Vote on Mobil Pipeline Plan Delayed

Less than an hour before the Torrance City Council was to vote on Mobil Oil Corp.’s plan to expand an underground crude oil pipeline, company officials requested that the city delay a vote until the May 12 council meeting.

City officials agreed to the postponement on Tuesday. Mobil spokesman Barry L. Engelberg said the company asked for the extra time so that it could answer council members’ questions about the pipeline, which would replace an existing line linking Mobil’s Torrance refinery to oil fields in Kern County.

Mayor Katy Geissert said the council had received “a number of inquiries� from citizens concerned about the safety of the proposed 92-mile, $88-million pipeline, including a petition signed by more than 100 residents.

City Atty. Kenneth L. Nelson said the delay would give the city time to obtain information from other agencies to address the concerns of residents.

Council members asked Nelson to research how the city could monitor the amount of oil the pipeline carries, its safety, and whether the South Coast Air Quality Management District would allow Mobil to increase the level of pollutants from its refinery.