Drift Smoke From Benicia Refinery Fire/Martinez Flaring Event Raising Eyebrows Monday
Black drift smoke from an apparent fire at the Benicia Valero refinery and an apparent release from the Martinez Refining Company had fire and air quality officials scrambling early Monday morning while residents fretted about the source of the smoke and any potential impacts.
Contra Costa Health has dispatched a HazMat team to Martinez to monitor for any potential impacts within our county. Residents were advised to stay inside with doors and windows closed. The Benicia fire was knocked down around 11 a.m.
The Valero Benicia Refinery has indicated it will cease operation operations by April 2026.
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Close it
We poison ourselves.
They are closing it next year.
We are going to get squeezed. $8 per gallon? I don’t know, but refining capacity is a finite resource. If the political class doesn’t move with alacrity they will get burned along with the rest of us. Relax the standards temporarily and delay disaster to another day. EVs will not save anybody in the 2026-2027 time frame.