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Deadly Chemical Plant Releases Violate Multiple Regulations In a settlement with a multinational company that operates a chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that between 2006 and 2010, eight releases of hazardous substances occurred, one of which resulted in the death of […]
Conclusions from the TSCA Assessment of Dichloromethane According to the EPA, the use of products containing DCM for paint stripping poses some of the highest exposure risks compared to all uses of DCM. The chemical is a volatile organic compound (VOC) and is also considered to have “likely carcinogenic properties.” In 2012, 261.5 million pounds […]
Conclusions from the TSCA Trichloroethylene Assessment Each year, the United States uses 225 million pounds of TCE, a volatile organic compound (VOC) and human carcinogen. TCE is used widely, primarily in industrial and commercial processes as a solvent, degreaser, and fixative. EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (EPA/OPPT) focused the TCE assessment on characterizing […]
8 Recommendations for Meth Lab Clean Up 1) Due to the dangers associated with meth labs from the drug itself and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process, hiring a contractor can be the best option. However, the EPA recommends several things be considered first: Does the contractor have hazardous waste experience, and is the […]
A Regulatory Review for Meth Lab Clean Up The illegal manufacturing of meth is occurring nationwide in cities and towns, homes and businesses, and even in vehicles. It can be accomplished using over-the-counter drugs and household chemicals such as ammonia, solvents, muriatic acid, and even salt. Due to the variety of “recipes” for “cooking” meth, […]
Consumers Energy Will Update Equipment and Fund Projects Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation, provides electricity and natural gas to 6.5 million residents in all 68 counties of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Under EPA’s Power Plant Initiative, in 2007, the company was issued a notice of violation for opacity violations at five of its […]
The Second Integrated Urban Air Report to Congress—What’s Next? With publication of the Second Integrated Urban Air Report to Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fulfilled its three primary obligations under the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments. These are: Report twice on accomplishments realized relative to reducing harmful air toxics; Regulate 90 […]
Major Findings from the Second Integrated Urban Air Report to Congress Under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990, the EPA was tasked with taking action to reduce toxic air emissions and associated human health risks. In 1999, the EPA developed the Integrated Urban Air Toxics Strategy for reducing air toxics risks from all […]
How to Qualify for RMP Program Level 1 After determining that a propane storage facility is subject to the RMP regulation, the next step is to identify which program level applies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established three program levels that reflect different levels of risk and, subsequently, the level of effort required to […]
RMP Applicability for Propane Storage Facilities As early as November 2013, seven states had already declared states of emergency to allow for delivery of more propane, and that was a month before a massive ice storm struck, affecting power for more than 1.5 million people. By the time winter was over, the National Oceanic and […]