Phillips 66 announced last week it will shut down its oil refineries in Wilmington and Carson by the end of next year, marking the end of an era.
Starting more than 100 years ago, the refineries have turned crude oil into billions of gallons of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from their location next to the nation’s largest ports. Together, the refineries supply about 8% of all of California’s gasoline demand. They also contribute to California’s single largest source of planet-heating pollution from the industrial sector.
The decision comes as demand for gasoline continues to decline and an aging facility faces costly maintenance and updates to meet pollution regulations.
About 600 employees and 300 contractors will be affected by the closure, according to the company.
What does the closure mean for nearby communities?
Pollution from refineries has been linked to higher rates of asthma and cancer in neighboring communities. Homes in Wilmington, for example, are a stone’s throw from the Phillips 66 facility, just across a cinder block wall. The Wilmington and Carson area has the largest concentration of oil refineries in California.
These facilities are linked to so much suffering and death that they will never pay for.
— Alicia Rivera, Wilmington organizer for Communities for a Better Environment
“These facilities are linked to so much suffering and death that they will never pay for,” said Alicia Rivera, an organizer with Communities for a Better Environment who has advocated for better protections from refinery pollution in Wilmington for more than 20 years.
She said she’s glad the…
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