Communities for a Better Environment v. Bay Area Air Quality Management District

Petitioner commenced a lawsuit in California Superior Court challenging the issuance of a permit to Chevron USA Inc. for a modernization project at its refinery in Richmond, California. Petitioner alleged that the agency had not complied with CEQA requirements prior to issuing the permit. In particular, petitioners claimed that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District had failed to review the “additional and massive GHG emissions” expected from the project (almost 1 million metric tonnes annually). Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) announced on October 16, 2014, that it had settled its lawsuit against the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) over the alleged issuance of a permit to Chevron USA Inc. for a modernization project at its refinery in Richmond, California. CBE had claimed that BAAQMD failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act and in particular claimed that BAAQMD had failed to review the “additional and massive GHG emissions” expected from the project. CBE indicated that the settlement required BAAQMD to base its decision on the permit on an environmental impact report approved by the Richmond City Council in July 2014.