EPA Strengthens Underground Storage Tank Requirements

EPA’s action will strengthen existing requirements and help ensure all USTs in the US meet the same release protection standards.

“These changes will better protect people’s health and benefit the environment in communities across the country by improving prevention and detection of underground storage tank releases,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Extensive and meaningful collaboration with our underground storage tank partners and stakeholders was vital to the development of the new regulations. The revised requirements will also help ensure consistency in implementing the tanks program among states and on tribal lands.”

Secondary containment and operator training requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will apply to USTs on tribal lands. In addition, these requirements improve EPA’s original 1988 UST regulation by closing regulatory gaps, adding new technologies, and focusing on properly operating and maintaining existing UST systems.

USTs are located at hundreds of thousands of facilities across America. Both marketers and non-retail facilities own USTs. Marketers include retail facilities such as gas stations and convenience stores that sell petroleum products. Non-retail facilities include those that do not sell petroleum products, but may rely on their own supply of gasoline or diesel for taxis, buses, limousines, trucks, vans, boats, heavy equipment, or a wide range of other vehicles.

The revised requirements include:

• A secondary containment requirements for new and replaced tanks and piping
• Adding operator training requirements
• Adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST systems
• Removing past deferrals for emergency generator tanks, airport hydrant systems, and field-constructed tanks
• Adding new release prevention and detection technologies
• Updating codes of practice
• Updating state program approval requirements to incorporate these new changes

States and territories primarily implement the UST program. Many states already have some of these new requirements in place. For others, these changes will set standards that are more protective.

EPA carefully considered the environmental benefits of the UST requirements, while balancing those with the potential future costs of compliance for UST owners and operators. For example, EPA is not requiring owners and operators to replace existing equipment, but rather is focusing on better operation and maintenance of that equipment.

New Exclusions for Solvent Recycling and Hazardous Secondary Materials

EPA’s new definition of solid waste rule will present new opportunities for waste recycling outside the scope of hazardous waste regulation. Environmental Resource Center will present a webcast on the new Definition of Solid Waste rule on Monday, June 29th at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. This rule, which goes into effect on July 13, 2015, will maintain critical environmental protections while streamlining the regulatory burden for wastes that are legitimately recycled.

The first of the two exclusions is an exclusion from the definition of solid waste for high-value solvents transferred from one manufacturer to another for the purpose of extending the useful life of the original solvent product by keeping the materials in commerce to reproduce a commercial grade of the original solvent product.

The second, and more wide reaching of the two exclusions, is a revision of the existing hazardous secondary material recycling exclusion. This exclusion allows you to recycle, or send off-site for recycling, virtually any hazardous secondary material, and it will not meet the definition of solid waste. Provided you meet the terms of the exclusion, the material will no longer be hazardous waste.

Learn how to take advantage of these exclusions at Environmental Resource Center’s live one-hour webcast. You will learn:

• Which of your materials qualify for the exclusion?
• What is a secondary material?
• Which solvents can be remanufactured, and which cannot?
• What is a tolling agreement?
• What is legitimate recycling?
• What are the generator storage requirements?
• What documentation must be maintained?
• What are the off-site shipping requirements?
• What are the training and emergency planning requirements?
• Can the recycler be outside the US?

 

EPA Issues New Industrial Storm Water General Permit

 If you were permitted under the 2008 MSGP and need to obtain coverage under the new permit, you must submit your Notice of Intent (NOI)—in accordance with the 2015 MSGP’s updated NOI requirements—by September 2, 2015.

 

At this interactive session, you will learn how to:

• Obtain a storm water discharge permit
• Develop and implement an effective SWPPP
• Select and implement effective control measures (including best management practices)
• Develop and document inspection procedures
• Implement an effective monitoring and sampling plan
• Meet your permit’s training requirements
• Comply with reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• Certify no-exposure
• Comply with permit renewal requirements
• Terminate permit coverage

Learn DOT’s New Rules for Lithium Battery Shipments

• Enhance packaging and hazard communication requirements for lithium batteries transported by air
• Replace equivalent lithium content with Watt-hours for lithium ion cells and batteries
• Adopt separate shipping descriptions for lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries
• Revise provisions for the transport of small and medium lithium cells and batteries including cells and batteries packed with, or contained in, equipment
• Revise the exceptions for small cells and batteries in air transportation
• Revise the requirements for the transport of lithium batteries for disposal or recycling
• Harmonize the provisions for the transport of low production and prototype lithium cells and batteries with the ICAO Technical Instructions and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
• Adopt new provisions for the transport of damaged, defective, and recalled lithium batteries

If you ship batteries by ground or air, you must comply with the latest DOT and IATA/ICAO regulations that specify how the batteries must be packaged, marked, labeled, and transported. The rules apply not only to batteries, but also to equipment or vehicles that contain batteries as well as batteries packed along with equipment. Virtually all types of batteries are regulated, including lithium, lead-acid, nickel cadmium, and metal hydride alkaline. According to 49 CFR 172.704, all personnel involved in the classification, packaging, marking, labeling, or shipment of batteries must receive initial and recurrent transportation training.

Raleigh RCRA, DOT, and EHS Regulations Training

Macon RCRA and DOT Training

Cleveland RCRA and DOT Training

For the US, Global Action Now Saves Lives and Avoids Significant Climate Change Damages

The EPA recently released one of the most comprehensive analyses to date on the economic, health, and environmental benefits to the US of global climate action.  The report compares two future scenarios: a future with significant global action on climate change, where global warming has been limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and a future with no action on climate change (where global temperatures rise 9 degrees Fahrenheit). The report then quantifies the differences in health, infrastructure and ecosystem impacts under the two scenarios, producing estimates of the costs of inaction and the benefits of reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“Will the United States benefit from climate action? Absolutely. This report shows us how costly inaction will be to Americans’ health, our environment and our society. But more importantly, it helps us understand the magnitude of benefits to a number of sectors of the US with global climate action,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “We can save tens of thousands of American lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars, annually in the United States by the end of this century, but the sooner we act, the better off America and future generations of Americans will be.”

The report examines how the impacts and damages of climate change across a number of sectors in the US can be avoided with global action. The findings include:

• Global action on climate change reduces the frequency of extreme weather events and associated impacts. For example, by 2100 global action on climate change is projected to avoid an estimated 12,000 deaths annually associated with extreme temperatures in 49 US cities, compared to a future with no reductions in GHG emissions. This is more than a 90% reduction from what we would expect with no action.
• Global action now leads to greater benefits over time. The decisions we make today will have long-term effects, and future generations will either benefit from, or be burdened by, our current actions. Compared to a future with unchecked climate change, climate action is projected to avoid approximately 13,000 deaths in 2050 and 57,000 deaths annually in 2100 from poor air quality. Delaying action on emissions reductions will likely reduce these and other benefits.
• Global action on climate change avoids costly damages in the US. For nearly all of the 20 sectors studied, global action on climate change significantly reduces the economic damages of climate change. For example, without climate action, we estimated up to $10 billion in increased road maintenance costs each year by the end of the century. With action, we can avoid up to $7 billion of these damages.
• Climate change impacts are not equally distributed. Some regions of the US are more vulnerable than others and will bear greater impacts. For example, without action on climate change, California is projected to face increasing risk of drought, the Rocky Mountain region will see significant increases in wildfires, and the mid-Atlantic and Southeast are projected to experience infrastructure damage from extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall, sea level rise, and storm surge.
• Adaptation can reduce damages and costs. For some sectors, adaptation can substantially reduce the impacts of climate change. For example, in a future without GHG reductions, estimated damages from sea-level rise and storm surge to coastal property in the lower 48 states are $5.0 trillion dollars through 2100. With adaptation along the coast, the estimated damages and adaptation costs are reduced to $810 billion.

The report is a product of the Climate Change Impacts and Risks Analysis (CIRA) project, led by EPA in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Pacific Northwest National Lab, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and other partners. The project spans 20 US sectors related to health, infrastructure, electricity, water resources, agriculture and forestry, and ecosystems.

DOI, USDA, EPA, NOAA, and USACE Announce Additional Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative Sites to Prepare Natural Resources for Climate Change

 Federal agencies will focus on efforts with partners to conserve and restore important lands and waters and make them more resilient to a changing climate. These include the California Headwaters, California’s North-Central Coast and Russian River Watershed and Crown of the Continent.

Building on existing collaborations, these Resilient Lands and Waters partnerships—located in California and Montana/British Columbia—will help build the resilience of valuable natural resources and the people, businesses, and communities that depend on them in regions vulnerable to climate change and related challenges. They will also showcase the benefits of landscape-scale management approaches and help enhance the carbon storage capacity of these natural areas.

The selected lands and waters face a wide range of climate impacts and other ecological stressors related to climate change, including drought, wildfire, sea level rise, species migration, and invasive species. At each location, Federal agencies will work closely with state, tribal, and local partners to prepare for and prevent these and other threats and ensure long-term conservation efforts take climate change into account.

 

Efforts in all Resilient Lands and Waters regions are relying on an approach that addresses the needs of the entire landscape. Over the next 18 months, Federal, state, local, and tribal partners will work together in these landscapes to develop more explicit strategies and maps in their programs of work. Developing these strategies will benefit wildfire management, mitigation investments, restoration efforts, water and air quality, carbon storage, and the communities that depend upon natural systems for their own resilience. By tracking successes and sharing lessons learned, the initiative will encourage the development of similar resilience efforts in other areas across the country.

For example, in the California Headwaters, an area that contributes greatly to state’s water supply, the partnership will build upon and unify existing collaborative efforts to identify areas for restoration that will help improve water quality and quantity, promote healthy forests, and reduce wildfire risk. In California’s North-Central Coast and Russian River Watershed, partners will explore methods to improve flood risk reduction and water supply reliability, restore habitats, and inform coastal and ocean resource management efforts. In Montana, extending into British Columbia, the Crown of the Continent partnership will focus on identifying critical areas for building habitat connectivity and ecosystem resilience to help ensure the long-term health and integrity of this landscape.

“From the Redwoods to the Rockies to the Great Lakes and the Everglades, climate change threatens many of our treasured landscapes, which impacts our natural and cultural heritage, public health and economic activity,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “The key to making these areas more resilient is collaboration through sound science and partnerships that take a landscape-level approach to preparing for and adapting to climate change.

“As several years of historic drought continue to plague the West Coast, there is an enormous opportunity and responsibility across federal, state and private lands to protect and improve the landscapes that generate our most critical water supplies,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Healthy forest and meadows play a key role in ensuring water quality, yield and reliability throughout the year. The partnerships announced today will help us add resiliency to natural resource systems to cope with changing climate patterns.”

“Landscape-scale conservation can help protect communities from climate impacts like floods, drought, and fire by keeping watersheds healthy and making natural resources more resilient,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “EPA is proud to take part in the Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative.

“Around the nation, our natural resources and the communities that depend on them are becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters and long-term environmental change,” said Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. “The lands and waters initiative will provide actionable information that resource managers and decision makers need to build more resilient landscapes, communities and economies.”

“The Army Corps of Engineers is bringing our best scientific minds together to participate in this effort. We are working to ensure that critical watersheds are resilient to changing climate,” said Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “The Army Corps’ participation in this effort along with our local, state and federal partners demonstrates our commitment to implement President Obama’s Climate Action Plan in all of our missions.”

The Climate Action Plan also directs agencies to manage our public lands and natural systems to store more carbon.

Heritage Thermal Services Fined $34,000 for Violations from Ash Release

 

Due to a malfunction that forced ductwork out of place, approximately 761 lb of incinerator ash was discharged forcefully enough from the incinerator to deposit the material in a nearby neighborhood outside the facility’s boundaries.

The company hired an environmental contractor to conduct sampling in areas affected with ash deposits to determine the impact of the release. Impacts were determined to be minimal by the Ohio Department of Health and readings were within standards that are considered safe.

As required by Ohio EPA, Heritage took measures to prevent future incidents by intensifying screening; adding tighter restrictions on waste; performing more frequent inspections of solids within the secondary combustion chamber to remove and control buildup; redesigning the slag quench system; and cancelling problem waste streams. These measures will need to be added to the facility’s permit requirements.

In addition, Heritage agreed to pay a $34,000 civil penalty. A portion of the penalty ($6,800) will go to Ohio EPA’s Clean Diesel School Bus Fund. This fund helps retrofit school buses with pollution control equipment to reduce particulate emissions from diesel fuel engines to protect students who ride buses. The remaining $27,200 will be equally split between Ohio EPA’s Environmental Education Fund and the administration of air pollution control programs.

Ohio EPA focused on this ash incident while US EPA focused on a more global compliance review so that the agencies would not overlap or duplicate efforts.

Violations at Mack Prototype Inc. Lead to Fine

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and Mack Prototype, Inc., of Gardner, in a settlement of an enforcement action, have agreed to a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), valued at $3,078, which includes purchasing equipment and providing training to the Gardner Fire Department.

Mack Prototype is a manufacturer of precision plastic parts for the medical industry.

MassDEP conducted an inspection in November of 2014 of the company’s facility at 424 Main Street, and found that the company was storing hazardous waste longer than allowed without a license and failing to correctly label hazardous waste containers. The company has since corrected the violations and improved its internal systems to ensure these requirements will be met in the future.

As part of the settlement, the company will complete the SEP and pay a penalty of $1,152.

“We are pleased to have this matter resolved. The equipment and training that Mack Prototype is providing through the Supplemental Environmental Project will be of real benefit to the Gardner Fire Department,” said Lee Dillard Adams, director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. “These waste management requirements are important for ensuring the safe handling and disposal of hazardous wastes.”

US Requires Arizona and New Mexico Plant Owners to Reduce Harmful Emissions

 

The settlement requires an estimated $160 million in upgrades to the plant’s sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x) pollution controls. The settlement also requires $6.7 million to be spent on three health and environmental mitigation projects for tribal members and payment of a $1.5 million civil penalty. EPA expects that the actions required by the settlement will reduce harmful emissions by approximately 5,540 tons per year.

“This settlement is a significant achievement for air quality and the health of the people of the Navajo Nation and the surrounding region,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The agreement will require stringent pollution controls as well as public health and environmental projects that will have lasting benefits for the Navajo people. It is also a reflection of how serious we are about addressing environmental justice issues in Indian country.”

“Today’s action will improve indoor air quality in 750 Navajo homes through new clean-burning stoves, and help the Navajo economy by creating jobs installing weatherization,” said Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “In addition, the settlement creates a $2 million trust fund that will provide Navajo citizens with respiratory care, and lead to insights into the health impacts of air pollution.”

“This settlement will reduce pollution from the Four Corners Power Plant for years to come, and requires the Plant’s owners to fund significant health and environmental projects that will further benefit the Navajo Nation and other communities impacted by the Plant,” said US Attorney Damon P. Martinez for the District of New Mexico. “We also applaud the efforts of the citizen groups and other co-plaintiffs who helped represent the interests of the Navajo people and the environment so well, and who contributed significantly to obtaining such a fine result for the Four Corners Region.”

Arizona Public Service Company (APS) is the operator and primary owner of the Four Corners Plant. El Paso Electric Company, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District and Tucson Electric Power Company are current co-owners of the plant and Southern California Edison Company is a former co-owner of the plant. 

The pollution controls for NO_x required by the settlement improve the Selective Catalytic Reduction controls for the Four Corners Power Plant finalized by EPA in 2012 under the Clean Air Act’s regional haze program. The current controls for SO₂ will be upgraded to increase their efficiency. These additional upgrades will reduce SO₂ emissions by approximately 4,653 tons per year and NO_x emissions by approximately 887 tons per year.

The settlement requires $6.7 million of mitigation funds to be spent on three types of projects, including cleaner heating systems, weatherization and a Health Care trust fund. Southern California Edison will spend approximately $3.2 million on a project to replace or retrofit local residents’ inefficient, higher-polluting wood-burning or coal-burning appliances with cleaner-burning, more energy-efficient heating systems. In addition, APS and the other current co-owners will spend approximately $1.5 million for weatherization projects for local homes to reduce energy use. Examples include the installation of floor, wall and attic insulation; sealing of windows and doors; duct sealing; passive solar retrofits; and testing and repair of combustion appliances.

Finally, APS and the other current co-owners will spend $2 million to establish a Health Care Project trust fund. The Health Care Project trust will pay for certain medical expenses for people living on the Navajo Nation, near the Four Corners Power Plant, who require respiratory health care. The funds may be used to pay for complete medical examinations, tests, review of current medications, prescriptions, oxygen tanks and other medical equipment. The funds may also be used to pay for transportation to and from the hospital or doctors’ offices.

SO₂ and NO_x, two predominant pollutants emitted from power plants, have numerous adverse effects on human health and are significant contributors to acid rain, smog, and haze. These pollutants form particulates that can cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular impacts and premature death.

The total combined SO₂ and NO_x emission reductions secured from all these settlements will exceed 2 million tons each year, once all the required pollution controls are installed and implemented.

Citizen groups including Diń́e Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, National Parks Conservation Association, and To’ Nizhoni Ani are co-plaintiffs to the settlement and will simultaneously be resolving their own currently pending lawsuit against the companies.

 

Modifications to Settlement with Alabama Power Company will Reduce Harmful Air Pollution

EPA and the US Department of Justice recently lodged in US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama a proposed modification of a prior 2006 consent decree with Alabama Power Company that will secure further reductions of harmful air pollutants, primarily sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x), from three of the company’s coal-fired power plants in Alabama. The proposed modifications, if entered by the court, will resolve the remaining claims in a long-running case that alleged violations of the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review program.

The pollution reductions will be achieved through operation of state-of-the-art pollution control devices, the conversion of four units from the use of coal to natural gas, and the retirement of three other units. Among other requirements, the company must meet specified emission rates. Alabama Power will also pay a $100,000 penalty and will spend at least $1.5 million on providing electrical charging infrastructure for electric airport service vehicles and passenger cars. This settlement is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful emissions from large sources of pollution, which includes coal-fired power plants, under the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements.

 “This is important progress toward our commitment to cut emissions from the largest sources, and means cleaner air and improved public health for communities across Alabama.”

Pipeline, Storage Basin Failures Send Ore Tailings and Road Aggregate into Wetlands

Cleanup continues in Iron Range wetlands affected by failures in ArcelorMittal Minorca Mine, Inc.’s, tailings pipeline and storage basin. As a result, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has penalized the company for related permit and water-quality violations.

ArcelorMittal operates under a state-issued permit that regulates wastewater discharges at its Virginia iron ore mining and processing facility. During ore processing, fine tailings, or waste rock low in iron content, are mixed with water and pumped as a slurry through a pipeline to an upland storage basin about three miles away.

On three occasions between May 2013 and April 2014, failures in the pipeline and a breach in the tailings basin perimeter dike caused the release of about 8,500 cubic yards of tailings slurry and aggregate from a washed-out dike road into 15.3 acres of adjacent wetlands and the pipeline ditch.

When soils or other materials are accidentally introduced into a wetland, the wetland can no longer function as a natural aquatic habitat or filtration system. This ecosystem may or may not be able to be restored. If not, destroyed wetlands may be replaced in the same or similar watershed.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the US Army Corps of Engineers, which have authority over adding fill material to wetlands, are working with the company to remove the spilled tailings and road aggregate and monitor, mitigate, and/or replace the affected wetlands.

In response to the incidents, an MPCA inspector visited the site, reviewed records and determined that the company had inadequately inspected and maintained the pipeline, pipeline ditch, and tailings basin structures and had failed to report two of the releases in a timely manner. These conditions violate the company’s wastewater permit that regulates discharges to state waterways.

Because it did not follow the permit’s requirements, ArcelorMittal has paid a $58,000 civil penalty to the state of Minnesota and is implementing corrective actions. They include improved pipeline leak-detection equipment, more pipeline and tailings basin inspections to reduce the chance for future spills, and prompt spill reporting.

The company was penalized $272,500 for the same wetland impacts plus an unrelated filling of about two acres of wetlands.

Calumet Montana Refining LLC Fined $56,350 for Air Quality Violations

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced Calumet Montana Refining, LLC, has resolved violations of the Clean Air Act of Montana that occurred at the Calumet Refinery in Great Falls.

Calumet routed gas to the flare to prevent hydrogen sulfide in the fuel gas system from exceeding the applicable standard. According to DEQ’s Chad Anderson, that is not an acceptable reason to route gas to the flare. The primary reason fuel gas can be routed to the flare is for emergencies. DEQ also alleged that Calument violated their Montana Air Quality Permit several times by operating the vapor combustion unit at the truck loading rack below the established minimum operating temperature and failed to submit malfunction reports within one week after the malfunction was corrected. Calumet paid a $56,350 penalty and corrected the violations.

Continental Resources Inc. Fined $17,700 for Air Quality Violations

The Montana DEQ and Continental Resources, Inc., have resolved violations of the Clean Air Act of Montana that occurred at various well facilities in Richland County.

Continental violated the Clean Air Act and Administrative Rules of Montana by failing to notify DEQ of equipment changes at various well facilities. In addition, during a DEQ site inspection at two Continental well facilities, vapor control equipment was observed to be inoperable.

Continental corrected the vapor control violations immediately. Continental paid a $17,700 penalty, evaluated all of its facilities to ensure all equipment and operational issues were in compliance, and ensured all registration information filed with the Department’s Air Resources Management Bureau was accurate as of March 1, 2015.

Montana DEQ, Sinclair Oil and Gas Company, Resolve Air Quality Violations

The Montana DEQ announced Sinclair Oil and Gas Company has resolved a violations of the Clean Air Act of Montana that occurred at the Chisholm 1-3H well facility in Sheridan County.

Sinclair violated the Clean Air Act and Administrative Rules of Montana by failing to obtain a Montana Air Quality Permit or register the Chisholm 1-3H well within 60 days of initial well completion. The DEQ received a complete registration form in lieu of a MAQP for the Chisholm 1-3H facility on January 28, 2014, well past the 60-day requirement in the rules.

Sinclair paid a $6,271 penalty and corrected the violation.

Three Receive California’s Premier Air Quality Award

 

“These three individuals have championed public health with extraordinary contributions to air pollution science, research and technology,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “The Haagen-Smit Award is our way of honoring these individuals who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to protecting public health throughout their long and distinguished careers.”

Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards, the “Nobel Prize” in air quality achievement, are given annually to individuals who have made significant lifetime contributions toward improving air quality and climate change science, technology and policy, furthering the protection of public health.

The 2014 Award Recipients:

• His research has shown how elevated air pollution in some cities, such as Mexico City, can be attributed to propane use and cooking emissions rather than traffic pollution.
• Dr. Kirk R. Smith, professor of global environmental health, University of California Berkeley – Dr. Smith holds visiting professorships in India and China, where he works to bring clean air to all people, particularly those who suffer from high exposures to smoke from traditional cookstoves using biomass and coal fuels. His research was critical to the development of a global burden of disease estimate that 4 million people die prematurely from household fuel combustion each year and in helping trigger the first recognition of the importance of air pollution within health ministries.
• Dr. John Wall, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, diesel engine manufacturer Cummins, Inc. – Dr. Wall has played a leadership role in the development and implementation of all the major technology advancements ultimately leading to the near-zero levels of emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen from engines. He has consistently taken a proactive environmentally conscious position for the diesel industry throughout his career.

In light of the global connection between air quality and climate change, the scope of the Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards program is now international, with an added focus on climate change science and mitigation.

California’s premier air quality award is named for the late Dr. Arie Haagen-Smit—known as the “father” of air pollution science and control. The award recognizes those who continue his legacy through perseverance, leadership and innovation in the areas of research, environmental policy, science and technology, public education, and community service. Dr. Haagen-Smit’s breakthrough research, which became the foundation upon which today’s air pollution standards are based, concluded that most of California’s smog is the result of photochemistry—the reaction of sunlight with industrial and motor vehicle exhaust to create ozone. 

Environmental News Links

 

 

Trivia Question of the Week

 

Which of the following are proposed ways to meet peak emissions by 2020?

 

a) Increase energy efficiency

b) Ban new construction of coal-fired power plants

c) Phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2030

d) All of the above