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3.6 Management strategies

The EPA's air toxics management strategies focus on controlling sources of benzene and 1,3-butadiene as priorities.

Motor vehicles

As motor vehicles are the major source of benzene (see predicted emissions for a model city in Table 6) and 1,3-butadiene, strategies to reduce the contribution they make are vital. Significant gains to air quality have been achieved by improvements in fuel quality and vehicle emission performance.

Table 6: Predicted daily releases of benzene within a model Australian urban centre

Source of benzene emissions	%
Mobile sources, including motor vehicles and watercraft	79
Industrial sources	11
Lawnmowers	6
Service stations	3
Domestic solid fuel burning	2
TOTAL	100

Source: Draft Priority Existing Chemical Assessment Report-Benzene, National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme, Commonwealth of Australia, June 2001

While Table 6 only models emissions for a model Australian urban centre, actual emissions in Sydney are expected to be similar to these figures.

Motor vehicles are also the major sources of other organic air toxics, such as toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene and styrene. Reducing emissions from motor vehicles will lower levels of these substances as well.

A broad reform program for vehicle performance will reduce these emissions over the next 10 years:

• Fuel quality standards (based on European regulations) will reduce emissions from vehicles. From 2006, the benzene content of petrol will be limited to a maximum of 1%, compared with the current legal maximum of 5%. This reduction will have an immediate and sustained impact on ambient benzene levels.
• New vehicle standards: European emission standards have been adopted and will dramatically reduce emissions from all new vehicles. The adoption of the European standards started in 2002 for diesel and commences in 2003 for petrol vehicles. Further emission reductions are required for new petrol vehicles from 2005 and new diesel vehicles from 2006. The NSW Government's Cleaner Vehicles Plan will promote the early uptake of vehicles meeting the even more stringent emission standards which will be required in Australia in the medium term, such as Euro 3 and Euro 4.
• Low volatility program: The NSW Government has a Memorandum of Understanding with the oil industry to reduce the volatility of petrol during summer. This will result in less evaporation of volatile organic compounds, including benzene. The currently voluntary agreement will be legally formalised as a Regulation to ensure achievement of the desired reductions of volatile organic compounds and consistent compliance across the industry.
• Emissions testing for cars: The Roads and Traffic Authority has established two emissions testing stations at Botany and Penrith where owners can have their cars tested on a voluntary basis. The testing provides a short diagnostic report indicating the levels of emissions from each vehicle relative to all vehicles tested to date.
• Reduced vehicle use: The Government's Action for Air strategy contains a range of programs to address the issue of vehicle use. These include the promotion of appropriate land-use planning and infrastructure development to reduce reliance on motor vehicles and thus overall emissions. Actions agreed to at the Government-sponsored Clean Air Forum in November 2001 will further enhance existing programs. Key actions include the draft State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) on Integrating Land Use and Transport and the improvements and enhancements to the public transport system contained in Action for Transport 2010.
• Vehicles using alternative fuels, such as hybrid electric vehicles and those running on compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), will also reduce emissions. State Transit has already converted 200 of its buses to CNG in the Sydney region, with 200 more to follow by the end of 2002.

Industrial and commercial sources

Benzene has been eliminated in all but trace amounts in most industrial and domestic chemical products. The main individual industrial sources of benzene and related substances (such as toluene and xylene) are fuel refining, the manufacture of chemicals and combustion in cokeworks at steel plants.

A major element of the EPA's strategy to control recognised industrial emissions from existing sources has been through pollution reduction programs (PRPs) attached to environment protection licences. Standards for new developments have also been strengthened over time as technology and knowledge have improved. Together, these have substantially reduced emissions from point sources.

As one of the largest sources of benzene and other air toxics, BHP's Port Kembla steelworks has been covered by several five-year PRPs to reduce these emissions. This has included a $93-million program to collect and reduce fugitive emissions from the coke ovens and $2 million to control emissions from gas processing. The need for further controls on gas processing will be assessed after studies of emissions monitoring data.

In a comprehensive study in 2000-01, BHP assessed the sources and contribution of air toxics emissions from its Port Kembla steelworks. The study has allowed the identification of priorities for future reduction strategies which are currently being negotiated with BHP.

Oil refineries are another industrial source of benzene and related air toxics. Almost 95% of emissions of benzene from refineries are fugitive or evaporative. Current reduction programs include detection of leaks and their repair to prevent the escape of benzene and other toxics from production processes; licensing fees based on pollutant loads to encourage better performance; and pollution reduction programs as part of environment protection licences.

Emissions from `fuel marketing' are generally vapours lost from service stations and fuel depots, and transfers to bulk transport, such as road tankers and ships. The Clean Air (Plant and Equipment) Regulation 1997 requires vapour recovery systems to be attached to bulk fuel-handling facilities and Sydney service stations to reduce benzene emissions. The EPA is evaluating further controls on other fuel-handling equipment, such as controls at petrol stations to collect fugitive vapours.

The use of licence fees based on the load of pollutants produced (`load-based licensing' or LBL) will continue to provide a financial incentive for licensed premises to find ways to reduce their emissions. The current LBL regime includes fees for a number of air toxics, such as benzene. The number of air toxics covered by LBL could be extended if necessary.

Current EPA cleaner production and education initiatives aimed at lowering emissions from dry-cleaning premises should reduce localised exposures to the organic air toxic tetrachloroethylene. Similar programs for spray painting and panel repair shops, and the surface coating industry are expected to yield further localised reductions in emissions of toluene and xylene. The fibreglass and composites industries also have a program to lower local exposure to styrene.

The EPA will continue to assess new industrial proposals for compliance with current goals and identify local air toxics issues in conjunction with local councils.

Solid fuel heaters

Benzene is emitted from solid fuel heaters through the combustion of carbon-based fuels, such as wood and coal. Poor combustion is the leading factor in the emission of benzene from these heaters. NSW has a comprehensive program to reduce emissions from solid fuel heaters through a combination of regulation for new heaters and education programs to promote the effective use of existing heaters. Section 4.7 has more about the Woodsmoke Reduction Program.

Stratospheric ozone-depleting substances

Current NSW legislation controls the distribution of ozone-depleting substances by requiring the authorisation of their suppliers and users, and the training and authorisation of those who work on equipment containing them. The legislation also restricts the uses of ozone-depleting substances and makes it an offence for their release to the atmosphere.

The measured levels of ozone-depleting substances are only marginally higher than background levels. This suggests that existing strategies are having the desired effect. All new sources of ozone-depleting substances are being controlled.