Refinery burn-off may have run afoul of new AQMD rule

Nearby residents have long complained of frequent flaring at the ConocoPhillips refinery, which is west of the Harbor Freeway and north of the Port of Los Angeles. A widespread September 2005 power outage forced ConocoPhillips and two other refineries to shut down operations and ignite their flare stacks. The incident exacerbated local concerns about potential pollution from such flaring.

Perez said that ConocoPhillips had added workers and installed new equipment to help prevent unnecessary flaring, and that this week's incident was the first significant one of any kind since 2005.

Sulfur oxide emissions from flaring contribute to fine particulate pollution, or soot, which has been linked to increased hospital admissions and premature deaths from respiratory and heart problems. Low levels of sulfur oxide can also exacerbate asthma symptoms.

The tougher rules are designed to reduce sulfur oxide emissions from about 2 tons a day in 2003 to under half a ton by 2012.

janet.wilson@latimes.com

deborah.schoch@latimes.com