CONTINENTAL CARBON COMPANY AGREES TO INSTALL POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, March 23, 2015
Settlement with Continental Carbon Company to Reduce Air Pollution at Manufacturing Facilities in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas

In a settlement with the United States and the states of Alabama and Oklahoma, Continental Carbon Company has agreed to install pollution control technology that will significantly cut emissions of harmful air pollutants at manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.  The settlement will resolve claims that Houston-based Continental violated the Clean Air Act by modifying their facilities in a way that caused the release of excess sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx).

The settlement requires Continental to pay a civil penalty of $650,000, which will be shared with Alabama and Oklahoma, co-plaintiffs in the case.  Continental must also spend $550,000 on environmental projects to help mitigate the harmful effects of air pollution on the environment and to benefit local communities, including at least $25,000 on energy efficiency projects in the communities near each of the three facilities.

“Today’s agreement is good news for residents living near Continental facilities, many of whom were overburdened by air pollution for far too long and whose children, like all Americans, should be able to breath clean air.” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “The agreement also reflects our continuing efforts to vigorously enforce the Clean Air Act to protect public health and the environment.  The settlement requires Continental to control large sources of air pollution with advanced technology and requires projects that will have a direct and positive impact on Continental’s neighbors.”

“This settlement brings another major carbon black company into compliance with a law that protects clean air for American communities,” said Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.  “By investigating all 15 carbon black manufacturing plants in the U.S., EPA is committed to improving public health and leveling the playing field for companies that follow the law.  By installing the latest pollution control technology and funding environmental projects, Continental is taking steps to reduce emissions of air pollutants that can lead to serious health problems.”

Continental manufactures carbon black, a fine carbonaceous powder used in tires, plastics, rubber, inkjet toner and cosmetics, at facilities in Phenix City, Alabama, Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Sunray, Texas.  Because the oil used to make carbon black is high in sulfur, its production creates large amounts of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter.  This settlement supports EPA’s and the Justice Department's national efforts to advance environmental justice by working to protect communities such as Phenix City and Ponca City that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution.

EPA expects that the actions required by the settlement will reduce harmful emissions by approximately 6,278 tons per year of sulfur dioxide and 1,590 tons per year of nitrogen oxide.  Continental estimates that it will spend about $98 million to implement the required measures.  The pollution reductions will be achieved through the installation, upgrade and operation of state-of-the-art pollution control devices designed to reduce emissions and protect public health.

SO2 and NOx have numerous adverse effects on human health and are significant contributors to acid rain, smog and haze.  These pollutants are converted in the air to particulate matter that can cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular impacts, and premature death.

EPA concluded that the modifications made at Continental’s plants violated the Clean Air Act based on information the company submitted in response to an information request from EPA in 2007.  EPA issued notices of violation to Continental for these claims in 2012.

The settlement was filed with the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Oklahoma and is subject to a 30 day public comment period.  The company is required to pay the penalty within 30 days after the court approves the settlement.

This settlement is part of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiative to control harmful emissions from large sources of pollution.  Through the initiative, EPA investigated all 15 of the carbon black plants in the U.S. for violations of the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements.  With this settlement, six of the 15 facilities will be covered by consent decrees with EPA.  In 2013, EPA announced the first national carbon black settlement with Boston-based Cabot Corporation, the second largest carbon black manufacturer in the United States.

OIL COMPANY TO PAY $18 MILLION TO RESOLVE CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS AT A UTAH REFINERY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

Friday, August 23, 2013
Big West Oil to Pay Penalty and Spend $18 Million on Emission Controls to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at North Salt Lake Refinery
Company to Reduce Harmful Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide and Particulate Emissions and Improve Chemical Monitoring

Big West Oil LLC has agreed to pay a $175,000 penalty and to spend approximately $18 million to install emission controls at its refinery in North Salt Lake, Utah, announced the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today.  Big West Oil will also invest $253,000 to improve the monitoring and management of potential releases of hydrofluoric acid at the facility.

Today’s agreement resolves alleged violations of key provisions of the Clean Air Act at the refinery, including requirements associated with the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and New Source Performance Standards.

When fully implemented, the controls and requirements under the agreement will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by approximately 158 tons per year (tpy), nitrogen oxides (NOx) by approximately 32 tpy, and particulate matter (PM) by approximately 36 tpy.  Additional reductions of volatile and hazardous pollutants, such as benzene, are expected as a result of compliance with leak detection and repair requirements.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides contribute to ground-level ozone, acid rain and the degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and can also irritate the lungs and contribute to respiratory illnesses.  Fine particle pollution contains microscopic solids and liquid droplets that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause significant lung and heart damage.

“This settlement will result in substantial reductions in harmful air pollution and, building on previous settlements with area refineries, marks another step forward in improving the quality of air Utahns breathe in the Salt Lake City area,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “Big West Oil will be required to install advanced technology pollution controls that will benefit the health and environment of its neighbors and future generations.”

“EPA continues to secure significant settlements with refineries that benefit public health and improve air quality in our communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shaun McGrath.  “Today’s agreement will help bring Big West Oil’s refinery up to date with industry standards to protect the environment.”

Today’s settlement requires Big West Oil to install a state-of-the-art flue gas filter system to control emissions of PM and to place ultra-low NOx burners on four heaters and boilers.  The company will also undertake measures to reduce SO2 emissions from the refinery by, among other things, restricting hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in fuel gas and installing and operating a caustic scrubber system at the sulfur recovery plant.

Additionally, Big West Oil has agreed to make numerous upgrades to its leak detection and repair program, including the installation of low-leaking valves, and to enhance its waste operations to minimize or eliminate fugitive benzene emissions.  The cost of the measures to be taken by the refinery is estimated at $18 million.

In addition, the company will spend $253,000 on a supplemental environmental project to install a laser detection system around the perimeter of the Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Unit that will improve the detection and response to releases of potentially hazardous acid.  This system will reduce emissions and enhance safety for refinery workers and nearby communities.

The reduction in pollutants will benefit communities near the refinery, which include significant minority and low-income populations.  The refinery is also located in an area designated as nonattainment for the federal 24-hour standard for fine particles (PM2.5).

Under the PSD permitting requirements, certain large industrial facilities making modifications that increase air pollutant emissions are required to install state-of-the-art air pollution controls.  EPA investigations in various industries, including petroleum refining, reveal that many facilities fail to install pollution controls after modifications, causing them to emit pollutants that can impact air quality and public health.  The Clean Air Act’s New Source Performance Standards require additional control measures at refineries.  Enforcing these requirements reduces air pollution and ensures that facilities that are complying with the requirements are not at a competitive disadvantage.

Since March 2000, the EPA has entered into 31 settlements with companies that refine greater than 90 percent of the domestic petroleum refining capacity.  These settlements cover 107 refineries in 32 states and territories.  Once the settlements are fully implemented, the companies will have reduced emissions of NOx, SO2, and other pollutants by more than 360,000 tons per year.  The settling refiners have invested or will invest more than $6.5 billion in new pollution control technologies and have paid more than $93 million in penalties.  In addition, the settlements reached to date account for more than $80 million in supplemental environmental projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION: WHAT IS ACID RAIN?

What is Acid Rain?

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

INFORMATION ON ACID RAIN
Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) – CASTNET provides atmospheric data on the dry deposition component of total acid deposition, ground-level ozone and other forms of atmospheric pollution.

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) – NADP is a network of over 100 federal, state and local government agencies, and private sector entities that collect data on acid deposition, as well as mercury deposition.

EPA Clean Air Markets Data and Maps – Provides access to a variety of data associated with emissions trading programs, including trends in emissions and heat input, environmental assessment maps, data sets and reports on acid deposition, facility attributes and contacts, and other file downloads ACID RAIN DEFINED
"Acid rain" is a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. The precursors, or chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result from both natural sources, such as volcanoes and decaying vegetation, and man-made sources, primarily emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides resulting from fossil fuel combustion. In the United States, roughly 2/3 of all sulfer dioxide and 1/4 of all nitrogen oxides come from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels, like coal. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these compounds across state and national borders, sometimes over hundreds of miles.

Wet DepositionWet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow. If the acid chemicals in the air are blown into areas where the weather is wet, the acids can fall to the ground in the form of rain, snow, fog, or mist. As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects a variety of plants and animals. The strength of the effects depends on several factors, including how acidic the water is; the chemistry and buffering capacity of the soils involved; and the types of fish, trees, and other living things that rely on the water.

Dry DepositionIn areas where the weather is dry, the acid chemicals may become incorporated into dust or smoke and fall to the ground through dry deposition, sticking to the ground, buildings, homes, cars, and trees. Dry deposited gases and particles can be washed from these surfaces by rainstorms, leading to increased runoff. This runoff water makes the resulting mixture more acidic. About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition.