Local News in Brief : Mobil to Be Fined
Air quality officials have decided to cite Mobil’s Torrance refinery for creating a public nuisance Sept. 1 in connection with foul odors that forced the closure of almost a mile of Crenshaw Boulevard for 3 1/2 hours and prompted complaints from as far away as Long Beach.
Bill Kelly, a spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said reports from the Torrance Fire Department and Mobil employees identified Mobil as the source of the smells.
Management district officials have not decided what fine to levy against the oil company. The maximum is $25,000 a day.
The air quality agency received 75 complaints about the smell, including one from a motorist who was briefly hospitalized after driving near the refinery. She reported that the odors were “worse than rotten eggs” and complained of shortness of breath and nausea.
Mobil has been cited 50 times in the last four years for violation of air quality laws and has paid $60,700 in fines, according to district records. Six criminal misdemeanor charges for alleged violations of air quality laws were filed against Mobil in August, stemming from six incidents at the refinery between May 6 and June 6.
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