Chunk Of $27M Tesoro Settlement Should Stay Local, Officials Say

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — At least 40 percent of $27.5 million in settlement funds from the Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company for violations at its Martinez refinery should be used for local health initiatives, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair John Gioia wrote Friday in a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The DOJ and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — EPA — assessed the $27.5 million penalty in April after Tesoro violated a previous court order requiring it to reduce air pollution at its local petroleum refinery. According to the settlement, Tesoro failed to limit air emissions of nitrogen oxides, a pollutant that contributes to smog and particulate matter.

"Front-line communities near the refinery are disproportionately impacted by many sources of air pollution and deserve to receive greater benefits from the assessed penalty," Supervisor Gioia said. "Our proposed plan will not only help reduce the health inequities caused by this pollution but will also help build resilience to the disproportionately greater impacts that climate change is having on these vulnerable populations."

The Air District has worked closely with Contra Costa Health to reduce health inequities for residents who are especially vulnerable to air pollution, according to Philip Fine, executive officer of the Air District.

"Our joint proposal to the U.S. EPA and Department of Justice would make a significant difference in improving the health outcomes for residents impacted by this pollution— these residents should benefit from providing at least 40 percent of the penalty funds for much-needed health and air quality improvement initiatives," Fine said.

Here is a list of joint funding proposals supported by both Contra Costa County and the Air District:

Patch sent a request for comment to Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Tesoro's parent company, regarding these requests and will update this post if we hear back.

RELATED: Tesoro To Pay $27.5M For Violating Court Order At Martinez Refinery

In April when the DOJ and EPA announced the penalty, Marathon sent this comment to Patch: "Marathon has a demonstrated history of continually improving our environmental performance across our operations, and we are committed to protecting the environment we all share. The origins of this matter predate Marathon Petroleum Corporation's acquisition of the Martinez refinery, and we are glad to have resolved this matter with the U.S. government."