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EPA’s Proposed Changes to Ground-Level Ozone Standards The EPA is required by the Clean Air Act (CAA) to review outdoor air quality standards for ozone every 5 years “by following a set of open, transparent steps and considering the advice of a panel of independent experts.” In this most recent review, more than 1,000 […]
Global Methane Initiative—A Trash to Treasure Story, Part 2 The United States is a very active partner in the GMI and in keeping with the original targeted areas of focus, has created four voluntary industry programs to address methane as an emission and as an energy source. Here is a look at the programs […]
Global Methane Initiative—A Trash to Treasure Story, Part 1 According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane “accounts for 14 percent of global GHG emissions with an estimated 7,196 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E) of anthropogenic [manmade] emissions in 2010.” Although methane is emitted in smaller quantities than carbon dioxide (CO2) […]
SPCC Violations Underscore Importance of Facility Response Plans In December 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with an Alaska-based oil field services company for multiple violations of the SPCC rule, including failure to submit an FRP. Under the SPCC regulations, there are two scenarios that require preparation and submission of […]
Tips for Assessing Applicability with the SPCC Rule Tip—Know the qualifying factors for coverage under the SPCC rule. The SPCC rule applies when the following are met at a facility*: The facility stores, transfers, uses, or consumes oil or oil products, such as diesel fuel, gasoline, lube oil, hydraulic oil, adjuvant oil, crop oil, […]
Sufficiently Sensitive Testing Methods Rule—The Definitions One of the most subjective aspects of testing methods is the term “sufficiently sensitive.” To establish what is meant by the term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined it in two sections of the regulations: 40 CFR 122.21(e), which covers application completeness, and in 40 CFR 122.44(i)(I)(iv), which […]
Sufficiently Sensitive Testing Methods Rule—The Rationale Under the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) NPDES program, the EPA established and required “sufficiently sensitive” analytical methods be used by permit applicants and for “analysis of pollutants or pollutant parameters under an NPDES permit.” These “generally approved” methods under 40 CFR Part 136 and 40 CFR Chapter I, […]
How Two Schools Integrated Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency In 2006 the Blue Valley School District (BVSD) in Overland Park, Kansas, was the first school district in the nation to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) IAQ Tool for Schools National Model of Sustained Excellence Award for its efforts to improve IAQ and energy […]
Impacts of Indoor Air Quality in Schools As older school buildings are replaced, renovated, or retrofitted with new equipment, there is the opportunity to make changes that will both improve IAQ for students and teachers and increase energy efficiency. Taken together, these improvements can have substantial benefits from a health and business perspective. In the […]
SPCC Inspection, Evaluation, and Testing—5 Specific Things Inspectors Are Looking For 1) Regular leak testing of tanks that are completely buried. Any completely buried tank that was installed on or after January 10, 1974, must be leak tested regularly “in accordance with industry standards or at a frequency sufficient to prevent leaks.” While there are […]