Refinery agrees to cut flaring after residents documented hundreds of events

A neighborhood group logged 312 flaring events in a year using phone cameras.

Storage tanks and pipework at an industrial plant

The Northshore refinery has agreed to install new equipment to reduce flaring, after a neighborhood group documented 312 flaring events over 12 months using phone cameras and a shared spreadsheet.

“They told us it was rare. We showed them it wasn’t,” said organizer Jamal Pierce. The agreement with state regulators includes $2.1 million in penalties.

A refinery spokesperson said the company is committed to reducing emissions and meeting its obligations.