TAR SANDS REFINERIES:

COMMUNITIES AT RISK

A FORESTETHICS REPORT BY AARON SANGER, U.S. CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR

Tar sands refinery in Anacortes, Washington

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction U.S. Refineries and Canadas Tar Sands p. 2

The Problem Tar Sands Refineries Are More Dangerous to Community Health p. 3

Two Stories From the Fence-Line Tar Sands Refineries in U.S. Communities p. 5 The Scandal U.S. Regulators Have Ignored Tar Sands Refinery Impacts on Community Health p. 6 Conclusion p. 7 Appendix p. 8

ForestEthics acknowledges the critical assistance of Global Community Monitor (www.gcmonitor.org) in the research supporting this report.

INTRODUCTION: U.S. REFINERIES AND CANADAS TAR SANDS

Without oil refineries, our current transportation system would not function. Refineries produce the vast majority of the energy we use for moving people and things from one place to another.

Refineries are also one of the most hazardous parts of our transportation system, especially to the already vulnerable segments of our society. Minority communities and the poor, the young and the old, and those suffering from diseases that affect their heart and lung systemsthese are the groups that already pay most dearly for our current dependence upon refineries for transportation fuel. And these are the same people who are now facing additional health costs because of the growing relationship between U.S. refineries and Canadas tar sands.

U.S. REFINERIES PUSHING THE ENVELOPE WITH CANADAS TAR SANDS

Now that the easy oil is gone 1, U.S. refineries have begun pushing their operating envelopes by using Canadas tar sands. Refinery use of tar sands leads to a number of problems. First, the material from Canadas tar sands is not oil when it comes out of the ground; it is called bitumen and is used to make a type of synthetic oil that is much more difficult and expensive to produce than conventional oil 2. Second, U.S. refineries are using the extremely toxic and corrosive bitumen blend that comes from Canadas tar sands. The potential health effects of the growing relationship between U.S. refineries and Canadas tar sands are becoming clear in Alberta, where the refinery process to convert bitumen blends into synthetic oil originated, and where the communities downwind and downstream from those refineries have elevated levels of cancer 3.
Tar sands industrial development in Alberta, Canada.

THE PROBLEM: TAR SANDS REFINERIES ARE MORE DANGEROUS TO COMMUNITY HEALTH

When a refinery uses a bitumen blend from Canadas tar sands, it is using a raw material that contains large quantities of sulfur. This means U.S. refineries using tar sands generally produce more intense sulfur dioxide air pollution that is, today, not adequately regulated. The result is heightened health risks in communities living near tar sands refineries 4. A few statistics from publicly available sources indicate that, in general, tar sands refineries spew more sulfur dioxide pollution per barrel produced than refineries that do not use tar sands. In 2008, the top five sulfur dioxide polluters (listed below) among U.S. refineries making transportation fuel in the lower 48 states together accounted for 31% of the total tar sands bitumen blend usage. Also in 2008, these same five refineries produced 39% of the sulfur dioxide emissions reported by transportation fuel producing refineries in the lower 48 states. CUMULATIVE BITUMEN BLEND INPUT & CUMULATIVE SO2 EMISSIONS INTENSITY

TOP FIVE SULFUR DIOXIDE PRODUCING REFINERIES:

ExxonMobil, Joliet (IL) WRB, Wood River (IL) PBF Energy, Toledo (OH) CITGO, Lemont (IL) Valero, Benicia (CA)

Figure 1 demonstrates a correlation between cumulative bitumen blend input (red) and cumulative SO2 emissions intensity (blue), based on available data in 2008 for 113 refineries in the lower 48 that produce transportation fuels.

Three of these five refineries (ExxonMobil, WRB and CITGO) are specific examples of the close relationship between using tar sands and greater sulfur dioxide pollution per barrel produced. However, these three are not the only tar sands-using refineries in the U.S. that emit greater sulfur dioxide pollution per barrel produced. As illustrated by the above figure, when all U.S. refineries that produce transportation fuel are included in a cumulative analysis (see Appendix, page 9), it becomes clear that the greater the quantity of bitumen blends (tar sands) these refineries used, the more sulfur dioxide pollution they produced.

THE GREATER THE QUANTITY OF TAR SANDS THESE REFINERIES USED, THE MORE SULFUR DIOXIDE POLLUTION THEY PRODUCED.

4
BP
Ferndale, WA

ConocoPhillips
Ferndale, WA

Shell

Anacortes, WA Anacortes, WA Tacoma, WA

Tesoro Re nery US Oil and Re ning

REFINERIES IN THE UNITED STATES RECEIVING BITUMEN BLENDS OR SYNTHETIC CRUDE FROM CANADAS TAR SANDS
Connacher Oil
Great Falls, MT

Cenex Harvest
Laurel, MT

ConocoPhillips
Billings, MT Billings, MT

ExxonMobil
St Paul Park, MN

Murphy Oil
Superior, WI

Marathon

Sinclair Chevron Tesoro Chevron

Martinez, CA

Casper, WY

Flint Hills Resources Rosemount, MN Marathon Sunoco ExxonMobil

Lemont, IL Joliet, IL

Detroit, MI Toledo, OH

Marathon

Silver Eagle

Salt Lake City, UT Sinclair, WY

Sinclair

CITGO

Canton, OH

Woods Cross, UT

Tesoro

Frontier

BP Husky BP
Whiting, IN

Toledo, OH

United Re ning
Warren, PA

Salt Lake City, UT

Cheyenne, WY

Husky
Lima, OH

Richmond, CA

Holly Corporation
Salt Lake City, UT

Marathon

Suncor

Commerce City, CO

Wood River
McPherson, KS

Cenex

Frontier

Roxana, IL

Marathon
Robinson, IL

Catlettsburg, KY

El Dorado, KS

ConocoPhillips
Wilmington, CA

ConocoPhillips

Co eyville Resources
Coffeyville, KS

Ponca City, OK

Tesoro

Wilmington, CA

ConocoPhillips
Borger, TX

Hunt Re ning
Tuscaloosa, AL

Holly Corporation
Lovington, NM

LEGEND:
Re nery processing Tar Sands

ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil

Beaumont, TX

Marathon
Garyville, LA

Houston, TX

Texas City, TX

BP

Port Arthur, TX

Valero

SULFUR DIOXIDE POLLUTION FROM TAR SANDS REFINERIES IS HAZARDOUS TO HUMAN HEALTH
The growing use of Canadas tar sands by U.S. refineries is making the fundamental act of breathing more difficult for some of the most disadvantaged communities and population groups in the United States. The sulfur dioxide pollution from tar sands refineries also puts more pressure on those who already suffer from disease-weakened heart and blood circulation systems 5. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shortterm exposure to elevated sulfur dioxide levels is associated with reduced lung function, chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, respiratory illness, deterioration of the lungs defense systems, and the aggravation of cardiovascular systems 6.

BP REFINERY ON INCREASED TAR SANDS USE: 21% increase in microscopic particulate matter. AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION ON MICROSCOPIC PARTICULATE MATTER: Can cause illness and premature death 7.

TWO STORIES FROM THE FENCE-LINE: TAR SANDS REFINERIES IN U.S. COMMUNITIES
EXXONMOBIL REFINERY IN JOLIET, ILLINOIS

Tammy Thompson was forced to move away from the area around ExxonMobils tar sands refinery in Joliet, Illinois. Some days the sulfurous fumes from this refinery were so bad that even driving through Tammys former neighborhood led to nausea so intense it was nearly impossible to stay on the road. Sleeping at night was another difficult thing for Tammy, given that her former home near the ExxonMobil refinery was often filled with intensely sulfurous air. Weekends and holidays were the worstbecause thats when Tammy and her family would spend more time at home. Knowing that ExxonMobil planned to increase its use of tar sands at the Joliet refinery left Tammy and her family no choice. When we found out that Canadas tar sands [bitumen blends] have such a higher sulfur content, we knew we had to leave our home, Tammy said.

MARATHON REFINERY IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Late in 2010, Adrienne Crawford woke up in the middle of the night, choking on chemical fumes in her home on Pleasant Street in Detroit. With training and equipment provided by watchdog group Global Community Monitor, Adrienne collected an air sample from her home and found it contained a toxic cocktail of 20 chemicals at 1,000 times above the safe limitincluding the cancer-causing chemicals benzene, toluene, and hydrogen sulfide, which are known by-products of the Detroit Marathon refinerys processing of tar sands. According to an investigation by the EPA, the toxic fumes in Adriennes home probably came from toxic waste water, which the Marathon refinery dumped into Detroits sewer system. As a result, the EPA was forced to warn all residents in Adriennes neighborhood that they could be exposed to the same pollution found in Adriennes home.

Roy Hunt

THE SCANDAL: U.S. REGULATORS HAVE IGNORED TAR SANDS REFINERY IMPACTS ON COMMUNITY HEALTH
U.S. regulators - notably the EPA - have, so far, failed to address the problem of tar sands refinery impacts on U.S. community health. This is a scandal. Health impacts from refineries fall disproportionately on poor, lower-income, and minority communities living near refineries 8.

CANADAS TAR SANDS

Threaten Boreal forests equal to the size of the state of Maine or the country of Scotland Consume more water than six cities of one million people use in a year Have created the worlds largest open pit toxic lakes now covering an area larger than Washington, D.C. Is processed by the dirtiest and most dangerous U.S. refineries turning tar sands into transportation fuel, a process that involves excessive toxic water and air pollution

In 2009, the EPA evaluated cancer risks from refinery pollutants within different social, demographic, and economic groups living near a refinery. Controlling for all other relevant factors, the EPA found that the average risk from petroleum refinery pollutants was 33% higher for African Americans and Latinos living near refineries than the average risk from petroleum refinery pollutants for the general population. Risk levels from petroleum refinery pollutants were 21% higher than the general population for refinery community households with less than the national median income; the average risk was 35% higher for people living below the poverty line in refinery communities 9. Sulfur dioxide pollution from tar sands refineries increases the health threats to these refinery fenceline communities already suffering from severe health problems. In fact, much of recorded data on the health impacts of sulfur dioxide indicates that it aggravates certain health problems such as asthma, a condition that is much more common in refinery fence-line communities 10.

Christine Favilla and Ellen Rendulich

Tar sands refinery, view from the fence-line

Christine Favilla and Ellen Rendulich

Tar sands refinery, view from the fence-line

CONCLUSION:

The oil industry has grandiose plans to redraw the continental oil map in North America by expanding U.S. refinery use of tar sands bitumen blends 11. This report shows that more U.S. refining of tar sands would lead to more intense, health-harming sulfur dioxide pollution in U.S. communities already suffering disproportionately from health risks tied to oil refineries. According to recently published scientific data, sulfur dioxide pollution associated with the refining of tar sands in Alberta is similar to that produced by moderate to large coal-burning power plants in the U.S. 12. In effect, the oil industrys plan to redraw the continental oil map through more U.S. refining of tar sands would involve installing the equivalent of a moderate to large coal-burning power plant in some of North Americas most disadvantaged communities.
Citations: 1. Murray & King, Climate policy: Oils tipping point has passed. Nature. January 25, 2012. 2. Standing, Canadian Oil Sands Misses Unrealistic Projection Issues Another, Energy Bulletin. December 14, 2009. http:// www.energybulletin.net/node/50971 3. Chen, Cancer Incidence in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta 1995-2006. February 2009. 4. Schindler, et.al., Oil sands development contributes polycyclic aromatic compounds to the Athabasca River and its tributaries, PNAS. December 7, 2009, http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/12/04/0912050106 5. EPA Enforcement Alert, Volume 3 Number 9. October 2000. 6. EPA Enforcement Alert, Volume 3 Number 9. October 2000. 7. American Lung Association, State of the Air: 2006, page 59, www.sandiegohealth.org/air/SOTA_2006.pdf; see also the following article: Pope CA, Burnett RT, Thun MJ, Calle EE, Krewski D, Ito K, Thurston GD, Lung Cancer, Cardiopulmonary Mortality, and Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution, JAMA Vol. 287 No. 9, pp. 1132 1141 (March 6, 2002). 8. Jarrell and Ozymy,Excessive Air Pollution and the Oil Industry: Fighting for Our Right to Breathe Clean Air. Environmental Justice, Volume 3 Number 3. 2010. 9. EPA Memorandum from Ted Palma to David Guinnup dated January 15, 2009, entitled Analysis of Socio-Economic Factors for Populations Living Near Petroleum Refineries (relevant excerpts at: http://forestethics.org/downloads/epa-memorandum-ted-palma) 10. Johns and Linn, A Review of controlled human SO2 exposure studies contributing to the U.S. EPA integrated science assessment for sulfur oxides. November 8, 2010. 11. Redrawing the continental oil map, Edmonton Journal, August 24, 2012, http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/busi ness/story.html?id=39bf27f9-a47f-4e16-85ee-405029243662&p=1. 12. McLinden, et.al., Air quality over the Canadian oil sands: A first assessment using satellite observations, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 39, L04804 (published February 2012).

Aaron Sanger, M.S., J.D. Director, U.S. Campaigns aarons@forestethics.org 360.734.2951 x203

In regards to the U.S. refineries analyzed in this report, below is each refinerys estimated bitumen blend usage in 2008 as a percentage of the refinerys estimated gross crude input in the same year.
ALON USA, Bakersfield (CA) ALON USA, Big Spring (TX) ALON USA, Krotz Springs (LA) ALON USA, Paramount (CA) American Refining, Bradford (PA) Big West Oil, Salt Lake City (UT) BP-Husky, Toledo (OH) BP, Carson (CA) BP, Cherry Point (WA) BP, Texas City (TX) BP, Whiting (IN) Calcasieu Refining, Lake Charles (LA) Cenex/NCRA, McPherson (KS) Chalmette Refining, Chalmette (LA) Chevron, El Segundo (CA) Chevron, Pascagoula (MS) Chevron, Richmond (CA) Chevron, Salt Lake City (UT) CHS, Laurel (MT) CITGO, Corpus Christi (TX) CITGO, Lake Charles (LA) CITGO, Lemont (IL) Coffeyville Resources, Coffeyville (KS) Connacher Oil and Gas, Great Falls (MT) ConocoPhillips, Alliance (LA) ConocoPhillips, Bayway (NJ) ConocoPhillips, Billings (MT) ConocoPhillips, Ferndale (WA) ConocoPhillips, Lake Charles (LA) ConocoPhillips, Los Angeles (CA) ConocoPhillips, Ponca City (OK) ConocoPhillips, San Francisco (CA) ConocoPhillips, Sweeny (TX) ConocoPhillips, Trainer (PA) Continental Refining Co., Somerset (KY) CountryMark, Mount Vernon (IN) Deer Park Refining, Deer Park (TX) Delek Refining, Tyler (TX) ExxonMobil, Baton Rouge (LA) ExxonMobil, Baytown (TX) ExxonMobil, Beaumont (TX) ExxonMobil, Billings (MT) ExxonMobil, Joliet (IL) ExxonMobil, Torrance (CA) Flint Hills Resources, Corpus Christi (TX) Flint Hills Resources, Pine Bend (MN) Foreland Refining, Eagle Springs (NV) Gary-Williams Energy, Wynnewood (OK) HollyFrontier, Cheyenne (WY) HollyFrontier, El Dorado (KS) HollyFrontier, Navajo (NM) HollyFrontier, Tulsa (OK) HollyFrontier, Wood Cross (UT) Houston Refining, Houston (TX) Hunt Refining, Tuscaloosa (AL) Husky, Lima (OH) Kern Oil & Refining Co., Bakersfield (CA)
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 37% 0% 0% 0% 13% 0% 4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 8% 52% 0% 0% 62% 7% 100% 0% 0% 49% 2% 0% 9% 8% 0% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 8% 31% 49% 1% 0% 60% 0% 0% 44% 14% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Lion Oil, El Dorado (AR) Marathon, Canton (OH) Marathon, Catlettsburg (KY) Marathon, Detroit (MI) Marathon, Garyville (LA) Marathon, Robinson (IL) Marathon, Texas City (TX) Motiva, Convent (LA) Motiva, Norco (LA) Motiva, Port Arthur (TX) Murphy Oil, Meraux (LA) Murphy Oil, Superior (WI) Northern Tier Energy, Saint Paul (MN) NuStar Energy LP, San Antonio (TX) Pasadena Refining, Pasadena (TX) PBF Energy, Delaware City (DE) PBF Energy, Paulsboro (NJ) PBF Energy, Toledo (OH) Placid Refining, Port Allen (LA) Plains All American, Yorktown (VA) San Joaquin Refining, Bakersfield (CA) Shell, Martinez (CA) Shell, Mobile (AL) Shell, Puget Sound (WA) Silver Eagle, Evanston (WY) Silver Eagle, Wood Cross (UT) Sinclair, Little America Refining (WY) Sinclair, Sinclair (WY) Suncor, Commerce City (CO) Sunoco, Marcus Hook (PA) Sunoco, Philadelphia (PA) Tesoro, Anacortes (WA) Tesoro, Golden Eagle (CA) Tesoro, Los Angeles (CA) Tesoro, Mandan (ND) Tesoro, Salt Lake City (UT) Total SA, Port Arthur (TX) United Refining, Warren (PA) US Oil & Refining, Tacoma (WA) Valero, Ardmore (OK) Valero, Benicia (CA) Valero, Corpus Christi (TX) Valero, Houston (TX) Valero, McKee (TX) Valero, Memphis (TN) Valero, Port Arthur (TX) Valero, St. Charles (LA) Valero, Texas City (TX) Valero, Three Rivers (TX) Valero, Wilmington (CA) Western Refining, Bloomfield (NM) Western Refining, El Paso (TX) Western Refining, Gallup (NM) WRB, Borger (TX) WRB, Wood River (IL) Wyoming Refining, Newcastle (WY)

0% 10% 0% 16% 3% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 15% 11% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 7% 0% 7% 0% 0% 3% 0% 0% 4% 1% 3% 0% 0% 0% 35% 7% 0% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0% 0% 8% 19% 0%