Defending Fenceline Communities From Oil Refinery Pollution

This case study by Earthjustice details a legal effort to compel the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update air pollution standards for oil refineries. The effort resulted in a September 2015 rule establishing national fenceline monitoring for benzene and tightening controls on flaring and other emissions to protect vulnerable low-income communities and people of color.

• Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project filed a lawsuit in 2012 after the EPA missed its Clean Air Act deadline to review toxic air standards for oil refineries, leading to a settlement that forced the EPA to update these standards.
• In September 2015, the EPA implemented new air standards that include the first national "fenceline" monitoring requirements. These require refineries to install monitors at the property boundary to measure benzene; if levels are too high, refineries must take action to reduce emissions.
• The 2015 EPA rule is estimated to significantly reduce cancer risks and other health hazards for over one million Americans by preventing thousands of tons of toxins from being released annually. This addresses pollution from approximately 150 petroleum refineries that emit over 20,000 tons of hazardous air pollutants each year, including toluene and benzene.
• Additional improvements in the 2015 rule include tighter controls on storage tanks and delayed coker units, new requirements to minimize pollution from flaring (the burning of waste gas), and the closure of a loophole that allowed uncontrolled pollutant releases during refinery startup, shutdown, or malfunction.
• Despite the new rules, Earthjustice and its partners argue the EPA underestimated community harm and failed to implement the most protective measures. They contend the EPA should have required real-time monitoring instead of two-week averages, set lower benzene thresholds for corrective action, and prohibited routine flaring and uncontrolled emissions from pressure relief valves.

APA

Earthjustice (2014). Defending Fenceline Communities From Oil Refinery Pollution. https://earthjustice.org/case/defending-fenceline-communities-from-oil-refinery-pollution

Chicago

Earthjustice. Defending Fenceline Communities From Oil Refinery Pollution. 2014. https://earthjustice.org/case/defending-fenceline-communities-from-oil-refinery-pollution.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Defending Fenceline Communities From Oil Refinery Pollution |date=17 May 2014 |url=https://earthjustice.org/case/defending-fenceline-communities-from-oil-refinery-pollution |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2014defending, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Defending Fenceline Communities From Oil Refinery Pollution}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/case/defending-fenceline-communities-from-oil-refinery-pollution}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }