PDB MEMBERSHIP MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH AT 7:00 PM
Members and supporters—
Join us on February 8th at PDB’s next General Membership meeting to participate in a discussion on biofuels projects, including two projects proposed by refineries in the Bay Area. Following the biofuels panel discussion which is open to the public, we will close the meeting to members only and finish discussion and vote on two motions pending before members. The information you will need to join our Zoom will be posted here later.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8094041624?pwd=Z2QzZUUxdm56VVE5M3NpNGRnY2NMZz09
Meeting ID: 809 404 1624
Passcode: 214953
Dialing in? Call 669-900-6833
Two oil companies, Marathon and Phillips 66, propose to convert their refineries from processing crude oil to possibly vegetable oil, animal fats, or used cooking oil to create biofuels—what the industry refers to as renewable diesel. The proponents of the projects describe these projects as part of California’s plan to transition from fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But local activists and environmental organizations are voicing reservations as Contra Costa County officials consider whether they should grant permits in the coming months. In addition, a local Benicia company has partnered with a Wyoming-based renewable fuels company which converts organic waste to clean hydrogen and synthetic fuels.
Our panelists for this discussion, which will be moderated by Kari Birdseye, are:
- Ann Alexander, Senior Staff Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
- Nancy Rieser, from Crockett-Rodeo United to Defend the Environment (CRUDE).
- Matt Murdock, CEO and Founder, Raven SR, a waste-to-renewable fuels company that recently acquired Benicia Fabrication & Machine Inc., which will construct several key components of Raven SR’s steam/CO2 reformer system to meet increasing demand for green hydrogen and renewable synthetic fuels.
A Q&A session will follow the presentation by our panelists.
The second part of our program will be open to members only, who will hear concluding comments and vote on two motions pending before members: (1) implementing a program to expand diversity within PDB and unite with other Democrats, and (2) change the name of the club to “Benicia Democrats.”
Read this in the meantime! This linked PDF (https://progressivedemocratsofbenicia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DEIR-Comments-Jay-Gunkelman.pdf) was submitted as a public comment regarding the Phillips 66 proposed biofuels conversion in Rodeo by Jay Gunkelman, our highly respected community expert on refineries and toxic emissions. The entire response is very clearly written and explains many P66 unresolved problems that may also mirror some other refineries. Of note is Mr. Gunkelman’s second paragraph where he compares P66 to those other refineries, including Valero, regarding required fence line detection limits to operate a 5 parts-per-billion. Note that Valero’s detection is significantly above that parameter for Xylene.
And, don’t forget that membership dues are due for 2022! You can easily renew through Act Blue on the PDB website https://progressivedemocratsofbenicia.org/pay-dues-donate/.
See you on Tuesday, February 8th at 7 pm!