CEC: Newsletters

Going to the Source
By Lily Auliff

In 1996, Lyondell (now Equistar) chemical company in Channelview announced plans for expansion. Concerned about the health effects of increased air pollution, Channelview citizens, in consultation with various expert advisors, built the Source Reduction Project, a community-industry partnership that has significantly reduced emissions from the Equistar and Lyondell (formerly ARCO) plants.

Equistar is one of the largest manufacturers of propylene, ethylene, benzene, and butadiene in the region. Chemicals released from the plant include benzene, butadiene, and styrene, all known carcinogens. EPA Region 6 named Equistar as one of the 11 Texas/Louisiana chemical and oil refining plants responsible for approximately 50 percent of upsets and accidental releases between 1994 and 1998. Lyondell produces the most propylene oxide, styrene monomer, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in Harris County; that facility also releases significant benzene and styrene.

Since Phase I of the Source Reduction Project began, the Equistar facility has decreased total 1,3-butadiene emissions to the air by 46 percent. Lyondell has voluntarily reduced benzene emissions by more than 2 million pounds, volatile organic compound emissions by 15,600 pounds, nitrogen oxides emissions by 11,600 pounds, and carbon monoxide emissions by 60,000 pounds annually.

The project also built a relationship between the community and the plants. “The biggest accomplishment is that industry became willing to sit at the table with its neighbors and work on source reduction projects,” explains LaNell Anderson, one of the leaders in the project. “We made specific requests, set specific goals, and they responded to those.”

That relationship did not come easy, however. Community members spent many hours educating themselves on chemical production processes and touring the facilities. After gaining an understanding of plant operations, and developing a rapport with plant leadership, participants submitted six initial formal “Citizen Requests.” The plants analyzed the technical and economic feasibility of the possible source reduction activities, and implemented the measures that they found appropriate.

Anderson believes that sheer determination and willingness to work together led to the project’s success. “Although we maintain extremely polarized positions much of the time, we have attempted to work out our differences in a respectable way,” writes Anderson in the Source Reduction Project’s Report on Phase I. “I know anger and hostility are no longer productive and that we must move to an ongoing goal-oriented process where we can measure improvement to the quality of life in our community. I look at Phase One of this Source Reduction Project as the foundation for improvement and look forward to great progress in Phase Two.”

The Source Reduction Project is a testimony to the power of concerned citizens. “We, as a citizens’ group, were able to accomplish something that none of the agencies have been able to do,” Anderson notes.

To learn how to implement a similar program in your community, Anderson recommends reading the Source Reduction Project’s Report on Phase I, which outlines the project’s strategies and achievement. For a free copy, contact her at 281-360-3333 or lanell@hypercon.com. Her group also offers instructional presentations and support to parties interested in starting similar projects. They are currently working with three groups in the region.



Going to the Source By Lily Auliff In 1996, Lyondell (now Equistar) chemical company in Channelview announced plans for expansion. Concerned about the health effects of increased air pollution, Channelview citizens, in consultation with various expert advisors, built the Source Reduction Project, a community-industry partnership that has significantly reduced emissions from the Equistar and Lyondell (formerly ARCO) plants. Equistar is one of the largest manufacturers of propylene, ethylene, benzene, and butadiene in the region. Chemicals released from the plant include benzene, butadiene, and styrene, all known carcinogens. EPA Region 6 named Equistar as one of the 11 Texas/Louisiana chemical and oil refining plants responsible for approximately 50 percent of upsets and accidental releases between 1994 and 1998. Lyondell produces the most propylene oxide, styrene monomer, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in Harris County; that facility also releases significant benzene and styrene. Since Phase I of the Source Reduction Project began, the Equistar facility has decreased total 1,3-butadiene emissions to the air by 46 percent. Lyondell has voluntarily reduced benzene emissions by more than 2 million pounds, volatile organic compound emissions by 15,600 pounds, nitrogen oxides emissions by 11,600 pounds, and carbon monoxide emissions by 60,000 pounds annually. The project also built a relationship between the community and the plants. “The biggest accomplishment is that industry became willing to sit at the table with its neighbors and work on source reduction projects,” explains LaNell Anderson, one of the leaders in the project. “We made specific requests, set specific goals, and they responded to those.” That relationship did not come easy, however. Community members spent many hours educating themselves on chemical production processes and touring the facilities. After gaining an understanding of plant operations, and developing a rapport with plant leadership, participants submitted six initial formal “Citizen Requests.” The plants analyzed the technical and economic feasibility of the possible source reduction activities, and implemented the measures that they found appropriate. Anderson believes that sheer determination and willingness to work together led to the project’s success. “Although we maintain extremely polarized positions much of the time, we have attempted to work out our differences in a respectable way,” writes Anderson in the Source Reduction Project’s Report on Phase I. “I know anger and hostility are no longer productive and that we must move to an ongoing goal-oriented process where we can measure improvement to the quality of life in our community. I look at Phase One of this Source Reduction Project as the foundation for improvement and look forward to great progress in Phase Two.” The Source Reduction Project is a testimony to the power of concerned citizens. “We, as a citizens’ group, were able to accomplish something that none of the agencies have been able to do,” Anderson notes. To learn how to implement a similar program in your community, Anderson recommends reading the Source Reduction Project’s Report on Phase I, which outlines the project’s strategies and achievement. For a free copy, contact her at 281-360-3333 or lanell@hypercon.com. Her group also offers instructional presentations and support to parties interested in starting similar projects. They are currently working with three groups in the region.