Chevron agrees to $160 million upgrade, fines to end probe

Federal officials say Chevron Corp. has agreed to pay a nearly $3 million fine and spend $160 million on environmental improvements and upgrading oil refineries to resolve allegations the company violated pollution laws.

The U.S. Department of Justice said the agreement ends investigations in four states where Chevron's refineries caught fire or released harmful chemicals. The settlement calls for it to spend $10 million on environmental projects in those four states: California, Mississippi, Utah and Hawaii.

The San Ramon, California-based company agreed to spend $150 million upgrading refineries throughout the country.

DOJ said the $2.95 million fine will resolve several regulatory investigations, including the 2013 explosion and fire in Pascagoula, Mississippi, that killed a Chevron worker and a 2012 fire at its Richmond, California, facility that prompted 14,000 residents to be evacuated.