Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Air Monitoring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
BCAM presentation warns refinery fence‑line data can mask alkanes; calls for rule change
Summary
David Lindsey of the Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program told commissioners an independent analysis found that Phillips 66 fence‑line monitoring uses background files that can subtract alkane signals to nondetect, potentially masking benzene and other hazardous compounds; BCAMP urged the Bay Area Air District to include alkanes as a validation check in rule 12‑15.
David Lindsey, a member of the Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP), told the Community Sustainability Commission that BCAMP’s station and its contractor Argos Scientific found data‑quality concerns in refinery fence‑line reports. Lindsey said BCAMP was established with a five‑year grant from a Good Neighbor steering committee settlement with Valero and now publishes continuous public data: "to provide the data to the public on a 24 7 basis".
Lindsey described how open‑path infrared and ultraviolet instruments measure fence‑line compounds and said Argos’s independent analysis of Phillips 66 data showed background files used in the refinery’s processing can contain the same alkane being sought. "It gets subtracted out and it gets reported to 0 or nondetect," he said, demonstrating how an updated background can mask routine alkane emissions. Lindsey warned that masking alkanes can also obscure benzene and other health‑relevant signals. He recommended the Bay Area Air District verify fence‑line quantification practices and include alkanes in forthcoming rule 12‑15 updates as a cross‑check on measurement validity.
Commissioners pressed Lindsey on site selection, potential uses of BCAMP data in regional settlement or enforcement actions and education opportunities with local schools; he said BCAMP’s Russell Woodworks site is well‑positioned to pick up downtown and industrial signals and that its raw data are available for researchers and community projects. Lindsey said BCAMP intends to raise the background‑file and verification concerns with the Bay Area Air District and suggested the Industrial Safety Ordinance’s monitoring network could help triangulate emission sources across Benicia.
