Remember when there were those huge scary flames over the Richmond Chevron refinery just before Christmas that got explained as some emergency "flaring" to avoid a potential disaster? Well, incidents like that, and routine flaring in general, have cost Chevron a slap on the wrist from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to the tune of $146,000.

That fine is a pittance for a corporation like Chevron, but it stems from 22 separate violations recorded by the district over the past couple of years relating to the discharge of potentially hazardous chemicals into the air we breathe.

Chevron passes all this off as "minor" in an email statement to the Chronicle, but while the fine may be minor one can guess that "unhealthy levels of hydrogen sulfide and other harmful compounds" are not great for human consumption.

"Even though the incidents were minor and did not result in any significant impacts to people or the environment," says Chevron spokesperson Leah Casey, "we take these matters seriously, and have taken preventative measures to avoid similar situations from occurring in the future."

Previously Chevron paid $2 million in damages related to the 2012 fire at the Richmond refinery that sent toxic plumes of smokes all over the Bay Area. That incident was far from minor.

Previously: Huge Flames Over Chevron Refinery Last Night That Freaked Everyone Out Were On Purpose
Toxic Chevron Refinery Fire in Richmond Prompts Shelter-in-Place [Updated]