A&WMA September 1998 Newsletter

Upcoming Events - Mark Your Calendars! Mr. Steve Mahfood
Director, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Tuesday, October 13, 1998

Risk Management Program - Panel Discussion
"Community Implementation and Process"
Tuesday, November 17, 1998

Be looking in your mail for postcard-sized notice on location and time.

CHAIR'S PERSPECTIVE

It's hard to believe that 1997/1998 year has already passed, summer is quickly coming to an end and the 1998/1999 year is beginning. This year A&WMA has many projects ahead of us, but before I begin discussing them, I would like to take this moment to thank the past Chair, Dave McClellan, for his time and effort with this organization. I also would like to thank the past Board of Directors, Ed Paschal and Bill Lemire, who have decided to allow other A&WMA members to serve on the Board. I have enjoyed working with them and look forward to working with our newly-elected Board Members, Jim Myers, Courtney Sanford, Mike Zlatic, and newly-elected Secretary, Dennis Dubitsky. Juggling work, home and A&WMA volunteer work, among other activities, is not an easy task and I greatly appreciate everyone's efforts in the past and all the help for the work to come.

There has been a lot of activity this summer. We started the summer by attending officer training. Many of you may not be aware that A&WMA International organization provides training for incoming officers. Dennis Hu and I had the opportunity to visit A&WMA's Headquarters in Pittsburgh for the 1998 Incoming Officer training session in May which began Friday afternoon and ended Sunday morning. Although majority of our weekend was spent in training, we were able to meet the International staff as well as other Section and Chapter Officers. There were many discussions occurring throughout the training among the Sections and Chapters. The training provided a good forum for the exchange of information between organizations. We were able to bring this information and experience back to our own Board to help us in further developing our organization and providing better service to our members. The Incoming Officer training was very informative and an important training for anyone holding an officer position. We learned a lot about this organization and I hope to share details of the training in future A&WMA newsletters. This year will be an extremely busy year for our organization. Unlike most other years, our Section will be hosting the Annual A&WMA International meeting in St. Louis beginning June 20 and ending on June 24, 1999. There have been many meetings over the past year to prepare for this major event. Richard Edwards of Monsanto is the Chair for the St. Louis 1999 Annual Committee. He has played an active role in organizing the various subcommittees and continues to work very closely with them and International. We are expecting over 6,000 in attendance so as you can see there will be plenty to do. We are always looking for help and if you would like to participate, please contact Richard Edwards or any of the Board of Directors. Don't forget to mark your calendar!

Independent of the 1999 Annual Committee meetings, the local St. Louis A&WMA Board of Directors has met monthly during the summer to develop this year's goals for our organization and to plan our monthly meetings for the upcoming year. This year we are focusing on improving our service to our members, increasing our membership, and being a facilitator in educating our surrounding communities on environmental issues. To achieve this, the Board established three committees to work on these specific tasks. The first committee organized was the Newsletter Committee with Jim Myers appointed as the Editor. As you can see our newsletter has changed. This committee has worked diligently to prepare a new template for the newsletter, dedicate its time to compiling the content, and provide environmental issues appropriate to our membership. Of course, we welcome any suggestions that you may have regarding our newsletters. Since this organization is comprised of diverse background and experience, we hope to make our newsletter a source of environmental information and a means to exchange information. We encourage you to submit articles for the newsletter and any support that you can provide is greatly appreciated.

The second committee formed was the Education Committee led by Dennis Hu. This committee will help organize a training program for the local St. Louis teachers. The program is designed to assist in training teachers to teach environmental awareness to their students at all education levels, Kindergarten through 12 th grade. Fortunately, International has already developed the curriculum and the course materials to provide to our teachers which permits us to spend most of our time organizing and scheduling the training. The committee's plan is to pilot one teacher's workshop. The workshop will be limited to several grades at one school district. This will give us experience in the training process and will allow us to evaluate the program and make changes where necessary before we roll out the training to other school districts.

The third committee organized was the Membership Committee which is led by Cynthia Pavelka. The obvious goal is to increase the membership, but we will direct our attention to increasing the student membership. We are proposing to create a student chapter within our section and plan to organize the first one at Rolla, Missouri.

Aside from the committee projects, the Board of Directors has identified other projects to tackle. One project that I want to mention is the project of developing our own home page. A proposal has been presented to our board for us to evaluate the possibility of providing to our members the membership directory electronically. There are benefits to providing this service such as reducing the cost of printing the directory and having the ability to make changes to our address immediately and reflecting the current status via the internet. However, there are some concerns. Some of our members may not have access to the internet and will need to have the directory distributed to them. We realize it may not be easy to resolve all concerns, but we would like to hear them and work to resolve those concerns before our time is spent developing the homepage. So, please contact us. Tell us your thoughts.

As you can see, our plate is full! I cannot stress enough the importance of your participation in this organization. Not only do we need members to help with these committees but we also need the help for the Annual meeting in June 1999. So far, it has been fun working with the Board of Directors and other A&WMA members. I think we have a very energetic group and with your help we can achieve our goals this year. We certainly welcome your participation and hope that you can be part it of this year's activities.

Chair
Bernadette Hoffmeister

A&WMA Greater St. Louis Member Survey The local board this year is making exciting changes to our local section. Your input is vital and imperative to help build our organization that serves you. Enclosed is a survey with respect to our monthly meetings and newsletters. Please complete the survey and with fax or mail to the following address. Members that complete the survey by October 15 will be entered in a drawing to win a A&WMA coffee mug.

Please return survey to: Cynthia Pavelka
Ralston Purina Co., Checkerboard Square 2B, St. Louis, MO 63164
Fax: (314)982-4199

A. Member's Primary Business:

Industry
Consultant/Contractor
Government
Law Firm
Utility Company
Pollution Control Equipment Manu./Dist.
Institute/University
Other (Please specify)________________________

B. Newsletter Content:
1. Number of Newsletters per Year (last year had 9 printings)

2 - 4
5 - 7
8 - 10

2. Newsletter Sections - Most interest (please pick top five (5)
of interest)

Feature Technical Articles
Who's Who in Greater St. Louis
Regulatory News
Professional Development Programs
Local Regulatory News
Local Officers/Board Reports
Compliance Schedule
A&WMA International News
Using the Internet
Agency Organization & Contacts

3. Length of Newletter - Excluding Advertisements (Last year
2-4, 8 1/2 x 11 sized, pages)

2 - 4
4 - 6
6- 8
9- 12

C. Meeting Content:
1. Environmental Areas - Most Interest (please rank by
preference, High = 1, Low = 5)

Air
Water/Wastewater
Stormwater
Hazardous/Solid Waste
Toxic & Hazardous Materials
C. Meeting Content (cont.):
2. Topic Preferences - Most Interest (please pick top five(5)
of interest)

Regulatory/Permitting
Env. Management/Compliance Audits
Treatment Technologies
Soil/Groundwater Remediation
Pollution Prevention
Risk Assessments/Risk Management
Ambient Air Quality Programs/Modeling
Inside Air Quality
Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management
Hazardous Waste Management
Municipal & Medical Waste Management
Wetlands/Endangered Species

D. Meetin Logistics:
1. Time of Day - Preference

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Afternoon (4-6)
2. Overall Length of Meeting - (Currently 90 min.)

More Technical Presentation Time
Less Technical Presentation Time
More Network Time
Less Network Time
3. Meeting Announcement - Preference

Monthly Newsletter
Post Card
E-mail
Fax
Combination (Please list:____________________)
4. Location - Preference

Same place each month
Rotate each month to different metro area (e.g.
Downtown, North County)

Please provide Names of Restaurant or Establishments
Preferred:_______________________________________
______________________________________________
Other Comments:_________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

September Meeting
St. Louis 2004 Action Plan - The Environmental Regulatory Steps

St. Louis 2004 represents a movement to redevelop property in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. The over-all objectives of this effort are to sustain economic growth and improve the quality of life in the area, making St. Louis a prosperous area to live and work in for the 21st century. The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) plays a key role in meeting these objectives. Our guest speaker for the September 22nd meeting is Mr. Eric J. Klipsch of the SLDC.

Mr. Klipsch has been with SLDC for more than six years and is responsible for all contracting phases of evaluating and remediating environmentally-impacted properties held by the SLDC. His experience includes input on State and Federal legislation dealing with environmental and demolition issues. Mr. Klipsch has interactive communication with other states and companies involved with demolition and environmental techniques used on vacant and underutilized property. Through the Voluntary Cleanup Program, some of the properties Mr. Klipsch has worked with in the St. Louis area include the Arena, Carondelet Coke, City Hospital/Malcolm Bliss and the Laclede Town property. He is also responsible for managing the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority's $200,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Initiative Grant, including site selection, environmental testing plans, contracts, and community involvement.

The presentation will examine how the redevelopment of abandoned and underutilized properties throughout the St. Louis area is affected by environmental regulations or policies. Highlights of the final guidance on Cleanup Levels for Missouri, otherwise known as CALM, to be used by property owners in the Voluntary Cleanup Program will be discussed. Regulations concerning asbestos remediation and storage tank removal will also be presented. Mr. Klipsch will also discuss how the city of St. Louis and the SLDC plan to support property owners who try to cleanup and redevelop brownfield sites.

Please join us on September 22nd at 11:30 at Windows On Washington in downtown St. Louis for what promises to be an interesting and informative meeting.
Luncheon Meal Cost is $18.00.

AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

To those who work in the environmental field, there seems to be a continual challenge to identify a particular contact within the respective regulatory agencies. In an effort to perhaps alleviate some of the confusion, the Board of Directors sensed that a Newsletter Department, which addressed "organizational charts" of relevant regulatory bodies, might be useful to and appreciated by the membership. Due to a familiarity with its structure, the Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) of St. Louis County's Department of Health (DOH) was chosen as the first candidate. DEP's programs range from air pollution control to waste management but also include industrial hygiene services, lead poisoning prevention, animal control, dairy control, plan review (for compliance with health and safety regulations), restaurant and swimming pool inspections, and vector (rat & mosquito) and weed control. In addition, DEP's Environmental Health Laboratory supports these programs by performing analyses of field samples for air pollution, industrial hygiene, milk, water, and daily pollen counts of aero-allergens.

Division of Environmental Protection
Conn B. Roden - Director
Chief Environmental Engineer - 314/854-6910
Michael J. Zlatic, PE, CHMM, QEP
Office Administrator - 314/854-6698
Mary Ann Tyra
Public Health Sanitation Branch 314/854-6900
Barry J. Drucker - Manager

Air Pollution Control Branch 314/854-6924
Christopher Byrne - Manager
Environmental Health Laboratory - 314/854-6324
Robert A. Nicolotti, PhD - Director
Waste Management Branch - 314/854-6958
Joan M. Bradford - Manager
Lead, Industrial Hygiene, & Noise Control
Branch 314/854-6905
Brenda Quarles - Manager
If it would be useful to continue this format (for
other regulatory agencies) in subsequent issues of
the Newsletter, please tell your editor.

Microbial Characterization and Identification for Bio-remediation
Provided by: Dr. Bruce Hemming
Microbe Inotech Laboratories

Although bacteria are small and simple, they have profound workings in the process of bioremediation. A microbiological laboratory that specializes in the environment can provide a high level of insight as well as significant test methodologies to evaluate and apply remediation. When evaluating soil and water samples for bioremediation feasibility many people are acquainted with or use the limited biological plate counts offered by analytical chemistry laboratories. A microbiological laboratory that specializes in the environment can provide a higher level of insight and more significant test methodologies when evaluating and applying bioremediation. In general, there are three major microbiological steps in a study to determine the feasibility of bioremediation for a specific site; establish viability by appropriate sampling; identify the microscopic players; and assess their abilities. When dealing with living organisms, close interaction with the laboratory is advisable and welcome, as environmental samples remain biologically representative for at most three or four days. On the other hand, most bacteria can be isolated and stored for years at ultra-cold temperatures. Neither you nor the microbiologist knows the bacterial population levels and diversity of bacterial types in your sample until they are examined. This first examination is typically the total heterotrophic plate count (TPC). After arrival of a soil sample-typically in a 4-oz. wide-mouth jar - a portion of the sample is placed in a sterile diluant usually as a four- or five-serial, one-part to nine-part dilution scheme. From each dilution a measured quantity of liquid is placed on the surface of a Petri plate containing a standard bacterial growth medium. This is known as a "spread plate". Each spread plate is then incubated at 86 �F (30 �C) for 24 hours. After 24 hours the bacteria on the plate have reproduced to form colonies that can be seen with the naked eye. The colonies are counted and the results recorded, after which the plates may be returned to the incubator for another 24 hours and counted again. Knowledgeable laboratories conduct this second reading for two purposes. First, it is at this 48-hour point that the colonies have become differentiated, much more so than at the 24 hour reading, and each displays a distinct colony morphology in terms of color, size, shape, and texture. The observable morphology is termed a "phenotype". There is a direct correlation between the number of phenotypes present and the diversity of strains in the sample. Second, a great number of disparities in the magnitude of the populations at 24 and 48 hours indicate typically one of two conditions. Either the strains are of slow-growing species, or they are recovering from the previous stress under which they may have been growing at the site. The stress may be a result either of nutrient deprivation or toxicity toward the organisms at the site. The TPC test does not determine which of the conditions exist, only that the organisms appear to be under such stress or some combination of the two.

Results of the TPC are reported as a number of colony-forming units (CFU's) per gram in the case of soil or per millimeter in the case of a water sample. This number is the average of the number of colonies read on each plate of this dilution series, and refers to the number of carbon-using (heterotrophic) bacteria. One CFU is theoretically equal to one bacterium in the original sample, and is an indicator of how lively or viable the site bacterial populations are. To provide perspective, a rich agricultural soil may have plate counts of between 10 9 to 10 12 CFU/g with perhaps as many as 13 or 14 different phenotypic colonies, whereas a bulk soil with little root mass to provide microbial nutrients may have plate counts closer to 10 7 . Gasoline- or diesel-contaminated site plate counts generally range from 10 6 to 10 4 CFU/g and exhibit only seven or eight different types of recoverable strains, with some soils providing only two or three different bacterial strains.

A strain is a unique member of a species of bacteria. Strains within a species have different abilities. The genus Pseudomonas has many species, including several that fluoresce yellow-green visible light when placed under a blacklight (long UV). Strains of one such species, Pseudomonas flourescens, often are recognized as degraders of hydrocarbons, but each strain (in similar fashion to a member of a human family) may or may not degrade a specific hydrocarbon. Certain species are recognized as having a greater likelihood of being degraders just as musical talent seems prevalent in some family lines. If a sample contains a fairly diverse, indigenous population, it probably contains some strains that are already successful at using the target contaminant. While each strain in a species has unique characteristics, it will have the same requirements within more narrowly defined ranges for nutrients, oxygen, and optimum growth temperature, as other members of the species will. Definition of the environmental parameters leads to the importance of identifying strains of the indigenous population. Bacterial species frequently have a definable habitat. Two microbial identification systems used as a hand-in-glove combination include a fully automated gas chromatographic analytical system that identifies bacteria based on their unique fatty acid profiles, and the Biolog microplate system that uses carbon-source pattern recognition. Because no subjective test is required in either of these methods the naming is highly objective and reproducible. Some microbiological laboratories have developed several tests for determining if and how well bioremediation can occur at a site. The first test is called the endpoint assay, which will indicate if any of the indigenous or purchased strains of bacteria isolated are able to use a chosen contaminant or carbon source. It also reveals how well these bacteria can use the carbon source compared to hundreds of other strains that have been tested. The endpoint assay uses the 96-well microtiter plate to give rapid testing with increased savings. In this test the microplate is loaded with a suspension of the isolated bacteria, the contaminant chosen, and media and water for the positive and negative controls. Each unknown and control is done in replicates of at least four wells for added accuracy. After 24 hours of incubation the plate is read in a microplate reader to determine the optical density of each of the wells. A dye in the wells turns purple if the bacteria are using the carbon source. The higher the optical density the better the strains are at consuming the contaminant. Data are reported in an easy-to-read bar chart. Various organic compounds and products typically tested in this system are shown in Table 1, in which the reagent-grade chemical or product is prepared as aqueous solution or in an appropriate solvent.

Table 1. Organic Substrates
Acetone	Ethanol	Nitrobenzene
Aminonapthalene	Fluorene	Phenanthrene
Benzene	Gasoline	Tetrachloroethylene
Carbon Tetrachloride	Jet Propellant No.4	Toluene
Chloroform	Methanol	1,1,1 Trichloroethane
Chrysene	Methyl Ethyl Ketone	Xylene
Crude oil	Methylene Chloride	Various Pesticides and
1,2 Dichloroethylene	MTBE	Herbicides
Diesel No. 2	Naphthalene

A second test, similar in design to the endpoint assay, is the hydrocarbon degradation kinetic assay, is used to screen and quickly characterize potential degraders for bioremediation uses. A third analysis is called the comparative population assay. This is a most probable number (MPN) test that gives the order of magnitude of the degrader populations. The 96-well plate also is used in this test. The comparative population assay differs from endpoint assay since a serial dilution of the soil or water sample is used directly in the plate along with the contaminant instead of the isolated strains. After 48 hours of incubation the plate is read in the microplate reader to determine the highest dilution at which growth is detected. This gives the MPN of the degrader populations. Also in the plate are positive growth control-wells to provide the TPC information. Data from this test are displayed in bar-chart form.

One of the most frequently requested set of tests is the bioremediation feasibility study. It is a straightforward series of the analyses described above that provide an objective evaluation of a site for bioremediation. The sample can be soil, water, or sludge. When the sample is received at the lab, it is immediately prepared for the TPC. Over the next 48 hours the Petri plates containing dilutions of the samples are incubated for optimum bacterial growth. It is at this time that the number of different types of bacteria in the soil or water is determined by colony morphology. The next step is isolation, in which each type of bacterial colony is picked using a sterile loop, and then "streaked" onto a new Petri plate. These plates are then incubated for 24 hours in order to produce sufficient quantities of the strain. The isolated strains of bacteria are then harvested for processing in the endpoint assay and for the identification by GC-FAME and Biolog. The endpoint assay tests the individual bacterial strains for their ability to use a specific substrate/contaminant as its only carbon source. This custom-designed test uses a negative control of water and a positive control of a nutrient broth. A report is generated showing the bacteria characteristics by the carbon source they can consume.

Bacteria capable of degrading toxic organic chemicals have been isolated from a variety of environmental sites, including aquatic systems, deep wells, terrestrial subsurface sties, and fuel tanks. The hydrocarbon degradation kinetic assay can be used to screen and quickly characterize potential degraders for bioremediation uses.

Environmental microbiology is creating many options to the older microcosm approach in aiding the establishment of viability, quality control, liability reduction, isolate identification, and to strain functional characterizations such as biodegradation of specific environmental toxicants.

Dr. Bruce Hemming, Microbe Inotech Laboratories in St. Louis, MO can be reached for question or comment at 344-3030

Address Change

Need to change your mailing address?

Please send all address, telephone and e-mail changes to:
Dennis Dubitsky, Secretary.
Fax: 298-6484
E-mail: ddubitsky@hussmann.com

Feedback

The Newsletter Committee wants your input. We want to know what you think of our new look and, as always, encourage you to share ideas for future issues. E-mail or call your Newsletter Committee:

Tom Maddox, Chair
Jim Myers, Editor
Cynthia Pavelka, Publisher
Joe Rubino
Bernadette Hoffmeister.

Who's Who

Welcome these new members to Greater St. Louis Section:

Brian Durrow, Contracts Manager, Onsite Environmental Staffing
Lannis Phillips, Compliance Deputy Dept. Mgr., MK Ferguson Co.
Susan Myers, Assoc. Proj. Atty/Env. Engr, Jacobs Engineering Group
Jill Bennett, Sr Env. Scientist;
Tiffany Luttrell, Diagraph Corporation
Gina Mangogna, Black & Veatch
Kim Frederick, NPN Environmental
Kevin Klipsch, ATC Associates
Gwenan Skoba
Ed Cox
Michele Lyerla, Waste Management Engr, Morrison Knudsen Group
Jeanine Arrighi, Director, Environmental Training Center
Elizabeth Algutifan, Health Physicist
Christopher Erker, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale PC
Ron Elder, Geological Engr, Burns & McDonnell
Curt Fahnestock
Doug Birkbeck, Sr Eng, Burns & McDonnell
Wendy Hacker, Client Services Coord., American Technical and Analytical Services
Faith Beckermann

Switch Jobs? Promotion? New in Town?

Tell us what's new with you. Please send maximum 20 word bio to Cynthia Pavelka (fax: 982-4199, e-mail: cpavelka@ralston.com).

LOCAL SECTION NEWS

by Cynthia Pavelka, Vice-Chair

Summary of Meeting Minutes

On May 20, 1998, the Greater St. Louis Section had a joint social gathering with the Gateway Society of Hazardous Materials Managers aboard the Huck Finn Riverboat. Annual elections of officers and board members were held. The 98/99 fiscal year officers elected are: Chair - Bernadette Hoffmeister; Vice-Chair - Cynthia Pavelka; Treasurer - Dennis Hu; and Secretary - Dennis Dubitsky. New directors elected to the board include Jim Myers, Mike Zlatic and Courtney Sandford. Dave McClellan was honored for all his efforts as chair over the last year. Sharon Kamp was honored for her dedication and efforts over the last several years to coordinate the newsletter.

The board of directors met three times over the summer to plan for the 98/99 fiscal year. The treasurer's report identified that the Section had a balance of approximately $24,000 with outstanding debts of approximately $2,000. Net income for the year was approximately $8,800. Majority of the income was from the 1997 BIF Conference ($5,860) and membership dues.

From successful past conferences that were hosted by the Section, such as the BIF Conference, the Section will also be receiving funds from International that are designated for educational purposes. An education plan was proposed and approved by International last year. The education committee will be implementing the plan this year.

Much discussion was held by the board regarding the newsletter, membership participation and monthly meetings. Three committees were formed to address these and other issues. They include membership, newsletter, and education. See individual committee reports for ongoing activities. Tim Venverloh provided the status for the Section to become incorporated as a non-profit organization. Only one more step is required for the IRS to approve the Section as a 501(c)(3) organization. A 98/99 business plan and budget will be developed for the next board meeting. Next board meeting to be held 10:30 am, September 22, at Windows on Washington prior to the general meeting. Members are welcome to attend. This writing is only a summary of the board meeting minutes. Please contact Dennis Dubitsky, secretary, for a complete copy.

Newsletter Committee Report

The main goal of the newsletter committee is to provide a better quality newsletter with more substance pertinent to our local members. To provide a quality and feasible newsletter, the Section is trying out a new format. Three newsletters will be published this year during the following months - September, December, & March. Meeting notices will be sent the remaining months via a post card. In addition to including regulatory and technical articles in the newsletter, department heads have been selected. The newsletter will also be placed on the Section's page of International's website (awma.org). Having a stand alone Section website is also being reviewed. The Committee wants your input. Please complete the enclosed survey.

Membership Committee Report

Looking for committee members to implement our Section's goals. Projects this year include 1) Organizing our members to help assist with the '99 Conference, 2) Increasing general meeting participation, and 3) Developing a student chapter in Rolla by working with the education committee. Please e-mail or call Cynthia Pavelka if you are interested in any of these projects.

EDUCATION CORNER

This upcoming year the St. Louis Section is looking forward to playing a more active role in promoting environmental education throughout the St. Louis area. During the upcoming 1999 Annual Meeting in June, the Section will be sponsoring a teacher training workshop utilizing the award-winning A&WMA Environmental Resource Guide (ERG) training material. This will be open to all primary and secondary teaching professionals and will provide them with ideas and actual lesson plans focusing on environmental themes to incorporate into their curriculum.

In addition, the Section will once again participate in the judging of the Greater St. Louis Monsanto/Post-Dispatch Science Fair this upcoming May. Each year, the Section awards three cash prizes, judged by active members, to students who participate in the Fair with submittals in the "Environmental" category. Last year's winners were: 1st Place: Eliv Gonzales, Compton Drew School; 2nd Place: Jennifer Kenning, Remington Traditional; 3rd Place: Joey Hassler, Hazelwood West Jr. High.

On a final note, the Education Committee would like to announce the establishment of a St. Louis Section Speakers Bureau. The goal: to provide speakers and resources for educational presentations to schools and other local organizations. This is an excellent opportunity for recognition within the community for yourself or your company. In addition, it provides a forum for industry, government, and academia to teach the community about environmental issues from each of their own perspectives. If you or your organization is interested in becoming part of the Bureau (volunteering anything from speaking appearances, to field trip or plant tours, to providing grants or other monetary gifts), please contact Dennis Hu or any other members of the Board.

If you are interested in becoming an active part of the Education Committee, please do not hesitate to contact the Section. We hope everyone had a pleasant summer and look forward to an exciting upcoming year.

Dennis J. Hu
Education Committee Chair

Modifications to the List of Regulated Substances Clean Air Act, Section 112(r)

Reprint of FACTSHEET EPA 550-F-98-012
April 1998
USEPA\Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

On January 31, 1994, the Environmental Protection Agency established a list of chemicals and threshold quantities that identify facilities subject to the risk management planning requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) section 112(r). The substances were listed because they have the potential to pose the greatest hazard to public health and the environment in the event of an accidental release. On August 25, 1997, and January 6, 1998, EPA published final rules modifying sections of the original rule (known as the List Rule) that listed covered chemicals and thresholds.

Background on the Original 1994 List Rule
Under the risk management program in section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act, facilities that handle certain hazardous substances must act to reduce the likelihood and severity of accidental chemical releases. To comply with section 112(r), facilities must conduct a hazard assessment, develop a prevention program, implement an emergency response program, and submit a summary of their program to EPA. Since these summaries, known as Risk Management Plans (RMPs), are to be made publicly available, communities will now be able to receive facility-specific information on potential hazards and the steps being taken to prevent accidents. EPA expects that this new information about accident prevention programs will foster community dialogue about chemical hazards. EPA believes this dialogue, as well as implementation of the facility prevention programs, will contribute to reducing the number and severity of chemical accidents. To determine which facilities would be required to implement a risk management program, EPA was required to develop an initial list of at least 100 substances that, in the event of an accidental release, could cause death, injury, or serious adverse effects to human health or the environment. If a facility has more than a threshold quantity of these substances in a process, then it must develop and implement a risk management program. Facilities must submit their summaries, or RMPs, by June 21, 1999. The list EPA published in 1994 (40 CFR 68.130) included 77 acutely toxic substances, 63 flammable gases and volatile flammable liquids, and Division 1.1 high explosive substances as listed by the Department of Transportation. The List Rule established a threshold quantity for each listed substance and established procedures for making a threshold determination. Recent modifications to the rule have deleted or exempted certain substances and clarified sections of the rule.

What Has Changed?
On August 25, 1997, and January 6, 1998, EPA modified the List Rule as follows:

Modification of hydrochloric acid listing. EPA removed hydrochloric acid solutions at concentrations of less than 37% hydrogen chloride. Solutions of 37% or greater remain on the list.

Deletion of explosives. In response to actions taken by the explosives industry, EPA deleted Division 1.1 explosives (high explosives). The explosives industry developed and will implement new safety practices, including actions to enhance coordination between explosives facilities and emergency planners. As a result, EPA concluded that current regulations and voluntary industry practices adequately protect the public and the environment from the hazards of accidents involving explosives.

Clarification for flammable mixtures. EPA clarified that regulated flammable substances in mixtures that do not have a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) flammability hazard rating of 4 are not covered by the rule. This clarification reflects EPA's original intent to focus on flammable substances with the potential to be involved in vapor cloud explosions that are hazardous to the public.

Threshold determination exemption. Regulated flammable substances in gasoline used as fuel are exempted from threshold quantity determinations. EPA took this action because gasoline is a mixture that has an NFPA flammability rating of less than 4, meaning that it does not present a significant explosion risk to the public from vapor release to the air. EPA also exempted regulated substances in naturally occurring hydrocarbon mixtures prior to initial processing because the Agency believes that the hazards of such mixtures do not warrant regulation.

Revisions to the stationary source definition.
(1) EPA clarified that the exemption for regulated substances in transportation is not limited to pipelines - it can also include activities incident to transportation such as unloading and immediate reloading of regulated chemicals. (2) EPA also removed references to active shipping papers because they won't be generated in every instance and to temporary storage in order to avoid confusion with storage incident to transportation. (3) The definition was further modified to clarify that naturally occurring hydrocarbon reservoirs, such as underground wells that produce crude oil and gas, are not stationary sources.

Exemption of Outer Continental Shelf sources.
Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf, such as oil exploration platforms, are not covered under CAA 112(r).

Will There Be More Changes to the List?
EPA must review the list of chemicals and threshold quantities every five years. As a result of these reviews, EPA may decide to make further changes to the list. The List Rule also includes a process that allows members of the public to petition for addition of chemicals to the list, or deletion of listed chemicals.

For More Information
This factsheet briefly outlines major changes to the List Rule - you will need to read the regulation for a more comprehensive explanation of how this affects your facility. For more information on the original list of chemicals and the modifications made to it, you may either call EPA's toll-free hotline or visit the CEPPO website:
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office
CAA 112(R)/EMERGENCY P LANNING AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW HOTLINE
(800) 424-9346 OR (703) 412-9810
TDD (800) 553-7672
Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm EST
CEPPO HOME P AGE at http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/

1999 Annual Meeting

Technical Program

It is fast approaching the 1999 Air and Waste Management Meeting, "Gateway to the 21 st Century," June 20-24. This is our opportunity to highlight some local issues such as regional voluntary reduction programs, improved identification of ozone transport pathways, the Illinois clean break program, brownfield development, landfill gas generation and use, lead and nuclear wastes, pollution prevention, and making control equipment profitable.

Paper and poster presentation proposals are now being accepted on the A&WMA web site at http://www.awma.org/AM99/call.htm. There are about 200 potential topic areas covering air, waste, environmental management, ethics, data management, and legal issues. Be a part of the program by submitting an abstract by September 23. This year, you may even submit your paper proposal on the web using either an on-line form, a downloaded document, e-mail, or the normal fax and snail mail. If you need more information on the technical program, call Tom Blackwood at 314-674-8093 or send him an e-mail (trblac@solutia.com). Also, if you would like to be a session chair, a reviewer of abstracts and papers, or would just like to be a part of the technical program, send a note to Tom.

A date that you don't want to forget is the review and development of the Annual Meeting Technical Program, which will be held in St. Louis on November 13-14. The A&WMA board of Directors and the Technical Coordinating Council will meet for this review. Plan to attend and show support for your favorite technical area.

T. R. Blackwood
Technical Program Vice-Chair

General Conference

The Association's '99 meeting is now only 10 months away. It hardly seems possible. The Cincinnati Board meeting was the one that started the process - was that '95? Today, the work has really started to mount in both the General Conference and Technical program committees.

Today the General Conference group is meeting about once a month and there's more than enough to do. So that's where you, the local member, come in. Your Section needs you.

There will be an International Urban Environment Forum next June. The plans call for the development of an exchange for urban air quality experts from around the world. It's part of an "internationalization" of the Association and will be a forum from which everyone learns. There's much to be done so come along join in!

The next General Conference Committee meeting is September 25 th, 10:00am and will coincide with a larger A&WMA meeting here in St. Louis. The location is going to be at the downtown Radisson (formerly Holiday Inn). In the meantime, you can call or write me for details: 314-694-6739 and richard.j.edwards@monsanto.com.

Richard J. Edwards
General Conference Chair

Call for Papers for
Air & Waste Management Association's
92nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition

The Air Waste Management Association's 92nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, during June 20-24, 1999. Around 6,000 environmental professionals from around the world are expected to attend this event. It offers unparalleled opportunities to learn and share information about the latest advances on various issues related to air and waste: science, policy, regulation, risks/effects, prevention/control, and management. The strength of the Annual Meeting Technical Program is the interdisciplinary approach used to improve our understanding of pollutants and their impacts on public health and the environment. A&WMA offers a neutral forum where all viewpoints of an environmental issue receive equal consideration.

In addition to the traditional air and waste management topics, the themes for the St. Louis meeting include the following: Urban Air Quality, Alternate Fuels, Global Climate Change, Voluntary Environmental Management Initiatives, Market-based Approaches to Manage Emissions, International Technology Exchange, Risk-based Environmental Management, Public Participation in Environmental Management, Pollution Prevention, Sustainable Development, and Clean Production.

On behalf of A&WMA, we are pleased to invite abstracts of original work on any environmental topic including those in the following list, for consideration by the Technical Program Committee. After reviewing the abstracts, the committee will create both platform and poster sessions for various technical topics, as warranted. The abstracts will be evaluated for their relevance to current issues in air and waste management, meeting themes, significance of the paper in the topic being addressed, and completeness/comprehensiveness. Please complete the attached form with a 300-400 words abstract to allow an objective evaluation of the abstract by the committee. Please review the attached topics list and indicate the on the form topic numbers that match your abstract.

The abstract form must reach the Annual Meeting Technical Program Coordinator at the A&WMA Headquarters by no later than September 23, 1998. The abstract form can be downloaded from the A&WMA Web site at http://www.awma.org. Abstracts may be sent by mail (see address on abstract form), fax (412/232-3450), or e-mail (AMTP99@awma.org). The number of platform sessions during the meeting will be limited to no more than 20 concurrent sessions including panel discussion sessions, and a maximum of 160 platform sessions during the 4-day technical program. Accordingly, around one quarter of the abstracts will be designated as poster papers. Poster papers will be treated identical to platform papers in all aspects (preparation of manuscript, review, and CD ROM publication), except in the form of delivery at the meeting. Poster sessions will be held in the vicinity of platform sessions and will enable meeting attendees to review and discuss papers with authors.

The committee's decision on each abstract will be communicated to the corresponding author by no later than December 4, 1998. For inclusion in the Annual Meeting Technical Program, a complete draft manuscript of the paper will be due by February 8, 1999 and a revised final manuscript by March 8, 1999.

C.V. Mathai, Ph.D.
Arizona Public Service Company
Technical Program Chair T.R. Blackwood, Ph.D.
Solutia Inc.
Technical Program Vice-Chair

Regulatory News

Reprinted from Region 7; USEPA Website

ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE OFFERED TO INDUSTRIES IN REGION 7

Contact: Rowena L. Michaels (913) 551-7003 IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 1998

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7, Kansas City, Kansas, announces an Enforcement Initiative designed to improve compliance with reporting requirements for continuous releases to the environment. The initiative covers requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA); and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

Operators of industrial facilities are invited to participate in this Enforcement Initiative by entering into an Enforcement Agreement with EPA if they are not currently in compliance with CERCLA Section 103, and EPCRA Section 304 reporting requirements. Penalties are substantially reduced for violations of these sections for facilities that participate.

Region 7 is sending more than 150 letters to companies located in the region that may be subject to these reporting requirements.

An industry may be subject to reporting requirements of the two laws if the facility releases more than the reportable quantity of a listed CERCLA hazardous substance or EPCRA extremely hazardous substance during a 24-hour period. These lists include toxic chemicals released during normal facility processes, as well as priority pollutants such as nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides.

Under CERCLA, if a reportable quantity of a listed substance is released, the owner or operator must immediately report the release to the National Response Center. Under EPCRA, a facility that has released a reportable quantity of either a CERCLA listed or EPCRA listed substance must immediately report to the state emergency planning commission and the local emergency planning committee most likely affected by the release.

Congress also provided in CERCLA for reduced reporting of releases that are continuous and stable in quantity and rate. Such continuous releases, including process releases, may be reported annually by filing a continuous release report with the EPA regional office where the facility is located. This notification was designed to reduce the reporting obligations for industry.

Facilities that do not receive a letter may contact EPA and have until January 19, 1999, to enter into this agreement for significantly reduced penalties. You can obtain further information on participating in this initiative by calling the regional CERCLA Hotline at (913) 551-7970.

As a condition of an Enforcement Agreement, facilities must submit completed continuous release reports to EPA. An $11,000 penalty per facility is offered that will apply for all chemicals and years of noncompliance. This penalty can be further mitigated based upon the performance of a Supplemental Environmental Project as part of settlement. Companies that are out of compliance and do not have the ability to pay the $11,000 penalty should contact the EPA. EPA works with companies in addressing valid inability to pay concerns.

Information collected under continuous release reporting provides key data on daily peak releases of toxic substances as well as identifying sensitive populations that may be exposed. This data supports risk planning efforts by local, state and federal authorities. This information is not available through any other regulatory reporting. The collected data will provide more information to the public concerning chemical emissions that may pose chronic health risks.

EPA has issued guidance on the reporting of continuous releases. To obtain a copy of this guidance, call the regional CERCLA hotline at (913) 551-7970.

Revised: July 16, 1998 URL: http://www.epa.gov/region07/newsinfo/newsrel/n071698.html