,i  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gchd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #d1        
#bjbf,ms4 ,waters 7for herself1 ,mr4    
,lieu1 ,ms4 ,barragn1 ,mr4 ,garcia of   
,california1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1 ,ms4 ,norton1 
and ,mr4 ,cohen7 introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,toxic         
,substances ,control ,act to prohibit   
the use of hydrogen fluoride            
7hydrofluoric acid7 at petroleum        
refineries1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,preventing ,mass ,casualties from 
,release of ,hydrofluoric ,acid at      
,refineries ,act of #bjbf4  #b4         
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,hydrogen fluoride 7hydrofluoric  
acid7 is an exceptionally hazardous     
chemical1 which is used in large        
quantities in approximately #dj         
petroleum refineries in the ,united     
,states to refine petroleum in order to 

produce high octane gasoline4  7#b7     
,petroleum refineries are vulnerable to 
accidents1 natural disasters1 and       
intentional subversive acts1 which could
 result in the release of a large       
quantity of hydrogen fluoride           
7hydrofluoric acid74  7#c7 ,the release 
of a sufficient quantity of hydrogen    
fluoride 7hydrofluoric acid7 from a     
petroleum refinery has in the past1 and 
could in the future1 caused immediate   
injuries or deaths to refinery workers  
who are exposed4  7#d7 ,the release of a
 sufficient quantity of hydrogen        
fluoride 7hydrofluoric acid7 from a     
petroleum refinery could cause a mass   
casualty event in the surrounding       
community1 resulting in immediate deaths
 or permanent injuries to thousands of  
people living1 working1 or traveling    
within a radius of up to #be miles4     
7#e7 ,more than #ad million people are  
at risk of death or permanent injuries  
as a result of living in communities    
surrounding petroleum refineries that   

use hydrogen fluoride 7hydrofluoric     
acid71 and many of these at-risk        
communities are disproportionately      
impacted by environmental burdens4  7#f7
 ,alternative technologies are available
 that would enable petroleum refineries 
to convert from the use of hydrogen     
fluoride 7hydrofluoric acid7 to a vastly
 safer1 commercially proven alternative 
method for refining petroleum to produce
 high octane gasoline1 and these        
alternative technologies are already    
used in the majority of refineries in   
the ,united ,states4  7#g7 ,new         
petroleum refineries should not be      
allowed to use hydrogen fluoride        
7hydrofluoric acid7 to refine petroleum1
 and petroleum refineries that currently
 use hydrogen fluoride 7hydrofluoric    
acid7 should be required to convert to a
 safer alternative4  #c4 ,prohibition on
 use of hydrofluoric acid at petroleum  
refineries ,section #f of the ,toxic    
,substances ,control ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4
 #bfje7 is amended-- 7#a7 by            

redesignating subsection 7j7 as         
subsection 7k72 and  7#b7 by inserting  
after subsection 7i7 the following3  7j7
 ,prohibition on use of hydrofluoric    
acid at petroleum refineries  7#a7 ,new 
refineries ,no person may use hydrogen  
fluoride 7hydrofluoric acid7 to refine  
petroleum at a petroleum refinery that  
begins operating on or after the date of
 enactment of this subsection4  7#b7    
,existing refineries  7,a7 ,prohibition 
,beginning on the date that is #e years 
after the date of enactment of this     
subsection1 no person may use hydrogen  
fluoride 7hydrofluoric acid7 to refine  
petroleum at a petroleum refinery that  
began operating before the date of      
enactment of this subsection4  7,b7     
,civil penalty ,notwithstanding the     
first sentence of section #af7;a77#a71  
the amount of a civil penalty under such
 first sentence for violating a         
provision of section #ae with respect to
 a requirement of this paragraph shall  
be #cg1ejj for each such violation4     

7#c7 ,application of waiver authority   
,notwithstanding section #bb1 the       
,administrator may not issue a waiver   
under such section with respect to the  
prohibition on the use of hydrogen      
fluoride 7hydrofluoric acid7 at a       
petroleum refinery under this           
subsection4  4