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ConocoPhillips Global Refinery Settlement

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have completed a comprehensive Clean Air Act settlement with ConocoPhillips that is expected to reduce harmful air emissions by more than 47,000 tons per year from nine U.S. petroleum refineries in seven states that represent nearly 10 percent of total refining capacity in the United States.

The states of Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as the Northwest Clean Air Agency (Washington State), joined the settlement. The agreement with the nation’s largest petroleum refining company is part of EPA’s national effort to reduce air emissions from refineries.

A consent decree, filed Jan. 27, 2005, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District in Texas, will require ConocoPhillips to spend more than $525 million to install and implement innovative control technologies to reduce emissions at its refineries. ConocoPhillips’ actions under this agreement are expected to reduce annual emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) by more than 10,000 tons and sulfur dioxide (SO2) by more than 37,100 tons per year. Emissions of particulate matter are expected to be significantly reduced. The air pollutants addressed by the settlement can cause serious respiratory problems and exacerbate cases of childhood asthma.

ConocoPhillips will pay a $4.5 million civil penalty and spend more than $10 million on supplemental environmental projects to reduce emissions further and to support activities in the communities where it operates. The states joining the settlement will share in the cash penalties and supplemental projects.

In 2001, before the merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum, a settlement was reached that addressed four refineries owned by Conoco Inc. Under that settlement, Conoco agreed to spend more than $110 million over eight years to reduce emissions by nearly 8,000 tons annually. The refineries covered by the earlier settlement are located in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Montana and Colorado.

The proposed consent decree is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. For more information on the Petroleum Refinery Initiative, go to: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/caa/oil/index.html


Enforcement Priorities

For additional information, contact:

Patrick W. Foley
Senior Environmental Engineer
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2242A)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20460-0001
(202) 564-7978
foley.patrick@epa.gov

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