Will County Board Member Opposes CITGO Lemont Request For Adjusted Carbon Monoxide Standard

LEMONT, IL — The Illinois Pollution Control Board met Friday in Lemont to hear a petition from CITGO requesting relief from the carbon monoxide emission standard at its Lemont refinery.

Many area residents have sent in their opposition to the Illinois Pollution Control Board and have raised awareness about the meeting.

A flyer shared on social media encourages residents to share their opinions, stating that carbon monoxide emissions contribute to air pollution and could affect human health at elevated levels.

According to CITGO's website, the request is for certain larger heaters and boilers during limited startup, shutdown and maintenance events.

"The request is to allow CITGO to follow existing federal regulations, eliminate the need for onerous reporting of required routine maintenance activities, and provides a consistent regulatory approach during these infrequent operating periods and would not result in increased emissions," CITGO stated on its website. The refinery said these startup and shutdown events would happen 2 to 5 times per year.

In addition to resident opposition, Will County Board Member Destinee Ortiz has also filed a formal opposition to the request for the adjusted carbon monoxide standard.

Ortiz said she urges the Board to deny the petition, as an adjusted standard should be granted only when the petitioner satisfies the requirements under Illinois law.

"The petition does not adequately demonstrate that the requested adjusted standard will not result in significantly more adverse environmental or health effects," Ortiz wrote. "Environmental standards exist to protect public health and they should not be set aside."

In recent months, many area residents have expressed concerns over air quality due to CITGO, specifically benzene levels. CITGO had said in December 2025 that it would start real-time monitoring and work to address an improved notification system with the Village of Lemont.