Sinclair Oil Agrees to Improved Refinery Pollution Controls

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sinclair Oil Corp. will pay a
$2.45 million civil penalty and spend more than $72 million for new and
upgraded pollution controls to reduce air pollution from the company's three
refineries, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced today. The settlement resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air
Act at the company's facilities in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo., and in Tulsa,
Okla.

"The emissions reductions required by this settlement will lead to cleaner air
and significant environmental and public health benefits for the communities
in Wyoming and Oklahoma," said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General
for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "The
Department remains committed to working with EPA and states to bring
industries such as the refining industry into compliance with the nation's
environmental laws."

"EPA's vigorous enforcement of environmental laws shows polluters that they
need to act responsibly," said Granta Nakayama, Assistant Administrator for
EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Our fellow citizens in
Wyoming and Oklahoma will breathe cleaner air thanks to today's settlement."

The agreement requires new pollution controls to be installed that will reduce
annual emissions of nitrogen oxide by approximately 1,100 tons per year and
sulfur dioxide by almost 4,600 tons per year when fully implemented. The new
controls also will result in additional reductions of volatile organic
compounds and particulate matter from each of the refineries. Volatile organic
compounds and sulfur dioxide can contribute to respiratory disorders such as
asthma and reduced lung capacity. They can also cause damage to ecosystems and
reduce visibility. The three refineries covered by today's settlement have the
capacity to produce nearly 160,000 barrels of oil per day.

In addition, Sinclair will spend $150,000 on supplemental environmental
projects in Oklahoma, including $100,000 to install new controls to reduce
emissions of particulate matter from the City of Tulsa's fleet of municipal
trash trucks.

Today's agreement with Sinclair is the latest in a series of comprehensive,
company-wide settlements under an EPA initiative to reduce air pollution from
refineries nationwide. Earlier this year, similar settlements were reached
with Valero Energy, Total Petrochemicals and Hunt Refining Company, requiring
approximately $300 million in new pollution controls at refineries located in
Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama and Mississippi.

With today's agreement, 95 refineries located in 28 states, representing over
86 percent of the nation's refining capacity, are required to install new
controls to significantly reduce emissions. The first comprehensive refinery
settlement was reached in 2000.

The states of Oklahoma and Wyoming have also joined in today's consent decree
and will share portions of the civil penalty with EPA.

The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Wyoming, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the
federal court. A copy of the consent decree is available on the Department of
Justice Web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2007; EPA, +1-202-564-4355