rQ% National Partnership for Environmental MS^ Priorities (NPEP) Bulletin Winter, 2006 Welcome to the latest edition of the NPEP Bulletin. The NPEP Bulletin is distributed quarterly to keep you informed of the latest NPEP and waste minimization (waste min) news and events. Each issue will have a different theme. This Issue: State and Regional Waste Min Programs. We distribute the Bulletin electronically to minimize waste, conserve resources, and promote the Paperless Office. Join NPEP Today Interested in waste min? Want to improve your bottom line while helping the environment? NPEP encourages public and private organizations to form voluntary partnerships with EPA to reduce the use and/or release of priority chemicals (PCs). Enroll today: www.epa.gov/minimize/partnership.htm Read more about PCs at www.epa.gov/minimize/chemlist.htm ** Breaking News ** EPA Releases Lean Toolkit Offering practical strategies and techniques to help specialists at your shopfloor deliver lean solutions. Read more about the Lean Toolkit and all the latest waste min news at www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimi ze/latestnews «1 ^'Information Exchange Contact the editors with your ideas, questions, events, articles, comments, and suggestions. We want to hear from you. Send us your thoughts and contributions today via email or our comments and questions form at www.epa.gov/minimize/contactus.htm Upcoming Events: March 26 - 29: Int'l Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Mgmt. March 29 -31: GLOBE 2006 Conference April 5-7, 2006: WasteExpo 2006 Send us your event today. View the Waste Min Calendar at www. epa.gov/calendar/minimize. htm Volume 1 4^^J2^ Attention Partners: NPEP Can Help ^R^5^^^ You Meet Performance Track Goals In an important new development for both current and future NPEP partners, NPEP and the National Environmental Performance Track announce a new National Challenge Commitment to reduce priority chemicals. This new Challenge offers NPEP partners the potential benefit of considering their pledges to reduce priority chemicals as satisfying two of the four commitments necessary to join Performance Track. Performance Track is a voluntary partnership program that acknowledges top environmental performance. Benefits of Performance Track membership can include: reduced reporting frequency, expedited permit reviews, and collaboration with state programs to offer state- specific incentives. Being an NPEP partner is a solid first step toward Performance Track membership. Visit Performance Track at www.epa.gov/performancetrack tjjti Trends Report Shows Impressive Reductions |j^ On December 20, EPA published the latest National Priority Chemicals Trends Report as part of the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), a national effort to find more flexible yet protective ways to conserve natural resources and energy. One of the goals of the RCC is to reduce priority chemicals (PCs) in our environment and the Trends Report tracks progress toward meeting this goal as well as trends in the generation and management of PCs in industrial waste. This year's report evaluates the progress made in reducing the presence of 23 PCs in waste between 2001 and 2003 using the most recent data in the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a publicly available database containing information on the use, release, and management of more than 650 toxic chemicals at industrial and federal facilities. The Trends Report shows that the use of PCs in waste has decreased by nearly six percent since 2001 and that about half of the 23 PCs tracked showed decreases in use. This means that we are more than halfway toward meeting our goal of a 10 percent reduction in PC wastes by 2008. Read the Trends Report at www.epa.gov/minimize/trends.htm Visit the RCC at www.epa.gov/rcc and view the TRI at www.epa.gov/iri Region 3 Develops Productive Relationships with Generators Tad Radzinski, Region 3 Waste Minimization Program Team Leader, and Greg Gemgnani, National Coil Coalers Association, at the Region 3 Villanova Conference on Naphthalene Reductions. EPA Region 3 is also known as the Mid-Atlantic Region and serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Twenty -three NPEP partners are found in Region 3, more than in any other region. Region 3 partners include three GE facilities, DuPont (Edgemoor, Delaware), and U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works (Dravosburg, Pennsylvania). These partners have committed to chemical reductions of about 542,500 pounds. The Region 3 recruiting process begins with the identification of potential partners as soon as new TRI data become available. The staff keeps a list of potential partners and sectors that was ranked by volume but is now ranked by waste min potential. As Tad Radzinski, Region 3 NPEP Coordinator, reports, "Just because a facility has PC waste doesn't mean it has waste min potential." NPEP staff has worked with almost all of the top generators in the region and usually performs site visits and prepares waste min reports as part of the recruiting process. He adds, "A national focus on sectors is going to produce good results in every region. " Mr Radzinski believes that Region 3's success stems from effectively Continued on page 2 NPEP Bulletin page 1 Issue 3 ------- New Partner Spotlight Region 1 Partner: Benchmark Electronics Location: Hudson, New Hampshire Region 2 Partner: Crystex Composites, LLC Location: Clifton, New Jersey Partner: Durand Glass Manufacturing Company, Inc. Location: Millville, New Jersey Partner: GGB, LLC Location: Thorofare, New Jersey Partner: PR Sun Microsystems Location: Ponce, Puerto Rico Region 4 Partner: Modine Manufacturing Co. Location: Harrodsburg, Kentucky Partner: Modine Manufacturing Co. Location: Jackson, Mississippi Partner: Precoat Metals division Sequa Coatings Corporation: Jackson Plant Location: Jackson, Mississippi Region 5 Partner: Honeywell International Location: Freeport, Illinois Partner: Modine Manufacturing Co. Location: Pemberville, Ohio Partner: Precoat Metals division Sequa Coatings Corporation Location: Portage, Indiana Region 6 Partner: Rubicon, LLC Location: Geismar, Louisiana Partner: Stemco LP Location: Longview, Texas Region 7 Partner: Modine Manufacturing Co. Location: Jefferson City, Missouri Partner: Precoat Metals division Sequa Coatings Corporation Location: St. Louis, Missouri Region 9 Partner: Exide Technologies Location: Los Angeles, California Read about all of our NPEP partners: www.epa.gov/minimize/partners.htm Continued from page 1: Region 3 identifying generators, developing good relationships with them, and being persistent. He also says that past successes lead to future success. In other words, the staffs record of helping facilities reduce waste and save money gives them credibility when they present NPEP to potential partners. Region 3 staff recently compiled efficiency measures using data collected from participants in its Site Visit Program. The results of this program are impressive - waste reduced totals 91,922,558 pounds, water savings total 1,641,540,000 gallons, and cost savings total $42, 602,178. The cost to EPA was $330,000, meaning that for every dollar EPA invested, 279 pounds of waste were reduced, 4,974 gallons of water were saved, and $129 was saved by facilities. Region 3 has provided technical assistance to about half of its NPEP partners. Facility representatives often request technical assistance to help them establish waste min goals. For example, Region 3 helped the Baldwin Hardware Corporation find an off- site recovery facility to take the copper, zinc, and lead polishing waste separated from brass fines during the manufacturing process. Visit the Region 3 NPEP website at www. epa.gov/reg3wcmd/wasteminimization. htm Pennsylvania Home to 12 NPEP Partners Pennsylvania, a Region 3 state, is home to 12 NPEP partners, more than any other state. GE Bridgeville, Sylvin Technologies, and the U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works are all found here. Pennsylvania's NPEP partners have committed to reducing over 283,000 pounds of chemical waste. Pennsylvania NPEP staff identifies potential partners by using Region 3's list of priority chemical generators and researching other large quantity generators and sectors. Glenn Mitzel, Waste Minimization Coordinator, says that establishing trust with facilities and past successes are both crucial elements to successful recruiting. He believes that Pennsylvania's waste min program is successful because outreach efforts are focused using the latest TRI data and because the Region 3 program uses a team concept that allows the states and the region to work cooperatively. He adds, "NPEP is a very effective program and helping companies focus on priorities has been productive." Pennsylvania has provided technical assistance to most of its NPEP partners. This usually entails identifying waste min opportunities while conducting site visits at their facilities. Recommendations to reduce waste, wastewater, and energy usage along with potential cost savings are documented and sent to the facility after the visit. Mr. Mitzel reports that the site visit report has proven a useful tool in helping partners prioritize their waste minimization efforts. Visit Pennsylvania's NPEP website at www.depweb.state.pa.us, DEP Keyword: Waste Minimization. Virginia Values Relationship with Region 3 Nine NPEP partners, including two GE facilities, Moog Components, and the Williamsburg Community Hospital, can be found in Virginia, a Region 3 state. Chemical reduction commitments total almost 229,000 pounds. Virginia staff reaches out to facilities identified by Region 3 and facilities participating in programs such as the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP) and Virginia Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (VH2E). Sharon Baxter, NPEP Coordinator, reports that the good relationship that Region 3 staff has fostered with its states and the data analyses provided by Region 3 contribute a great deal to the success of Virginia's NPEP program. Virginia NPEP staff has provided technical assistance to about half of its partners, usually by researching and distributing technical information. NPEP Staff has also advocated for partners in regulatory issues. Visit Virginia's NPEP website at www.deq.virgima.gov/p2/wastemin.html Region 2 Describes Successful Recruiting Program EPA Region 2 serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and seven tribal nations. Joseph Malki, Region 2 NPEP Coordinator, has recruited 14 NPEP partners including Comus International, Hewlett Packard (Aguadilla), and the U.S. Postal Service (Albany). Chemical reduction commitments in Region 2 exceed 677,000 pounds. Mr. Malki believes patience and persistence are the keys to successful recruiting. He adds that NPEP appeals to facilities because of cost savings, recognition, and reduced liability. "More often than not it is a win-win situation for the facility; partnering with NPEP improves their public image while at the same time they are saving money." Mr. Malki says that an endorsement from the state often reinforces the importance of the NPEP message. He believes that NPEP is effective because it reduces TRI emissions, looks at lifecycle analysis of the final NPEP Bulletin page 2 Issue 3 ------- product, and reduces liability. Visit the Region 2 NPEP website at www. epa.gov/region02/p2/wastemin. htm NPEP Affects Great Lakes in Region 5 EPA Region 5 serves Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 35 Tribes. This region is also home to the largest surface freshwater system on earth, the Great Lakes, which provide water for consumption, power, and other uses to more than 35 million people living in the area. The Great Lakes are vulnerable to many pollutants, including priority chemicals, because of the industry and agriculture in the region. Janet Haff and Ann Wentz, NPEP Region 5 coordinators, believe that NPEP is an important program because it reduces the impact of priority and other toxic chemicals on human health and the Great Lakes. Priority chemicals targeted for reduction by Region 5 include lead, mercury, and naphthalene. NPEP has 12 partners in Region 5, including GE (Circleville, Ohio), International Truck and Engine Corporation (Springfield, Ohio), and Toyota (Princeton, Indiana). Chemical reduction commitments in Region 5 total almost 2.3 million pounds. Ms. Haff reports that site meetings and continued follow-up with facilities are critical for successful recruiting. For example, Region 5 staff met with Modine Manufacturing Company (Pemberville, Ohio) to discuss Modine's waste min plans and NPEP. Modine was interested in eliminating lead from their product line and, after continued contact with Region 5 staff, agreed to join NPEP with a lead reduction goal of 670,000 pounds. As a result of Region 5's efforts, Modine facilities in Missouri and Kentucky also joined NPEP. Visit the Region 5 NPEP website at www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/wastemin/ Region 6 Secures First NPEP MOA EPA Region 6 serves the south central part of the country: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 65 Tribes. Industries in Region 6 generate more priority chemical-containing waste than any other region but have a good record of successfully managing this waste. Nine NPEP partners have been recruited from Region 6, including BP (Texas City), GM (Shreveport), and Shell Chemical (Norco, Louisiana). Chemical reduction commitments exceed 1.8 million pounds. Lisa Price, Region 6 NPEP Coordinator, reports that persistence in communicating with facilities leads to NPEP recruiting successes. Recruiting starts with researching TRI data to determine which facilities are generating priority chemicals and learning as much as possible about those facilities before contacting them. Staff also pursues companies participating in Performance Track and similar state programs such as Clean Texas and the Louisiana Environmental Leadership Program. Ms. Price reports that most facility representatives are very open to having discussions about partnering with NPEP once they understand that our efforts are not driven by regulations. Region 6 recently secured the first NPEP Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with a state. Through this MOA, EPA and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality agreed to coordinate the efforts of NPEP and the recently initiated Oklahoma Star Incentive Program. The MOA addresses nine points such as developing incentives and coordinating the application processes. Other efforts by Region 6 led to the City of Dallas (Love Field Airport) partnering with NPEP. Region 6 staff was invited to an EMS site visit at Love Field Airport by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and subsequently initiated a series of meetings with city departments to promote NPEP as a partner for some of their environmental projects. After reviewing the projects for priority chemical activity and waste min potential, the effort at Love Field Airport to replace PCB-containing ballasts was deemed a good fit for NPEP. Visit the Region 6 NPEP website at www. epa.gov/earthl r6/6pd/rcra_c/wastemin/ wastemin.html NPEP Partner Update Norco Receives Illinois Governor's Award Norco Cleaners, Inc. has been an NPEP partner in Region 5 since October, 2003. Norco received an NPEP achievement award in October, 2005 for avoiding emissions of almost 5,500 pounds of naphthalene by reducing the consumption of dry cleaning solvents. Recently, Norco received a 2005 Illinois Governor's Continuous Improvement Award, presented to organizations that continuously build on previous successes in pollution prevention. Norco successfully reduced consumption of dry cleaning solvents and solvent emissions by replacing its water cooling system with refrigeration for maximum recycling of naphthalene. Read more about Norco at www.epa.gov/minimize/latestnews.htm Director's Corner tor Environment! Prioriliot Jim Berlow, Director, Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division NPEP is a successful program because of the hard work of many people. The NPEP Team here at EPA Headquarters continues to be impressed by the efforts of our state and regional partners in recruiting facilities into the program. The NPEP program should be implemented by state and regional staff because they are so engaged with facilities in their area. They are able to forge productive relationships with facility representatives that lead to big waste min successes and large priority chemical reductions through NPEP. In 2006, we hope to get state staff more involved by integrating their voluntary programs with NPEP. We would also like to see more national companies like GE, Modine, and Precoat join NPEP and enroll facilities in multiple regions. Our future success is dependent on the continued active and enthusiastic participation of our local partners. I think we have an enthusiastic supporter in Susan Bodine, our new Assistant Administrator. Ms. Bodine came on board in January and started her duties with a speech highlighting the RCC. We welcome Ms. Bodine as an NPEP supporter. Contact Us to Subscribe to the NPEP Bulletin: www.epa.gov/minimize/contactus. htm This Bulletin is sponsored by the National Waste Minimization Website at www. epa.gov/wastemin Updated regularly - visit today. Contact the Editors: Linda Malcolm, 301-865-1454 malcolm.linda@epa.gov Shayla Workman, 703-308-0319 workman, shayla@epa.gov EPA530-N-06-001 Volume 1 NPEP Bulletin page 3 Issue 3 ------- |