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Refineries under scrutiny for emissions
An unidentified Canadian oil refinery was dramatically wide of the mark in estimating the volume of dangerous air pollutants released by the facility, according to a study by the government-financed Alberta Research Council.
The results have North American-wide implications, given that refineries apply similar monitoring methods.
The plant, thought to be in Alberta, released 19 times more cancer-causing benzene than it reported under Environment Canada disclosure regulations, 15 times more smog-causing volatile organic compounds and nine times more methane, one of the greenhouse gases, the study said, noting that it has “profound implications for communities” close to refineries.
It is believed the research council test, using advanced laser technology developed by BP and widely used in Europe, is the first at a North American refinery.
The study, paid for by the Alberta and Ontario governments, suggests it is likely all refineries in Canada and the United States are underestimating their emissions because they use a protocol developed by the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Emissions estimated That method allows refineries to estimate their emissions by using technical assumptions and mathematical equations rather than calculating their actual emissions.
The study details, which were published in a journal in August, have triggered a heated controversy, with the API demanding the elimination of tables pointing to discrepancies between industry practice and the test results, according to a letter sent to the EPA and Environment Canada.
Based on the Alberta findings, the City of Houston has demanded the EPA change the way refineries calculate emissions.
The city said in a statement that the “current system relies on formulas, equations and Assumptions known as ‘emission factors’ which have been proven by direct observations of facilities to be inaccurate, unreliable and biased toward undercounting.”
Ecojustice, a Toronto-based environmental group, is pressing Environment Canada to review the accuracy of industry reporting data given the Alberta findings.
Elaine McDonald, a senior scientist with the research council, said it is difficult to have effective pollution controls “if we don’t have accurate monitoring data.”
—Gary Park
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