MAJORS JOIN VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS CUTS PROJECT

A number of major U.S. oil companies are taking part in the Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary program to reduce emissions of 17 targeted toxic chemicals by half by 1995.

Among those announcing their participation in the program are Amoco Corp., Ashland Oil Inc., Exxon Corp., Phillips Petroleum Co., and Shell Oil Co.

EPA Administrator William Reilly in February asked more than 600 U.S. companies to cut total releases and transfers of the 17 chemicals by 33% by 1992 and 50% by 1995 under what the agency called the Industrial Toxics Project (ITP). The goal is an aggregate one for the U.S., not company or facility specific.

Some of the companies went beyond what was called for in ITP, either pressing bigger emissions cuts or adding chemicals not on the ITP list. A number of companies had voluntary emissions reduction programs under way before ITP was announced and have made significant progress to date. Most noted they were in compliance with current pollution control regulations on the emissions.

The emissions cover discharges to air, land, and water and include solid waste disposal onsite or offsite.

TARGET CHEMICALS

The companies covered by the ITP solicitation are considered the biggest contributors to a universe of 1.4 billion lb/year of the 17 toxic chemicals generated at more than 11,000 U.S. sites.

The list of 17 chemicals (see table) was drawn from the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) using 1988 as a baseline year. TRI, created under Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), covered a total of about 7 billion lb of chemical releases and transfers in 1988. TRI each year reports on more than 300 toxic chemicals routinely released into the environment by about 20,000 industrial facilities.

EPA chose the 17 target chemicals because of their serious known health and environmental effects, high potential for exposure, production volumes, high volume of releases, and recognized potential for releases.

Being identified as a source of any of the 17 target chemicals does not indicate a company is mismanaged or out of compliance with pollution control rules, EPA noted. Companies are required to make a TRI annual report on all emissions of certain chemicals, regardless of whether those emissions are permitted.

Air emissions account for about 70% of the total environmental releases and offsite transfers of the 17 target chemicals. The same contaminants are included in a list of 189 toxic pollutants for which EPA is required to issue maximum achievable control technology control standards (MACT) under the reauthorized Clean Air Act. Companies can get 6 year extensions from the normal compliance date for MACT standards by signing enforceable agreements by Jan. 1, 1994, to cut emissions of the 189 pollutants 90%-95% for particulates. EPA will issue rules for such extensions.

EPA and the companies involved expect most of the emissions reductions will be accomplished through source reductions, with a lesser contribution from recycling and treatment programs.

EPA set a deadline of May 15 for companies to submit their plans for participating in ITP in order to benefit from special public recognition associated with the program later. Companies can still participate in ITP beyond the May 15 deadline.

AMOCO

Amoco pledged to cut its emissions of ITP target chemicals in its refining and chemical operations to 5.3 million lb/year in 1995 from 10.6 million lb/year reported in 1988. It did not specify which chemicals on the list it emits.

Amoco Chairman H. Laurance Fuller said his company intends to go beyond the goals of the project and track emissions reduction performance for other chemicals and facilities falling outside ITP's specific goals.

He said Amoco "fully supports the voluntary, market sensitive project" as part of its pollution prevention program.

ASHLAND

Ashland is targeting cuts of 11 of the ITP chemicals: benzene, toluene, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, lead, nickel, chromium, methylene chloride, tetrachloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and trichloroethylene.

Ashland estimated its chemical and refining operations emit about 1.3 million lb/year of the 11 chemicals, based on 1988 data. Participating in ITP would result in a reduction of almost 440,000 lb/year by 1992 and more than 650,000 lb/year by 1995.

Ashland Chairman John R. Hall said his company's participation in ITP likely will cost about $15-20 million through 1995 for valve and pump inspection and maintenance, valve replacement, and tank upgrades.

"While there will be significant expense associated with our involvement with this program, we believe it is a cost effective alternative to pollution treatment," Hall said. "In addition, participation in the program will place the company in front of existing environmental regulation."

EXXON

Exxon plans to cut its emissions of ITP chemicals by 50% by yearend 1995.

The company said those cuts will go beyond the almost 80% reduction in emissions of volatile organic compounds it has achieved in the U.S. since the early 1970s. It did not disclose which chemicals or facilities will be targeted.

Edwin Hess, Exxon's vice-president for environment and safety, said, "We believe this kind of voluntary effort can help achieve more practical and effective environmental improvements than a regulation driven approach. We encourage the agency to expand the program's scope by including additional companies."

PHILLIPS

Phillips plans to cut by 50% by 1995 emissions of benzene, toluene, xylene, chromium, nickel, methyl ethyl ketone, carbon tetrachloride, and lead. The affected plants are its Sweeny, Tex., refining/petrochemical complex Borger, Tex., and Woods Cross, Utah, refineries, Puerto Rico Core naphtha refinery, Houston Chemical Complex Philtex/Ryton complex at Borger, Catalyst Resources Inc. catalyst manufacturing plant at Bayport, Tex., and Alamo extractive chemicals plant at Conroe, Tex.

Phillips' strategy for emissions reduction includes cutting use of one--it did not disclose which one--of the eight chemicals and installation of improved emission controls at a number of the plants. Phillips Chairman C.J. Silas said, "We are pleased to see EPA's efforts to encourage voluntary emission reductions and support future programs of this nature in lieu of command and control regulations."

Phillips noted that its reductions will be based on corrected data from the 1988 baseline to reflect emissions cuts.

SHELL

Shell plans to cut by more than 50% its emissions of benzene, chromium, lead, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, nickel, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, toluene, and xylene. Affected facilities are Shell's refining and chemical plants and a product distribution terminal, although the company did not specify which ones.

Shell will cut total emissions of the nine chemicals by more than 2.5 million lb/year, with source reduction accounting for about 75% of the cuts.

Shell Pres. Frank Richardson said the program is expected to require capital outlays of $400-500 million and significant continuing operating expenditures.

Further, Shell has chosen four other chemicals not covered under ITP for significant emissions cuts. It plans to cut by about 75%, or 2.8 million lb/year, its emissions of butadiene, cyclohexane, epichlorohydrin, and ethylene oxide by 1995 from the 1988 baseline level.

As of 1990, Shell had reduced total SARA Title III emissions by 88% from the 1988 level, with more cuts expected from current programs, Richardson said.

EPA STRATEGIES

EPA developed ITP as part of its effort to focus on source reduction as the best way to cut pollution in the U.S.

"The voluntary pollution prevention initiative ... will reinforce rather than replace the regulatory program to protect human health and the environment," Reilly said in announcing the program in February.

"There is a twofold design to this voluntary initiative--to help reduce toxic pollution ahead of schedule by encouraging companies to act now rather than wait for statutory deadlines and by stimulating interest in reducing wastes at the source as a cost effective way to comply with existing and future requirements."

In addition to the 17 chemicals covered by ITP, EPA also has targeted dioxin in its pollution prevention strategy. Dioxin is being handled under a separate process because it differs in origin and character from the other chemicals.

Along with ITP, EPA's pollution prevention strategy calls for:

• Development of required regulations in clusters, cutting across all environmental media.

• Development of pollution prevention strategies in the energy, transportation, and agricultural sectors.

• Provisions for integrating prevention into existing environmental protection programs.

EPA can offer other incentives, such as information and technical assistance, under the Pollution Prevention Act of 1991. It also encourages cooperative efforts to identify barriers to source reduction.

Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.