DemocracyNow.org - More than 900 people have sought medical treatment following a massive fire at a Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California. Tens of thousands of area residents were ordered to stay in their homes with the windows and doors closed after a series of blasts Monday sparked blazing fires that sent huge plumes of smoke. Chevron now says the situation is under control. We talk with Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, a member of the Green Party, who is seeking a full investigation into the blaze. "We have a community that has been fighting chevron for a long time, and I'm proud to and honored to stand for that community," McLaughlin said. We're also joined by Andres Soto, the Richmond organizer for Communities for a Better Environment, an environmental justice group that has previously sued Chevron over what it says was a shoddy environmental impact report. "They refuse to sit at the table, they refuse to negotiate in good faith with the community over a wide range of issues, whether it's fair taxation or whether it's environmental safety and environmental justice," Soto said.

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Published on Aug 8, 2012 by democracynow