PBF Energy Benzene Update
EPA Benzene fence line monitoring online dashboard illustrates benzene levels around PBF Energy's Chalmette refining are finally improving since elevated levels first reported in 2019/2020 under EPA's benzene fence line monitoring requirements for oil refineries.
Public health in Louisiana would be greatly improved, and industries would save money with timely alerts to leaks, if fence line monitoring were required at all industry.
For 3rd Quarter 2023 PBF Energy reports most all the fence line monitors' two week average at or below the EPA Action Level of 9.0 ug/m3 benzene. The refinery's "annual average" is reported above the EPA Action level for three of the annual averages in the 3rd Quarter 2023, with the higher annual averages being 14 ug/m3, last reported September 05 2023.
PBF Energy' "annual average" of all monitors averages, or " △C" , is displayed on the EPA dashboard as 9 ug/m3 for the past 12 months ending September 19 2023. This is the most up to date information available. There is no public access to real time levels of benzene exposure.
Some of 2023's "two week averages" above the 9.0 action level (through September 19 2023) are:
Monitor 09
May 17 2023 120 ug/m3 benzene [one hundred twenty]
July 25 2023 11 ug/m3 benzene
August 22 2023 15 ug/m3 benzene
and Sept 5 2023 10 ug/m3 benzene
Monitor 11
May 2 2023 28 ug/m3
May 17 2023 13 ug/m3
June 27 2023 15 ug/m3
July 25 2023 11 ug/m3
Monitor 12
June 13 2023 14 ug/m3
June 27 2023 9 ug/m3
July 25 2023 11 ug/m3
Only time will tell if PBF Energy is able to be a good neighbor, respect the people who live on the other side of the fence line, and control benzene emissions. It is uncertain if benzene exposure information will ever be made available to the community on a more timely basis. There is no public access to real time data, although PBF Energy makes this information available at some of its other locations [1] [ http://www.fenceline.org/martinez/index.php ].
After years-long high benzene level reports there is still no public information from EPA, LDEQ, or PBF Energy on where the suspected offsite sources of the benzene is located.
PBF Energy continues to invest in additional monitoring and leak detection programs at its Chalmette refinery. PBF Energy's January 4 2024 report to LDEQ indicates previous tank seal issues and a program to continue additional monitoring to detect tank fitting leaks will be implemented in 1st Quarter 2024 [EDMS document 14123829] PBF's 3rd Quarter 2023 report includes all sample periods in 3rd Q 2023 in which the sample period's "annual average" of all monitors averages, or △C was greater than 9ug/m3, and are reported as high as 14 ug/m3 benzene for the sample period ended September 05 2023. These types of publicly available reports will not likely be required once the facility's △C is maintained at or below the action level of 9 ug/m3. Hopefully, PBF Energy will continue its upgraded monitoring and detection programs.
On the EPA dashboard, public information is made available (after some time delay for quality assurances) on each of the facility's fence line monitor's two week average.
Access this data on the EPA Dashboard website; upper menu select "refinery name": and scroll to the lower right, select the tool "monitors" for display of the physical location of each monitor at the selected refinery.
Switch that tool to "monitor trend" for display of the two week averages for each monitor at a facility.
Here is the "monitor trend" tool display for the 2-week average benzene level at each monitor, as accessed in Late January 2024 for the September 19 2023 data
This monitor trend data on the EPA Dashboard should be available regardless of annual average levels.
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