Air district reaches settlement with Tesoro on pollution monitoring at Martinez refinery

The Bay Area Air District has finalized a new pollution monitoring plan for Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company’s Martinez facility, requiring a fenceline monitoring system to track hydrogen sulfide and other pollutants at six perimeter points. Tesoro will pay a $75,000 fine as part of this agreement, which comes after their previous monitoring plan was disapproved in 2023. In a move to enhance air quality monitoring, all refineries within the air district’s jurisdiction must replace outdated systems with more precise point monitors, which will share data online for public access. The air district aims to improve transparency and community engagement with these initiatives. Tesoro will also provide quarterly pollution reports and hold a public meeting before the end of the year to solicit feedback on desired data.

This settlement marks the second agreement reached after Chevron's Richmond refinery received approval in June. Tesoro's facility has a history of regulatory fines and is transitioning from a crude oil refinery to one focused on renewable fuels. The final environmental impact report for this conversion was released in June, highlighting the ongoing changes in the local energy landscape.