Posts Tagged ‘EPA’


S.S. Badger Owners Try Landmark Status and Earmarks to Scuttle EPA Coal Rules

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

The owners of the S.S. Badger, the last coal fired ship on the Great Lakes are at it again. Since 2008, they have known that their permit to dump over 500 tons of coal ash annually into Lake Michigan would be expiring this month. Yet they have done nothing to resolve the issue. Instead they have asked the EPA for a permit extension while they study a possible conversion to Liquefied Natural Gas.

Now, according to the New York Times the owners of the ferry have enlisted friendly congressmen to bury in a Coast Guard re-authorization bill now in final negotiations between the House and the Senate:

Curious language saying a “qualified vessel” shall continue to operate for its entire lifetime, “without regard to any expiration dates” on the permit it operates on.”

Since the S.S. badger was placed on National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2009, the language in this bill would allow it to continue to dump over 4 tons of coal ash per day into Lake Michigan without a permit.

While the re-authorization bill does not reference the S.S. Badger by name, the enumerated qualifications — including that it be nominated for or on the list of National Historic Landmarks — apply to only one vessel, the Badger.  As the Times points out,  Republicans supposedly put an end to special-interest language slipped into bills to benefit projects or employers in their districts when they took control of the House last year.  However, the sponsors of that language, two Republican representatives, Tom Petri of Wisconsin and Bill Huizenga of Michigan, say it is not an earmark because it does not mandate the expenditure of any federal money.

I may not be able to parse the nuance of congressional political speak as to what is or isn’t an earmark, but to me, the James Whitcomb Riley’s adage regarding looking and walking like a duck applies. Here is a piece of legislation that is slipped into a Coast Guard re-authorization bill that only applies to one entity and that would overrule the EPA permitting process. To me, that’s an earmark. The hypocritical argument that it is not an earmark because no federal dollars are expended  does not take into account the cost of cleaning up the 500 tons of coal ash that the Badger dumps each year.

Apparently at least one Senator,  Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, agrees with me. The Times quoted him as saying:

“If it walks like an earmark and talks like an earmark, it’s an earmark.”

Hopefully the Senate will stand firm and prevent the S.S. Badger from making a mockery of the EPA permitting process and finally take the steps necessary to either store the 4 tons of coal ash they create each day until it can be offloaded or convert to diesel power as have it’s competitors. No business should be protected from competition and allowed to continually pollute the Great Lakes because of it’s historic nature. We didn’t know better, or have better options than coal when the S.S. Badger first sailed on Lake Michigan. We know better now.

Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing and scuttles the offensive language.


Hazardous Waste Violations – Metal Finishing Company Pays $38,250 to EPA

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Saco, ME

Southern Maine Specialties, when asked if the waste generated on-site was hazardous, they had no idea! For this reason and many others they were charged with violating state and federal hazardous waste laws.
Where they went wrong:

• Storing containers of HazWaste next to incompatible material(s).
• Storing two 55-gallon drums of sodium hydroxide sludge together, in excess of the 55-gallon limit for HazWaste accumulation.
• Failed to provide required HazWaste management training for employees
• Storing HazWaste in a tank not designed for that purpose.

The complaint stemmed from an EPA inspection of the facility in January 2010.
EPA inspections happen all the time, are you and/or your company prepared? Contact Maxi with any questions toll free 1-800-727-MAXI (6294) or email Rick our HazWaste expert here: rick@maxicontainer.com

It is noted in the report that Southern Maine acted quickly in rectifying all of the complaints against them. But I have to ask is being ignorant of state and federal HazWaste laws really worth a $38,250 claim against your company?

For more updates about the EPA follow them on twitter @EPAgov


Ohio Makes Composting Easier for Schools

Monday, February 14th, 2011

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) has drafted a new Administrative Code chapter (3745-560) now making it easier to compost. The new regulations include an exclusion from the need to obtain an annual solid waste license. Before, compost facilities have to establish financial assurance but no more, with these changes you can basically DIY and make you own compost facility. Registration and operational requirements would still apply.

You can download the official News Release from the OEPA by clicking here.

Works Cited: Waste and Recycling News, Jan. 24 2011 – Amanda Smith Teutsch


Scrap the EPA? http://t.co/IFo…

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Scrap the EPA? http://t.co/IFoXWMj


The High Cost of Education – Drew University Could save $145,000 by Calling Maxi

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

You do not expect a prestigious school to do something so stupid. Drew University, of  Madison, N.J ranked as number 79 of the best Colleges by US News and World Reports, was fined $145,000 by the US EPA for not properly managing hazardous waste  in 2007.  While only 30 miles from Manhattan, Drew University is set in a wooded 160 acres. Despite this pristine setting, the University haphazardly stored dozens of containers of paint, wood stains, enamels and adhesives in a manner that failed to minimize releases to the environment. The containers were stored outside and on the ground. Some were in close proximity to residential housing and a pond and many containers were open and could have easily spilled their contents or leaked into the ground. The University also failed to properly identify discarded materials such as mercury, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, formic acid, and nitric acid as hazardous wastes.

Drew University’s problems highlight an important issue. Some of the hazardous materials in question were paint, wood stains, enamels and adhesives. These are items that many of us have around the house or workplace and do not realize are considered hazardous materials. Many other common items, such as window cleaner, radiator fluid, batteries, cleaning supplies and fluorescent light bulbs are also hazardous materials. It is important for all of us, either at home or at work, to learn to recognize hazardous materials and to both store and/or dispose of them properly. This is key to all of our efforts towards sustainability. If you are not sure what items in your home or business are hazardous materials, you can contact either your local recycling authority, your state Environmental Agency or the EPA. Many have educational materials available on their websites.

Drew University could have avoided these problems with one phone call to Maxi Container. We carry a full line of safety cabinets and other facilities management products that are approved for the proper storage of hazardous materials. We also carry a full line of secondary containment products which, if properly used,  would have prevented any release into the environment. Maxi also carries numerous lab packing materials, including 20 gallon poly overpacks and vermiculite which would have allowed for disposal of both the maintenance and laboratory hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.

Do not make the same mistake as Drew University. Sustainability includes recognizing hazardous materials both at home and at work and taking steps to manage and dispose of them in an environmentally sustainable manner. Maxi can help! Give us a call toll free 1-800-727-MAXI (6294).