Press Release

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April 7, 2003

Three community forums are scheduled and a video presentation is being shown on Contra Costa Television as part of a campaign to get community feedback about industry compliance with the county's Industrial Safety Ordinance.

A licensed chemical engineered hired by the county to conduct the outreach campaign, Bob Katin, will be featured in both the video and at the three forums in Bay Point, Pacheco and Martinez.

"Getting feedback from the community is a critical part of the Industrial Safety Ordinance, and Bob Katin is eminently qualified to help members of the public articulate their concerns," said Michael Kent, Hazardous Materials Ombudsman for Contra Costa County.

Passed into law by the county Board of Supervisors in 1998, the ordinance requires seven refineries and chemical plants in unincorporated Contra Costa to submit safety plans to the county, which in turn must seek public comments on the plans before accepting them.

Comments will be sought in May at public forums scheduled at the following times and locations: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at Ambrose Community Center, 3105 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point; 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, Pacheco Community Center at 5800 Pacheco Boulevard; and 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, Martinez City Council Chambers at 525 Henrietta St.

Residents with cable television can also learn about the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) from a televised presentation by Katin scheduled to run four times this month on Contra Costa Television, the county TV station: 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 9; 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10; 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22; and 7 p.m. Monday, April 28.

"One of the most important things for people to understand is which industrial plants are covered by the ordinance," said Katin. "It doesn't cover businesses in incorporated cities like Antioch and San Pablo."

The seven plants covered by the ISO are, from west to east: Conoco Phillips Refinery in Rodeo; the Shell Refinery and the Air Products plant on its site near Martinez; the Tesoro Refinery and the Air Products plant on its site near Concord; and General Chemical and Polypure, both in Bay Point.

The plants were selected for regulation based on their use of extremely hazardous chemicals such as flammables and different acidic chemicals, Katin said.

The county collected public comments on the Conoco Phillips Refinery safety plan last year in a pilot program, he added, so the forums and TV program will focus on the other six plants.

Contra Costa Television, which produced the video presentation, airs on the following cable channels: Channel 10 in Danville; Channel 15 in some parts of Central Contra Costa; Channel 18 in Clayton, Concord, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Hercules and Richmond; Channel 19 in Alamo, Albany, Danville, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pacheco, Pleasant Hill, Rossmoor, San Pablo, Walnut Creek and parts of Far East County; and Channel 27 in Antioch, Bay Point, Pittsburg and parts of West County and the Tri-Valley area.

For information about the ISO, the forums or the video, call Bob Katin at 925-755-1150.

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