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 From the StoolEditor's Note:Scott Golla, Chair of the
News about and of interest to members of the Allegheny Mountain Section Editor-in-Chief: Arijit Pakrasi, 412/858-3921,
e-mail:Arijit.Pakrasi @ shawgrp.com
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Online Chicago Climate Futures Exchange (CCFE) SO2 futures experienced a day of epic volatility, costing the city's highest-volume commodities brokerage $150.6 million, the firm said Thursday. Clean Air International, a futures firm incorporated in Bermuda with a major presence at the CCFE as well as the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange, said that it fired Adam Tyskewicz, who had worked on commission in the firm's Memphis branch since November 2005.
The firm, which has headquarters in New York, assured investors that the mechanism allowing Tyskewicz to stake a hazardous bet in his personal account with company money had been corrected. The acknowledgment represents an enormous blow to Clean Air International, whose financial position and stock price were rocked. The $2.84 billion brokerage said it was not financially imperiled.
CCFE confirmed that Clean Air International continues to meet capital requirements. But the cost of the rogue trades led to the firm's largest one-day loss ever and sent shock waves through the community of traders, who already were dumbstruck by Wednesday's extraordinary volatility in the emission credits pits.
It was the erratic market for emission credits that whipsawed Tyskewicz, 40. While the full circumstances could not be determined Thursday, the firm said he built up a large short position of several thousand contracts in trading before dawn Wednesday when SO2 credits skyrocketed. After learning of the position later Wednesday morning, Clean Air International liquidated it as prices fluctuated wildly in a percentage price spread that rattled the nerves of even the most seasoned traders.
Apparently Tyskewicz was undone by prices rising unexpectedly due to purchases by school children, scouts and civic groups intending to publicly retire the credits at Earth Day environmental events.
Clean Air International launched an internal inquiry into the events surrounding the trades and would decide what course of action to take after it is concluded. The group's trading loss emerged barely a month after French officials revealed that Pierre Charbonne, a commodities trader, had lost 4.9 billion euros ($2.3 billion) from bets on European CO2 Credits. The combination of these events and others farther eroded confidence in the cap and trade approach to air pollution control.
Editor's Note: Section members and long time Zephyr readers may remember Tyskewicz who served as an interim Zephyr editor back in 2004.
Since 1950 "PITTCON", has been the world's premier Conference and Exposition devoted to laboratory science. The conference attracts 20,000 to 25,000 attendees from industry, academia and government from 80 countries worldwide, over 1,200 exhibiting companies, and includes over 2,000 technical papers and presentations. Their website is at: http://www.pittcon.org/
News about and of interest to members of the Allegheny Mountain Section
Attracted to area rivers by the success of the Acid Mine Drainage Classic in 2005, six representatives of JWA Environment have scheduled a three-day site visit to Pittsburgh next week to meet with government leaders and convention officials and check out facilities that could be used by the world's richest environmental sampling tournament.
"They want us. We want them," said B.O. Dee, a Pittsburgh attorney who was a leader in landing the 2005 AMD Classic. "They've let us know it's ours if we want it."
Mr. Dee, who is co-chairing the local host committee for the 2009 event, said he has been talking to local and state officials and potential business sponsors to line up local financial commitments that could total $500,000 or more, including a tournament fee of approximately $200,000.
That's considerably less than the $1.3 million, including a $750,000 tournament fee, the local organizing committee raised from public and private sources for the last Combined Sewer Overflow Classic held in 2003.
The JWA tournament, named after Julius W Adams who in 1857 constructed the first comprehensive sewage system in the country in Brooklyn New York, would be held in late July or early August.
Although no contracts have been signed, Karl Imhoff, a JWA spokesman, confirmed that the Kentucky-based group "has been in discussions with Pittsburgh." He said JWA Environment, the event sponsor, won't announce its 2009 tournament schedule until June, and declined further comment until the group visits Pittsburgh.
Two years ago, when Pittsburgh was in the running for the 2007 JWA Cup Championship, Mr. Imhoff explained that cities compete to land big sampling tournaments because of the exposure they provide. JWA's championship tournament is carried on the cable networks and viewed by 80 million people in the United States and 350 million in Africa, Asia and Europe. The 2007 JWA championship, which Pittsburgh was in the running for, was held Memphis, Tennessee.
Despite the hot weather and resultant record low catch weights of the CSO Classic in 2003, JWA is interested in the Pittsburgh region because of its strong regional environmental sampling fan base that produced high attendance along the rivers and at the daily weigh-ins at Mellon Arena.
Surveys showed the CSO Classic was also a financial success for the region's hotels and restaurants during the typically slow end-of-summer period and produced good publicity for the region, said Allegheny County tourism promotion agencies.
They noted one telecommunications group selected Pittsburgh for its 2009 convention after one of its leaders saw the city on the CSO telecast and heard positive reviews from CSO commentators.
U. Trofie, a spokesman for Allegheny County, said the county is supporting efforts to get the JWA Cup Championship and the success of both the 2003 CSO and the 2005 AMD Classics should make it easier to raise the necessary funding.
"The incredible television shots of people sampling during those tournaments, with the city's skyline in the background, was a picture worth a thousand words," Mr. Trofie said. "This event will dwarf the AWMA Annual Convention and Exhibition held in 2007 by comparison. If ACE was the World Series of Environmental Events, this is the SUPERBOWL!!!" Photo:
Participants prepare to land a record catch during the last Combined Sewer Overflow Classic held here in 2003.
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Internet Sites of
Interest to Environmental Professionals You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com ___________________________________
Buzzle.com
http://www.buzzle.com/chapters/science-and-technology_weird-and-the-unusual.asp
Weird science facts and news features amazing and unusual facts about scientific phenomena, or does it? If you want to learn more about unusual science phenomena, then links on Buzzle.com will more than satisfy your search for knowledge in this particular area. Among the topics that you can link to on this website are UFOs, the occult, time travel, Ouija boards, ancient civilizations, dream interpretation, near-death experiences, the Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness monster, and folklore involving ghosts, vampires, and werewolves.
The Latest News on Water, Wastewater ___________________________________
Tournament May Help Reel in Renowned Scientist
Should Pittsburgh snag the 2009 Julius W. Adams Cup Championship water sampling tournament in 2009 (see feature story), officials say that they will be in a better position to sponsor a concurrent study by world-renowned scientist Lou Guillette, Jr. Guillette, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Distinguished Professor of Zoology and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Florida, Gainesville, would be asked to study the effects on man-made chemicals on the reproductive systems of Pittsburgh alligators.
“Pittsburgh would be a perfect place for a short-term study since our Alligator population is small,” one official said. “Heck, we could get the whole community involved—maybe set up a hotline number in advance of the tournament for folks to call in about sitings.”
Photo: Gators like this one found in the fountain near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center could be the topic of a Pittsburgh-based reproductive health study.
ORSANCO To Study Ohio River Fish Health
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) will be conducting drug testing in the Northern Panhandle section of the Ohio River this summer to find out if local fish are vulnerable to chemicals. According to press reports, ORSANCO is gathering some very basic, baseline data from the Ohio River that will include contaminants like hormones and pesticides. Erich Emergy, the Commission's manager of biological and research programs, said that such contaminants have been a top research priority since 2005, when intersex fish were discovered in the Potomac River.
Draft FY 2009 National Water Program Guidance Released for Comments, and FY 2008 Final Measures and Commitments Available
The National Water Program has released the Draft FY 2009 National Water Program Guidance. This is the second annual water program guidance to implement the EPA 2006-2011 Strategic Plan. This draft guidance describes water program priorities and strategies, including the suite of water performance measures, for the coming fiscal year. The draft guidance is available at http://www.epa.gov/water/waterplan/fy09.html.
PENNSYLVANIA STUDIES PHARMACEUTICALS IN WATER SUPPLIES
The Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, commissioned a joint study in 2006 to review and analyze concentrations of certain pharmaceuticals in south central Pennsylvania. The study, released in October 2007, revealed extremely low levels of pharmaceutical and antibiotic compounds in streams influenced by wastewater and agricultural operations in central Pennsylvania. The second phase of this study is underway, and will analyze pharmaceuticals, antibiotics and hormones near public water supply intakes in urban, suburban and rural communities in every region of the state. The Department expects to provide the results from this comprehensive study by 2010.
Secretary McGinty said the information gathered from this research will help assess any potential public-health risks and guide future policy and regulatory decisions.
For more information on Phase I of the Concentrations of Selected Pharmaceuticals and Antibiotics in South-Central Pennsylvania Waters, March through September 2006 study, visit, http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/ds300/.
USEPA climate change plan covers water
USEPA will be pushing water and wastewater utilities to continue improving water and energy efficiency practices and develop sustainable infrastructure programs under a draft national water program strategy to mitigate global warming impacts.
Announced March 28 by Water Office chief Ben Grumbles, the draft “National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change” describes the potential effects on water quality and safety and the agency’s agenda for mitigating those effects. Stated goals include mitigation of greenhouse gases, adapting the water program to climate change mitigation, and supporting relevant research and education.
The agency seeks comment over the next 60 days on the draft strategy, which also highlights USEPA newest rulemaking effort to sequester carbon dioxide geologically without harming underground sources of drinking water. The report can be found at http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/.
EPA’s Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge to be Held in Conjunction with Earth Days
EPA Great Lakes region has invited the public to join the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge to collect at least 1 million pounds of electronic waste and 1 million pills. EPA is encouraging organizations, businesses, and communities in the Great Lakes region to protect the environment by sponsoring collections of unwanted medicines and electronic waste around Earth Day, April 22.
The Great Lakes are the largest source of fresh drinking water on earth and are vital to commerce and recreation in the upper Midwest. Responsible recycling and disposal of unwanted electronics and medicines will prevent contaminants from polluting the Great Lakes basin.
“Last summer, there was an outpouring of support from thousands of people in the Great Lakes area to protect this national treasure,” said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager Mary A. Gade. “Participating in the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge is a simple way for individuals to take action to protect the lakes. I’m asking people to clear out their desk drawers, medicine cabinets, and basements and properly recycle or dispose of their old and unwanted cell phones, computers, TVs, and medicines at a local collection.”
EPA has partnered with the nonprofit group Earth 911 to launch an online clearinghouse of collection events that will be held between April 19 and 27. As dates and locations for events are confirmed they will be added to the clearinghouse at www.earth911.org.
Participating organizations should register their events at http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/earthday2008.
May is American Wetlands Month
EPA will once again celebrate American Wetlands Month in May with federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, and private sector organization partners. In anticipation of this year's celebration, EPA encourages individuals and groups to plan activities and events that raise awareness of the critical role wetlands play in our environment and build support for their protection and restoration. Some ideas for celebratory activities and events that could be planned in conjunction with American Wetlands Month include:
Individuals or groups that are planning local, regional, or national events are strongly encouraged to share event information by visiting the following event form submittal site:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/awm/contact.html.
To learn more about EPA's wetlands and aquatic resources programs, please visit
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands or call the Wetlands Helpline at 1-800-832-7828.
News of Air Pollution Control You can contact them at schooley @ air-comp.com
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EPA Publishes Proposed Rule Impacting the Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Plating and Polishing Operations
EPA is proposing national emission standards for control of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) for the plating and polishing area source category. This rule proposes emission standards in the form of management practices for new and existing tanks, thermal spraying equipment, and mechanical polishing equipment in certain plating and polishing processes. These proposed standards reflect EPA’s determination regarding the generally achievable control technology (GACT) and/or management practices for the area source category. The regulations would be published in their final form at 40 CFR 63.
This proposed rule was published in the March 14 Federal Register at 73 FR 14125 (http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2008/March/Day-14/t4974.htm). Comments must be received on or before April 14, 2008, unless a public hearing is requested by March 24, 2008. If a hearing is requested on this proposed rule, written comments must be received by April 28, 2008. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, comments on the information collection provisions must be received by OMB on or before April 14, 2008.
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Available From EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that its Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006 is available for public review and comment. Annual U.S. emissions for the period of time from 1990 through 2006 are summarized and presented by source category and sector. The notification of the availability of the document appeared in the March 7 Federal Register (73 FR 12413) and the document can be viewed at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions from 1990 to 2006. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by "sinks," or through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation, and soils.
EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with experts from multiple federal agencies. After responding to public comments, the U.S. government will submit the final inventory report to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), fulfilling its annual requirement as a party to the international treaty on climate change.
EPA Strengthens Smog Standards to Better Protect Human Health and the Environment
On March 12, 2008, EPA signed the most stringent 8-hour standard ever for ozone, revising the standards for the first time in more than a decade.
"America's air is cleaner today than it was a generation ago. By meeting the requirement of the Clean Air Act and strengthening the national standard for ozone, EPA is keeping our clean air progress moving forward," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.
The new primary 8-hour standard is 0.075 parts per million (ppm) and the new secondary standard is set at a form and level identical to the primary standard. The previous primary and secondary standards were identical 8-hour standards, set at 0.08 ppm. Because ozone is measured out to three decimal places, the standard effectively became 0.084 ppm: areas with ozone levels as high as 0.084 ppm were considered as meeting the 0.08 ppm standard, because of rounding.
In announcing the new ozone standard Administrator Johnson also announced that he will be sending Congress four principles to guide legislative changes to the Clean Air Act.
The four principles outlined by the Administrator recommend that the Clean Air Act and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
1. must protect the public health and improve the overall well-being of our citizens;
The United States has made significant progress reducing ground-level ozone across the country. Since 1980, ozone levels have dropped 21 percent as EPA, states and local governments have worked together to improve the quality of the nation's air. EPA expects improvement to continue, as a result of landmark regulations such as the Clean Air Interstate Rule, to reduce emissions from power plants in the East, and the Clean Diesel Program, to reduce emissions from highway, nonroad and stationary diesel engines nationwide.
EPA selected the levels for the final standards after reviewing more than 1,700 peer-reviewed scientific studies about the effects of ozone on public health and welfare, and after considering advice from the agency's external scientific advisors and staff, along with public comment. EPA held five public hearings and received nearly 90,000 written comments.
As part of today's action, EPA also has updated the Air Quality Index (AQI) for ozone to reflect the change in the health standard. The AQI is EPA's color-coded tool for communicating daily air quality to the public.
More details on the revised standards: www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone/actions.html
News of
Environmental Trends and Regulations
with Kim Walker You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com ___________________________________
Partial Ban for Paint Strippers Containing Methylene chloride Proposed in Europe
The European Commission has proposed to restrict the sale and use of paint strippers containing methylene chloride. These paint strippers are typically used in industry and are also sold in “Do-It-Yourself” stores accessible to everybody. Methylene chloride vapor is toxic to the central nervous system. The European Commission’s proposal was prompted by experts’ concerns that a number of accidents and fatalities occurring in recent years in the European Union (EU) have been linked to use of the substance in instances with inadequate ventilation and inappropriate personal protective equipment.
The proposal set forth is to ban the sale of such paint strippers to the general public and professional users. However, the proposal allows for member states to permit their purchase and use by licensed professionals who have received appropriate training and can ensure that adequate precautions will be taken for safe use. The proposal also allows for their permitted use in industrial activities, but only under strictly controlled conditions. The formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council is expected by the end of the year.
Several EU member states have already implemented national measures to control the risks of methylene chloride in paint strippers, and Germany has recently informed the commission of its restriction measures. “Our proposal will achieve a high level of protection of human health and will provide an important measure of added safety for consumers and workers,” said Commission Vice President Gnter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy.
The Commission proposal aims:
• To ban the use by consumers, and to ban the general use by professional operating outside industrial premises unless provided with training and license to operate.
The formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council is expected by the end of the year. For more information, please refer to the article identified in http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/chemicals/legislation/markrestr/index_en.htm
The World Heritage Site list recognizes the world's most significant cultural and natural treasures, and already contains 20 U.S. sites including Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, Everglades, Olympic, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks, the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. No major environmental sites have been proposed until now.
As the prototype for the modern sanitary landfill in the United States, Fresno was a leader, particularly in the developmental stages of that technology from 1937 to 1950. Fresno's design, incorporating the trench method, layering of waste and dirt, and daily covering of the fill area introduced a method of disposal that for its time provided a systematic and hygienic method of disposal through the use of the best technology available. No other solid waste disposal option was as widely utilized in the United States and elsewhere as the sanitary landfill.
And although the method has drawn criticism in recent years, there is not likely to be a single disposal option developed for many years that will attain such universal acceptance and use. Changes in federal law, especially after 1970, placed much higher environmental standards on landfills than those considered in the 1930s and 1940s. Ultimately, the site was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund Sites.
The Fresno Sanitary Landfill is already recognized as an important historical site. It is currently a National Historic Landmark as well as in the National Register of Historic Places. World Heritage Sites are designated under authority of the World Heritage Convention, an international treaty for the preservation of natural and cultural heritage sites of global significance that was proposed by President Nixon in 1972. There are 851 listed sites worldwide in 140 of the 184 countries that signed the treaty.
You can contact me at: jmscrabis @ mactec.com ___________________________________
More Environmental Laws Needed According to Environmental Attorneys
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Environmental attorneys from across the nation will gather in the nation’s capital on April 1, 2008 to bring attention to what they say is a troubling trend in the environmental industry. The rally will be sponsored by the legal watch group Environmental Attorneys Gainfully Employed and Rich (EAGER). In a press conference called to announce the planned gathering, an EAGER spokesperson said that in recent years non-lawyers, especially consultants and environmental professionals, have become too familiar with current environmental laws and regulations, which has allowed American industry to gradually reduce its dependency on environmental attorneys. “This has resulted in great hardship for our members…many environmental attorneys have had to cancel pro bono activities and eliminate all charitable contributions or risk losing their accustomed lifestyles”, said the spokesperson. The rally’s purpose, according to the spokesperson, is to put pressure on lawmakers to “pass new and more complicated environmental laws and regulations that will restore the state of fear and utter confusion that worked so well for us in the 1980s”.
Young Environmental Professionals National Meeting to be Held in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, PA - The Young Environmental Professionals (YEP) will hold their annual meeting on the South Side of Pittsburgh on April 1, 2008. The meeting will take place as a pub crawl through the various bars on the South Side, starting at Fat Heads and moving on from there. The YEP meeting is open to all environmental professionals under the age of 25, provided that they have a valid photo ID with a business card or can prove they have a MySpace web page. Items on the meeting agenda include:
Polar Bears Plan to Capitalize on Melting Arctic Ice
NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA - Polar bears living in northern Canada have found a way to obtain tax-free funding for Brownfield redevelopment projects north of the Arctic circle. Under Canadian law, resident polar bears qualify as a minority group under the “other mammalian” category. The vast expanses of Arctic land exposed in recent years by the melting polar ice cap qualify for Brownfield tax credits under Canadian law because, as the bears note, much of the newly exposed land “is brown and flat, like a brown field”. If the current trend in global warming continues, say the bears, this land will by viewed as prime beachfront property by the end of the century. The polar bears hope that the money they raise from Brownfield development projects will help fund a solution to their pending extinction. To date, no actual development has occurred, but the bears admit that their tendency to attack, kill and sometimes eat human beings has been a significant issue when they meet with prospective developers. The bears are hopeful that their participation in anger management classes will help them control their aggressive behavior.
Firm Offers Advice on Development of Corporate Environmental Mission Statements
DOVER, DE – The environmental public relations firm of Green, Gray & Black has published a booklet titled “Corporate Environmental Policy Statements: How to Say Nothing That Means Anything”. The booklet offers free advice that can be used by both large and small corporations when updating their corporate environmental policies and statements. The booklet suggests use of the following words or phrases as buzzwords that should be included in any corporate policy or mission statement because “environmental groups and politicians love them and they mean absolutely nothing from a legal standpoint”:
Additional information can be found on the firm’s web site: www.gobbeldygook.com
Environmental Acronyms, Obscure Words You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com ___________________________________
REDDMEDIATION – A combined program of site surface preparation (i.e. “redding up”) with groundwater remediation. The PADEP is currently reviewing a list of draft thresholds for the new reddmediation standards, to be appended to Pennsylvania ACT 2, and to be known as “Act 2 N’at”.
(Source: The Dictionary of Pittsburghese, 3rd Edition, Yinzer Publishing House, 2007)
Submitted by Hunky-Doory Henry from Da’Burgh.
News on Pollution Prevention, You can contact me at michaels @ ccicenter.org ___________________________________
This Month, April 2008:
Household Hazardous Waste Collection to be Held in Allegheny County
Department of Education and EPA Develop New Program
Reducing Costs by Using Low-Impact Development Practices
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION TO BE HELD IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY – Take a quick look around your home or apartment and you may discover as much as 100 pounds of household hazardous waste (HHW) stored in the bathroom, kitchen, basement, garage, and garden shed. According to the EPA, an average home can easily accumulate this amount of cleaners, pesticides, paints, automotive fluids, and other products containing hazardous components. From spring through early fall, southwestern Pennsylvania residents will have several opportunities to safely and economically dispose of hazardous products at HHW collections organized by the Southwestern PA Household Hazardous Waste Task Force. The first event, sponsored by UPMC and other private and public organizations, will take place on Saturday, April 26th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Settler’s Cabin Park wave pool parking lot in Allegheny County. Participants dropping off waste materials will pay a fee of $2 per gallon (cash only). The Settler’s Cabin collection will accept the following materials: aerosol cans; automotive fluids; batteries; chemistry sets; compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs); household cleaners; mercury; paint and paint products; pesticides and herbicides; photo and pool chemicals; among others. The collection will not accept the following materials: ammunition and explosives; appliances; commercial waste; drugs; compressed gas cylinders; flares; fluorescent tubes; medical waste (including sharps); PCBs and dioxins; radioactive waste; and tires. Following each household hazardous waste collection, a certified contractor will process the hazardous waste for proper disposal. Since its first collection in 2003, the Task Force has collected nearly 1,500,000 pounds of materials from more than 14,500 households. The Southwestern PA Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, formed in 2002, secures funding, organizes events, and creates partnerships with individuals representing governmental, private, and public organizations. Numerous organizations support the household hazardous waste collection and education campaign by providing financial or in-kind support of the events. Each large event requires a significant number of volunteers to direct traffic, conduct surveys, distribute educational materials, and perform many other important tasks. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for the entire day or a half-day shift. For more information regarding the 2008 collection events or to volunteer, call the Pennsylvania Resources Council at (412) 488-7452 or visit the SW PA HHW Task Force at www.swpahhw.org
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EPA DEVELOP NEW PROGRAM – Acknowledging the longevity and successes of venerated school-based programs such as the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the Department of Education and EPA have developed an imaginative new program known as the Future Polluters of America (FPA). Under development for several years, the program was launched on April 1, 2008, at a ceremony in Washington, DC. FPA was created to impede the ever-increasing presence and reliance on the myriad goods manufactured overseas. These days, consumers are hard-pressed to track down any manufactured item that doesn’t have the ubiquitous made-anywhere-but-in-the-USA label. And it seems there is no end in sight. More and more companies are either setting up shop in nations with substandard environmental regulations or outsourcing production to existing factories in those nations. As a result, the carbon footprint and resulting pollution in these countries is growing at an astounding rate. But it seems that few people in the United States care about this as long as the goods remain plentiful and inexpensive. So why not produce the goods here while doing away with environmental standards. Dale Sooty, the FPA’s first national director, addresses the situation head on: “In the new global economy we need every advantage we can muster to create and keep jobs here at home. We simply had to do something about the expanding trade imbalance.” The FPA was created to act as a bridge between generations. The overall goal of the program is to educate youngsters at an early age that it is perfectly fine to pollute when manufacturing is ramped up. Sooty points out, “Young people have open minds and are always the first to embrace new ideas and technologies.” The organization hopes to establish chapters in schools in all fifty states by April 1, 2009. Sooty sounded an optimistic note when he shared the FPA’s slogan, “Pollution is okay as long as it’s ‘Made in the USA.’” Additional information about the program is available at www.okaytopollute.com.
REDUCING COSTS BY USING LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES - EPA recently released a report entitled "Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices." The document contains numerous case studies from across North America that demonstrate the economic viability of LID practices. LID practices are groundbreaking stormwater management techniques developed to manage urban stormwater runoff at its source rather than down the line. According to EPA, implementing these practices during the construction phase can lower costs while improving environmental results. The goal is to use design techniques that infiltrate, evapotranspirate (defined as the total amount of water that is transferred from the earth's surface to the atmosphere including evaporation of liquid or solid water plus the transpiration from plants), and reuse runoff close to its source. The concept is to mimic the way water moved through an area before it was developed. Some common practices include rain gardens, grassed swales, cisterns, rain barrels, permeable pavements, and green roofs. The report highlights examples that, in many cases, reduce project costs while improving environmental performance. Total savings range from 15% to 80%, with a few exceptions in which LID project costs were higher than conventional stormwater management costs. As LID practices are refined and become more common, it is likely that they will also become more cost-efficient to use. The report can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/.
What's New with Regulatory Compliance, You can contact me at daniel_hagerty @ hotmail.com
Editor's Note: Dan was travelling this month and could not complete his column by deadline. Look for him to return in May's issue.
More nonsense from past April Fool's editions and other sources here.
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JWA Environment is the largest environmental sampling tournament organization in the world, offering more than 90,000 environmental professionals the chance to win more than $40 million in 230 tournaments targeting not only BOD, e. coli and other major contaminants, but specialty events monitoring for synthetic organic chemicals, parasites such as cryptosporidium or giardia, endocrine disruptors and phthalates.
His trip to Pittsburgh would be the second in as many years, as Guillette recently lectured on the effects of contaminants on wildlife reproductive systems as part of the CMU Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy. 
