ENV-09-44 STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS: IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY AIR MONITORING PROGRAMS AT REFINERIES

Description:

For decades, regulatory agencies have required industry sectors to comply with air-quality standards and emissions limits. These limits are often created based on risk assessments, health assessments, and technological limits of detection. However, a new movement concerning air-quality standards has arisen and involves a higher level of community stakeholder interest. The EPA-backed movement, Environmental Justice, recognizes the health and safety of communities located near industrial sources. Times change, and so do people’s attitudes and expectations. Formerly, local communities often comprised refinery workforces, hence the adoption of the term “company town.” Now, fewer residents are tied socially or economically to local heavy industry. Suburbs are often built in areas far away from refineries and industrial development. Conversely, refineries were originally built in areas surrounded by vacant land, which in many states has given way to housing developments in order to accommodate growth. As modern, high-tech industries such as computer software, hardware, and alternative energy sources emerge, an increasing number of individuals consider refineries noisy and smelly. Although these refineries comply with strict environmental regulations and contain installed pollution abatement devices, the community and local governments are often unsupportive of refinery expansion. This leaves many refineries trying to balance community relations with plant productivity—for example, designing a system that addresses community concerns, while simultaneously maintaining a competitive business.