The city of Benicia and its school district are getting $40 million for clean energy and air quality projects.
The Bay Area Air District announced the funding Thursday morning at a press conference. It comes from a 2024 settlement with Valero over air quality violations at its Benicia refinery spanning more than 15 years.
The funding comes through the Air District’s Local Community Benefits Fund, which reinvests money from penalties paid by companies for air quality violations back into communities impacted by pollution. In the 2024 settlement, regulators alleged that Valero failed to control and report emissions since at least 2003, contributing to smog and releasing toxic compounds that are known to cause cancer, reproductive harm, and other health effects.
“Far too long the cost of industry has been born on the lungs of our youth. This has to stop,” Benicia Unified School District Superintendent Chris Calabrese said at a press conference this morning. He went on to say that 10% of the district’s preschoolers under three have asthma.
Valero did not respond to KALW’s request for comment in time for broadcast.
$10 million will go directly to Benicia schools to improve facilities.
The other $30 million will go towards things like wildfire resilience, improved access to parks and shoreline, as well as expanded EV charging. The city also plans to replace its community center’s HVAC system and water heaters to eliminate gas combustion and improve indoor air quality.
Projects are expected to begin later this year.
