On August 15, 2022, Phillips 66 Company (Phillips 66) applied to the County of San Luis Obispo for approval of a Development Plan and Coastal Development Permit (DP/CDP) to demolish the Santa Maria Refinery (SMR) facility and remediate the site located at 2555 Willow Road in Arroyo Grande, California.
The County application, C-DRC2022-00048 Phillips 66 SMR Demolition and Remediation Project (SMR Project), was accepted for processing on March 15, 2023, initiating an environmental review process as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Release of Draft Environmental Impact Report
On March 22, 2024, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Santa Maria Refinery Demolition and Remediation Project was released for 45-day public review. The Notice of Availability can be accessed here.
The complete Draft EIR can be accessed here.
Individual sections of the Draft EIR and the Appendices can be accessed here.
The County is requesting the public provide written comments on the Draft EIR during the comment period, which will begin on March 22, 2024, and end at 5:00 p.m. on May 6, 2024. Comments will not be accepted after May 6 at 5:00 p.m.
Anyone interested in commenting on the Draft EIR should email their comments to: [email protected] or mail their written comments to Susan Strachan with the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning & Building at 976 Osos St., Rm 300, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408. Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m., May 6, 2024.
Hard copies of the Draft EIR and all Draft EIR Appendices are available for review at the County Department of Planning & Building, 976 Osos Street, Rm 200, San Luis Obispo at the permit center from 8:30 a.m. – noon or 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. Hard copies and digital thumb drive copies of the Draft EIR are also available for review at the San Luis Obispo County Public Library Main Branch in San Luis Obispo, and at the branch libraries in Arroyo Grande and Nipomo (for hours and locations see SLOLIBRARY.org).
Planning Commission Study Session on the Santa Maria Refinery Demolition and Remediation Project Draft EIR
The Planning Commission will hold a study session on the Draft EIR. The meeting details are as follows:
When: April 25, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m.*
Where: Katcho Achadjain Government Center, Board of Supervisors Chambers
1055 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo
* Please see the Planning Commission agenda to determine the agenda item placement for the Santa Maria Refinery Demolition and Remediation Project study session. The agenda will be available approximately 10 days prior to the meeting. Items on the agenda generally proceed in the order listed. The public is advised to arrive early.
Final Environmental Impact Report
At the close of the Draft EIR comment period, a Response to Comments document will be prepared and any necessary edits to the Draft EIR will be made. It is anticipated the Final EIR will be completed and issued in August 2024, depending on the number of comments received. The Final EIR and Santa Maria Refinery Demolition and Remediation Project will then be brought to the Planning Commission for its consideration. It is anticipated this will occur in late summer/early fall 2024.
Project Updates
Background
The SMR Project site covers an approximately 218-acre footprint defined by a fenced boundary within approximately 1,650 acres of contiguous property held by Phillips 66. The property is south of, and takes access from, Willow Road, surrounded by Oceano Dunes State Park to the west, agriculture uses to the south, Woodlands Village Reserve (Monarch Dunes) to the east, and Callendar-Garrett Village Reserve and agriculture use to the north. The SMR property is within the Coastal Zone; parcel Land Use designations include Industrial, Open Space, and Agriculture.
The Santa Maria Refinery has been in operation since 1955 producing semi-refined liquid petroleum, as well as petroleum coke (carbon) and granular sulfur which are by-products of refining. The crude oil for processing was delivered primarily by pipeline from offshore platforms along the California coast and oil fields in and near the Santa Maria Valley. Approximately 2,000 barrels per day of petroleum-based crude product was delivered to the refinery by truck. Semi-refined liquid products from the SMR were transported by pipeline as feedstocks to the Rodeo Refinery in Contra Costa County, California, for upgrading into finished petroleum products. The petroleum coke was shipped to off-site market destinations by rail and truck and the granular sulfur was shipped to off-site market destinations by truck.
Phillips 66 recently obtained approval to transform the Rodeo Refinery, located in the community of Rodeo, in Contra Costa County, into a repurposed facility that will process renewable feedstocks into renewable diesel fuel, renewable components for blending with other transportation fuels, and renewable fuel gas. Because the Rodeo Renewed Project will discontinue the processing of crude oil at the Rodeo Refinery, the SMR is no longer necessary to provide feedstock to the Rodeo Refinery. Consequently, Phillips 66 ceased operations of the SMR in January, 2023.
Notice of Preparation
On May 4, 2023, the County issued a Notice of Preparation, which is a notice for soliciting agency, organization, and public input and initiation of scoping for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Demolition and Remediation Project. The Notice of Preparation can be accessed here:
2023-05-04 Final P66 SMR NOP FIN.pdf
Project Timeline
The process timeline for the Development Plan/Coastal Development Permit Application (DP/CDP) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is shown below.
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