Air Matters, December 2008

Volume 3, Issue 6

Bureau of Air Management
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707

• EPA Designates Five Wisconsin Counties and One Township as Non-attainment for PM2.5
• Clean Diesel Grants Now Available
• Voluntary Emission Reduction Registry Discontinued
• Two Wisconsin Companies Reduce Their Air Emissions
• Roehl Trucking and DNR's Jessica Lawent win Clean Diesel Initiative Awards

EPA Designates Five Wisconsin Counties and One Township as Non-attainment for PM2.5

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that Brown, Dane, Milwaukee, Racine, and Waukesha counties, along with Pacific Township in Columbia County, are designated as non-attainment areas under new stricter federal air quality standards for fine-particles (diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less) also known as PM2.5. An area is considered non-attainment if it either does not meet the new 24-hour standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter or is determined to contribute to air quality in a nearby area that does not meet the standard. EPA’s designation of the 6 areas in Wisconsin as non-attainment of the new standard is based on the three most recent years of air monitoring data (2005 through 2007).

Fine-particles can cause serious respiratory health problems because they can get deep into your lungs. They are mainly the result of burning fuels (coal, oil, diesel, wood, or gasoline) in everything from power plants to wood stoves and motor vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses and marine engines. Unlike ground-level ozone pollution that occurs mainly during the warm months of summer, fine particle pollution can occur throughout the year.

Official publication of EPA’s designations in the Federal Register is scheduled for sometime in January 2009. The State will have until February 20, 2009 to submit complete, quality assured, and certified monitoring data for 2008 which can then be used with two previous years of data (2006 and 2007) to have an area changed back to attainment status provided the three years of data show the area is now in compliance with the standard. Recent air monitoring data for Brown, Columbia, and Dane counties appears to indicate that these areas may actually be in compliance with the new standard. In these cases, EPA will publish a supplemental amendment to the federal register by April 2009. The effective date of final designations will be 90 days after publication in the federal register.

Areas designated as non-attainment may ultimately face restrictions on industrial development until such time that they can show they are back in compliance with the standard. Over the last few years, Dane County and its business and government partners operating through the Dane County Clean Air Coalition [exit DNR], have taken a number of steps to help reduce emissions of fine particles in an effort to avoid being designated as a non-attainment county. These steps include a rideshare initiative, non-road clean diesel demonstration project, MG&E’s Energy 2015 Plan, and a clean school bus initiative. An outcome of all of these actions to reduce fine-particle pollution is that the county is expected to be in compliance with the new federal standard based on 2008 monitoring data.

To learn more about the non-attainment designations, please see EPA’s PM2.5 announcement. To learn more about fine-particle pollution, please visit DNR’s Particle Pollution web page.

Clean Diesel Grants Now Available
By Jessica Lawent

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has established a new grant program to help reduce diesel emissions from both public and private vehicle fleets across the state. The program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Diesel Emission Reduction Act. The amount of funds available for this year are limited to $280,000 and will be divided between on-road and off-road projects. Eligible on-road fleets may apply for funding of idle reduction and/or retrofit devices. Eligible off-road fleets may apply for funding of engine repowers, idle reduction and/or retrofit devices. Each grant award has a pre-set limit. Engine repowers and idle reduction projects require a minimum 50% direct match from the applicant.

For more information about the grant program and to determine eligibility, please visit the Clean Diesel Grant Program web page. All forms required as part of the grant program are posted on the web page.

Lawent is a Vehicle and Voluntary Air Quality Specialist and is located in Milwaukee.

Voluntary Emission Reduction Registry Discontinued
By Ed Jepsen

The Department of Natural Resources will discontinue the state’s Voluntary Emission Reduction Registry (NR437) as of December 31, 2008. The Air Management program developed the voluntary registry in response to state legislation directing the agency to develop a registry for voluntary air emission reductions occurring within the state of Wisconsin.

The registry was established in 2003 to document voluntary reductions of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The registry had several goals:

• Foster voluntary reductions of criteria and greenhouse gas emissions
• Recognize the activities of public and private sector registrants.
• Encourage early action by industry and institutions to prepare for potential changes in criteria and greenhouse gas emission limits and reporting rules.

Seventeen entities joined the program since 2003. The entities represent a broad cross-section of large to small industries and institutions that undertook a diverse array of projects across Wisconsin. Over thirty-eight million tons of voluntary CO2 emission reductions were registered for projects occurring between 1991 and 2008. In addition, criteria pollutant emissions were also reduced thus minimizing ground level ozone and fine particle pollution.

The legacy of many of these projects will be reduced emissions and improved air quality for years into the future. However, even with its successes, the program has now become outdated given the following events:

Governor's Global Warming Task Force – A final report by the Task Force recommended emission reduction goals that will require substantial, verified reductions in greenhouse gases from many of the existing registry participants. These greenhouse gas reductions will cover entity wide emissions as well as the limited project emissions currently reported to the registry.

EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule - This rule is currently under review and is scheduled to go into effect in 2009. The rule will cover many of the entities that are current registry participants and will require significantly more stringent and enforceable reporting and verification protocols for emissions sources.

Regional/National/International regulatory programs – There is a strong likelihood of regional/national/international cap and trade systems that will require emission inventory, quantification, monitoring and verification procedures that are broadly accepted and more rigorous than the state’s registry.

Formation of National and International Voluntary Registries and Markets – More comprehensive registry and market options such as The Climate Registry [exit DNR] and the Chicago Climate Exchange [exit DNR] are now available making a registry constrained to only Wisconsin reductions increasingly less relevant. The Wisconsin only registry also does not offer registrants the full economic value that their voluntary reductions may have under national regulatory programs with credit banking and trading, or in private markets such as selling carbon credits.

For these reasons, the Department is discontinuing the Voluntary Emission Reduction Registry although the existing voluntary registry web page will be retained to document and recognize the important early actions and voluntary emission reductions made by Wisconsin entities.

If you have any questions about the registry, please contact Ed Jepsen at 608-266-3538; or e-mail Edward.Jepsen@wisconsin.gov.

Jepsen is an Air Management Specialist and is located in Madison.

Two Wisconsin Companies Reduce Their Air Emissions
By Autumn E. Sabo

Most manufacturing industries produce at least some air emissions and the manufacture of rubber and plastics is no exception. However, two Wisconsin companies, Molded Dimensions, Inc. in Port Washington, and Pace Industries, Inc. in Reedsburg, have recently managed to further reduce their air emissions and lessen their overall impact on the environment.

Molded Dimensions

Molded Dimensions, Inc. [exit DNR] makes molded rubber and cast polyurethane mechanical components for marine engines, medical devices, lawn mowers, motorcycles, and many other markets (see photo). In 2001, Linda Katz and the employees bought the business through an employee stock ownership plan. In an effort to reduce their ecological footprint, the company initiated a green focus and removed two hazardous pollutants from their processes.

One such pollutant they wanted to eliminate is trichloroethylene, a VOC (volatile organic compound) that affects the central nervous system and has been related to several types of cancer. It was used for cleaning metal inserts before encasing them in rubber. To eliminate the pollutant, an old degreaser that used dangerous, flammable chemicals was replaced with a much safer aqueous cleaning process. While the new machine was costly, Linda Katz says, “It was worth the effort. We didn’t think there would be an economic payback but we get productivity benefit from the machine because it’s easier to use. We no longer waste time or money distilling, storing, or disposing of trichloroethylene.”

The company also switched their adhesive primers that bonded rubber and metal with adhesives that do not contain lead in order to alleviate customer concerns, especially in Europe where restrictions are tighter. Lead is particularly dangerous for unborn and young children but it can also affect adults. An added benefit of switching adhesive primers is that they no longer need to use hazardous waste disposal methods for lead contaminated filters.

Changes like these have enabled Molded Dimensions to switch from a major source permit to a small source registration operation permit. According to Katz, “You make these kinds of changes because people want to work in an environment that’s safe for them and they want to take good care of the neighborhoods where they live and work. Our customers value our environmental improvements, too, and most of the time when we do something that is good for the environment, we also end up with a productivity improvement.”

Pace Industries

Pace Industries, Inc [exit DNR] has reduced a type of pollutant that is quite different from the ones Molded Dimensions eliminated. It generally does not have direct health effects and is not currently regulated in the U.S. but, nonetheless, is of major concern. The company has reduced carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that traps heat within our atmosphere and is believed to be a major contributor to global warming.

To drastically reduce its CO2 emissions, the company has changed multiple business practices. They buy wind, hydroelectric, and methane generated energy, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 2,500 tons annually, which equates to taking approximately 450 cars off the road. Blake Pace, President of Pace Industries, Inc. said “We believe that industry needs to take leadership in making renewable energy viable by committing to their use.” In addition, the company’s recycling programs offset more than 3,000,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to taking over 545,000 cars off the road. They have also engineered lighter weight plastics that use less energy to manufacture and fewer trucks to move, have purchased a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle for local business travel (see photo) and have replaced three air compressors with one highly energy efficient unit, all of which further reduce the company’s CO2 emissions.

Pace Industries’ green efforts extend well beyond CO2 reduction. Their printable plastics for graphic arts are 100% recyclable. Since traditional plastics are made from petroleum, recycling them can reduce our dependency on oil. An example of a Pace Industries product is the card base of Apple iTune gift cards. It is crop-derived, plastic sheet material made with 100% renewable energy and certified compostable by the Biodegradable Plastics Institute.

If you are interested in exploring ways that your company might also reduce air emissions, please contact Ed Jepsen at edward.jepsen@wisconsin.gov or 608-266-3538.

Sabo is a writer in the DNR Bureau of Education and Information and is located in Madison.

Roehl Trucking and DNR's Jessica Lawent win Clean Diesel Initiative Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5's Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative Leadership Group recognized Wisconsin-based Roehl Trucking and DNR's Jessica Lawent in their efforts to reduce diesel emissions in the Midwest. Awards were recently presented at a ceremony in Chicago.

Roehl Transport is among the top 100 trucking companies in the nation and a member of EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership. Fifteen percent of its fleet is equipped with auxiliary power units, with the entire fleet to be fitted by 2010. Trucks are governed to a maximum speed of 63 mph and monthly driver idling standard incentives will reduce idling by 41 percent over last year.

Jessica Lawent, a DNR Vehicle and Voluntary Air Quality Specialist and located in Milwaukee, received a High Horsepower award for individual excellence for her dedication, leadership and drive to build the Wisconsin Clean Diesel Initiative. She spearheaded the ambitious goal of affecting 50,000 legacy diesel engines in Wisconsin by 2010 through educational outreach and funding development.

For more information about the awards, please visit EPA's Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative web site [exit DNR].

 

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