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Martinez Oil Refinery Belches Half-Ton of Sulphur Dioxide into Atmosphere

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A Martinez oil refinery operated by Martinez Refining Co. was the host of a major fire last weekend that left six injured.

Saturday’s blaze at the Martinez oil refinery belched over half a ton of sulphur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere. The noxious fumes triggered a Level 2 Hazmat alert that progressed to Level 3. Residents nearby received warnings to seal doors and windows as they shelter in place until further notice. “Inhaling sulfur dioxide causes irritation to the nose, eyes, throat, and lungs,” says the CDC. “Symptoms include sore throat, runny nose, burning eyes, and cough. Inhaling high levels can cause swollen lungs and difficulty breathing. Skin contact with SO2 vapor can cause irritation or burns.” At high enough concentrations, the gas can prove lethal. 

The fire broke out around 1:47 PM, officials told the Chronicle. Two workers uncovered an active hydrocarbon leak and evacuated moments before the jetting fumes caught fire and exploded. 

A fiery past

The explosion was so powerful, people nearby thought, ‘earthquake.’ It’s a miracle nobody died. Had the smoke risen in clear weather, one might suspect another plane crash. Billowing smoke towered over the inland East Bay, a menacing sight for drivers coming off the Carquinez Bridge. The poisonous plume drifted up the Strait, choking the skies over Martinez, Pacheco and Clyde. Teresa Heiderick, who has lived less than a block away from the refinery for decades, called the blaze “catastrophic,” the “worst I’ve ever seen.” 

This Martinez oil refinery has seen a couple fires over the years. In September 1989, one month before the Loma Prieta earthquake, a huge explosion rocked the facility, wounding two workers. Neighboring residents believed it was an earthquake. In 1989, the refinery went by the name of its parent oil company, Shell. In November 2022, the refinery sprinkled a strange, ashy powder onto surrounding homes, grasslands and waterways. A city-adjacent third party toxicologist said the heavy metals therein did not pose a public health hazard. 

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The smoking refinery

The Martinez oil refinery under scrutiny might not be the one you’re thinking of. The Carquinez Strait has oil refineries sprouted on either shore. Martinez Refining Co., site of this most recent conflagration, operates this plant, but the facility is owned by PBF Energy. New Jersey-based PBF Energy purchased the plant from MRC’s parent company Shell in 2018. Though its record isn’t spotless (1988 oil spill), compared to the refinery down the road, MRC runs a tight ship. 

The Marathon Martinez Renewable Fuels Facility in unincorporated Avon, California, is just east of Martinez. That facility initially operated under Tidewater Petroleum before Tosco acquired it in 1976. A massive explosion hit in 1997, when the facility operated under the title “Tosco Refinery Co.” Reverberations were felt over twenty miles away. One worker died and 24 others sustained injuries, some critical. 

The deadliest incident to date came in 1999. Plant workers were conducting repairs near a pipe carrying naphtha, a volatile chemical solution made from gasoline and kerosene, ruptured. The ensuing detonation claimed four lives and dealt 46 injuries. Naphtha is so easily combustible, to burst into flame, all it has to do is spill onto a heated surface. 

Tesoro Petroleum assumed control of the fuel processing facility in 2002. Eight years later, thick black smoke erupted from Tesoro’s shoreline acquisition, prompting a similar Level 3 alert. That incident, triggered by a catastrophic network failure between the plant and PG&E, did not result in casualties. A similar pollution event happened in 2015, three years before Tesoro foisted their lemon onto current owner Marathon Petroleum.

Before Saturday, the last Martinez oil refinery to cause this much trouble was Marathon’s plant, yet again. November 2023 saw two conflagrations, one on the 11th, another on Nov. 19. 

Creative commons. Image by Jose R. Rodriguez. Cropped and clipped. Original caption: “Imagen tomada desde la Calle Oeste #1 de Judibana, al borde de la zona de seguridad.”

What is the future of a Martinez oil refinery?

In an effort to pass off other fossil fuels as renewable energy (see: electric cars), the Marathon plant is switching their focus to biodiesel engineering. Martinez Refining Co. on the other hand continues to refine gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Clean energy and renewable resources have yet to capture a venture capitalist’s cold, shrivelled heart. It seems there’s too much money to be made in destroying the world. Meanwhile the gusts funnelling through the Carquinez Strait promise to power dozens of wind farms, if they existed. 

The best invention any traditional fuel processing plant can give us is truly sustainable, widely applicable (i.e. aviation) biofuel. Until an alternative to fossil fuels emerges, one so perfect that Big Oil CEOs start dropping all over, it’s petroleum or bust. We’ll see how Trump’s deregulatory rampage affects the oil industry. Either way, the future is on fire. 

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Jake Warren

Jake Warren

Gay nonfiction writer and pragmatic editor belonging to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Service industry veteran, incurable night owl, aspiring professor.