EPA's proposed petroleum refinery sector rule

On Jun 30, 2014, the EPA published in the Federal Register (FR), 72 FR 36880-37075, the long awaited Petroleum Refinery Sector Risk and Technology and New Source Performance Standards proposed rule. The proposed rule impacts the New Source Performance Standards J and Ja for petroleum refineries, and the National Emission Standards for Petroleum Refineries Subparts CC (Refinery MACT 1) and UUU (Refinery MACT 2) including the National Uniform Emission Standards for Heat Exchange Systems. As with any EPA regulation, the recordkeeping and reporting requirements are being updated to address the newly proposed requirements. Additionally, the proposed rule will impact every petroleum refinery throughout the US. The flare and fence line monitoring proposals are going to require an in-depth analysis of the provisions specific to each refinery's operating configuration. Other proposals may or may not impact an individual refinery based upon the facility's current operating permits and agreements with the applicable regulatory agencies.