Environmental Integrity Project
Environmental Integrity Project
The Environmental Integrity Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for more effective enforcement of environmental laws. The organization was founded by Eric Schaeffer, who directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Regulatory Enforcement until 2002, when he resigned after publicly expressing his frustration with efforts of the Bush Administration to weaken enforcement of the Clean Air Act and other laws.
GHASP and the EIP work together on a number of projects. We've worked together to press for accurate reporting of pollution by polluters. We've advocated for rules that will help with enforcement of laws affecting activities at chemical plants and refineries that cause "upsets" or "emissions events." We've worked for rules to ensure that permits have actual, enforceable limits on pollution instead of general allowances for pollution that cannot be enforced with verifiable methods.
Report highlights pollution from refineries
This month, Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) released a report on emissions of carcinogens from refineries around the nation. The report lists the top ten offenders. Six of them are in Texas, and three are in the Houston area: BP Texas City, ExxonMobil Baytown and Lyondell-Citgo.
The report, Refined Hazard: Carcinogenic Air Pollution from America’s Oil Refineries, also found major inconsistencies in carcinogen emission data. EIP said this raises serious questions about the accuracy and completeness of oil industry reporting to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about such pollution.
New leak detection methods welcome, but need improvements
Comments on EPA’s proposed alternative work practice to detect leaks from equipment
Docket OAR-2003-0199
The Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention, joined by Environmental Integrity Project and Public Citizen, appreciates this opportunity to comment on the EPA's proposed rule regarding "Alternative Work Practice to Detect Leaks From Equipment," Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0199. The proposed revisions to EPA air pollution standards to leak detection and repair (LDAR) standards would allow, but not require, the use of optical gas imaging technology as an alternative work practice to detect equipment leaks (fugitives). We welcome the expanded use of these new tools for detecting harmful emissions, but are concerned that the proposed rules do not adequately address their limitations.

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