News Release

T – 4 – 18
Barbara A. Lee, Director

Contact: Russ Edmondson
(916) 323-3372
Russ.Edmondson@dtsc.ca.gov

DTSC Cracks Down on Illegal Hazardous Waste Storage at Torrance Refining Company

SACRAMENTO – The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) today ordered the Los Angeles-based Torrance Refining Co. to remove or recycle large amounts of hazardous waste the company illegally stored in bins at its oil refinery in Torrance.

“The company illegally stockpiled hazardous waste rather than properly recycling or disposing of it,” said DTSC Director Barbara A. Lee. “This activity could harm public health and the environment, and we take that seriously,” said Lee.

The enforcement order follows a joint inspection of the refinery with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) that found more than half a dozen violations of state and federal hazardous waste laws. DTSC coordinated with U.S. EPA in issuing today’s enforcement order.

The December 2016 inspection found that Torrance Refining had illegally accumulated more than 300 bins, each with a 20-cubic-yard capacity, of hazardous waste. The refinery did not have the necessary equipment to recycle or process the waste and stored it without a permit or authorization from DTSC.

The order requires Torrance Refining to recycle or dispose of the hazardous waste within certain timelines. The company will also face financial penalties for these violations.

DTSC, in coordination with U.S. EPA, is preparing to take further enforcement action to address additional violations found during the joint inspection, including storage of hazardous waste in containers and tanks without a permit or authorization and failure to make a determination that the materials were hazardous waste.

PBF Energy, which owns Torrance Refining, purchased the facility from ExxonMobil in July 2016. The facility is capable of processing an average of 155,000 barrels of crude oil daily and producing 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline a year. The operations of the facility include the blending of gasoline and the production of diesel fuel, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gases, coke and sulfur.

View the Enforcement Order to Correct Violations on our Site Project Documents page

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FOR GENERAL INQUIRIES: Contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control by phone at (800) 728-6942 or visit www.dtsc.ca.gov. To report illegal handling, discharge, or disposal of hazardous waste, call the Waste Alert Hotline at (800) 698-6942.