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by Jesse Jones, The Paper. — South Valley residents are raising concerns over how proposed permit changes at a nearby fuel terminal could affect their neighborhoods. The Paper.’s City Desk attended a meeting with residents and local officials to hear concerns, discuss how to request a public hearing and examine the changes Marathon wants the city to approve.
Western Refining Terminals LLC, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp., wants to amend the air-quality permit for its Albuquerque Products Terminal at 3209 Broadway Blvd. SE. The proposed changes would increase the facility’s permitted emissions of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, by 15.36 tons per year — roughly equal to the annual VOC emissions of 1,100 gasoline-powered cars, according to an estimate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. VOCs react with nitrogen oxides in sunlight to form ground-level ozone, or smog, which contributes to respiratory illnesses. Marathon’s original application in July listed a 13.77-ton annual increase, but the company submitted a revised application in October after city staff discovered a math error: Marathon omitted pi from its calculations, making the storage tanks seem smaller than their true size.
The plans add two diesel loading arms, let two diesel tanks store gasoline to increase throughput and update fuel specifications regarding red dye and vapor pressure. Marathon also wants a temporary combustion unit to burn vapors during maintenance and plans to stop blending butane at the loading rack before trucks deliver it to gas stations.
At an Oct. 28 meeting with County Commissioner Frank Baca and City Councilor Joaquín Baca, advocates discussed the changes and the hearing process. Yasmin Khan, a land-use representative for the Barelas Neighborhood Association who invited The Paper. to the meeting, said Marathon disclosed plans to store volatile fuel typically used in colder climates in Albuquerque year-round. Marathon told The Paper. the changes provide regional supply flexibility without expanding storage capacity, noting permit limits reflect maximum potential releases rather than continuous emissions. Khan countered: “They tell us it’s just operational flexibility, but higher limits mean more pollution in our air.”
The public comment period closes Nov. 12. Environmental Health Department officials will then determine whether to hold a hearing, which requires finding both significant public interest and a significant air quality issue. “The first step is to really get folks to know that this is happening and to fill in a form to demand a public hearing,” Khan said.
How to Weigh In
- Deadline: Thursday, Nov. 12
- Review the permit documents: Visit the city’s application portal to read the filing and download the hearing request form.
- Submit written comments: Email aqd@cabq.gov or mail comments to City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, Air Quality Program Permitting Division, P.O. Box 1293, Albuquerque, NM 87103.
- Request a public hearing: Complete the city’s Public Information Hearing Request Form and submit it by email or mail to the address above. Incomplete forms will not be considered.
New Mexico news by New Mexico journalists.
This report was first reported locally in the Roswell Daily Record, a local newsroom of The New Mexico News.
New Mexico news by New Mexico journalists.
This report was first reported locally in the Corrales Comment, a local newsroom of The New Mexico News.