2002 ANNUAL REPORT
South Coast

South Coast Refiners Enhance Advocacy Efforts

In an effort to improve WSPA's effectiveness before the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Board and staff, the South Coast Refining Committee worked throughout 2002 to enhance its advocacy activities surrounding refinery rulemaking.

Many previous attempts to educate South Coast officials regarding the costly, ineffective nature of some of their proposed rules had fallen short, leading the refiners to increase their efforts to build new relationships and bring better science to debates surrounding air quality regulations.

The refiners began by revamping their internal committee structure. Key subcommittees met jointly to improve communications, and the refiners themselves met more frequently to act on recommendations of the subcommittees in regard to technical and advocacy recommendations. The refiners also bolstered communications with facility operators in Northern California, to enhance information sharing and lessons learned regarding rule adoption and advocacy.

A subcontractor was also retained to help guide relationship development with the SCAQMD Board and staff. Throughout the year, the contractor worked with the subcommittees as they negotiated rules impacting control of VOC emissions from storage tanks, pressure relief devices (PRD's) and fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU's) and as the industry prepared comments that were incorporated into the District's strategic initiative on environmental justice.

Most critical to WSPA's efforts was the establishment of an Ad-Hoc Committee on Refinery Rulemaking, which included an AQMD Board member and refinery manager. The Ad-Hoc Committee met bi-monthly serving as a critical sounding board for the industry as the rule development process with the AQMD staff unfolded.

Toward the year's end, the refiners continue to be fully engaged in their advocacy efforts working to improve Board member and staff relationships. Facility tours, Ad-Hoc Committee meetings and the participation of key AQMD officials in the 3rd Annual WSPA Issues Conference are early indicators that the refiner's efforts are meeting with some degree of success.

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