Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Scope and Contents
Biographical / Historical
Arrangement
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Torrance Refinery Action Alliance (TRAA) Records
Creator:
Torrance Refinery Action Alliance
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2023.018
Physical Description:
9 boxes
(seven document cases; two record storage boxes; three oversized items)
Physical Description:
5 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1979-2024; undated
Date (bulk): 2015-2022
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.
Language of Material:
English
.
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.
Preferred Citation
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.
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
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
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Steve Goldsmith, 2023.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Torrance (Calif.)
Wilmington (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Activism
Petroleum industry and trade -- California
Hydrogen fluoride
Hydrofluoric acid
Pollution prevention
Environmentalism
Torrance Refining Company
Valero Wilmington Refinery
South Coast Air Quality Management District (Calif.)
United States. Environmental Protection Agency