Environmentalists file suit over California oil refinery project
By Rory Carroll SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Environmentalists in California filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Contra Costa County over its approval last month of a plan to increase propane recovery at Phillips 66’s Rodeo refinery, saying the environmental review did not take into account the broader impact of the project. In early February, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors approved the company’s request to modify its 78,000 barrel-per-day refinery, located on the San Francisco Bay. In the lawsuit filed by Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) against the supervisors and Phillips 66, the plaintiffs argue the Propane Recovery Project would require a switch to new oil feedstocks. That could pave the way for Phillips to bring crude oil, possibly Canadian tar sands crude, by rail to its refinery in Santa Maria before it is sent via pipeline to the Rodeo refinery. The county of San Luis Obispo is currently considering whether to approve Phillips' request for permits to extend the rail spur at the Santa Maria refinery. “Phillips 66 cannot meet its propane recovery project objectives without switching to a lower quality feedstock, like tar sands, and without other Phillips 66 projects to assist in that overall switch,” said Roger Lin, an attorney with CBE, said in a press release. “These are critical project components that the (Environmental Impact Report) should have, but failed to, disclose to the public.” The full complaint can be viewed here: http://www.cbecal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Conformed-Complaint-3-4-2015.pdf (Reporting by Rory Carroll. Editing by Andre Grenon)
