The GLRPPR Blog

The EPA TRI Program released an enhanced version of the TRI Pollution Prevention (P2) Search in Envirofacts, featuring new and more powerful ways to search the TRI database for P2 activities reported by TRI facilities.

You’ll now be able to:

• Use multi-select capabilities to focus your P2 search on one or more industries, chemicals, states, or years
• Use “type ahead” features to search by keyword, industry code, or chemical
• Search using predefined chemical groupings, such as Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) or Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) chemicals
• Sort results to find reported P2 activities corresponding with the largest reductions in releases to specific environmental media, overall releases, or total waste managed

Catch Up on the Most Recent TRI P2 Webinar

Did you miss last month’s TRI webinar? Don’t worry – you can still learn how to find, analyze, and visualize TRI’s P2 data! The recording, transcripts, and presentation slides from “Exploring TRI’s Pollution Prevention Information” are now available at www.chemicalright2know.org/2013-webinars/spring-2013-webinar.

For additional background on TRI and P2, visit www.epa.gov/tri/p2 and the resources on www.chemicalright2know.org.

For the past quarter-century, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) has provided information about toxic chemicals released from industrial facilities in communities across the nation.  In addition to informing citizens of releases in their areas, however, TRI also contains a plethora of information about pollution prevention activities and how, in many cases, facilities have switched to safer chemicals or safer waste management alternatives.  Now, information about effective pollution prevention practices is easier to access than ever.

To find out more, join the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable’s Safer Chemistry Challenge Program for the free webinar: Exploring the Toxics Release Inventory’s Pollution Prevention Information:  A New Resource and a P2 Provider’s Perspective, on March 20, 2013 from 2:00-3:30 pm EDT.  Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/269134136.

This webinar will provide an overview of the pollution prevention and waste management data collected by the TRI Program and introduce participants to a new search tool that makes this information easy to access, visualize, and use.  Additionally, participants will hear about the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), how they use the TRI information, and how they plan to integrate the new pollution prevention tool into their outreach activities.

Featured speakers will include:

• Daniel Teitelbaum, Pollution Prevention Staff Lead, TRI Program Division, Office of Environmental Information, US EPA
• Laura Babcock, Ph.D., Director, MnTAP
• Robert Lundquist, Senior Engineer, MnTAP

Wed, Jan 16, 2013 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST
Register at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/661478870

EPA, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention will be presenting an overview of P2 tools designed to help measure the environmental and economic performance results of pollution prevention activities.  Come hear how newly designed tools can demonstrate the unique multi-media perspective that P2 brings to reduce GHG reductions and cost savings.  Natalie Hummel and Kathy Davey of the Pollution Prevention Division will be presenting.

P2 Greenhouse Gas Calculator:
The P2 GHG Calculator calculates GHG emission reductions from electricity conservation, green energy, fuel and chemical substitutions with lower GHG-intensities, water conservation, and improved materials and process management in the chemical manufacturing sector. This tool will assist program participants to submit higher-quality data for the program measure, and demonstrates the unique multi-media perspective that P2 brings to reduce metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e).

P2 Cost Savings Calculator:
The P2 Cost Calculator assesses cost savings associated with reduced costs for hazardous inputs in a facility process, reduced costs for handling hazardous waste, reductions in annual air permitting fees that are based on actual emissions, reduced water discharge treatment costs based on gallons discharged, reduced charges for water usage, reduced fuel costs, and reduced costs for electricity.   Understanding potential cost savings presents a big incentive for action and collaboration to program beneficiaries.

Gallons to Pounds Converter:
This is designed to provide conversions from units commonly encountered in business to units needed for P2 Program measures.  It is not uncommon for hazardous materials to be measured in gallons for business purposes – gallons of paint, and gallons of waste water, for example.  For program purposes, all these gallon measures need to be converted to pounds of hazardous materials for the program measure “pounds of hazardous materials reduced.”

The DoD Environmental Data Quality Workgroup is pleased to announce the 8th annual DoD Environmental Monitoring & Data Quality Workshop, which includes technical training sessions, technical presentations, a plenary session featuring distinguished speakers, a Q&A forum, component meetings, a poster session, an update on the DoD ELAP, and networking opportunities with members of the environmental community. This workshop is open to all interested environmental professionals involved with DoD sites or projects including representatives from the DoD services, other federal agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, academia, and the private sector. Possible training categories for this workshop include: DoD QSM 4.2 and Proposed v5 Update, Vapor Intrusion, Corrective Action Processes and Root Cause Analyses, MMRP, Emerging Contaminants and Disposal of Nanomaterials, and Environmental Forensics.

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This is an announcement of the extension of the deadline for submitting P2 results data for calendar years 2007, 2008, and 2009. The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) / Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) P2 Results Task Force requests that your program submits P2 results data to your regional P2Rx Center for input into the P2 Results Data System.  If your program has already submitted 2007 through 2009 data, then we thank you and ignore this request.

For 2007 and 2008 data, the deadline has been extended to November 12, 2010. For 2009 data, the deadline has been extended to December 31, 2010.

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The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) / Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) P2 Results Task Force requests that your agency/program submit P2 results data for the calendar years 2007, 2008, and 2009 to your regional P2Rx center (GLRPPR for U.S. EPA Region 5) for input into the P2 Results Data System per the P2 Results Memorandum of Understanding. The P2 Results Data collection will begin on August 1, 2010 through September 30, 2010.

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Energy & Materials Flow & Cost Tracker (EMFACT)

NEWMOA and the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) have developed a materials use and profitability software tool, called Energy & Materials Flow & Cost Tracker (EMFACT) and recently made it available online free for download. Please check it out. We are currently seeking opportunities to conduct training workshops on EMFACT for small and medium-sized manufacturers, regulatory program staff, and/or technical assistance providers and consultants. This training could be in the form of a webinar, a half day or full day in-person workshop, or an in-person presentation at a conference or workshop. Please send an email to Terri Goldberg if you are interested in exploring such opportunities. NEWMOA has funding to support this training.

Here’s more on what EMFACT is -

EMFACT is designed to be used within small and medium-sized companies for systematically tracking materials and energy use; releases, discharges, and wastes; and associated costs in ways that can create value for their business. The tool can provide a comprehensive picture of resource use and its relation to production and planning that will help improve both business and environmental performance. We have been hearing from users that EMFACT™ can provide critical support for pollution prevention efforts within firms and for technical assistance providers and consultants that are working with firms.

EMFACT’s benefits to its users are:

• Easy navigation and data management
• Connecting material inputs and all outputs, including products, wastes, and other environmental releases to estimate mass balances and flows
• Effective tracking of all material inputs, including chemicals, commodities, and fuels, and their associated costs
• Effective tracking of all wastes, wastewater discharges, and air emissions
• Automated reminders and notices about upcoming reporting and other deadlines
• Automated reports on materials use efficiency and environmental releases
• Easy transfer of data to spreadsheets for further analysis and reports

EMFACT was funded by a grant from the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development.

Download EMFACT for Free at: http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/.

The presentations from the recent Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR)/Region 7 Pollution Prevention Roundtable conference are now available on the GLRPPR web site.

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It’s the final day of the GLRPPR/Region 7 Conference in Indianapolis, IN. On the agenda for this afternoon is a webinar presented by Natalie Hummel of the U.S. EPA providing an overview of two new measurement tools developed by U.S. EPA Headquarters. The GHG Calculator is designed to assist P2 managers, staff and grantees in calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from established conversion factors in the following categories:

• Electricity Conservation (GHG reductions from electricity conversation or reduced use of energy)
• Green Energy (GHG reductions from switching to greener or renewable energy sources)
• Fuel Substitution (GHG reductions from reduced fuel use, substitution to greener fuels)
• Greening Chemistry (GHG reductions from reduced use of GWP chemicals)
• Water Conservation (GHG reductions from reduced water use)
• Materials Management (GHG reductions from green manufacturing processes and waste management scenarios)
• Cross Reference to other applicable tools (A reference table that provides end users an overview of applicable GHG tools and models)

The P2 Results Database, a web-based tool, designed to collect and quantify P2 progress related to air, water, waste and energy reductions from non-profits, local, state, and federal entities plays a significant role in demonstrating P2 benefits on a regional and national level. A critical part of the P2 Results Database is documenting cost savings that result from government, businesses and facilities implementing P2 activities. This database uses a P2 cost calculator to quantify cost savings based on established methodologies and sound research. Over the last several months, the Pollution Prevention Program worked to update and redesign the tool to enhance functionality and better document cost benefits over time. Today’s webinar will also provide an overview of the cost calculator tool.

If you were unable to attend this week’s conference and/or the webinar provided today, or if you would like to recommend the webinar to your colleagues, the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN) will be providing a similar webinar on June 18, 2009. See the GLRPPR calendar entry for the WSPPN webinar for details and a link to the event registration page.

For more useful calculators and links to your regional module of the P2 Results Data System, see the GLRPPR P2 Measurement & Calculators Sector Resource.