Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) Records

Collection

Identifier: SPC-2023-018

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) Records (1979-2014, undated; bulk: 2015-2022) contains nine boxes and five linear feet of meeting minutes, reports, flyers, articles, memorandums, emails, presentations, proposals, and other material regarding TRAA and their fight to ban hydrogen fluoride (HF) and modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF) from the Torrance Refining Company, and Valero Wilmington Refinery- both located in Southern California. A majority of this collection is in regards to TRAA meetings, events, outreach, and direct action; educational material regarding HF and MHF and their potential dangers; South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Proposed Rule 1410 created to address the threat of the release of hydrogen fluoride (HF); and material related to Torrance Refining Company, and the Torrance Refinery ExxonMobil Explosion in 2015 and aftermath. This collection is organized into five series. Series I: Organizational Records contains documents related to Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) meetings, events, direct action, outreach, history, and operations; and includes meeting minutes, notes, agendas, proposals, speeches, membership lists, and a brief history of the organization. Series II: South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) contains documents regarding SCAQMD's Proposed Rule 1410; and material related to Resolution No. 19-19 opposing the ban of HF/MHF issued September 6, 2019, and the aftermath of resolution; as well as Governing Board and Working Group meeting minutes, agendas, and reports. Series III: Los Angeles County contains material related to Torrance Refining Company, City of Torrance, County of Los Angeles, and other Southern California area refineries. A majority of the material in this series relates to the Torrance Refinery ExxonMobil explosion in 2015 and aftermath and includes the City of Torrance and County of Los Angeles’ involvement regarding efforts made to support a ban of modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF). Series IV: Subject File contains reports, articles, emails, fact sheets, news releases, and other material related to HF and MHF, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Board, Public Employees of Environmental Responsibility (PEER), United Steelworkers, the Sierra Club, Valero Energy Corporation, and other organizations and documentation regarding refineries, refinery safety, disaster planning, climate change, unions, pollution, and the environment. Series V: Steve Goldsmith Papers contains papers belonging to Steve Goldsmith, President of TRAA; and his work with the Rotary Foundation and Mediators Beyond Borders. Also included in this series are local event programs and flyers; and notes presumably regarding TRAA, Rotary Foundation, and Mediators Beyond Borders.

Dates

1979-2024; undated
Majority of material found within 2015-2022

Creator

Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

On February 18, 2015 an explosion occurred at what was formerly the Exxon-Mobil refinery (now Torrance Refining Company owned by PBF) in Torrance, California. The blast catapulted an 80,000 pound piece of equipment into the air that landed within six feet of a tank that contained 50,000 pounds of Modified Hydrofluoric acid (MHF). Within weeks of the explosion, a small group of concerned local residents and business owners from Torrance and nearby areas met to formulate a response. The group now known as: Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) works with the goal of the banning of MHF. Over the past few years, TRAA has created petitions, presented at community gatherings, leafleted and tabled, rallied, canvassed, and marched; gathered over 13,000 signatures as of 2018; made comments at Torrance City Council meetings; and made efforts to enlist the support of elected officials for the ban of MHF used at Torrance Refining Company, and Valero Wilmington Refinery- the only two refineries in California to use MHF. Efforts to ban MHF still continue to this day, and in February 2024, TRAA held a rally to mark the 9th anniversary of the ExxonMobil Refinery explosion.

Sources: Torrance Refinery Action Alliance: https://traa.website/ “A Brief History of Torrance Refinery Action Alliance and its Efforts to Ban MHF” Box 1, Folder 1

Extent

9 boxes (seven document cases; two record storage boxes; three oversized items)

5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains reports, flyers, fact sheets, articles, emails, memorandums, and other material regarding Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA), an organization formed in the aftermath of an explosion on February 18, 2015 at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery (now PBF Energy’s Torrance Refining Company). TRAA's mission is to ban hydrogen fluoride (HF) and modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF) from two refineries (Torrance Refining Company and Valero Wilmington Refinery) in Southern California.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into five series:

Series I: Organizational Records, 2014-2023; undated
Series II: South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), 1991-2023; undated
Series III: Los Angeles County, 1979, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2011-2024; undated
Sub-Series A: Torrance Refining Company, 1979, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2011-2022; undated
Sub-Series B: City of Torrance and Los Angeles County, 2003, 2012-2023; undated
Series IV: Subject File, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2005-2024; undated
Sub-Series A: HF and MHF, 1993, 1994, 2016-2022; undated
Sub-Series B: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2000, 2013-2024; undated
Sub-Series C: Other Organizations and Refineries, 2009, 2012-2023; undated
Series V: Steve Goldsmith Papers, 2006, 2013, 2019-2022; undated