EPA Proposes to Charge Facilities Rather Than Generators for Hazardous Waste E-Manifest
The EPA is proposing to charge facilities that treat, store and dispose (TSDFs) of hazardous waste for use of its planned electronic manifest (e-manifest) system for tracking shipments of hazardous waste, rather than charging generators who produce and transport the waste. EPA says the move will simplify the administrative burden of managing and collecting user fees since there are about 400 TSDFs nationwide versus well over 100,000 generators. The proposal also includes higher fees for facilities that submit some or all of their hazardous waste manifests in paper rather than electronic form, as a way to encourage users to switch to the e-manifest system...Read More »
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Limit E-Waste Exports
A bipartisan pair of House lawmakers has introduced a bill to limit the export of electronic waste (e-waste) for reasons of national security and foreign policy concerns, after previous attempts to regulate it by amending environmental law failed to gain traction. The legislation, H.R. 5579, introduced on June 24 would control e-waste exports "to ensure that such waste does not become the source of counterfeit goods that may reenter military and civilian electronics supply chains in the United States, and for other purposes." The bill is sponsored by Reps. Paul Cook (R-CA) and Gene Green (D-TX) and has the backing of Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER), a coalition of 130 companies that was formed in 2011. Rep. Cook said the legislation "will ensure we are not exporting electronic scrap materials that come back to us as counterfeit parts and undermine the reliability of technology essential to our national security." In the past, CAER sought to limit e-wasteexposure through legislation to amend the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act, but that effort was opposed by a scrap industry association...Read More »
Wheelabrator to Expand Metals Recovery at Ash Monofill in CT
Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. (Portsmouth, NH) is seeking approval to expand its metal extraction services conducted at its ash monofill facility in Putnam, CT. The company proposes to install and operate a screening system to remove recyclable scrap metal from ash residue shipped to the Putnam facility, which operates as a public-private partnership between Wheelabrator and the Town of Putnam. The facility offers ash accommodation and disposal services to in-state and out-of-state energy-from-waste facilities, and receives more than 700,000 tons of ash annually. The company operates three other ash monofills, two in Massachusetts and one in Florida...Read More »
EPA Finalizes Commercial & Industrial Incinerator Air Rule
EPA has issued a final rule revising parts of its new source performance standards (NSPS) and emissions guidelines for existing sources for commercial and industrial solid waste incineration units (CISWIs). The rule, published in the June 23 Federal Register, is part of a broader package of air rules targeting CISWI, as well as emissions standards for boilers and a regulation defining whether incinerated waste is subject to the CISWI rules or the more-stringent boiler standards.
In the final rule, EPA finalizes changes to the definition of continuous emissions monitoring system data during startup and shutdown periods to make the term specific to different subcategories of incinerators. EPA also revises the emissions limit for particulate matter emitted by the "waste-burning kiln" subcategory...Read More »
Escambia County FL Recycling Facility Nearly Complete
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA), serving Escambia County, FL, is set to open a $10.4 million recycling facility. The 54,000 square-foot Interim Materials Recycling Facility (IMRF) will be able to sort 25 tons of waste per hour, or approximately 40,000 tons per year using a single work shift. The impetus for the project came when ECUA's existing contractor Tarpon Paper Co. added a $12.50 per-ton tipping fee, making it cost-prohibitive to continue. ECUA serves about 75,000 customers in Escambia County and 20,000 in Santa Rosa County. The facility is set to open in September and will process "clean" recycling materials but not plastic film or plastic bags...Read More »
Solar Array Atop Military Landfill in KY Now Making Power
Suniva Inc. (Norcross, GA) said that its Optimus solar panels, installed atop a capped landfill at the Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky, are now producing 1.9 MW of power. The project, inspired by the presidential mandate for federal agencies to meet 20 percent of their electricity needs through renewable energy sources by 2020, is a result of collaboration between Fort Campbell, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, and Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation. Pennyrile Rural Electric and Fort Campbell worked with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet in securing $3.1 million grant for the renewable project, and Pennyrile financed $1.9 million as a part of a Utility Energy Services Contract with Fort Campbell. Suniva worked with power management company Eaton, which provided engineering, procurement and construction services, as well as a range of electrical balance-of-system solutions...Read More »
South Carolina Superfund Landfill Going Solar
Vermont-based groSolar will build a new solar array atop a former South Carolina landfill and Superfund site. The firm and its partners, Duke Energy and ReGenesis will deliver sufficient electricity to power the equivalent of 500 homes in the community of Spartanburg, SC. The project is funded in part by the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action. The energy farm will cover a majority of the 30-acre former Arkwright Landfill. The landfill, opened in 1958, served the waste needs of the surrounding community but became overgrown and hazardous following its abandonment in 1973. ReGenesis, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the EPA worked in collaboration to have it designated as a Superfund site, which resulted in the funding necessary to close and cap the landfill...Read More »
Waste Management to Report 2Q Results on July 27
Waste Management, Inc. (Houston, TX) plans release second quarter financial results before the opening of the market on Wednesday, July 27. The company will host an investor conference call later at 10 am EDT...Read More »
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