INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Additional measures will be put in place for Union Carbide Corporation at their ethylene oxide facility.
An agreement with UCC and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Quality was formed Wednesday. The deal will look to address how the facility in Institute can limit possible emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO).
Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas used primarily to produce other chemicals. It possesses several physical and health hazards and is highly flammable and reactive.
The Institute site unloads rail cars that contain EtO and then supply it to consumers of the Institute and South Charleston chemical facilities.
DEP Spokesperson Terry Fletcher said this deal with UCC isn’t because of violations, but just to be safe, cautious and prevent emissions the best they can.
“We found that there were some adjustments and steps we could take, and Carbide was on board with it,” Fletcher said Wednesday. “They’ll help reduce emissions and reduce risks in the Institute area.”
These new requirements agreed to between the two parties now go above and beyond the initial rules.
As a part of the agreement, UCC’s EtO distribution facility will be required to reduce its allowable emission limits, develop a screening program for rail cars containing EtO, and identify and fix leaks at levels up to 1,000 times lower that what current regulations require.
“These are significant steps that are being taken, but I think they will be beneficial to the community and the facilities,” Fletcher added.
Fletcher said it’s important the Institute facility monitors the railcars closely when they arrive on site, and that they adjust the leaks that could happen as quickly as possible.
With these new measures put in place, Fletcher is hopeful the facility will see over a 50% reduction in EtO emitted.
State DEP Deputy Secretary Scott Mandirola said the facility will continue working with WVDEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“UCC is in full compliance with all of it’s ethylene oxide related terms and agreements,” said Mandirola. “New requirements will be enforced at the state level and reduce the amount of EtO emitted.”
WVDEP Secretary Harold Ward said the order of this agreement is to make sure the nearby communities are kept safe and that UCC is doing their job right , which they have been doing.
“This agreement is an important step in ensuring that the health and well-being of West Virginia’s communities remain protected,” said Ward. “It is the result of working through our regulatory process, collecting fence line monitoring data, and conducting significant public outreach.”
The WVDEP conducted an EtO air monitoring project last year where they sampled seven sites in and around the chemical facilities in Institute as well as South Charleston.
The DEP will hold a public meeting Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Wilson Union Hall at West Virginia State University to detail the final report of the project, make additional comments and answer any questions from the public.