EPA Public Hearing on Proposed Petroleum Refinery Rule Amendments (Hazardous Air Pollutants)
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
9 a.m. to... 9 p.m. (if necessary, depending upon the number of speakers wishing to participate)
Hartman Park Community Center
9311 East Avenue P
Houston, Texas 77012
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
www.epa.gov , will hold a public hearing to take comment on proposed amendments to the agency’s 1995 air toxics standards for petroleum refineries. The amendments, proposed in August, address the residual risk and eight-year technology reviews required for air toxics standards. Air toxics, also known as hazardous air pollutants, are known or suspected to cause cancer and other health problems. The EPA is providing additional time for the public to submit written comments on the proposed amendments. Comments now must be received by Dec. 28, 2007. To view details about the hearing; the September 2007 proposal; and a fact sheet summarizing the proposal, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/petrefine/petrefpg.html
This will be the only public hearing on National Environmental Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) in the entire country. Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPS) are a class of 189 chemicals which are known or suspected to have adverse effects on health. Unlike criteria air pollutants such as ozone, there are no national standards regulating acceptable levels of these compounds in the ambient environment. Two HAPS, benzene and 1,3 butadine, are of particular concern in Houston due to the large volume of emissions as well as their potential to cause cancer in humans.