The EPA has revoked the pollution control permit of Bluewater Texas Terminal, according to a letter sent by the EPA to the offshore oil terminal, following objections from environmental groups.
The terminal, jointly developed by refiner Phillips 66 and commodities trader Trafigura, had applied for a Clean Air Act permit in 2019 and received an EPA pollution control license in November 2020 that allowed it to emit almost 19,000 tons of pollutants per year
Environmental groups had urged the agency to amend the permit to include reduction of pollutants by Bluewater, which is located on the Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi, by at least 95%.
The EPA revoked the permit on Sept. 1 and has now directed the company to withdraw its applications by Sept. 15 and submit a revised proposal that meets pollution control norms, according to the letter seen by Reuters.
Application of rules will cut pollution from the Bluewater terminal by 18,000 tons a year, said Gabriel Clark-Leach, an attorney from the Environmental Integrity Project, one of the groups that opposed the permit.
In a letter sent to the EPA, the groups had argued that pollution from the terminal's offshore infrastructure poses risks to minority and lower-income communities.
Phillips 66 said it was reviewing EPA’s letter while Trafigura did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The terminal has a potential to export up to 384 million barrels of crude oil per year on large tanker ships.
Recommended Reading
Report: FTC Probes Hess, Diamondback, Oxy Over OPEC Communications
2024-07-19 - Investigators are looking for evidence that executives at Hess Corp., Diamonddack Energy or Occidental Petroleum attempted to collude with OPEC officials on oil market dynamics, according to a Bloomberg report.
FTC Bars Hess CEO From Chevron Board Seat as Condition of Deal, Say Sources
2024-09-26 - U.S. antitrust regulators will bar Hess Corp. CEO John Hess from taking a board seat as a condition of its go-ahead of oil producer Chevron Corp.'s $53 billion purchase of Hess.
Bipartisan Bill Aims to Speed Up Permitting Bureaucracy
2024-07-23 - If passed, the new rules would tackle litigation delays for energy projects across all sectors, an analyst says.
NextDecade CEO: LNG Ruling Risks Viability of All FERC Projects
2024-08-14 - NextDecade Chairman and CEO Matt Schatzman said an Aug. 6 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to vacate its FERC permit has “far-reaching implications” that could undercut capital investment in LNG projects.
DC Appeals Court Shoots Down White House’s Pipeline Safety Rules
2024-08-20 - The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America brought the suit against five new regulations, claiming the new rules did not provide enough benefits to justify the costs associated with implementation.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.