WASHINGTON – After receiving input from stakeholders including community groups, industry and the states, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to update the toxic air pollution standards for petroleum refineries to protect neighborhoods located near refineries.
“This proposal will help us accomplish our goal of making a visible difference in the health and the environment of communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, in a press release. “The common-sense steps we are proposing will protect the health of families who live near refineries and will provide them with important information about the quality of the air they breathe.”
The agency’s proposal would, for the first time, require monitoring of air concentrations of benzene around the fenceline perimeter of refineries to assure that emissions are controlled and these results would be available to the public. The proposal would also require upgraded emission controls for storage tanks including controls for smaller tanks; performance requirements for flares to ensure that waste gases are properly destroyed; and emissions standards for delayed coking units which are currently a significant unregulated source of toxic air emissions at refineries.
When these proposed updates are fully implemented, EPA estimates toxic air emissions, including benzene, toluene, and xylene, would be reduced by 5,600 tons per year. Volatile organic compound emissions would be cut by approximately 52,000 tons per year. They anticipate that these cost-effective steps will have no noticeable impact on the cost of petroleum products at the approximately 150 petroleum refineries around the country.
The American Petroleum Insitute responded to EPA’s announcement, saying that the “refinery rule proposed today comes with a high price tag but uncertain environmental benefits, while emissions continue to fall under existing regulations.” API Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Howard Feldman continued, “With this proposal, EPA adds to the list of new regulations impacting refineries that come with enormous costs but questionable environmental benefits. This rule is intended to evaluate what risk, if any, is posed to the public from refinery emissions. But EPA has already concluded the risks associated with refinery emissions are low and the public is protected with an ample margin of safety. America’s refineries have been reducing emissions for decades and will continue reducing emissions under existing regulations while making the cleanest fuels and helping to improve air quality.”
EPA is issuing this proposal as part of a process outlined in the Clean Air Act. The agency will take comment on the proposal for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. The agency plans to hold two public hearings, one near Houston and one in Los Angeles, and will finalize the standards in April 2015. Details on the public hearings will be available on EPA’s website shortly.