Air


Tackling Tough Contaminants

There are numerous case studies of failed remedial systems, which in turn can be linked to the remedial design team not fully understanding the site conditions. Often the most effective way to clean up these recalcitrant sites is source/migration control rather than intrusive remediation. The best solution can only be determined if the site is properly understood.

This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

Caught in the Avalanche

An existing consent decree (CD) provides that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required to issue a final particulate matter (PM) CD no later than December 19, 2003, and that EPA had to sign for publication notices of proposal and final rulemaking concerning its review of the PM national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).

This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

The Media Is the Message

Over the last several years there have been widespread misconceptions about which type of heat recovery media (HRM) is best for heat exchange and horsepower usage when used with a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), a type of air pollution control technology used to destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

Clearing the Air

Recent legal developments show that the Clean Air Act is broken. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the courts are responsible for the legal malfunction. The U.S. Congress has the authority to repair the statute, but may not have either the institutional will or a clear blueprint for doing it.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

On the Horizon

2004 will prove to be an interesting year for air pollution control. Just as last year, New Source Review (NSR) reform will continue to dominate the landscape with legislative, regulatory and judicial efforts to swing the pendulum in favor of particular viewpoints. Media attention on the NSR issue may overshadow equally important developments in Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) control, more stringent Title V permitting, implementation of new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and enforcement.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

Spreading in New Directions

Many stakeholders -- including federal and state regulatory agencies, citizen groups, corporations, planning groups, industrial associations and legislative committees -- have been involved in the development of air quality management strategies.

This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.