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ExxonMobil Refinery Resumes Operations In Torrance

TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — Workers readied equipment Tuesday for the scheduled restart of ExxonMobil's refinery in Torrance.

Around 2:45 a.m., operations resumed for the first time since the refinery was extensively damaged by an explosion on Feb. 18, 2015.

As a safety precaution, ExxonMobil shut down a pollution control device for six hours, which resulted in up to 600 pounds of excess particulate emissions.

According to South Coast Air Quality Management District officials, the emissions were not expected to expose residents to unhealthy levels.

An AQMD board approved the plan and regulators said they will be keeping a close watch on the operation.

According to officials, last year's explosion injured four people and led to spikes in Southern California gas prices.

Trouble began six days before the blast occurred, when a problem developed within a piece of equipment known as an expander, which forced the plant's "fluid catalytic cracking" unit to be shut down.

State regulators subsequently issued 19 citations against ExxonMobil and proposed penalties totaling $566,600.

Under the agreement, ExxonMobil had to pay about $5 million in penalties for air pollution violations that resulted from the blast.

The 750-acre refinery was eventually sold to the New Jersey-based oil refining company PBF Energy in September for $527.5 million. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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