http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/23/leak-quickly-contained-at-southern-california-oil-/
Leak quickly contained at Southern California oil refinery
By - Associated Press - Friday, October 23, 2015
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) - A leak at a Southern California oil refinery
prompted warning sirens to go off in the surrounding community before it
was contained.
A statement from the Exxon Mobil refinery says air monitoring turned up
no danger to the public and an “all-clear” notice was given minutes later.
The Torrance Fire Department says the leak on an 8-inch crude oil
pipeline caused a large column of smoke to leave the refinery and hover
over the neighborhood. Residents were told to stay in their homes and
close their windows, but the leak was contained soon after.
Exxon Mobil says the release consisted mostly of steam.
The same refinery was crippled by a February explosion that slightly
injured four contractors, heavily damaged equipment and rained ash on
homes and cars.
The company announced last month that it is selling the refinery for
$537 million to PBF Energy Inc.
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http://mynewsla.com/life/2015/10/23/big-scare-for-torrance-residents-near-exxonmobil-refinery-again/
Big scare for Torrance residents near ExxonMobil refinery – again!
Posted by Alexander Nguyen on October 23, 2015
Worried Torrance residents Saturday wanted to know just why a leak in an
8-inch line at the nearby ExxonMobil refinery prompted a warning to them
to shelter in place and close their windows.
While the warning period ended in less than an hour with no damage or
injuries, it was a scary time for locals who recalled a large explosion
at the refinery early this year.
This most recent incident was reported just before 6 p.m. Friday in the
refinery’s crude unit, according to Torrance police and fire department
officials.
“The resulting leak resulted in a large column of smoke leaving the
refinery and extending past Western Avenue,” according to a police
statement.
The column was as much as 200 feet high, Torrance Fire Department Capt.
Bob Millea said.
Sirens were activated to alert residents to shelter in place and close
their windows, police said.
The leak was stabilized and contained and the shelter in place advisory
was lifted at 6:50 p.m., Millea said.
No injuries were reported.
An ExxonMobil spokesman said the leaked substance was “mostly steam” but
gave no indication of what else was released.
“In an abundance of caution, the refinery activated the Crenshaw
Boulevard barriers and the Torrance Fire Department sounded the
community warning sirens to alert the public to shelter in place,”
ExxonMobil spokesman Todd Spitler said. “The ‘all clear’ chimes were
sounded minutes later.”
Refinery officials notified the state Office of Emergency Management
Services and the South Coast Air Quality Management District about 6:30
p.m., Spitler said.
“Air monitoring has been conducted in the community and there is no
danger to public health,” he said. “We apologize for any inconvenience
that this incident may have caused.”
An explosion at the refinery on Feb. 18 rained a substance on nearby
neighborhoods and residents were told they were in no danger from what
was called a catalyst used in the refining process.
Four workers were injured in the blast, which led state regulators to
issue 19 citations against ExxonMobil and propose penalties totaling
$566,600.
Cal/OSHA officials said a 2007 safety review found problems with
flammable vapor in the plant’s electrostatic precipitator, but no
corrective actions were taken.
Regulators noted that the plant’s fluid catalytic cracker had not been
working properly for as long as nine years prior to the blast.
A preliminary report by the South Coast Air Quality Management District
determined the blast was caused by over-pressurization in the
electrostatic precipitator — an air-pollution-control system.
An agreement to sell the refinery to New Jersey-based oil refining
company PBF Energy was announced last month. The $527.5 million deal is
expected to close in the second quarter of 2016.
ExxonMobil is working with various government agencies on a plan to
restart the portion of the plant that has been out of service since the
February blast, Spitler said.
John Bailey, president of the Southeast Torrance Homeowners Association,
which represents about 2,500 homeowners, said tonight’s leak is just the
latest incident of concern involving the refinery after a leak of
potentially deadly modified hydrofluoric acid on Sept. 6.
In that case, ExxonMobil and the city reported that the leak, which
began in the early morning hours and wasn’t stopped until that evening,
wasn’t significant, but the Torrance Fire Department called it a
“significant incident,” Bailey noted.
“So who do you believe,” he asked.
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