Tosco Stands Down Avon Refinery

Troubled by repeated emission releases and other accidents, Tosco Corp. (Stamford, CT) is shutting down its Avon, CA, refinery for at least 30 days while it conducts a safety review. The action comes after a fatal fire at a processing unit on February 23. The company says that the plant will be brought back up only when Tosco is confident that all safety issues and concerns have been addressed. The Avon refinery represents about 15% of Tosco's refining capacity.