Richmond, CA
Chevron's Richmond Refinery in Richmond, California is the company's second largest refinery and one of the oldest and largest refineries in the United States. It is the single largest stationary source of greenhouse gas emissions in California.
The refinery is now, and has been, in "high priority violation" (HPV) of Clean Air Act compliance standards every year since at least 2006. HPV is the most serious level of violation noted by the EPA. A 2008 Brown University toxics exposure study concluded that the air inside the homes of Richmond residents is more toxic than that outside due to harmful pollutants from the refinery being trapped indoors. Inside levels of particulate matter, which can cause respiratory diseases linked to premature death, in Richmond homes and known to come from oil refining, exceeded both outside levels and California's air quality standards. Levels of other chemicals known to come from oil refineries, including sulfates and vanadium, a heavy metal known to cause cancer and respiratory problems, were also found. Among the 15 most populous counties in California, Contra Costa ranked second in incidence rates for breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. Richmond's rate of hospitalization for female reproductive cancers is more than double the county's overall rate.
More information on Chevron in Richmond, CA can be found in the Alternative Annual Report
