The Richmond, Calif., City Council on Tuesday approved Chevron’s $1 billion plan to upgrade its Richmond refinery, at last pushing forward a project that has been in limbo for nearly a decade. Via the San Francisco Chronicle, the modernization plan won a unanimous vote from the city council, though the mayor and vice mayor abstained. Chevron made concessions in the days leading up to the city council vote, agreeing to stricter limits on greenhouse gas emissions and vowing to spend $60 million on local job training programs, college scholarships and grants to non-profit groups.
The project will enable the Richmond refinery to process crude oil with relatively high sulfur content. The refinery was the site of a major process unit fire in 2012.
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