ENVIRONMENTALISTS CHALLENGE EPA REFINERY OPERATIONS RULE

California environmentalists have sued U.S. EPA over recently adopted amendments to a federal emissions standard rule for refineries and large chemical facilities, claiming it fails to require facility operators to minimize emissions during startup, shutdown and malfunction events. The lawsuit responds to three southern California oil refineries that emitted mass amounts of pollution in September 2005 following a power outage that deactivated pollution controls. Environmental justice (EJ) groups argue that if the rule is not changed it will pose health...