SB 1259 (Blakespear) would require oil refiners to disclose estimated timelines and costs for cleanup before a refinery closes
Contact: Clio Soiffer | (646) 734-8580 | csoiffer@apenaction.org
SACRAMENTO, CA — In response to the California State Senate’s passage of SB 1259, the Refinery Transparency Act, representatives of frontline refinery communities across California issued the following statement:
“Today, the California State Senate took a strong step toward making sure communities living near the state’s big polluters have the information they need to plan ahead for when oil companies decide to close a refinery.
Right now, when oil executives decide a refinery is no longer profitable, the community is left with many unknowns: How extensive is the contamination? How much will the cleanup cost? Who pays? How long will cleanup take? Unlike other polluting industries, refineries have not been required to fully disclose the extent of toxic contamination at their sites, to estimate cleanup costs, or to plan for full remediation before they close. That regulatory gap has put communities, workers, and taxpayers at serious risk, and today the Senate took a critical step toward closing it.
Oil executives are using refinery closures and high gas prices caused by the war on Iran as cover in an attempt to gut California’s climate and health protections. But the reality is that the transition away from oil is well under way — in California and across the world. Instead of panicking and giving Big Oil more subsidies and rollbacks, our leaders can safeguard climate progress and plan for a managed transition that protects communities, workers, and taxpayers across the state. This legislation is a necessary step toward doing exactly that.
SB 1259 is common-sense protection and addresses an important need that has been identified in the most recent California Energy Commission’s SB 237 draft report to the legislature. This bill does not push refineries to close, it only requires that they plan for it.
Californians living in the shadow of big polluters deserve to see this information so that they can plan for the future. Community members who have breathed air polluted by Big Oil for generations should not be left with toxic sites in their backyards when companies walk away with their profits. We call on every member of the State Assembly to finish the job and pass SB 1259 when this bill comes before them later this year. Don’t let Big Oil pollute and run.”
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CEJA Action builds the political power of communities of color to advance environmentally and socially just policies in California.
Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) is an environmental health and justice organization that builds people power in California’s communities of color and low-income communities.
APEN Action organizes Asian immigrant and refugee communities across California to fight for clean air and a better future.