DC PSC Tightens Performance Standards on PEPCO

District of Columbia Public Service Commission (DCPSC) tightened performance standards for Pepco, threatening to fine the beleaguered power company unless it improves reliability within two years and matches the performance of the nation’s most dependable power providers within a decade.  Under the new performance measures, Pepco must reduce the frequency of outages by 9 percent each year, beginning in 2013. It must reduce the length of outages by 3.4 percent annually.

On Friday, Pepco applied for a 5.3 percent rate increase that would cover the costs for the performance standards, cover the cost a typical District residential customer $5 a month and provide the company with an additional $42 million a year.

The provisions do not mandate a penalty if Pepco falls short, but current law allows the commission to fine the company $10,000 per offense for failure to perform reliably. The commission and the D.C. Council have asked Congress to raise the maximum penalty to $100,000. The commission has never used the authority it has to fine Pepco because Pepco had always exceeded weaker reliability standards that have been in place. 

Pepco has about 778,000 residential and commercial customers in Washington and in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Neither the performance standards nor the rate increase would apply to Maryland customers, although regulators there are finalizing tougher regulations, and Pepco is expected to seek a rate hike in Maryland. Maryland legislators passed a bill in April that imposes a $25,000-a-day fine on electric utilities for each violation of reliability standards. The standards are to be enforced by July 2013.

The push for higher reliability standards comes after an investigation by The Washington Post that found Pepco ranked near the bottom nationally among electricity companies in terms of keeping the power on and bringing the lights back once the electricity goes out. The Post found that the average Pepco customer experienced 70 percent more outages than customers of other big-city utilities. And the lights stayed out, on average, more than twice as long.  The newspaper’s study concluded that Pepco’s reliability began faltering five years ago and that company officials failed to stem the decline. Reliability in Maryland was substantially
worse than in the District, where many lines are underground.

After the articles, Pepco executives acknowledged they had failed to provide reliable power and vowed to improve. They said planned upgrades would cost an average residential customer an additional $1 a month. The proposed D.C. rate increase would pay for those improvements, along with maintenance and new equipment. (Wash Post, 7/12/2011)

NY DEC Issues Fracking Proposal

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation posted its 700-plus-page blueprint for hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, in the lucrative Marcellus Shale region on its website Friday, allowing industry and environmental groups to start dissecting the proposed plan to allow gas drilling in an area where it’s been on hold since 2008.  The proposal to places large areas off-limits to gas drilling, which industry representatives belive is overly restrictive, while environmentalists believe the proposed watershed protections do not go far enough.

The proposed New York rules include a section describing several gas-drilling operation accidents in Pennsylvania and outlining New York’s measures designed to mitigate such incidents. A coalition of 47 health and environmental groups has called for a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, saying it poses unacceptable risks.  The Center New York has established Criteria For Evaluating Hydraulic Fracturing Projects.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

In the proposal, the watersheds and state lands where gas-drilling would be prohibited amount to about 15 percent of the land in New York’s part of the Marcellus Shale, the nation’s largest-known natural gas reservoir. The formation underlies southern New York, much of Pennsylvania, and parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Western Maryland.

Some believe the proposal to place the watersheds off-limits to drilling doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t include a sufficient buffer around the ancient underground tunnels that carry water to New York City from its upstate reservoirs.

The first wave of Marcellus development in New York would likely run along Interstate 86 from Binghamton through Tioga and Chemung counties, near the Millennium Pipeline.  Lawsuits could occur in areas where there are attempts by municipal governments to use zoning or local ordinances to regulate natural gas activities.  (The Daily Record, 7/11/2011)

2011 International Green Energy Economy Conference

July 28-29, 2011

Washington, DC

The National Council for Science and the Environment invites you to hear speakers from more than a dozen countries:

• Hoesung Lee, Vice Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• Dan Kammen, University of California, Berkeley; Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, The World Bank
• Peter Lund, Director, New Energy Technologies Group, Aalto University, Finland
• Governor Bill Richardson, former Congressman, Ambassador to the UN, and Secretary of Energy
• Eduardo Pereira Guimaraes, Secretary of International Relations, Curitiba City Government, Brazil
• Johanna Gregory Partin, Director of Climate Protection Initiatives, Mayor's Office, City of San Francisco
• Jong-dall Kim, President, International Solar Cities Initiative, Kyungpook National University, Korea
• David Jhirad, Professor and Director, Energy, Resources, and Environment Program; HRH Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Professor in Environmental Policy, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
• Mark Levine, Founder and Group Leader, China Energy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Johan Eliasch, CEO of Head, former Climate Change Advisor to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair
• Allen Barnett, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia
• Gary Guzy, Deputy Director, White House Council on Environmental Quality

The conference will focus on the interplay between clean-energy strategies and policies to secure significant technological innovation, workforce development to promulgate green jobs, and sustainability principles to guide economies and societies toward sustainability.

Registration is still available (click HERE to register now). The registration fee of $220 includes a banquet featuring remarks from Governor Richardson, two luncheons, and a reception, along with the full conference program.

The conference is organized by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) at the University of Delaware, the Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL), in collaboration with the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI).

More information, including the conference agenda and a registration link, is available through the conference website . You can also contact David Blockstein, NCSE/CEREL or 202-207-0004.

Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Finalized by EPA

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that protects the health of millions of Americans by helping states reduce air pollution and meet Clean Air Act standards. The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule requires 27 states in the eastern half of the United States to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that cross state lines and contribute to ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution in other states.

To see or download a copy of the final rule.

Resources For States

The rule allows air quality-assured allowance trading among power plants, utilizing an allowance market infrastructure based on existing, successful allowance trading programs.
EPA designed the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to make it as easy as possible for states to use SIPs to implement any or all Cross-State Air Pollution Rule programs at any time.

– A state may develop a state plan to achieve the required reductions and may choose which types of sources to control and how to administer the programs.

– States also can choose only to allocate allowances for any or all programs, starting as early as 2013.

To meet the requirements of this rule, EPA anticipates power plants will:

– Maximize use of installed SO2and NOXpollution control equipment, including running clean units more than would otherwise occur;

– Use lower sulfur coal, switch fuels; or

– Install or upgrade pollution control equipment, such as low NOXburners or scrubbers (Flue Gas Desulfurization).

• CAIR will be implemented through 2011 compliance periods –CAIR then replaced by Cross-State Air Pollution Rule

• Cross-State Air Pollution Rule establishes new allowances for all programs

– There is no carryover of Acid Rain Program, NOXSIP Call/NBP, or CAIR allowances
 
The final rule yields $120 to $280 billion in annual health benefits in 2014. The emission reductions will have significant and immediate public health benefits and in three years will annually prevent:

· 13,000 to 34,000 premature deaths;

· 19,000 cases of acute bronchitis;

· 19,000 hospital and emergency room visits;

· 1.8 million days when people miss work or school; and

· 420,000 cases of upper and lower respiratory symptoms.

Ensuring flexibility, EPA will work with states to help develop the most appropriate path forward to deliver significant reductions in harmful emissions while minimizing costs for utilities and consumers.

Map of Transport Rule States.

Carried long distances across the country by wind and weather, power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) continually travel across state lines. As the pollution is transported, it reacts in the atmosphere and contributes to harmful levels of smog (ground-level ozone) and soot (fine particles), which are scientifically linked to widespread illnesses and premature deaths and prevent many cities and communities from enjoying healthy air quality.

The rule will improve air quality by cutting SO2 and NOx emissions that contribute to pollution problems in other states. By 2014, the rule and other state and EPA actions will reduce SO2 emissions by 73 percent from 2005 levels. NOx emissions will drop by 54 percent. Following the Clean Air Act’s “Good Neighbor” mandate to limit interstate air pollution, the rule will help states that are struggling to protect air quality from pollution emitted outside their borders, and it uses an approach that can be applied in the future to help areas continue to meet and maintain air quality health standards.

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule replaces and strengthens the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered EPA to revise in 2008. The court allowed CAIR to remain in place temporarily while EPA worked to finalize today’s replacement rule.

The rule will also help improve visibility in state and national parks while better protecting sensitive ecosystems, including Appalachian streams, Adirondack lakes, estuaries, coastal waters, and forests. In a supplemental rulemaking based on further review and analysis of air quality information, EPA is also proposing to require sources in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin to reduce NOX emissions during the summertime ozone season. The proposal would increase the total number of states covered by the rule from 27 to 28. Five of these six states are covered for other pollutants under the rule. The proposal is open for public review and comment for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. (EPA)

More information

Most Electric Generating Capacity Additions in the Last Decade Were Natural Gas-Fired

At the end of 2010, natural gas-fired generators constituted 39% of the nation's total electric generation capacity of 1,042 gigawatts (GW). Nearly 237 GW of natural gas-fired generation capacity was added between 2000 and 2010, representing 81% of total generation capacity additions over that period.


About 65% of the existing natural gas capacity added after 1980 is combined-cycle units. As a whole, average utilization of the nation's fleet of natural gas combined-cycle gas has been increasing over the past six years. Other recent natural gas capacity additions are primarily combustion turbines, typically used as peaking units. Most of the natural gas-fired capacity additions from the 1950s through the 1970s were steam turbines—some of these were dual-fired units capable of burning natural gas and oil. However, air pollution restrictions and the current price differences between gas and oil mean that these units are primarily burning gas. Although these gas-fired steam units were built as baseload generators, they now operate as load-following or peaking generators, that are dispatched only when higher efficiency, combined-cycle units are fully utilized or are otherwise unavailable to serve load requirements. (U.S. Energy Information Administartion-EIA)

EPA Seeks to Adopt Emission Standards for Aircraft

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to adopt new air pollution standards for engines used primarily in large commercial aircraft, including 737s, 747s, and 767s. The proposal seeks to reduce ground-level nitrogen oxide emissions by an estimated 100,000 tons nationwide by 2030. Exposure to nitrogen oxide emissions can cause and aggravate lung diseases and increase susceptibility to respiratory infection.

The standards were previously agreed to by the United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Due to the global nature of air travel, EPA works with international agencies to ensure significant and cost effective emissions reductions. If adopted in the United States, the standards would be phased in over the next two years, applying to all new engines in 2013.

Comments will be accepted for 60 days after the date that the proposal is published in the Federal Register.  (EPA)

The Obama administration opposes the European Union's plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes. The 27-country bloc's plan to regulate airline emissions at talks in Oslo under EU law, requires any airline operating to or from an EU airport after January 1 to participate in the bloc's cap-and-trade system.

The Obama administration opposes the plan on grounds of jurisdiction, imprecision in the program's rules
and other issues. (Read More)

More information

DOT To ExxonMobil: Fix Oil Leak Damage & Submit Restart Plan

The Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has ordered Exxon Mobil Corporation to rebury the Silvertip pipeline underneath the Yellowstone River's bed to protect the line from damage. PHMSA also said the company will need to submit a restart plan before it can resume operation of the pipeline.  In its order, the PHMSA told Exxon to use horizontal drilling methods to rebury the pipeline at the river crossing to protect the pipeline from external damage. The company also must devise a plan to operate and monitor the pipeline during flooding conditions, including increasing patrols and surveillance. PHMSA regulates pipeline companies to ensure that energy is delivered safely to U.S. households and businesses.

Approximately 750 and 1,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Yellowstone River near Billings, Montana, after the 12-inch pipeline ruptured late Friday amid high waters, according to preliminary findings issued by the PHMSA. The agency said spilled oil in the river has traveled as far as 240 miles downstream to Terry, Montana. Exxon reported in June that at the river crossing, the pipe lay at least 12 feet below the surface.

The 69-mile pipeline delivers oil to Exxon's Billings refinery, which sits adjacent to the Yellowstone River. The facility processes crude oil from Wyoming and Alberta into gasoline and ultralow-sulfur diesel fuel, according to Exxon's website. The section of the pipeline that crosses the river, near the site of the accident, was built in 1991, although original portions of the pipeline were built between 1949 and 1954, the PHMSA said.

Exxon doesn't yet have a repair plan in place for the Silvertip pipeline. The company doesn't know when the crude-oil pipeline, which usually moves about 40,000 barrels of oil a day, could be back online, nor how much it will cost to clean up the spill.

The PHMSA has been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard to investigate the incident and determine the cause of the pipeline rupture.  (WSJ, 7/6/2011)

New Jersey Legislature Votes to Ban Hydraulic Fracturing

The New Jersey Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday that would place a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing. The bill passed the state Senate by 32-1 and the state Assembly by 56-11. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has not said if he would sign the bill into law. New Jersey is the first state to consider a ban on fracking.

The language in the New Jersey legislation echoes the concerns of fracking critics and accuses the industry of being unwilling to reveal the contents of fracking liquids. Some companies have voluntarily reported the contents of their fracking liquids to an online database and some drillers report using chemicals like formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid and 2-butoxyethanol.

Fracking is the process of injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals - some of them toxic - into underground formations to split up rock and release natural gas. Fracking operations require millions of gallons of water. Fracking proponents say the practice is safe and will create jobs while producing cheap, clean-burning domestic fuel.

New Jersey shares watersheds with New York and Pennsylvania, where a vast, gas-rich underground formation called the Marcellus Shale has become ground zero for the fracking debate in the eastern United States. The Marcellus Shale underlies 36 percent of the Delaware River basin, which provides water to 15 million people in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. (Truth Out, 6/30/2011)

Exxon Mobil Silvertip Pipeline Oil Leak on the Yellowstone River

Section of Silvertip Pipeline

Exxon Mobil Corp.’s oil leak into the Yellowstone River could extend far beyond a 10-mile stretch of the waterway and the company has intensified its cleanup of tens of thousands of gallons of spilled crude.  Exxon Mobil has estimated that up to 1,000 barrels, or 42,000 gallons, of crude oil spilled Friday night before the flow from the damaged pipeline was stopped.  The 20-year-old Silvertip pipeline delivered 40,000 barrels a day to a refinery in Billings along a route that passes beneath the river.

The leak from the 12-inch pipeline caused the temporary evacuation of some area residents. Local officials have said that flooding has hampered the cleanup work, and that some of the leaked oil could reach the Missouri River, of which the Yellowstone is a tributary.

People near the area with acute hydrocarbon exposure are experiencing dizziness, nausea and trouble breathing. The Environmental Protection Agency is still taking air and water samples to determine the impacts.  The cause of the Montana spill has not yet been determined. Company and government officials have speculated that high waters in recent weeks may have scoured the river bottom and exposed the pipeline to debris that could have damaged the pipe.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, which oversees pipelines, notified Exxon Mobil in July 2010 of seven potential safety violations and other problems along the pipeline. Two of the warnings faulted the company for its emergency response and pipeline corrosion training. The company also was cited for “probable violations” in a February letter. Those included inadequate pipeline markers in a housing development, a section of pipeline over a ditch covered with potentially damaging material and debris, vegetation in a housing area that covered a portion of line and prevented aerial inspections, and a line over a canal not properly protected against corrosion.

More than 280 people were involved in the response and cleanup and more than 9 miles of absorbent booms are being deployed. (Wash Post, 7/4/2011, NY Post, 7/4/2011))

Happy Independence Day

Strategic Petroleum Reserve Auction Nets $3.28 Billion

The auction of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve brought in $3.28 billion of bids, an average of $107.19 a barrel, according to a list of the winning bidders. The price of New YorkMercantile Exchange’s benchmark crude, West Texas Intermediate, fell 48 cents to $94.94 a barrel Friday. On Thursday,WTI closed a penny above the level it was the day before Obama’s announcement. The price of the more widely used Brent grade of crude oil in London fell 71 cents to $111.77 a barrel on Thursday.

The Center opposed the drawdown from the SPR because it was to influence the price of gasoline at the pump instead of addressing a national oil disruption emergency. Moreover, crude oil prices on futures markets had already begun to drop to levels that preceded President Obama’s announcement of a drawdown from reserves.  We also do not believe that the drawdown will influence prices.  The U.S. uses about 20 billion barrels of oil every day and about half of that comes from imports.  So the U.S. release represents about one and a half days of total oil use.

According to an Energy Department table, Valero, the nation’s biggest independent oil refiner, won the largest chunk in the auction, purchasing 6.9 million barrels, or 22.5 percent of the total. Other winning bids went to major oil refiners and oil trading firms, including Shell’s U.S. trading arm and Geneva-based Vitol. Barclays and J.P. Morgan Chase also submitted winning bids.

Obama ordered the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the reserves, an amount to be matched by other members of the International Energy Agency in an effort to tamp down prices and offset production lost as a result of fighting in Libya. But the IEA has since announced that 20 million barrels will be “released” by lowering requirements for commercial stockpiles. The total sales from government inventories would be at most 39 million barrels. (Wash Post, 7/2/2011)

Utility Air Pollution Control Technology

See also Utility Air Pollution Regulations

Control technologies capable of capturing SO2 include dry scrubbers, wet scrubbers and semi-dry scrubbers.

In the case of a typical wet scrubber, flue gas coming from the boiler is saturated with a slurry containing limestone reagent. This type of SO2 control is characterized by high capital cost, low operating cost and high performance.

Dry scrubber processes inject particles of alkaline sorbent into the flue gas, producing a dry solid by-product. The flue gas leaving the absorber is not saturated in this process. Dry scrubber systems can be grouped into three categories: spray dryers, circulating spray dryers and dry injection systems. The circulating dry scrubber (CDS) technology operates at similar temperatures, but is based on separately feeding dry hydrated lime and water into a fluidized bed reactor. Here the SO2 removal takes place in a bed of moistened powder.

Eco Power Solutions’ Comply 2000 is a multi-pollutant removal system.
 Photo courtesy Eco Power Solutions.

Another scrubber option known as dry sorbent injection (DSI) involves injecting a reagent in dry powdered form (hydrated lime, sodium bicarbonate or Trona) into the flue gas upstream of existing particulate control equipment. DSI is praised for its simplicity and low capital costs, but is limited in performance and requires reagent injection rates above stoichiometry that are often necessary for removal efficiencies.

One semi-dry FGD process uses a circulating fluid bed (CFB) dry scrubber or a lime spray dryer. Lime spray dryer technology operates by spraying a slurry of slaked lime reagent into the flue gas. The flue gas is cooled to 30 to 40 degrees above its saturation temperature as the slurry droplets are dried. As a result, when flue gases come out of the spray dryer, they are present as a dry powder product that is collected in a bag house. Semi-dry FGD technologies are characterized by capital costs that are about half that of wet FGD. They have higher operating costs than wet FGD, but lower operating costs than DSI. (Power Engineering, 6/1/2011)

Utility Air Pollution Regulations

See also Utility Air Pollution Control Technology

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is implementing a number of regulations that are currently targeting or soon are set to target SO₂ emissions, including the Clean Air Transport Rule (CATR) and the SO₂ National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). In addition, Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), are poised for regulation under the Air Toxics Rule for utilities via the proposed Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACT) standard.

According to the EPA, power plants are responsible for 66 percent of worldwide SO₂ emissions, with the majority—more than 98 percent—coming from coal-fired power plants.  According to the Edison Electric InstituteWet FGD, semi-dry FGD, dry sorbent injection (DSI) and other technologies have been responsible for cutting SO₂ emissions by 57 percent between 1980 and 2008.

McGill Air Clean’s spray dry scrubber and fabric filter
 operating on a Bubbling Fluidized Bed boiler.
 Photo courtesy McGill Air Clean.

The Clean Air Transport Rule (CATR)—proposed by the EPA in July 2010—was created to reduce the interstate transport of emissions from power plants in the eastern U.S. as required by the Clean Air Act. EPA is expected to finalize the CATR by the end of 2011. The Transport Rule replaces the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) that EPA issued in March 2005. “Good neighbor” provisions of the Act require states to prohibit emissions that contribute significantly to a downwind state’s air quality problems. One example is West Virginia, where the EPA found that power plants significantly affect air quality statuses of counties in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Michigan, preventing these states from achieving federal air quality standards.

The Transport Rule will go into effect under two phases: the Phase 1 compliance date of 2012 and the Phase 2 compliance date of 2014. The Transport Rule also establishes two independent trading programs for SO2: Group 1 states and Group 2 states (See figures 1 and 2). SO2 emissions from Group 1 states would be capped at 3.1 million tons per year beginning in 2012 and 1.7 million tons per year beginning in 2014. The 2012 cap represents a 13 percent reduction below 2009 emissions levels. SO2 emissions from Group 2 states would be capped at 0.8 million tons beginning in 2012. The 2012 cap for Group 2 states represents a 29 percent reduction below 2009 emissions levels. The rule will affect fossil fuel-fired power plants 25 MW and larger in 31 states and Washington D.C., encompassing both SO2 and NOx reductions.

The Air Toxics Rule is EPA’s replacement for the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), an interstate cap-and-trade program issued in 2005. On March 8, 2008, a federal court ruled that EPA violated the Clean Air Act when it sought to regulate mercury-emitting power plants through CAMR. EPA estimates the proposed Air Toxics Rule will reduce mercury emissions from covered power plants by 91 percent, acid gas emissions by 91 percent and SO₂ by 55 percent. This is the first time federal limits have been established for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and mercury control. A consent degree with public health and environmental groups requires EPA to finalize the standards by Nov. 16, 2011. Compliance to the MACT ruling is expected by around 2015.

The SO2 NAAQS are another concern for utilities. The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set national air quality standards for SO2 and five other emissions types. On June 2, 2010, the primary SO2 NAAQS was revised to set the SO2 standard at 75 parts per billion (ppb), which is attained when the three-year average of the 99th percentile of one-hour daily maximum concentrations does not exceed 75 parts per billion (ppb). SO2 emissions must now be recorded at a one-hour measurement, which raises a new set of challenges for utilities. The Clean Air Act directs states to submit their SO2 designation recommendation by June 3, 2011.

On March 16, 2011, EPA proposed new source performance standards and Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACT) standards for fossil fuel-fired units under the Air Toxics Rule. This ushers in the first-ever national standards for mercury, arsenic and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Since SO2 is a surrogate for HAPs, the Utility MACT standard could also introduce or reinforce a push toward SO2 control installation.

Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) guidelines under the Clean Air Visibility Rule will also take a toll on SO2 emissions (as well as NOx, ammonia and certain volatile organic compounds), affecting facilities built or reconstructed between Aug. 7, 1962, and Aug. 7, 1977, that have the potential to emit more than 250 tons a year of emissions and fall into one of 26 different categories. These include utility and industrial boilers and large industrial plants such as pulp mills, refineries and smelters. The EPA’s presumptive BART emission limit for SO2 is 0.15 lb/mmBtu, or 95 percent removal.

Instead of undergoing extensive retrofits, a percentage of coal-fired generation—an estimated 50 to 60 GW by 2020—will likely be retired, according to a 2010 Credit Suisse report. (Power Engineering, 6/1/2011)

Electrical Switching Equipment Design Flaw Doomed Nuke Plant

Japan Fukushima Daiichi Backup Generators Could Not Get Electricity

When electrcitiy from the grid was knock out by the tsumani, even if the swamped and inoperable backup generators would have been working, it would have done no good because the equipment used to switch the power from the diesel geneators to the reactors cooling systems was inoperable due to being flooded. Nuclear-power plants must continuously cool their hot, radioactive fuel. Those cooling systems run on electricity, which the plants ordinarily pulled from the nation's power grid. If the grid fails, on-site diesel generators kick on to keep the cooling systems running. If they don't, that plant is in danger of melting down.

The company used two different designs for safeguarding its 10 reactors at its two Fukushima sites. When the devastating quake struck on March 11, the five reactors at Fukushima Daini with the newer design withstood the resulting 45-foot tsunami without their vital cooling systems failing. Those reactors shut down safely. But the cooling systems failed at four reactors at Fukushima Daiichi with the older design. Backup diesel generators and electrical-switching equipment were swamped by seawater. As a result, fuel melted down at three reactors and there were explosions at four reactor buildings.

The placement of a single electric-switching station in a poorly protected outbuilding led to those switches being knocked out by the tsunami and rendering operating generators useless.    This design flaw was a relic of the original design. General Electric Company designed the older Fukushima reactors. All the Fukushima plants, including the newer ones, were based on GE designs. GE has expressed that any flaws at the Fukushima reactors weren't its fault because Tepco was in charge of design changes. The location of emergency diesel generators at the Fukushima Daiichi plant were reviewed and approved by Tepco and regulatory authorities.

The early reactors used GE's Mark 1 design. To keep the reactor compact and economical, the reactor buildings were made small.  Because Tepco's first reactor buildings were small, the generators had to go somewhere else. Engineers put them into neighboring structures that house turbines. The reactor buildings were fortress-like, with thick concrete walls and dual sets of sturdy doors. The turbine buildings were far less sturdy, especially their doors. Backup power generators are critical safety equipment, and it should've been a no-brainer to put them inside the reactor buildings.

Tepco the Mark II design in the No. 6 reactor building, which had enough space for the backup generators to go inside. By 1987, Tepco had opened its tenth and final reactor in Fukushima prefecture. Nos. 1 through 5 at Fukushima Daiichi had the old design. The other five at Daini had the newer design.

In 1998, to comply with new regulatory requirements, Tepco decided to give each reactor at Fukushima Daiichi at least two dedicated backup diesel generators, something that not all of them had. New backup generators for reactors Nos. 2 and 4 were placed in new buildings located higher on the mountainside next to the reactors. All six reactors were given access to generators housed outside of the vulnerable turbine buildings.

The switching stations for reactors Nos. 1 through 5 were in the poorly protected turbine buildings and that's where they stayed. (Because of its more-advanced original design, No. 6's switching station was already in the reactor building.)

Explosions at Nos. 1 and 3 severely damaged those reactor buildings. Hydrogen leaking from No. 3 is thought to have triggered a blast at the No. 4 reactor building, and No. 2 probably had an explosion, too. The multiple blasts released radiation into the outside air.

In contrast, reactors No. 5 and 6, and all four reactors at nearby Fukushima Daini, safely reached cold shutdown. At No. 6, the newest generator housed in a separate building kept working and supplying power through its undamaged switching station, secure inside the reactor building. Tepco was able to use that power to keep equipment at neighboring No. 5 running. (WSJ, 7/1/2011, photo and graphic courtesy WSJ)

Robert M. Summers Named MDE Secretary

Robert M. Summers

Robert M. Summers, a veteran Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) offficial, has been appointed Maryland’s Secretary of the Environment.  Secretary Summers had been serving as Acting Secretary of the Department since December. His appointment to be Secretary was announced by Governor Martin O’Malley at an April 28 meeting of the state’s Executive Cabinet.

Throughout his 28-year career, Secretary Summers has been a key contributor to Maryland’s nationally prominent environmental programs, including the multi-jurisdictional Chesapeake Bay restoration effort, with an emphasis on scientific and technical issues related to water pollution control, drinking water protection, and federal, State and local government environmental laws and regulations.

He has worked at MDE since its creation in 1987 and has served as the Director of the Water Management Administration and Director of the Technical and Regulatory Services Administration. He served as Deputy Secretary for the Department of the Environment starting in 2007.

Secretary Summers serves as Maryland’s Commissioner on the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, and the Appalachian States’ Low Level Radioactive Waste Commission.

Secretary Summers received his B.A. (1976) and Ph.D. (1982) in Environmental Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. (MDE)

Japan Nuclear Utilities Decide To Stick With Nuclear Power

A majority of Kansai Electric Power Company (Kepco) shareholders this week rejected proposals to exit or limit nuclear power. Kepco, Japan's largest nuclear operator, joined other industry leaders in defense of atomic power, vowing to stay the course.  Kepco President Makoto Yagi told shareholders:

Makoto Yagi

"We are quite aware there's a national debate over nuclear power, but we believe it's vital to our energy supply and will continue to pursue it. For energy security, efficiency and the environment, nuclear power remains an important component of our energy mix."

Kepco stressed that nuclear power is essential for Japan to improve its energy independence. The country relies on imported fuel sources for 96% of its energy needs. Nuclear reactors provide a low carbon supply of energy than fossil fuels. The industry's embrace of nuclear power was a response to a reinvigorated Japanese antinuclear movement.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), the operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, at a shareholders meeting on Tuesday rejected motions to abandon nuclear power. Some 9,000 shareholders were in attendance. Chubu Electric Power Company and Kyushu Electric Power Company, which operate reactors that have drawn scrutiny, also conducted lengthy, heavily attended meetings on Tuesday.

In the wake of the March disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, only 19 of the country's 54 reactors are in operation. Dozens of reactors that were temporarily closed for maintenance, effectively have been barred from reopening as local governments seek safety assurances from operators and regulators before clearing the way for restarts.

Kepco, which operates 11 reactors at three plants on the Japan Sea coast, has taken center stage in the debate over nuclear energy. With the shutdown of both of Tokyo Electric's two plants in Fukushima, Osaka-based Kepco currently operates the most reactors in Japan. The company long has been more dependent than any other Japanese utility on nuclear power, which accounts for 28% of Kepco's total generating capacity. (WSJ, 6/30/201, Photo courtesy WSJ)

European Union Plans To Regulate GHG's From Airplanes

The European Union's plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes. The 27-country bloc's plan to regulate airline emissions at talks in Oslo under EU law, requires any airline operating to or from an EU airport after January 1 to participate in the bloc's cap-and-trade system.

The Obama administration opposes the plan on grounds of jurisdiction, imprecision in the program's rules and other issues.  The U.S. government and U.S. airlines contend the legislation shouldn't apply to U.S. carriers, arguing the EU lacks jurisdiction over foreign companies outside its borders. Other countries, including China and Russia, also oppose the EU program on sovereignty grounds.  The U.S. considers the plan to be "the wrong way to pursue the right objective" and argues Europe should pursue its goals through the United Nations' aviation agency. EU officials have said work in the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization is moving too slowly and is insufficiently ambitious.

A top EU court on Tuesday will hear a case brought by U.S. carriers through their trade group, arguing the EU regulation violates international law. Washington isn't a party to the suit at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, but opposes the EU law.

The EU plan allows foreign countries to adopt "equivalent measures" to control airline emissions. U.S. diplomats in Oslo presented EU officials with a list of detailed questions about the airline-emissions program, including how equivalent measures would be assessed. EU officials replied foreign countries should propose their own measures, and the EU will assess them, according to people who were at the talks. Washington and U.S. airlines worry this approach lacks objectivity and one country's airlines could face tougher measures than others.
 
The EU's plan offers the U.S. a way to meet a commitment made by the administration of President Barack Obama in 2009 to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 17% in 2020 from 2005 levels and to help raise $100 billion annually by 2020 to fight global warming. Under the EU plan, 15% of pollution credits for airlines will be auctioned off, potentially raising several hundred million dollars that could go toward the funding target. The other 85% of credits are being given without charge.  (WSJ, 6/30/2011)

Homebuilders Association Sues EPA Over Chesapeake Bay Plan

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The group claims in a lawsuit filed Friday in Scranton, Pennsylvania., that the EPA is circumventing the federal Clean Water Act by setting limits for how much pollution can come from farms, factories, lawns and other sources in each of the six bay watershed states. Pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer, auto and power plant emissions spawn oxygen-robbing algae blooms once they reach the bay, creating dead zones.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The strategy is forcing additional pollution cuts on virtually all activity in the six-state watershed from farms to housing developments and sewage treatment plants. The EPA implemented the strategy in response to a presidential order after decades of state-led efforts failed to achieve restoration goals and led to suits by environmental groups.

The suit by the homebuilders group also claims the public did not receive adequate time or access to information on the strategy to comment effectively. The group wants the court to rule that the pollutant allocations in the strategy are not legally enforceable and block its enforcement. The lawsuit also criticized EPA models used to develop the pollution limits, saying they are based on erroneous information fed into computer models that would have been unsuitable even if the information was accurate.

NAHB says the strategy will make permits for residential and light commercial development in the watershed harder to obtain. The association said it represents more than 160,000 members in home building, remodeling, multifamily housing construction, property management, subcontracting, design, finance, manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. About 16,000 are in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which covers Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia.

The suit is the latest challenge to the restoration effort, which is also the subject of a lawsuit by the American Farm Bureau Federation. (The Daily Record, 6/28/2011)

Hydrofracking Under Scrutiny By Federal & State Officials

Federal lawmakers are calling on the federal Securities and Exchange Commission,  the Energy Information Administration and the Government Accounting Office, to investigate whether the natural gas industry has provided an accurate picture to investors of the long-term profitability of their wells and the amount of gas these wells can produce.

The calls for investigations came amid growing questions about the environmental and financial risks surrounding natural gas drilling and especially a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, used to release gas trapped underground in shale formations.

Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, asking it to look into questions about the environmental impacts of hydrofracking, the accuracy of reserves estimates, and industry regulation.

State lawmakers also sought more information.

In Maryland, Delegate Heather R. Mizeur, Democrat of Montgomery County, sent a letter to the state comptroller and the attorney general calling for an investigation into disclosures related to the financial and environmental risks of drilling.

In New York, Assemblywoman Barbara S. Lifton, a Democrat and longtime critic of drilling, sent a letter to the New York State comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, calling for a similar investigation and citing roughly $1 billion in state pension funds invested in shale gas companies.

The New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, sent subpoenas to five oil and gas companies ordering them to provide documents relating to the disclosure the companies made to investors about the risks of hydrofracking. The five companies subpoenaed — Talisman, Chesapeake Energy, E. O. G. Resources, Baker Hughes and Anadarko. (NYT, 6/28/2011)

I Love My 2011 Summer Garden

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

This is my best garden yet.  I have a little of everything in there, including: tomatoes, peppers, corn, broccoli, zucchini, squash, watermelon, canteloupe, arugula, cucumbers, beans, and Romaine lettuce.  All vegetables came from seeds.  The compost pile was very useful in providing support and nutrition for the plants.  We seem to be in a semi-draught condition and so I bought a great sprinkler with variable sprays at Home Depot.  I have seven rows with two or three different items planted per row.

The ants have been a problem for the sunflower plants.  But the squirrels have been worse.  The dug up seeds from about four plantings of sunflowers.  Sunflowers are awesome plants when they bloom and the squirrels bit off the crowns before they could fully mature last year.  I have some sunflowers growing but they had to be protected with chicken wire on all sides and on top of the cage.  I put too much fertilzer in the bases of three of the sunflower stands and it burned up the first round.  It has been a tough year for sunflowers but I have some good growths going and just planted more today.

The groundhogs have been a big problem this year.  They devastated my broccoli crop.  They just love broccoli.  I have a chicken wire fence up inside of the natural wood deer fence, but the groundhogs still sneak in.  We have been at war and I've stung them with the BB gun a few times.  They keep coming back.  It is a male and a female.  I know where their home hole is in the woods nearby.  But I don't bother them.  Sometimes when a broccoli spear is eaten, it makes me want to hurt them.  But I don't.

The squirrels are eating my corn.  They bite the stalk too to bring the higher corn down.  I have a lot of corn so it is not bothering me too much.  I know that squirrels will eat tomatoes too if they get hungry enough.  The squirrels have destroyed about five corn plants.

Well even with the ants, squirrels, groundhogs and semi-draught, this garden has been a great experience.  I have gotten great exercise.  My wheelbarrow and hoe have been great allies.  The pitchfork too. 

The tomatoes are starting to come in and the corn is maturing.  July and August will be great months for eating corn and tomatoes.  Good tomato sandwiches with mayo, homemade bread, and a pinch of salt and lots of pepper.

Sarkozy Pledges €1bn of Investment In Nuclear Power

The French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged €1bn of investment in nuclear power.  Sarkozy said the moratorium on new nuclear reactors adopted by certain countries since the Japanese nuclear crisis in March "makes no sense. There is no alternative to nuclear energy today. We are going to devote €1bn to the nuclear programme of the future, particularly fourth-generation technology."

The Center agrees with President Sarkozy.

Sarkozy also promised "substantial resources" to strengthen research into nuclear safety and a further €1.3bn (£1.2bn) investment in renewable energy.

Norris McDonald at Civaux plant in 2007

The Sarkozy announcement came 24 hours after thousands of anti-nuclear protesters formed a human chain outside France's oldest nuclear power station to demand its closure.  The plant at Fessenheim in Alsace, on France's border with Germany, has become the focus of a fierce debate over nuclear safety.  At the weekend, demonstrators from France, Germany and Switzerland surrounded the plant calling for its number one reactor, in operation since 1977, to be taken out of service, claiming it was vulnerable to flooding and earthquakes. The plant is operated by French power group EDF.

France has 58 nuclear reactors, which supply 74% of its electricity, and is the world's largest net exporter of electricity from nuclear sources. (The Guardian, 6/27/2011)

EPA Finalizes E15 Pump Labeling Requirements

New labels will help consumers find the right fuel for their vehicles

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued fuel pump labeling and other requirements for gasoline blends containing more than 10 and up to 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. These requirements will help ensure that E15 is properly labeled and used once it enters the market.

The new orange and black label must appear on fuel pumps that dispense E15. This label will help inform consumers about which vehicles can use E15. This label will also warn consumers against using E15 in vehicles older than model year 2001, motorcycles, watercraft, and gasoline-powered equipment such as lawnmowers and chainsaws.

Over the past year, EPA issued two partial waivers under the Clean Air Act that in sum allow E15 to be sold for use in model year 2001 and newer cars and light trucks. EPA based its waiver decisions on testing and analysis showing that these vehicles could continue to meet emission standards if operated on E15. However, EPA does not mandate the use of E15, nor has the agency registered the fuel, which is required before E15 can be legally sold for use in conventional vehicles.

The E15 pump label requirements, developed in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), adopt elements of FTC’s existing labels for alternative fuels to promote consistent labeling. The rule also includes a prohibition against misfueling with E15; a requirement to track E15 and other fuels as they move through the fuel supply chain so that E15 can be properly blended and labeled; and a quarterly survey to help ensure that gas pumps dispensing E15 are properly labeled. In addition, it modifies the Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) Program to allow fuel producers to certify batches of E15 as complying with RFG standards.

This action will help to further reduce the risks of potential misfueling that could result in damage to the vehicle or equipment and in associated emission increases that pose threats to human health and the environment.

EPA is also issuing guidance on the compatibility of underground storage tanks (USTs) with gasoline containing greater than 10 percent ethanol or diesel containing greater than 20 percent biodiesel. The guidance is intended to assist UST owners and operators in meeting the existing federal UST compatibility requirements.  (EPA)

More information and to view the pump labels

The UST guidance

EPA to Tackle Emissions from Trucks Used at Ports

EPA, industry leaders, and environmental groups to join forces for cleaner, healthier air around harbors

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), joined by the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and the Environmental Defense Fund, is launching a new initiative to protect people’s health, the environment and promote sustainable economic growth by reducing pollution from thousands of short-haul trucks that service the nation’s ports. The new EPA SmartWay initiative will green the nation’s supply chain by reducing harmful diesel emissions from dray trucks – large diesel trucks that are widely used in port facilities to haul freight from cargo ships to nearby local distribution points.

Many of the dray trucks today are older and dirtier than trucks used on highways, and contribute to serious public health and environmental challenges at ports and surrounding areas. Model year 1994 and older dray trucks emit approximately 60 times more fine particle (PM 2.5) emissions than model year 2007 and newer trucks. PM 2.5 is linked to premature deaths, heart attacks, childhood asthma and increased emergency room and hospital visits.

Under the SmartWay dray truck initiative, carriers sign an agreement with EPA to track and reduce PM 2.5 emissions by 50 percent and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 25 percent below the industry average over a three year period. In addition, SmartWay dray shipper partners will commit to use the cleaner trucks to haul 75 percent or more of port freight. Charter shipper partners in the program include Best Buy, The Home Depot, Hewlett Packard, JC Penney, Lowe's, Nike, Target, and Walmart.

Under the agreement and through the incentives, EPA and its SmartWay partners expect to build on the SmartWay program’s success in cutting fuel costs, reducing harmful diesel emissions, preserving jobs, and protecting air quality. Since 2004, SmartWay partners including many of the country’s top retailers, trucking and rail companies and manufacturers have reduced fuel use, cut foreign oil imports by 50 million barrels and saved an estimated $6.1 billion in fuel costs.

SmartWay contributes to the agency’s goal for improving air quality goals by eliminating harmful air emissions including 16.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 234,000 tons of NOx, and 9,000 tons of particulate matter.

In addition over the past decade, EPA has set emissions standards for new diesel engines, such as trucks, buses, locomotives and boats. The standards are projected to prevent tens of thousands of deaths every year when fully implemented. (EPA)

More information on the SmartWay dray initiative

EPA, Coast Guard Announce Agreement to Enforce Air Pollution Requirements for Vessels Operating in U.S. Waters

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) today announced an agreement to jointly enforce U.S. and international air pollution requirements for vessels operating in U.S. waters. The requirements establish limits on nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and require the use of fuel with lower sulfur content, protecting people’s health and the environment by reducing ozone-producing pollution, which can cause smog and aggravate asthma. The most stringent requirements apply to ships operating within 200 nautical miles of the coast of North America.

The large marine diesel engines that provide propulsion and auxiliary power on many ocean-going vessels emit significant amounts of pollution. Without further action, EPA estimates that by 2030, NOx emissions from ships will more than double, growing to 2.1 million tons per year. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by EPA and the USCG outlines the agencies’ commitment to jointly enforce federal and international laws that EPA projects could prevent 12,000-31,000 premature deaths annually by 2030. Under the MOU, both the USCG and EPA will perform inspections and investigations, and will take appropriate enforcement actions if a violation is detected.

A letter to industry was also signed today by USCG and EPA to provide the regulated community with notice that USCG and EPA will be taking measures to promote compliance with federal and international air pollution requirements and will be actively pursuing violations.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a United Nations agency which deals with maritime safety, security and the prevention of marine pollution from ships across the globe. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), developed through the IMO, is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships. MARPOL Annex VI addresses air pollution from ships through the use of both engine-based and fuel-based standards. Additionally, MARPOL Annex VI requires ships operated in designated geographical areas, known as emission control areas or ECAs, to meet the most advanced standards for NOx emissions and fuel sulfur limits. The United States became a party to MARPOL Annex VI in 2008 and the treaty is implemented in the United States through the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). (EPA)

Read the MOU

Learn about EPA’s Ocean Vessels and Large Ships Program

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Needs & Costs

There will likely be three levels of charging methods:

1) traditional 110 V plugs in homes that will take 8 hours to charge an EV;

2) 220 V/40 A plugs in homes and businesses that will take 3.3 hours to charge an EV; and

3) new retail-based, fast-charging DC stations that take 10-30 minutes.

An international standard is still being developed and debated.

However, because a residential home typically draws 2.2 to 5 kW, and EVs consume 3.3-6.6 kW at 240 V/32 A, the U.S. will have to add massive amounts of capacity to its electrical grid.

Tesla Motors is marketing its all-electric Roadster model, 2-dr, 2-passenger, 53 kWh Lithium-ion battery, using a 208/240-V, 70 A (draw) outlet the charging time is about 3.5 hours by a 16.8 kW wall-mounted, in-house charger, range 244 miles, sticker price $109,000, or $101,500 after federal tax credit, or 96,500 after California tax credit.


Nissan is marketing its all-electric Leaf model, a 4-dr, 5-passenger hatchback, 24 kWh Lithium-ion battery, using a 220/240-V, 40 A outlet the charging time is about 8 hours by the 3.3 kW on-board charger, range 100 miles, sticker price $32,780, or $25,280 after federal tax credit, or $20,280 after California tax credit.

General Motors is marketing its plug-in hybrid Volt model, a 4-dr, 5-passenger sedan, 16 kWh Lithium-ion battery, using a 220/240-V, 40 A outlet the charging time is about 4 hours by the 3.3 kW on-board charger, range 40 miles after which a 1.4 Liter, 4 cylinder gasoline engine provides power for another 340 miles, sticker price $41,000, or $33,500 after federal tax credit, or $28,500 after California tax credit.

Ford will be marketing its all-electric Focus model, a 4-dr, 5-passenger hatchback, 23 kWh Lithium-ion battery, using a 220/240-V, 40 A outlet the charging time is about 4 hours by the 6.6 kW on-board charger, range 100 miles, sticker price $33,000, or $25,500 after federal tax credit, or 20,500 after California tax credit.

Nissan prices its Leaf battery at $375-$400/kWh which appears to be lower than of the Volt and Focus. Nissan offers an 8-yr/100,000 mile warrantee, the same as the Volt; Ford has not announced a warrantee yet.

The actual driving range usually is less than its rated value, because of the way the EV is driven, roads with hills and snow, high and low outdoor temperatures, heating, air-conditioning, battery aging, etc. At the expiration of the warrantee, the EV range is expected to have degraded by 10%-30%.

An in-house charger, if needed, costs about $2,200 installed, or $1,100 after California tax credit. A house must have suitable electrical wiring capacity.

The EPA rating for the Nissan Leaf and the General Motors Volt is about 35 kWh/100 miles. Larger light-duty EV vehicles, using more kWh/mile, will also be needed. Medium EVs may use 50 kWh/100 miles and larger ones 65 kWh/100 miles. (Sustainable Plant, 4/27/2011, The Energy Collective, 2/2/2011)

Federal Agencies Partner To Revitalize Urban Waters

A new federal partnership aims to stimulate regional and local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities across the country. The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations:

1) The Patapsco Watershed (Maryland), 2) the Anacostia Watershed (Washington DC/Maryland), 3) the Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds (New York), 4) the South Platte River in Denver (Colorado), 5) the Los Angeles River Watershed (California), 6) the Lake Pontchartrain Area (New Orleans, LA), and 7) the Northwest Indiana Area.

Each of the pilot locations already has a strong restoration effort underway, spearheaded by local governments and community organizations. Lessons learned from these pilot locations will be transferred to other cities in the country.

Led by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and coordinated by the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership closely aligns with and advances the work of the other White House place-based efforts such as the Partnership for Sustainable Communities by revitalizing communities, creating jobs and improving the qualities of life in cities and towns across the nation. The partnership also supports President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative aimed at making the Federal Government a better partner with communities that are working to provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces. Like these other efforts, the UWFP represents another example of how the Obama Administration is promoting more efficient and effective use of federal resources through better coordination and targeting of federal investments.

More information

11 Agencies of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership

Environmental Protection Agency

Use statutory authority to protect and preserve water quality and provide assistance in assessing and addressing legacy contamination.

Department of Interior

Assist in building trails; increase public access to river resources; help restore and protect habitat and wildlife; educate and employ urban youth; and assess and help safeguard water quality.

United States Department of Agriculture

Help communities to plan, manage, and sustain farm and forest landscapes on public and private ownership along a complex rural to urban gradient to promote watershed health and protect water resources, from the source to the faucet.

Corporation for National and Community Service

         Recruiting, organizing and maximizing the impact of community volunteers.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

        CDC/ATSDR will serve to offer guidance and technical assistance to local health officials and community members in conducting community-based environmental health assessments and creating an accurate and verifiable profile of communities’ environmental health status.

Department of Commerce/Economic Development Administration

        Foster the creation of high-skill jobs and the generation of private capital investment in distressed communities.

Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Provide unique scientific products and services designed to boost economic vitality, restore habitat, and mitigate hazards and contamination in coastal, Great Lakes, and other locations.

Army Corps of Engineers

       Offer engineering services, research and technical support to stakeholders during the planning, design, construction and operation of water resources and associated environmental infrastructure.

Department of Transportation

Help the community in designing improved transportation corridors, bikeways, walkways

Housing and Urban Development

Help the community improve access to affordable housing.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

     Assist with health studies related to community environmental conditions. (EPA)