Continued flaring at Martinez refineries prompts town hall meeting hosted by East Bay congressman

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- There are new developments on Monday in the long-running series of issues with oil refineries in the city of Martinez.

Neighbors, health inspectors and county leaders have all called for a deeper look into the potentially dangerous impacts for the city.

A concerned crowd packed a school gymnasium in Martinez Monday night.

The event hosted by East Bay Congressman Mark DeSaulnier

The topic of discussion?

The area's refineries and the effect their numerous flaring and other chemical release events are having on public health.

"We're not having it anymore. We want to know what is going on at the refinery, is it safe, are they going to fix their problems and are we going to be able to breathe clean air," said Heidi Tayor.

MORE: More flaring reported at Martinez Refinery; health advisory issued due to chemical odor

The Martinez Refinery is flaring once again Friday and says it is aware of odor complaints as a health advisory has been issued.

Taylor is with a group called Healthy Martinez.

She tells ABC7 News it was important for her to be at Monday's town hall because of the increasing frequency of the release incidents at the refineries.

"On any given day, I could walk out of my door and I smell gasoline or I smell rotten eggs. And we're constantly left wondering, what is that?" said Taylor.

MORE: Martinez refinery workers weren't aware of chemical release on Thanksgiving 2022, report shows

Martinez Refining Company employees didn't know they were releasing chemicals during the 2022 Thanksgiving Day incident, according to a health report.

Late last year, a surprise inspection of the Martinez Refining Company was carried out by representatives from Contra Costa Health and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

There have been at least 46 release incidents reported by the company over the course of the past year.

"It's almost monthly that we have a flaring event or some type of release that's very concerning," said Philip Fine, of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

MORE: Martinez Refining Company manager apologizes for chemical releases deployed throughout year

To help stop the problem, Congressman DeSaulnier says he wants several steps taken.

One being more air monitors set up to detect when release events are occurring.

And a second being harsher punishments for big corporations.

"Used to be that if you ran your business in a way that was dangerous to your workers and the public, you could be indicted and convicted. You still can be but it's much harder," he said.

MORE: Flaring at Martinez refinery triggered grass fire over the weekend, officials say

Because with people's health on the line, these residents say they won't stop fighting.

"We've been at this for 16 months, and we are determined to hold PBF or Martinez Refinery Company accountable. And we're not going to stop," Taylor said.

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