Federal accident investigators urged a complete overhaul of California’s “patchwork” of oil industry regulations at a state legislative hearing into the fire last year at Chevron’s Richmond refinery, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
“This patchwork system of regulation has serious challenges,” said Don Holmstrom, who is leading the investigation for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, adding that California’s ineffective regulatory efforts reflect weaknesses in federal and other state oversight programs.
State Sen. Loni Hancock and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, both Berkeley Democrats, heard testimony Friday from Holmstrom as well as local and state regulators about the lessons learned from the Aug. 6 fire, which imperiled 20 workers and sent 15,000 seeking treatment for breathing problems and other ailments.
The fire has been blamed on a heavily corroded pipe that leaked and later ruptured, triggering a massive vapor cloud that caught fire and spewed toxic vapor and black smoke over nearby communities.
Holmstrom called for a “step increase” in oversight in California — with more and better-qualified inspectors exercising “more-thorough and robust” authority.
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