Benicia Contends With Valero Refinery Closure

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KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last month, Oil Giant Valero announced it would “restructure, or cease operations” at its Benicia refinery by the end of April 2026, as California transitions away from fossil fuels. The news left city officials, workers and residents scrambling to figure out what to do next. Valero is the city’s largest employer and a significant taxpayer, but also a source of pollution. We talk about the possible closure and what it means for our region. Guests: Julie Small, criminal justice reporter, KQED Severin Borenstein, professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a faculty director of The Energy Institute at Haas Josh Sonnenfeld, senior California strategist, BlueGreen Alliance Steve Young, mayor, Benicia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:01.0	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:05.5	Last month, oil giant Valero announced it with idle restructure or cease operations at its Benicia
1:12.0	refinery by the end of April 26.
1:15.0	The news left city officials, workers, and residents scrambling to figure out what to do next.
1:20.6	Valero is the city's largest employer and a significant taxpayer, but also a source of pollution.
1:26.6	The community is known that the refinery would shudder eventually as California and the world
1:31.3	transition away from fossil fuels.
	...

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