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TRI Revisions Go Into Effect
Those facilities that have ever been responsible for reporting their hazardous emissions should take note of a decision by the EPA, now in effect, to go back to the agency's old criteria for deciding which facilities can use the substantially less detailed Form R for submitting reports to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
The EPA on April 27, 2009, amended its regulations on the eligibility criteria for submitting a Form A Certification Statement in lieu of the more detailed Form R submitted by facilities subject to TRI reporting under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA). [article continued below]
High-Efficiency N Nozzles Designed for Critical Fire Suppression
N series nozzles from BETE Fog Nozzle, Inc. protect offshore platforms, storage tanks, hazardous loading areas & equipment bays; providing a large surface area of spray. A one-piece design, clog-resistant nozzle with no internal parts.
The action is being taken to comply with changes noted in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (the federal budget), enacted on March 11, 2009. Click here to read PE's coverage of those budget additions.
The EPA noted that it does not need to go through the commenting stage, as the changes were mandated by Congressional legislation. The rule is effective immediately. Upon publication to the Federal Register on April 27, 2009, the provisions of the Toxics Release Inventory Burden Reduction Final Rule were removed and the regulations in place prior to its implementation were officially restored.
Click here for a short history of the TRI changes under the current and previous administrations, or click here for more detailed information about which facilities will be subject to Form R.
Definition of 'Solid Waste' Re-Opened to Interpretation
The EPA will hold a public meeting to discuss possible revisions to the Definition of Solid Waste rule...again. The latest discussion, according to the EPA, is in response to an administrative petition asking the agency to reconsider and repeal the rule. The rule, which attempted to make it easier for companies to recycle some reuseable materials, became effective on Dec. 29, 2008. The rule was derided by environmentalists as a late-term attempt by the previous administration to perempt regulation of certain wastes in the guise of protecting recycling efforts. The meeting is planned for the end of June, and a Federal Register notice with the details of the meeting will be published in May, the agency said.
Click here to read the rest of this article on PE's website.
EPA Withdrawing ECF Rule?
The EPA on May 6, 2009, announced it is planning to propose a rule to withdraw the Emission Comparable Fuels (ECF) rule, which became effective on Jan. 20, 2009. The proposal will present the agency's concerns and request comments from the public after publication in the Federal Register, planned for November 2009, according to agency documents. After evaluating the public comments, the EPA said it will make a decision on whether to repeal the exclusion.
The ECF rule removed regulatory costs by reclassifying certain manufacturing byproducts as non-wastes. ECF is fuel that is produced from a hazardous waste, but which generates emissions when burned in an industrial boiler that are comparable to emissions from burning fuel oil. The materials must also be stored under an elaborate set of requirements.
The final rule has been criticized for allowing hazardous waste to evade the hazardous waste regulatory system, and also for being difficult to administer. Industry members have also criticized it because of the detailed and prescriptive conditions for reclassification, which they believe will limit the rule's use, according to the EPA.
Click here for more information on the Emission Comparable Fuels rule.
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EPA Outlines Spending for $10.5 Billion Budget
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson this month testified in front of Congress as to how her agency plans to use moneys allocated to the EPA in the federal government's 2010 budget. Expanding on the investments of the recent stimulus package, the additional $10.5 billion budget will be used to allow the agency to conduct its increasing operations under President Obama. According to Jackson, the new budget outline is a significantly more transparent plan than that of her latest predecessor.
Click here to see how the agency plans to spend its budget on PE's website.
EPA's Regulatory Agenda Tackles CAA, CWA
On Monday, May 12, the EPA published its Spring 2009 regulatory agenda. The agenda details the agency's priorities for the next six months, including two new actions on the Clean Air Act, and its plans for updated the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Under the Clean Air Act, the agency has two new proposed rules it plans to be focusing on: the HAP standards for boilers and process heaters; and the renewable fuels standard. The agency also plans to wrap up the loose ends of its Interstate Ozone program.
In the pre-rule stage under the Safe Drinking Water Act is a proposal for revisions to the underground injection control requirements of Class V wells (comment period concludes at the end of July). A second, an update to the national primary drinking water regulations for radon (first proposed in 1999 but since shoved under the table), will also be addressed.
Can the EPA get its Integrated Risk Information System back up to date? They seem to be trying. The agency on Thursday announced a public comment period for the external review draft document titled, Toxicological Review of 1,4-Dioxane: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).
Click here to read the rest of this article on PE's website.
New Methods for Measuring PM2.5
In late April, the EPA proposed amendments to Methods 201A and 202 that would add a particle-sizing device to allow for sampling of particulate matter (PM) with mean aerodynamic diameters less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers.
The proposed amendments to Method 202 would revise the sample collection and recovery procedures of the method to reduce the formation of reaction artifacts that could lead to inaccurate measurements of condensable particulate matter (CPM)...
Click here to read the rest of this article on PE's website. Click here for a related article from March.
Plan Ahead Don't miss these important upcoming events:
Featured Shows:
June 3-6, 2009, CIEPEC 2009, Beijing
June 8-10, 2009, Micropol & Ecohazard 2009, San Francisco
Pollution Engineering is in the planning stages of what will be the first U.S. conference to focuse exclusively on Environmental Data Management (EDM). While we put together our 1-1/2 day conference, we thought it might be helpful to hear back from our readers on what they look for in EDM and associated software.
Reading through your responses, several major themes seemed to pop up again and again: ease of use, cross-state application, ease of use, customization, ease of use, and...did we mention ease of use?
Sample responses:
What's your biggest headache in Environmental Data Management?
"Volume of data."
"For a company with sites in multiple states I would say a lack of consistency between state programs"
"Laboratory Inconsistency in Reporting"
"Lack of personnel."
What features do you look for in Environmental Data Management software?
"Something that can be easily customized to meet our needs"
"Make it simple!!!"
"Ease of use, a way to keep all data aspects in one easily accessible area, data that is easily accessible."
"Simplicity and technical ease of use of product.
May Opinion Poll:
May 6, 2009, marked the 100th day since Lisa P. Jackson was sworn in as the 12th Administrator of the EPA. While it's still early in her career, the centennial jour has a tradition in politics as a sufficient period of time (or better put, as good a time as any) to begin to make a fair assessment of our elected and appointed officials. FDR passed a bulk of the New Deal in his first 100 days. We figure, if anyone's in position to make such an assessment, it's those who've been most affected by her work. So tell us: it's been 100 days, how do you like your Administrator so far?
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Read blog entries from PE editors and columnists. Lynn Bergeson, Barbara Quinn, Seth Fisher and Roy Bigham post their updates and thoughts. Click here to visit the PE Coffeehaus.
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PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT:
A Smaller Intrusion
By Anthony J. Buonicore, P.E.
Based upon feedback from the marketplace since the ASTM E 2600-08 vapor intrusion standard was published in March 2008, the standard is currently undergoing revision. There are two proposed technical revisions that will enable the area of concern (AOC) for vapor intrusion screening in real estate transactions to be significantly reduced and save considerable time.
The first technical revision is directed at differentiating in Tier 1 between what steps to take when groundwater flow direction cannot be estimated (in the Phase I investigation) and when it can...
Click here to read this feature article from PE's May 2009 issue.
Test Gas Blender
The company's AutoBlend is a computer-controlled, multi-channel gas blending system for supplying a continuous flow of adjustable composition test gas mixture. The system can add multiple trace concentration components to a flowing gas stream. Permeation tubes are used to add trace components to the gas mixture. Concentrations from hundreds of ppm down to low ppb can be added.
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The EPA on May 6, 2009, announced it is planning to propose a rule to withdraw the Emission Comparable Fuels (ECF) rule, which became effective on Jan. 20, 2009. The proposal will present the agency's concerns and request comments from the public after publication in the Federal Register , planned for November 2009, according to agency documents. After evaluating the public comments, the EPA said it will make a decision on whether to repeal the exclusion.
