[StBernard] Louisiana DEQ sends out letters to Chalmette's three main sulphur dioxide emitters

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana DEQ sends out letters to Chalmette's three main sulphur dioxide
emitters
 By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on January 23, 2013 at 11:19 AM, updated January 23, 2013 at 11:45 AM Print

Following complaints from residents of St. Bernard Parish and Terrytown of
strong chemical odors earlier this month, Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality inspectors are saying the state Mobile Air Monitoring
Laboratory also detected sulphur dioxide levels above legal limits. So, on
Friday, the state DEQ sent letters to St. Bernard's three largest emitters
seeking information.

The three main facilities in the Chalmette area that have permits to release
amounts of sulphur dioxide are Valero Energy Corp.'s Meraux refinery, the
Rain CII petroleum coke processing plant and the ExxonMobil Chalmette
Refinery. Tom Killeen, administrator over the state DEQ inspections
divisions, said the three facilities likely received the letters on Tuesday
and that they have 30 days to respond from that receipt.

"Based on the data that we collected on Jan. 11 and 12 that we processed
last week, we have issued orders to the companies requesting their emissions
data, operating status, and whether they had any recorded exceedance levels
for that period of time," Killeen said from the DEQ's Baton Rouge
headquarters on Wednesday morning. "We also have requested any other
information that might be available by them to assist us in determining the
sources of the admissions that we picked up.

"It is very hard to pinpoint where sulphur emissions come from and so we are
now trying to target that."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hourly standard for sulphur dioxide
is 75 parts per billion in an hour. 

Due to about 30 instances last year where that level was surpassed, the
state DEQ already has recommended to the federal Environmental Protection
Agency that it designate St. Bernard Parish as being out of compliance with
standards for how much sulphur dioxide gas is released in an hour. The EPA
is expected to set a 2017 compliance deadline once it issues its
non-compliance directive.

DEQ would then have to submit a state implementation plan to the EPA by
mid-2014 that demonstrates how St. Bernard will reach sulphur dioxide
standards by 2017.

In addition to the facilities, other emitters can contribute to elevated
sulphur dioxide levels, such as ship and road traffic.

On Jan. 11, the permanent monitoring station in the Chalmette Vista
neighborhood registered sulphur dioxide levels of 79.7 parts per billion,
increasing to 162.4 parts per billion by 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the EPA's mobile
air unit monitored a maximum reading of 362 parts per billion at 6 a.m. Jan.
12 along with several other elevated readings that day.

Still, while the sulphur dioxide reading exceeded the one-hour standard,
they never exceeded the 24-hour standard of 140 parts per billion.

Short-term exposure to sulphur dioxide, ranging from 5 minutes to 24 hours,
could cause an array of adverse respiratory effects, such as emphysema and
bronchitis, and could aggravate existing heart disease. The effects can be
more profound on asthmatics, children and the elderly.

To report an environmental issue or concern, citizens may contact DEQ's SPOC
line at 1.888.763.5424, or submit an inquiry online through the DEQ website
at www.deq.louisiana.gov/apps/forms/irf/forms.