 Randy York, Chair
Allegheny Mountain Section randall.york @ erm.com
Wanted: $0.02
Why are you reading this?
Bigger picture - what brings you to the Air & Waste Management
Association? Has membership in A&WMA
been a factor in advancing your career as an Environmental Professional? Have you tapped into the member network to
gather some first-hand expertise on a topic?
Have you attended a workshop, training seminar, or luncheon presentation
where you were able to increase your own technical skills? Do you enjoy reading the EM? Have you found valuable
and relevant peer reviewed technical papers in the Journal? Have you developed
a relationship with a regulator, or member of the regulated community, that
helped when you found yourself with issues to resolve? Have you developed and enhanced your own
management skills by participating in the leadership of the Section and
Association? Have you enjoyed meeting
every month with friends and colleagues to catch up on the latest news?
My guess… any and all of the above, and certainly, others
that I haven’t touched on. A key word is
“opportunity”. Opportunity
to participate, to develop, to learn, to grow, and to enjoy. As we transition to the next group of the Section
leadership, I would like to help tee up next year’s goals and ambitions. To do so, I have asked Officers and members
of the Section’s Board of Directors to come to the next Board Meeting prepared
with one “Big Idea”. What can we do to
make the section more relevant to our membership? How can we bring more value? What should we focus on?
I would also like to pose the same challenge to the
membership at large. Please send me your
ideas and thoughts on what the Section does well, and on where we have
opportunities to improve. Tell me what
you would like to see put on our Agenda for 2008. Topics, speakers, forums, events,
publications and “whatever” are all fair game.
I would be happy to hear your thoughts.
You can email me at randall.york@erm.com,
or if you would like to remain anonymous, you are welcome to fax to me at
724-933-5464. This is your opportunity
to shape the direction of the Section.
So please, send me your two cents worth.
Return to the top of the page
 Section News 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
___________________________________
Annual Election of Officers
The annual election of officers will be held during December.
Each Member will receive a mailing describing the election
process that will include a PIN for access to the election
website, as well as instructions for requesting a paper ballot.
The following Members have agreed to place their name in
nomination as Section Officers and Board members:
Vice Chair: 1. Arijit Pakrasi; 2. Elizabeth McMeekin
Secretary: 1. Meghan Blaney
Treasurer: 1. Ed Moretti
Director: 1. Dave Testa; 2. Mike Palazzolo; 3. Mike Winek; 4. Melissa D' Andrea; 5. Dave Beachler
Prior to November 17, any International Member may submit other
nominations for Section Officers or Board members by submitting
to the Nominating Committee a nominating petition signed by not
less than five International Members of the Section, and indicating,
by signature, the acceptance of the nominee. All nominations so
submitted will be added to the slate of nominees listed above. All
nominating petitions should be submitted to Shawn Mendt at
smendt@mbakercorp.com, or by fax to 412-375-3996.
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:
Rachel Carson Homestead, located in Springdale, PA, its mission is to preserve, restore, and interpret Rachel Carson's birthplace and childhood home; to design and implement environmental education programs in keeping with her precepts; and to serve as an international resource for information about her life and work. Their website is http://www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org/
Rachel Carson Institute, located at Chatham University, the Institute continues the legacy of its former student by providing a forum for public education and discussions of significant environmental issues. Their website is http://www.chatham.edu/rci/
_________________________
 Internet Site ReviewInternet Sites of
Interest to Environmental Professionals
with Kim Walker You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com ___________________________________
Safe Drinking Water Is
Essential:
http://www.drinking-water.org
It's called "Safe Drinking Water Is Essential,"
and that pretty much explains its mission:
the site is aimed at providing information to help improve the quality
of drinking water around the world. The
United Nations and other organizations estimate that each person requires
access to a minimum of 20 to 50 liters of water per day for drinking, food
preparation, and personal hygiene. The World Health Organization (WHO) and
various national agencies have drinking water quality standards that specify the
acceptable microbial, chemical, and radiological characteristics of safe
drinking water.
Excessive amounts of microbes or chemicals derived from
human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, industrial chemicals, and even
natural pollutants, make some water unsafe to drink and cause water-related
diseases. If water sources are not protected, or are unexpectedly contaminated
for any reason, the quality of drinking water suffers.
As the site reminds us, contaminated water is responsible
for some 1.8 million deaths each year from diseases like cholera that are
spread by unsafe water. The difference between clean and dirty water can
literally be the difference between life and death, as one billion people
worldwide lack access to a safe drinking water supply.
The site provides potential treatment options and
technologies, discussed water distribution, and provide case studies that
detail water-related issues. Case
studies include the profile of a desalination plant in Tunisia, describing arsenic contamination of
water supplies in Bangladesh,
and water refilling stations in the Philippines. Further, the website is produced by the U.S.
National Academy of Sciences. Therefore,
all the information has been carefully checked by experts. So dive into this
brand new and important resource on safe water supply, learn about the problem
and explore possible solutions.
Return to the top of the page
 A Word on WaterThe Latest News on Water, Wastewater
and Related Topics
with Susan Z. Forney,
susan.zummo.forney@shawgrp.com
___________________________________
EPA Proposes to Revise SPCC Rules Again
Comments Due December
14, 2007
EPA is requesting comments on another round of proposed amendments to
the Spill
Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule. The proposed amendments were published in the
Federal Register on October
15, 2007, and comments are due by December 14, 2007.
EPA says that the amendments will increase clarity and tailor certain
requirements for easier and increased compliance. Comments are requested on the following
proposed changes to the regulations:
- Clarity on the general
secondary containment requirements
- Flexibility in the security
requirements
- Flexibility in the use of
industry standards to comply with integrity testing requirements
- Additional flexibility in
meeting the facility diagram requirements
- Clarification on the
flexibility provided by the definition of “facility”
- Exemption of the
following from SPCC regulations:
- hot-mix asphalt and
hot-mix asphalt containers
- pesticide application
equipment and related mix containers used at farms
- heating oil containers
at single-family residences
- completely buried oil
storage tanks at nuclear power generation facilities that meet the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission design criteria and quality assurance
criteria at 10 CFR Part 50,
Appendices A and B
- Differentiation of
integrity testing requirements for containers that store Animal Fats or
Vegetable Oils (AFVO) and meet certain criteria and FDA regulatory
requirements
- Definition of
“loading/unloading rack” in order to clarify the equipment subject to the
provisions for facility tank car and tank truck loading/unloading racks
and exclude farms and oil production facilities from the
loading/unloading requirements
- Streamlining of:
- Requirements and
provision for the use of an SPCC plan template for a subset of qualified
facilities known as “Tier 1” qualified facilities (i.e., with no
individual oil storage container with a capacity greater than 5,000 U.S.
gallons up to an aggregate of 10,000 gallons)
- Several requirements
for oil production facilities, including:
- Modifying the
definition of “production facility,” consistent with the proposed
amendments to the definition of “facility”
- Extending the time
frame by which a new oil production facility must prepare and implement
an SPCC plan
- Exempting
flow-through process vessels at oil production facilities from the sized
secondary containment requirements, while maintaining general secondary
containment requirements and requiring additional oil spill prevention
measures
- Exempting flow lines
and intra-facility gathering lines at oil production facilities from all
secondary containment requirements, while establishing more specific
oil spill prevention measures
- Clarifying the
definition of “permanently closed” as it applies to an oil production
facility
- Clarifying that nurse
tanks used at farms are included in the December 2006 amendments related
to mobile refuelers and therefore exempt from the specifically sized
secondary containment requirements for bulk storage containers
All
SPCC-regulated facilities are still required to comply with the existing
regulations while EPA considers these proposed amendments. For information
about facilities required to comply with the SPCC and any compliance date
extensions, please visit http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/.
Properly
Disposing of Old Medications Can Prevent Pollution
EPA has launched a new website to increase awareness about
possible harm to the environment from chemicals found in pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics, perfumes, and other personal care products. The website www.epa.gov/ppcp offers consumer tips on properly
disposing of these products to help prevent pollution.
Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals are present in our
nation’s rivers. As EPA scientists and other researchers continue to
investigate the environmental effects, the agency suggests one straight-forward
way consumers can help out – properly disposing of expired and unused
prescription drugs. The federal government has developed guidelines that strike
a balance between environmental protection and human health risks for poison or
abuse from discarded medications:
- Take
unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs out of their original
containers and throw them in the trash.
- Mix
prescription drugs with an undesirable substance like unused coffee or
kitty litter, and put them in an impermeable container such as empty cans
or sealed bags.
- Flush
prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label specifically
instructs doing so.
- Participate
in community pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring
unused medications to a central location for proper disposal.
For more information, visit www.epa.gov/ppcp
or contact Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543,
smith.bonnie@epa.gov.
New
Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management Document
The second edition of a popular publication called, "Fundamentals
of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues," was
recently published by the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). This
document revises an earlier 1994 edition and was prepared with support from
EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management and the Nonpoint Source Control Branch in
EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds. The update is important
because of the amount of new information available as well as the significant
shift in stormwater program direction from the historic mitigation-based
approach to a more source-based approach.
For more information, visit www.nalms.org.
New Tools for Reducing Nitrogen and Phosphorus
Pollution
EPA’s Office of Water is rolling out several new tools to help fight
nutrient pollution (high loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus) into our waters.
The redesigned Nitrogen
and Phosphorus website houses scientific literature reviews, monitoring
data, guidance manuals, and webcasts to help states establish numeric water
quality criteria for nitrogen and phosphorus. It also offers answers to states'
questions about how to use the criteria and a clearinghouse of water treatment
technologies and land-use practices. You also can visit the website to learn
more about this environmental problem and find out what each of us can do about
it. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/nutrients/
2007 Release of Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System
(CADDIS)
Thousands of U.S.
water bodies have been reported to have an ``unknown'' cause of impairment. To
formulate appropriate management actions for impaired water bodies, it is
critical to identify the causes of biological impairment (e.g., excess fine
sediments, nutrients, or toxic substances). Effective causal analyses call for
knowledge of the mechanisms, symptoms, and stressor-response relationships for
various stressors, as well as the ability to use that knowledge to draw
appropriate, defensible conclusions. EPA's National Center
for Environmental Assessment developed CADDIS,
(http://www.epa.gov/caddis/), a
Web-based decision support system, to help perform causal analyses. With the
latest update, CADDIS will also help scientists find, access, organize, and
share information useful for causal evaluations of impairment in aquatic
systems. It is based on EPA's Stressor Identification process, which is an EPA-recommended
method for identifying causes of impairments in aquatic environments.
EPA Launches New Wastewater Website for Small Communities
EPA launched a new web site to help small communities achieve and maintain
sustainable wastewater services. This new site provides information about
grants, funding resources, technical assistance, and training. A variety of
tools is also available on this website to help small communities plan, design,
build, and maintain their wastewater infrastructure. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/owm/mab/smcomm/index.htm
EPA Strengthens Lead in Drinking Water Rule
On October
10, 2007, EPA issued a final rule on lead in drinking water to
clarify and improve requirements in the areas of monitoring, customer
awareness, and lead service line replacement.
The final rule will be effective on December 10, 2007, with a compliance
date of 180 days after promulgation, or some alternative date, depending on the
timing of state adoption. For more
information, visit www.epa.gov/safewater/lcrmr.
Office of Surface Mining Extends Comment Period for
Controversial Rule Changes
The federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) has extended until November 23, 2007, the
public comment period for proposed rules and a draft Environmental Impact
Statement that address standards for mining near bodies of water. The proposed changes would amend rules
implementing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, clarifying
which activities are subject to a “Stream Buffer Zone.” The changes were originally proposed in 2004
and were met with strong objection from environmental groups and other
stakeholders. OSM
contends that Stream Buffer Zone provisions were never intended to apply to
excess spoil and certain other materials/activities, and the new rule provides
such clarification. Those opposed to the
changes view the proposed rule as a formal exemption from protecting Appalachian
headwaters. Public hearings on the OSM proposal have been held in West
Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. For more information on the proposed rule and
related information, visit OSM’s
website at www.osmre.gov. Information has also been published on a
number of stakeholder web sites and blogs.
New Water Quality Trading Guide Available
A new EPA publication will help the regulated community
design and implement voluntary water quality trading programs consistent with
EPA's 2003 National Water Quality Trading Policy. This new guide will provide
stakeholders with detailed guidance on the fundamental concepts of trading
which can accelerate water quality improvement and reduce compliance costs.
Water quality trading is a voluntary option that regulated
point sources can use to meet requirements under the Clean Water Act. The Water
Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers provides permitting authorities with
the tools they need to incorporate trading provisions into required permits.
The guide is focused on trading nitrogen and phosphorus, but other pollutants
may be considered for trading on a case-by-case basis. The toolkit discusses
the fundamental concepts of designing and implementing trading programs
including the relevant geographic scope, effluent limitations, and other
factors involved in defining a credit. The document also includes a set of
appendices that feature detailed case studies based on actual trading programs.
EPA is interested in public comment on the toolkit. Comments
received through the document's Web site will be considered for future
updates. The toolkit, a Web-based
document, is available on the EPA's Water Quality Trading Web site at epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading/WQTToolkit.html
Return to the top of the page
 In the AirNews 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
___________________________________
Editors Note: Last month's In the Air column was prepared by guest editor Martha Kwiatkowski. Within a month of publicizing her name and email address in the Zephyr, Martha received an email notice that she had won the Spanish Lottery! As a result, she will not be continuing on as guest editor. Instead we would like to introduce our new
editors: Nancy Hirko, Kimberly Coy, and Mark Schooley of Air/Compliance
Consultants, Inc.
EPA Recommendations
on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
You contribute to the release of
greenhouse gases as a result of activities such as using energy to drive, using
electricity to light and heat homes, and through other everyday actions. EPA's
four new fact sheets on "What You Can Do” to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions are intended for individuals at home, at the office, on the road, and
at school. The fact sheets can be used by state and local governments to
educate their citizens about reducing greenhouse gases.
What You Can Do: At Home
Recommends changing the five most frequently used light fixtures
to ENERGY STAR qualified options, resulting in savings of about $60 a year on
energy bills.
What You Can Do: At the Office
Suggests ways for you to better manage the energy use of
office equipment. For example, consider using a power strip that can be turned
off when you're done using your computers, printers, wireless routers, and
other electronics.
What You Can Do: On the Road
Gives information about buying smart. Before buying a new or
used vehicle (or even renting), look at the fuel economy and emissions of
different vehicles.
What You Can Do: At School
Proposes that students, teachers, and administrators power
down classrooms by turning off computers, lights, and other devices that use
energy when no one is in the classroom.
IDLING REDUCTION
REGULATION APPROVED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT; MEASURE REMOVES TOXICS FROM AIR, SAVES
TRUCKING COMPANIES MILLIONS
HARRISBURG – A new regulation
approved for public comment on 10/16/07 by the Environmental Quality Board will
help clean Pennsylvania’s
air and save trucking companies millions of dollars in diesel fuel. The
regulation, developed by the Department of Environmental Protection after it
was petitioned by the Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania, would limit the
amount of time a diesel-powered commercial motor vehicle can idle its engine to
no more than five minutes in a 60-minute period. The rule is aimed, primarily,
at long-haul truckers, many of whom idle their vehicles during federally
mandated rest periods to provide heating, cooling and power to their bunks and
cabs. It will also affect other vehicles, such as many delivery trucks, school
buses, transit buses and motor coaches.
Because of its extensive interstate highway system, there is
a heavy volume of truck travel in Pennsylvania.
The commonwealth has some 260 truck stops, 47 public rest areas, and more than
13,000 truck parking spaces—providing many convenient areas for heavy-duty
diesel vehicles to idle.
Diesel powered vehicles emit nitrogen oxide (NOx) and
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), both of which contribute to ground-level
ozone, as well as fine particulate matter.
DEP says the new regulation—once fully enacted in 2010—will reduce
annual emissions of NOx by about 1,610 tons, VOCs by about 45 tons, and
particulate matter by about 30 tons. This rule will also help reduce carbon
dioxide, the major greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. The
commonwealth already has made investments to encourage alternatives to idling
and has awarded $1 million in grants to support the installation of alternative
power sources to truckers. Another $1
million in grants has been awarded to small trucking firms to help them buy
on-board alternative power units.
Passenger and school buses may idle for up to 15 minutes
during a 60-minute period to provide heating or cooling when non-driver
passengers are on board. Pennsylvania joins 14
other states, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and
New York in
adopting anti-idling measures. The EQB will accept public comment on this
proposed regulation for 60 days following the regulation’s publication in the
Pa. Bulletin. It will also hold three public hearings on the proposal. For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us
Prevention of Significant
Deterioration for Particulate Matter Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (PM2.5)
The USEPA has proposed requirements for the Prevention of
Significant Deterioration (PSD) for particulate matter less than 2.5
micrometers (PM2.5). The requirements
were published in the Federal Register on September 21, 2007 (72 FR 54112).
The Clean Air Act (Act) authorizes EPA to establish
regulations to prevent significant deterioration of air quality due to
emissions of any pollutant for which a national ambient air quality standard
(NAAQS) has been promulgated. The NAAQS for particulate matter using the PM2.5
indicator were promulgated in 1997. The EPA is proposing to facilitate
implementation of a PM2.5 PSD program in areas attaining the particulate matter
less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) NAAQS by developing PM2.5 increments,
Significant Impact Levels (SILs), and a Significant Monitoring Concentration
(SMC). In addition, EPA is proposing to revoke the annual PM10 increments.
“Increments” are maximum increases in ambient PM2.5
concentrations (PM2.5 increments) allowed in an area above the baseline
concentration. The SILs and SMCs are numerical values that represent thresholds
of insignificant, i.e., de minimis, modeled source impacts or monitored
(ambient) concentrations, respectively. The EPA is proposing such values for
PM2.5 that will be used as screening tools by a major source subject to PSD to
determine the subsequent level of analysis and data gathering required for a
PSD permit application for emissions of PM2.5.
Comments must be received on or before November 20, 2007.
Update of Continuous
Instrumental Test Methods: Technical Amendments
Clarifications and corrections to Instrumental Test Methods
3A (oxygen and carbon dioxide), 6C (sulfur dioxide), 7E (oxides of nitrogen)
and 20 (gas turbine emissions) were published as a direct final rule by USEPA
in the Federal Register on September 7, 2007 (72 FR 51365). EPA is correcting errors in a recent final
rule that amended five instrumental test methods and was published on May 15,
2006. Some of the corrections and clarifications deal with calibration gases,
traceability protocol, calibration span, stratification tests, and NOx
converter efficiency checks. This rule is effective on November 6, 2007 unless
EPA received adverse comment.
AREA SOURCE ELECTRIC
ARC FURNACE AND STEELMAKING FACILITIES
On September 20, 2007, the USEPA proposed air toxics
standards for area sources for electric arc furnaces (EAFs) in steel
manufacturing. (72 FR 53814) An area
source is one that emits less than 10 tons per year of a single air toxic or
less than 25 tons per year of a combination of air toxics. The proposed rule would reduce mercury
emission by requiring that EAF steelmakers only buy motor vehicle scrap from
providers that participate in an EPA-approved program for the removal of
mercury switches. Facilities that
produce less than 150,000 tons per year of stainless or specialty steel would
need to comply with an emissions limit of 0.8 lbs PM/ton steel. The PM limit for other facilities would be
0.0052 gr/dscf. A 6% opacity limit would
apply to fugitive emissions from EAFs.
The Agency is under court order to finalize the rule by December 15,
2007.
CAIR Questions for
Non-EGUs
As the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) program is almost
upon us, non-electric generating units (non-EGUs) have been asking a lot of
questions. For example:
**********
Q: Suppose that a
State agency has decided not to bring NBP non-EGUs into the CAIR NOx ozone season program. Given that the non-EGUs in that State will no
longer be in the NBP after 2008 and are not CAIR units, is it permissible for
these units to discontinue Part 75 monitoring and reporting of NOx mass
emissions data in 2009?
A: No, in most cases.
If the State continues to rely on emission reductions from the non-EGU
to meet the NOx emission reduction requirements under the NOx SIP Call (most
likely scenario), then Part 75 monitoring and reporting of NOx mass emission
data for the unit must continue. These
emissions data may be reported on an ozone season-only basis unless the State
agency requires year-round reporting. [40 CFR 51.121(i)(4)]
**********
At this time, it is EPA’s understanding that only DE, MD, IL
and NJ will not be bringing their non-EGU’s into CAIR.
You can find these and other questions/answers at http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/whatsnew.html
Return to the top of the page
 International
FocusNews of
Environmental Trends and Regulations
in Other Countries
with Kim Walker You can contact me at Kimberly.walker @ erm.com ___________________________________
Nearly 400 Cosmetic
Products Contain Ingredients Banned in Other
Countries
Environmental Working Group (EWG) released the results of a
new investigation that found hundreds of cosmetics sold in the United States
containing chemicals the industry itself has determined to be unsafe, even when
used as directed. Many of the products included chemicals most other countries
have outright banned. "Cosmetics do
not have to be approved as safe by the FDA before they are sold. As a result,
they too often contain dangerous ingredients banned in Europe and Japan
or chemicals deemed unsafe for specific uses by their own industry
scientists," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for Research at EWG.
Unlike for drugs and food additives, the FDA has no
authority to require that cosmetics be tested for safety before they are sold.
An industry-funded panel, not a government health agency, reviews the safety of
cosmetic ingredients in the United
States. EWG research shows that this largely
self-regulated industry routinely fails to adhere to their own safety panel's
advice and to heed the health warnings inherent in cosmetic safety standards
set in other countries.
In a new analysis of the ingredients in more than 23,000
products, EWG discovered that nearly 1 of every 30 products sold in the United States
fails to meet one or more industry or governmental cosmetics safety standards.
These products include:
·
1,331 products containing ingredients for which
the CIR panel said there is insufficient data to determine whether they are
safe in cosmetics.
·
22,697 products (98% of all products assessed)
containing one or more ingredients for which FDA, the CIR panel, or any other
publicly accountable U.S.
institution have not conducted safety assessments.
·
447 products that industry safety panels have
found unsafe when used as directed, including 86 found unsafe for all product
applications by the CIR and the International Fragrance Association and 360
found unsafe by the CIR when used according to package directions.
"Nearly 90 percent of ingredients in personal care
products have not been assessed for safety by anyone, so we are not sure what
"regulatory obstacles" the FDA and industry need to minimize,"
Houlihan added.
(Source: http://www.ewg.org/node/22610)
Return to the top of the page
Solid Waste Views
with John Scrabis, P.E.
You can contact me at: jmscrabis @ mactec.com ___________________________________
Green Remediation and the Use of Renewable
Energy Sources for Remediation Projects
“Green remediation” is the practice of considering environmental impacts of
remediation activities at every stage of the remedial process in order to
maximize the net environmental benefit of a cleanup. In that spirit, a recent study seeks to
identify cleanup projects employing renewable, sustainable energy sources
and/or alternative fuels for site remediation.
The report,
“Green Remediation and the Use of Renewable Energy Sources for Remediation
Projects,” was prepared for the USEPA by the National Network for Environmental Management Studies
Fellow Case
Western Reserve University. The report describes 19 pilot-scale and
full-scale projects applying renewable energy to power various remedial system
components and provides a preliminary analysis of potential areas of
expansion. The report can be found at
the following web address: http://www.clu-in.org/download/techdrct/Green-Remediation-Renewables-A-Dellens.pdf
Federal EPA Transfers PCB Cleanup Program to
OSWER
The USEPA is transferring the management of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)
cleanup program and most of the PCB disposal program from the Office of
Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) to the Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER).
OPPTS currently manages the PCB program under the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA). OSWER is the office within EPA that manages most cleanup and
disposal activities under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) and the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). After the
administrative transfer is completed, OSWER will oversee most issues pertaining
to PCB cleanup and disposal under TSCA, RCRA, and CERCLA, as appropriate, while
OPPTS will continue to oversee other issues pertaining to PCBs (such as PCB
use) under TSCA. The transfer in management of the PCB cleanup and disposal
program from OPPTS to OSWER will consolidate administration of cleanup and
disposal activities to within one office. The transfer will not make any
substantive changes to the regulatory requirements or standards for PCB cleanup
and disposal. This final rule
became effective on Oct. 9, 2007. A copy
of the rule can be found at the following web address: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WASTE/2007/October/Day-09/f19841.htm.
Federal EPA Makes Additional Coal Combustion
Waste Data Available
EPA is seeking public comment on additional information on the disposal of
coal combustion waste. In May 2000, EPA issued a Regulatory Determination on
Waste from the Combustion of Fossil Fuels. Since EPA issued the determination,
additional information has become available for public comment through a Notice
of Data Availability (NODA). This information includes: (1) a joint EPA and
Department of Energy study on the management of coal combustion waste in
landfills and surface impoundments that have been permitted, built, or
laterally expanded over approximately the last ten years, (2) an assessment of
damage cases, and (3) a draft risk assessment on the management of coal
combustion wastes in landfills and surface impoundments.
EPA will consider all the information provided through the NODA, the comments
and new information submitted on it, as well as the results of the peer review
of the draft risk assessment as it continues the follow-up on its regulatory
determination for coal combustion wastes disposed of in landfills and surface
impoundments. The public will have 90 days to comment on the information once
it is published in the Federal Register.
Comments must be submitted on or
before November 27, 2007.
For more information on the NODA, contact Roxanne Smith at
(202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov or go to
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/other/fossil/noda07.htm
Federal EPA Proposes New Hazardous Waste
Exclusion
EPA is proposing to allow certain manufacturing waste to be
safely burned for energy recovery in industrial boilers. This action will
remove what the agency describes as unnecessary regulatory costs while
maintaining current levels of protection of human health and the
environment.
EPA is proposing to expand the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act's Hazardous Waste Comparable Fuels Exclusion to encompass a new
category of liquid hazardous waste-derived fuel known as emission-comparable
fuel (ECF). ECF is produced from a hazardous waste but generates emissions when
burned in an industrial boiler that are comparable to those from burning fuel
oil. ECF would be subject to the same regulations that currently apply under
the Comparable Fuels Exclusion but would be exempt from the specifications for
certain hydrocarbons and oxygenates. It also would have to meet certain storage
and burner conditions.
For details, see the agency's Q&A Document at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/combust/compfuels/q_acompfuel.htm
and Fact Sheet at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/combust/compfuels/compfuel-fs.htm
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 ENVIROCABULARYEnvironmental 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 latest environmental literature for new and breaking terms of interest to our readers. This month's term is…
Hypolimnion: Bottom
waters of a thermally stratified lake. The hypolimnion of a eutrophic lake is
usually low or lacking in oxygen.
(Source: Environmental Protection Agency Terms of
Environment: Glossary, Abbreviations and Acronyms, http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms/hterms.html)
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 P2 ForumNews on Pollution Prevention,
Recycling and Related Issues
with Michael Stepaniak You can contact me at michaels @ ccicenter.org ___________________________________
This
Month:
New Online Service
Enables Users To Choose Which Catalogs They Will Receive
Study
Examines World's Potential To Produce Biodiesel
NEW ONLINE SERVICE ENABLES USERS TO CHOOSE WHICH CATALOGS THEY WILL
RECEIVE - Consumers tired of receiving full mailbox loads of catalogs now
have a way to reduce the number; a new free online service gives users the
power to choose the catalogs they no longer want to receive in the mail.
Catalog Choice, developed by a group of environmental organizations including
the National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and
the Ecology Center aims to improve the efficiency of
catalog distribution by reducing the number of repeat and unsolicited mailings
and promoting the best environmental practices in the catalog industry. At
launch time, the website had a sizeable database of catalog companies. In
addition to removing themselves from company lists, consumers can add any new
catalog to the database. Over time, the service is expected to have thousands
of catalog listings. In addition to the free service, Catalog Choice plans to
survey merchants' business activities and promote sustainable practices in the
catalog industry. The sponsoring groups also hope that providing consumers with
information about fiber sourcing from endangered forests, recycled paper,
energy efficiency, and list management will help drive purchasing decisions
based on best practices within the industry, which in turn will prompt
catalogers to reduce their environmental footprint. Catalog Choice can also
assist merchants. They can obtain a free merchant account that allows them to
obtain the list of take-off requests in electronic format on a scheduled basis.
Ultimately, this service will help catalog suppliers be more efficient by
enabling them to remove non-responsive consumers from their lists and reduce
expenses associated with paper, printing, and postage. Paper usage has a huge
impact on the environment. Each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to
American consumers. This consumes 53 million trees (between 300,000 and 500,00
acres of land cleared or thinned) and comprises 7.2 billion pounds of
paper. Processing and transporting this paper results in 5.2
billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, which equals the annual emissions
of two million cars. And,
it also requires 53 billion gallons of fresh water. If Catalog Choice can lower
catalog printing even by just 20%, that would equal 10 million trees and
100,000 acres of land a year saved, and a billion pounds of greenhouse gases
reduced. The Overbrook Foundation, the Kendeda Fund, and the Merck Family Fund
support catalog Choice. To obtain more information about the service or to
register, visit http://www.catalogchoice.org.
STUDY EXAMINES WORLD’S POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE BIODIESEL
- What do Thailand, Uruguay, and Ghana have in common? According to
a recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for
Environmental Studies they could become leading producers of biodiesel. The ease
of manufacturing biodiesel from vegetable oils and animal fats has made it one
of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels. Hoping to understand which
nations are best positioned today to enter the growing biodiesel market,
researchers at the Nelson Institute's Center for Sustainability and the Global
Environment (SAGE) ranked 226 countries according to their potential to make
large volumes of biodiesel at low cost. The analysis uncovered many of the
usual countries, including the United States
and Brazil,
already a major biodiesel producer. The Netherlands,
Germany, Belgium, and Spain also were in the top ten in
overall volume potential. But the researchers say the study's true motivation
was to identify developing countries that already export significant amounts of
vegetable oil for profit, but may not have considered refining it into
biodiesel. According to the report, countries could improve their trade
balances by exporting biodiesel - a higher value commodity - or use the fuel to
offset their own energy needs. Overall, the study ranked Malaysia, Thailand,
Colombia, Uruguay, and Ghana as the developing nations
most likely to attract biodiesel investment, not only because of their strong
agricultural industries, but also due to their relative safety and stability,
lack of debt, among other factors. Simultaneously, many agencies including the
United Nations have expressed concerns about the biofuel industry's possible
impact on the world's poor, as vegetable oils, now used for food, are increasingly
diverted to fuel production. Rampant growth of biofuels could also negatively
affect the environment. For example, a soaring demand for palm oil has already
led to deforestation in Southeast Asia. By
highlighting the places in the world where biodiesel development will likely
happen, researchers hope their analysis will help policy makers foresee these
problems and make plans to lessen them by being proactive rather than reactive.
Of all the vegetable oils and animal fats examined in the study, soybean and
palm oil were by far the most common. In fact, the world's top five soybean and
palm oil producers: Malaysia,
Indonesia, Argentina, the United
States, and Brazil, accounted for 80 percent of
the potential global biodiesel production. Based on current export volumes of
vegetable oil from 119 countries, researchers also estimated that a grand total
of 13.5 billion gallons of biodiesel could be produced annually, enough to meet
roughly 4-5 percent of the world's existing demand for petroleum diesel. However,
these numbers aren't the main point of the study. Researchers aren’t suggesting
that all exported vegetable oil should be converted into biodiesel, since that
would fundamentally upset the food supply. Rather, researchers point out that
individual countries are already exporting one thing, and perhaps they could be
exporting another commodity. Since the study employed data from public sources,
primarily the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Statistics Division, researchers indicate that any country could repeat the
calculations or do its own analysis of the biodiesel opportunity. To view the
study's complete list of rankings, visit http://www.sage.wisc.edu/energy/.
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Compliance CornerWhat's New with Regulatory Compliance,
Environmental Management
and Related Issues
with Dan Hagerty, CHMM You can contact me at daniel_hagerty @ hotmail.com
______________________________
New Tools to Assess Health Risks from Chemicals
Determining how thousands of chemicals found in the environment may be interacting with the genes in your body to cause disease is becoming easier because of a new field of science called toxicogenomics. A new report issued by the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) recognizes the importance of toxicogenomics in predicting effects on human health and recommends the integration of toxicogenomics into regulatory decision-making. The NAS report was commissioned by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a leader in the development of toxicogenomic technologies.
Toxicogenomic technologies provide tools to better understand the mechanisms through which environmental agents initiate and advance disease processes. They also can provide important information to help identify individuals that are more susceptible to the risk of disease posed by certain environmental agents than the general population.
“Using toxicogenomic technologies will open the door for public health decision-makers, who need to decide in a timely and accurate manner what chemicals are safe and which ones are not,” says Christopher Portier, Ph.D., Associate Director, NIEHS and Director, Office of Risk Assessment Research.
The report from the NAS National Research Council (NRC) entitled, “Applications of Toxicogenomic Technologies to Predictive Toxicology and Risk Assessment,” states that the technological hurdles that could have limited the reproducibility of data from toxicogenomic technologies have been resolved and recommends ways for the field to move forward.
“NIH and others have invested in the development of these tools and have already tackled many of the tough technical questions. We are now ready to move to the next phase of technology development, refined standardization and validation, so these tools can be even more useful to regulatory agencies,” says Portier.
“The NIEHS and NTP have been steadily increasing the use of toxicogenomic and other technologies derived from the molecular biology revolution,” said Samuel H. Wilson, M.D., NIEHS Acting Director. The research and initiatives supported through the National Center for Toxicogenomics and the Toxicogenomics Research Consortium, for example, were at the forefront of these technologies and were leaders in the development of many of the standards for quality and reproducibility that are used today.
The report, which was prepared by a panel of 16 scientists assembled by the NRC, provides a broad overview of the potential benefits arising from toxicogenomic technologies, describes challenges regarding use of new technologies, and provides 14 recommendations to achieve the potential benefits of these technologies.
OSHA Ordered to Release Toxic Chemical Exposure Data
OSHA has wrongfully withheld data documenting years of toxic exposures to workers and its own inspectors, according to a federal court ruling released last week by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, the world’s largest compendium of measurements of occupational exposures to toxic substances – more than 2 million analyses conducted during some 75,000 OSHA workplace inspections since 1979 – should now be available to researchers and policymakers. Each year, an estimated 40,000 U.S. workers die prematurely because of exposures to toxic substances on the job.
The June 29, 2007, federal court ruling came in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Dr. Adam M. Finkel, a former chief regulator and regional administrator at OSHA from 1995 to 2003, and now a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Public Health, and a visiting professor at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. His career at OSHA came to an end after disclosing OSHA’s secret decision in 2002 not to offer medical testing to its own inspectors who had been exposed to beryllium dust. Beryllium dust can cause a unique and often-fatal lung disease, known as chronic beryllium disease (CBD).
In June 2005, Dr. Finkel filed a request under FOIA for release of the entire contents of the OSHA database on toxic exposures, which contains the concentration of each substance found (e.g., asbestos, lead, benzene, silica dust), the company where the sample was taken, and an encrypted code for the inspector who took the sample. He also requested coded information about the results of beryllium sensitization tests conducted on OSHA inspectors. OSHA denied both requests, claiming that among the sampling results there may have been trade secrets and that releasing the encrypted codes could somehow compromise inspectors’ privacy.
Judge Mary L. Cooper of the Federal District Court in Trenton, N.J., held that the rationales offered up by OSHA to justify withholding the data lacked any merit. Moreover, she found that “the public interest in disclosing information that will increase understanding about beryllium sensitization and OSHA’s response thereto is significant.”
“OSHA forgot a long time ago that it exists to protect workers, not to protect its own executives,” stated Dr. Finkel, noting his gratitude to Peter Dickson from the Princeton law firm of Potter & Dickson who argued the case. “Ordinary citizens paid to collect these data, and I look forward to analyzing this public database to help OSHA find its way back to its original mission.” According to Peter Dickson, “This well-balanced and thoughtful decision is a welcome brake on efforts by the government to prevent public scrutiny of what agencies are doing, and more importantly in this case, not doing.”
The validity of Dr. Finkel’s disclosures has been confirmed in tests showing an unexpectedly high incidence of blood abnormalities among a small group of OSHA inspectors, who finally were offered the medical tests in 2004. This finding has serious implications for the majority of current and former OSHA inspectors who still have not been offered testing, as well as for an estimated 130,000 private-sector workers who are exposed to beryllium daily. OSHA’s permissible beryllium exposure limit was developed almost 60 years ago and has not been updated. Experts agree that the equivalent of one day’s exposure at the current limit can cause CBD.
Free Chemical Reactions Video
The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released a new safety video concerning the dangers of uncontrolled chemical reactions. The video features computerized animations and descriptions of four major reactive chemistry accidents investigated by the CSB, as well as commentary by two chemical process safety experts. It was released simultaneously with the CSB’s report on an accident that killed 1 worker and injured 14 others in North Carolina on Jan. 31, 2007.
The presentation begins with news footage of the Bhopal reactive chemical accident of 1984, which killed thousands. Much progress has been made in chemical process safety since Bhopal, says the CSB, but deaths and injuries continue to occur from uncontrolled chemical reactions in this country. The agency hopes the chemical industry will find the video useful in promoting prevention of these types of accidents.
“Reactive Hazards: Dangers of Uncontrolled Chemical Reactions” is the 13th safety video produced by the CSB. They can be viewed online in the video room of the agency’s website. Free DVD copies also may be obtained by completing an online request form.
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