Pasted below is
the July 5, 2007 edition of EcoNewsWire, published by
the Environmental
Services Division of the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources.
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES
July 5, 2007
For immediate release
1. EPC approves
for public comment proposed rule changes to air
quality regulations for
ethanol production facilities
2. Untreated wastewater bypass in Grand
Mound
3. Iowa State University and DNR collaborate on biodiesel
blends
study
4. Toxic heavy metals present in retail packaging
5. DNR
enforcement actions
EPC APPROVES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT PROPOSED RULE CHANGES
TO AIR QUALITY
REGULATIONS FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION FACILITIES
MEDIA
CONTACT: Christine Paulson, Senior Environmental Specialist,
(515)
242-5154
DES MOINES - The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC)
approved for
public comment proposed rule changes to air quality regulations
for
ethanol production facilities during their regular meeting July 2.
The
changes proposed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will
adopt
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amendments into the
Iowa
Administrative Code.
On April 12, 2007, the EPA modified the
definition of “chemical
process plants” as it applies to one of three Clean
Air Act permitting
programs. New ethanol plants or planned expansions
previously permitted
to emit up to 100 tons per year of any regulated
pollutant before
becoming subject to Prevention of Significant Deterioration
(PSD)
preconstruction permits will be allowed to emit up to 250 tons per
year.
There are currently eight new projects or expansions of
ethanol
production plants that have submitted applications to the DNR
Air
Quality Bureau that may be affected by this change. Ethanol plants
which
have already obtained preconstruction or operating permits will
remain
in effect.
The new rules also state that ethanol processing
plants no longer need
to include fugitive emissions in determining
applicability for the PSD
and Title V programs. Fugitive emissions are
emissions that do not come
from process stacks or vents (i.e. dust from road
use or dust from
unloading carbohydrate feed stocks).
Catharine
Fitzsimmons, DNR air quality bureau chief, emphasized that
all ethanol
production facilities are required to meet pollution limits
and the revisions
will not contribute to air quality that will violate
National Ambient Air
Quality Standards. “These changes also support
Iowa’s energy independence
goals by giving smaller, independent
ethanol producers more leeway in getting
their facilities up and
running.”
The proposed rules will be available
for review and comment upon
publication in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin
(IAB) on August 1. At
that time, links to the proposed rules will be
available at
www.legis.state.ia.us/Rules/Current/Bulletin/ and at
www.iowacleanair.com.
A public hearing for these changes
will be held Wednesday, September 5,
at 10 a.m. in the conference rooms at
the DNR’s Air Quality Bureau
located at 7900 Hickman Road, Urbandale.
Comments concerning the changes
may be submitted orally or in writing. All
comments must be received no
later than September 6, 2007.
Writer:
Mindy Kralicek
# # #
UNTREATED WASTEWATER BYPASS IN GRAND
MOUND
MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Brandt at 319-653-2135
GRAND MOUND - An
unknown amount of wastewater was released from Grand
Mound’s northside lift
station after excess rains overwhelmed the
city’s sewer system.
Untreated wastewater was discharged to the city’s storm sewer
from
the lift station starting around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. About 4 to
5
inches of rain fell in the area and as a result, the lift station
pumps
could not keep up with the flow.
The city used two additional
pumps to discharge the wastewater to their
storm sewer that runs to a creek
outside city limits. The unnamed
tributary flows into the Wapsipinicon River,
located around five miles
from the area. The city bypassed the wastewater to
prevent the overflow
from backing up into residents’ basements.
Darrel Warren, wastewater operator from the Grand Mound
Treatment
Plant, reported to DNR officials the bypass had stopped by 11
Wednesday
morning. Grand Mound is planning a project to reline its sewers
later
this year.
The DNR is currently working with cities to evaluate
wastewater systems
and to implement upgrades where appropriate to reduce the
number of
sewage bypasses and overflows in the state.
Writer: Holly
Williams
# # #
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY AND DNR AIR QUALITY
BUREAU COLLABORATE ON
BIODIESEL BLENDS STUDY
MEDIA CONTACT: Jim
McGraw, Program Development Supervisor, (515)
282-5167
DES MOINES -
The Environmental Protection Commission approved a
contract between the DNR
and Iowa State University for the study of
different blends of biodiesel on
engine and vehicle performance as well
as subsequent air emissions. The study
is funded by a grant from the
Central States Air Resource
Agencies.
ISU’s Center for Transportation Research and Education will
test and
quantify performance of blending different fractions of biodiesel
with
ultra low sulfur diesel. Performance will be evaluated with 0
percent
biodiesel and then replicated with 2 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent
and
20 percent biodiesel. Both field tests and laboratory engine
dynamometer
tests will be conducted. The DNR’s air quality bureau will
provide
grant management and technical assistance.
Study results will
help entities such as trucking companies and transit
agencies evaluate
emissions reduction from dedicated use of a particular
biodiesel blend and
the feasibility of using dedicated fleet refueling
stations. Agencies
concerned with reducing pollutants will be able to
forecast emissions
reductions from control strategies to encourage
biodiesel use.
Writer:
Mindy Kralicek
# # #
TOXIC HEAVY METALS PRESENT IN RETAIL
PACKAGING
MEDIA CONTACT: Kathleen Hennings: 515-281-5859 or
[log in to unmask]
DES MOINES - Added protections to existing State of Iowa
legislation
became effective July 1, 2007, giving the State the
enforcement
authority to issue penalties for violations of the Toxics in
Packaging
laws when toxic heavy metals are found in packaging products at
higher
than acceptable levels set by Iowa Law.
The legislation
gives the State the ability to issue a notice of
violation and allows
distributors 60 days to coordinate with
manufacturers after a notice of
contaminated packaging is found.
Manufacturers are then expected to recall
products from distributors and
retailers and arrange alternate packaging with
suppliers. Those found in
non-compliance can face up to a $10,000 fine for
each contaminated
package.
The State of Iowa has the capacity to test
and continually monitors
retail packaging for toxic metals. Last year, the
DNR’s Energy and
Waste Management Bureau, in partnership with the Iowa
Hygienic
Laboratory, promptly tested Coca-Cola bottles on shelves in Iowa
after
bottles in California were found to contain potentially unsafe levels
of
lead in the labels. The bottles in Iowa were determined to be safe
and
had originated from a different distributor than the
contaminated
bottles in California.
The additional provisions to the
Toxics in Packaging Law come as the
Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH)
released the first broad-based
study on toxic metals in packaging. The study
found that toxic heavy
metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent
chromium are
present in retail packaging: 16 percent of the 355 packaging
samples
tested contained levels exceeding standards set in Iowa and adopted
by
many states across the country.
Products are sold in retail stores
ranging from upscale department
stores to discount chain-retailers across the
United States. The
packaging containing these toxic metals typically
originates from
manufacturers in China or other Asian countries that add
heavy metals to
packaging products as stabilizers and are also contained in
the inks
used in packaging.
Tests were conducted on a variety of
packaging products including
plastic, paper and paperboard, metal, and glass.
Plastic bags made from
polyvinylchloride (PVC) were the most likely to
contain the metals, with
over 60 percent of the tested bags containing
unacceptable levels of one
or more of the heavy metals. PVC bags were used to
package items
including toys, pet supplies, bedding products and other
home
furnishings. Plastic shopping and mailing bags were also found to
have
high concentrations of the heavy metals, most often lead,
although
mercury and chromium were also found in the ink and colorants
printed on
the bags.
When notified of the potential violations,
most of the companies
selling these products removed the items from the
shelves and changed
suppliers, arranging for alternate, safe packaging
materials for their
products.
While packaging containing toxic metals
poses minimal immediate risk to
humans and animals, as the packaging is
discarded and begins to
deteriorate as litter or in landfills, the metals are
released into the
environment. Iowa’s Toxics in Packaging Laws are designed
to reduce
and hopefully eliminate potential risk from packaging
products.
Writer: Emily Grover
-30-
DNR ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessie Brown at (515) 281-5131.
DES MOINES - The DNR took the following
enforcement actions in May and
June 2007, unless otherwise noted. The
following are only briefs; please
contact Jessie Brown of the DNR for more
information at (515) 281-5131.
Enforcement actions, including copies of
the original orders and
contact information, are available on the DNR’s Web
site at
www.iowadnr.gov/legal/eactions.html. The Web listing will begin with
orders first
taken in 2007.
Consent Orders
A consent order is issued as an
alternative to issuing an
administrative order. A consent order indicates
that the DNR has
voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement
with the other
party.
Carroll County
* The City of Willey agreed in
a consent order to conduct all
training fires and demolition burns in
accordance with Iowa code, to
properly dispose solid waste materials and to
pay a $3,000 penalty. The
consent order is in regard to air quality and solid
waste violations
stemming from demolition of a house and bar in
Willey.
* E & F Custom Pumping, Inc., of Carroll, agreed in a
consent
order to pay a $4,500 penalty. The consent order is in regard to
manure
application violations and manure reaching an unnamed tributary of
Hog
Branch of the East Fork 102 River in Taylor County.
Dallas
County
* The City of Linden agreed in a consent order to comply with
an
implementation schedule for the construction of a new
wastewater
treatment facility and to stipulated penalties if deadlines are
not
met.
Jones County
* James Hogan, of Monticello, agreed in a
consent order to pay a
$2,500 penalty. The consent order is in regard to
failure to timely
submit a complete Iowa Phosphorus Index manure management
plan (MMP) for
a site in Jones County.
Kossuth, Polk Counties
*
Grand Prix Industries, Inc., of West Des Moines, agreed in a
consent order to
pay a $1,500 penalty. The consent order is in regard to
failure to timely
submit an Iowa Phosphorus Index manure management plan
(MMP) update for a
site in Kossuth County.
Lee County
* Sebergen Pigs, Inc., of West
Point, agreed in a consent order to
establish permanent measurement devices
in manure storage cells, submit
quarterly reports regarding manure storage
and application, and pay a
$7,500 penalty. The consent order is in regard to
animal feeding
operation violations at a swine confinement operation in Lee
County.
Mills, Pottawattamie Counties
* River Bend Farms, Inc., and
Ken Root, both of Council Bluffs,
agreed in a consent order to cease all open
burning of tires and other
solid waste, submit proof of proper disposal to
the DNR and pay a $1,200
penalty. The consent order is in regard to air
quality and solid waste
violations at a site in Mills County.
Osceola
County
* Steve Frick, of Sibley, agreed in a consent order to submit
a
construction approval application and plans and specifications for a
new
confinement building; submit an original manure management plan; and
pay
a $5,000 penalty. The consent order is in regard to failure to obtain
a
construction permit for a swine confinement building at a site
in
Osceola County.
Woodbury County
* John Morrell and Company, of
Sioux City, agreed in a consent
order to retain a certified operator for its
public water supply in its
Sioux City facility and to pay a $5,400
penalty.
Consent Amendments
A consent amendment is issued in
settlement of a previous
administrative order or to amend a pre-existing
consent order. A consent
amendment indicates that the DNR has voluntarily
entered into a legally
enforceable agreement with the other
party.
Shelby County
* Natural Pork Production II, LLC, of Harlan,
agreed in a consent
amendment to comply with manure management plan and
application
requirements, and to pay a $1,000 penalty. This amends a
2003
administrative order regarding alleged animal feeding
operation
violations.
Woodbury County
* Michael Drae, of Sergeant
Bluff, agreed in a consent amendment
to pay a $3,000 penalty. This amends a
2006 administrative order
regarding alleged air quality
violations.
Writer: Jessie Brown