Bottom line: CVX wanted to refurbish an old refinery in Richmond, California, a couple of years back. Environmentalists sued. CVX stopped plans. Now city leaders cry, "we never intended to kill the project.
Chevron's stalled plan to retrofit its Richmond refinery could be revived, more than a year after a bitter legal battle with environmentalists brought construction to a standstill.With EPA threats to tighten regulation of greenhouse gases emitted by refineries, and oil over $105, CVX may not be really, really interested in going back to the table any time soon.
City leaders are encouraging the oil company to apply for a new permit or an amended one this year to jump-start the project. The opponents wanted guarantees that pollution won't soar, but no one wanted the project to die, officials said.
"Cleaning up old refinery equipment, providing jobs and making the refinery more efficient and safer has been a common goal all along," Vice Mayor Tom Butt said. "There's really been no change in the ultimate objective."
The City Council last week unanimously approved a resolution encouraging Chevron to resubmit its plan, with Councilman Nat Bates absent. City Manager Bill Lindsay is expected to meet with Chevron to develop a permit process and timeline.
Comment: why doesn't Richmond put up some wind turbines? We all know that if CVX / city come to agreement, the environmentalists will bring suit again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This is not rocket science. This is California.
