We’re fighting for a future beyond oil here in Carson.

The history

 

Phillips 66 has profited and polluted for over a century here in Carson. Now that the last barrel of oil has left the refinery, we finally have the chance to clean up the land, invest in good union jobs that protect our health and environment, and give residents a say in what happens next.

The stakes are high: Just because the refinery stopped refining oil doesn’t mean a century of pollution in the soil and groundwater will vanish overnight. There’s a “lake of oil” beneath the 233-acre Carson refinery site, made up of decades of petroleum sludge, toxins, and other pollution. 

Our communities know that back-room deals, shoddy cleanup, and greedy zoning decisions can lead to cancer, death, and huge cleanup bills down the line.

Lawmakers and regulators have a choice: let Phillips 66 and developers continue to take the lead – or can bring residents into the driver’s seat. They can allow Amazon warehouses, data centers, or ICE detention centers fill the gap left by the refinery – or create good union jobs for the city, with work that protects our health and environment.

Join us in fighting for a just transition in Carson, California.

Tell the L.A Water Board: Capped toxins are still toxic.

Refinery communities deserve to see real cleanup today, not more promises from an unreliable corporate polluter.

Los Angeles: take action.

Who we are

We want to live, work, and raise our families in Carson, California, but with each passing year we’ve seen fossil fuel companies pollute the air and sicken our families.

Now, we’re organizing to demand that Phillips 66 pays to clean up their toxic mess – so that we don’t get left with the bill for cleanup.

What we need from the City of Carson:

 

  • Launch a Just Transition Taskforce – We need a real, staffed taskforce to guide refinery site cleanup, bringing together City planners, City building department, Los Angeles Waterboard, environmental and toxins experts, and frontline residents. 
  • Conduct a Site Revisioning Process – Bring our neighbors and surrounding community into the site redevelopment with a visioning process for the refinery. Create an “open front door” with freely shared studies of the site. If Phillips 66 doesn’t pay, taxpayers will: we deserve to guide the process. 
  • Champion Strong Community Benefit and Project Labor Agreements. Encourage strong Community Benefit Agreements and project labor agreements to ensure that unionized workers perform the decommissioning (tear-down) and remediation (cleanup).

What we need from the Los Angeles Water Board:

 

  • Create a Strong Plan for Refinery Cleanup with Real Teeth –  Working together as the City and LA Water Board, we need a strong work-plan for cleanup that holds Phillips 66 to real standards. 
  • Transparency & Real Input – Our neighbors deserve more information, updates, and a means of giving input on the site cleanup. The Water Board can and must hold public workshops to update residents; provide resources in the languages spoken and read by Carson residents; provide frequent opportunities for public comment and public forums; and establish an open door policy for site remediation data.
Holding Phillips 66 Accountable

Holding Phillips 66 Accountable

by | Jun 1, 2026

From engaging in door knocking campaigns to speaking at city council meetings, APEN's youth leadership in Carson plays an important role in our strategy to hold Phillip's 66 accountable for remediation of their Carson refinery. Through our advocacy, we were able...

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