Best Petroleum Corp. will Conduct Enhanced Monitoring to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act at gasoline storage facility in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Best Petroleum Corp. will Conduct Enhanced Monitoring to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act at gasoline storage facility in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

January 8, 2024

"This settlement exemplifies EPA's commitment to hold companies accountable when they violate the Clean Air Act, and potentially put a community's health at risk," said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia "EPA's enforcement led to the company installing and upgrading equipment and proper emission controls to lower exposure to hazardous air pollutants which protects the public's health, workers, and the environment."

The facility, equipped with several above-ground gasoline storage tanks and a gasoline truck loading rack, is classified as a smaller "area source" under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), with respect to its potential to emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).

Best Petroleum Corp. was found to have multiple violations at its bulk petroleum storage and distribution terminal.EPA Region 2's investigation revealed that pollution control equipment at the facility was not operated and maintained in accordance with CAA requirements, leading to excess emissions of HAPs and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These emissions may contribute to public health and environmental problems, including cancer and ground-level ozone formation.

In response to the EPA's findings, Best Petroleum undertook extensive upgrades to its gasoline vapor recovery unit (VRU), installed new emission monitoring equipment for the VRU, repaired damaged pollution control equipment at its internal floating roof (IFR) and external floating roof (EFR) gasoline storage tanks. These upgrades will reduce air pollution through better controls and increased monitoring methods.

In addition, to settle the CAA violations, the Consent Agreement/Final Order requires Best Petroleum to complete a Storage Tank Inspection and Maintenance Plan for its gasoline tanks. This will ensure compliance with CAA requirements and the effectiveness of the recent repair work. The company is required to complete two additional monitoring events at each gasoline storage tank and take necessary corrective action if leaks or damaged equipment are observed.

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