State and federal safety officials are worried by a Bakersfield refinery's proposal to use a toxic chemical shunned by most California oil companies.
Executives at Big West Oil of California have been talking about plans to produce more gasoline and diesel at the refinery since 2005, when parent company Flying J Inc. bought the plant from Shell Oil Co.
The expansion project was expected to face opposition on air-quality grounds, as is common with industrial proposals in California. But safety experts weren't prepared for Big West's recent disclosure that it would use hydrofluoric acid in its new equipment instead of a widely used, safer substitute.
"It caught me off guard," said Clyde Trombettas, a process safety expert at the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. Processes using hydrofluoric acid, commonly known as HF, "are just so hazardous ... there's a reason why refineries moved away from it."
Edward Huhn, secretary and treasurer of the refinery's United Steelworkers union local, said Big West's plans had alarmed employees. Many believe that the Bakersfield plant has become less safe under its new owners, he added.
"Safety has gotten to be more of a problem with the current management than it was before," Huhn said. "Part of it is possibly not abiding by all the safety regulations, and part of it is not having enough trained personnel ... so the HF unit is going to be a concern."
Gene Cotten, vice president and manager of the Bakersfield plant, acknowledged that there had been disagreements about safety policies and that the number of minor injuries at the refinery had increased over the last two years. But he characterized the facility's overall safety record as "pretty good."
He also defended the company's decision to use hydrofluoric acid as part of the expansion. Many refineries have used the chemical safely, including a sister plant owned by Flying J in North Salt Lake, Utah, Cotten said.
"We recognize that it is something that people will be interested in," Cotten said. "But we've selected the superior technology ... and with the new, modern things we're going to do, and all the mitigation efforts, we feel we can manage the risks."
Big West's plans are being reviewed by the Kern County Planning Department and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which must approve permits for the project. Details were laid out in a draft environmental impact report, released in mid-February.
