City of Benicia: The voluntary shelter in place is now lifted. You can now open doors and windows.
On March 26, 2026 around 10:20 a.m., the Valero Refinery experienced visible emissions in the form of black smoke and soot from the South Flare Stack. The release also caused significant odors around Benicia. The release was caused by chemical cleaning operations related to ongoing refinery shutdown operations. Valero has since isolated the cleaning process. Any remaining odors are expected to dissipate quickly.
