The Martinez Refining Company has agreed to pay $4.48 million to settle allegations of federal Clean Water Act violations tied to its Contra Costa County refinery, and the money will go to environmental projects, according to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Owned by PBF Energy Inc., the refinery produces a variety of petroleum products. Between 2022 and 2023, the company allegedly discharged millions of gallons of wastewater from its oil refinery operations, causing harm to water quality and aquatic life in the large undeveloped marshes connected to the Carquinez Strait.

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