Take Action: Petrochemical Rules Public Comment

US Environmental Protection Agency Re: Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2022–0730

Dear Friend,

We have an opportunity to protect families living near plastic and petrochemical facilities. Will you send a comment to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) today?

US EPA’s proposed rule changes for petrochemical facilities don’t go far enough to address the pollution from more than 225 of the largest chemical and plastic manufacturing sites in the country. The new rules would create requirements for some fenceline monitoring, and new leak detection and repair requirements for new facilities, and get rid of some exemptions that are currently allowed. But they would not do enough to close loopholes and limit harmful pollution.

Public comment on the proposed rules will be accepted until July 7th.

Help us send a clear message to the US EPA that these rules must be strengthened in order to protect our families and future generations from petrochemical pollution.  

We've been told that personalizing your comment to the US Environmental Protection Agency will go a long way. Please fill out the "Comment" space to your right and tell them why this issue is important to you.




Sincerely,

People Over Petro Coalition


To: US Environmental Protection Agency Re: Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2022–0730
From: [Your Name]

Re: Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2022–0730

Dear Administrator Regan,

I request that the US EPA issue the strictest rules to protect families living in chemical manufacturing facilities. As you know, the Ohio River Valley is the birthplace of chemical manufacturing. Our families have lived with the pollution and legacy of these industries for far too long.

I ask that the agency strengthen the rules in these four specific areas.

1) EPA must ensure that every facility covered by these chemical manufacturing rules is required to perform proper fenceline monitoring to demonstrate that any pollution that leaves such facilities poses minimal harm to fenceline communities. The proposed regulations on fenceline monitoring leave 90 facilities without ANY fenceline monitoring. In addition, EPA should add toxic pollutants to its current shortlist of six pollutants in the rule to ensure that each facility has at least one or more sentinel chemicals that can be monitored.

2) EPA must strengthen the over-30-year-old leak detection and repair requirements used to minimize fugitive emissions. As it stands, EPA declined to update most facilities' leak detection and repair requirements. Fenceline communities are affected adversely by fugitive emissions of a cocktail of pollutants from these chemical manufacturing facilities, and the facilities must be required to use pollution prevention technologies such as leakless pumps and valves with verification using advanced leak detection sensor networks.

3) EPA must limit flaring from chemical manufacturing facilities. Flares are used for routine management of waste gases resulting in significant pollution. They should only be used in emergency situations and as a last resort to using advanced engineered controls for chemical vapors. Besides flaring, there are better management techniques for the routine management of waste gases.

4) While we support EPA’s removal of the much-abused startup, shutdown, and malfunction exemptions, the agency has improperly proposed new loopholes for releases from pressure release devices during malfunctions. These exemptions are unlawful and must be removed.


Sincerely,