California oil refinery violated pollution agreement, plans to pay $27.5 million

The operators of a San Francisco Bay Area oil refinery have agreed to pay $27.5 million for violating a 2016 agreement to reduce air pollution at the facility, federal regulators announced Thursday.

Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co. of Los Angeles was penalized for violating a consent decree at its refinery in Martinez, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

Tesoro failed to install adequate pollution controls and failed to limit emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) that contribute to smog, the agencies said.

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The settlement will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants by hundreds of tons each year, regulators said.

"As this settlement shows, EPA will seek substantial penalties when companies delay installing appropriate pollution controls to meet environmental obligations," said a statement from Larry Starfield, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assura...