Program Descriptions
Environmental Challenges in the Petroleum Refining Industry | View Presentation »
The U.S. petroleum refining industry must be prepared to meet a growing number of environmental regulatory challenges. New and proposed federal regulations will have a significant impact on future refinery operations especially in the areas of combustion sources (flares, furnaces, FCCUs, engines, etc.). These impacts potentially include new emission limits, equipment retrofits, additional monitoring and reporting requirements. Some new and revised regulations expected to have significant impacts include:
- Part 98 (Greenhouse Gases)
- NSPS Ja (FCCUs, flares, sulfur plants)
- MACT DDDDD (Heaters and Boilers)
- NSPS IIII, JJJJ and MACT ZZZZ (Internal Combustion Engines)
In addition to these regulatory challenges, Clean Air Act Section 114 allows EPA to request data from regulated industries typically for use in the development of new rules and revisions to existing rules. A proposed EPA Refinery 114 Information Request was published in September 2010 with the final version expected 2Q11. EPA focus areas include coking units, sulfur plant, FCCUs and catalytic reformers. Based on industry response, new/revised regulations could be proposed as soon as 2012.
While this is not meant to be a comprehensive list of environmental issues, it does provide a flavor for the near term challenges faced by the U. S. petroleum refining industry.
