Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William K. Reilly said executives of nine major U.S. companies have agreed to voluntarily reduce toxic air emissions at 40 chemical plants in 14 states.
When fully implemented in December 1993, the initiatives will aim to reduce toxic air emissions by almost 83%, or 9.46 million lb.
The 40 plants are on the list of 205 facilities that EPA has identified as having relatively high estimated risks from toxic air emissions.
The companies are BASF, Dow Chemical, Exxon, General Electric, Goodyear, Occidental, Reichhold, Texaco, and Texas Petrochemical. Their plants are in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
The air pollutants covered in the agreement include butadiene, ethylene oxide, carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, and ethylene dichloride, although not all emissions of those substances would be reduced at each of the 40 plants.
The agreement stems from an August 1989 meeting, when Reilly sought a toxic reduction commitment from senior officers of the nine corporations and the Chemical Manufacturers Association.
The companies and CMA agreed to the reduction and in the next 10 months developed plans that EPA's technical staff reviewed.
The companies agreed to report to EPA yearly on the steps they have taken to achieve the promised reductions.
The accord will not necessarily exempt them from future federal rules.
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