The EPA’s benzene monitoring and control program has failed to rein in the worst offenders.
“As part of our audit, we took a deep dive into the nine refineries that had the worst benzene concentrations,” Martinez said in a podcast released with the report. “We found that the EPA took action against only one of those nine during the time period covered by our analysis, and [state regulators] had not taken enforcement action at any of the nine.”
In 2015, legal action taken by a coalition of environmental groups and fenceline communities forced the EPA to impose new benzene monitoring and mitigation regulations. The rules require refineries to monitor for benzene and report quarterly data to the EPA, which then works with refinery operators to develop a cleanup plan when benzene levels exceed the public health limit.
Under EPA rules, refineries largely police themselves unless they violate pollution limits, setting up benzene monitors at the fenceline and regularly reporting the data to the EPA. However, simply allowing benzene concentrations to exceed the public health limit is not a violation of the EPA rules. The EPA may only have a limited time to correct the benzene monitoring and cleanup program and make a meaningful reduction in pollution for residents living near the worst offenders. If former President Donald Trump or another Republican takes the White House in 2024, the EPA will likely see its budget slashed and leadership replaced by champions of industry. During his time in office, Trump pushed forand pledged to “unleash” the fossil fuel industry with little oversight.
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