EPA, Justice Department and State of Mississippi Reach Settlement with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Requiring Nationwide Safety and Chemical Accident Prevention Measures. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.natlawreview.com/article/epa-justice-department-and-state-mississippi-reach-settlement-chevron-usa-inc

In 2012, a Richmond, California Chevron oil refinery released high-temperature hydrocarbons into the air which resulted in many employee lives being put at risk as well as 15,000 local residents being forced to seek medical attention. As a result, Chevron was sued and settled with the EPA for over 160 million dollars in total costs as they will have to compensate workers, fix and inspect pipes and refineries all over, as well as add routine checks to prevent this from happening again.

I think that it was the right move for the EPA to prosecute Chevron on this matter, and if anything, the settlement was too low. That being said, I was impressed with the fact that so many new regulation type restrictions were imposed upon Chevron with preventative measures to ensure that this does not happen again. The $160 million+ that Chevron will have to shell out is the largest settlement of its kind in history. EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine says “This case demonstrates the importance of performing equipment inspections and maintenance in accordance with environmental regulations” which I agree with. So many people were negatively affected by this and it could have been much worse.