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LATEST HEADLINES |
Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. EPA, delivers kick–off remarks
at THG's Fifth Annual Summit
On November 7, 2013, The Horinko Group held its fifth annual executive summit: Transforming America’s Contaminated Lands—A Vision for Our Nation’s Waste Program. Leaders in the fields of environmental cleanup, land revitalization, and sustainable materials management examined and discussed how EPA and those interested in its policies can “do more with less” through public–private collaboration to advance environmentally responsible stewardship.
U.S. EPA’s Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response, kicked off the event with remarks about the Agency’s priorities and posed questions concerning the future of its waste programs, which guided the panel sessions that followed. The first panel recognized the significant advancements and opportunities presented by lifecycle based materials management and efforts to further advance EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Initiative. The second panel was centered around key leveraging ideas for the future of clean–up and revitalization and included expert panelists on Community Revitalization, Green and Sustainable Remediation, EPA’s Brownfields Program, and EPA’s LEAN Corrective Action Pilots.
The Summit proceedings will provide a detailed summary of the discussion and will be distributed in the coming weeks and available on THG’s website.
To download a PDF of the Summit program, visit http://bit.ly/THG2013SummitProgram.
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 EPA SEEKING INPUT ON DRAFT GROUNDWATER REMEDY COMPLETION STRATEGY
Source: EPA
EPA released a draft Groundwater Remedy Completion Strategy in October that aims to provide guidance to site remediation teams to enable better decision–making to effectively complete groundwater remedies as part of Superfund cleanups. The recommended Strategy includes a step–wise plan and decision–making process for evaluating remedy operation, progress, and attainment of remedial action objectives. The plan and process would rely on an updated conceptual site model, performance metrics, and data derived from site–specific remedy evaluations.
The completion strategy aims to help site teams direct resources towards the information and decisions needed to effectively move a site to completion while protecting human health and the environment. Given that groundwater remediation can take years to decades to meet objectives, it is important to define metrics to measure performance and establish a clear decision–making process for managing a groundwater remedy through the completion phase. EPA is seeking input on the draft Strategy by December 20, 2013.
To view the draft strategy, visit http://bit.ly/EPAGndRem.
To view EPA’s request for input, visit http://bit.ly/EPAGndRemInpReq.
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EPA RELEASES IMPORTANCE OF WATER STUDY SYNTHESIS REPORT
Source: EPA
The U.S. EPA recently published, The Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy Synthesis Report, the final step in a multi–year and multi–part study on the importance of water to the U.S. economy. The report intends to raise awareness about water’s role in supporting national economic welfare as well as assemble and convey information that public and private decision–makers can use to sustainably manage the nation’s water resources. Included in the report are highlights of EPA’s literature and practice review on the importance of water to the U.S. economy, identification of key data gaps, and a description of the implications of the study’s findings for future research.
To view the Importance of Water Synthesis Report, visit http://bit.ly/EPAImpWatSynRpt.
For an overview of EPA’s Importance of Water Study, visit http://water.epa.gov/action/importanceofwater/study.cfm.
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CALIFORNIA SAFER CONSUMER PRODUCTS WEBINAR
Source: Chemical Watch, California Safer Consumer Products Webinar
Chemical Watch News has made a webinar available for download that focuses on the California Safer Consumer Products Regulations that went into effect on October 1, 2013. These regulations aim to take a preventative approach to keeping everyday products free of harmful chemicals, in addition to providing a more predictable process for ensuring product safety. The webinar features an introduction to the regulations, a discussion of the initial steps companies need to take to understand the effect of the regulations on their operations, as well as practical advice to upstream companies on how they can work with customers in their supply chain to achieve compliance.
To download the webinar, visit http://chemicalwatch.com/california-webinar-download.
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EIA RELEASES NEW MONTHLY DRILLING PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Source: EIA
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has begun a monthly release of its new Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) to provide insights on rig efficiency, new well productivity, decline rates at previously existing wells, and overall production trends. The DPR is a result of EIA’s efforts to develop new approaches to assess the productivity of drilling operations given recent advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. New metrics in the report intend to provide more information than traditional indicators such as simple counts of active oil and gas drilling rigs. Some of the new metrics considered include wells drilled per active rig, average oil and natural gas production rates from new wells during their first full month of operation, and estimated changes in production from existing wells. The DPR accounts for wells that may produce both oil and gas. The report focuses on six regions that comprise over 90% of the domestic oil and gas production growth in 2011—2012.
To read EIA’s overview of the DPR contents and highlights, visit http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=13471.
To view the November DPR, visit http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/drilling/pdf/dpr-full.pdf.
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WRI PUBLISHES NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT
Source: WRI
In October, the World Resources Institute (WRI) released a new report titled, Natural Infrastructure: Investing in Forested Landscapes for Source Water Protection in the United States. The report describes an integrated approach to investing in water management strategies that combines engineered solutions with natural infrastructure, reducing costs, enhancing services, and providing co–benefits for surrounding communities and the environment. The authors present the document as one that may be used by water utilities, municipalities, businesses, and conservation groups as a reference and guide to advance dialogue on forests as a source of water protection in their watersheds. The comprehensive report covers the economics, science, partnerships, and finance mechanisms that are essential for ecosystem–based water management.
To view the report, visit http://www.wri.org/publication/natural-infrastructure.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
November 20–22, 2013 | Philadelphia, PA | Registration
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia, presented by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. Industry leaders, experts, and professionals dedicated to sustainable building convene for three days of presentations, networking, showcases, workshops and more. This year will highlight the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Green Building Council, introduce the latest LEED v4, and feature a keynote speech by Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
For additional information, visit http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/Home.aspx/.
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2013 NGWA Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting
December 3–6, 2013 | Nashville, TN | Registration
The National Ground Water Association’s Expo and Annual Meeting, “A Sound Investment”, in Nashville, Tennessee, features educational programming, technical sessions, and hundreds of exhibitors presenting the latest in equipment and technological innovations. Industry experts will teach workshops and offer best practices work sessions. The four–day Expo will also feature a U.S. Army Corps Engineers tour of the Center Hill Dam Safety Rehabilitation Project among many other special events.
For additional information, visit http://groundwaterexpo.com/.
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AGU Fall Meeting
December 9–13, 2013 | San Francisco, CA | Registration
The American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting is the largest worldwide conference focusing on geophysical sciences. The Meeting will convene over 24,000 Earth and space scientists, educators, students, and others for presentations of groundbreaking research, exhibits, workshops, networking events, educational programs and much more.
For additional information, visit http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2013/.
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Defense National Security & Climate Change Symposium
December 11–12, 2013 | Washington, DC | Registration
 This year marks the third annual Defense, National Security & Climate Change Symposium hosted by the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO). The Symposium will focus on the efforts of U.S. defense, intelligence and national security communities to assess and respond to climate change and specifically address preparedness and resilience as well as national security implications of climate change. Other topics will include operational and installation energy considerations and greenhouse gas reduction activities throughout the Department of Defense.
For additional information, visit http://www.climatesecurity.us/.
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2014 Green Infrastructure Conference
January 14–16, 2014 | Tampa, FL | Registration
The University of South Florida’s Patel College of Global Sustainability will host the 2014 Conference on Green Infrastructure with a specific focus on green infrastructure and water management in growing metropolitan areas. The conference aims to engage researchers, engineers, planners, and government policy makers in developing methods to more widely implement green infrastructure to manage stormwater in metropolitan regions. Sessions will cover the science behind green infrastructure, new and innovative policy, innovative engineering techniques, and emerging urban design models useful in protecting water resources within metropolitan regions.
For additional information, visit http://bit.ly/ConGrnInf.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT |
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WRAP Joins the Combined Federal Campaign
By: The Water Resources Action Project
The Water Resources Action Project is pleased to be a part of the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA) this holiday season. The campaign, which runs until January 15, 2014, offers federal employees an opportunity to donate to eligible non–profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world.
WRAP is listed this year for the first time among the eligible non–profit organizations, and federal employees can now direct their gifts to WRAP using WRAP’s unique code: 88958.
WRAP has completed three rain harvesting installations and parallel education projects, impacting hundreds of school children in the Middle East, helping them to conserve water, improve sanitation, and educate students and communities on water conservation and environmental stewardship. As always, every penny of every dollar WRAP receives goes directly to its projects.
To read the remainder of In the Spotlight, visit http://bit.ly/THGSpotNov2013.
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FEATURED COLUMN |
(EXCERPT)
Excerpt from: ASTM International Issues Revised Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Standard
By: Julie Kilgore, President, Wasatch Environmental, Inc. and William R. Weissman, Retired Partner, Venable LLP
ASTM International, Inc. (ASTM) has issued a revised version of its widely used Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) due diligence standard. Originally developed in 1993, the Phase I standard is used to conduct research into the previous ownership and uses of a property to identify the potential for releases of hazardous substances or petroleum products that could lead to potential future liability. The most significant revisions occurred in 2005 to meet the new requirements enacted by Congress in the 2002 Brownfields Amendments to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (commonly known as CERCLA or Superfund). Following ASTM’s 2005 revisions, EPA referenced the 2005 Phase I standard as compliant with the “All Appropriate Inquiry” (AAI) regulation and hence an acceptable alternative procedure for satisfying AAI requirements.
Because all ASTM standards have a maximum shelf life of 8 years, ASTM’s Phase I Task Group began a careful review of the 2005 standard in 2010 to simplify the language and clarify provisions that experience had shown were sometimes misunderstood in conducting Phase I assessments. The new E1527–13 standard is the result of that review, and it now supersedes the 2005 standard.
TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THE FEATURED COLUMN, VISIT http://bit.ly/THGNov2013FC.
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