BenIndy News by Roger Straw 7/23/2020
Finally, we celebrate the July 6th release by Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) of the long awaited report: “
Decommissioning California Refineries: Climate and Health Paths in an Oil State.†A virtual press conference was held the morning of July 6th to announce its release.
As this report was being prepared, no one could have predicted the context in which we are releasing it. California is the center of oil refining in the western U.S., with nearly 50% of its refining capacity in the five closely spaced oil refineries of Contra Costa and Solano counties. As the U.S. attempts, under failed federal leadership, to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, the International Energy Agency reports that any economic recovery that fails to step up to the urgency of addressing climate change will make it impossible to prevent climate catastrophe.
“Starting [a phase-down] sooner allows state climate targets to be met by cutting oil use more gradually, which makes transitions that protect workers and communities possible and climate goals feasible,†said Greg Karras, who authored the report for CBE.
Here are the report’s major conclusions and calls for action:
• All paths to a livable climate involve refining much less oil.
• Steep reductions in petroleum are necessary to meet our health goals.
• Early action to decommission refining capacity is a critical component of the least-impact, most socially just, most feasible path to climate stabilization in California.
• A planned, gradual phase-down gives us the time to develop sustainable alternatives for workers and communities economically dependent on oil.
• Actions that limit refining in California can cut emissions across the petroleum fuel chain.
• We must pair gradual reduction of refinery output with aggressive measures to insure clean mobility for all people.
More:
http://beniciaindependent.com/california-must-plan-ahead-for-eventual-decommissioning-of-oil-refineries/
