In response to the recent chemical leak in Garden Grove that led to the evacuation of approximately 50,000 residents, the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) has initiated legal action against two refineries in Southern California.
The lawsuit, submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court, targets the refineries located in Torrance and Wilmington. It demands access to safety documentation as stipulated by the California Public Records Act.
In a public statement, TRAA emphasized, “Garden Grove is not alone in Southern California when it comes to the risk of a major disaster due to an industrial chemical storage facility that could potentially trigger a mass casualty incident.”
TRAA highlighted that these two refineries are the only ones in the state utilizing hydrogen fluoride (HF/MHF) in the production of high-octane gasoline. They warned that the handling and storage of this hazardous substance continue to endanger nearby populations.
The California Public Records Act mandates that government-held records should be made available to the public upon request, unless exceptions for privacy or public safety apply that would prevent such disclosure.
The Torrance refinery has had a history of bad accidents. In 2015, an explosion led to four workers being injured while triggering a 1.7 magnitude earthquake in the surrounding areas. A 40-ton piece of debris was also blasted and landed just five feet away from a tank containing thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid (corrosive liquid that dissolves glass and burns skin).
In 1979, an explosion resulted in three deaths and forced neighborhood evacuations.
Following the chemical leak in Garden Grove in May, Southern California residents have been on high alert, leading to growing demands for stricter and safer measures at local refineries and plants.
The Post reached out to the refineries but did not hear back.