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Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) Records
SPC.2023.018  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
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.
Background
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.
Extent
9 boxes (seven document cases; two record storage boxes; three oversized items)
Restrictions
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.
Availability
There are no access restrictions on this collection.