Mobil Refinery Violations

The Coalition For Clean Air would like to thank The Times for its thorough and enlightening article (April 14), “Air District Outmaneuvered in Its Bid to Close Refinery,” regarding the Mobil Oil Corp.’s yearlong air pollution violations.

The Mobil case is an excellent illustration of the need for annual testing of major polluters in the Los Angeles Basin. During the South Coast Air Quality Management District Variance Hearing Board proceedings, it was learned that Mobil’s Torrance refinery had been knowingly violating air pollution regulations for more than a year, spewing tons of pollutants into the air. Yet this situation went undetected by enforcement officials for almost that entire period.

The district’s governing board will be finalizing its ‘85-’86 budget at a public hearing on May 17. A proposal for testing all sources that emit 100 tons or more of pollution at least twice a year, and sources that emit from 10 to 100 tons at least once a year, will be considered for additions to the budget. Regular source testing will not only catch violators, and give companies a strong incentive to keep their pollution control equipment in good working order, but it also will give the district a better picture of what is actually being emitted in the basin. This proposal must be approved if outrageous violations, such as Mobil’s, are not to happen again.

NANCY ROTHENBERG-LANDIS

Santa Monica

Rothenberg-Landis is a research associate with the Coalition for Clean Air.