Using Relative Risk Analysis to Set Priorities For Pollution Prevention At A Petroleum Refinery

Publisher Summary This chapter outlines the development of a detailed refinery release inventory that identifies sources and quantities of releases. It identifies options for preventing releases and minimizing health and environmental risks and discusses a system for evaluating and ranking the options in light of cost, risk, regulatory requirements, and other factors. The chapter also describes the methods of evaluating the incentives and obstacles to implementing the pollution prevention options. The chapter highlights the progress that can occur in identifying creative, cost-effective options for pollution prevention when government, industry, and the public establish partnerships rather than operate as adversaries. Pollution prevention cannot be adequately implemented or monitored for effectiveness unless facility operators and regulators know what is being released from the facility and its origin. Government regulatory systems—such as those established by the Clean Water Act or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)—require refineries and other facilities to monitor and measure releases from a few specific points, such as the end of a discharge pipe, or in specific media, such as groundwater. To bridge the gaps in existing data, a multimedia sample collection and analysis effort needs to be undertaken.