In 1901, construction began on the Standard Oil Refinery, the West Coast’s largest and most technologically advanced crude oil processing plant. Built at the western terminus of the transcontinental railway, the refinery spurred the growth of Richmond. The Chevron Richmond Refinery is one of five refineries in the Bay Area, all of which can collectively produce 800,000 barrels of oil per day. Chevron is the largest of the five Bay Area refineries, with a production capacity of up to 350,000 barrels per day. This high-volume processing capability is due to a unique ability to offload crude oil through a pipeline that runs along the Chevron Long Wharf on the south end of Point Richmond. The 5,000 miles pipeline network offloads 10 million gallons of crude oil from tankers, mostly coming from Alaska with a few from the Middle East. The 2,900 acre facility uses 130 megawatts of power and 50 million gallons of cooling water for production daily, employing over a thousand skilled workers.

In response to the growing threat of climate change, California has taken significant steps toward clean energy. Chevron's research into technologies such as hydrogen distillation using solar power are among the next wave of innovations to keep up with a changing market demand and climate. Chevron is investing $2 billion in low-carbon solutions in 2024, with hydrogen fuel being one of the key initiatives. The project is projected to produce 2.2 tons of hydrogen daily, which is enough to fuel a car driving 138,000 miles. A much cleaner source of energy than currently is being produced with virtually no pollutant byproducts. It is regrettable that this transition investment comes late, after more than a century of devastating and toxic impact on the Richmond community.

In her actual backyard: Sally Amsbury

Just across the refinery’s border, 73-year-old Sally Amsbury provided a lens into her life experience growing up in Richmond. The city's population boomed in response to World War II, as African American migrants from the South, drawn by wartime jobs, filled the federally built, segregated housing projects. Many ended up stuck in high-risk industrial jobs, living in poverty amidst a community struggling to keep pace with its rapid growth. Reflecting on that time, Sally said, “A lot of people [working at Chevron] lived in Richmond and out beyond as well, people commuting to the city, it was, well... that was it, all the support structures; schools, churches and businesses were all in support of hosting the workers from Chevron.”
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The refinery's continued operation is often justified by its economic contributions, with the company paying taxes to the city. When asked about any known accidents at the refinery, Sally's personal experience reveals a common reality. "I wasn't that aware of it," she admitted, "although my sister's son, who is biracial, also had really bad asthma and he was taken to the hospital many times." Living in a community dominated by industry, environmental impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. BIPOC in Richmond have historically faced economic, environmental and social injustice as a result of the extreme growth and industrial climate.

From the Land to the Air to the Sea: a Toxic Industry

Over a century of environmental injustices have choked the Richmond community, as a direct result of Chevron operations. The Richmond community is over 80% BIPOC, with a poverty rate of 15% and twice the rate of childhood asthma compared to neighboring Bay Area. The most recent oil spill in 2021 discharged 800 gallons of diesel fuel directly in the bay, with a penalty of only $200,000. The West County Toxics Coalition documented 304 incidents at the Chevron refinery between 1989 and 1995, including fires, spills, leaks, flaring and toxic gas releases.
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The human cost of environmental hazards became tragically evident in 1999 when a massive explosion caused 2,500 hospital visits. The crucial shelter-in-place order following the release of the toxic smoke plume was only issued in English, highlighting a disconnect between Chevron and the well-being of the local community. This language barrier was challenged through a lawsuit filed by the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) on behalf of the Laotian community. Their successful lawsuit led to the establishment of a multilingual warning system, a crucial precedent that demonstrated Richmond organizers' willingness to fight back.

In 2012, another explosion sent some 15,000 people to the hospital with respiratory problems. The explosion spewed a dark cloud of hydrocarbon poison that burned for hours. Despite warning signs, safety reports of malfunctions, and community organizing efforts, yet another danger to the community of Richmond was realized. It was in the following years that mobilization and organizing took root, with door to door campaigns and growing community support. The year 2013 saw one of the biggest demonstrations at the gates of Chevron. Organized by a coalition of Richmond community organizations in the year after the explosion, the event drew 3,000 concerned citizens.

Artivism: David Solnit’s approach

David Solnit has curated thousands of banners, signs, massive murals and puppets for protest events; he recalled the early organization efforts against Chevron. “The environmental justice groups West County Toxics, APEN, CBE sort of led the Chevron campaign around flaring and different projects," David remembered: "...then on the city level the Richmond Progressive Alliance waged an epic battle." Highlighting the community's strong opposition, David smiled and thought back to the efforts of Chevron to sway the community, exclaiming that "at times Chevron was spending $100 per voter" but the community was prepared to resist. It was clear, buying every billboard in town and spreading misinformation was not a good look for the corporation after such a public health crisis.
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While recalling the next stages of planning, David shared a symbolic detail: "One of the young urban farmers said, 'well let's plant sunflowers because they remediate heavy metals and toxins in soil and that's what we are trying to do.' So, we actually brought sunflower seeds, some people brought starts, and then we also, from local farmers or regional farmers, bought 1,000 sunflowers and handed them out, so like one out of every 3 people were holding a 4-foot big stock sunflower, it was quite beautiful. And then when we arrived, we took over the front entrance and painted a 40-foot sunflower."

The event inspired the creation of the first large-scale street mural, which has since become a staple at large protests. David is no stranger to this kind of community collaboration, having first appeared to protest at Chevron in 2001. Today, he's still creating art for protests at the Richmond facility. A mainstay in the national art activism scene, David's art studio, just a mile and a half away from Chevron, houses an extensive art library documenting hundreds of protests ranging from climate justice causes to housing and worker rights. His consistent theme, across various organizing and creative efforts, is a stand for environmental and social justice movements.

Youth vs. Apocalypse: Lizbeth Ibarra

Lizbeth Ibarra, a sophomore at Harvard University studying Environmental Science and Engineering has grown up as a youth participating in the Environmental Justice movement of Richmond. Growing up in North Richmond/San Pablo, the refinery was a familiar part of her landscape. "I remember, sometimes, seeing flares and fire coming out of certain parts of the refinery," Lizbeth said, "but to me that was like a normal picture. It wasn't anything crazy. I was like, 'Oh, this is normal.'"
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Lisbeth said it wasn’t until later she realized that a community of color shouldn’t be disproportionately exposed to pollution from a facility like Chevron’s. Her father has always had chronic asthma growing up in Richmond, and her grandmother, who was a janitor at the Chevron plant, passed away from cancer. This reality fueled her to use her voice and story to speak out against Chevron and find a path through community organizing. Lizbeth provided an intriguing definition that contrasted the terms organizer and activist; an activist has interest and compassion about an issue, while an organizer surrounds themselves with others who are just as passionate and make plans to fight for the cause.

Lizbeth attended an organizing training when she was a sophomore in high school with the group Youth Vs. Apocalypse (YvA). YvA is a youth-run collective that uses non-violent direct action, dance, spoken word, and community building to protest against environmental racism. She now sits on the board of YvA to further her ability to fight for future generations. Describing her experience, Lizbeth said, "'It was the first time I was in a group, or in a room, where I saw others that looked like me. They were young people, but they were also all black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).'”

Lizbeth also currently serves on a leadership committee for a Path to Clean Air program through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. She's actively working to implement the AB617 environmental justice law. The law allocates funds to BIPOC communities like Richmond, who have been burdened by industrial pollution. The AB 617 project is on track for approval from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District by March 2024, and review by the California Air Resources Board by June 2024. However, as with past environmental victories, securing lasting change can be an uphill battle against environmental injustice. Public momentum can ebb and flow over time, but the spirit of activism in Richmond remains strong. Dedicated community organizers like Lizbeth, David, West County Toxics, APEN, CBE, and countless residents and activists keep the fight alive, inspiring future generations to fight for a cleaner and healthier world.

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