[nonetheless...]
RICHMOND, Calif. -- The Chevron refinery in Richmond released 100 workers Thursday following a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge's ruling Wednesday ordering the refinery to stop construction of its Energy and Hydrogen Renewal Project, Chevron spokesman Brent Tippen said.
Tippen estimated that the ruling would result in a loss of about 1 million labor hours and approximately $50 million to $75 million in income to the workforce in Richmond and the county within the next year. The city will also lose $61 million in various community benefits... [snip]
The project, which broke ground in September after a permitting process that took more than three years, included replacing the refinery's 1960s-era hydrogen plant and its 1930s-era power plant.
But Judge Barbara Zuniga's ordered construction halted as she considered an environmental impact report on the project to have failed to disclose whether it would enable the refinery to process heavier crude oil, an ability refinery officials said would increase the refinery's flexibility to process a wider variety of crude oil and improve the plant's energy efficiency and reliability.
Plaintiffs from Communities for a Better Environment, Asian Pacific Environmental Network and the West County Toxics Coalition said that the upgrade would enable the refinery to process heavier crude oil, which would lead to increased pollution and increased risk of 'upset'...[snip]
Tippen said that Chevron was disappointed with the court's ruling and believe the project had been properly analyzed and permitted.
"Ironically, putting the project on hold means delaying demonstrable environmental benefits including improved refinery energy efficiency and reduced overall emissions,"
[Ironic or predictable. Even if we ever do get sane energy policy in place politically (2012 at the soonest), it likely won't mean much until we seriously overhaul our judicial system which is being used as a weapon for all things 'progressive']
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