Southern California air regulators voted unanimously to adopt more stringent rules to monitor and curb smog-forming pollution from fuel storage tanks at oil refineries and other facilities, reports Tony Briscoe for the Los Angeles Times. In a nutshell:The South Coast Air Quality Management District voted to amend current regulations, requiring more stringent vapor controls for storage tanks holding crude oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other petroleum products. These measures address emissions of volatile organic compounds, including cancer-causing benzene, released when vapors escape from these tanks. The rules also mandate the installation of domes on floating-roof tanks and weekly monitoring for leaks using thermal or infrared cameras. These regulations will apply to over 1,000 tanks at approximately 30 Southern California facilities and are expected to reduce daily VOC emissions by one ton.

Source: New York Times September 04, 2023 07:20 UTC