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NPRA Seeks Recognition of Economic Impacts on Industry

San Antonio, Texas, March 22, 1999 — At NPRA's 97th Annual Meeting, Urvan Sternfels, President of NPRA urged federal and state regulators to recognize the economic impacts of their actions on the refining industry. Cost-effectiveness and sound science must be the basis of today's regulations. Industry faces enormous regulatory challenges, however, it is willing to work with regulators to meet these challenges in a cost-effective manner.

For example, Sternfels noted that NPRA has reaffirmed its support for voluntary industry efforts to work with EPA and its High Production Volume Chemical Program. NPRA's refining and petrochemical members are both looking to join industry consortia to provide basic toxicity information on high production volume chemicals. NPRA backs a voluntary program that is planned and conducted at an orderly pace, that allows the use of existing data for the testing of categories of chemicals, and ensures that the cost of testing is equitably distributed among producers and importers. Most importantly, the program must be founded on sound scientific principles.

NPRA also announced that it has joined the Chemical Manufacturers Association's Responsible Care Partnership Program. NPRA joined Responsible Care because it offers great promise for continuous improvement in environmental performance for all of its members. For its first year of membership, its focus will be to educate NPRA members on the program and to encourage them to conduct self evaluation to compare their current health, environment and safety practices to Responsible Care practices.

Sternfels also discussed the upcoming decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to lower the sulfur levels in gasoline. More than a year ago the refining industry proposed a regional, phased approach to reducing sulfur levels in gasoline. NPRA has had a cooperative working relationship with EPA as the Agency gathered information while it prepared its own proposal. NPRA members remain concerned that there could be significant supply disruptions if, as rumored, a decision is made to rapidly apply California sulfur levels to the entire country. NPRA continues to urge EPA to base its upcoming rulemaking on demonstrated environmental need, realistic technological capabilities and cost-effectiveness.

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