Last month I promised you a discussion of our objectives for
the Section in 2008, so getting right to the point here, they are:
1) Deliver in a timely manner the benefits
that our members want and need; 2) Increase our membership by 12 %; 3) Focus on
young professionals through tailored activities, new members, and incorporating
new ideas; 4) Expand our university relations; and, 5) Have fun doing all this.
Yes, they are pretty broad, but most of our initiatives will fit into these
categories. I have also asked each committee chair to develop similar
objectives and initiatives for 2008.
I want to take this opportunity to welcome our new
Membership Committee Chair – Melissa D’Andrea, and
our newest Board member Mike Winek.
I’m certain both will have a positive
influence on our Section.
We have one
remaining vacancy on our Board and we want to fill it with a young professional
(< age 35). If you or someone you know is interested,
please let me know ASAP; we will be making that appointment shortly.
Each month I’d like to highlight one specific member
benefit. To kick this off, I want to draw your attention to a great overview Powerpoint presentation entitled “A Partner in Your Success”.
Please take 2 minutes to download it and skim though it.
Find it at: www.awma.org,
click “members only” and sign in, go to “Board Resources” (under “Popular
Resources” on the right), and it is at the top of the page.
Please share it with a few nonmembers, your
boss, and route it around the office. I think it helps put A&WMA membership
in perspective.
The theme of this year’s Annual Conference (ACE) in Portland, Oregon
is “Integrating Science and Sustainability.” That’s not a bad theme to consider
for our Section this year, as well. I’d like to focus some events on orienting
ourselves around: “What exactly is world-class environmental performance,
sustainability and stewardship, and what does it mean to our careers?”.
One element of the
ACE this year is the Environmental Challenge (for teams of university students)
which will actively highlight how our students can creatively solve our
environmental problems. Please let students in environmental curricula know
about the program (more info will be on awma.org); it starts in February.
I encourage you all to get more involved in our
organization. We have an activity packed year ahead and our committees are
continually working on more. Join a committee, contact one of the leaders
mentioned in this Zephyr, sign up for a webinar, or
learn more about opportunities in the overall A&WMA organization.
We are all volunteers; when more people are
involved, everyone wins and the benefits of membership will have more value to
you.
In my mind, the guiding principles for our Section are:
continuous improvement, delivering value to the members (and their employers),
open communication, progressive strategic thinking, and maintaining an engaging
culture.
I hope you experience all of
those in your involvement here.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any
questions, comments, feedback, or ideas, at anytime: gollasw@westinghouse.com, or
(412)374-5279.
Please remember to update
your own contact information at www.awma.org,
so that you don’t miss out on the many benefits of membership.
Return to the top of the page
Meet the Neighbors:
Over 20 local environmental non-profit and professional
organizations participated in the Allegheny Mountain Section Outreach Booth at
the A&WMA Convention last June. Two of these organizations were:
Friends of the Riverfront, works to increase
awareness and engagement with the Pittsburgh
region’s rivers and riverfronts through activities, stewardship and expansion
of water and land trails. Through collaboration with
local foundations, corporations, government,
non-profit organizations, and
volunteers, they undertake projects in three areas: Stewardship, Land and River
Trail Development and Usage. Their website is at:
http://www.friendsoftheriverfront.org
3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration
Program, was created in 1998 to help Allegheny County municipalities address
the region's aging and deteriorating sewer infrastructure to meet the
requirements of the federal Clean Water Act by helping communities
address the issue of untreated sewage and stormwater
overflowing into the region's waterways. To promote the most cost-effective,
long-term, sustainable solutions, the nonprofit organization benchmarks sewer
technology, provides financial grants, educates the public and advocates
inter-municipal partnerships. Their website is at:
http://www.3riverswetweather.org/
_________________________
Internet Site Review
Internet Sites of
Interest to Environmental Professionals
with Kim Walker
You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com
___________________________________
EPA UPDATES ITS ELECTRONICS RECYCLING WEB PAGE
EPA has updated its Region 3 eCycling
Web Page to provide comprehensive information regarding the end-of-life
management of electronic products.
eCycling was a partnership among
EPA Region 3, the Mid-Atlantic states, and the
electronics industry to develop a sustainable collection, reuse, and recycling
system for electronics. Throughout the 14-month Region 3 eCycling
Pilot that ran from October 2001 to December 2002, eCycling
partners worked together to collect and recycle unwanted computers, computer
equipment, and televisions from residents and small businesses in the Mid-Atlantic States. eCycling saves energy, prevents the emission of
greenhouse gases, preserves landfill space, avoids seepage of toxic substances
into groundwater, and through reuse of recycled materials, bypass the costly
mining, and manufacturing processes.
The website provides information on how to manage your
end-of-life electronics in a safe, environmentally-sound manner.
It provides information regarding:
the hazards in electronics,
how to reuse or recycle,
how to buy green electronics,
and information on electronics
recyclers.
The website also provides links to state regulations
regarding electronics disposal and recycling for the Mid-Atlantic
states.
To find more information no electronics recycling, the Web Page can be
accessed at:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/eCycling/index.htm.
Return to the top of the page
A Word on Water
The Latest News on Water, Wastewater
and Related Topics
with Susan Z. Forney,
szforney@ehsinfolink.com
___________________________________
Stormwater Webcast
Series
EPA’s popular webcast series for municipal stormwater professionals will resume again on February 6,
2008. This year will feature five webcasts on a
variety of topics, including BMP Performance, Stormwater
Retrofits, Finding and Fixing Illicit Discharges, and MS4 Program Performance.
A Stormwater 101 course will be offered in the summer.
The webcasts feature speakers who are national
experts and build upon the array of information covered in past webcasts. To see the new schedule (and to access
recorded versions of past webcasts), please visit www.epa.gov/npdes/training
Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact
Development (LID) Strategies and Practices
This new report contains 17 case studies from across the country that
illustrate the economic viability of LID practices.
The report highlights examples that, in most
cases, reduce project costs while improving environmental performance.
Total capital savings ranged from 15 to 80
percent, with a few exceptions. To access this new report, visit
www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07.
WaterSense Labeled Faucets and
Aerators Available
Soon, it will be easy to find new way to save water with WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets and faucet
accessories. Already more than 30 models have earned the WaterSense
label since EPA released the final specification in October, and soon these
water-efficient, high-performing faucets and accessories (such as aerators)
should be available in stores. Currently, Americans are wasting 60 billion
gallons of water every year with inefficient faucets while simply washing their
hands or brushing their teeth. That translates into $350 million in water
utility bills and about $600 million in energy costs to supply, heat, and treat
that water. WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets
will reduce water flow by 30 percent with no sacrifice in performance or change
in routine. Savings could be even greater for households replacing older
faucets, which can flow at rates of 3 gallons per minute (gpm)
or more. WaterSense labeled faucets are independently
certified to perform as well as or better than standard faucets, maintaining
good water pressure while not exceeding 1.5 gpm. To
learn more about WaterSense labeled faucets and the
final specification, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense/specs/faucet_final.htm
Guidance to Help
Implement Drinking Water Regulations
EPA is releasing draft guidance to support revisions to the
Lead and Copper Rule which were issued in October 2007. The revisions to the
rule will enhance the implementation in the areas of monitoring, treatment,
customer awareness, public education, and lead service line replacement. The
agency is requesting input on six draft documents that will assist states and
public water systems with understanding the revisions, including State
Implementation Guidance, Guides and Fact Sheets to understand the new Public
Education and other Public Information requirements, and a Quick Reference
Guide. The documents, which were available for comment through January 31,
2008, are available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lcrmr/compliancehelp_draftguidance.html
EPA is also releasing a poster, Removing Multiple
Contaminants from Drinking Water: Issues to Consider, to help regulators and
water organizations better assist small water systems with drinking water
treatment. Public water systems that need to add treatment for one contaminant,
such as arsenic, may find that they need to consider other water quality
issues. Choosing a treatment technology that can remove several co-occurring
contaminants may be more efficient and cost effective. This poster describes
treatment technologies that can remove multiple contaminants, identifies the
contaminants that can be removed, and summarizes related operational and waste
disposal issues. The poster is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/ssinfo.htm
EPA Launches Water Indicator Webpages
The EPA mid-Atlantic Water Protection program uses the
environmental indicators tool to measure progress in reaching its goals toward
water quality improvements. The primary use of an indicator is to characterize
current status and to track or predict significant change. EPA's recently
launched Water Protection program Webpages highlight
these indicators, what they are, and how EPA uses them to measure and report
success. See:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/indicators/index.htm
EPA Reports on Clean Water Infrastructure Needs
A new report from the EPA estimates $202.5 billion is the
nationwide capital investment needed to control wastewater pollution for up to
a 20-year period.
Delivered to Congress
in January, the 2004 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey summarizes the results of
the agency's 14th national survey on the needs of publicly owned wastewater
treatment works. The estimate includes $134.4 billion for wastewater treatment
and collection systems, $54.8 billion for combined sewer overflow corrections,
and $9.0 billion for stormwater management.
"Water infrastructure is a lifeline for health and prosperity in
communities across America,"
said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "EPA is
working with our partners to promote sustainable solutions and help utilities
and households save money, water and energy."
The report provides information to help the nation make informed decisions
about pollution control needs necessary to meet the environmental and human
health objectives of the Clean Water Act. The figures represent documented
wastewater investment needs, but do not account for expected investment and
revenues. Wastewater treatment utilities pay for infrastructure using revenue
from rates charged to customers and may finance large projects using loans or
bonds. State and federal funding programs, such as EPA's Clean Water State
Revolving Fund program, are also available to help communities meet their wastewater
pollution control needs. The needs in this survey represent a $16.1 billion
(8.6%) increase (in constant 2004 dollars) over the 2000 report. The increase
in overall national needs is due to a combination of population growth, more
protective water quality standards, and aging infrastructure.
For more information on the needs survey, go
to http://www.epa.gov/cwns/
Franklin &
Marshall Professors Announce Legacy Sediments Article in Science
Franklin & Marshall
College professors Robert
C. Walter, Ph.D. and Dorothy J. Merritts, Ph.D.
recently announced the publication of an article in the journal Science that
outlines the contributions thousands of 17th to 19th Century milldams have made
to causing sediment and nutrient pollution in today’s streams.
The research published by Drs. Walter and Merritts have lead to changes in public policy dealing with
the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay and other
watersheds.
The article, “Natural
Streams and the Legacy of Water Powered Mills,” is the feature cover story
in the January 18 edition of Science, the most prestigious scientific journal
in the world.
Financial support for the research was provided by the
Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania
members of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and Franklin and Marshall College.
The article shows that many streams in the mid-Atlantic
region are impaired by centuries-old land use practices, primarily by the
construction of early American milldams and contemporaneous deforestation for
agriculture.
The authors conclude that
high sediment and phosphorus loads (and to some degree nitrogen) in streams
today are impacted substantially from stream bank erosion of stored “legacy
sediment.”
For more information, contact Dr. Robert Walter by sending
email to: Robert.Walter@fandm.edu
or Dr. Dorothy Merritts by sending email to: Dorthy.Merrits@fandm.edu or by
calling 717-291-4398.
Nutrient Credits
Used to Reduce Impact of Susquehanna
County Development
The Department of Environmental Protection recently approved
the use of nutrient credits to reduce the water quality impact of a planned
resort community in Ararat Township, Susquehanna
County.
The Preserve at Dunn
Lake becomes the first new development
project in northeastern Pennsylvania
to use the cost-effective alternative.
"After thoroughly evaluating the factors associated
with this National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, the
developers chose to apply for it using a cost-effective alternative to reducing
pollution runoff," said DEP Northeast Regional Director Michael Bedrin.
Bedrin explained that the
developer was required to evaluate non-discharge alternatives, conduct a
social-economic justification analysis for the project, and use the
department's water quality anti-degradation regulations as part of its
application and decision to participate in the nutrient credit trading program.
The requirements were also necessary given discharges from the development will
be to a high quality cold water fishery.
The Preserve at Dunn
Lake will include 37
vacation home sites and a 30-room inn with a restaurant and banquet facilities.
DEP granted planning approval for the project in July 2006.
The permit allows the resort community to discharge 19,000
gallons of treated sewage per day to the East Branch of the Lackawanna River.
Most of the Chesapeake Bay,
and many of its tributaries, have been listed as impaired by the federal Clean
Water Act. As part of a multi-state effort to restore the bay's health, new
requirements water quality standards for nutrients and sediment pollution were
enacted.
This state's nutrient reduction plan includes efforts to
minimize impacts from point sources, like sewage treatment plants, as well as
non-point sources, such as agricultural runoff.
The credits that are traded in the program can be purchased
by developers, which allows them to have a certain
amount of nutrients in their discharge equivalent to what has been purchased
and removed elsewhere in the watershed.
For this project, the developer entered into a contract with
the Red Barn Trading Company, a Lancaster firm
that represents farmers who agree to remove manure from their fields and ship
it to areas outside of the Chesapeake Bay
watershed. The manure would be used as a soil conditioner in nutrient deficient
areas outside of the watershed.
Urban BMP Performance Tool
EPA has created this new web-based tool to provide stormwater
professionals with easy access to approximately 220 studies assessing the
performance of over 275 stormwater BMPs. The Tool provides access to studies covering a
variety of traditional and low impact BMP types, including retention and
detention ponds, biofilters, grassed filter strips,
porous pavement, wetlands, and others. Users will also find a series of
essays aimed at improving understanding of BMP performance and the importance
of volume reduction/infiltration in these assessments.
EPA plans to add more studies to this Tool over the coming year, focusing on
expanding the collection of studies of low impact development or green
infrastructure BMPs. The Urban BMP Performance
Tool can be accessed at www.epa.gov/npdes/urbanbmptool.
Return to the top of the page
In the Air
News of Air Pollution Control
and Air Related Issues
with Nancy Hirko, Kimberly Coy, and Mark Schooley of Air/Compliance
Consultants, Inc
You can contact them at schooley @ air-comp.com
___________________________________
EPA Approves Revisions to Stage II Requirements in Allegheny County
On January 17, 2008 [73 FR 3190], EPA approved revisions to
the Pennsylvania SIP to modify and clarify the existing regulatory requirements
for the control of volatile organic compounds from gasoline dispensing
facilities in Allegheny
County. The revisions
modify the compliance dates and make other minor technical amendments to the
efficiency and compliance testing portions of the Stage II regulations in Allegheny County.
Gasoline dispensing facilities with throughputs greater than
10,000 gallons per month are subject to these regulations.
For Independent small business marketers, as
defined in Section 324 of the CAA, the regulation does not apply if the
throughput is less than 50,000 gallons per month.
Allegheny
County also revised its
regulations to establish functional testing and certification requirements, as
well as recordkeeping requirements consistent with EPA’s regulations.
The regulation also establishes a 95% efficiency for Stage II vapor recovery systems in Allegheny County.
The rule is effective on March 17, 2008 unless adverse comments are
received by EPA.
More information can be
found at
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a080117c.html.
Clean Fuels Programs Are Successful
EPA's clean
fuels programs have exceeded expectations in reducing ozone pollutants and
air toxics.
A new report,
Fuel Trends Report: Gasoline 1995–2005 (http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/rfg/properf/rfgperf.htm),
finds emission reductions often significantly greater than regulatory
requirements.
The data, which provide a
view of recent gasoline property trends, are mainly from EPA's reformulated
gasoline (RFG) and anti-dumping programs.
Highlights of the report include:
Gasoline sulfur decreases—Average annual sulfur content in
all gasoline dropped from about 300 parts per million (ppm)
in 1997 to about 90 ppm in 2005.
RFG nitrogen oxide (NOx)
reductions exceed requirements—RFG exceeded applicable NOx
performance standards during both Phase I (1998–1999) and Phase II (2000 and
beyond).
RFG toxics reductions exceed requirements—On
average, Phase I RFG complied with Phase II standards, and toxic performance
still improved with the transition to Phase II standards.
Conventional gasoline NOx and
toxics emissions decreased—Between 1998 and 2005, the summer NOx emissions of conventional gasoline were reduced by
5.7%, while summer exhaust toxics were reduced by 4.7%.
Ethanol use in RFG increased and MTBE use decreased—In the summer of 1996, about 11% of the RFG sold contained
ethanol while virtually all the remainder contained MTBE. By the summer of
2005, the ethanol share increased to about 53%, with corresponding decreases in
MTBE.
Radon Second Only to Cigarette Smoking in Causing Lung
Cancer
During January, National Radon Action Month, the EPA and the
U.S. Surgeon General urged Americans to test their homes for radon, a
cancer-causing radioactive gas that claims tens of thousands of lives each
year.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers
and the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking in the United States
and in the world. W hen radon is trapped in buildings and concentrations build
up indoors, exposure becomes a concern. B reathing
indoor air with radon can damage lung tissue and lead to cancer.
“Many people are not aware that breathing radon can cause
lung cancer, but the science is strong,” said EPA Regional Administrator Donald
S. Welsh.
“Radon-related deaths can be
prevented.
Our hope is that people will
understand the potential health risk and test their homes for radon and fix any
problems they find.”
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the
leading cancer killer of women in the United States, taking the lives of
more women each year than breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers combined.
One in five women diagnosed with lung cancer
has never smoked.
Of the approximate
17,500 to 20,000 never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States
each year, more than 60% of them are women. T he National Academy of Sciences
and the EPA estimate that in the United States, radon in homes
causes 21,100 lung cancer deaths each year and 2,900 of these deaths occur among
people who never smoked.
Perhaps homes have not been tested because you can't see,
smell, or taste radon.
Yet, it may be
the most potent carcinogen in your home.
Although testing for radon is encouraged when selling or buying a home,
recent consumer research indicates that up to 80% of American homes still need
to be tested for radon.
The good news is
a simple home radon test, costing less than $25, can detect it.
Radon is naturally occurring and comes from
the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks entering homes through cracks in
basements and foundations and floor drains.
Radon can build to unhealthy levels, especially during colder months
when windows and doors are kept closed.
For help in purchasing test kits and finding qualified
professionals to fix a radon problem, contact the radon program in your state
or visit the National Safety Council website:
http://www.nsc.org/issues/radon/.
New Exchange Will Offer Contracts for Carbon, Renewable
Energy, and Other Major Environmental Commodities
NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMX), the parent company of the
New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX), the world's largest physical
commodity futures and options exchange, announced the formation of The Green Exchange™
(http://www.greenfutures.com/)
venture, with Evolution Markets Inc., Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc., Credit
Suisse, JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, Tudor Investment
Corp., ICAP, and Constellation Energy.
The new exchange will offer a comprehensive range of environmental
futures, options, and swap contracts for markets focused on solutions to
climate change, renewable energy, and other environmental challenges.
Initially, The Green Exchange intends to offer trading in
global carbon-based contracts, such as carbon allowances (EUAs)
under the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, carbon credits (CERs) under the U.N. Clean Development Mechanism, and
verified greenhouse gas emission reductions (VERs/VCUs)
used in accordance with voluntary carbon standards.
The Green Exchange will also offer contracts
for U.S. SO2 and NOx emissions allowance trading
programs, as well as contracts for national Green-e(TM) certified voluntary
renewable energy certificates (RECs).
The Green Exchange products are expected to begin trading
during the first quarter of 2008 and will be cleared by NYMEX.
The Green Exchange venture is expected to
launch as a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated exchange
during the first quarter of 2009, pending regulatory approval.
EPA Requires Reformulation of Spray Paint
A new national regulation will help further reduce
smog-forming emissions from aerosol spray paints—such as clear coatings, nonflat coatings, and primers.
The regulation, the first nationwide rule for
aerosol spray paints, limits emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which react with nitrogen oxides to form
ground-level ozone, or smog.
The new
rule focuses on reducing the VOCs with the highest
ozone-forming potential, which also is known as reactivity.
EPA modeled the rule on the California Air Resources Board's
(CARB) reactivity-based regulation for aerosol coatings.
Nearly 85% of the spray paints used in the United States
are produced by three companies, which already meet the CARB requirements.
The new national regulation will provide flexibility for
paint producers, especially smaller ones who may produce niche products, by
allowing them to choose the VOCs they reduce,
provided they meet emissions limits.
Previous regulations focused on reducing the compounds by mass, without
regard to their smog-forming potential.
The new requirements also apply to imported paint sold in
the United States,
which must meet the VOC limits by Jan. 1, 2009, the compliance date for the rule.
Manufacturers that can demonstrate they
produce aerosol paints containing less than 7,500 kilograms (8.3 tons) of VOCs annually are not covered by this regulation. A
factsheet
is available at EPA’s website:
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t1fs.html.
Revisions to the Continuous Emissions Monitoring Rule for
the Acid Rain Program, NOx Budget Trading Program,
CAIR and
CAMR
EPA has finalized
revisions to 40 CFR Part 75 and to Part 72.2.
The proposed revisions, signed by the Administrator on December 19, 2007
(published January 24, 2008 – 73 FR 4311), reflect changes to EPA's data
systems in order to utilize the latest modern technology for the submittal of
data by affected sources.
Other
revisions address issues that have been raised during program implementation,
correct specific inconsistencies in rule provisions, or update sources
incorporated by reference.
The revisions
can be reviewed at http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/emissions/monitoringrevisions.html.
NSPS for Stationary Spark Ignition Internal Combustion
Engines and NESHAP for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines Finalized
On January 18, 2008, EPA finalized its New Source
Performance Standards (NSPS) for Spark Ignition (SI) Internal Combustion
Engines (ICE) and the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
(NESHAP) for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE). [73 FR
3567]
The NSPS applies to all new, modified and reconstructed SI
ICE regardless of size and fuel used.
The new rule is promulgated at 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart JJJJ.
The NSPS will require the applicable sources
to control emissions to the level achievable by best demonstrated technology
(BDT).
Note that final NSPS for
compression ignition (CI) engines were published on July 11, 2006. [71 FR
39154]
The emission limitations are
grouped according to engine size, fuel fired and whether the engine is
categorized as an emergency unit.
If
gasoline is used as the fuel, the NSPS requires a gasoline sulfur limitation of
80 parts per million (ppm) per gallon, similar to the
requirement of 40 CFR §80.195.
The NESHAP portion of the action is a revision to the
regulations in 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart ZZZZ, currently applicable to stationary
RICE greater than 500 HP located at major sources, which was promulgated in
2004. [69 FR 33474]
The current action
revises Subpart ZZZZ to include HAP emissions from (1) new and reconstructed
stationary RICE less than or equal to 500 HP located at major sources and (2)
new and reconstructed stationary RICE located at area sources.
Note that an area source of HAP emissions is
a source that is not a major source.
If new and reconstructed engines at an area source meets either
40 CFR Part 60, Subparts IIII or JJJJ, they would also be in compliance with 40
CFR Part 63, Subpart ZZZZ.
New and reconstructed emergency engines are limited to 100
hours per year of maintenance and readiness testing.
There is no limit on the time allowed for
emergency operation.
Stationary
emergency engines can be operated for up to 50 hours per year, but those 50
hours are counted towards the 100 hours per year allowed for maintenance and
readiness testing.
The 50 hours per year
for non-emergency purposes cannot be used for peak shaving or to generate
income for a facility to supply power to an electric grid or otherwise supply
power as part of a financial arrangement with another entity.
EPA believes that emergency units used as
peak shaving units should no longer be considered as emergency units.
The requirements for non-emergency engines
would then apply.
National Emission Standards for Hospital Ethylene Oxide
Sterilizers
Effective December 28, 2007, a generally acceptable control
technology (GACT) rule was published affecting hospital sterilizers.
The federal regulations applicable to
hospital sterlizers (40 CFR 63, Subpart WWWWW) only
apply to the operation of ethylene oxide sterilization facilities at a hospital
that is an area source of hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions. These
regulations require that ethylene oxide sterilization facilities sterilize full loads of items having common aeration time, except
under medically necessary circumstances. A medically necessary circumstance is
defined as "circumstances that a hospital central services staff, a
hospital administrator, or a physician concludes, based on generally accepted medical
practices, necessitate sterilizing without a full load in order to protect
human health." These regulations also include recordkeeping and reporting
requirements. An area source is a stationary source of HAP emissions that is
not a major source.
Existing sources must attain final compliance with this
regulation by December 29, 2008.
New or
modified sources must comply upon initial start-up.
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International
Focus
News of
Environmental Trends and Regulations
in Other Countries
with Kim Walker
You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com
___________________________________
State of the World 2008:
Innovations for a Sustainable Economy
This year’s State of the World Report by the
Washington-based World Watch Institute highlights the development of what
experts call the world's first sustainable economy by entrepreneurs, non-profit
groups and governments around the globe. These "green" business
ventures are driven by growing concerns about the environment.
Economies of every scale are threatened by
environmental problems and therefore business leaders at every level, from
government ministries to private enterprise, must adapt in fundamental ways. Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin
says the same forces are at play as the global economy reaches a scale in which
it begins to "harm some of the very natural resource systems on which it
ultimately depends."
The Worldwatch report finds that
the same environmental problems that put an economy at risk have also been the
impetus for new business ventures.
For
example, an estimated $52 billion was invested in renewable energy technologies
in 2006, up 33 percent from the previous year. Preliminary data shows those
numbers jumped to $66 billion in 2007.
Carbon trading in 2006 (some $30 billion worth) was nearly triple the
amount traded the year before.
The report also notes a major change in business attitudes.
In corporate America
last year more than two-dozen of the nation's largest companies, including some
of its largest polluters, called on the U.S. Congress to regulate climate-changing emissions.
Similarly, the Worldwatch report also describes how Germany and Japan over the past decade have
adopted policies that promote development of solar energy, the fastest growing
sector in the clean energy market. Germany
and Japan
now dominate the $10-billion per-year industry, which Flavin
notes, is growing worldwide. "It is affecting the (electronics) industries
of Silicon Valley [in California].
There are (many) new solar startups that are getting into this area and,
interestingly, it has spurred a huge takeoff in solar energy development in China."
Flavin says that shifting to an
economy based on ecological or sustainable practices will require change on
many levels. But he adds this new way of doing business is allowing the nations
of the world to meet the needs of the planet as they grow their economies.
(Source:
http://www.voanews.com/english/Science/2008-01-16-voa24.cfm)
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Solid Waste Views
with John Scrabis, P.E.
You can contact me at: jmscrabis @ mactec.com
___________________________________
Electronics Recyclers That Don’t Recycle Beware
In the wake of the Christmas electronic-gadget buying season, the Basel Action Network (BAN) and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) are cautioning consumers not to be fooled by the majority of nationwide businesses that call themselves electronics recyclers when in fact they don’t do any recycling, but ship old equipment to developing countries.
“We may think we’re doing the right thing by giving our old electronics to a ‘recycler’ or a free collection event,” said Sarah Westervelt, BAN’s e-Stewardship Program Director. “But most of those businesses calling themselves recyclers are little more than international waste distributors. They take your old equipment for free, or pocket your recycling fee, and then simply load it into a sea-going container and ship it to China, India, or Nigeria.”
According to BAN, once on foreign shores, your old computer or TV becomes part of a cyber-age horror story. In China, women and children breathe in the toxic solder vapors as they cook circuit boards, dioxins are produced when wires are burned, and microchips are washed in strong acid baths and flushed into the rivers as primitive metals extraction techniques take their toll on the local environment and the health of thousands of migrant farmers. In Nigeria, the imported techno-trash that is not repairable is dumped and burned in swamps. BAN revealed these sad truths as early as 2002 in their film and report, “Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia,” and again in another report and film entitled, “The Digital Dump: Exporting Re-use and Abuse to Africa," in 2005.
Unfortunately, according to BAN and ETBC, this waste trade continues unabated from the United States because the government refuses to ratify the Basel Convention and the Basel Ban Amendment—international accords prohibiting trade in hazardous waste to developing countries—and has otherwise expressed little interest in controlling its toxic waste exports as long as they are claimed to be destined for recycling or re-use. As such, U.S. e-waste exports are in contravention of international law, but not U.S. law, and thus U.S. “recyclers” are able to claim they abide by all environmental laws and are even "EPA approved."
To help distinguish between these exporters and the responsible recyclers and refurbishers, BAN and ETBC created the e-Stewards Initiative—a program identifying North America’s most responsible e-Waste recyclers that have agreed to adhere to strict criteria created by nonprofit environmental groups. The criteria require that no hazardous electronics equipment or parts (as defined internationally) be exported to developing countries, be processed by captive prison labor, or end up in landfills or incinerators. A list of responsible recyclers can be found at www.ban.org/pledge1.html or www.computertakeback.com/responsible_recycling/index.cfm. Consumers are urged to avoid recyclers not on this list, including free e-waste collection events that do not state that they only use e-Stewards recyclers.
“We strongly urge all consumers to avoid all but those recyclers that have qualified as e-Stewards. If your local recycler has not qualified for the program, ask them to do so,” said Barbara Kyle, National Coordinator of ETBC. “Otherwise, while trying to do the right thing with recycling, you can unwittingly become a player in a global digital dumping game, and end up poisoning those in developing countries.”
Fighting Pollution the Poplar Way: Trees to Clean Up Indiana Site
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 10 (AScribe Newswire) -- Purdue University researchers are collaborating with Chrysler LLC in a project to use poplar trees to eliminate pollutants from a contaminated site in north-central Indiana.
The researchers plan to plant transgenic poplars at the site, a former oil storage facility near Kokomo, Ind., this summer. In a laboratory setting, the transgenic trees have been shown to be capable of absorbing trichloroethylene, or TCE, and other pollutants before processing them into harmless byproducts.
Richard Meilan, a Purdue associate professor, is currently at work to transform one variety of poplar suited to Indiana's climate; cold-hardy poplars are generally more difficult to alter than the variety used in a laboratory setting.
"This site presents the perfect opportunity to prove that poplars can get rid of pollution in the real world," Meilan said.
In a study Meilan co-authored, published last October in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, poplar cuttings removed 90 percent of the TCE within a hydroponic solution in one week. The engineered trees also took up and metabolized the chemical 100 times faster than unaltered hybrid poplars, which have a limited ability to remove and degrade the contaminant on their own, he said.
The transgenic poplars contain an inserted gene that encodes an enzyme capable of breaking down TCE and a variety of other environmental pollutants, including chloroform, benzene, vinyl chloride and carbon tetrachloride.
Meilan said he believes the transgenic poplars will be able to remove the TCE from the site, named Peter's Pond, which was contaminated by tainted oil stored there in the 1960s. The chemical, used as an industrial solvent and degreaser, lies within 10 feet of the surface, making it accessible to poplar roots, he said.
TCE, the most common groundwater pollutant on Superfund sites, is a probable human carcinogen and causes various health problems when present in sufficiently high levels in water or air.
Meilan said planting transgenic trees in the field remains controversial, primarily due to concerns that inserted genes, or transgenes, might escape and incorporate into natural tree populations.
"It is legitimate to be concerned about transgenic plants, but we are taking comprehensive steps to ensure that our transgenes don't escape into the environment," Meilan said.
Meilan has applied for a permit to grow transgenic poplars in a field, or non-laboratory, setting from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the government organization responsible for regulating such research activities, he said.
In order to comply with permit guidelines and to protect the environment, Meilan's team will take measures to prevent any plant material from leaving the site and will remove the trees after three years, short of the five it takes for poplars to reach sexual maturity, he said.
"Three years should be enough time for them to grow up, send down roots to suck the pollutants up and break them down," Meilan said. "Then we'll cut them down before they have the chance to pass on their genes to the environment."
Besides their utility in phytoremediation, or pollution removal, poplars have promise as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol. To investigate their potential in this area, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $1.3 million grant to Meilan and two colleagues, professors Michael Ladisch, agricultural and biological engineering, and lead researcher Clint Chapple, biochemistry.
They are currently investigating ways to alter the composition of poplar lignin, which provides rigidity to the plant cell wall by binding to strands of cellulose, a complex sugar that can be converted into ethanol.
Chrysler will fund the Kokomo project and said that the TCE is contained within an isolated water table at Peter's Pond and presents no public hazard.
The original study, led by University of Washington professors Stuart Strand and Sharon Doty, revealed that the transgenic poplars also were able to absorb TCE vapors through their leaves before metabolizing the chemical. Tree cuttings removed 79 percent of the airborne TCE from a chamber within one week. This suggests poplars could one day help mitigate air as well as water pollution.
If the project succeeds, poplars may be used for phytoremediation elsewhere. Poplars grow across a wide geographic range and in many different climates, Meilan said.
CONTACTS:
Writer: Douglas M. Main, 765-496-2050, dmain@purdue.edu
Source: Richard Meilan, 765-496-2287, rmeilan@purdue.edu
EPA Announces Regulatory Priorities
EPA released its Semiannual Regulatory Agenda which describes more than 300 actions under development or review, as well as those completed or withdrawn since the Spring 2007 agenda was published.
For the first time, the bulk of EPA's agenda is available exclusively online rather than on paper in the Federal Register. The agenda is available online at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/10dec20070800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/ua071210/ua071002.txt.
Moving to an online agenda saves resources and provides users with a more useful, searchable mechanism for accessing regulatory information. It also helps meet e-Government objectives, while saving taxpayers money by significantly reducing printing costs.
Hard copies of EPA’s agenda are available by calling 1-800-490-9198 or by e-mailing: nscep@bps-lmit.com. E-mail requests should include the requestor's name and address and display "Regulatory Agenda Hard Copy" in the subject line.
Some of the more interesting items on the agenda are listed below:
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Revisions to the SPCC Rule
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Addition of Pharmaceuticals to Universal Waste Rule
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Revision of Hazardous Waste Regulations for Solvent-Contaminated Shop Towels
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Management of Cement Kiln Dust
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Redefinition of Solid Waste
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Streamlined Hazardous Waste Rules for Academic and Research Laboratories
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Electronic Hazardous Waste Manifest
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EPCRA Streamlining Rule
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Standards for Disposal of Low Level Radioactive Waste
-
VOC Standards for Consumer Products, Architectural, and Industrial Coatings
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ENVIROCABULARY
Environmental Acronyms, Obscure Words
and Other Lingo
with Kim Walker
You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com
___________________________________
Each month, the
Envirocabulary staff will scour the environmental literature for terms of
interest to our readers.
This month’s
term is…
Limnology: The study of the physical, chemical,
hydrological, and biological aspects of fresh water bodies.
(Source: Environmental Protection Agency Terms of Environment:Glossary,
Abbreviations and Acronyms, http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms/lterms.html)
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P2 Forum
News on Pollution Prevention,
Recycling and Related Issues
with Michael Stepaniak
You can contact me at michaels @ ccicenter.org
___________________________________
This
Month:
EPA Promotes
Recycling Materials into Fuel at Refineries
Energy Efficiency Vision Could Save Billions of Dollars
While Combating Climate Change
Next Generation of Energy Star Computers Offers More Than
One Billion Dollars in Energy Savings
EPA PRMOTES RECYCLING MATERIALS INTO FUEL AT REFINERIES - The EPA is promoting the recycling of certain
petroleum secondary materials into fuel. This effort, which will revise the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, is expected to help
petroleum refineries reduce waste and capture more energy from each barrel of
oil by allowing for the recycling of these materials when they are used at a
petroleum refinery for the production of synthesis gas fuel. EPA is amending
the RCRA by adding gasification to the list of recognized petroleum refining
processes. The agency is finalizing this change so that the gasification of
oil-bearing hazardous secondary materials have the same regulatory status as
other oil-bearing hazardous secondary materials that are re-inserted into the
petroleum refining process. This action captures as much energy from a barrel
of oil as possible to maximize production efficiencies at petroleum refineries.
To qualify for the exclusion, the oil-bearing hazardous secondary materials must
meet several conditions. Provided the conditions of the exclusion are met,
these materials will be excluded from the regulatory definition of solid waste
and can be used to produce synthesis gas. Gasification is a highly efficient
technology that is currently used to convert carbon-containing materials into
synthesis gas. This material is used to generate hydrogen and electric power at
refinery operations. The regulation should be published in the Federal Register
in the very near future. Information on the rule can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/gas.htm
ENERGY EFICIENCY VISION COULD SAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WHILE
COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE - More than 60 energy, environmental, and other organizations
recently collaborated on a new plan that potentially could save Americans more
than $500 billion in energy costs over 25 years while reducing annual
greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 90 million vehicles. The
National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Vision for 2025 sets forth a
framework for states, utilities, and other stakeholders to consider when
seeking policies and programs to achieve cost-effective energy efficiency
measures. According to the EPA, which co-facilitates the plan along with the
Department of Energy, opportunities to increase and maximize energy efficiency
in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities are both enormous and
quantifiable. The plan acknowledges prioritizing energy efficiency through
incentive-based programs and policies, which can reduce energy use, benefit the
environment, and add to a company's overall profitability. The plan also offers
recommendations for helping states and utilities overcome policy, regulatory,
and other barriers that limit investment in energy efficiency even though
investment in more efficient homes, buildings, and industries would lead to
overall lower energy costs. Along with the Vision for 2025, the Action Plan
Leadership Group released a number of resources to help parties meet
energy-efficiency commitments and announced new commitments from more than 30
organizations. The action plan is advancing the dialogue on removing barriers
to energy efficiency as a resource to serve electric utility customers and
promoting policy and program best practices among gas and electric utilities,
their regulators, and partner organizations. During the past year nearly 120
organizations took action to make the plan a reality. These commitments to
energy from large, mid-sized, and small organizations have helped remove
obstacles to energy efficiency by establishing and supporting new
energy-efficiency programs, collaborating on the state and local levels,
exploring policies to align utility incentives with cost-effective energy
efficiency, educating stakeholders, and meeting aggressive energy savings
goals. Detailed information about the action plan can be found at epa.gov/eeactionplan.
NEXT GENERATION OF ENERGY STAR COMPUTERS OFFERS MORE THAN
ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN ENERGY SAVINGS - With
more than 500 newly qualified Energy Star product models already for sale,
there are numerous options for the home and workplace that can reduce energy
bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Since the stringent new requirements for
Energy Star computers became effective in July 2007, more than 35 manufacturers
have demonstrated their commitment to address climate change by offering
products that save energy. These newly qualified computers offer significant
savings opportunities both for home and business use. According to the EPA, if
every American household and business replaced old computers with new Energy
Star qualified models, we would save more than $1.8 billion in energy costs
over the next five years and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more
than 2.7 million vehicles. The new specification establishes efficiency
requirements for all modes of operation, whether a system is active and running
applications, or if it is on stand-by. Newly qualified computers must also
include an internal power supply that is at least 80% efficient. Under the new
specification, only the most energy-efficient computer equipment, including
desktop and notebook/laptop computers, game consoles, integrated computer
systems, desktop-derived servers and workstations, can earn the Energy Star
label. When businesses and other organizations purchase computers in large
numbers, the financial benefits can really add up. For example, for every 100
computers a business replaces with units meeting the new Energy Star
specification, it will save $175 per year on energy bills and more than $670
over the computers’ lifetime. When seeking out certified computers and related
equipment it will now be easier for consumers and businesses to find them.
Under the new specification, manufacturers are required to display the Energy
Star label on the product and packaging, in product literature, and on websites
to clearly indicate which products meet the new specification. Computers were
the first product to qualify for EPA's Energy Star label in 1992. The United
States now has more than 180 million computers in use that consume nearly 58
billion kWh per year or about 2% of the nation's annual electricity
consumption. Qualified product listings can be found on Energy Star's website
at: http://www.energystar.gov/find_a_product,
click on "computers." In 1996 The U.S. Department of Energy joined
the EPA in this effort, and today, the Energy Star label can be found on more
than 50 different types of products. For more information on the program, visit
http://www.energystar.gov.
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Compliance Corner
What's New with Regulatory Compliance,
Environmental Management
and Related Issues
with Dan Hagerty, CHMM
You can contact me at daniel_hagerty @ hotmail.com
______________________________
EPA Widens Window on
Regulatory Process
The Environmental Protection Agency has added new features to one of
its most popular websites for environmental regulatory information. This site—
“Laws, Regulations, Guidance and Dockets” is often a company’s first exposure
to EPA's regulatory activities. Its user-friendliness has been enhanced with
easily accessible ways to search and comment on EPA regulations and significant
guidance documents, as well as to learn how environmental regulations are
written. The site also includes new sections for finding regulations and
related documents, plus regulatory history, statutory authority, supporting
analyses, compliance information, and guidance for implementation. Also, for
the first time, searches for regulatory information can be conducted by
environmental topics, such as water or air, or by business sectors, such as
transportation or construction.
OSHA Publishes Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking for New Respirator Fit-Testing Protocol
OSHA has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the
Federal Register for a new fit-testing protocol—the Abbreviated Bitrex Qualitative Fit-Testing (ABQLFT) protocol—under
Appendix A of OSHA's
Respiratory Protection standard. The agency is accepting public comments until
Feb. 25, 2008.
"This proposed rule will add a new fit-test method that has a shorter exercise duration than the current methods,"
said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke
Jr. "This method will give employers additional flexibility in selecting
procedures for conducting fit-testing."
The proposed rule would add the ABQLFT as an alternative to the four
existing OSHA-approved qualitative fit-test protocols. The ABQLFT protocol
currently listed in the existing OSHA-approved Bitrex
fit-test protocol in the Respiratory Protection standard would shorten the
duration for each of the seven fit-test exercises from one minute to 15
seconds.
The proposed protocol would apply to employers in general industry,
shipyard employment, and the construction industry.
GAO Says EPA Actions Could Reduce Environmental
Information Available to Many Communities
Federal law requires certain facilities that manufacture, process,
or use any of 581 toxic chemicals to report annually to the EPA and their state
on the amount of those chemicals released into the air, water, or soil. It also
requires EPA to make this information available to the public electronically
through the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database.
Facilities must either (1) submit a detailed TRI Form R for each
designated chemical that they use in excess of certain thresholds or (2) file a
simpler Form A certifying that they do not need to do so. To reduce companies'
burden, EPA issued a rule in December 2006 intended to expand Form A eligibility for certain facilities and chemicals. The
Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to analyze:
- How EPA and others use TRI data
- Whether EPA followed internal guidelines in developing its rule
- The rule's impact on information available to the public
- The extent of burden reduction that is likely to result from EPA's
changes
TRI data are used widely by nearly all EPA program offices in
carrying out their missions and by other federal agencies, the states, and the
public at large. The Internal Revenue Service, for example, uses the data to
identify companies that release chlorofluorocarbons (chemicals that deplete the
earth's ozone layer) to enforce a tax to help phase out their use. States use
TRI data, among other things, to design pollution prevention initiatives, to
calculate fees on emitting facilities, and to assist in emergency planning. Key
users among the public include researchers, who use TRI data to assess
environmental policies and strategies for pollution reduction, and individual
citizens and local advocacy groups, who use it to learn about the type and
quantity of toxic chemicals released in their communities.
According to a recent GAO report, EPA did not follow key steps in
agency guidelines designed to ensure that it conducts appropriate scientific,
economic, and policy analyses and receives adequate input from relevant program
offices before finalizing a major rule. This occurred, in part, because EPA
expedited the rule-making process in an effort to meet a commitment to the
Office of Management & Budget (OMB) to provide burden reduction by the end
of 2006. The schedule did not allow it to meet the guideline's provisions to
complete economic analyses; evaluate the costs and benefits of the changes; or
seek adequate input from EPA program offices that rely heavily on TRI data.
For example, although EPA held a Final Agency Review for program
offices to state their position on the proposed rule, the review package did
not include the burden reduction option and supporting analysis, which was
proposed and adopted. GAO concluded that, while EPA estimated that its rule
would affect reporting on less than 1% of the total release pounds nationwide,
this aggregate national estimate masked the disproportionately large impact the
rule would have on individual communities across the country.
GAO's analysis indicated that EPA would allow more than 3,500
facilities to no longer report detailed information about their toxic chemical
releases and waste management practices. As a result, more than 22,000 of the
nearly 90,000 TRI reports could no longer be available to hundreds of
communities in states throughout the country. In addition, many commenters, including the attorneys general of 12 states
and EPA's Science Advisory Board, stated that the changes will significantly
reduce the amount of useful TRI information. EPA's estimated savings from the
reduced reporting burden associated with the TRI rule—3 % of total annual
burden hours, worth about $6 million annually—are likely overstated. EPA's
projected savings are based on OMB-approved estimates of burden hours
associated with completing Form R and Form A, but
these estimates are based on outdated data. EPA's more recent engineering
estimates—developed from a systematic examination of the amount of time needed
to collect and report the data on Form R and Form A—suggest a lower overall
burden associated with current TRI reporting and, consequently, 25% lower
burden savings from the new rule.
EU Agency Updates REACH Questions And Answers
The European Chemicals Agency updated on
December 17, 2007, “Frequently Asked Questions on REACH by Industry.”
The updated document includes guidance for
downstream users of chemicals and clarifies that registrants are not obligated
to use software (International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID)
5) to register their chemicals, “but they must submit their registration in the
IUCLID format.”
The updated questions
and answers about Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH) are available at http://echa.europa.eu/doc/071204_REACH_ECHA_FAQ_2.0.pdf
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