On July 11, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned U.S. EPA’s Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which would have required major reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants in 28 Eastern states. CAIR, a cap and trade system similar to the acid rain program, was intended to reduce interstate transport of pollutants that contribute to nonattainment problems of ozone and fine particles. Most of the 28 affected states had adopted CAIR trading rules as part of their State Implementation Plans (SIPs), with NOx reductions scheduled to begin in 2009 and SO2 reductions starting in 2010 (with additional reductions beginning in 2015). Unless U.S. EPA successfully appeals the ruling, states will need to adopt new rules as part of their ozone and PM2.5 SIPs and will likely delay attainment of the ambient standards for these pollutants.
For more information, contact EQ’s Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299 or Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495.
On July 8, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a request by several states and environmental groups to force the U.S. EPA to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the regulation of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles.
Seventeen states, two cities, and 13 environmental groups petitioned the Appeals Court in April to compel the U.S. EPA to make a formal determination within 60 days on whether greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles endanger the public health and welfare.
The petitioners argued that the Supreme Court's April 2007 decision in Massachusetts v EPA required the U.S. EPA to make such a determination.
A three-judge D.C. Circuit panel denied the request in a one-sentence order that did not give a reason for the denial.
On July 7, 2008, U.S. EPA issued proposed findings that the Chicago-Gary-Lake County (Indiana) area has attained the former 1-hour NAAQS for ozone by its original compliance date of November 15, 2007. The Chicago-Gary-Lake County area had been designated as Severe-17 nonattainment in 1991 with the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. The 1-hour ozone NAAQS was replaced by the current 8-hour standard in 2004, and was formerly revoked on June 15, 2005. Because the area has attained the 1-hour ozone standard, even though it was revoked in 2005, IDEM and Illinois EPA will not be required by U.S. EPA to implement anti-backsliding contingency measures. It should be noted that the Chicago area remains in nonattainment with the effective 8-hour ozone NAAQS. The following counties are designated Moderate/Subpart 2 nonattainment: Indiana - Lake and Porter Counties, and Illinois - Cook, DuPage, Grundy (Aux Sable and Goose Lake Townships), Kane, Kendal (Oswego Township), Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties.
For more information, contact EQ’s Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299 or Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495.
More than 7,000 chemical facilities have been preliminarily designated as high-risk targets for a terrorist attack, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As a result, these facilities are required to complete vulnerability assessments and draft security plans.
The potential high-risk group, identified from an initial evaluation of about 32,000 chemical facilities, was sent a notification letter from DHS the week of June 23.
DHS categorized each facility into one of four tiers based on their risk potential. Tier 1 is the highest risk level and Tier 4 is the lowest.
As set out in interim chemical security rules issued in 2007, those designated as Tier 1 must submit vulnerability assessments within 90 days, Tier 2 within 120 days, Tier 3 within 150 days, and Tier 4 within 180 days.
The results of the vulnerability assessments will ultimately determine the final tier rankings and will affect the types of security measures required at each facility.
Methane gas emissions from municipal solid waste landfills are usually seen as a nuisance to be reduced or contained, but Indiana is focused on reusing this waste byproduct as a fuel source.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has entered into a partnership with the U.S. EPA to encourage small landfill operators to reuse the gas instead of venting it to the atmosphere.
Two projects are already underway that use landfill gas for energy. In 2007, the Ohio Valley Creative, an artist’s group, constructed a center adjacent to the Clark-Floyd Landfill in Clarksville and is using methane from the landfill for half its energy needs.
Evansville-based Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb, is in the process of developing a plan to use landfill gas from nearby Laubscher Meadows Landfill to run its large-scale operations.
EQ was instrumental in helping Mead Johnson Nutritionals with the air permitting process for this project.
With the U.S. EPA agreement in place, IDEM’s next steps will be to assemble a task force composed of local, state, and business representatives who will help explore funding opportunities, develop permitting standards for landfill projects, identify potential landfill projects, create a state primer defining the state’s policies, and hold a statewide workshop.
Businesses, landfills and communities can obtain more information by contacting Travis Murphy of IDEM at (317) 232-8734, toll-free at (800) 451-6027, or by e-mail at tmurphy@idem.IN.gov.
On July 15, 2008, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) unveiled the world’s largest solar electricity plant built to serve customers enrolled in a voluntary green pricing program. The 1.2 megawatt solar photovoltaic array, built by enXco, is one of the largest ground-mounted systems in the U.S. and includes 17,000 solar panels and 2,300 poles over 8.5 acres.
The system is expected to generate enough electricity to power about 600 homes. The project allows SMUD to offer long-term, fixed electric rates to its residential, low-income and business customers. Prices for residential customers are expected to range between $5 and $30 per month, based on the solar allocation a customer chooses.
A new website is making it easier to be green. Visitors to www.greenmadesimple.com can enter their zip code and quickly find local residential incentives and rebates covering appliances, lighting, cars, home improvement and construction, energy audits, solar and other renewables, recycling and financing options. Additionally, users are able to create an account to keep track of their projects, incentives and other offers. The site offers three main resources:
Incentives: Each month, this section is updated from hundreds of sources to bring users the latest and most relevant incentives and rebates for making energy efficiency updates to their home. In addition, Green Made Simple also streamlines the process by providing application forms, terms and time limits in an easy-to-use format.
Marketplace: The site offers listings of green businesses, products and services that are available both locally and nationally. Similar to the Incentives section, visitors access these resources by entering their zip code and then filtering the information based on a search area, business name, or category.
Projects: This section features stories posted by people who have engaged in a residential energy-saving project. Examples range from changing light bulbs in Virginia to installing a green roof in Indiana. Visitors can use this area to share their stories, get ideas and rate other projects.
Stephanie brings more than 15 years of industry expertise to EQ in the areas of:
EQ offers a full range of consulting services for commercial, industrial, utility, and government facilities. For more information or assistance in the area of EHS&S auditing, visit the EQ website or contact EQ’s Stephanie Werner or Mike Arozarena at (800) 229-7495.
EQ began work this month on the Runway 6R RSA improvement project at the Dayton International Airport.
As a subcontractor to Mainline Road and Bridge Construction Inc., EQ prepared a Health and Safety Plan to address potential environmental hazards associated with construction activities. EQ will perform perimeter and personnel air monitoring during the project. Once the project is completed, EQ will conduct soil sampling to determine post-excavation contamination levels and perform wipe sampling to confirm the effectiveness of decontamination efforts.
The runway is adjacent to the Amateur Trapshooting Association site. Previous environmental studies have indicated the potential for exposure to lead and arsenic. This project is expected to be complete by November.
For more information, contact EQ’s Jackie Doan at (800) 229-7495.
Andy brings 22 years of industry and government expertise to EQ in the areas of:
EQ offers a full range of consulting services for commercial, industrial, utility, and government facilities. For more information or assistance in the area of air quality, visit the EQ website or contact EQ’s Andy Hetz or Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299 or Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495.
For your engineering needs, please contact EQ Engineers at 219-844-3500, their website or email Ron Hawks
For international engineering services, contact EQ Engineers Slovakia via their website or email Bob McCullough
For questions about EQ's capabilities, please contact
Bob McCullough or Laurie Buckman, or call (800) 229-7495.
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