The US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles last month filed felony criminal charges against Phillips 66 regarding unlawful dumping of oil and grease into the sewer system at their refinery in the City of Carson. This serves as a significant moment in the ongoing fight for environmental justice in my community. As mayor of Carson, I have been committed to protecting the health and welfare of Carson residents, which also benefits residents everywhere as pollution and contamination does not obey jurisdictional lines. And fighting for our residents includes ensuring that those responsible for environmental harm are held accountable.
While this accountability of Phillips 66 has been long overdue, better late than never. I look forward to federal law enforcement in tandem with the US Attorney holding fully accountable those responsible for this harm to our environment. This filing may also explain, in part, Phillips announced departure from Carson in an irresponsible fashion, trying to market its hundreds of acres of property in the city for industrial development. Even on its way out, Phillips 66 demonstrated its lack of respect for our residents and the environment.
Under my leadership, the City of Carson has been proactive in addressing the toxic legacy of industrial pollution. We have implemented a refinery tax to help mitigate the negative environmental impacts on our community from pollution and contamination, and that fund to support crucial environmental protection programs and public health initiatives. However, much like its poor record in protecting the environment, Phillips is suing the city to avoid paying its fair share of the refinery tax. I want to make it clear that while we respect the right to challenge, we will continue to stand firm in our efforts to protect the people of Carson, and from which residents throughout the region will also benefit.
The recent charges only reaffirm the need for vigilance in protecting our residents from industrial practices that jeopardize our health. I will continue to ensure that the city is at the forefront of this issue. I have instructed the city attorney to contact the Department of Justice so that the City of Carson can be involved as this case progresses. The city will also assess its direct rights against Phillips 66. While we are indeed pleased that the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles has finally filed these charges, I am also concerned that given President-Elect Trump’s rhetoric that unless the city gets involved the charges will be quickly dropped upon him assuming office.
Accordingly, I also call upon all of our elected leaders at the county, state, and federal levels to stand with the City of Carson in this critical fight. The time to act together is now, we must ensure that corporate polluters that put our communities at risk are held accountable for their actions.
At the city level, we will not rest until accountability is achieved.
