In the News...
CPI Agrees to Install Emergency Generator for Scrubber
December 14, 2008
Following calls and letters from residents to City officials (see October 22, 2008 article below), CPI has sent a letter to the Fire Department stating their intent to install an emergency generator that would power the scrubbers in case of a power outage.
The letter also says that sensors for monitoring hazardous gases have been installed (see November 14, 2007 article below). No details on this system have been provided. Read the letter.
CPI's Longstanding Fire Code Violation — Fire Department Complicity
October 22, 2008
CPI is still in violation of the Uniform Fire Code (see April 2nd article below) due to lack of an emergency power supply for their scrubbers. It now appears that they have no plans to solve the problem, though they told the City in April that an emergency generator would be installed.
Barron Park resident Art Liberman has uncovered public documents showing that the Palo Alto Fire Department has been working with CPI to allow them to circumvent the Fire Code rather than comply with it. Read more.
County Concludes Audit — Neighbors Still Worried
September 30, 2008
Santa Clara County recently concluded its audit (begun in March 2007) of CPI’s Risk Management Plan. CPI hired a new consultant for this audit who vigorously challenged several of the County assertions. As a result, the County lowered the risk category for nitric acid and did not require CPI to include highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas in the risk assessment.
Neighbors of CPI are still quite concerned about possible releases of nitric, sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. A catastrophic fire or an earthquake could result in these acids mixing with cyanide and producing a cloud of highly toxic hydrogen cyanide. The County says this scenario is not required to be considered under strict interpretation of the Title 19/CalARP regulations.
Read more here.
CPI Wastewater Spill Violated Municipal Code
June 26, 2008
As a result of CPI's wastewater spill last month (into the storm drain and Matadero Creek; see May 20th story below), they were cited by the City of Palo Alto. The "Notice of Noncompliance" says that:
- CPI failed to report the problem promptly,
- CPI failed to take immediate action to contain and clean up the mess,
- CPI failed to maintain their containment alarm system (thus setting the stage for the accident).
In doing so, CPI violated Palo Alto Municipal code and they also violated the terms of their wastewater discharge permit. Read the notice here.
Contact your elected representatives
June 16, 2008
Concerned about CPI and their hazardous site? Contact your elected legislators and contact Stanford University (the landowner). Explain why you're concerned about CPI and ask them to look at this web site for more information. Be persistent; if they don't respond, or if their response doesn't address the problem, try again.
| Name | Title | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Klein | Mayor, City of Palo Alto | klein.larry@dorsey.com click for web site |
| Palo Alto City Council | city.council@cityofpaloalto.org click for web site |
|
| Liz Kniss | Supervisor, Santa Clara County | liz.kniss@bos.sccgov.org click for web site |
| Joe Simitian | California State Senator | click for web site |
| Anna Eshoo | US House of Representatives | click for web site |
| John Hennessy | President, Stanford University | president@stanford.edu click for web site |
Newspaper highlights concerns about CPI
June 2, 2008
Barron Park resident Richard Placone's formal complaint to the City of Palo Alto caught the attention of the Daily Post, which ran a front page article about CPI's toxic chemical accidents and the threat the facility poses to the safety of residents. Read the article here.
NEWS ALERT: CPI Leaks Chemicals to Storm Drain and Creek
May 20, 2008
In yet another accident, CPI spilled 40 to 50 gallons of water containing copper and nickel into a Palo Alto storm drain and then into nearby Matadero Creek. As with earlier accidents, CPI stated smaller quantities and lower concentrations than the Fire Department, leaving residents wondering if CPI has been intentionally under-reporting their numbers. Read the story in the Palo Alto Weekly.
CPI in Violation of Uniform Fire Code
April 2, 2008
CPI has scrubbers that remove toxic acid and cyanide fumes from the air as it is vented from their building. Although these scrubbers have been in place for years, CPI has never had a backup power system to ensure proper operation in case of a power outage, even though this is required by the Uniform Fire Code.
In the recent audit of CPI (see comments on the audit), the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health discovered this violation.
As a result, the Palo Alto Fire Department (the agency responsible for enforcing the Fire Code) has finally put CPI on notice that they must remedy the problem.
County Warned CPI to Consider Accident During Toxics Delivery
March 31, 2008
In rejecting CPI's latest Risk Management Plan, the County explicity pointed out in their letter (see comments on the audit) that CPI needed to consider the possibility of a serious accident during delivery of hazardous materials because the trucks, when pumping acid into CPI's storage tanks, are very close to the property boundary.
Had the March 19th incident happened with nitric acid instead of hydrochloric acid, the consequences could have posed a serious risk to the life and health of many people.
NEWS ALERT: Hydrochloric Acid Spill at CPI
March 19, 2008
An estimated 60 to 100 gallons of hydrochloric acid was spilled at CPI this morning while a chemical storage tank was being refilled. The problem was reportedly due to an equipment malfunction, and acid was spilled inside and outside the building. The Fire Department responded and cleaned up the spill. CPI has five days to submit a detailed report to the City on the cause of the incident.
Read more in the Palo Alto Weekly and the Fire Department press release.
Despite the new emergency notification system recently installed by Palo Alto, neighbors were not notified of the problem until more than nine hours after the incident was reported.
Contact information:
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Dinapoli | CPI Director of Facilities | paul.dinapoli@cpii.com | 650-846-3123 |
| Dan Firth | Palo Alto Fire Marshal | dan.firth@cityofpaloalto.org | 650-329-2347 |
| Emily Harrison | Palo Alto Assistant City Manager | emily.harrison@cityofpaloalto.org | 650-329-2533 |
| Larry Klein | Mayor of Palo Alto | klein.larry@dorsey.com | 650-323-0780 |
| Palo Alto City Council | city.council@cityofpaloalto.org |
County Rejects CPI's Risk Management Plan
February 25, 2008
Santa Clara County has just completed its audit of CPI’s Risk Management Plan (RMP). The County objected to parts of the RMP and sent a detailed six page letter to CPI requiring them to remedy the deficiencies within 90 days. The Palo Alto Fire Department concurred with the County’s conclusions.
The County did not accept a number of the assumptions used by CPI to determine the “Worst Case Release” scenarios for accidental releases of nitric acid and potassium cyanide, and also rejected the toxic endpoint distances computed following the accidents. There were a number of other faults (including Fire Code violations) that were outlined in the letter that CPI must correct.
Read more... The audit started a year ago (older news).
CPI agrees to install gas monitoring and alert system
November 14, 2007
CPI announced that they will install a continuous gas monitoring and alert system in their facility next to the Barron Park neighborhood; the schedule has not yet been determined. The Palo Alto Fire Department will be providing assistance in selecting and configuring the system. The proposed amendments to the Fire Code have been withdrawn; residents say they are pleased to see CPI taking a step in the right direction but are waiting to see the results. Read the story in the Palo Alto Daily News.
Residents Ask City to Improve the Fire Code
October 26, 2007
Palo Alto is in the process of updating the Fire Code.
The City asked the business community for their input on the new Code but didn't ask residents.
Not surprisingly, the new Code provides no extra protection for residents living near industrial facilities with large quantities of toxic materials.
Art Liberman has submitted a proposal to the City Council to provide greater protection for residents living near CPI. Read it here: Proposal for Additional Amendments to the Palo Alto Municipal Fire Code.
The City Council will be holding a study session (open to the public) on this topic on October 29th, followed by a public hearing on November 13th.
The City's Fire Code Ordinance directly impacts the health and safety of Palo Alto residents -- this is the time to speak up and ask for improvements. Write to the Council at city.council@cityofpaloalto.org and attend the public meetings.
Mark your calendar:
Monday October 29th: City Council study session
Tuesday November 13th: City Council public hearing
Monday October 29th: City Council study session
Tuesday November 13th: City Council public hearing
