outrageous that our state legislature just rammed through a bill aiming to prop up refineries that pose clear dangers to Californians. This explosion is one more reminder of how urgently we need our leaders to speed the transition to clean energy to protect people and the planet.”
“As long as fossil fuel infrastructure is near our schools, homes, transit hubs and communities, we will constantly be at risk of explosions, fires, and deadly pollution, like what happened last night,” said Food & Water Watch Southern California Senior Organizer Andrea Vega. There is no other way to say it, this infrastructure is dangerous. And while the fossil fuel industry is putting us and our families and neighbors at risk, our state leaders and Governor Newsom spent the last session conceding to Big Oil’s demands and cozying up to the industry, including pushing to use state funds to pay Valero to keep its Benicia refinery open, tipping the scales in favor of dirty industry. We need a rapid transition to safe, sustainable renewable energy now, not to keep entrenching these facilities in our communities.”
“The explosion at the Chevron refinery last night is yet another example of the tragic and predictable consequences that will continue as Governor Newsom increases reliance on fossil fuel infrastructure across California,” said Gabriela Facio, Sierra Club California Senior Policy Strategist. “The threat that oil and gas refineries pose to frontline communities is not abstract. The longer our state relies on dangerous, explosive fuels, the greater the damage will be to our environment and public health. Bills like SB 237 that roll back environmental protections are the exact kind of policies that put Californians at an even higher risk of disasters like this. It’s past time for Governor Newsom and the legislature to take serious and immediate steps to reduce California’s investment in fossil fuels and transition our economy to clean, renewable energy sources, and it’s disappointing to see the state move away from its climate and public health goals. This decision will have devastating impacts for decades to come. We can’t allow refinery explosions to become the norm.”
“Our supporters and neighbors of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve – in Playa del Rey and other local communities are regularly concerned about possible explosions at the fossil gas storage facility here (a facility similar to that at Aliso Canyon). So to feel and watch the explosion just across the border from Los Angeles/Playa del Rey— they were extra horrified to see this massive fire. We are calling for a full independent investigation, not just the internal one promised by Chevron,” said Marcia Hanscom, Community Organizer for Defend Ballona Wetlands.
