Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CEO Issue
    • Diversity
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2022 winners
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
December 05, 2019 10:37 AM

NGOs seek tougher EPA air emissions rules for plastics

Steve Toloken
Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    EPA
    NGOs want EPA to put tougher emissions rules on plastics plants, updating ‘decades-old’ regulations.

    Washington — The U.S. should update its "decades-old" air pollution rules for plastics facilities to make them much tougher, as a counter to rising emissions from the industry's shale gas-driven growth, a coalition of more than 300 groups urged in a Dec. 3 petition.

    The environmental and community groups told the Environmental Protection Agency that new rules are needed to cope with growing air emissions from what is estimated to be a 35 percent increase in North American plastics production by 2025, with much of that coming in Texas, Louisiana and in Appalachia.

    It's part of an ongoing plastics focus for the groups. Many of the same organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, asked EPA in July for tougher water pollution rules for plastics facilities.

    "Plastic plants are poisoning our air and fueling the climate crisis, and the EPA needs to crack down on their pollution," said Lauren Packard, a Center for Biological Diversity attorney and author of the petition. "Our oversupply of fracked gas is driving a boom in plastic production."

    A spokesperson for the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council said Dec. 5 the group would comment in coming days.

    In response to the earlier water pollution petition, ACC said existing regulations already set strict limits and it said its members follow the industry-run Responsible Care Initiative, which requires continuous improvement in environmental management.

    Water and air emissions from plastics resin plants have been getting more attention in Washington, with a Congressional hearing in November around fenceline community issues and a few lawmakers proposing legislation requiring the EPA to update rules basically in line with the NGO petitions.

    Courts have been a battleground as well. Formosa Plastics Corp. USA agreed in October to pay $50 million to settle a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit over plastic pellet pollution from a Texas factory.

    In this latest petition around air emissions, the environmental groups gave EPA a specific list of regulatory actions, including designating polyethylene and polypropylene and their monomers as specific source categories under the Clean Air Act, requiring strict standards for emissions of nitrogen oxide and other pollutants.

    As well, they want EPA to apply so-called New Source Performance Standards to "effectively eliminate" air emissions of specific pollutants and volatile organic compounds and put in much tougher emissions controls for fenceline and impacted communities.

    The petition also asks EPA to require that the plastics facilities use renewable energy to eliminate their own greenhouse gas emissions.

    The groups say many of the key air emissions standards governing the industry were last updated between 1984 and 2000.

    The specific NSPS rules for polymer manufacturing, for example, were last revised in 2000 but control and monitoring technology has improved significantly since then, they said.

    Those older rules "allow industry to employ environmentally-damaging equipment and work processes that are technologically unnecessary," the petition said.

    "Plastic producers have a duty to dramatically reduce those threats and EPA has a duty to ensure that they do," said Carroll Muffett, president of the Center for International Environmental Law, another petitioner.

    The petition also outlined several steps to improve air quality in fenceline communities, such as prohibiting the flaring of flammable gases and adopting continues emissions monitoring.

    "We have now survived back-to-back chemical explosions along the Gulf Coast, home of the largest petrochemical corridor," said Yvette Arellano, senior staff and policy researcher with the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, another petitioner. "We still don't know the full cost of inhaling the chemical ash and airborne toxics from these fires."

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Detroit-area billboard highlights Processor of the Year winner
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    IRS provides guidance for how excise taxes will impact resin pricing
    2
    California passes strictest plastics law in US, with EPR and recycling targets
    3
    Industry veterans plan nationwide network of PET recycling plants
    4
    Newell closing Coleman plastics plant in Texas
    5
    PS prices jump in June, more increases on horizon
    SIGN UP FOR TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS AND ENEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Diversity
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2022 winners
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
        • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified