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initiatives

Bird perched with a ship in the background

The El Segundo Refinery is a very unique facility because it is wedged between two residential communities on the Santa Monica Bay. Since many of our employees live in these communities, we are acutely aware of our location and have developed our programs and policies accordingly. We want to do the right thing to protect our neighbors, our employees and their families. In addition, our own on-site fire department not only conducts training for our staff but for neighboring city fire departments as well. We are constantly working to improve our efforts to protect the environment in which we live and work.

For example, Chevron’s El Segundo Refinery is one of the few industrial facilities in the Los Angeles Basin to operate its own wastewater treatment facility under federal permit. We treat both stormwater runoff and industrial wastewater. To protect the groundwater, we were the first refinery in the United States to adopt a standard for fitting our oil storage tanks with double bottoms.

In an effort to reduce air emissions and increase energy efficiency, Chevron’s El Segundo Refinery built a Cogeneration facility that provides all of the electrical and steam power we require. We also have a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer plant that controls both odors and hydrocarbon emissions as we do our part to keep Southern California’s air clean.

Chevron is required to follow numerous federal, state and local laws in order to protect human health and the environment. Petroleum refining is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. There are several local oversight agencies that we interface with on a frequent basis. For example, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has a designated inspector who is in our facility several times per week to ensure that we are complying with air quality regulations.

air emissions reduction

Air emissions from the refinery have drastically reduced over the last decade. The refinery’s overall air emissions have decreased by almost 50 percent since 2002. Relative to our competitors in the region, we have the lowest overall air emissions on a per barrel basis. We essentially have an environmental footprint comparable to a refinery that is one-third our size.

results we're proud of

  • Flare emissions from plant startups and shutdowns and equipment malfunctions were reduced dramatically in 2002 with the Flareless Startup Project. Volatile organics, for example, were reduced by 57 percent.
  • The refinery completed the CARB 3 conversion ahead of schedule by almost a year to produce cleaner burning gasoline.
  • The refinery has reduced hazardous waste generation by approximately 50 percent since 1995.
  • The refinery recycles everything from laser toner cartridges to newspaper. Our current diversion rate is over 80 percent.
  • The refinery is a 15-time recipient of the WRAP award (Waste Reduction Awards Program) from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
  • Chevron owns more double-hulled tankers than any other oil company in the world in order to prevent oil spills.
  • 80 percent of the water used for refinery processes and landscaping is recycled or reclaimed water.