Document zz6NXE01MgmM8G9eL1mNmq7pg

inter office memo TENNECO i R. T. Gottesinan To D. C, Coldiron AT From G. S. Flint At Subject EPA/EDF SETTLEMENT VINYL CHLORIDE REGULATIONS CHEMICALS, INC. OW.StttHCt MAN 5 date Hay 4, 1977 Copy to W. P. Anderson F. X. Dwyer J. Fath M. R. Haymon W. J. Klingebiel P. A. Lobo R. H. Marks F. X. Ritter S. R. Sheeran Since I believe it contains a number of misunderstandings of the law and the standard as developed by the EPA, I feel constrained to respond to Mr. Fath's memorandum to you of April 26, 1977. Although I agree that there is no logic in the reduction of the 10 ppm standard to 5 ppm as proposed by EDF as a settlement with EPA, I believe it is fundamentally foolish to draw attention to the relatively large emissions from the drier vents to the atmosphere. I think this approach is absolutely unnecessary and would tend to emphasize EPA's rather liberal interpretation of Section 112 of the Clean Air Act of 1970. That Section does not by its terms call for standards based on "best available tech nology" and, in fact, directs the EPA Administrator to promulgate an emission standard which provides an "ample margin of safety" to the public health and the environment. If the focus is on the total pounds of VCM emitted by a plant or plants, the EDF argument would be that any VCM reaching the population poses a hazard to public health. Mr. Fath's suggestion that we "explore the merits of a ton or pound per year emission standard" shifts the focus from a performance standard based on available technology to a potential requirement that no emissions whatever be permitted, regardless of source. Although this might be appropriate in some ideal sense, I don't think either our plants or the industry in general is capable of preventing all emissions from PVC plants. What I believe is appropriate in arguing against the arbitrary changes negotiated by EDF in the vinyl chloride standard is a technical approach that will show that no possible benefit to the public health or environ ment is gained by reducing the 10 ppm to 5 ppm (or to zero, for that matter) based upon EPA's own developed dispersion models and biostatistical data. As I have already suggested to Dr. Gottesman, this could be done through an updating of work which we have already accomplished in connection with the Texas Air Control Board proceeding on the PVC expansion. This approach, it seems to me, is both consistent with Section 112 and does not unneces sarily emphasize the greater emissions coming from the drier exhaust. GSF:ob COLORITE 009045  '> K tfz!77 P, <- Pcs p\^ J. __ ^SLqSJcJ <--________ f'Cuy^K-<^~ C-X-J r^y TJj-O r^CL^' _^A 6Ll~, & s$tS`9~Z'1. --f1 -QcO j3-y~-' __________ !.._______________________________________________________________ .... T 14<? '-Jilftf 72> rG^A-Cy___ ^.v-a-a-jw .... c~^ l-.5/'.<C^tr<^j. /f7~.'-;'-C-t?C` k, Jj./d ^/yCt (p9/r&*~(r^ / -'>>' ~rc '7p___ -> hf-T-yf- f <=v ^ f___ ^(R-l ~t^j-Ct$~ ij^_ / \P ./^Z&xukJLe ,. _______________________ _.___ w-<-^t Jltudvy C_f -*-c 1 _________________ ____ ___________ ___________ j_______ i____ ( yf^^-7 ^ fi CLp*y~gj^,K.aJLfted ~~ $L<h-y /WxrQ --& /j~sljD UnJ~n> Ljg^ to -- COLORITE 009046 FT wV -- v`>.s ' -* ./L-XjS-t {pOtj Cju ~tCiLrlvlr Si/ __~(^--7A-L-r<^^ ~-`7j? J>1________________________ _________ _______________ -l^U^fg fl--V- -/%>-, **L. '-. /^iL^U-^i^rj^eS-r.j __ <g? ^C ^______ l-^7~7<-/ *- __ <wj^__________________________________________ __ //l________________________ _______________ ^&LO-*tl^> ~~^-&. C'-f _-^U=i__. _________ ______ ;Q"-^<----------- -~lL]&&<^L .y^ <^=3^-3.- 7 .._,____________________ .._________________ __ r_._r^3^-- f yw (pf 'fo COLORITE 009047