Emissions from Combustion of Natural Gas

Natural gas is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels. Composed primarily of methane, the main products of the combustion of natural gas are carbon dioxide and water vapor, the same compounds we exhale when we breathe. Coal and oil are composed of much more complex molecules, with a higher carbon ratio and higher nitrogen and sulfur contents. This means that when combusted, coal and oil release higher levels of harmful emissions, including a higher ratio of carbon emissions, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).  Coal and fuel oil also release ash particles into the environment, substances that do not burn but instead are carried into the atmosphere and contribute to pollution. The combustion of natural gas, on the other hand, releases very small amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, virtually no ash or particulate matter, and lower levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other reactive hydrocarbons.

Fossil Fuel Emission Levels - Pounds per Billion Btu of Energy Input
Pollutant	Natural Gas	Oil	Coal
Carbon Dioxide	117,000	164,000	208,000
Carbon Monoxide	40	33	208
Nitrogen Oxides	92	448	457
Sulfur Dioxide	1	1,122	2,591
Particulates	7	84	2,744
Mercury	0.000	0.007	0.016
Source: EIA - Natural Gas Issues and Trends 1998

Natural gas, as the cleanest of the fossil fuels, can be used in many ways to help reduce the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Burning natural gas in the place of other fossil fuels emits fewer harmful pollutants, and an increased reliance on natural gas can potentially reduce the emission of many of these most harmful pollutants.

Natural gas combustion produces almost 45 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than coal, emits lower levels of nitrogen oxides and particulates, and produces virtually no sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions. The lower levels of these emissions mean that the use of natural gas does not contribute significantly to smog or acid rain formation. In addition, because natural gas boilers do not need the scrubbers required by coal-fired power plants to reduce SO₂ emissions, natural gas plants create much less toxic sludge.   (Natural Gas .org)

California Legislature Approves High Speed Rail

California took a step closer to building the nation's first bullet train.  The bill that was passed by the California legislature authorizes the state to begin selling $4.5 billion in voter-approved bonds that includes $2.6 billion to build an initial 130-mile stretch of the high-speed rail line in the agriculturally rich Central Valley. That allows the state to draw another $3.2 billion in federal funding.  The final cost of the completed project from Los Angeles to San Francisco is projected to be $68 billion.

The first segment of the line will run from Madera to Bakersfield.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is managing the project. California entered a contract that called for the federal government to provide money for building the Central Valley segment if the state also put up its share. California was able to secure more federal aid than expected after Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin turned down money.

The bill authorizes the state to sell nearly half of a $10 billion high-speed rail bond that voters approved four years ago under Proposition 1A. In addition to financing the first segment of high-speed rail, it allocates a total of $1.9 billion in bonds for regional rail improvements in Northern and Southern California.  The upgrades include electrifying Caltrain, a San Jose-San Francisco commuter line, and improving Metrolink commuter lines in Southern California.

The bill heads to Brown for his signature.  (Wash Post, 6/6/2012)

Panel Says Fukushima Daiichi Disaster Caused By Human Negligence

A 10-member parliamentary panel investigating the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station disaster concluded in its findings in a 640-page report Thursday that it was caused by human negligence on the part of government, regulators and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company. This is quite a charge since it has been generally accepted that the tsunami was the culprit in the disaster.  The report indicates that the cozy relationship between operator and regulator created vulnerabilities at the facility that would not have existed if there was more of an dynamic relationship.

Specifically, the panel concluded that regulators and Tepco "failed to correctly develop the most basic safety requirements,'' leaving the Fukushima Daiichi plant vulnerable to the earthquake and tsunami that hit on March 11, 2011. 

"Japanese Parliament Report on Fukushima Nuclear Accident"

Conclusions:

A "Manmade" Disaster

The TEPCO Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and TEPCO, and the lack of governance by said parties. They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents. Therefore, we conclude that the accident was clearly "manmade." We believe that the root causes were the organizational and regulatory systems that supported faulty rationales for decisions and actions, rather than issues relating to the competency of any specific individual.

Earthquake Damage

We conclude that TEPCO was too quick to cite the tsunami as the cause of the nuclear accident and deny that the earthquake caused any damage. We believe there is a possibility that the earthquake damaged equipment necessary for ensuring safety, and that there is also a possibility that a small-scale LOCA occured in Unit 1. We hope these points will be examined further by a third party.

Evaluation of Operational Problems

The Commission concludes that there were organizational problems within TEPCO. Had there been a higher level of knowledge, training, and equipment inspection related to severe accidents, and had there been specific instructions given to the on-site workers concerning the state of emergency within the necessary time frame, a more effective accident response would have been possible.

Emergency Response Issues

The Commission concludes that the situation continued to deteriorate because the crisis management system of the Kantei, the regulators and other responsible agencies did not function correctly. The boundaries defining the roles and responsibilities of the parties involved were problematic, due to their ambiguity.

Evacuation Issues

The Commission concludes that the residents' confusion over the evacuation stemmed from the regulators' negligence and failure over the years to implement adequate measures against a nuclear disaster, as well as a lack of action by previous governments and regulators focused on crisis management. The crisis management system that existed for the Kantei and the regulators should protect the health and safety of the public, but it failed in this function.

Continuing Public Health and Welfare Issues

The Commission recognizes that the residents in the affected area are still struggling from the effects of the accident. They continue to face grave concerns, including the health effects of radiation exposure, displacement, the dissolution of families, disruption of their lives and lifestyles and the contamination of vast areas of the environment. There is no foreseeable end to the decontamination and restoration activities that are essential for rebuilding communities. The Commission concludes that the government and the regulators are not fully committed to protecting public health and safety; that they have not acted to protect the health of the residents and to restore their welfare.

Reforming The Regulators

The Commission has concluded that the safety of nuclear energy in Japan and the public cannot be assured unless the regulators go through an essential transformation process. The entire organization needs to be transformed, not as a formality but in a substantial way. Japan's regulators need to shed the insular attitude of ignoring international safety standards and transform themselves into a globally trusted entity.
Reforming The Operator

TEPCO did not fulfil its responsibilities as a private corporation, instead obeying and relying upon the government bureaucracy of METI, the government agency driving nuclear policy. At the same time, through the auspices of the FEPC, it manipulated the cozy relationship with the regulators to take the teeth out of regulations.

Reforming Laws And Regulations

The Commission concludes that it is necessary to realign existing laws and regulations concerning nuclear energy. Mechanisms must be established to ensure that the latest technological findings from international sources are reflected in all existing laws and regulations.

Cosmetic Solutions

Replacing people or changing the names of institutions will not solve the problems. Unless these root causes are resolved, preventive measures against future similar accidents will never be complete.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Monitoring of the nuclear regulatory body by the National Diet A permanent committee to deal with issues regarding nuclear power must be established in the National Diet in order to supervise the regulators to secure the safety of the public. Its responsibilities should be: 1. To conduct regular investigations and explanatory hearings of regulatory agencies, academics and stakeholders. 2. To establish an advisory body, including independent experts with a global perspective, to keep the committee's knowledge updated in its dealings with regulators. 3. To continue investigations on other relevant issues. 4. To make regular reports on their activities and the implementation of their recommendations.

Recommendation 2: Reform the crisis management system A fundamental reexamination of the crisis management system must be made. The boundaries dividing the responsibilities of the national and local governments and the operators must be made clear. This includes: 1. A reexamination of the crisis management structure of the government. A structure must be established with a consolidated chain of command and the power to deal with emergency situations. 2. National and local governments must bear responsibility for the response to off-site radiation release. They must act with public health and safety as the priority. 3. The operator must assume responsibility for on-site accident response, including the halting of operations, and reactor cooling and containment.

Recommendation 3: Government responsibility for public health and welfare Regarding the responsibility to protect public health, the following must be implemented as soon as possible: 1. A system must be established to deal with long-term public health effects, including stress-related illness. Medical diagnosis and treatment should be covered by state funding. Information should be disclosed with public health and safety as the priority, instead of government convenience. This information must be comprehensive, for use by individual residents to make informed decisions. 2. Continued monitoring of hotspots and the spread of radioactive contamination must be undertaken to protect communities and the public. Measures to prevent any potential spread should also be implemented. 3. The government must establish a detailed and transparent program of decontamination and relocation, as well as provide information so that all residents will be knowledgable about their compensation options.

Recommendation 4: Monitoring the operators TEPCO must undergo fundamental corporate changes, including strengthening its governance, working towards building an organizational culture which prioritizes safety, changing its stance on information disclosure, and establishing a system which prioritizes the site. In order to prevent the Federation of Electric Power Companies (FEPC) from being used as a route for negotiating with regulatory agencies, new relationships among the electric power companies must also be established--built on safety issues, mutual supervision and transparency. 1. The government must set rules and disclose information regarding its relationship with the operators.

2. Operators must construct a cross-monitoring system to maintain safety standards at the highest global levels. 3. TEPCO must undergo dramatic corporate reform, including governance and risk management and information disclosure--with safety as the sole priority. 4. All operators must accept an agency appointed by the National Diet as a monitoring authority of all aspects of their operations, including risk management, governance and safety standards, with rights to on-site investigations.

Recommendation 5: Criteria for the new regulatory body The new regulatory organization must adhere to the following conditions. It must be: 1. Independent: The chain of command, responsible authority and work processes must be: (i) Independent from organizations promoted by the government (ii) Independent from the operators (iii) Independent from politics. 2. Transparent: (i) The decision-making process should exclude the involvement of electric power operator stakeholders. (ii) Disclosure of the decision-making process to the National Diet is a must. (iii) The committee must keep minutes of all other negotiations and meetings with promotional organizations, operators and other political organizations and disclose them to the public. (iv) The National Diet shall make the final selection of the commissioners after receiving third-party advice. 3. Professional: (i) The personnel must meet global standards. Exchange programs with overseas regulatory bodies must be promoted, and interaction and exchange of human resources must be increased. (ii) An advisory organization including knowledgable personnel must be established. (iii) The no-return rule should be applied without exception. 4. Consolidated: The functions of the organizations, especially emergency communications, decision-making and control, should be consolidated. 5. Proactive: The organizations should keep up with the latest knowledge and technology, and undergo continuous reform activities under the supervision of the Diet.

Recommendation 6: Reforming laws related to nuclear energy Laws concerning nuclear issues must be thoroughly reformed. 1. Existing laws should be consolidated and rewritten in order to meet global standards of safety, public health and welfare. 2. The roles for operators and all government agencies involved in emergency response activities must be clearly defined. 3. Regular monitoring and updates must be implemented, in order to maintain the highest standards and the highest technological levels of the international nuclear community. 4. New rules must be created that oversee the backfit operations of old reactors, and set criteria to determine whether reactors should be decommissioned.

Recommendation 7: Develop a system of independent investigation commissions A system for appointing independent investigation committees, including experts largely from the private sector, must be developed to deal with unresolved issues, including, but not limited to, the decommissioning process of reactors, dealing with spent fuel issues, limiting accident effects and decontamination.

Bill Johnson Ousted as Duke Energy CEO Due To Nuke Problem

Bill Johnson

Bill Johnson was unexpectedly replaced Jim Rogers in the just completed merger between Duke Energy and Progress Energy.  Johnson was CEO of Progress and Rogers is Duke's CEO.  Johnson’s ability to lead was probably called into question over his handling of repairs at Progress’s Crystal River 3 nuclear reactor in Florida. 

Crystal River 3 Nuclear Power Plant Problem

About three months after the proposed acquisition by Duke was announced, Progress disclosed unexpected damage to the reactor’s containment building while crews were repairing an earlier crack. There were reports last year that Progress engineers further damaged the facility by attempting to fix cracks in its concrete shell by themselves.  According to the newly merged company, resolving the cost of the repairs to be covered by insurance, shareholders and utility customers will be the company’s third priority after cutting costs and improving efficiency as the two companies combine operations.

Crystal River 3 Nuclear Plant

The 860-megawatt Crystal River nuclear power plant, in Citrus County, was shut down in September 2009 when workers discovered a series of cracks after cutting a hole in the plant's concrete containment building. The hole was cut in order to replace the plant's aging steam generators. Moreof cracks in the concrete containment building were later discovered and Progress officials have said the unit won't restart until 2014 at the earliest. Progress' Florida utility has been expected to announce this month whether it will repair the damaged reactor or shut it down. The cost of the difficult repair has been estimated at between $900 million and $2.5 billion.

Crack in Containment Dome Along Larger Rebar

Duke Energy will probably seek a relicensing permit for Crystal River, which means extending the life of the plant from 2016 to 2036. Of course, Duke Energy will spend $1-$2 billion to fix the damaged nuclear plant. But the company still lacks an explicit okay from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to run the plant until 2036.

Progress Energy Florida is owned by Progress Energy of Raleigh, which has now merged with Duke Energy of Charlotte.   (Bloomberg, 7/3/2012, Reuters, 7/4/2012, Tampa Bay Times, 12/4/2011)

Duke Eenrgy and Progress Energy Complete Merger

Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. and Progress Energy Inc. have completed their merger now valued at about $32 billion to form the nation’s largest electric company.  Duke CEO Jim Rogers,  has been named CEO of the new company. 

The combined company will serve about more than 7 million customers in North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Florida and South Carolina. Duke Energy’s more than $100 billion in assets include power plants in Central America and South America and a growing portfolio of wind and solar renewable energy projects in the U.S.

Adding Progress Energy’s regulated markets in the Carolinas and Florida increases the new company’s percentage of revenues from regulated electricity sales, a business in which profits are controlled by state regulators but largely assured. About 85 to 90 percent of the combined company’s revenues will come from its regulated business, compared to about 75 percent for Duke Energy before the merger. (Wash Post, 7/3/2012)

EPA Revises GHG Permitting Thresholds

EPA Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements Maintain Focus on Largest Emitters

Steps to streamline process will ease burden on state and local permitting authorities



The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will not revise greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting thresholds under the Clean Air Act. Today’s final rule is part of EPA’s common-sense, phased-in approach to GHG permitting under the Clean Air Act, announced in 2010 and recently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The final rule maintains a focus on the nation’s largest emitters that account for nearly 70 percent of the total GHG pollution from stationary sources, while shielding smaller emitters from permitting requirements. EPA is also finalizing a provision that allows companies to set plant-wide emissions limits for GHGs, streamlining the permitting process, increasing flexibilities and reducing permitting burdens on state and local authorities and large industrial emitters.

After consulting with the states and evaluating the phase-in process, EPA believes that current conditions do not suggest that EPA should lower the permitting thresholds. Therefore, EPA will not include additional, smaller sources in the permitting program at this time.

Today’s final rule affirms that new facilities with GHG emissions of at least 100,000 tons per year (tpy) carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) will continue to be required to obtain Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits. Existing facilities that emit 100,000 tpy of CO2e and make changes increasing the GHG emissions by at least 75,000 tpy of CO2e, must also obtain PSD permits. Facilities that must obtain a PSD permit, to include other regulated pollutants, must also address GHG emission increases of 75,000 tpy or more of CO2e. New and existing sources with GHG emissions above 100,000 tpy CO2e must also obtain operating permits.

EPA’s GHG permitting program follows the same Clean Air Act process that states and industry have followed for decades to help ensure that new or modified facilities are meeting requirements to protect air quality and public health from harmful pollutants. As of May 21, 2012, EPA and state permitting authorities have issued 44 PSD permits addressing GHG emissions. These permits have required new facilities, and existing facilities that make major modifications, to implement energy efficiency measures to reduce their GHG emissions.

The GHG Tailoring Rule will continue to address a group of six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The PSD permitting program protects air quality and allows economic growth by requiring facilities that trigger PSD to limit GHG emissions in a cost effective way. An operating permit lists all of a facility’s Clean Air Act emissions control requirements and ensures adequate monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting. The operating permit program allows an opportunity for public involvement and to improve compliance. (EPA)

More information

NC General Assembly Overrides Perdue Veto on Fracking

NC Fracking Bill Senate Bill 820


NC Shale Gas Potential


NC Fracking Counties & Zip Codes

Bev Perdue

North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Monday overrode Democratic Governor Bev Perdue's veto of a bill that would authorize hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, to get at natural gas deposits.


The gas-drilling process will be authorized in North Carolina after the House voted late Monday night 72-47 in favor of overriding her veto. The margin Republican-controlled Senate was just enough to meet the 60-percent majority required for overrides. Senators voted 29-13 earlier in the day.


Larger Map

Perdue issued the veto Sunday, saying she objected to the bill based on environmental and other concerns.

The measure directs a state panel and other agencies to develop rules and regulations for the process to drill and collect the natural gas by October 2014. The legislature would have to sign off at a later date before actual permits could be issued.

The greatest potential for fracking in North Carolina appears to be with shale deposits in the Piedmont, including Stokes County, and the Sandhills. There were protests against the bill in Stokes and Rockingham counties.  (Winston-Salem Journal, 7/3/2012)

EPA Rules and Sulfur Dioxide

Flue Gas Desulfurization by URS

A number of regulations are set to target SO₂ emissions, including the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and the SO₂ National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). In addition, SO₂ is important to consider when preparing for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS), as it is a surrogate for acid gas hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).

With so many regulations in the mix, it seems as though SO₂ is an all-encompassing concern in the scope of emissions control. If a utility can get a solid control on SO₂, other air toxins will be controlled.

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. Wet flue-gas desulfurization (FGD), dry FGD, dry sorbent injection (DSI) and other technologies have been responsible for cutting SO₂ emissions by 57 percent between 1980 and 2008, according to the Edison Electric Institute.

Wet Scrubber

Inter-state SO2

CSAPR requires a total of 27 states to reduce annual SO₂ and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from power plants. CSAPR was stayed by a federal court in December but may be re-released this summer. More than three dozen lawsuits have been filed against CSAPR, accusing the rule of being one of the "most costly, burdensome and arbitrary" rules ever issued under the Clean Air Act.
Since the stay, EPA has released minor changes to the rule. The Final Revisions Rule revises state SO₂ and NOx budgets.

SO2 NAAQS: The One-hour Challenge

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 ppb.
The one-hour measurement of SO₂ raises a new set of challenges for utilities, especially compared to the previous standard, which allowed no more than 140 ppb over 24 hours. In contrast, many other EPA standards have concentration measurements taken over a span of eight hours, one day or even one year.

MATS: SO2 as Surrogate

One of the biggest overarching concerns for power generators is the recently finalized Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, EPA's first mandate in U.S. history to limit mercury emissions from coal-fired units. The rule will also curtail a number of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), including lead, arsenic, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and dioxins/furans. MATS control will require the power industry to reach compliance by 2015. Since SO₂ is a surrogate for HAPs, MATS could also introduce or reinforce a push toward SO₂ control installation.

MATS is EPA's replacement for the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), an interstate cap-and-trade program issued in 2005. EPA estimates that MATS will reduce mercury emissions from covered power plants by 91 percent, acid gas emissions by 91 percent and SO₂ emissions by 55 percent.

BART

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, including power plants. The EPA's presumptive BART emission limit for SO₂ is 0.15 lb/mmBtu, or 95 percent removal.

Flue Gas Desulfurization Scrubber

(Pollution Engineering, by Lindsay Morris, June 2012)

National Ambient Air Quality Standards Have Improved the Air

The first principle of the Clean Air Act (CAA) is defining what is, and what is not, clean air. This is accomplished numerically with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Compliance with the NAAQS is determined by monitoring air quality at stations all over the U.S and comparing the measured values to the standards. As seen in Figure 1, monitored concentrations of every pollutant measured (ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) have decreased since 1980. Particulate matter has been monitored nationally for a shorter period (since 1990 for PM10 and since 1999 for Pm².5) but also shows a downward trend. This data was normalized so that all pollutants would fit on the same scale. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) are not shown since there are no NAAQS for GHG and therefore no GHG non-attainment areas.

Cleaner air makes sense when you realize that the total tons of pollution emitted from factories, power plants, and other industrial sources has been cut by almost two-thirds, as shown in Figure 2. In addition, from 1990 to 2005, emissions of air toxics declined by approximately 42 percent. These reductions are the result of implementing stationary and mobile source regulations.

At the same time however, the total number of cities with "bad" air has not shown the same consistent downward trend. This is due to the EPA redefining "unhealthy" air. From 2003-2005, the number of nonattainment areas doubled. This does not mean that air quality became twice as bad. As required, EPA reexamines the NAAQS every five years and this dramatic uptick in the number of nonattainment areas is due to two actions by EPA. First, EPA shortened the ozone NAAQS averaging time from an 8-hour basis to a 1-hour basis. NAAQS with shorter averaging times are harder to meet. Secondly, EPA added particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (Pm².5) as a NAAQS pollutant.

EPA recently added 1-hour averaging periods to the NO2 and SO₂ NAAQS. When the nonattainment areas are designated for these new NAAQS in 2014-2015, another surge in nonattainment areas can be expected, without a causal increase in pollutant emissions or degradation of air quality.
The NAAQS aren't the only aspects of the CAA that works. The Acid Rain reduction program, emissions inventories, and Title V operating permits have also met their objectives of reducing pollution and better defining a source's emissions and responsibilities. Not so successful are Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD), Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), and Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). These programs have been riddled with errors, fraught with confusion, and haunted by legal delays. (Pollution Engineering, by Robyn Andracsek, June 2012)

Natural Gas Power Plants Appear To Be The Future

More than 250 gas-fired power plants are expected to come online between 2011 and 2015. 

A new EPA proposal would limit carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants to 1,000 pounds per MW. Since the average coal plant emits 1,768 pounds per MW, the new rule would essentially require all new power plants fueled with coal to install an expensive carbon capture and storage (CCS) system. The torrent of new rules essentially kills the prospect of building new coal-fired generation in the U.S. Gas-fired plants, which produce 800 to 850 pounds of carbon per MW, get a reprieve from CCS.

New gas-fired plants are not required to capture any of their carbon emissions. (Power Engineering, June 2012)

Veterans Jobs, Career and Training Program

Special Projects

The Center is in the process of implementing a Veterans Jobs, Career and Training (JCT) Program, which will provide jobs, training and careers in the energy sector.  Our immediate target is to create opportunities in the fracking and fracking related industries.  From the wellhead to trucking water to ecosystem remediation, the Center intends to assist veterans in gaining employment in this sector.

Center Special Projects Chairman Dr. George Sloan is heading up this project, which will be initiated in areas around Pennsylvania. 

Fracking includes numerous jobs.  There are also ancillary jobs, such as wastewater treatment plant positions and underground injection workers.  The Veterans JCT Program will include participation in fracking development from wellhead to pipeline.  Training will result in pipe fitter and OSHA certificate

The Center is establishing partnership to assure a successful program. This partnering will include industry, environmental groups, agencies and human resources-oriented organizations.  The training program will be at several different locations in the Marcellus Shale area and will result in a national-level certification to work in both natural gas and petroleum (oil rig) drilling.  There will be training for pipe fitters for natural gas utility supply companies. Graduates will be prepared to interview with local gas utility companies.

The Veterans JCT Program will include manufacturing/machinist training that will include apprenticeship placements for all graduates.  Center partners will include on-the-job training in the following areas: laboratory technicians, instrument technicians, field operations, engineers, drafting personnel, water quality sampling technicians and supervisory personnel.  These jobs are directly related to skills such as aircraft electricians, aircraft powerplant repair, electrical/avionics systems, telecommunications systems, satellite communications, electronic/electrical operations, engineering/construction, combat engineers, signals intelligence, data/communications maintenance, motor transport and plumbers. The program will also include truck driver training.

Stealing Grease

Thieves are stealing restaurant grease because they can get $3 per gallon for this product that is converted into biodiesel fuel.  Fairfax County, Virginia had eight grease/oil-theft reports in an eight-day stretch this month. 

One industry group, the National Renderers Association, estimates that 190 million pounds of used cooking oil — about 25 million gallons — is stolen each year. For comparison, the Exxon Valdez spilled about 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

Canola oil bubbles and sizzles at 350 degrees for a week before a restaurant dumps it into a  bin and lugs it outside. Bacon grease and charbroiled burger fat are scraped in as well.   Workers then cook it and spin it through a centrifuge at 40,000 revolutions per minute to remove the solids. Recyclers sell the cleaned-up grease as an ingredient in livestock feed or for biodiesel production. (Wash Post, 6/26/2012)

Federal Appeals Court Upholds EPA Authority on CO2

The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the Eenvironmental Protection Agency's (EPA) central 2009 finding that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide endanger public health and likely have been responsible for global warming over the past half century.

The opinion said the EPA

"marshaled substantial scientific evidence" to support its findings. The existence of some uncertainty does not, without more, warrant invalidation of an endangerment finding."

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2007 that the Clean Air Act not only gave the EPA such power, but obligated the agency to exercise it if greenhouse gases were found to be harmful.  After Mr. Obama's EPA followed up on the high-court ruling with new regulations, industry groups sued, saying there was too much uncertainty about global warming for the agency to act as it did.Tuesday's ruling flatly rejected that contention.

Electric Utilities that use coal believe that the Clean Air Act is ill-suited to handle issues like greenhouse gases, and that Congress should be the policy maker in this area.   The challengers could ask the full appeals court to rehear the case or seek Supreme Court review.

The court also upheld EPA rules that drew on its 2009 finding, including greenhouse-gas emissions standards for cars that took effect beginning with the 2012 model year. Unlike some other industries, auto makers support the Obama administration on the greenhouse-gas rules, saying it is easier to have a common national standard than to leave regulation to the 50 states, some of which would be likely to adopt their own rules if Washington didn't.

The ruling allows the EPA to move forward with additional efforts to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial sources. The EPA is now working to make final its first set of national limits on carbon dioxide from new coal-fired power plants. The standards, first proposed in March, are expected to make construction of new coal plants increasingly unlikely as power generators opt for natural gas. (WSJ, 6/26/2012)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission IG Report on Gregory Jaczko

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Inspector General report (Summary) on NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko has been completed.   It notes that senior executives and Jaczko’s fellow commissioners

“provided specific examples of what they perceived as intimidating and bullying tactics by Chairman Jaczko so that they would be influenced to side with the chairman’s opinion despite their own judgment.”


Jaczko announced his resignation in May following a tenure that included his four fellow NRC commissioners openly criticizing his behavior and management style, even complaining to the White House last year that he was causing “serious damage” to the agency.

The Center's brief interaction with Jaczko was not very positive and we join with the other NRC commissioners in delighting at his departure. (The Hill, 6/25/2012)

Allegheny County Implementing New Air Quality Policy

An Allegheny County Board of Health committee has agreed on more protective, public health-based guidelines.The proposed guidelines would be used to evaluate the human health impacts of toxic emissions from new or significantly modified industrial sources. Existing sources would not be subject to the guidelines but their emissions would be factored into health risk calculations based on cumulative impact of all air toxics emissions.

The five-page air toxics policy document, produced after two years of meetings and compromise by a 22-member ad hoc committee of industry, environmental and regulatory representatives, will be offered for adoption at the Health Board's meeting July 11.

The new policy mandates use of the best available information about toxic chemical exposure and takes into account cumulative impacts of multiple exposures to protect public health.  If approved, the new air toxics guidelines will replace the county's 1988 guidelines, which contain no exposure limits and have never been updated to reflect new chemical toxics or science.

The county Health Department receives 20 to 50 installation permit applications a year from industries that emit air toxics and thus would be subject to review and analysis under the new guidelines.

The county Health Department will require new and expanding industrial facilities to analyze both the cancer-causing and non-cancer-causing health risks produced by their emissions in combination with the emissions from existing sources.


If the risk of cancer-causing health effects beyond an industrial facility's fence line, known as the Maximum Individual Carcinogenic Risk (MICR), is less than 1 in 100,000, the Health Department will approve the facility's permit. If the cumulative risk is greater than 1 in 10,000, the Health Department will not grant an operating permit.


If the MICR is more than 1 in 100,000 but less than 1 in 10,000, the Health Department will require additional emissions modeling and testing. It also could require the facility to conduct ambient air monitoring, install additional pollution controls to reduce toxic emissions or offset new air toxics increases by reducing emissions at other nearby industrial operations.

Air toxics are defined in the policy as pollutants that can cause cancer or other serious health effects, including reproductive problems, birth defects, respiratory illnesses or neurological problems, or emissions that "cause adverse environmental effects that are predictive of adverse human health consequences."  (Post-Gazette, 6/25/2012)

Japan's Nuclear Catastrophe Vicitms Seek Compensation

The Fukushima Daiichi plant catastrophe contaminated a broad circle of Japanese countryside and left hundreds of thousands of people without homes, jobs or both.  Victims of the nuclear crisis have filed about 20 lawsuits against plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., according to the company. 

The vast majority of victims of the Fukushima accident turn to one of two other options, one led by Tepco, the other by the central government — the two institutions most often blamed for the nuclear accident. 

More than nine of 10 evacuees who say the disaster harmed them have taken their claims directly to Tepco. Those who don’t want to deal with Tepco or who reject the company’s compensation offer can head to a government-created mediation center, which was established by law after the nuclear accident. Neither route, legal experts say, offers victims much leverage.

Tepco’s average payout to individuals is $24,000, according to company data.  The company has agreed to give anyone who at the time of the accident was living within 12 miles of the plant — the forced-evacuation zone — monthly payments of $1,250 to $1,500 as compensation for “non-economic damage,” or mental anguish. No end date has been set for the payments.  Evacuees may also be reimbursed for hotel stays in the aftermath of the crisis — but only up to $100 per night (the company hasn’t specified a limit on the number of nights).

For victims who want to file lawsuits, options are limited. That’s because of a special Japanese nuclear-accident law, drafted 51 years ago, that limits liability to the plant operator, preventing claimants from targeting, say, reactor manufacturers such as Toshiba or General Electric.

Almost 120,000 individuals have applied directly to Tepco for the initial round of compensation.  The company has reached settlement agreements in 102,000 of those cases and has since sent out the second and third batches as well, covering additional damages. Tepco estimates that it will be responsible, in the end, for at least $32 billion in compensation. 

The government last month gave Tepco a $12 billion bailout, putting it under state control

Lawyers who run the Dispute Reconciliation Committee, the government center that mediates between victims and Tepco, say they are counting on the company to satisfy most of the claimants, if only because the center could be “paralyzed” if too many come to it for help.  Already, about 500 victims a month come to the center, which has offices in Tokyo and Fukushima and settles 30 to 70 cases a month. Officials expect it will take three to five years for most claims to be resolved. (Wash Post, 6/25/2012)

EPA Awarding $2.7 Million to Revitalize Urban Waters

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced it is awarding $2.7 million to 46 organizations in 32 states and Puerto Rico to help restore urban waters, support community revitalization and protect Americans’ health. Nancy Stoner made the announcement today in Atlanta and awarded a grant to the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper organization. The group will use the funds to expand its Water Watch program to improve water quality and human health in local metro Atlanta neighborhoods.

EPA’s Urban Waters program funding supports communities’ efforts to access, improve and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land. Urban waters include canals, rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays and oceans in urbanized areas. The grants range from $30,000 to $60,000 for projects across the country, including in a number of underserved communities. Recipients will promote the restoration of urban waters through community engagement and outreach, water quality monitoring and studies, and environmental education and training. To view a list of the projects 

Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by sewage, runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, economic, recreational, employment and social opportunities in nearby communities. By promoting public access to urban waterways, EPA will help communities become active participants in restoring urban waters while improving and protecting their neighborhoods.

EPA’s Urban Waters program supports the goals and principles of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, a partnership of 12 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community‐led revitalization efforts.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership closely aligns with and advances the work of the White House’s place‐based efforts, including the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, to revitalize communities, create jobs and improve the quality of life in cities and towns across the nation. The Urban Waters Federal Partnership also advances the work of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.

Information on EPA’s Urban Waters Program

Information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership
 

Center Considering Helicopter Surveillance Program

Sikorsky S-55 Whisperjet

Special Projects Chairman Doc Sloan operated a helicopter program a decade ago in the wake of the 911 terrorist attacks.  Doc Sloan was marketing the Sikorsky S-55 Whisperjet to municipalities as a surveillance tool because of its special feature: an unbreakable glass floor.

Center President Norris McDonald took a ride on the copter in 2003 from National Airport to areas around Washington, DC (approved copter airspace).  McDonald, who has taken several helicopter lessons, notes that the advantage of this helicopter is that you can look straight down, whereas in the average helicopter, there is more of a forward looking view.

Doc Sloan

The Center is examining the feasibility of utilizing the helicopter to supplement its programs.  Of particular interest is locating undocumented waste sites.  We could also utilize infrared scanning to measure thermal pollution from sewer and other outfalls.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses an airplane, the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft that is capable of remotely detecting chemicals and radiation using an array of state-of-the-art chemical and radiological detectors, high resolution digital photography, video and GPS technology combined with sophisticated software applications.
 
The Center would be interested in examining the feasibility of supplementing the EPA program.

EPA Proposes Updates For 2010 Cement Standards

EPA Proposes Updates and Deadline Extension for 2010 Cement Standards

Proposal would maintain significant air toxic reductions, while making cost-effective changes to provide greater flexibility for industry

In response to a federal court ruling and data from industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing changes to its 2010 air standards for the Portland cement manufacturing industry. The proposal would continue the significant emission reductions from the 2010 standards while providing industry additional compliance flexibilities, including more time to implement the proposed updates by extending the compliance date for existing cement kilns from September 2013 to September 2015.  

In December 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit determined that EPA’s standards were legally sound, but asked the agency to account for rules finalized after the cement standards were issued. The proposed updates to certain emissions limits, monitoring requirements and compliance timelines – which are expected to result in additional cost savings for industry - are being made in response to this court remand and petitions for reconsideration of EPA’s 2010 final rule, which will dramatically cut emissions of mercury, particle pollution (PM), and other air toxics from cement production.

Based on new technical information, EPA is proposing to adjust the way cement kilns continuously monitor for particle pollution and would set new particle pollution emissions limits and averaging times to account for these changes. The proposed rule would not apply to kilns that burn non-hazardous solid waste; those kilns would be covered by other standards. The proposed extended compliance date would allow industry to reassess their emission control strategies in light of the proposed changes to the PM limits and monitoring methods.

EPA will accept comment on the proposed changes for 30 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. The agency will hold a public hearing if requested to do so. EPA will finalize the rule by December 20, 2012. (EPA)

More information

IG & GAO Review Powder River Basin Coal Leasing

The non-competitive nature of the federal coal leasing program is being reviewed by the Interior Department’s Inspector General and also will be the subject of an audit by the Government Accountability Office, according to officials at the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the leasing program.

Currently, a mining company draws up a proposed area for leasing, and the Interior Department’s BLM auctions it off to that same firm.  This is the rule rather than the exception in the country’s single biggest coal producing region. In the 26 coal leases the federal government has awarded in southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming since 1991, 22 have gone to a single bidder. In the other four instances, there were only two bidders involved.

Powder River Basin Coal

On Thursday, the BLM will auction off the right to extract 721.2 million tons of coal from Wyoming’s North Porcupine tract in a region known as the Powder River Basin. Barring an unforeseen development, there will be one bidder for the lease: Peabody Energy, which bought the lease to mine 402 million tons on the adjacent tract in May.

In 1983, the GAO concluded that the BLM auctioned off lease rights there for $100 million below their fair market value.

Interior and mining industry officials said the lack of competition stems from the fact that there are only four major coal companies operating in the Powder River Basin, and mining equipment is so large and expensive that firms confine themselves to one place. The reason why a single company sometimes bids on a tract for leasing is that the company, which already has the existing infrastructure in place, is bidding on the adjacent parcel to their existing leased parcel. BLM oversees mineral rights for nearly 700 million acres of federal land.

Powder River Basin Coal

Four coal companies operate in the region — Peabody, Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal and Cloud Peak Energy.  They are reperesented by the National Mining Association.

Coal companies are complying with federal rules. The BLM establishes a secret floor price for each lease and withholds mineral rights if bidders fail to meet it. BLM is the one who determines the price.

The Powder River Basin supplies 44 percent of the nation’s coal and 47 percent of the coal in the United States used for electricity.

The economic future of the Powder River Basin may depend on whether it can export its coal overseas, where it can sell for more than six times what it costs to mine. All four firms there predict a rise in exports and support building new shipping terminals in the Pacific Northwest. Environmental groups are hoping to block those terminals, just as they oppose the lease auction that the BLM plans to hold Thursday. (Wash Post, 6/24/2012)

Interior Extends Comment Period For Fracking Rule

The Interior Department is extending the public comment period on draft rules to regulate oil-and-gas "fracking" by 60 days, "to ensure that the public and key stakeholders, including industry and public health groups, are able to provide important feedback that will help inform any final rule."  Interior’s Bureau of Land Management had initially required comments by July 10 on the regulations that will govern the oil-and-gas development method called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on public lands.

Interior floated draft rules in May that require industry disclosure of chemicals used in the fracking process. The draft rules also address well integrity and management of so-called flowback water.

Interior plans to finalize the regulations by the end of the year.

Fracking involves high-pressure injections of water, chemicals and sand into shale formations to open seams that enable hydrocarbons to flow. The method is enabling a natural gas production boom in the United States, but is bringing fears of pollution along with it. (The  Hill, 6/22/2012)

Chesapeake Energy Names New Chairman & Board Members

Chesapeake Energy Corporation appointed Archie W. Dunham, the former chairman of ConocoPhillips as its new independent chairman, along with naming four new independent directors to its reconstituted nine-member board.

Mr. Dunham, who formerly also served as chief executive of Conoco, succeeds Aubrey K. McClendon, who remains a director and will continue to serve as Chesapeake's CEO and president.

The board has faced tough scrutiny since it emerged in April that Mr. McClendon has secured loans for more than $1 billion from financial firms that do business with Chesapeake, pledging his stakes in the company's wells as collateral.

The company, which produces more natural gas than any U.S. company after Exxon Mobil Corp.,  has been beset in recent months by decade-low prices for its principal product and a string of governance controversies.

Days before its June 8 annual meeting, the embattled natural gas giant agreed to shuffle its board and allow activist investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management Inc. to appoint four new members.

New Directors

• Archie W. Dunham, 73, is the retired chairman of ConocoPhillips.
• Bob G. Alexander, 78, is the founder of Alexander Energy Corp.
• Vincent J. Intrieri, 55, has been employed by Icahn related entities since 1998.
• R. Brad Martin, 60, is former chairman and CEO of Saks Inc.
• Frederic M. Poses, 69, is the CEO of Ascend Performance Materials.

Southeastern, Chesapeake's largest holder with a 13.9% stake, has appointed three new members: Bob G. Alexander, R. Brad Martin and Frederic M. Poses.

Mr. Icahn, who owns 7.6%, has appointed his own agent, Vincent Intrieri, to the board. (WSJ, 6/21/2012)