Loading ...Composites companies who work with styrene are finding it very difficult to expand their plants or build new ones in Texas. The state is developing a Standard Permit for Thermoset Resin Operations that would prohibit plant emissions from exceeding .02 ppm, a level that’s ten times lower than most states. “The Standard Permit is a good idea, if it was set at an ESL (effects screening level) that was feasible,” says John Schweitzer, director of government affairs for the American Composites Manufacturers Association. “Even well ventilated composites plants aren’t going to get anywhere near the ESL. Few of the existing plants in Texas would have qualified for permits according to this approach.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) recently held a stakeholders meeting in Austin, Texas, during which industry representatives and ACMA members shared their concerns with the proposed permit. According to Schweitzer, companies would have to install very tall stacks and highly-powered ventilation equipment, strictly limit hourly emission rates of styrene and MMA, and operate only during daylight hours to qualify for the proposed Standard Permit. “The styrene emissions levels acceptable in a new standard permit are so low that very few composites manufacturers will be able to afford expanding their plants in the state,” he says.
Another concern by composites manufacturers is that the state determines odor ESLs based on a default process. In this process, laboratory results influence the final ESL, but in the case of styrene, laboratory results vary widely. The state automatically adopts the lowest emissions levels from laboratory results, regardless of their repeatability in real-world conditions. For example, the levels at which odor can be detected by people in a laboratory setting is much lower than detectable levels in a community.
Because composites companies won’t be able to qualify for the Standard Permit, their applications for permits will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. “Business owners spend a lot of money on a permit applications and engineering reviews, and they never know whether they’re going to be granted a waiver on ESLs,” says Schweitzer. The uncertainty could cause composites plant owners to move new operations, plant expansions and employment out of the state.
The TCEQ will continue to accept written comments on the proposed Standard Permit until Jan. 7, 2010 deadline.
