Toxic Emissions Down 60% in State, 44% in U.S.

Reducing toxic emissions by more than 60% over the last eight years, California is one of five states leading a downward trend in the amount of pollution released by factories, refineries and chemical plants into the country’s air, water and land.

According to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the level of toxic chemicals released into the nation’s environment declined by 44% for the same period. During 1994, the most recent year measured, the EPA reported that California achieved a 19.3% reduction, compared to 8.6% for the country.

While the long-term decline reflects steady progress in the fight against pollution, toxic emissions in 1994 were influenced by some unusual circumstances.

Most of the nationwide decline that year stemmed from new pollution control measures at two Louisiana fertilizer plants that release phosphoric acid.

Moreover, the lower emission rate for California in 1994 was, to some extent, a result of the recession.

“Less economic activity is going to make for fewer emissions,” said Dan Pellissier, communications director for the California Environmental Protection Agency. “But the recession does not negate the effect businesses have had on lowering emissions.”

Assessing the positive trend since 1988, when the federal government began measuring toxic emissions, Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday that the long-term decline shows that the federal government’s efforts to curb pollution have been working.

“This proves once again that environmental progress and economic expansion can go hand in hand,” Gore said.

Since 1988, California has been one of 22 states to reduce emissions by more than 50% and in 1994 was one of five states reporting the largest decline, EPA officials said.

The other four states were Louisiana, Utah, Kansas and Indiana. Despite the progress made in Louisiana, it remains one of the 10 states reporting the largest quantities of toxic emissions.

Since 1987 in California, according to government figures, releases of toxic chemicals into the air have fallen by 59%, into water by more than 60% and onto land by more than 70%.

The EPA tabulates emissions from mandatory reports by industries that use any of 337 toxic chemicals. The reporting requirement has become a political football lately, with Republican members of Congress attempting to limit the number of chemicals that must be reported and the Clinton administration pushing to expand the list.

Last year, the federal Office of Technology Assessment estimated that the EPA’s reporting system was keeping track of only 5% of toxic emissions.

More recently, the EPA nearly doubled the list of chemicals on its toxic inventory after surviving a legal challenge by the Chemical Manufacturers Assn. Industry will not be required to use the expanded list until next year.

On Wednesday, EPA Administrator Carol Browner announced the agency’s intent to expand the number of industrial operations that must report toxic emissions by about 30%, to 31,000 facilities.

The newcomers are to include metal and coal mines, electric utilities, commercial hazardous-waste treatment plants, bulk petroleum terminals, chemical wholesalers and solvent recovery services.

As listed by the EPA, the highest toxic releases in California in 1994 were 4.1 million pounds by Louisiana-Pacific Corp. in Samoa in Humboldt County; 1.27 million pounds by Foamex International Inc. in Orange; 1.2 million pounds by DuPont in Antioch, Contra Costa County; 1.14 million pounds by E.R. Carpenter Co. Inc. in Riverside; 692,000 pounds by Tosco Refining Co. in Martinez, Contra Costa County; 681,000 by Exxon Co. USA in Benicia, Solano County; 657,000 pounds by Mobil Oil’s Torrance refinery; 630,000 pounds by Mountain Pass Operation, Mountain Pass, San Bernardino County; 621,000 pounds by Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach; and 607,000 pounds by Callaway Golf in Carlsbad.

The 10 industrial facilities with the largest total toxic chemical releases in 1994 were DuPont plants in Pass Christian, Miss., New Johnsonville, Tenn., and Beaumont and Victoria, Texas; Magnesium Corp. of America in Rowley, Utah; ASARCO Inc. in East Helena, Mont.; Courtaulds Fibers Inc. in Axis, Ala.; IMC-Agrico Co., Mulberry, Fla.; Coastal Chem Inc., in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Lenzing Fibers Corp. in Lowland, Tenn.