On June 16, 2008, EPA proposed major changes to the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Portland cement plants. The existing standards only regulate particulate matter (PM), while the proposed NSPS changes would regulate PM, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Specifically, the new standards would significantly reduce the PM emission limits for new or modified kilns and clinker coolers commencing construction after June 16, 2008. In addition, new or modified cement kilns would be limited to 1.50 lb NOx per ton of clinker and 1.33 lb SO2 per ton of clinker, both on a 30-day rolling average. Bag leak detection systems (BLDS) or a continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) would be required for PM and CEMS for SO2 and NOx. Kilns and coolers subject to the existing NSPS (constructed or modified after August 17, 1971) would be required to install a continuous opacity monitor, BLDS, or PM CEMS and to conduct a source test every 5 years.
For more information, see the Federal Register notice or contact EQ’s Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299.
On June 24, 2008, U.S. EPA published final revisions to new source performance standards (NSPS) for new, modified, or reconstructed process units at petroleum refineries. Any facility constructed on or after June 24 is subject to the new rules, as are existing facilities that have undergone modification or reconstruction since May 14, 2007. Major changes include updated emission limits on particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide emissions, and a work practice standard to reduce emissions from delayed coking units and modified requirements to reduce emissions from flares. Nitrogen oxides, which were previously not regulated under the refinery NSPS, are now regulated from fluid catalytic cracking units, fluid coking units, and larger process heaters. These new standards are based on advances in air pollution control technologies and work practices since the original standards were promulgated. Despite comments submitted by several advocacy groups on the proposed revisions, U.S. EPA held that it was not obligated to regulate greenhouse gases under the revised standards because it says the Clean Air Act does not require the agency to review air pollutants not covered under previous versions of the standards. Commenters had claimed U.S. EPA was required to regulate greenhouse gases in light of the April 2, 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
For more information, see the Federal Register notice or contact EQ’s Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495 or EQ’s Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299.
On June 10, 2008, the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) published a report that offers model permit recommendations to state and local air agencies for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers. NACAA published its report, called “Reducing Hazardous Air Pollutants from Industrial Boilers: Model Permit Guidance,” in response to the June 2007 vacatur of the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) regulations and to assist agencies that are writing Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) emission control requirements into boiler permits under the MACT Hammer provisions provided under CAA Section 112(j).
NACAA’s recommendations, if adopted by state and local permitting authorities, could affect a larger number of boilers and are more stringent than emission standards required under the vacated Boiler MACT rules. For example, the vacated rules would have required a particulate matter emission rate of 0.07 lb/million Btu for large existing coal-fired units, while the NACAA recommends a particulate matter (PM) limit of 0.008 to 0.012 lb/million Btu. NACAA recommends PM standards for existing oil-fired boilers (0.015-0.025 lb/million Btu) while the Boiler MACT did not include standards for existing oil-fired units. Hydrogen chloride emission standards would also be lower – NACAA recommends 0.015 to 0.03 lb/million Btu for existing large coal-fired units and the Boiler MACT was 0.09 lb/million Btu.
While NACAA’s recommendations are not promulgated regulatory requirements, the information and data provided in their report is intended for state and local air agencies to possibly use in the absence of official guidance or rulemaking from U.S. EPA. Their recommendations, while not promulgated as rule, give the industrial boiler community a sense of the downward trend in emission standards hoped for by the state and local agencies. A copy of the NACAA final report can be obtained at http://www.4cleanair.org/Documents/RHAP.pdf.
For more information, please contact EQ’s Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495
or EQ’s Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299.
The U.S. EPA has backed away from a new source review test for power plants established in 2005 and has resumed use of the annual actual emissions by a plant rather than the hourly potential emissions in determining whether to pursue enforcement cases.
In the 2005 memo, U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock instructed the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance to use the hourly emissions test to prioritize enforcement cases, bringing it in line with testing used in new source performance standards reviews.
The Peacock memo expired at the end of fiscal year 2007, and U.S. EPA has returned to using the annual emissions test as its only standard.
On March 16, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published final rules for States to follow in developing State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to implement the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particles (PM2.5). One of the elements of the PM2.5 SIPs involves requirements for major new or modified sources in both nonattainment (NA) areas and attainment/unclassified areas [i.e., Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) areas].
This Fact Sheet is intended to assist sources that may be affected by the rules to understand the significant new impacts (compared to the existing requirements for major PM or PM10 sources) and to plan for implementation of the new rules. The Fact Sheet can be read here.
On May 20, 2008, legislation that would require chemical manufacturers to demonstrate the safety of their chemicals and would outlaw the sale in the United States of any compound that lacks a minimum set of data was introduced in the House and Senate as the Kids-Safe Chemicals Act.
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) sponsored the Senate bill, and Reps. Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) co-sponsored the House bill.
The minimum data required to have access to the U.S. market would include information about whether a chemical has the potential to persist or bioaccumulate in human bodies or nonhuman organisms; whether it would irritate the skin; whether it would persist in the environment; whether it would harm reproduction or development; and whether it would degrade into other chemicals that would cause harm.
Information would be required about how the chemical is produced, processed, and used, along with an estimate of the number of workers who could be exposed to the substance. A description of the commercial and consumer uses of the chemical also would be required.
Within 18 months of the law entering force, the U.S. EPA administrator would be required to publish a list of at least 300 chemicals that would be assessed for their safety. At least 200 chemicals would be added to that list annually with the goal of U.S. EPA systematically reviewing information about all chemicals on the market within 15 years of the bill becoming law.
Residents of North Carolina may soon have a chance to play a role in global climate change by paying an extra voluntary fee on their utility bill to offset carbon emissions.
NC GreenPower, a statewide program that allows utility customers to purchase some of their power from renewable energy sources, proposes to implement a program of carbon offsets to help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions from a power plant with a carbon-reducing project somewhere else. Such carbon-offset projects could, for example, include methane capture-equipment being put into use at a landfill or reforestation projects, according to NC GreenPower spokeswoman Vicky McCann.
The nonprofit NC GreenPower this month filed its carbon-offset proposal with state regulators. NC GreenPower hopes to have the option available by fall. Customers would have the option of purchasing blocks of carbon, with a block being equal to 500 pounds of carbon offset, for $4 per block.
For more information, contact EQ’s Tom Robertson at (800) 229-5299.
On June 26, 2008, the State of California unveiled an initial “draft scoping plan” for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (as required by Assembly Bill 32 passed in September 2006). The draft plan includes regulation of stationary and mobile sources; market mechanisms, such as a cap and trade system; and institutional actions such as zoning, car pool lanes, mass transit, etc. The reduction needed is 30% below where emissions would otherwise be in 2020 without further controls and 10% below today’s emissions. The State’s energy providers will be required to provide energy from renewable sources for 33% of energy use in 2020, up from a current legal mandate of 20%. The main feature of the new plan is a regional cap and trade system with a declining cap. Participating governments would include three Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec) and seven western U.S. states (Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington). A carbon tax is not currently planned, but one could be imposed if existing measures and the cap and trade system fall short.
Three public workshops to solicit public comment on the initial draft will be held throughout California in July. Economic modeling to assess the economic impacts of various alternatives and to assist in selecting alternatives has begun, but will not be completed until later this summer. A “Final Draft Scoping Plan” is expected to be issued in October and considered for adoption by the California Air Resources Board in November in order to meet a statutory requirement to have the plan completed by January 1, 2009. Implementing regulations would be passed thereafter.
For more information, contact EQ’s Tom Robertson at (800) 229-5299.
The Clean Ohio Council recently approved two additional rounds of grant funding to clean up brownfields in the State of Ohio. The monies are administered through the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF), which is a statewide program that encourages private parties to partner with communities and compete for grants of up to $3 million to clean up contaminated properties.
Applications are due August 25, 2008 for round five funding; projects will be awarded in mid-
December. Round six applications will be due in early January 2009, with projects awarded in May
2009. Parties that are not successful in round five will be able to seek funding in round six.
CORF now has two funding tracks: the “known end user” track, which awards grant monies for
demolition, remediation, infrastructure and site acquisition, and a “redevelopment ready” track,
which provides grant monies for site demolition and remediation only.
For more information about CORF, please visit the CORF website or contact the state’s Urban Development office at (614) 995-2292.
The Home Depot announced on June 24 that it will recycle energy-efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) for free at all of its nearly 2,000 stores across the U.S.
CFLs use up to 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs. However, proper disposal of the bulbs is important because they contain small amounts of mercury (less than 5 milligrams apiece). No mercury is released when CFL bulbs are in use and intact.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), if every household in Pennsylvania replaced an incandescent bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL, a combined total of 248 million kilowatt-hours of electricity would be saved per year. Household electric bills would be reduced by $25.5 million annually.
Mold is a common inhabitant of hot and humid places, and one that can be difficult to remove. When Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, began experiencing issues with its HVAC system, mold moved in to four Visiting Officer Quarters (VOQs).
EQ was hired to repair the HVAC system, remove mold-contaminated walls in more than 210 hotel-like rooms, and clean the air, carpeting and furniture with HEPA filters. This $4 million project was awarded last fall by the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA). Work began in January 2008 and is expected to be completed by mid to late September.
EQ’s subcontractor, Super Restoration, Inc., is the largest mold remediation company in Florida. For more information, please contact EQ’s Phil Heikkila at (800) 229-7495.
Ron Hawks, EQ’s Engineering and Compliance Manager, presented at the Air & Waste Management Association’s (AWMA) Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon in late June, as part of the Business and Innovation Theater. Mr. Hawks spoke on the use of Microfine Lime® for the control and removal of acid gases. This technology has been proven to reduce SO2 emissions, and help abate visible plumes in the right applications. To learn more about this potentially cost-effective technology, please contact Ron Hawks at (800) 229-7495 or email him at rhawks@eqm.com. For a copy of his presentation (PowerPoint), please click here.
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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