EM530 – Unit 3 February 19, 2012 Welcome!!

Administrative Issues? Do you have any items that need to be clarified/explained?

Class Application of a Risk Assessment: What concerns do you see with this operation? CAP

Environmental Topics Overview Air Pollution Water Resources Energy Solid Waste Hazardous Waste

1967 – Air Quality Act (control sources of air pollution) 1970 – Clean Air Act 1977 – Clean Air Act Amendments (3 parts) –New/existing sources prohibited from exceeding ambient air quality standards usually implemented through State Implementation Programs (SIPs) –New sources required more stringent technology –Specific pollution problems (hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) & visibility) 1990 – Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) (190 Chemicals) –Revamped HAPs; added new air pollution problems; Title IV introduced “trading program”; i.e. air credit concept; 4th category – permitting requirements; Mobile Source Emission Standards Primary air pollutants – chemical released into the air due to the processes (SOx, NOx, CO, VOCs, etc ) Secondary air pollutants – chemical compound created while airborne, i.e. smog What issues caused this proliferation of air regulations/policies? CAP Air Pollution

Water Resources: Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) 1974 Original SDWA : Established national standards for public drinking water; underground injection wells; sole source aquifers 1986 Amended (Perception by Congress EPA acting “too slow”) –EPA to establish maximum contamination level (MCL) for 83 contaminants in three years –25 additional contaminants every 3 years thereafter; monitoring of unregulated contaminants were established 1996 SDWA Amendments –Consumer “ Right to Know” requirements –Funding for state and local water systems –Eliminated requirement to regulate additional 25 contaminants every 3 years 2002 – Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act –Vulnerability Assessments Global impact of dwindling water resources – United Nations website Point source pollution – can point a finger at exactly where contamination is coming from; non-point pollution – stormwater run-off What water resource do you believe needs to be risked first? Why? CAP

Today’s “Alternative” Energy – Tomorrow’s Energy “Standard”? Renewable (naturally replenished) energy, i.e. solar power, wind, & geothermal “Straddlers”: Biofuels, Fuel Cells, Nuclear, Hydropower Non-renewable (once taken – never to be replaced) energy: fossil fuels, coal, natural gas What do you think is needed to link these things together? CAP

What is Waste Defined As? “Contained in Principle” – media that contains listed waste is regulated as hazardous waste (HW) “Solid waste (SW)” – generally applied to recycling, reuse and reclamation activities (i.e. household waste) “Derive from rule” – waste generated from Temporary Storage Disposal (TSD) site Used oil – not listed as HW unless TCLP says otherwise –TCLP = toxic characteristics leaching procedure ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity “Universal Waste” – NiCd (nickel-cadmium) batteries, returned pesticides, Hg (mercury) thermostats, fluorescent lamps “Mixture Rule” – HW & SW Radioactive Waste Medical Waste Hazardous waste – media containing “x” amount of pre-identified chemicals

Hazardous Waste 1976 – Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) –Applies to ACTIVE facilities! (CERCLA applies to inactive/abandoned facilities) CERCLA = Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act 1984 – Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (RCRA Amendments) –Waste minimization implemented –National land disposal ban program –EPA determined whether to prohibit disposal of RCRA HW or not –EPA required to promulgate regs to establish levels/methods of treatment (waste pretreatment program) 1992 – Federal Facility Compliance Act – 10 sections that amended RCRA, waiver of sovereign immunity, personal liability of federal employees, application to public vessels, waste munitions, rad mixed waste, etc 1997 – Military Munitions Rule passed

Hazards of the Job

Unit 3 Summary BRIEF highlights of several environmental medias that are of concern to us today. Further interest, consider these informational avenues… –Air: Bhopal, India case study ( –Water Resources: Robert D. Kaplan’s article, “The Coming Anarchy” ( anarchy/4670) –Energy: the movie, “Fuel”: –Waste: Mt Everest and air bottles ( problems-efforts-save-mount-everest-5004.html) Any questions/concerns? I’ll be online afterwards... Thank you & have a good week! “See” you on February 19, 2012