Federal officials are now part of a probe into an oil refinery that released hazardous pollutants into the air in Martinez last November. The FBI and the EPA now confirm a joint investigation.'
Martinez resident Wendy Ke told NBC Bay Area Friday that every time she goes outside, she is stressed out, has a pinch of anxiety and the understanding she can't consume anything she's growing.
“We’re on hold with eating anything from our property,” she said.
That's because on a clear day, you can see the plumes from the Martinez Refinery Company or MRC billowing into the sky from Ke's dining room.
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Last November around Thanksgiving, Ke and her neighbors found their vehicles dusted with a powdery substance.
“My husband was out at the car and loading it and he just commented to me 'there’s this odd dust that’s all over this car and it’s also on our back deck,'” she said.
They would later find out it was metal-laden dust or "spent catalyst," that could cause respiratory issues. County officials said the refinery failed to inform them about it, as required by law.
About six months later, the FBI and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are stepping in. The FBI released the following statement Friday:
"The FBI, working with our federal partners at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are speaking with members of the community in Martinez, who could have been affected by the release of potentially hazardous materials at the Martinez Refining Company which occurred in November, 2022. As this investigation is ongoing, we will not be making further comment at this time."
Agents were canvassing the neighborhood Thursday night asking people like Ke. Ke is now a part of a group called Healthy Martinez with a goal to keep the refinery accountable.
They want MRC and its parent company PBF Energy to clean up its mess. That is, making sure the soil doesn't have traces of these chemicals.
This comes as in just a couple of weeks, Contra Costa Health Department should receive lab results of soil samples from more than a dozen sites to determine the extent of heavy metal poisoning in Martinez and surrounding areas as far as Benicia.
PBF Energy's corporate office is based in New Jersey. The Martinez Refining Company released the following statement Saturday:
“We are aware of the Department of Justice’s investigation and as a matter of policy do not comment on pending legal matters. We are cooperating with all relevant agencies, including with respect to any ongoing investigations related to the incident. We would, however, like to take this opportunity to once again apologize to the Martinez community for the spent catalyst release on November 24, 2022. We have thoroughly investigated the incident to identify appropriate corrective actions and we are committed to implementing them.”
