United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
EPA 456/N-95-002
October 1995
4vEPA Control Technology Center
NEWS
Volume 7, No. 4
A JOINT EPA/STAPPA / ALAPCO PROJECT
October 1995
CICA - THE FIRST
SIXMONTHS
By Jaime E. Mendieta
Senior Environmental Employee,
CICA/OAQPS
CICA is the acronym in Spanish for
the "EE UU-Mexico Centra de
Information sobre Contamination del
Aire (US -Mexico Information Center on
Air Pollution). CICA is a new bilingual
service of the EPA-CTC. Its mission is
to serve customers working on US-
Mexico border air pollution problems.
CICA's primary clients are federal, state
or local agencies, and universities re-
sponsible for the border area. This
includes federal offices in Mexico, such
as the Instituto National de Ecologia
(INE), La Procuraduria de Protecion
Ambiental (PROFEPA) and Secretaria
del Madio Ambiente y Recursos
Naturales y Pesca (SEMERNAP).
CICA's tasks are the result of
international agreements that
support efforts to improve air qual-
ity for this fast growing border
region. Based on an October
1995 edition of Newsweek, this
region is 2000 miles long and 120
miles wide (60 miles north and
south of the border). The region
covers the southern borders of
four US states (California, Ari-
zona, New Mexico and Texas)
and the northern borders of six
Mexican states (Baja, Sonora,
Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo
Leon and Tamaulipas). The
region's largest economic center
is El Paso-Ciudad Juarez, and its
largest city is Tijuana-San Diego.
CICA has come to know many hard
working technicians and engineers al-
ready working on different environmen-
tal problems along the border. These
dedicated individuals are gradually be-
coming aware of the resources and
CICA
technical assistance that EPA can pro-
vide directly to them via CICA, without
going through cumbersome procedures
or channels. Direct communications
have been initiated, but accomplish-
ments have been difficult to achieve.
(continued page 2)
AIRWA VES
By Bob Blaszczak
CTC/OAQPS, Co-Chair
I usually am concerned about getting the latest edition of
the CTC NEWS to you in a timely manner, but for this edition
it's totally out of my hands. If you are reading this before
January '96, you've probably acquired an electronic copy
from the CTC BBS. As of this writing, Federal agencies are
operating under a continuing resolution (CR), which means
we have no final budget. Since the CR funds EPA at a
fraction of last year's budget and larger cuts are pending,
printing and mailing newsletters has been temporarily sus-
pended in an effort to save money. Rumors indicate that it
may be late December before we have a final budget. Cuts
are inevitable. The only issues are how deep and where.
Hopefully, the CTC will be able to continue its service to you
and put out the January 1996 edition of the CTC NEWS in a
more timely and traditional manner. In the interim, trying to
run an information transfer program during the CR is like
driving a car with two flat tires.
There have been a few big changes at the CTC. Chuck
Darvin, my able Co-Chair from the Office of Research and
Development (ORD), is stepping aside to devote more time
to his ambitious project management duties. We'll all miss
Chuck in his capacity as CTC Co-Chair, but he'll still be
available to respond to your HOTLINE calls. He is being
replaced by Charlotte Bercegeay, a very capable program
manager. This change resulted from the reorganization of
ORD. The Air and Energy Research Laboratory (AEERL),
the ORD laboratory that cosponsored the CTC with the
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), is
now the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
(APPCD) in the National Risk Management Research Labo-
ratory (NRMRL). Once Charlotte gets her feet on the
ground, we'll persuade her to write an AIRWAVES article to
introduce herself and her revamped organization. The CTC
is excited about this new laboratory structure and the
(continued page 2)
-------
AIRWAVES
(continued from page 1)
potential to better integrate pollution
prevention and other media concerns
into our service. Welcome aboard,
Charlotte!
Another significant change is in the
mix of CTC services that you access.
Although the CTC experienced an over-
all 22% growth in FY95 vs. FY94 (over
42,000 accesses), some unexpected
changes have been realized. First,
HOTLINE calls from both the govern-
ment and non-government sectors de-
creased by about 15%. That marks the
first time private calls decreased since
the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
opened the CTC to others, and the first
time the total number of HOTLINE calls
decreased from the inception of the
CTC.
Second, hard copy requests for
documents increased by 93%, ending a
2-year downward trend. Total docu-
ments (hard copy requests and CTC/
RBLC BBS downloads) have steadily
risen over time, but the hard copy por-
tion had been on a steady decrease.
Evidently, many of you are still not com-
fortable with electronic BBS's and pre-
fer hard copies of CTC products. Unfor-
tunately, cost considerations and the
popularity of our bulletin boards are
steering us away from the traditional
ACCESS TO CTC SERVICE
ACTIVITY
HOTLINE:
Gov. Agencies
Non-Gov.
Total Hotline Calls
Requests/CTC
Products (hard copies)
CTC BBS
RBLC
Total Accesses
to CTC Services
FY94
1208
3179
4387
5211
12291
13Q98_
34987
FY95
1022
2659
3681
10078
12327
16574
42660
\
Change
from
FY94
- 15%
- 16%
+ 16%
+ 93%
+ 0.3%
+ 27%
+ 22%
hard copy approach to information
transfer. Although hard copies will be
available, the number of copies and the
time frame in which they are made
available may be restricted in the future.
The third change is the substantial
growth of the RACT/BACT/LAER
Clearinghouse (RBLC) BBS (27%).
This was partly due to the popularity of
the new Regulation Data Base which is
part of the RBLC BBS. See the at-
tached table for more information on
FY95 activity.
Funding/budget decisions and full
realization of organizational changes
will continue to impact and mold the
CTC in FY96. We hope to continue our
tradition of service to you, but we need
your patience and understanding as we
adapt.
Have a Happy and Safe Holiday
season. _
CICA
(continued from page 1)
Conventional methods of communica-
tion routinely used within the US may
not work as well or are not always
accessible in Mexico. This ranges from
an international long distance call to an
electronic communication. What has
worked for the CTC does not work as
smoothly for CICA services. In fact,
differences in language have been
much less trouble-
some than access
to communication
systems. In re-
sponse, CICA is at-
tempting to imple-
ment an "800" type
telephone service
for Mexico. Though
the cost of such a
service is very rea-
sonable, the ongo-
ing US Federal bud-
get situation has
delayed implemen-
tation of the ser-
vice.
In spite of the
communication
problems noted
above, CICA has
been successful. A synthesis of CICA's
accomplishments during its first six
months of operation follows:
CICA has received 43 requests for
assistance; 80 percent of these were
received during the last two months.
Recent increases in faxes, letters, and
E mail show that the channels of com-
munication are improving and, in turn,
requests for CICA services are increas-
ing.
CICA has provided 171 copies of
computer programs, models and publi-
cations to its clients (the same percent-
ages used above also apply here).
CICA actively participated in June
1995 in a technical conference on US-
Mexico border issues organized by the
Texas Natural Resources and Conser-
vation Commission. Besides introduc-
ing itself to the participants, CICA
agreed to develop an ambient monitor-
ing information clearinghouse for the
US-Mexico border area.
In September 1995, CICA staff vis-
ited El Paso-Ciudad Juarez. This trip
resulted in six presentations, three in
English in El Paso and three in Spanish
in Ciudad Juarez. Participants included
government officials, industry repre-
sentatives, university students, con-
sultants and private individuals.
CICA has received three project
requests. These were initiated by Mexi-
can state and city governments. These
requests are the result of CICA's efforts
to stimulate Mexican participation in ini-
tiating projects to improve air quality
along the border.
CICA is sponsoring the develop-
ment of Spanish versions of the Indus-
trial Source Complex 3 Model and the
Screen 3 Model. These Spanish ver-
sions should be available in the spring of
1996.
CICA has also responded to re-
quests from other countries, including:
Argentina, Guatemala, Chile, Costa
Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela and Portu-
gal.
CICA plans to continue its efforts to
improve communication and expand its
services. Our plans are to include all
states and principal cities within the
border region, and effectively and effi-
ciently apply available resources to bor-
(continued page 3)
CTC News page 2
-------
MACT, CTG, NSPS, ACT AND TITLE I RULE SCHEDULES
**
MACT STANDARD
Aerospace (coatings)
Asbestos MACT/GACT
Asbestos Litigation
Ferroalloys
Flexible Polyurethane Foam
Marine Vessel (load/unload)
Mineral Wool
Off-site Waste & Recovery
Petroleum Refineries
Pharmaceutical Production
Polymers & Resins 1
Polymers & Resins II
Polymers & Resins III
Polymers & Resins IV
Portland Cement
Primary Aluminum Prod.
Printing/Publishing
Pulp & Paper (combustion)
Pulp & Paper (non-comb.)
Secondary Aluminum Prod.
Secondary Lead Smelters
Shipbuilding (coatings)
Wood Furniture Coating
Wood Treatment
CTG ****
Aerospace Coatings
Industrial Wastewater
Shipbuilding (coating)
Offset Lithography
Plastic Parts Coating
VOL Storage
Wood Furniture Coating
Proposal
* 6/6/94
* 1/24/95*"
*1/1/93
4/96
2/96
*5/13/94
2/96
* 10/1 3/94
*6/30/94
3/96
*6/15/95
*5/16/94
Schedule
*3/15/95
1/96
2/96
*3/1/95
*2/27/95
* 10/29/95
8/96
*5/31/94
*1 1/22/94
*1 1/21/94
Final
*9/1/95
11/95***
***
5/97
1/97
*9/1 9/795
3/97
2/96
*8/19/95
11/97
5/96
*3/8/95
under revision
3/96
1/97
11/96
3/96
12/96
3/96
12/97
*6/23/95
12/95
*1 1/1 4/95
Proposal to be delisted
Proposal
*1 1/1 5/94
* 12/29/93
*****
*11/93
*****
* 12/93
*11/94
Final
4/96
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
3/96
ACT Final
Plywood/Particle Board (PM10) Schedule Under Dev.
Batch Processes *2/7/95
NSPS Proposal Final
Degreaser NSPS *8/31/94 on Hold
Elec. Utility Gen. Rev. (NOx) *5/30/94 12/96
Landfill NSPS & 1 1 1 (d) *5/30/91 1 1/95
Med. Waste Inc. NSPS & 111(d) *2/1/95 4/96
NOx NSPS Revision (407(c)) 11/95 12/96
Mun. Waste Combustors II & III *9/20/94 *1 0/31/95
SOCMI Sec. Sources NSPS *8/31/94 3/96
Starch Mfg. Industry NSPS *8/31/94 on Hold
Other Rules Proposal Final
Arch./lnd. Coatings (§183e) *5/5/95 5/96
Auto Refinishing (§183e) Schedule under Dev.
Consumer Products List (§183e)*8/31/94 *9/29/95
Haz. Waste TSDF, Phase II
(RCRA) *7/22/91 12/95
Haz. Waste TSDF Phase III
(RCRA) Schedule under revision
NOTE:
* Indicates date completed
@ Indicates on a court ordered deadline
** All schedules are tentative and subject to change without
notice. Only those rules with proposal or promulgation
dates within one year are included. Completed rules are
removed from list after six months.
***Schedule to be determined by litigation/negotiation
**** ACT's were issued for most CTG categories in April 1995
*****Final CTG cancelled or no plans to finalize
CICA
(continued from page 2)
der air pollution problems. Because we
are finding partners on both sides of the
border that share and support CICA's
goals, CICA will succeed.
About the author
Jaime Mendieta
CICA Program Coordinator:
In February 1995, EPA de-
cided to obtain the services of a
bilingual engineer with experience and
knowledge of both Hispanic and Ameri-
can cultures to coordinate and help to
provide CICA services. I was available
because of a downsizing action of a
utility company.
I am a senior electrical engineer
who during the last 18 years, special-
ized in design and modification of
nuclear power plants. I decided for a
new field of work, with minimum stress
and without the need to move my
household. My desire was to
pursue a new career. However,
this time I was not driven by mon-
etary ambition, but by a strong
desire to help others. I believe
that I had worked to support my
family and myself for most of my life, but
now it was time to share with others the
fruits of my knowledge and personal
experiences. To be educated in both
South America (SA) and the US was
one lucky factor in my life. It made me
flexible and adaptable to circum-
stances. I received two engineering
degrees, one from the University of
Illinois in the US and one from the
Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia.
Also, I obtained my professional engi-
neering license in Colombia. The first
years of my career were in international
business. This included general man-
agement, production, manufacturing,
and consulting work. I served different
types of industries within the US and
Latin America, including Mexico. The
above qualifications are some of the
many reasons I took the CICA chal-
lenge.
CTC News page 3
-------
RBLC DATA BASE
EXPERIENCES
TROUBLE
By Joe Steigerwald
CTC, OAQPS
Attention - - RBLC users who have
been getting the message that all of the
lines into the RBLC data base on the
Technology Transfer Network (TTN)
BBS are busy: No, there is nothing
wrong with your computer or communi-
cations software; and no, the RBLC is
not that busy. The explanation is that
the RBLC data base had a number of
problems in September and
had to be taken off-line a
number of times. The easi-
est way of doing this was to
simulate an "all lines busy"
condition on the TTN's main
computer. Now, for the first
time anywhere, here is the
rest of the story ....
The RBLC data base
program underwent numerous en-
hancements and changes in August and
early September of this year. Several
weeks after the introduction of the new
program we started having a number of
problems. That caused the system to
crash several times. The symptoms
seemed to suggest a hardware prob-
lem, however, after experimenting with
new hardware, the problems continued
suggesting a software problem. Experi-
mentation quickly isolated the bad code
and it was corrected. The problem
solved, or so we thought, the data base
was brought back on-line.
Later we started to have more prob-
lems. These problems did not cause the
data base to crash, but caused bad
sectors on the RBLC computers hard
disk and, if left uncorrected, would have
caused the corruption and eventual
crash of the data base. After an inten-
sive review of the code and several
tests, the offending code was located
and corrected. (It turned out to be an
error in the internal file copying routine
within the RBLC data base's new
Browse function.)
Well, now that the real story is out
everyone can stop wondering and
speculating. Users should not experi-
ence any more problems with the RBLC
data base or the new Browse function.
(If, however, you do see anything
strange, please call me at (919) 541-
2736 with the exact error message.
Thanks.) Happy searching . . .
SELECTED EPA
REPORTS NOW ON CTC
BBS!
By Joe Steigerwald
CTC, OAQPS
The most popular new items in the
CTC BBS' Downloading area are the
NOx Alternative Control Documents
(ACTs). In the last few weeks elec-
tronic copies of 6 of the 9 NOx ACTs
have been placed on the CTC BBS.
The ACTs that are currently available
are: cement; nitric and adipic acid
manufacturing; gas turbines; iron and
steel; glass manufacturing; and pro-
cess heaters. One of the remaining
three ACTs, internal combustion en-
gines, should be available shortly along
with the OAQPS Control Cost Manual
which provides comprehensive proce-
dures and data for sizing and costing
control equipment and is being updated
with a few remaining minor changes to
incorporate all the chapters. The final
two NOx ACT, nonindustrial boilers and
industrial boilers, may not be available
for a month or two but they will be on the
CTC BBS as soon as possible. In
addition to the ACTs, copies of the 1994
CTC Annual Report, a report on escala-
tion indices for air pollution control
costs, a revised status list of the newer
CTG and ACT documents, and a report
entitled "Survey of Control Technolo-
gies for Low Concentration Organic
Vapor Gas Streams" have also been
placed on the CTC BBS for download-
ing. See the man with a complete list of
new files available.
As a matter of background informa-
tion on the ACTs: Congress, in the
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
(CAAA), amended Title I of the Clean
Air Act (CAA) . A new Subpart 2 was
added to Part D of Section 103. Section
183© of the new Subpart 2 provides
that:
[wjithin 3 years after the date of the
enactment of the [CAAA], the Adminis-
trator shall issue technical documents
which identify alternative controls for all
categories of stationary sources
of...oxides of nitrogen which emit, or
have the potential to emit 25 tons per
year or more of such air pollutant.
Each source category for which an
ACT has been issued has been identi-
fied as a stationary source that emits
more than 25 tons of NOx per year.
Each ACT document provides technical
information for use by State and local
agencies to develop and implement
regulatory programs to control NOx
emissions. The information in an ACT
document is generated from previous
EPA documents, litera-
ture searches and con-
tacts with industry; en-
gineering firms;
Nitric Acid ACT
.Cement ACT
as Turbine ACT
ron & Steel ACT
Glass Mfg. ACT
Process Heater ACT
Cost Escalation Indices
Low Cone. VO Report
control equip-
ment vendors;
and federal,
state, and local
regulatory agen-
cies.
All of the
ACT documents
as well as the
other new items
on the CTC BBS, are
available in a variety
of formats. The CTC BBS usually offers
reports in WordPerfect 5.x and
WordPerfect for Windows 6.1 formats
as a matter of course. We also try to put
documents up in ASCII text format
when the conversion into ASCII will not
cause the loss of important information
or formatting. In addition, we have
recently been putting up graphic inten-
sive reports in Envoy format. The En-
voy format is nice because it allows any
user using Microsoft Windows to view
and print the report. In addition, forvery
large reports, the Envoy format shrinks
the size of the file somewhat.
So, sign into the OAQPS Technol-
ogy Transfer Network and log in to the
CTC area and download a file today!
CTC News page 4
-------
SMALL BUSINESS UPDATE
Deborah M. Elmore, Federal SBAP Coordinator, CTC/OAQPS
S B A P FORUM
Welcome to the SBAP Forum. For each issue, we will invite one or more of our State or local Small Business Assistance
Programs to discuss successful and innovative activities that may be of interest to their colleagues across the country. If you
would like to be one of our guest writers, please contact Deborah Elmore at (919)541-5437.
SUCCESS STORY!
John A. Bernardo, Coordinator
Business Assistance Program,
Tucson, AZ
A wrecking yard was cited for 23
violations (NOVs) of several environ-
mental codes during an inspection. Two
days later, staff from the department's
Business Assistance Program (BAP)
spent four hours discussing the indi-
vidual violations and suggesting meth-
ods for returning to compliance with the
business owner. A compliance plan
was developed by the owner, inspector,
and assistance staff.
During these discussions, the
owner confided to assistance staff that
since receiving the NOVs, he had been
swamped with phone calls from other
wrecking yard owners asking what hap-
pened, would his business be shut
down, and what abouttheir business? It
seemed many of the violations proved
to be standard operation procedure for
wrecking yards.
Upon learning about the wide-
spread concern, BAP staff planned a
half-day seminar for wrecking yard and
auto shop owners concerning appli-
cable environmental regulations and
waste minimization techniques. The
owner cited for the 23 NOVs actively
participated in the development of the
seminar and served as a principal
speaker. Though his voice
was a bit shaky, he was able
to relate his experiences with
the Agency, including the as-
sistance provided, and fur-
thered the rapport between
the department and the
regulated community in
ways no government repre-
sentative could ever hope to achieve.
Small Business assistance staff
would do well to look for ways of not only
encouraging environmental compliance
for the individual offender, but maximiz-
ing efforts by providing assistance to all
members.
$7.5 MILLION IN SMALL
BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
GRANTS TO 15 STATES
In late September, the Federal
SBAP announced grant awards totaling
$1.5 million for ten model small busi-
ness assistance projects in 15 states.
These grants will be implemented by
state Small Business Assistance Pro-
grams; States will use these grants to
address air pollution issues as well as
water, waste, and other environmental
concerns. The funds will be utilized to
demonstrate effective ways of providing
regulatory assistance to small busi-
nesses. The program will emphasize
(1) pollution prevention as an alternative
to traditional governmental "command
and control" techniques; and ^integra-
tion with existing small business assis-
tance providers, such as state pollution
prevention programs, and university run
Small Business Development Centers
(SBDCs) supported by the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA). These
grants are funded through a section of
President Clinton's Environmental
Technology Initiative (ETI) which fo-
cuses on pollution prevention as a
means for reducing barriers to pollution
control innovation by small businesses.
ETI was launched by President Clinton
in 1993 to spur the development and
use of innovative methods to protect the
environment and enhance the competi-
tiveness of the U.S. environmental
technology industry. The states se-
lected for grants are Connecticut, Vir-
ginia, Florida, Minnesota, Arkansas,
Kansas, Utah, and Nevada, along with
two multi-state efforts (Texas/New
Mexico/Oklahoma, and Washington/
Oregon/Alaska/ldaho). Each state and
multi-state project will get $150 thou-
sand to be spent within three years.
EPA asked all states in the country to
apply for the grants, and the Agency
picked the submittals containing the
most innovative methods of assisting
small business. States are required to
match federal funds by at least 20 per-
cent, either in dollars or resources. For
further information contact Deborah
Elmore at 919-541-5437.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The 1996 State Small Business Om-
budsman and Small Business Assis-
tance Program Conference will be held
Wednesday, February 28, through Fri-
day, March 1, 1996, at the Holiday Inn
on the Bay in San Diego, California.
Complete registration
information will be
mailed in early January
to all State small busi-
ness program con-
tacts. For more infor-
mation, contact Debo-
rah Elmore at (919)
541-5437.
CTC News page 5
-------
RBLC ADDS MORE
NEW FEATURES
by Jo Ann Kerrick
VfGYAN
The RACT/BACT/LAER Clearing-
house (RBLC) continues to make im-
provements to help you work more effi-
ciently. Look for the features described
below on the TIN now. We think you'll
like what you see.
Comprehensive Search for Pollutants
The Query module of the RBLC
information system is frequently used to
search any of the RBLC data bases for
specific pollutants. Pollutants are most
often entered with the name of their
chemical formula, for example "CO" for
carbon monoxide. However, it has been
difficult to standardize names for some
of the criteria pollutants: NOx, PIW
PM10, SOx, and VOC. For example,
particulate matter may be entered as
PM, PM10, orTSP. Because state and
local agencies may use different termi-
nology in their permits, they
enter their determinations us-
ing alternative names for
some pollutants. While this
flexibility on naming allows us-
ers to tailor the RBLC to their own
permits, it also makes it more difficult to
find all of the data base entries for a
particular pollutant.
The RBLC now has an option to
insure that you find all information re-
lated to a particular criteria pollutant.
The Query module detects when you
are trying to search for a criteria pollut-
ant and asks whether you want to per-
form a comprehensive search. If you
do, the system searches for all appropri-
ate variations of the pollutant name.
This comprehensive search looks for
the pollutant name you specified plus
any alternative names. Otherwise, you
can choose to search just for the name
you entered. The search prompt ap-
pears whenever you search for a pollut-
ant name that equals one of these four
criteria pollutants. The comprehensive
search for pollutants is available with
either the standard or advanced search
options.
Changes in the RBLC Data Fields
All of the data screens in the RBLC
have been revised to reflect changes
made to the data base structure at the
facility, process, and pollutant levels. At
the facility level, the number of dates
tracked by the system has been re-
duced from 10 to 4. Infrequently used
dates have been removed, and the four
remaining dates each use a three-char-
acter flag to indicate whether the date is
an estimate or an actual date. Remov-
ing the extraneous dates simplified the
facility data screen and also freed up
BACT
LAER
fearinghouse
enough space to display the initial por-
tion of the facility notes on the same
screen as the other facility data. At the
process level, three new fields have
been added for notes specific to the
process or to compliance verification.
In addition, the boiler size field has been
deleted, and a field for primary fuel
added. The changes at the pollutant
level may not be immediately visible
because the screen looks essentially
the same. However, if you've ever tried
to enter cost information, you'll notice
the difference. The cost fields no longer
include a decimal point, so the system
now has room to store larger cost val-
ues. The problems several users have
had entering large capital costs should
be resolved with this change.
While we were working on all the
RBLC modules, we made several mis-
cellaneous updates. First, BLIS has
been replaced with RBLC. Secondly,
we changed the warning screens to
appear in red so that they are more
visible to users. Last but not least,
determinations are listed in order of
RBLC ID in the view list in the Query
module. Previously, facilities were
listed in the order that they were added
to the data base, which meant that all
entries for one state did not necessarily
appear together.
BROWSE Module Added for RBLC
Data Base
A new "Browse" option, available
from the RBLC main menu, lets you
select from a list of process types
and search the data base for all
determinations of that type. You
can even search for a major cat-
egory of process type to view the
complete set of determinations in
all of the subcategories for that
process category. For example,
searching for process type 11.000
will find all external combustion
processes from 11.001 to 11.999.
In Browse, the view list is sorted by
facility name so that you can readily
find determinations of interest to you.
A "Jump" option lets you move quickly
to the facility name that begins with a
given letter.
In addition to viewing the facilities
on-line, you can mark selected facilities
and download them to your local PC. A
"Mark" option at the facility list lets you
mark or unmark all of the facilities cur-
rently displayed on the screen, or you
can mark/unmark a single facility. The
Browse module works in much the
same way as the Browse module for the
regulations data base. Use Browse if
you are just interested in a particular
process type and are uncomfortable
with building search criteria. Browse
displays a list of process types for you to
choose from and then automatically
builds a query and searches the data
base. The Query module is still avail-
able to search for other types of infor-
mation.
CTC News page 6
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CARLOS NUNEZ:
CTCEXPERTON
CARBON ADSORPTION
AND CATALYTIC
INCINERATION OF
VOCS
Carlos Nunez's duties within EPA
are constantly changing to meet the
demands of the moment. He has many
diverse and versatile roles within the
Agency. In addition to being the coor-
dinator for EPA's Source Reduction
Review Project (SRRP), he is a com-
puter programmer
and the CTC expert in
carbon adsorption
and catalytic incinera-
tion of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs).
Carlos receives calls
related to carbon ad-
sorption, catalytic in-
cineration of VOCs,
and related subjects
on a regular basis. As
the CTC service area
continues to expand,
Carlos may provide
additional assistance
to environmental rep-
resentatives from
Spanish speaking countries on the
technologies available to solve environ-
mental problems.
Carlos earned his B.S. degree in
chemistry from the University of Puerto
Rico, Rio Piedras, PR, in 1983 and his
B.S. degree in chemical engineering in
1985 from the University of Puerto
Rico, Mayaguez, PR. Both times he
graduated Cum Laude. Carlos contin-
ued his education at North Carolina
State University where he was
awarded a master's degree in materials
science and engineering in 1994.
In 1985, Carlos Nunez began work-
ing in control technology research in
what is now EPA's National Risk Man-
agement Research Laboratory in Re-
search Triangle Park, NC. Carlos' ex-
pertise was recognized by his being
asked to represent the United States as
an authority in control technologies for
VOCs at two international conferences
of the Economic Commission of Europe
(ECE) VOC Task Force. His responsi-
bilities for the construction and opera-
tion of a laboratory facility included de-
veloping and evaluating new and con-
ventional technologies for the abate-
ment of hazardous air pollutants
(HAPs).
In his work with corona destruction
and catalytic incineration, Carlos be-
came very familiar with computer data
bases and programming. Based on his
extensive knowledge of computers and
his programming background, he ac-
cepted a challenge as a computer sci-
ence instructor at
Durham Techni-
cal Community
College.
Carlos wrote a
dBase III program
that monitors sta-
tistical analysis for
the CTC
HOTLINE. In ad-
dition, Carlos is
striving to expand
CTC's mission to
include pollution
prevention re-
search technolo-
gies. He believes
that it is essential
for the CTC to continue its work, tar-
geted to Regional, State, and Local
agencies, and small businesses, with
identifying solutions to environmental
problems to meet the mandates of the
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
With the addition of expertise on pollu-
tion prevention research concepts to
control technology research informa-
tion, the CTC will be able to provide the
public with a vast resource through the
CTC HOTLINE and through its data
bases and bulletin boards.
Carlos has received numerous
awards for superior performance during
his career, including the EPA's 1991
Office of Environmental Engineering
Technology Demonstration Quality As-
surance Annual Award and a Special
Recognition Award for the design of a
computerized data base.
ELECTRONIC HEAL TH
EFFECTS NOTEBOOK
AVAILABLE
Short health effects fact sheet
summaries have been developed for
most of the Clean Air Act, section
112(b)(1) Hazardous Air Pollutants and
available to the public on the Technol-
ogy Transfer Network's National Air
Toxics Information Clearinghouse
Board. The files are in WordPerfect 5.1
and are numbered in order for a reason-
able hardcopy reference notebook to
be printed out if all files are downloaded.
The files are continually updated as
new data becomes available and users
are encouraged to note the file date of
each pollutant downloaded. To access
the files, select from the Main
Board, select ,<8> and <1>. A
limited number of diskettes (set of 5)
are available for distribution from the Air
RISC Information Center hotline 919-
541-0888.
Control lechnology Center NEWS
The CTC N EWS is a quarterly publication of
the U.S.EPA's Control Technology Center (CTC).
The CTC is an informal, easy-to-use, no cost,
technical assistance service for all State and local
(S/l) air pollution control agencies and EPA Re-
gional Office staffs. For others, some services
may be on a cost reimbursable basis. The CTC
offers quick access to EPAexperts and expertise
via the CTC HOTLINE and the CTC Bulletin
Board, and in-depth technical support through
source specific Engineering Assistance Projects
or more generic Technical Guidance Projects.
The CTC is operated by the Air and Energy
Engineering Research Laboratory, Office of Re-
search and Development, and the Emission Stan-
dards Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards in Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina.
If you have any air pollution emission or
control questions, or would like more information
about the CTC and the types of technical assis-
tance available, CALL THE CTC HOTLINE!
(919)541-0800
Publication of the CTC NEWS does not signify
that the contents necessarily reflect the views and
policies of the U.S. EPA, nor does the mention of
trade names or commercial products constitute
endorsement or recommendation for use.
CTC News page 7
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CTC & CICA ON-LINE
The CTC and CICA (see lead ar-
ticle) are now on-line! Home Pages for
both centers on the World Wide Web
became operational on November 22,
1995. You can access the CTC Home
Page via a link from the Office of Air and
Radiation's section on EPA's Home
Page, and CICA via a link to the CTC's
page.
The CTC or CICA Home Pages can
be reached at:
http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/ctc.html
http://www.epa.gov.oar/oaqps/cica.html
Nexttimeyouareontheweb, check
us out!
CTC ASSISTANCE
CTC HOTLINE: CALL (919) 541 -OSOOto access EPAexpertstaffforconsultations.referencesto pertinent
literature, oraccess to EPAtechnical data and analyses. Noquestionis too simple! Our Fax numbers are
(919) 541-0242 or(919) 541-0361.
ENGINEERING ASSISTANCE PROJECTS: If you need in-depth assistance concerning a specific
control technology problem, call the HOTLINE or write the CTC. EPA staff and contractors are available
for short-term projects such as reviewof proposed or existing control technology applications. Projects
are subject to CTC Steering Committee approval.
TECHNICAL GUIDANCE PROJECTS: If the CTC receivesanumberof similar HOTLINE callsora joint
request from a group of agencies, the CTC Steering Committee may undertake broad, long-term projects
of national or regional interest. The result may be a control technology document for a particular type of
source, microcomputer software, or seminars and workshops.
CTC BBS: Call (919) 541-5742 for up to 14400 baud modem to access the CTC Bulletin Board. Set
communications parameters to 8 data bits, N parity, and 1 stop bit, and use a terminal emulation of VT100,
VT102,orANSI. You may leave HOTLINE requests, order documents, suggest projects, and download
software. The BBS is part of the OAQPS Technology Transfer Network (TTN). The TTN may be accessed
via the Internet attheaddress'TELNETttnbbs.rtpnc.epa.gov'orthroughtheEPAHomePageonthe World
Wide Web. The address of the CTC page on the web is'http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/ctc.html'.
FEDERAL SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (FSBAP): Callthe CTC HOTLINE to access
theFSBAP. The CTC is the focal point for coordination of efforts among the four EPA centers participating
in the program. The Federal program is intended to support State Small Business Assistance Programs,
as required by the Clean Air Act.
RACT/BACT/LAER CLEARINGHOUSE (RBLC): The RBLC data base (RBLC) is available on the
OAQPS TTN BBS. (See the CTC BBS for connection information.) The Clearinghouse provides summary
information for control technology determinations made by permitting agencies.
GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GASES TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER (GGGTTC): Call the CTC
HOTLINE to access GGGTTC information on greenhouse gas emissions, prevention, mitigation, and
V^controlstrategies. /
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
CTC, ITPID, OAQPS (MD-12)
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Official Business
Penalty ForPrivateUse,
$300
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Postage and Fees Paid
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