American Chemistry Council voices concern over final EPA ruling on emissions

Washington - The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has voiced concern over a recent move by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restrict emissions from chemicals plants.

Issued 9 April, the EPA ruling covers emissions at over 200 synthetic organic chemical, polymer and resin production plants, including various types of rubber, particularly polychloroprene.

“We are reviewing the details of this final rule as well as its impacts on vital industries across the country,” said ACC in a statement on the same day.

With its “expansive and problematic fenceline monitoring requirements”, ACC said the measures will have “significant implications” on the production of some key chemistries.

In particular, it said, the ruling affects the manufacture of ethylene oxide for vehicle battery applications, semiconductor manufacturing and the healthcare industry.

Another significant aspect, ACC said, is the removal of delay-of-repair provisions, which the council said allow for “timely and common-sense periods" for the repair for small leaks.

“Some of the new restrictions threaten to affect the production of chemistries that are needed for countless everyday products and are used in key industries,” the association warned.

The EPA’s final ruling applies to facilities that make, use, store or emit ethylene oxide, chloroprene, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride.

The standard requires owners and operators to conduct ‘root cause analysis’ and take ‘corrective measures’ if annual average concentrations of the chemicals are higher than a specified level at the fenceline.

For chloroprene, the rule states that “owners and operators must reduce emissions of chloroprene from continuous front-end process vents.”

Emissions should be vented through “a closed-vent system to a non-flare control device that reduces chloroprene by greater than or equal to 98% by weight, to a concentration less than 1 ppmv for each process vent, or to less than 5 lb/yr for all combined process vents per elastomer product process unit.”