Regulation 6 Rule 5: Particulate Emissions from Petroleum Refinery Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Units - 2021 Nov. Amendment (Current)

The Air District has reached two separate agreements with Chevron and Martinez Refining Company resulting in an end to the litigation against the agency over its July 2021 amendments to Rule 6-5, major emissions reductions from both refineries, unprecedented penalties and other payments of up to $138 million, and a Richmond-area Community Air Quality Fund, among other benefits. Visit this webpage for more information about the agreements and associated rulemaking.

Amendments of definitions of Petroleum Refinery, Gasoline, and Liquid Petroleum Gas in several refinery rules, including Regulation 6, Rule 5: Particulate Emissions from Refinery Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Units (Rule 6-5), were adopted by the Air District Board of Directors at a public hearing on November 3, 2021:

Information and materials on previous amendments and rulemaking activity related to this rule can be found using the "View Other Rule Making Activity" drop-down menu in the table below.

Two of the five petroleum refineries in the Bay Area have submitted permit applications to modify the facility operation to process alternative feedstocks with the intention of producing "renewable" products. These facilities use the term "renewable" to mean they will be producing fuel and other products by processing non-petroleum feedstocks. Petroleum refineries are subject to a variety of Air District rules and regulations. Some of these rules are exclusively applicable to petroleum refineries, and some of these rules are applicable to petroleum refineries as well as other facilities. Most of these rules determine the applicability by using the definition of petroleum refinery. There are also instances where a particular standard, requirement, or exemption is dependent on terms like fossil-derived, fossil-fuel, petroleum, and crude oil.

To ensure that the facilities that produce fuels and other products from non-petroleum feedstocks remain subject to and in compliance with the same emission standards and rule requirements that were in effect when the feedstock was petroleum based, the Air District developed proposed amendments several regulations and rules, including Rule 6-5.

The Air District's Board of Directors conducted a public hearing and adopted the proposed amendments to refinery rules definitions on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. Information on the public hearing can be found on this page under "Hearings, Workshops, and Other Events".

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Hearings, Workshops and Other Events

Throughout the rule development process, we provide information on upcoming and past workshops, hearings, and other events.

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Documents

Supporting materials, such as staff reports, regulatory language, and other technical documents related to rule development, are posted throughout the development process.

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Last Updated: 3/6/2024