Preventing Mass Casualties from Release of Hydrofluoric Acid at Refineries Act of 2024

This bill bans the use of hydrofluoric acid (HF) at U.S. petroleum refineries to prevent mass casualty incidents. It prohibits new refineries from using HF starting immediately and requires existing refineries (currently using HF at ~40 facilities) to switch to safer alternatives within 5 years. The law includes a $37,500 civil penalty for violations and explicitly blocks the EPA from granting waivers. This directly affects refineries using HF and protects communities within 25 miles of these facilities, where over 14 million people live near HF-using refineries.