The SARA releases and transfers data for the refineries and chemicals facilities are presented both on an aggregate and a normalized basis.

Overall, SARA releases and transfers offsite in 2007 (latest year available) decreased 2.4% when compared with 2006. Four refineries and three chemical plants had decreases, while increases were seen at one refinery and three chemical plants.

Four of the five refineries reduced their releases and transfers offsite in 2007 resulting in an overall 15.4% decrease when compared with 2006, and were 38.2% less than the baseline year of 1988. A major contributor to the increase for the refineries for 2006 and 2007 compared with prior years, was an EPA-required revision to the calculation method for sulfuric acid in 2006. This revised method accounted for 50% of the increase in 2006 for the refineries. Since then the calculation method has subsequently by replaced by the EPA and three Sunoco refineries used the new methodology resulting in a 28.5% drop in sulfuric acid numbers.

The Chemical facilities’ offsite toxic releases and transfers increased 25.8% compared with 2006. Three reduced their offsite toxic releases and transfers compared with 2006 while three increased. The chemical facilities, due to being acquired in 1998, 2001 and 2004, are not included in the 1999 and earlier data and therefore do not provide a good opportunity for "baseline" comparison.

Click here to see the 2007 Summary of SARA Releases and Transfers.

Normalized Data
The data for the refineries are normalized by reporting the pounds of releases and transfers per barrel of input to the refinery crude units. The Chemicals facilities’ data are normalized based on pounds of releases and transfers per 10 pounds of product produced.