President’s Message: Flare Technology is Essential to Air Quality and Chemical Plant Safety

TCC President & CEO  Hector Rivero

Flares are an important and necessary component of a chemical plant’s safe operation and are the first and foremost safety devices designed to protect the community, employees and equipment at facilities around the state. 

Flares are used at industrial facilities to combust flammable, toxic, or corrosive vapors into less objectionable compounds.  The use of flares should not be discouraged through additional regulation.  Industry should work with regulators to study flare performance and efficiency and promote the continued safe operation of flares at industrial facilities.

Due to recent concerns about the operation of industrial flares and the reliability of flare efficiency estimates, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) created the Flare Task Force to evaluate the adequacy of existing flare regulations. Established earlier this year, the TCEQ Flare Task Force began its process by hosting several stakeholder meetings seeking input on issues related to all aspects of flares including flare performance, flare operation, and flare regulation.

TCC staff and member companies have met with the TCEQ Flare Task Force and presented data and research on the current operation of industrial flares and to discuss the impact of additional regulations on our industry.

Earlier this month, the Flare Task Force released its draft flare report that recommends: a) additional monitoring of flare operational parameters; b) the development of flare minimization plans; c) additional evaluation during agency permitting process; and d) promoting stakeholder involvement in agency flare issues.  In addition to releasing the draft report and its recommendations to TCEQ Executive Director Mark Vickery, TCEQ will be performing a field study on flares at the John Zink facility - an industrial-scale flare testing facility in Oklahoma where the effectiveness of a wide range of existing flare attributes can be examined.  The field testing is scheduled to take place in February of 2010.

TCC has been actively involved with the Flare Task Force and has taken the initiative, in coordination with the Texas Oil and Gas Association (TxOGA), to provide TCEQ with technical support and expertise during their field testing.

TCC and TxOGA are working with flare experts to assist with the field testing and ensure that every aspect of the study is technically sound.  TCC feels that its independent expert data and research will provide TCEQ with valuable scientific analysis of industrial flare operations that should be considered in their study.

TCC will continue to meet and gather perspectives throughout the industry on flare operations in order to provide useful information to TCEQ.  TCEQ has welcomed our input and we look forward to working with them on this important research.

TCC believes most flares operate efficiently and effectively.  The challenge for TCEQ and industry is to establish a clear understanding of proper flare operation and design that will promote the continued use of flare technology to protect our environment and keep our chemical plants safe.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to Speak at TCC/ACIT Annual Meeting in Houston

Texas Attorney General  Greg Abbott

TCC is honored to have Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott as our Guest Speaker at our 2009 TCC/ACIT Annual Meeting Luncheon on October 15th in Houston.  General Abbott was first elected as the 50th Attorney General of Texas in 2002. Prior to his election as attorney general, Abbott served as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as a State District Judge in Harris County.

General Abbott will speak to more than 200 chemical industry leaders and local and state elected officials at the TCC/ACIT Annual Meeting Luncheon.  To register for the Annual Meeting Luncheon, click here or go to the TCC or ACIT website.

Prior to the Luncheon, General Abbott will be the featured guest at a private FREEPAC Reception with TCC and ACIT Board Members, invited elected officials, and Platinum, Gold, and Silver Members of the TCC/ACIT FREEPAC (TCC/ACIT Political Action Committee).  To find out how you can become a FREEPAC level contributor and attend the private reception contact Christina Wisdom at wisdom@freepac.us .

National Chemistry Week: October 18 – 24, 2009

This month, the American Chemical Society (ACS) will sponsor National Chemistry Week: a community-based event that unites ACS local chapters, businesses, schools, and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to the quality of our everyday lives. 

The ACS is the largest scientific organization in the world. ACS members include chemists, chemical engineers, and other professionals who work in chemistry or chemistry-related jobs.  ACS has more than 154,000 members across the United States and around the world.  These members share ideas with each other and learn about important discoveries in chemistry during meetings held several times a year, through published scientific journals, and through the ACS website (www.acs.org).

National Chemistry Week – held every year during the fourth week of October – is just one of many programs that help the public learn about chemistry.  ACS members hold events across the country in schools, shopping malls, science museums, and libraries.

It’s Elemental
The theme for 2009 is Chemistry – It’s Elemental!  The modern Periodic Table of Elements is based on the work of the Russian chemist and inventor, Dmitri Mendeleev.  2009 is the 140th anniversary of Mendeleev’s periodic table, which revolutionized our understanding of the properties of atoms and probably adorns every chemistry classroom in the world.

In the late 1860’s, Mendeleev arranged the 63 known elements into a periodic table compiled by arranging the elements in ascending order of atomic weight (mass) and grouping them by similarity of properties.  Where a gap existed in the table, he predicted that a new element would be found, and predicted the properties of those yet to be discovered.  And Mendeleev was right: three of those elements were found during his lifetime: gallium, scandium, and germanium.

A free, interactive, and printer-friendly periodic table can be found here: http://www.dayah.com/periodic/

The elements are the basis of the entire universe and of life on Earth, and they are an important part of everyday life.  They compose the graphite in pencils, the tungsten in light bulbs, neon lights, copper for cooling applications, the sodium in table salt, aluminum in soda cans, fluoride in toothpaste – the list goes on and on.

Calling All Volunteers
Want to participate in National Chemistry Week?  Anyone can participate!  It only takes a little enthusiasm and use of the available resources to get started.  ACS members around the country can help you, and they will post their events to help keep everyone informed.  Go to their website: www.acs.org/ncw, to search for events and activities in your area.

At the website, you’ll find materials and information for students, educators, members of the news media, ACS and non-ACS NCW coordinators and industry representatives. This year’s planned activities include a kindergarten through 12th grade national poster contest, focused on a fun, motivational, and inspiring representation of an element or elements in the periodic table.  Also, a “Chem-vention” contest will take place where undergraduate Student Affiliate chapters of ACS design hands-on activities for elementary school children using the NCW 2010 theme.

ChemMatters, a magazine for high school students, will devote its October issue to National Chemistry Week.  And Celebrating Chemistry, the National Science Education Standards hands-on activity newspaper for elementary school students will highlight: 

     • The history of an element or elements
     • The roles elements play in our everyday lives
     • Common and not-so-common uses of elements
     • The history of the periodic table

Kids could have a “Festival of the Elements” for their class or whole school, and groups can organize community events to collect recyclable elements (tin cans, aluminum cans, etc.) of food and donate to a local food bank.

“National Chemistry Week is a wonderful opportunity to investigate and appreciate the use of chemistry in every aspect of our lives,” said TCC President and CEO Hector L. Rivero.  “I hope you’ll join me in participating in your community.”

EPA Proposes Rules to Disapprove Three Key Aspects of Texas SIP Revisions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published three proposed rules in the Federal Register that disapprove key revisions of the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), claiming that they do not meet federal Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements followed by other states.

These proposed rules address Flexible Permits, Qualified Facilities and New Source Review (NSR) reform:

Proposed Rule to Disapprove the Flexible Permit Program
EPA asserts that the Texas Flexible Permit Program fails to meet the Minor NSR SIP requirements and the NSR SIP requirements for a substitute Major NSR SIP revision.  At the heart of this proposed rule is EPA’s view that the Flexible Permit Program is not clearly limited to Minor NSR.  As part of this proposed rule, EPA is disapproving Texas SIP revision submittals dating back to 1994.

Proposed Rule to Disapprove the Texas Qualified Facilities State Program
EPA asserts that the Qualified Facilities Program fails to meet Minor NSR SIP requirements and the NSR SIP requirements for a substitute Major NSR SIP revision.  At the heart of this proposed rule is the assertion that the program is not clearly limited to Minor NSR.  As part of this proposed rule, EPA is disapproving Texas SIP revision submittals dating back to 1996.

Proposed Rule to Disapprove Revisions to the NSR SIP
EPA asserts that various Texas SIP revision submittals dating back to 2005 fail to meet the 2002 revised Major NSR SIP requirements.  Specifically, EPA is proposing to disapprove the following provisions of those submittals: 

1. The 1997 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Major Nonattainment NSR SIP revision;

2. The 1-hour ozone NAAQS Major nonattainment NSR (NNSR) SIP revision;

3. The Major NSR reform SIP revision with Plantwide Applicability Limitations (PAL) provisions;

4. The Major NSR reform SIP revision with no PAL provisions;

5. The Major NSR Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) SIP revision; and

6. The Minor NSR Standard Permit for Pollution Control Project (PCP) SIP revision.

To view the full version of these three proposed rules, you can click on the following link: EPA Federal Register Notices

The publishing of these proposed rules in the Federal Register now open a 60-day comment period ending on November 23, 2009.  TCC will be conducting a conference call on Friday, October 9th to discuss these proposed rules and the coordination of comments to submit to EPA.  If you would like to participate on this call or have any questions, please contact Christina Wisdom at (512) 646-6403 or via email at wisdom@txchemcouncil.org.

Business Leaders Thank Gov. Perry for his Support during the 81st Legislative Session

TCC President Hector Rivero and other key Texas business leaders met with Governor Rick Perry on October 1st to thank him for his support and leadership during the 81st Legislative Session.  The group serves on the Executive Committee of the Texas Civil Justice League and met with Perry to express their gratitude for his support in defending the tort reforms passed by the Legislature over the past 10 years.  These reforms have protected industry from frivolous lawsuits and have enabled Texas businesses to remain competitive in the global economy. 

TCC President Hector Rivero and Steve Hazlewood of Dow Chemical serve on the Texas Civil Justice League Executive Committee with other trade association executives including the Texas Medical Association, Texas Oil & Gas Association, Association of Electric Companies of Texas, Texas Railroad Association, Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Municipal League and Texas Association of REALTORS®. 

TCC Members Appointed to Basin & Bay Area Stakeholder Committees

The Texas Environmental Flows Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Senate Natural Resources Committee Chairman Kip Averitt (R-Waco) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Allan Ritter (D-Nederland), has appointed four chemical industry employees to Basin and Bay Area Stakeholder Committees.

The Environmental Flows Advisory Group, formed by the passage of Senate Bill 3 in the previous (2007) 80th Legislative Session, is charged with studying public policy implications for balancing the demands on water resources of the state resulting from a growing population with the requirements of the state's rivers and bay systems.  The advisory group conducts hearings and submits a biennial report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the House of Representatives regarding its findings and progress.
 
Joe W. Arnold of BASF in Port Arthur has been named to the Sabine and Neches Rivers and Sabine Lake Basin and Bay Stakeholder Committee.  James W. Kachtick, P.E (Retired, OxyChem in Houston) was appointed to the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers and Galveston Bay Stakeholder Committee.
 
David Hill of Formosa in Port Comfort will serve on the Colorado and Lavaca Rivers and Matagorda and Lavaca Bays Stakeholder Committee.  And Dale Duhon of INVISTA in Victoria will join the Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, and Aransas Rivers, and Mission, Copano, Aransas, and San Antonio Bays Stakeholder Committee.

State Representative Bonnen Speaks at ACIT Mid-Coast 3rd Quarter Breakfast

Rep. Dennis Bonnen

 

Photos from the event can be found here:

Eleven Constitutional Amendments on Nov. 3rd Election Ballot

There will be 11 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution for consideration by Texas voters on the November 3rd election.

Enacted in 1876, the Texas State Constitution has been amended more than 400 times.  Proposed constitutional amendments must pass by a two-thirds vote in both houses of the state legislature to be placed on the ballot.  These eleven amendments were adopted by the 81st Legislature and require approval by Texas voters to amend the State’s constitution.

Proposition 1,
HJR 132
Authorizes the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to a military installation for the prevention of encroachment or for the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation.

Proposition 2,
HJR 36-1
Authorizes the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead.

Proposition 3,
HRJ 36-3
Provides for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.

Proposition 4, 
HJR 14-2
Establishes the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.

Proposition 5,
HJR 36-2
Authorizes the legislature to authorize a single board of equalization for two or more adjoining appraisal entities that elect to provide for consolidated equalizations.

Proposition 6,
HJR 116
Authorizes the Veterans' Land Board to issue general obligation bonds in amounts equal to or less than amounts previously authorized.

Proposition 7,
HJR 127
Allows an officer or enlisted member of the Texas State Guard or other state militia or military force to hold other civil offices.

Proposition 8,
HJR 7
Authorizes the state to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veterans’ hospitals in this state.

Proposition 9,
HJR 102
Protects the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

Proposition 10,
HJR 85
Provides that elected members of the governing boards of emergency services districts may serve terms not to exceed four years.

Proposition 11,
HJR 14-1
Prohibits the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment of the property by the State, a political subdivision of the State, the public at large, or entities granted the power of eminent domain under law or for the elimination of urban blight on a particular parcel of property, but not for certain economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature's authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity.

The House Research Organization – a nonpartisan source of impartial information on legislation and issues considered by the Texas Legislature – has published a guide to the constitutional amendments: http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/framer2.htm

The Texas Legislative Council – which provides bill drafting, computing, research, publishing, and document distribution services to the Texas Legislature and legislative agencies – has also published a guide: http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/pubsconamend/analyses09/analyses09.pdf

TCC encourages its members to register to vote and be informed voters!

U.S. Senate Democrats Introduce Climate Change Legislation

Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-California), John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) kicked off the autumn global warming debate with a campaign-style rally releasing their comprehensive climate bill.

“We know clean energy is the ticket to strong, sustainable economic growth,” Boxer, the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said at the Capitol Hill event, in front of a large American flag and three dozen or so military veterans, business leaders and environmentalists.

“Ultimately, this bill is about keeping Americans safe,” added Kerry, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The Kerry-Boxer bill, the “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act,” comes in at 821 pages, starting with a mandate by 2020 to curb the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels.  The bill omits many details, leaving negotiations with Democrats and Republican moderates to fill in the blanks.

But the measure offers specifics on several critical issues, ranging from incentives for natural gas and nuclear power to how Congress can promote tree planting and sustainable farming practices as alternative compliance options for industry.  A summary of the bill can be found here.

The bill’s sponsors also sought to change the legislative lingo surrounding the bill, dropping references to “cap and trade.”  Instead, Boxer and Kerry released a summary of their bill that labeled greenhouse gas trading provisions as a “Pollution Reduction and Investment” program.  Boxer also touted a proposal allocating emission allowances that is aimed at fiscal conservatives who think past climate proposals cost too much.

The unveiling of the Senate climate bill comes almost three months after House passage of H.R. 2454, a comprehensive climate and energy bill that is a centerpiece of President Obama's domestic agenda.  In a prepared statement, Obama praised Boxer and Kerry “for their leadership on comprehensive energy reform.”

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio was among the first to bash the Senate bill.  “The national energy tax was a terrible idea when it passed the House, and it is an even worse idea now,” Boehner said in a press release.  “Middle-class families and small businesses struggling to make ends meet shouldn't be punished with costly legislation that will increase electricity bills, raise gasoline prices and ship more American jobs overseas.”

Prospects for the Senate climate bill are uncertain.  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) recently acknowledged the legislative reality that any unfinished business would not expire with the new year.  And he told reporters that Democrats remain on track to move the legislation before the Copenhagen negotiations in December.

Senate Republicans critical of the climate bill do not think the Kerry-Boxer bill has enough legs to make it into law by Copenhagen.  The Environment Committee's ranking member, James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), said that he expects Obama to use House-passed legislation and a committee-approved bill as his main arguments at the U.N. talks.

Boxer and Kerry can count on about 45 “yes” or “probably yes” votes as they move forward. There are 21 “fence sitters” pivotal to passing the bill.  They include Democrats and Republicans who have offered positive statements about the legislative process.

Senate sponsors insist that their emission targets, which are more aggressive than the 17 percent limit in the House bill, would be easier to meet because of the recent economic meltdown that has already led to lower emissions.

The bill’s emissions offset strategy also differs from the House-passed measure.  The Senate plan would states that three-fourths of the 2 billion tons of the annual offsets available to polluters would come from domestic projects and one-fourth from international efforts.  The House plan divided them evenly.  An aide to Boxer said the higher domestic share in the Senate plan would help keep more investments in the United States.

Amendment to delay EPA Regulation of Carbon Emissions Fails Passage

A Republican effort to block the Obama administration from regulating carbon dioxide from power plants, oil refineries and factories for a year failed in the U.S. Senate last month.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, was unable to force a vote on a measure to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority over greenhouse gases.  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson urged Democrats, who hold 60 of the Senate’s 100 seats, to block Murkowski’s amendment to a bill that funds the agency.

The prospect of EPA regulation is “being used as a thinly veiled threat” to force the Senate to act on “cap-and-trade” legislation that passed the U.S. House in June with the support of President Barack Obama, Murkowski said.

The amendment would have prevented the EPA from spending money to regulate industrial, or “stationary,” sources of carbon dioxide for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and allowed the agency to continue with recently announced plans to cut emissions from new cars and trucks through tougher fuel economy standards, Murkowski said.

In a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, Jackson disputed that the Murkowski amendment would be limited to stationary sources.  It would also “pull the plug” on the new fuel-economy standards, Jackson said.

2007 Court Decision
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled the EPA had the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the existing Clean Air Act.  EPA is now considering regulations for stationary sources that will target large greenhouse gas emitters, such as power plants, and the agency shouldn’t be stopped.

Murkowski said a much lower threshold is written into the Clean Air Act and that the EPA might be required to regulate “office buildings, hospitals, schools and apartment buildings” in addition to larger emitters.

Republicans who worry about EPA action should accept “the only way to go” is cap-and-trade legislation that allows firms to buy and sell the right to pollute, Feinstein said. “A cap-and-trade system would be more efficient and less expensive than regulating these sources under the existing Clean Air Act,” Feinstein said.

Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who co-sponsored the Murkowski amendment, said there would be more efforts in Congress to limit EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases under existing law.  “This issue will be back,” Thune said.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, said the EPA’s authority must be defended to boost the chances of passing cap-and-trade legislation.  Some U.S. firms are supporting cap-and-trade because the “hot breath” of EPA regulation is “on their necks and they know they ought to participate” in getting it passed, he said.

Obama Administration wants Tougher Chemical Regulations

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

The Obama administration has asked Congress to draft a tougher law for how the government regulates tens of thousands of chemicals.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson called the 32-year-old statute governing toxic substances a flawed tool for protecting the public from the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been introduced on the market.  Those chemicals, which do not include pesticides or drugs, are used in everything from cell phones to plastic drinking-water bottles.  Not all of them are still in use, experts said.
 (EPA’s Jackson photo, caption)

“The American people are looking to the government for assurance that chemicals have been assessed using the best available science and unacceptable risks haven't been ignored,” Jackson said in a conference call with reporters before a formal announcement in San Francisco. “Unfortunately, the current law does not allow us to grant them that assurance.”

Jackson said recent scares with lead in toys, dioxin in fish and phthalate esters – plastic-hardening chemicals used in intravenous bags, where they can enter a patient's blood stream – are making the public “understandably anxious and confused.”

The Obama administration wants Congress to craft a law that will require chemical manufacturers to provide enough information so that the EPA can evaluate the risks, and to give the agency the authority to act against chemicals it determines to be dangerous.

In addition to asking Congress to enact a stronger law, Jackson also said the agency would immediately launch a review of six chemicals that have raised concerns, including:
- Bisphenol A, or BPA, which is used in plastic beverage containers.  The administration says some evidence suggests BPA can affect the brain and behavior in fetuses, infants and children.
- Perfluorinated chemicals used in nonstick cookware and in some waterproof clothing will also be checked out because of research linking them to infertility in women.

Environmentalists applauded the EPA’s action, saying it was long overdue.  Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) said he would introduce a bill incorporating the administration's suggestions.

“America’s system for regulating toxic substances is broken,” said Lautenberg. “Americans deserve to know that products they rely on... are safe and will not harm their families.”

Under current law, chemical manufacturers are not required to develop new data on toxicity and exposure, which has led to chemicals being used in products that have not been adequately screened for safety.  When the EPA does have enough information to flag a chemical as dangerous, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, makes clamping down on its use difficult, according to Jackson.

The agency to date has only taken action against five chemicals, and in one of those cases – asbestos – a federal appeals court ruled that the EPA had not made a strong enough case or factored in the costs for phasing out its use.

Many of the reforms the administration has suggested largely mirror those advanced by the chemical manufacturing industry, which is concerned about a patchwork of regulations at the state and local level.

Cal Dooley, the president and chief executive of the American Chemistry Council, the national trade group representing the majority of chemical manufacturers, said that it was critical to modernize the law.  “We must harness the advances in science and technology... that puts safety of the American consumer first,” he said.

Dow Chemical to Close Two Production Units at Freeport Site

Dow Chemical has announced it will close the styrene monomer and ethylbenzene production units at its Freeport site in Texas by the end of the year.
 
The closures are part of a broad restructuring plan the company announced at the end of June, which is designed to reduce Dow’s exposure to basic chemicals.

“Closing these assets will help align Dow’s styrene supply with US demand and is another outcome of our plan to optimize our ethylene and styrene envelopes,” said Brian Ames, a global business director with Dow.  “This decision also aligns with Dow’s asset light strategy and improves our competitive position in North America,” he added.

The Freeport site has about 70 production units and is Dow’s largest integrated manufacturing site in the world.  Dow said it had secured a long-term styrene supply contract to meet the styrene demand of its derivative businesses.

Eastman Ranked 95th on Newsweek’s “Greenest Companies” List

Eastman Chemical Co. has been ranked 95th on Newsweek magazine’s list of the 500 Greenest Companies in America.  Eastman has a 6,000-acre operation in Longview where about 1,500 people are employed.

“Eastman has a proud history of responsible environmental stewardship,” said Theresa Lee, senior vice president with responsibility for the company’s environmental, health, safety and security programs. “This recognition is further reinforcement of the sound practices and systems we have in place throughout the company to ensure a sustainable future for our employees, our communities and our environment.”

The Newsweek Green Ranking is based on companies’ actual environmental performance, policies and reputation.  The report features a green ranking of America’s 500 largest publicly traded companies as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees.  The complete list can also be found on www.newsweek.com/green.

“At Eastman, we define sustainability as a commitment to create value through environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic growth,” said Mark Costa, executive vice president with responsibility for the company's sustainability efforts.  “We know that strong health, safety and environmental performance is foundational to our success and growth, and are very proud to be recognized for our efforts.”

Newsweek said the companies are ranked based on a number of criteria, including: each company’s greenhouse gas emissions, toxic waste emissions and use of other natural resources.  The magazine and its partners also assessed the companies’ management of environmental issues and policies, regulatory compliance and policies concerning climate change.

Odessa Plastics Plant may make a Comeback

A California company and some former employees are joining forces hoping to buy the closed Flint Hills Resources chemical plant in Odessa, which shut down in early 2009.
 
Constellation Capital Management has announced an agreement with former Flint Hills employees, which states that Constellation will help the employee group get the financing needed to purchase the facility from Flint Hills.  The group would then restart the production lines and produce high-quality plastics for a number of industries including medical and electronics.     

Flint Hills officials say they are actively marketing the plant and will sit down with any qualified potential buyers.

Bill Gilliam, the former chairman of the Rexene Corporation – which owned and operated the plant before Flint Hills – was in Odessa for the announcement and says he hopes to reopen the plant and produce polymer products like it did in the past.  Gilliam believes the plant could replace the 500 jobs that were lost and possibly create even more.

Lucite to Close Beaumont ACN Plant

Lucite will cease production at its 400m lb/year acrylonitrile (ACN) plant in Beaumont, Texas, due to weak demand, the company said recently.  The company will close the plant over the next few months.

Making acrylonitrile creates hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as a by-product.  Lucite uses HCN to make methyl methacrylate (MMA), which is used in coatings, appliances, electronics, adhesives and countertops.

Lucite said it would maintain its MMA sales through its global supply, with on-purpose production of HCN in Beaumont when required.  Lucite also makes the HCN feedstock for its MMA production at its plant in Memphis, Tennessee.

An acrylic buyer said the MMA portion of the Beaumont site had not been operating all year due to weak demand, but expects it to restart next year.  A spokesperson for Lucite did not have an exact number of affected employees.  The company acquired the ACN plant from DuPont in September 2005.

Upcoming TCC & ACIT Events

October 8 – ACIT Houston Ship Channel Golf Tournament, Timber Creek Golf Club in Friendswood.  For more information click here.

October 10 – ACIT South Texas Motorcycle Fun Run, VFW Hall in Corpus Christi.  For more information click here.

October 15 – TCC/ACIT Annual Meeting, Hilton Houston Hobby Airport Hotel.  Sponsorships are still available, click here.

November 12 – ACIT Golden Triangle Regional Dinner, Beaumont:  Location TBD.

Save the Date: 

June 7 – 10, 2010 – TCC/ACIT Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Seminar at Moody Gardens Hotel and Conference Center in Galveston, Texas.  Be sure to budget for and save the date to attend next year’s EHS Seminar on beautiful Galveston Island.  This popular, action-packed seminar is a great way to provide high-quality, low-cost training to EHS staff at all levels of your organization – including your contract personnel.