v>EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

COMMUNITY UPDATE - ST. CROIX REFINERY
Ammonia Removal and Air Monitoring Plans

Ammonia Removal to Begin at the Refinery on St. Croix

On February 9, 2023, EPA approved plans to safely
remove anhydrous ammonia from the refinery on St.
Croix. EPA also conditionally approved plans to
remove liquified petroleum gas and amines. EPA will
oversee the work. Repairs to the ammonia system
are scheduled to begin in March. Ammonia removal
is scheduled to begin in early April and expected to
be complete later in April, followed by removal of
liquified petroleum gas and amines.

In Brief

Ammonia can be found in both liquid and gaseous
states. Gaseous ammonia, or anhydrous ammonia, is
a dangerous industrial chemical. It will be removed
from the refinery by a specialized contractor. All liquid
ammonia and ammonia vapors will be shipped off
island for proper disposal. Further details are
provided below.

Ammonia

Ammonia is a colorless gas with a very distinct odor.
The odor of ammonia is familiar to many people
because it is used in smelling salts, many household
and industrial cleaners, and window-cleaning
products.

Anhydrous ammonia is an industrial chemical which
is much stronger than the ammonia more commonly
encountered in household products. Symptoms
related to the exposure of ammonia, in both liquid
and gaseous states, include eye redness, throat and
lung irritation, coughing, and a choking sensation.
Ammonia has not been shown to cause cancer.

Ammonia was used as an additive within a system at
the refinery that enabled the production of gasoline.

A factsheet with answers to frequently asked health
questions about ammonia can be accessed at the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's
Toxic Substance Portal.

Ammonia Removal Plan

40,000 pounds (approximately 8,500 gallons) of
liquid anhydrous ammonia are currently stored within
the refinery.

The plan requires Port Hamilton Refining and
Transportation, LLLP (PHRT) and their contractor to
make repairs to the system to ensure safe removal of
the ammonia. PHRT's contractor, Specialized
Response Solutions, will remove anhydrous
ammonia from the ammonia system. The liquid
anhydrous ammonia will be transferred into certified
shipping containers for shipment off-island for sale or
proper disposal.

After the liquid is removed, the vapor remaining in
this system will be transferred to another shipping
container in a closed loop, which will prevent any
vapors from escaping. Nitrogen (an inert or non-
reactive gas) will be used to sweep out any
remaining vapors from the ammonia system.
Compressed air will then be used as a final sweep of
the system. Gas vented from these final sweeps will
be routed to containers filled with fresh water. This
operation will scrub, or remove, the ammonia vapor
in the sweep gas. It will combine with the water to
create a dilute ammonia solution.

The shipping containers holding ammonia vapor and
dilute ammonia solution will be shipped off-island for
proper disposal.

EPA Community Contacts: Zeno Bain and Philip
Parker at StCroix@epa.gov or (866) 462-4789

EPA Toll-free Hotline: (866) 462-4789

EPA Email: StCroix@epa.gov

EPA St. Croix Refinery Website:

www.epa.gov/vi/refinery-st-croix-us-virgin-islands

VITEMA Website: www.vitema.vi.gov

EPA REGION 2 COMMUNITY UPDATE

MARCH 3, 2023


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Ammonia Removal Schedule

There are a number of factors that will determine the
exact schedule for the removal of the liquid anhydrous
ammonia, and the recovery of the ammonia vapor
contained in the process piping and vessels. The
factors include the availability and delivery of
appropriate shipping containers, and the delivery of
equipment and supplies to the PHRT site. Once all the
preparatory work is done and equipment is in place,
EPA anticipates that it will take about ten days to
remove the liquids. It is likely that removing anhydrous
ammonia vapors from the ammonia system will take
about six additional days. Sweeping with both nitrogen
and compressed air is estimated to take another ten
days.

Air Monitoring

EPA will monitor the air around-the-clock to ensure
people's safety. The locations of the air monitors are
shown below. EPA will display the real-time air
monitoring results on a website that will be linked from

EPA's refinery on St Croix Website.

EPA will continue to coordinate closely with the
government of the U.S. Virgin Islands emergency
management and environmental agencies. The Virgin
Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency
(VITEMA) is the coordinating agency of the U.S. Virgin
Islands for emergency readiness and response.

Staving Up To Date

To stay up to date during the ammonia system repair
work and ammonia removal, residents can:

1.	Monitor real-time air quality conditions available
on the EPA public website for the PHRT facility

at https://phrt-epa.hub.arcqis.com/.

2.	Sign up for alerts from VITEMA's Alert VI
System at

https://member.everbridge.net/8928077367290
08/new.

3.	Follow updates from local officials, including
information provided at the weekly Governor's
updates.

4.	Monitor cell phone for notification broadcasts
from local agencies, such as VITEMA.

AMMONIA REMOVAL AND AIR MONITORING PLANS

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