COM 0492.005 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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L;.. r err,. "tY ='A has ~.is enance to regulate hydrogen sulfide http.lT,~,yy,chron.ccrrVcontentlchrcnicleipag?i137111109rr2smain hen' i he EP~a scientists held their ground One internal memorandwn advised the agency to "continue support for ;hydrogen sulfide's} chronic neurotosicity e11'ects," But rn the end, hydrogen sulfide and mahyl meroaptan were cull<;d from C+.romo's list Am~ action on them was put on hold under what the iiPA calls an administrative stay. The reason was explained with unusual candor by Assistant EP:A Adminisu~ator Lynn Goldman in the Aug. 22, 1994, Federal Register "The Chemical Manufachtrers Association and the American Forest and Paper Association have told t}•,e age~rw that unless administrative actio? is taken to resolve the issues outlined in today's document, a prompt les=al ~hallerge wilt be brought " :iusan 1 iaz~n, -~i:ector of the EPa's F.nvirunmental Assistance Division in Washington, said thre ed=.ninistrzti+,c stay on hydrogen sulfide may be lifted by the end of the year and the substance "may ;cell meet the fisting critena on chronic neurotoxicity." earlier ihrs year, hooves er, oil and gas companies dodged yet another bullet. When the I3PA brought seven broad industry sectors tinder the Toxics Release Inventory program, one was conspicuously absent oil and gas espioration and production. line who has argued for inclusion of this industry is Robert Wages, president of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Worker s union in Denver In a letter to EP.4 Administrator Carol Browmer on htay 3U, 1996, Wages wrote thtit oil and gas operations release "vast quantities" of toxic chemicals He sMgied our gas processing plants, "which are mostly made up of old, surplus equipment" and leak "substantial, unreported volumes of hydrogen sulfide " The I_PA's position is that the. industry is so idiosyncratic and d+ftuse that it is difficult to bring under a,r: sort of regulatory program. "It isri t neat and tidy," said the agency s Hazen, who emphasized that the matter is still ands!' evaluation. Chris Shuey, an oil and gas specialist with the Southwest Research and Information Center in 4•.buquerque. sea no need for further study. "'hhe oil and ras industry made all these outrageous claims that if they were to be included in (tht• imrntory), it would cost them $^_00 million and put people out of work," Shuey said "They ciai;n<•ci that al! f their sites arc in rett~otc areal, well away from people. For us, those kinds of statements duel r pats the laugh test "The industr,'s claitn~ sue spurious, but ycu ~wou?d expect that," he said. "What I don't esyee: a thi, c~runued penchant of certain EP 4 administrainrs to simpl; cap e in It's a little bit tiresome tha: ;~r,~ple ur Washington seem to cower at the big, bad oil and gas industry " The irzdustr}'_. dual is ~,~ell-diuantznted Oil ~tnd ~;as producers and marketers contributed reai'y 5~ rnilliun to +_orgrrssional candidates arost of them Republican in the l ri°)4 elections, auordi, he f~vntc~ tar 2,:spoc~i~ e Politi,,a in tV'ashin~tun, and gasp <li~tributars gay e another ~ million the ~P isr ; i'ie unls federal agency to capiiul:tte t<r these interests