What is the logic in a 25 ton cap? Are all chemical factories the same size? 25 tons for large factory might actually very low, compared to the total throughput of chemicals, but for a small factory (say a homebrew biodiesel setup), a 25 ton allowance might be more than it could possibly produce in a year if it used the dirtiest setup possible.
And a ton of dioxin is not equal to a ton of NOx. How can you regulate it just by weight, even if all chemical plants were the same size? On 4/4/06, robert luis rabello <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It looks more like the "Endangering Permission Agency" . . . > > http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5321132 > > A leaked document from the Environmental Protection Agency suggests > that the agency is considering a significant change in air-pollution > rules. It would give chemical factories, refineries and manufacturing > plants new leeway to increase emissions of pollutants that cause > cancer and birth defects. > > John Walke, who heads the clean-air program for the environmental > group Natural Resources Defense Council, says he received the document > from sources at the EPA who wanted the public to become aware of this > "backward step." > > Currently, any factory that emits more than 25 tons of toxic chemicals > into the air each year must reduce its pollution as much as it > feasibly can. Walke says the draft proposal would give a break to > companies that own those plants. After they clean up, their only > requirement would be to keep their pollution below 25 tons a year. > > "Take an oil refinery that 10 years ago polluted 100 tons of toxic air > pollution," Walke says. "Due to the Clean Air Act, that refinery today > will emit only five tons of toxic air pollution. Under this EPA > proposal, that refinery can increase it's toxic pollution from five > tons to 25 tons." > > But Lorraine Gershman of the American Chemistry Council says there are > no incentives to increase emissions under the new rules. > > Gershman says her industry has been pushing EPA to make the changes > described in the draft rule. Under the current rules, even after the > factory cleans up, it's still considered a major polluter and is > required to keep monitoring its pollution and reporting what it learns > to the government. Under the draft proposal, these requirements would > disappear. > > "We believe it's EPA recognizing a lot of these major sources have > made in reducing their emissions and realizing that there should be > some sort of benefit of that, and that is reducing the administrative > burdens," Gershman says. > > Lobbyist Scott Segal, who represents refineries, says the proposal > will give big polluters the incentive to reduce pollution below that > 25-ton-a-year cap. > > But EPA officials charged with running the air toxics programs outside > of Washington apparently disagree. In December, the regional officials > sent a letter to EPA headquarters warning that the draft rule would be > "detrimental to the environment and undermine the intent of the program." > > The letter criticizes EPA's draft rule for failing to analyze how many > companies might be encouraged to cut pollution and how many might > relax their pollution controls because they're already under the > threshold. > > In the draft rule, the EPA asserts that plants will not use the rule > to increase pollution because they'll want to "avoid negative > publicity and maintain their appearance as responsible businesses." > > But EPA's regional air toxic chiefs in their letter call that > statement unfounded and overly optimistic. > > EPA spokesperson Lisa Lybbert released a statement saying that > "commenting on the draft at this point in the process is like asking > us how a cake tastes when we haven't even put the batter in the oven." > > > robert luis rabello > "The Edge of Justice" > Adventure for Your Mind > http://www.newadventure.ca > > Ranger Supercharger Project Page > http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
