With the planet warming at an unsustainable rate, two large Bay Area oil refineries are switching to liquid biofuels production — a seemingly cleaner alternative than fossil fuels. But those plans instead have run afoul of environmental groups that have filed lawsuits to bring the transition to a halt.
If successful, the lawsuits would reverse the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ approval last month for Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 to overhaul their facilities in Martinez and Rodeo to begin producing a more renewable energy source that’s processed from vegetable oils and animal fats rather than petroleum diesel.
Biofuels production represents a major shift for the refineries, which once provided thousands of East Bay union jobs and produced a significant portion of California’s gasoline supply. The supervisors last month found that the companies had satisfied the county’s review of whether the transition would comply with the state’s rigorous environmental laws.
