**To: Environmental**  **Protection Agency** 

**1200 Pennsylvania** **Ave., NW**  **Washington, DC**  **20460**

**From: Wilma**  **Subra**

**Louisiana Environmental** **Action Network**  **Lower Mississippi**  **Riverkeeper P.**  **O. Box**  **9813 New**  **Iberia, LA**  **70562 337**  **367 2216**  **subracom@aol.com**

**Date: June**  **9, 2011** 

**Subject: Environmental**  **Protection Agency** 

**Docket 10**  **No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0037**  

# LEj\N

**Proposed Rule**  **for National**  **Emission Standards**  **for Hazardous** **Air Pollutants for Polyvinyl Chloride and**  **Copolymers Production** 

**On behalf**  **of Louisiana**  **Environmental Action**  **Network (LEAN)**  **and the**  **Lower Mississippi**  **Riverkeeper (LMRK),**  **I would**  **like to**  **thank the**  **Environmental Protection**  **Agency for**  **the opportunity** **to comment**  **on the**  **proposed rule**  **dealing with**  **Polyvinyl Chloride**  **and Copolymer**  **Production. As**  **you are**  **aware, Louisiana**  **Environmental Action**  **Network (LEAN)**  **has been**  **involved in**  **the legal**  **petition process**  **dealing with**  **the lack**  **of emission**  **standards for**  **all HAPs**  **emitted from**  **PVC facilities.**  **LEAN appreciates**  **the EPA**  **proposing emission**  **standards for**  **Vinyl Chloride,**  **Hydrogen Chloride,**  **Chlorinated Di-benzo**  **Dioxins and**  **Furans (CDDF)**  **and Total**  **Organic Air** **Toxins.**

**POST OFFICE** **BOX**

### 66323**� BATON** **ROUGE, LOUISIANA** 

### 70896**�**

### (225)**928-1315 J-** **FAX**

### (225)**922-9247**

## 'Ii**WWW.LEANWEB**

**. ORG** **According to**  **the information**  **provided in**  **association with** **the**

**proposed rule,**  **the air**  **emissions of**  **Vinyl Chloride**  **will be**  **reduced by**  **135 tons**  **per year,**  **Hydrogen Chloride**  **by 33**  **tons per**  **year, CDDF**  **by 22**  **milligrams per** **year and**  **Hazardous Air**  **Pollutants by**  **1, 570**  **tons per**  **year. While**  **these reductions**  **in emissions**  **are appreciated,**  **based on**  **the impacts**  **to environmental** **justice community**  **members living**  **in close** **proximity to**  **the PVC** **production facilities,**  **these reductions**  **are not**  **adequate. The**  **reductions would**  **account for**  **30% of**  **the Vinyl**  **chloride and**  **32% of** **the CDDF**  **emissions. Such**  **reductions would**  **still result**  **in the**  **Environmental Justice**  **communities continuing**  **to be**  **exposed to**  **unacceptable levels** **of Vinyl**  **Chloride and**  **CDDFs.**

**Louisiana leads the**  **nation in**  **PVC production** **facilities with six**  **facilities. The**  **PVC production facilities**  **are located**  **in Geismar,**  **Plaquemine, Baton**  **Rouge, Addis,**  **and Westlake.**  **The largest**  **Vinyl Chloride**  **emitting facility**  **in the** **United States**  **is located**  **in Geismar,**  **Louisiana (Westlake Vinyls**  **Co.). The**  **majority of** **the Polyvinyl**  **Chloride facilities**  **in the**  **state of**  **Louisiana are**  **located in**  **very close**  **proximity to**  **environmental justice**  **communities, contrary**  **to the**  **information contained**  **in the**  **proposed rule.** 

**In Louisiana,**  **as a**  **result of**  **operations of**  **the PVC**  **production facilities,**  **Vinyl Chloride**  **is present**  **in the**  **ambient air**  **in the**  **Environmental Justice** **communities located**  **in proximity** **to the PVC**  **facilities. The** **Vinyl Chloride**  **fugitive emissions**  **from the**  **PVC production**  **facilities consist**  **of 55**  **to 78%**  **of the**  **total Vinyl**  **Chloride air**  **emissions. Even**  **with the**  **proposed toxic**  **air emission**  **reductions, the**  **ambient air** **will continue**  **to be**  **contaminated with**  **Vinyl Chloride**  **and associated**  **HAPs.**

**The Vinyl**  **Chloride emitted**  **into the**  **air by**  **the six**  **PVC facilities**  **in Louisiana**  **is more**  **than double**  **the Vinyl**  **Chloride emissions**  **released into**  **the air**  **from the**  **four PVC**  **facilities in** **Texas, which**  **ranks second**  **in the**  **United States**  **behind Louisiana.**  **2**

### Carcinogens

**The known human carcinogen** **HAPs emitted**  **from the**  **PVC production**  **facilities include Vinyl**  **Chloride, Benzene,**  **1, 3-** **Butadiene and**  **CDDF. In**  **addition, a**  **number of**  **probable human**  **carcinogenic compounds**  **are also**  **emitted from**  **PVC production**  **facilities. These**  **include Acetaldehyde,**  **Bis (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate,**  **Chloroform, Chloroprene,**  **Ethylene Dichloride,**  **Ethylidene Dichloride,**  **Formaldehyde, Iso-octane, Methylene**  **Chloride, Vinyl**  **Bromide and**  **Vinylidene Chloride. As**  **a part**  **of this**  **proposed rule,**  **EPA established**  **emission limits**  **for Vinyl**  **Chloride, CDDF,**  **Total Organic**  **HAP and**  **Hydrogen Chloride.**  **LEAN and**  **LMRK support**  **the inclusion**  **of emission**  **limits for**  **CDDF, Total**  **Organic HAP**  **and Hydrogen**  **Chloride in**  **addition to**  **Vinyl Chloride**  **in the**  **proposed rule.**  **In addition,**  **EPA should have**  **established emission**  **limits for**  **each of**  **the known**  **and probable carcinogen HAPS emitted**  **by the**  **PVC production**  **process.**



### Wastewater

**The EPA**  **proposed rule**  **has requirements**  **for wastewater**  **monitoring and**  **compliance. Vinyl**  **Chloride is**  **required to**  **be tested**  **at the**  **point of**  **generation of**  **the wastewater**  **and testing**  **for HAP**  **at the**  **point of**  **wastewater determination.**  **The wastewater**  **stream containing**  **less than**  **10 ppmw** **Vinyl Chloride**  **at point**  **of generation**  **and less** **than 1** **,0 00**  **ppmw total**  **HAPs at**  **the point**  **of determination** 

**are not**  **required to**  **further reduce**  **emissions. The**  **EPA should**  **have developed specific**  **criteria limits**  **for the**  **most prevalent**  **and toxic**  **HAPs in**  **the wastewater**  **above which**  **reductions are**  **required rather**  **than just** **the 1,** **000 ppmw** **criteria for** **total HAPs.** 

**3**

### Accidental Releases **and Upsets** 

**PVC production**  **facilities have**  **accidental releases**  **and upset**  **operational conditions**  **which result**  **in the**  **release of**  **Vinyl Chloride**  **and other**  **HAPs associated**  **with the**  **production process.**  **The releases**  **of HAPs**  **frequently extent**  **off the**  **facility site**  **into the**  **surrounding Environmental** **Justice communities. The**  **evaluation and**  **control of**  **these releases**  **of Vinyl**  **Chloride and**  **associated HAPs**  **are critical**  **to protecting**  **the health**  **of adjacent**  **communities. The**  **record keeping**  **and reporting**  **requirements for**  **discharges in**  **the proposed**  **rule must**  **be extended**  **to violations**  **associated with**  **bypasses, pressure**  **vessels and**  **closed vent**  **systems in**  **vacuum service.**  **These records**  **and reports**  **are critical**  **to determine**  **emission concentrations,**  **extent of**  **impacts due**  **to the**  **emissions and**  **measures taken**  **to prevent**  **the reoccurrence**  **of similar**  **types of**  **events. These**  **records are**  **also critical**  **to providing**  **information to**  **the fenceline** **communities.**



### Conclusion

**Louisiana Environmental** **Action Network**  **and the**  **Lower Mississippi**  **Riverkeeper encourage**  **the Environmental**  **Protection Agency**  **to reduce**  **the quantity**  **of Vinyl**  **Chloride, Hydrogen**  **Chloride, CDDF**  **and Hazardous** **Air Pollutants**  **emissions by**  **further tightening**  **up the**  **emission limits**  **in the**  **proposed rule.**  **Dioxin and**  **Furan releases**  **have the**  **potential to**  **and have**  **contaminated and**  **bioaccumulated in**  **the bodies**  **of human**  **populations in**  **the fenceline**  **communities of**  **PVC facilities.**  **The reduction**  **in emissions**  **proposed by**  **the EPA**  **will reduce**  **the exposure**  **of Environmental**  **Justice communities,**  **but there**  **will still**  **exist unacceptable**  **levels of**  **exposure to**  **Vinyl Chloride,**  **Dioxins and**  **Furans, and**  **HAPS in**  **the air**  **of these**  **communities. Greater**  **reductions of**  **the toxic**  **chemicals**
**must be**  **required.**

**4**