The Bay Area Air Quality Management District strengthened a refinery flare control rule Wednesday by requiring that all flares be investigated.

Greg Karras, a senior scientist with Communities for a Better Environment, said this was a big victory for the mainly low income and minority communities surrounding the five large refineries in the Bay Area.

"Refineries are inherently hazardous places where there are large amounts of flammable and toxic materials under pressure and heat," Karras said. When refineries flare, houses shake, the air stinks, people's eyes start to burn and their children start to cough or have an asthma attack, said Karras. A single flaring event can release as much as 50 tons of pollution into the environment, according to CBE.

By investigating every refinery flare event, the cause of the flaring can be determined and corrected to prevent future flaring.

Flares are intended to be used only as a safety measure to quickly get rid of gasses to prevent explosions or larger releases, but scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency and CBE have proven that refineries have been abusing flares and using them to dispose of gasses in non-emergency situations, Karras said.

Refineries have also cut their flaring by 50 percent since 2002, which proves that pollution reduction is possible, Karras said.

The new rule will enable the District to better regulate refinery flaring as well as hold refineries accountable for all flare events.