Local News in Brief : Councilman Tries to Limit Chemical’s Use
Warning of the potential for a “terrible disaster,” Torrance City Councilman Dan Walker has launched an initiative campaign to severely restrict use of a toxic chemical at the Mobil Oil refinery.
Walker filed a formal notice of intent to circulate a petition that would ban the storage of more than 250 gallons of hydrofluoric acid at any site in Torrance.
The notice does not mention Mobil, but Walker left no doubt that his target is the sprawling refinery where explosions, fires and accidents have claimed the lives of three workers during the last 20 months. The refinery uses the acid to boost octane in unleaded gasoline.
Refinery Manager Wyman D. Robb disputed Walker’s contention that hydrofluoric acid poses a threat to Mobil’s neighbors or has the “potential for the sort of disaster” the councilman suggested. “We have used the process in Torrance at the Mobil refinery for over 40 years,” Robb said.
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