"The agency won't let the refinery reopen unless it gets a new permit and installs new emission controls, a multiyear and costly process that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars."
"EPA will not allow the shuttered St. Croix refinery to reopen until the owners obtain a new Clean Air Act permit accompanied by upgraded pollution controls.
That process could take three years or more, EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters on a conference call Thursday morning.
"We made this decision to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act and to protect a community that has long lived in the shadow of harmful pollution," Regan said.
EPA warned the owners of the troubled facility in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this year that a new permit would likely be needed (E&E News PM, March 22). While the potential price tag for new controls on emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides and hydrogen sulfide is difficult to predict, it could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, Walter Mugdan, deputy administrator for EPA's New York City-based regional office, said on the same call."
Sean Reilly reports for E&E News November 17, 2022.
