A California environmental group has filed a lawsuit to stop Chevron from performing planned upgrades at its Richmond, Calif., refinery. The advocacy group Communities for a Better Environment alleged the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has ignored recent findings related to carbon emissions in approving construction at the refinery.
This is not the first time environmental groups have attempted to curb Chevron’s plans in Richmond through legal action. City authorities approved the upgrades in 2008, but successful lawsuits have kept those projects on the shelf thus far. The city later renewed Chevron’s construction authority in 2010 and 2012. The newest legal battle stems from a March draft study that revealed the project would emit nearly 1 million tons per year of GHGs. It would not, however, result in a net increase in GHG emissions, the report found.
Chevron is planning to upgrade the refinery so that it can process crudes with higher sulfur content than what it currently handles.
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