Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
EPA’s nonattainment designations of two counties—one in Montana and one in Michigan—under the Agency’s 2010 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO2) were challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in two separate petitions that the court consolidated. According to the court, the two claims had “virtually nothing […]
EPA’s 2007 Exceptional Events Rule (EER) was intended to give state and local agencies an avenue to remove data about certain types of monitored air pollution from area attainment/nonattainment designations under the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). However, the EER required states to support their applications for data exclusion with analyses that were so […]
It’s a decision you have to make based on the needs at your facility. Do you want the headache of maintaining an on-site emergency generator or the headache of scrounging around for one should the need arise? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has offered some tips for water/wastewater systems on just this subject that […]
Have you ever lost power and needed an emergency or backup generator to continue operations? Do you have an emergency generator onsite or do you have a plan to find one when a situation arises? Today we will discuss some operation and maintenance (O&M) tips for on-site emergency generators and some safety tips for portable […]
Substitution Is First Choice The EPA and OSHA recently issued a joint “alert” to encourage the use of inherently safer technologies (IST) at chemical facilities. The Chemical Safety Alert: Safer Technology and Alternativesis intended to lay the groundwork for a future guidance document by introducing safer technology concepts and general approaches. According to the Alert, […]
Anhydrous ammonia is typically used in refrigeration systems in a number of industries, including: Cold storage warehouses and ice plants, Meat, poultry, or fish processing centers, Dairy and ice cream plants, Wineries and breweries, Fruit/vegetable juice and soft drink processing facilities, and Petrochemical facilities. Tips for Installing Anhydrous Ammonia Refrigerant Systems Install self-closing valves or […]
The Clean Air Act required the EPA to develop NAAQS for six pollutants commonly found throughout the United States. These pollutants, referred to as “criteria pollutants,” are: Sulfur dioxide; Particulate matter (PM-10 and PM-2.5); Carbon monoxide; Ozone; Nitrogen dioxide; and Lead. The EPA established a primary and a secondary NAAQS for each criteria pollutant. The […]
By law, the EPA cannot consider costs when setting a health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Nonetheless, to inform stakeholders, the Agency typically calculates the costs of meeting the NAAQS as well as the monetary benefits. Note: The current health-based ozone standard is 75 ppb. The EPA estimates costs at $3.9 billion in 2025 […]
