Tesoro Los Angeles Refinery - Carson Operations: Oil Refinery in Carson, California

Tesoro Los Angeles Refinery - Carson Operations is a major oil refinery located at 22700 S Wilmington Ave, Carson, Los Angeles County, California. The facility is operational and processes crude oil into various petroleum products, serving the regional fuel market. As part of the Tesoro (now Marathon Petroleum) network, it plays a key role in the West Coast refining sector. The refinery operates under the US EPA Clean Air Act Refinery MACT standards, which regulate hazardous air pollutant emissions from petroleum refineries. Additionally, as a coastal facility near the Port of Los Angeles, it adheres to BSEE offshore safety regulations and MARPOL Annex I for marine pollution prevention. The Nelson complexity index for such refineries typically ranges from 10 to 15, indicating moderate to high complexity in processing heavy crude oils. The facility's location in the Los Angeles Basin places it in a densely populated area with significant air quality concerns, leading to stringent local and state regulations from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The refinery's product mix includes gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and petrochemical feedstocks, contributing to the energy supply for Southern California.

The refinery is situated in the Los Angeles Basin, a region with historically poor air quality due to industrial emissions and vehicle traffic. Coastal siting near the Port of Los Angeles increases spill risk during crude oil deliveries via marine vessels. The facility must comply with CARB's low-carbon fuel standard and local air district rules, which drive investments in emissions control technologies like vapor recovery and sulfur recovery units.