Torrance

The county Board of Supervisors has asked air pollution officials to look into citizen reports of persistent noxious odors at the Mobil Oil Corp. refinery in Torrance. The board Tuesday approved a motion by Supervisor Kenneth Hahn to ask the South Coast Air Quality Management District to report to it on the “excessive amount of noxious odors still coming” from the site.

The refinery has a history of serious violations of air quality standards, and its fluid catalytic cracking unit was shut down Feb. 6 after district officials accused the company of knowingly discharging 1.3 million tons of pollutants into the air over a six-month to one-year period. The unit was allowed back into full operation March 1 after temporarily repairing its pollution control equipment, as ordered by the air quality district.