Fenceline Air Monitoring at Oregon's Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub
- Summary
- About the air monitoring
- Facilities required to do air monitoring
- Monitoring results
- Background
- Contact
Summary
The Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub (CEI Hub) is a six-mile-long industrial area on the western bank of the Willamette River in Northwest Portland, Oregon, with more than 600 storage tanks for oil, gasoline, diesel, asphalt, and other liquid petroleum products.
EPA is investigating whether these facilities are following operational and maintenance requirements for the tanks to prevent unauthorized emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. These investigations are part of EPA’s Reducing Air Toxics in Overburdened Communities National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative focusing on inspections, compliance, and enforcement activities in overburdened communities.
EPA is requiring nine facilities in the CEI Hub to collect fenceline air monitoring data for concentrations of five volatile organic compounds: benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylenes and hexane. Air monitors will collect data for one year and facilities will submit the data to EPA every two weeks.
About the fenceline air monitoring
EPA issued Clean Air Act section 114 Information Requests to nine facilities in the CEI Hub to require each facility to install air sampling equipment to monitor concentrations of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylenes and hexane at the fenceline around each facility for one year.
The monitors are passive tube air samplers that will continuously measure these compounds in the air at the fenceline, producing 2-week average concentrations to capture all facility operating conditions. Fenceline monitoring around each facility is a proven, effective and efficient way to evaluate compliance for a large number of emission sources over a large area.
EPA will use this data along with on-site inspections and other information to help determine facility compliance with the Clean Air Act. The monitoring data and other information gathered will help EPA and the facilities identify if there are problems and consider what corrective actions, if any, might be needed to reduce emissions.
Facilities required to do air monitoring
- Chevron U.S.A. Inc.: Willbridge Distribution Terminal
- Kinder Morgan Liquids Terminals, LLC: Willbridge and Linnton Terminals
- McCall Oil and Chemical Corporation
- Phillips 66 Company: Portland Terminal
- Seaport Midstream Partners, LLC: Portland Terminal
- Shore Terminals, LLC (NuStar Energy L.P.): Portland Terminal
- Triton West, LLC (Shell Pipeline Company L.P.): Shell Portland Distribution Terminal
- Zenith Energy Terminals Holdings, LLC
Monitoring data
CEI Hub facilities installed and began operating fenceline air monitors in the fall of 2024. Following EPA review and data quality checks, monitoring data will be posted on this webpage.
- Chevron Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Kinder Morgan Willbridge Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Kinder Morgan Linnton Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- McCall Oil Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Phillips 66 Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Seaport Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Shore NuStar Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Triton Shell Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
- Zenith Fenceline Air Monitoring Data (xls)
How the fenceline monitoring data may be used
The passive air monitors will continuously sample for benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylenes and hexane in the air at each facility fenceline, producing 2-week average concentrations. The monitoring data is intended to reflect pollutant concentrations in the air at the boundary of each facility to capture all facility operating conditions.
The data collected, along with onsite inspections and other information, will help EPA and the facilities determine if the storage tanks are operated and maintained to adequately minimize or prevent emissions, if there are equipment or operating problems, and if any corrective actions are needed to reduce emissions.
The monitoring results are being provided to the public so they can be informed about these investigations, about the sources of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants, and the facilities’ efforts to control emissions at the CEI Hub.
How the fenceline monitoring data should not be used
Fenceline air monitoring can measure changes to emission concentrations that may indicate excess emissions at a CEI Hub facility.
The monitoring data will not show the concentrations of pollutants in the community, the concentrations that people are exposed to, or the potential impacts to public health.
The fenceline air monitors could collect air pollutants from other external sources such as roadways, airports, wood-burning fireplaces, trains, or marine ports. Fenceline monitoring is a proven means to better understand and evaluate emissions from facility sources, however the monitoring data could include air pollutants that do not originate from the CEI Hub facilities.
Background
Fuel and asphalt storage tank facilities like those at the CEI Hub are sources of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutant emissions regulated by the Clean Air Act, including National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, New Source Performance Standards, air permit provisions, and general duty requirements applicable to fuel and asphalt storage tanks. The regulations that apply to these sources require operational and work practice standards and procedures.
Previous EPA inspections have indicated that some storage tanks, along with other facility emission units, may not be operated and maintained to adequately minimize or prevent emissions. The fenceline air monitoring data collected at the facilities will help EPA identify any areas with higher emissions, which can then be evaluated to identify emissions sources and assess compliance.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the Clean Air Act air permitting authority for the CEI Hub facilities. Both DEQ and EPA share responsibility and work collaboratively to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act.
Contact
For more information, contact Suzanne Skadowski ([email protected]), 206-900-3309, EPA Public Affairs.