TORRANCE : Safety Measures Upheld for Refinery’s Acid Use

A judge has upheld safeguards for Mobil Oil Corp. to follow as it introduces a safer form of a controversial chemical at its Torrance refinery.

Retired Superior Court Judge Harry V. Peetris ruled Friday in favor of 11 conditions requested by Torrance officials to guide Mobil as it starts using a modified version of toxic hydrofluoric acid by a 1997 deadline. The changeover is a product of long-running concern in Torrance about the acid’s safety after a string of refinery accidents. That concern helped forge a 1990 legal pact, overseen by Peetris, between the city and oil giant.

The new conditions, approved 4 to 3 by the City Council in February, were later altered slightly by a court-appointed safety adviser.

With Peetris’ approval, the conditions now can be enforced by the court. They require Mobil to produce a schedule for switching to modified hydrofluoric acid and establishes a panel to work on public warning issues. The safety adviser is to oversee the conversion, and Mobil must reveal any problems it encounters. Peetris commended Mobil at last week’s court hearing, saying, “They’ve made a safer refinery in this community that other communities can’t boast.”

But Councilman Dan Walker was dubious. “When Dec. 31, 1997, arrives, will Mobil have done what it said it was going to do, or will it be back in court asking for extensions?” Walker said. “Mobil has a history of procrastinating rather than action.”