Northern California forces oil refiners to cut air pollution

NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) – Regulators in Northern California on Wednesday ordered two of the state’s largest oil refineries to reduce their fine particulate air pollution, which will require expensive modifications at factories.

The 19-3 vote from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District board of directors means that refineries in the area, including the Richmond plant of Chevron Corp (CVX.N) and the Martinez refinery of PBF Energy Inc ( PBF.N) will have to install wet gas scrubbers. reduce the pollution emitted by their gasoline-powered catalytic cracking units (FCCU) within five years.

The new requirement is expected to reduce PBF and Chevron particle emissions from its cat crackers by about 70%, according to the Air Quality District estimates.

Refineries emit large amounts of pollution when crude oil is turned into fuel, and small particles – made up of solid or liquid particles suspended in the air – are among the most harmful pollutants. Prolonged exposure is known to cause respiratory, lung and cognitive health problems.

FCCUs, which transform heavier crude oil into lighter petroleum products including gasoline, are among the biggest polluters of fine particles in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Under the amended rule, refineries with FCCUs must limit annual particulate emissions to 0.01 grain per standard dry cubic foot over the next five years. Chevron and PBF, the refiners expected to be most affected by the rule change, have urged regulators to consider a less stringent 0.02 limit by 2023. The Benicia refinery of Valero Energy Corp (VLO.N) already has a wet gas scrubber.

Refiners and their advocates, including several refinery unions, have said upgrading FCCUs will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, lead to layoffs at refineries and pressure factories to close. Running wet gas scrubbers would also require excessive use of water in an already parched area, they argued.

“Union members depend on these refinery jobs to raise their families and put food on their tables, while educating their children in college and living fulfilling lives,” said Marc Lopez, representing the local union. plumbers and steam fitters 342, at board meeting.

Health professionals, environmental groups and other supporters of the rule change have said that adding wet scrubbers will result in much healthier air, especially for children, poor residents and people in the city. color disproportionately affected by pollution from refineries.

“I know that in all of my years of practice, what I have done has saved lives,” 35-year-old medical oncologist Dr. Janice Kirsch told the Board of Directors. “But what you can do today will save more cancer lives than two or three of my careers.”

Dissenting board members raised concerns over refinery job losses, the time it will take refineries to meet the 0.01 standard, versus the 0.02 standard , and the legal threats from refiners if the rule change were adopted.

Reporting by Laila Kearney Editing by Marguerita Choy

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