Fines paid by the Chevron refinery and other polluters are being turned into grants for the neighborhoods that live next to them. The Bay Area Air District on Friday announced $65 million for pollution reduction and clean energy projects in Richmond, Contra Costa County, Benicia and nearby communities.
Where the money goes
About $38.7 million is set aside for Richmond and surrounding areas, Richmondside reported. The two largest awards are catalyst grants of $10.7 million to the City of Richmond and $12.9 million to Contra Costa County, according to the air district.
Richmond's share will be split among 11 local groups, including GRID Alternatives, Groundwork Richmond, Rich City Rides, Richmond Trees and RYSE. Their projects include planting 600 trees, transit passes for 1,500 residents, energy upgrades for 100 income-qualified homes, asthma prevention and youth job programs. County money will support a resilience center in North Richmond and home air quality upgrades. Other grants will fund park work in San Pablo, help for workers leaving refinery jobs and clean energy upgrades for 189 homes in Pinole.
How the program works
The grants come from Bay REPAIR, a program created under a 2024 air district policy to reinvest violation penalties in the communities affected by them. The district says these are the first awards of their kind in California. The money is separate from the $550 million Chevron agreed last year to pay Richmond over a decade.
Contract negotiations are starting now, and officials hope to finish by spring so work can begin. Grants will run two to five years.
Not everyone calls it a fix
Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez said reinvesting penalties does not replace strong regulation or erase the harm residents have already experienced. Hoodline, citing the Mercury News, reported that the refinery accounts for about 63% of particulate matter released in Richmond. The district is also developing a future grant program for the Martinez area.