Sponsors (8)
The bill substantially improves community and worker safety and advances environmental justice by banning HF at refineries, but does so at the cost of meaningful compliance expenses, potential refinery closures and job losses, possible regional fuel supply strain, and reduced regulatory flexibility.
Residents who live near refineries (including more than 14 million people in urban, rural, and low-income communities) would face a much lower risk of catastrophic HF chemical releases because the bill phases out HF use.
Refinery workers and other on-site employees would have substantially reduced exposure to a highly toxic chemical, improving workplace safety and lowering risk of immediate injury or death.
Communities that have been disproportionately burdened by industrial pollution (including low-income and racial/ethnic minority neighborhoods) would likely see improved environmental justice outcomes and fewer emergency evacuations.
Refinery operators would face substantial compliance and conversion costs to replace HF units or retrofit processes, which could raise fuel production costs and lead to higher gasoline prices for consumers and taxpayers.
Some smaller or marginal refineries may be unable to afford required upgrades and could reduce operations or close, risking local job losses and harming local economies that depend on refinery employment.
A rapid ban or insufficiently supported transition risks disrupting regional fuel supply chains—potentially causing temporary fuel shortages or logistical strain in areas dependent on affected refineries.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Bans hydrofluoric acid use at new refineries and requires existing HF-using refineries to convert within five years, with civil penalties and no EPA waivers allowed.
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Maxine Waters · Last progress February 4, 2026
Bans the use of hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid) to refine petroleum at any refinery that begins operation on or after the law takes effect, and requires refineries that already use it to stop using it within five years. It amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to create this ban, sets a civil penalty of $37,500 per violation tied to enforcement, and prevents the EPA Administrator from issuing waivers to avoid the prohibition. The bill is intended to reduce the risk of large-scale HF releases that can cause immediate injuries or mass casualties in nearby communities, while noting that safer, commercially proven refinery technologies already exist and are used by most U.S. refineries.