Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)

Now what?

California has an opportunity to act. We can plan for refinery transitions responsibly, by requiring transparency and advance planning for cleanup. Or, we can continue to navigate the "wild west" of refinery closures without a plan. It's up to #CAleg to take action 👀

Planning reduces health risks, fiscal shocks, gas price spikes, and cleanup delays. THANK YOU to Senators Blakespear, Stern, Menjivar, Allen and Gonzalez for continuing to ask the tough questions of industry. Californians deserve transparency + accountability.

But what is often missed in all the headlines & misinformation about refinery closures is the people living near refineries themselves. When refineries close, who will clean up their mess? What will come next? Who is consulted throughout the process? Californians deserve to know.

Big Oil’s Sacramento cash splash Oil majors maintained near-record lobbying muscle in 2025, while utilities and insurers ramped up as lawmakers revisited wildfire liability and energy costs.

Yesterday’s hearing comes on the heels of a massive misinformation campaign by Big Oil. Over the last year, Big Oil have spent BIG in Sacramento blaming health and climate protections for their closures in an attempt to shakedown Californians on their way out. @cavsbigoil.bsky.social

There’s a ‘lake’ of oil under LA’s soon-to-close refinery. Who’s going to clean it up? Climate policies could lead to future refinery closures as Californians transition to electric vehicles.

Faraz Rizvi with APEN closed the hearing with a powerful statement, “There is a 16-feet layer of oil under the facility that we only know about because of an abatement filing from the 90s. The legislature needs to look at tools to increase transparency."

Julia May with Communities for a Better Environment: We need strong accident prevention regulations. We need a long-term phaseout plan in line with continued demand reduction - transportation electrification & public transit among others. We deserve transparency.

Julia May, Senior Scientist with CBE emphasized that refinery closures are due to lowering demand and consolidation trends. Frontline communities are demanding greater transparency, accountability, and a clear plan for decommissioning as we transition away from fossil fuels.

With incomplete information & no assurances, communities already living with harmful refinery pollution could face a “scary” scenario where cleanup is delayed because of lack of funds. At the same time, understaffing in the run-up to closure creates "real safety concerns."

"Communities are generally in the dark about what to expect in the cleanup process because refineries have almost no end of life planning or financial assurance requirements. This makes them an outlier in the energy industry.” - Ann Alexander

Before the Last Drop: Lessons From the Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery Closure - Asian Pacific Environmental Network TEAM APEN

Next: attorney Ann Alexander, author of the recently released report “Before the Last Drop: Lessons from the Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery Closure” – a comprehensive assessment of existing community and worker protections when refineries close. apen4ej.org/p66/

“We believe that proactively planning for these closures is essential.” - Thom Hersbach with @woods.stanford.edu emphasized that refinery closures can actually be a huge opportunity to reshape local economies, if we have inclusive redevelopment and adequate remediation.

Across polluting industries, but especially for refineries, we see a "systemic underestimation" of end-of-life costs, explained @gruberte.bsky.social. Too often, "closure costs are underestimated and the liability falls to the public." We need better numbers, and clearer expectations.

In the second panel, lawmakers heard from three experts on refinery policy and the energy transition: Assistant Professor @gruberte.bsky.social, @hersbachthom.bsky.social with @woods.stanford.edu, and environmental attorney and consultant Ann Alexander.

Some helpful context: refineries are closing not just in California but all over the world, from China to Scotland to Texas.

Sen. Stern: "Isn't it fair to say that it’s not actually California climate policy driving this shift?" Vice Chair Gunda agreed.

Siva Gunda, @calenergy.bsky.social: "Unplanned, disruptive closures can have incredible impacts on the workers, communities and local governments." He stressed the need for the state to proactively plan for closures in this "mid-transition" period while reducing demand for fossil fuels.

The first of yesterday's 3 panels was with officials at key agencies that regulate the state's refineries: @calenergy.bsky.social, @airresources.bsky.social and @cawaterboards.bsky.social. All three lifted up the urgent need for a holistic transition plan for the state's refineries.

Yesterday, the CA Senate Environmental Quality Committee pulled back the curtain on refinery closures with an informational hearing including key experts and advocates. Here's what went down ⬇️⬇️
@carolinemenjivar.bsky.social @senatorgonzalez.bsky.social @benallenca.bsky.social

As we transition away from fossil fuels, refinery closures are making headlines in California and across the country. But refinery closures are a "wild west" for regulators -- with big gaps in protections and transparency for local communities, workers and taxpayers.

Read more about Big Oil's "cash splash" in Sacramento last year from @noahbaustin.bsky.social and @cvonka.bsky.social: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

“In 2026, California has an opportunity to set a new course: responsibly stewarding the energy transition, safeguarding our health and climate progress, and centering the needs of frontline communities and workers along the way.” - Faraz Rizvi, APEN

“In this vital decade of transitioning away from fossil fuels and creating a cleaner and more affordable economy in California, we are seeing an escalating campaign of disinformation by oil corporations that blames their exit from California on... common sense measures in our communities." - CBE

Big Oil spends $34 million to stonewall and roll back critical health and climate policy in 2025 - Last Chance Alliance Sacramento, CA — New lobbying disclosures reveal California fossil fuel companies spent an egregious $34 million influencing lawmakers in Sacramento, not too

Lobbying disclosures show @Chevron and @officialWSPA lead fossil fuel lobbying in 2025 - spending over $25 million alone. Major polluters shouldn’t be shaping our laws intended to protect the people.
lastchancealliance.org/big-oil-spen...

Kieran Knutson, president of Communications Workers of America Local 7250, tells me that 80 percent of the Minnesota members of his local were “absent” on January 23 as part of the day of protest. His union represents 650 Minnesota workers in the telecom, satellite television, home security, and video game industries. Sheigh Freeberg is the secretary-treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 17, which represents more than 6,000 workers for stadiums, convention centers, and hotels in the Twin Cities metro area. He tells me that several workplaces that do not have their first contract or have open contracts saw large numbers of workers stay out, and one shop had to entirely close as a result.

A lot of people have been asking questions about how many workers stayed off the job for Minnesota's Jan 23 shutdown against ICE. Here is some more specific info passed along to me by labor leaders in Minnesota. prospect.org/2026/02/04/t...

The point about discouraging workers from flagging safety problems is so critical, especially when you realize how hard places have had to work to create and maintain a culture of speaking up on their own and their colleagues’ behalf

Opinion | California shouldn't let oil companies rewrite refinery safety rules Regulators will hold a hearing Jan. 15 at the OSHA Standards Board in Sacramento on changes that will weaken safety standards for refineries.

Read our full op-ed out today in @calmatters.org - then urge @gavinnewsom.bsky.social @governor.ca.gov's regulators to stop oil companies from rewriting refinery safety rules.

Communities and refinery workers deserve commonsense, strong protections.

calmatters.org/commentary/2...

thank you :))

Opinion | California shouldn't let oil companies rewrite refinery safety rules Regulators will hold a hearing Jan. 15 at the OSHA Standards Board in Sacramento on changes that will weaken safety standards for refineries.

“We represent communities living next to refineries and the workers who operate them. Together, we are sounding the alarm - California must not allow oil billionaires and their lobbyists to rewrite refinery safety rules.”-@apen4ej.bsky.social & #USWLocal5

Read more:
calmatters.org/commentary/2...

Phillips 66 is Closing its LA Refinery this Month. Neighbors Still Don’t Know if the Company Will Pay for the Cleanup. - Inside Climate News A new report recommends that refineries write decommissioning plans like those required of other energy infrastructure, and set aside funds to carry out cleanups, before they shut down.

The hugely contaminated Phillips 66 refinery is closing. As redevelopment plans move forward, neighbors demand transparency, input, & stronger health & safety protections.

Read the full story from @blancabegert.bsky.social @insideclimatenews.org:

insideclimatenews.org/news/0912202...

I said there’s no way to sugar coat it!

Take Action: Stop the Shakedown Oil lobbyists want our elected officials to walk back decades of health, safety, and environmental regulations – and make taxpayers foot the bill. Together, we can stop the oil shakedown. Tell your el...

Right now, lawmakers in #CAleg are considering how to plan for refinery closures and a transition away from fossil fuels. We need your support. Contact your legislators to demand they oppose the oil shakedown and stand up for our health and our climate:
actionnetwork.org/letters/take...