Update on our
AB 617 CERP
Progress
Jeff Kilbreth & Marisol Cantu
Agenda
AB 617 Update
• Five Reasons AB 617 is a Big Deal
• Some background on AB 617 and our pollution
• Types of Strategies
• Timeline
• Examples of Ways the City Council can help
May 23, 2023 2
Five Reasons AB 617 is a Big Deal
AB 617 Update
1. A groundbreaking focus on improving public health
in California’s most polluted communities
2. Our pollution has long been under-estimated and is
seriously affecting our public health
• asthma, diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, low birth weights, cardiovascular problems, Parkinson's
• cognitive development, child behavior problems, adult mental health, Alzheimer's
3. The scope of the effort (and so far, the funding)
4. Community engagement and priority-setting
5. Improved data and regulatory accountability
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Some basic background
AB 617 Update
• CERP stands for Community Emissions Reduction
Program (or Plan)
• There is also a Community Air Monitoring Plan
• Our CERP Area covers over 160,000 people in Richmond, North Richmond & San Pablo
• Along with West Oakland, we are one of the first two
communities selected in the Bay Area and one of 17 state- wide
• We have an opportunity to lead the way for all refinery communities in the state
• We are different from West Oakland because their pollution is dominated by trucks and ships (both regulated by CARB) and ours’s is dominated by the biggest refinery in the state (regulated by BAAQMD)
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For Toxic Air,
oil refineries
are the
worst….
AB 617 Update
May 23, 2023 5
Over 75%
of our
census
tracts are
in the
state’s top
10% for
Asthma
AB 617 Update
May 23, 2023 6
Most Health-damaging Emissions
(with Chevron’s Contribution)
Criteria Air Pollutants
• PM 2.5 (61%)
• NOx (35%)
• SOx (88%)
Toxic Air Contaminants
• Nickel (70%)
• Manganese (77%)
• Benzene (13%)
• Sulfuric Acid (100%)
• DPM (24%)
• Formaldehyde (37%)
• Acrolein (28%)
• Arsenic (80%)
• Hydrogen Cyanide (100%)
• Hydrochloric Acid (96%)
• 1, 3-butadiene (3%)
• Cadmium (78%
• Naphthalene (75%)
• Hexavalent Chromium (93%)
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Many strategies will be needed, including
• Better emission, exposure & health risk
data
• Better health impact data
• Exposure mitigation programs
• Local land use regulation
• Urban Greening
• Community involvement
• Legislative initiatives
• Stronger regulation of emissions
• More effective penalties & enforcement
• More accountability for major sources
• More accountability for BAAQMD
• More accountability for CARB
• Better help for major project reviews
• Better monitoring of emission spikes &
flaring events with better alerts
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Timeline
Summer/Fall
2023
Community
Engagement &
Education
Review &
Finalization of
Strategies
Q1 2024
BAAQMD
Board Review
& Approval
Q2 2024
CARB Review &
Approval
Initial Funding of
Implementation
2025
1st year goals
2030
5-year goals
AB 617 Update May 23, 2023 9
Examples of where the City Council can help
Drive Accountability
• Annual Meeting with reports from BAAQMD
management on violations issued, fines levied &
health damaging emissions reduced
• Annual Meeting with reports from refinery
management on emission and flaring event
reductions achieved and plans for next year
• Permit condition or ordinance required
• County ISO not the right vehicle
• Demand that the AG’s Office and the Legislature
look at export limits.
• If domestic usage of gas and jet fuel declines,
shouldn’t reduced pollution for us be protected?
Increase Engagement
• Review our CERP and comment formally to BAAQMD’s
senior management next fall
• Encourage CC Health Services to expand its public
health programs (education and mitigation)
• Find out how much toxic emissions went up after the
Modernization Project went online & discuss with
Chevron management
• Insist on getting the support you need in reviewing
major proposed projects like the hydrogen projects
• Support important legislation
• AB 1465 (Wicks) that will triple fines for refinery
violations
• SB 674 (Gonzalez) that will triple the number of
pollutants monitored on refinery fencelines
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