AIR    

SJVAPCD Workshops

See:http://www.valleyair.org/Workshops/public_workshops_idx.htm#Rule%202201%20(New%20and%20Modified%20Stationary%20Source%20Review%20Rule)

Next Board Meeting will be held on October 23 at 9:00 AM in Sacramento.

Location: 1001 I Street, 2nd Floor
Byron Sher Auditorium
Sacramento, California 95814

Agenda: http http://www.arb.ca.gov/board/ma/2008/ma102308.htm

This meeting will also be webcast.  Contact Lori Andreoni at (916) 322-5594 or landreon@arb.ca.gov

 Commercial diesel vehicle owners warned of idling restrictions

Grace period over    http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr100908.htm

Hazardous Waste Management

California reached another environmental milestone today with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signing of AB 1879 by Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and SB 509 by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), moving our state on the path toward a comprehensive green chemistry program to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals in our products and the environment.

"This bi-partisan package of environmental legislation propels California to the forefront of the nation and the world with the most comprehensive Green Chemistry program ever established," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "It also puts an end to the less effective ‘chemical-by-chemical' bans of the past. With these two bills, we will stop looking at toxics as an inevitable bi-product of industrial production. Instead they will be something that can be removed from every product in the design stage-protecting people's health and our environment. I am excited to lead this effort, which will spur a new era of research and innovation and promises to drive economic growth and competition in the green chemistry sector."

A bi-partisan effort, AB 1879, is jointly authored by Assemblymembers Feuer and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and co-authored by Assemblymembers Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo), Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim) and Senators Simitian and Ron Calderon (D-Montebello). SB 509 by Simitian was co-authored by Assemblymember Feuer and Senator Ron Calderon.

AB 1879 establishes authority for the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to develop regulations that create a process for identifying and prioritizing chemicals of concern and to create methods for analyzing alternatives to existing hazardous chemicals. It also allows DTSC to take certain actions following an assessment that range from "no action" to "restrictions or bans." The bill also establishes a Green Ribbon Science Panel made up of experts to provide advice on scientific matters, chemical policy recommendations and implementation strategies, as well as ensuring implementation efforts are based on a strong scientific foundation. Moreover, it expands the role of the Environmental Policy Council, made up of the heads of all California Environmental Protection Agency boards and departments, to oversee critical activities related to the implementation of the green chemistry program.

SB 509 creates an online Toxics Information Clearinghouse, a web-based database, to increase consumer knowledge about the toxicity and hazards of thousands of chemicals used in California every day.

At the Governor's request, the Secretary for Environmental Protection has established a Green Chemistry Initiative to develop policy options for implementing a green chemistry program. Instead of making chemical policy through the Legislature on a case-by-case basis, the goal of this initiative is to work with scientists from California and around the world to evaluate the health effects of chemicals and possible alternatives with a systematic and comprehensive approach that is science-based. AB 1879 and SB 509 build on this initiative and contain provisions to implement two of six key recommendations from the upcoming Green Chemistry Initiative - Phase Two Report to be released later this fall.

The two bills signed by the Governor today follow a number of steps California has taken to protect consumers from dangerous chemicals, including:

• SB 484 (D-Migden) which the Governor signed in 2005 giving California the nation's first law requiring disclosure of chemicals in cosmetics, and
• SB 1379 (D-Perata) which the Governor signed in 2006 starting America's first bio-monitoring program and making California the only state that measures and catalogues human exposure to chemicals.

WATER    

·        Next Regional Board Meeting
23/ 24 October 2008, 
Central Valley Regional Water Board
11020 Sun Center Drive #200
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670                         

·        Board Meeting Agenda: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/board_info/meetings/0810ag.pdf

·       

State Water Board increases permit fees—see October MCCV Agenda

GENERAL REGULATORY    

 California Department of Pesticide Regulation

VOC Emission Inventory Informational Meeting
Friday, October 24  9:00 a.m. to noon, Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd floor
Internet broadcast: www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast

 Please refer to State Agency websites and information contained in this Highlights document.

Revised Definition of Solid Waste

On October 7, 2008, the EPA Administrator signed a final rule that revises the definition of solid waste at 40 CFR 261.2. This definition is used to determine which materials may be hazardous waste. The new rule provides additional exclusions to EPA's definition of solid waste for certain recycling activities.

Reclaimed Under Control of Generator

Previously, secondary materials (e.g., spent materials, sludges, or byproducts) would be solid wastes unless otherwise indicated at 40 CFR 261.2 Table 1. So, for example, if a facility produced a spent paint thinner of blended solvents and sent it off to be processed into the solvent constituents, it would be a solid waste. As a solid waste it would have to be managed as hazardous waste if the discarded thinner was either listed or exhibited a characteristic. Under the new rule, these hazardous secondary materials are not solid waste when reclaimed under one of three conditions:

1. Generated and reclaimed at the same facility (i.e., same geographically contiguous property)
2. Generated and reclaimed at different sites under “common control” — control is defined as having the “power to direct the policies of the facility, whether by ownership of stock, voting rights, or otherwise.” [40 CFR 260.10] This includes the following scenarios:
   1. Both sites controlled by generator (e.g., Company A owns both sites)
   2. Both sites controlled by a person with control over both site (e.g., Company A owns the Division 1 site generating the secondary material and the Division 2 site reclaiming the material)
3. Reclaimed under a contract between a tolling manufacturer and a tolling contractor (e.g., Company A contracts with Company B to manufacture a product for Company A. Company A will reclaim hazardous secondary materials produced by Company B.)

Written certifications are required under Options 2 and 3 above. To receive the relief, the secondary materials cannot be speculatively accumulated and must be reclaimed within the United States. Also, the secondary materials must be “contained” as described in the rules for non–land–based units (40 CR 261.2(a)(2)(ii)) or land–based units (40 CFR 261.4(a)(23)).

Transfer–Based Exclusion

The new rule contains an exclusion from the definition of solid waste for hazardous secondary material that is transferred to another company for reclamation (40 CFR 261.4(a)(24). Under this provision, the generator must contain the secondary materials and make “reasonable efforts” to assure that the reclamation facility will properly handle and legitimately reclaim the material. These efforts must be documented, certified, and repeated at least every three years. Although hazardous waste manifests are not required, the generator will have to retain records of off–site shipments. Intermediate facilities and reclaimers must meet the TSDF financial assurance requirements at 40 CFR 264, Subpart F.

“Sham” Recycling Defined

The rule contains a provision to determine whether a recycling activity is “legitimate.” To qualify:

• The secondary material must provide a useful contribution to the recycling process, and
• The recycling process must produce a valuable product or intermediate, and
• The recycled material must be managed as a valuable product, and
• The recycled product does not contain toxic constituents at levels higher than non–recycled products manufactured from virgin materials

The new exclusions do not apply to materials that are inherently waste–like, used in a manner constituting disposal, or burned for energy recovery.

National Fire Prevention Week Emphasized Home Fires

The U.S. Fire Administration announced National Fire Prevention Week, which ran from October 5-11 and focused on the prevention of fires in the home. Each year, fire departments respond to over 400,000 residential fires. Annually more than 3,500 people die from fires in their own homes. The most common causes of home fires result from cooking, heating, electrical malfunction, smoking materials and candles. Read more at the USFA

 Drug-Free Work Week is a dedicated time each year to highlight the benefits that drug-free workplace programs bring to employers, workers and communities. And, it’s a time to work toward making every week a drug-free work week!

It spreads the word that working drug free works to…

 Prevent accidents and make workplaces safer
 Improve productivity and reduce costs
Encourage people with alcohol and drug problems to seek help

According to recent research, it’s a message that many workers need to hear.

75 percent of the nation’s current illegal drug users are employed—and 3.1 percent say they have actually used illegal drugs before or during work hours.
79 percent of the nation’s heavy alcohol users are employed—and 7.1 percent say they have actually consumed alcohol during the workday.

Drug-free workplace programs help protect employers and employees alike from the potentially devastating consequences of worker alcohol or drug abuse. Establishing policies, educating about the dangers of alcohol and drug use, deterring and detecting use, and urging people to seek help for alcohol and drug problems are smart safety strategies. They're also smart business strategies.

Drug-Free Work Week is a time to reinforce the importance of working drug free in positive, proactive ways. To get Drug-Free Work Week resources or learn more about how your organization can participate, select one of the following:

Drug-Free Work Week Tool Box

 Ideas for Individual Employers and their Employees

  Ideas for Associations and Unions

OSHA unveils new powered industrial trucks eTool

http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/etools/pit/index.html

Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board - Public meeting/public hearing/business meeting -  Third Thursday every month

October 16, 2008
Harris State Building
1515 Clay Street, Auditorium
Oakland, California 94612
10:00 a.m. http://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/agendaOct08.html

 Training and Educational Opportunities:

Successful Strategies to Manage Greenhouse Gas Risks & Opportunities
Presented by:  Allan Bedwell
Thursday, October 16th at 1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT     
As pressure increases for companies to reduce and report their greenhouse gas emissions, companies cannot afford to sit passively on the sidelines and wait for regulators and shareholders to require action. Developing an action plan now can help companies cost-effectively manage their future risks and opportunities as regulations and financial policies lock in.

Join us as Allan F. Bedwell presents the latest developments and future direction of greenhouse gas regulations and financial policies, as well as CDM's five-step process that allows companies to develop a cost-effective strategy to address the costs and challenges of a carbon-constrained economy. Allan, a principal with CDM's Industrial Services Group, has more than 18 years of experience in industrial environmental management. He is CDM's global industrial practice leader for greenhouse gas management, air pollution control, and energy, and has served in a variety of roles in business and government, focusing on greenhouse gas management, energy, and air pollution control.

Registration Information
Because this webinar is by invitation only, you must register for Web and phone access instructions. There is no charge for this session and you are eligible to receive one professional development hour (PDH) for attending.

https://www.regonline.com/checkin.asp?eventid=656381   
Visit CDM at www.cdm.com
Email us at NSG-webinars@cdm.com
     

As part of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) the ARB has approved an early action measure to reduce high-global warming potential (GWP) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a leak tightness and energy efficiency requirement for commercial refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) systems. This web page is to provide information as the process proceeds in developing the regulation to implement this early action.

ARB staff has proposed to create the Stationary Equipment Refrigerant Management Program, which integrates two AB32 Early Action measures: Specifications for New Commercial Refrigeration Systems and High-Global Warming Potential (GWP) Refrigerant Tracking, Reporting, Repair, Deposit, and Recovery for Stationary Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Systems.

Updates on progress on the Stationary Equipment Refrigerant Management Program can be found below or at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reftrack/reftrack.htm.

California Energy and Air Quality Conference

The California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program cordially invites you to the California Energy and Air Quality Conference, to take place on October 29-30, 2008, in Diamond Bar, California.  

The Energy Commission, the California Air Resources Board, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are co-sponsoring this conference.

This two day conference in Southern California will help to bring public awareness to the current issues and activities underway in the area of improving air quality and its relation to energy production and use, and spur innovative solutions  towards a clean and productive future. In spite of groundbreaking efforts to reduce air pollution over the last three decades, California still has some of the worst air

quality in the nation. At the same time, California is also experiencing continual increases in the state’s energy demand. By providing improved research, tools, and innovative techniques, the Air Quality Group of the Public Interest Energy Research Environmental Area (PIER-EA) at the California Energy Commission is working to improve air quality while enabling reliable, affordable and efficient energy.

This conference will discuss the current issues and activities underway in the area of improving air quality and it's relation to energy production and use, including:

·                      Distributed Generation

·                      Building Characteristics and Indoor Environmental Quality

·                      Innovative Approaches to Electricity and Air Quality Planning

·                      Future Research Directions for Informed Policy Making

·                      Air Quality and Natural Gas

·                      Alternative Transportation Strategies - Air Quality and Climate Change

The conference is geared towards mid-level managers of energy and air quality regulatory agencies as well as researchers, and industry such as power producers and equipment manufacturers.

Conference Location:

South Coast Air Quality Management District

21765 Copley Dr.,

Diamond Bar CA 91765

Fee Amounts:

Registration includes all conference sessions and meals.

·         Non-Government/Academics- $100  Late registration fee will be $125 as of Oct 22nd

·         Government and Academics- $75.00 Late registration fee will be  $100 as of  Oct 22nd

·         Students - $15 Late registration fee will be $25 as of Oct 22nd

Please come and join us in this gateway to cutting edge science on energy-related air pollution and its impacts on California.  For information about the conference and to register, please visit http://or.ucr.edu/event/.

Judy Swineford Administrative Specialist

Edward J. Blakely Center for Sustainable Suburban Development

University of California, Riverside

B101 Highlander Hall Riverside, CA  92521

(951) 827-7945

Stanislaus County Safety Council

 California Office of Emergency Services

Specialized Training Institute

Hazardous Materials First Responder Awareness Class

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

COUNTY CENTER III (The Learning Institute)

917 Oakdale Road, Modesto

This class is designed for any Employee/Manager/ Supervisor/or Business Owner who could find a hazardous materials spill while performing their general work duties. Click here for a flyer and registration details.

MCCV ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES

Next Meeting:             Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008-- 8:30 a.m. E&J Gallo Ops Training Room
                        (We will meet the third Wednesday of every month through December)

MCCV was formed in order to promote the common business interest of our members in ensuring, protecting and improving the environment and economy of the Central Valley through public education and community discussion of ecological, business and labor issues affecting businesses in the Central Valley. (MCCV Bylaws)

Be sure to visit our website www.mccv.org