Bakersfield Refinery - Big West

Big West, the company that is most recognized for their Flying J gas station and super centers, owns one of three refineries in Bakersfield, California. The plant originally opened in 1932 under the name Mohawk Oil Refinery, and by 1975 it had been sold to Reserve Oil & Gas. Over the next 20 years, the facility fell under the ownership of several major corporations, but in 2003 it was almost shut down permanently. Shell Oil was operating the refinery at the time, and they had decided to close the site, until the California Attorney General got involved and requested that they sell it instead. The plant was still considered to be a valuable asset in California, and Shell agreed to sell the facility. By 2005, Big West, a subsidiary of Flying J Inc., purchased the refinery.

Big West announced plans to begin a major expansion of the facility in early 2007, but they were also faced with several major problems. Environmental groups and county officials were investigating the plant, and had determined that the level of hazardous emissions was far higher than legal limits allowed. Plant owners were venting highly toxic gases that seemed to be causing a great deal of illness for nearby residents. The refinery was fined by the county and forced to pay $15,000 by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Plans for the expansion were put on hold pending further investigation of this matter.

In March of 2008, Big West was hit with another problem. A power outage caused malfunctions with plant equipment, and allowed gasses to flare up. This led to another incident of pollution seeping into the local community. Later that year another investigation was initiated at the plant when a strong odor caused several children to fall ill. The odor was said to smell like petroleum, and the point of origin seemed to be a large oil tank owned by Big West. A leak was found in the valve of the tank, which resulted in the overwhelming scent. This incident may also have a negative effect on Big West's intentions to expand the size of the plant.

Even before Big West took over, the Bakersfield refinery faced many problems involving hazardous emissions, public health issues and employee safety concerns due to the presence of asbestos within the work place. Asbestos was commonly found in industrial sites for many years as a primary component in rubber gaskets, insulation and several other products. It wasn't until much later that the material was found to be hazardous, and a leading cause of mesothelioma. Workers who were exposed to the asbestos often developed serious respiratory issues and Methoselioma, a potentially life threatening disease. All of the products that were made from asbestos were eventually removed, but any person who worked at the plant while they were on site should notify their doctor about it immediately.

The possibility of an expansion project happening is still uncertain. Big West intends to build new refining units that feature state of the art emission controls to drastically reduce the amount of pollution they produce. As of 2008, the facility is able to process up to 66,000 barrels of crude oil each day, and they hope to increase that amount buy 65% over the next few years.

Last modified: December 09 2009.