Shell settles with EPA for Martinez violations

Shell Oil will pay a settlement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for hazardous waste violations at a crude oil refinery near Martinez.

The settlement will include a $142,664 civil penalty and $220,300 in equipment improvements.

The initial EPA complaint included failure to manage and report hazardous waste materials and failure to determine whether waste at the refinery was hazardous, according to the EPA.

Shell will also spend about $38,000 in support of emergency planning and preparedness in Contra Costa County.

This will pay for equipment to stop leaks from sulfur dioxide containers, personal protective equipment and particulate meters that are used to monitor air quality, EPA officials said.

The Martinez facility processes about 165,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to the EPA.

As a part of the settlement, Shell will also upgrade the area where hazardous materials are managed, develop a plan for sampling storm water to improve water usage and analyze factory runoff.

A spokesperson for Shell Oil did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the settlement.