Focus
California energy regulators pause efforts to penalize oil companies for high profits
Associated Press – August 29
California energy regulators last Friday postponed plans to impose penalties on oil companies for excessive profits. The California Energy Commission’s postponement of this determination until 2030 comes after two oil refineries accounting for roughly 18% of the state’s refining capacity announced their plans to close in the coming months. Governor Newsom’s office thanked the commission for voting to postpone implementing a penalty, saying it was a “prudent step” toward stabilizing the oil market. The commission still plans to set rules that would require oil refineries to keep a minimum level of fuel on hand to avoid shortages when refineries go offline for maintenance.
News
California senators considering bill to shift regulation of scrap metal recyclers to the state
U.S. News & World Report – August 28
A proposed bill under consideration in the California Senate aims to standardize the permitting of scrap metal recycling facilities and set clearer guidelines around their hazardous by-products. Proponents say SB 404, introduced by State Senator Anna Caballero and supported by the California Metal Recyclers Coalition, will create a clear framework for these facilities to operate; opponents say the bill’s redefinition of hazardous waste could lead to greater environmental harm. The bill would shift regulatory oversight from local authorities to the state and provide that “metal shredder aggregate” — the mixture of shredded metallic and nonmetallic materials produced by the shredding process — is not considered hazardous waste. It would also establish that any recyclers that comply with state permitting requirements would not be considered “hazardous waste facilities.”
IID backs California’s Delta Conveyance Project, citing relief for Colorado River
Calexico Chronicle – September 3
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to endorse California’s Delta Conveyance Project, with IID managers and directors noting that the plan could strengthen the State Water Project and reduce pressure on the drought-stricken Colorado River. The move is notable because Imperial County does not receive State Water Project water, relying entirely on the Colorado River. IID said the endorsement underscores how the state’s two major water systems are linked, and that improving reliability in one benefits the other.
Chemical company that supplies Chevron Richmond Refinery fined for air violations
East Bay Times – September 3
The Bay Area Air District announced on Wednesday that it fined Chemtrade West US $160,000 for air quality violations between 2013 and 2023 at its sulfuric acid manufacturing plant in Richmond, which is connected to the Chevron Richmond Refinery. According to the Air District, violations included failing to monitor and record pressure across its emergency abatement device, failing to abate internal combustion engine emissions, and late reporting of violations. The Air District said Chemtrade West has corrected the violations.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 9 months to determine if San Francisco Estuary white sturgeon is threatened
Courthouse News Service - September 3
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to complete a delayed assessment of whether the San Francisco Estuary local population of white sturgeon should be listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), unpersuaded by the agency’s arguments that it would need another four years to complete the finding because of a backlog of pending petitions and staffing shortages from layoffs and a hiring freeze. The court stated in part that “any reduction in force is within the control of the defendants named in this case, who include the Secretary of the Interior, and who are obligated by law to comply with the ESA’s statutory deadlines.”
EPA withdraws proposed rule to further limit slaughterhouse wastewater effluent
Food Processing – September 4
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing a proposed rule that would have implemented stricter wastewater effluent standards for slaughterhouse facilities across the country. The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register in January 2024, included options for stricter effluent limits on total nitrogen, new effluent limits on total phosphorus, and updated limitations on other pollutants. Following consideration of public comments on the proposed rule, the EPA determined that it was not appropriate at this point “given Administration priorities and policy concerns, including protecting food supply and mitigating inflationary prices.”
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