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Supervisors certify revised EIR for Marathon Martinez renewable fuels project after court-directed changes on odors
Summary
The board certified a revised environmental impact report for the Marathon Martinez Renewable Fuels Project after the Superior Court found earlier EIRs adequate except for deferred odor mitigation; the revised EIR now includes an odor management plan and mitigation measures and the board voted to certify.
The Board of Supervisors on June 24 certified a revised Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Marathon Martinez Renewable Fuels Project and adopted related CEQA findings and mitigation monitoring requirements. The action follows a 2023 Superior Court ruling that found the county's previous EIR adequate in most respects but required additional detail and specificity related to odor mitigation.
What the board approved: Senior planner Joseph Lawler told the board the revised EIR responds to the court order by presenting a full Odor Management Plan and detailing the mitigation measures and monitoring the county and Marathon proposed. The board voted to certify the revised Final EIR, adopt the CEQA findings and the mitigation-monitoring and reporting program, and to authorize county counsel to submit required responses related to the 2023 mandate.
Why it matters: The Marathon refinery site is a heavy industrial campus and the renewable-fuels conversion project has attracted community and legal scrutiny. Certifying the revised EIR allows the county to proceed through the local CEQA and permitting process consistent with the court's direction and the board's environmental review obligations.
Key quote: The county attorney and planning staff said they revised the EIR specifically to address the court's direction on odor measures and to make the county's mitigation commitments explicit and enforceable.
Vote: The board unanimously approved the certification motion.
Next steps: With the EIR certified, the department will continue the administrative steps necessary for project consideration, including completion of the mitigation-monitoring program and any subsequent permit decisions the board or county departments must take.
