Sponsors (8)
The bill trades substantial improvements in public safety, community health, and consistent enforcement by eliminating HF use in refining against significant near-term economic costs, potential job losses and supply disruptions, and reduced regulatory flexibility in extraordinary situations.
Refinery workers and nearby communities would face much lower risk of catastrophic hydrogen-fluoride (HF) releases and immediate injuries or deaths because HF use in refining would be eliminated or replaced with safer processes.
Hospitals, emergency responders, and local governments would experience reduced strain and demand during potential mass-casualty chemical incidents due to fewer HF-related accidents.
Communities near refineries (urban and rural) would likely see improved air quality and lower acute chemical exposure risk from eliminating HF-based alkylation units.
Consumers and middle-class families could face higher fuel prices because refineries must absorb significant capital costs to retrofit or replace HF-based units.
Smaller or financially strained refineries and their workers risk closures and job losses if they cannot afford conversions, harming local economies.
Local communities and construction workers may see temporary refinery outages, construction disruption, and short-term impacts on local employment and fuel supply during conversions.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits HF use in petroleum refining: immediate ban for new refineries, five-year phaseout for existing refineries, $37,500 civil penalty per violation, and no EPA waivers.
Official title: To amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit the use of hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid) at petroleum refineries, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Maxine Waters · Last progress February 4, 2026
Bans use of hydrogen fluoride (HF, hydrofluoric acid) in petroleum refining: new refineries must not use HF immediately upon enactment, and existing refineries must stop using HF within five years. The bill sets a fixed civil penalty of $37,500 per violation and prevents the EPA Administrator from granting waivers for this prohibition. The bill finds HF poses exceptional hazards to workers and nearby communities, notes commercially proven HF-free alternatives are already in use at most U.S. refineries, and directs this near-term phaseout to reduce the risk of mass-casualty chemical releases.