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Reducing vehicle emissions will greatly improve air
quality across the country and in local communities.
These emissions are responsible for causing harmful
air pollution such as ground-level ozone (urban smog)
and fine particles (soot). These air pollutants can cause
respiratory diseases and other serious health problems.
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EPA has major programs underway to significantly
reduce harmful emissions from the tailpipes of new
passenger cars, SUVs, vans, trucks and buses. For the
first time, new sport utility vehicles, minivans, and
pickup trucks will have to meet the same protective
air emission standards as passenger cars. Automakers
will now have to design and install more stringent air
pollution controls on these vehicles to reduce air
emissions.
EPA also announced more protective limits for sulfur
in gasoline and in diesel fuels used in highway vehicles,
which will ensure the emission controls applied to the
vehicles will work properly. High levels of sulfur in
fuels can foul the catalytic emission controls.
The sulfur reductions in gasoline and changes to light
duty vehicles (passenger cars, vans, trucks, and SUVs)
will take effect in 2004. Sulfur reductions in highway
diesel fuels take effect in 2006 and changes to heavy
duty trucks and buses will take effect in 2007. Together
these changes are expected to make tailpipe exhausts
from highway vehicles over 90% cleaner than they
are, today.
Refineries are large industrial complexes that produce
gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, and other fuels.
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The nation's refiners and importers of fuels will
be required to reduce the sulfur content in
"3 *•' gasoline by 90% and highway diesel by more
• .. • than 95%. To comply, most refiners will need
to install additional refining equipment to remove
the sulfur from the fuel they produce. Since
crude oil naturally contains sulfur, additional
I refining will be needed to remove it. The changes
f that each refinery may make to meet the new
I standards are expected to vary widely depending
on the types of equipment the refiners already
have in place.
Some i
We expect large reductions in air pollution from the
vehicles that use these lower sulfur fuels over large regions
of the country and in local communities.
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To comply with EPA's new standards, refineries must
evaluate what process changes, if any, are necessary. If
significant changes in emissions are expected, the refinery
will need to apply for new air emissions permits. The
permitting process is the best opportunity for
communities to be involved in changes expected at
refineries near you.
if
The permitting process helps ensure that refiners will
effectively control new pollution increases and evaluate
their effects on the environment. Usually state permit
agencies are responsible for reviewing permit applications
and making decisions about permits. Sometimes Tribal
or local authorities have this responsibility.
Generally, the state permit authority will issue a public
notice of the planned refinery changes. This notice is
usually printed in local newspapers and provides a 30-
day period for the public to provide written comments.
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fineries are located in cities near neighborhoods.
Concerned citizens can also request a public meeting
or hearing be held. The permit authority will generally
notify the public at least 30 days before holding a hearing.
Where there is known significant public interest, a
permit authority may set a public hearing date at the
same time it requests public comments on the planned
refinery changes. The deadlines for comments and
hearing requests may not be the same - so be sure to
check the newspaper notice or ask what the review times
are in your state.
After considering the public's comments, the permit
authority will either approve as is, approve with changes,
or reject a permit application. Interested citizens may
contact their permitting authority to determine the
status of permitting for a local refinery. (If you're, unsure
who this is, start with the state contacts on the back of
this pamphlet.)
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