Progressive News, Summer 2005

PROGRESSIVENewsSummer 2005Inside This IssueOhio Business to Pay forViolations . . . . . . . . . 2Illinois Sues Farmer forDumping Waste . . . . 2President Bush at G8Summit . . . . . . . . . . 2Clean Harbors Ordered to Comply . . . . . . . . 3REPORT: States notWarning Residents ofSewage Problems . . . 3Plastics RecyclerExpanding in Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . 4Broken Waste Line Costs Minn. Shop Owner . . . . . . . . . . . 4Illinois Launches Effort to Cut Pollution . . . . . . . . . 4Photo MachineRefurbisher Sentenced . . . . . . . . . 4Az. Chrome-Plating Shop Avoids Fine . . . 5Hospitals Agree toShut Down Incinerators . . . . . . . 5Bankruptcy Estate Will Pay for SuperfundProject . . . . . . . . . . . 6Illinois State AttorneyBattles Power PlantConstruction . . . . . . 6Waste Management andOthers Agree to PayCleanup Costs . . . . . 7Ca. Circuit Board MakerPleads Guilty . . . . . . 7HighlightsL E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O RWith summer finally upon us it gives us all a chance to kick back and smell the flowers while stilldriving to work. Nothing seems to stop us, not even expensive gasoline. And while the cost ofgasoline might not stop us it certainly does impact all of us. China, Iraq, the Middle East andeverything else in this global economy seems to affect us all in some way. But somethings neverchange.We still need to make payrolls, pay the insurance bills and provide for our families. While it maybe a global economy it still is a regional reality that we all have to deal with. It seems the onlything constant in life is change. And on that note you will notice our new format of our newslet-ter. While we only issue it quarterly, we will try to include articles that affect all of our industries.Progressive Environmentals scope of service has increased to representing over 29 different ISOtreatment and service providers. We are now handling not only the obvious oily waters, inks sol-vents and hazardous wastes; but we are also serving the food manufacturing industries as well asthose who generate plastics and cardboard scrap Our diversification has allowed us to serve justabout everyone who generates some kind of waste by-product.Recently re-appointed to serve on the Federal EPA Task Force on Recycling for Region 5, I will con-stantly keep all of you informed of any changes in our environmental arena that affect you. TheFederal Government has some new information coming out for those of you that generate anytype of hazardous waste in relation to terrorism and the transportation of such waste as well. Youwill receive this information in a separate mailing.Our new website in under construction, our marketing department is gearing up to make dealingwith Progressive Environmental more rewarding and entertaining and we are even coming outwith some incentives for you for referring companies to us that ultimately become active accountswith Progressive.We appreciate your loyalty and pledge to you our commitment to remain competitive in the mar-ketplace, environmentally compliant in all that we do for you and continue to offer to you the valueadded services that you have come to expect and rely upon.Enjoy the summer, stay cool, be safe and feel free to call upon us for all of your environmental andinformational needs.Thank you.Sheldon B. GoldnerPresidentOhio bus maker to pay $150,000 for hazardous waste violationsJuly 8 -- An Ohio bus manufacturer, Mid Bus Inc., hasagreed to pay $150,000 for past hazardous waste viola-tions, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said.The company, which is based in Bluffton, Ohio, alsoagreed to improve its hazardous waste handling and to train employees in proper hazardous waste manage-ment, the Ohio EPA said.The agreement is a result of an Ohio EPA inspection ofMid Bus´s site in August 2003. The company workedwith the state agency during the ensuing months toresolve most of the problems, which included failure tocharacterize waste, storing drums of waste longer than90 days and failure to label and date drums of waste.The hazardous waste generated by the companyincluded paint solvents and acid cleaner, the Ohio EPA said.Illinois sues hog farmer, alleges illegal dumping of ice cream wasteJune 27 -- The Illinois Attorney General’s Office hasfiled a lawsuit against a hog farmer accused of dump-ing truckloads of ice cream waste in a wooded area ofSangamon County near wells that supply water to thevillage of Illiopolis.The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency discov-ered the dumping in June 2003 after residents com-plained. A Sangamon County sheriff´s deputy found anemployee of Eric Smith Jr., of Blue Mound, Ill., at thescene.The ice cream waste, which came from an Indiana icecream company, was fed to hogs on Smith´s farm.However, in June 2003, the hogs became sick andweren´t eating as much. The excess waste was dumpedin the wooded area, according to the Illinois EPA andthe Attorney General’s Office.The milky, tan liquid caused brown and dead vegeta-tion in the area, and at least a dozen small trees died,according to state officials."No excuse justifies illegal dumping, especially so close to a source that provides public drinking water,"Attorney General Lisa Madigan said.Madigan’s lawsuit, filed in Sangamon County CircuitCourt, charges Smith with open dumping, unpermittedwaste storage and disposal in an area not designatedas a sanitary landfill. The complaint also charges himwith unpermitted waste transportation violations fornot possessing a current non-hazardous special wastehauling permit.In addition, the complaint charges Smith with waterpollution for dumping the waste within 200 feet of one of Illiopolis’ wells and threatening contaminationof the well. The lawsuit seeks a civil penalty of $50,000per violation and an additional $10,000 for each daythe violations continue.President Bush says he´ll tackle green issues at G8 summitJune 8 -- President Bush, meeting June 7 with British Prime MinisterTony Blair at the White House, said he would be work-ing with England and other nations on environmentalissues, including global warming.Global warming is one of the issues Blair plans to focuson during the upcoming G8 Summit in Scotland nextmonth. The summit is an annual meeting of the leadersof Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UnitedKingdom and the United States.“I also look forward to working with the PrimeMinister through the G8 to forge a new strategy forthe 21st century that helps countries achieve economicprosperity, energy security, and a clean environment, toimprove public health by cutting air pollution and toaddress global change,” Bush said.During the summit, which will be held July 6-8, theUnited States plans to discuss developing clean andefficient technologies to achieve those goals and shar-ing the technologies with other countries.However, environmentalists said Bush´s rhetoric doesnot match his actions on global warming."Sadly, in practice, President Bush consistently dismissesthe growing scientific consensus from his own federalagencies that global warming is an immediate and realthreat," Sierra Club President Carl Pope said.Circuit Board Maker Settles Hazardous Waste DisputeJune 6 -- A California circuit board maker will pay a$36,000 penalty to settle hazardous waste violations.R Squared Circuits agreed to pay the fine to theCalifornia Department of Toxic SubsPROGRESSIVENews Summer 2005 • 2Clean Harbors Ordered to Comply with Water Regs at Calif. SiteMay 31 -- Clean Harbors Inc. is being ordered to complywith Clean Water Act requirements at the company´sSan Jose, Calif., industrial waste management facility,the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.Clean Harbors accepts and treats wastewater fromindustrial facilities and site cleanups at the site. AJanuary 2004 EPA inspection found that the companyviolated water pollution standards by dischargingwater with oils and solvents without a permit, the EPA said.The location also discharged water into the city´ssewer system that exceeded titanium limits, did notadequately sample its wastewater and did not followsample reporting requirements, according to theagency.Electronics Groups Issue International Guide for Product ContentMay 31 -- The electronics industry has published the first international standard forproduct material contentreporting to help manufacturerscomply with regulations restricting the use of haz-ardous substances.The "Joint Industry Guide for Material CompositionDeclaration for Electronic Products" will standardizethe disclosure of material content data across the electronics supply chain.The Electronic Industries Alliance and the Japan GreenProcurement Survey Standardization Initiative devel-oped the guide to deal with the trend toward interna-tional environmental regulations, such as the EuropeanUnion Directive on the Restriction of HazardousSubstances, which will ban the use of certain materialsin electronics manufacturing.The guide provides a standardized list of materials that must be disclosed when they are present in products and subparts that are supplied to electronicsmanufacturers for use in their products. The standard-ized list will benefit both suppliers and their commer-cial customers by providing consistency and efficiency in the material declaration process. The guide is available at no cost at www.eia.org/jig.Pa. Recycler Fined $150,000 for Waste ViolationsMay 31 -- ADC Recycling Corp. has paid a $150,000 civilpenalty for waste violations at its Plymouth Township,Pa., processing facility.The Pennsylvania Department of EnvironmentalProtection issued a notice of violation to the companyin July 2003. Inspectors found excess waste on the facility´s tipping floor and waste piled to the ceilingand spilling out of the building, according to the DEP.Follow-up inspections found that the company had not addressed the issue. The company also had noalternative waste processing facility available to handleexcess material as required under its DEP permit, and ithad failed to submit a radiation-monitoring plan anddid not pay $2,800 in annual permit fees from 2000 to2004, the DEP said.Report: Some States Not Warning Residents of Sewage ProblemsBy Bruce GeiselmanMay 27 -- A newly released report by an advocacygroup says that most Great Lakes states are doing apoor job of notifying their residents when hazardoussewage is dumped into local waterways, which threat-ens the quality of water along beaches and in otherrecreational waters.The U.S. Public Interest Group´s report assesses publicnotification about sewage dumping in the Great Lakesand assigns a letter grade to each state. Michigan, with an A-, received the highest grade.Ohio, with a D-, received the lowest grade, with thereport saying no significant statewide notification program exists in the Buckeye State."Families heading to the beach this summer are left in the dark about a major public health risk," said U.S.PIRG spokeswoman Christy Leavitt.It can take authorities hours or even days to test waterquality at beaches and close swimming areas becauseof high bacteria levels, according to the group. To protect the public, states must provide direct publicnotification at the time sewage is dumped, PIRG officials said.The group called for direct, immediate public notifica-tion through the media, a Web site and telephone hotline, and an "opt-in" e-mail notification system.PIRG also called on communities to disconnectstormwater and sewage system tie-ins and for local,state and federal governments to provide the necessaryfunding to make the improvements.PROGRESSIVENews Summer 2005 • 3PROGRESSIVENews Summer 2005 • 4Plastics Recycler Expanding in IllinoisMay 26 -- Recycler Maine Plastics Inc. plans to spend$10 million to move into a new facility to handleincreased business and make the company more efficient.The North Chicago, Ill.-based firm is buying an existingfactory 10 miles north in Zion, Ill., and plans to expandit, giving the firm the potential to boost its capacity by50 percent, said President Robert Render. The companyis squeezing close to as much material as it can, about80 million pounds a year, from its current NorthChicago operation, he said.Maine plans to add an undetermined amount of equipment, including a grinder, shearing equipmentand granulators.Solid Waste Group Unveils Safety E-NewsletterMay 20 -- Safety is the focus of a new weekly newsletter being launched by the National Solid WastesManagement Association.NSWMA Safety Monday, which focuses on safety issueswithin the solid waste industry, will be sent as a weeklye-mail to association members, the trade group said."Each week, NSWMA Safety Monday will provide useful and important information to help solid wastecompanies and employees reduce fatalities, accidents,and injuries," said Bruce Parker, president and CEO ofNSWMA. "The newsletter will provide best manage-ment practices, accident reports, safety alerts, OSHAinspection data, updates on NSWMA safety programs,and other valuable information."Broken Industrial Waste Line Costs Minn. Metal Shop OwnerApril 28 -- The owner of a Minnesota metal finishingshop will pay a $20,000 fine and serve three years ofprobation for lying about an industrial waste sewerline.Kenneth Heroux, owner of Hardcoat Inc. in St. LouisPark, Minn., also will perform 225 hours of communityservice, according to the sentence handed down by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.The court convicted him in 2004 on two counts of makefalse statements to the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency and Hennepin County, Minn. officials. He toldinvestigators that a sewer pipe used to discharge pre-treated industrial waste from the facility did not leakwhen, in fact, the pipe had several breaks.Illinois Launches Effort to Cut Pollution from Highway Rebuild ProjectApril 19 -- A new program is designed to reduce airpollution coming from the reconstruction of the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago.The effort, through the Illinois Department ofTransportation´s Clean Air Construction Initiative, is targeting about 290 pieces of equipment used on theDan Ryan project. That equipment will feature eitheremission control devises or use ultra-low-sulfur dieselfuel."Illinois EPA was pleased to partner with IDOT indesigning and implementing a program to reduce andmonitor potentially harmful air emissions," said IllinoisEPA Director Renee Cipriano. "It should be a nationalmodel for future major highway construction projects."Traffic studies show thatthe expressway is one ofthe busiest and mostdangerous in the nation,IDOT said. It carries morethan 300,000 vehiclesdaily, and averages sevenaccidents per day.The $430 million recon-struction project will addlanes, improve localaccess roads and recon-figure an interchange.Court Sentences Photo Machine Refurbisher for Discharge ViolationsApril 7 -- A federal court has sentenced an Allentown,Pa., refurbishing company and its president for dis-charging acidic wastewater laden with heavy metalsinto sewers in the cities of Allentown and Bethlehem,Pa.BEF Corp., which refurbishes one-hour photo machines,and Elward Brewer, the company´s founder and presi-dent, will pay a $700,000 penalty, according to judg-ment by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Districtof Pennsylvania. The court also sentenced Brewer to sixmonths house arrest, 36 months of supervised releaseand 160 hours of community service.PROGRESSIVENews Summer 2005 • 5Illinois Aluminum Recycler Faces Certification Compliance DeadlineApril 5 -- Cleveland Corp. must comply with federalenvironmental regulations by April 24 to resolve allegations that its Zion, Ill., scrap furnace failed tomeet certification requirements.Cleveland Corp. uses the furnace to recover aluminumfrom clean scrap material. The company is convertingthe furnace to burn contaminated scrap to recover aluminum, which will require it to use an afterburnerto control dioxin and furan emissions.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleged thatthe furnace failed to meet certification requirements.The agency will require the company to meet addition-al regulatory measures after it converts the furnace toburn contaminated scrap.Arizona Chrome-Plating Shop Corrects Hazwaste Violations, Avoids FineApril 4 -- A Tucson, Ariz., chrome-plating shop has corrected hazardous waste violations at its facility andavoided a federal fine.Ideal Custom Plating failed to properly label and hazardous waste, stored hazardous material for morethan 180 days at its facility, stored more than 13,000pounds of hazardous waste at the site and inadequate-ly contained chromium-contaminated wastewater,according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.The agency also found that the company improperlyhandled spent fluorescent bulbs, and that it did notconduct weekly inspections, properly train employees in hazardous waste management or post requiredemergency procedures.The EPA ordered the company to test soil for chromium contamination. None was found at the site.The company has corrected all violations, and the EPAdid not assess a fine based on a review of the company‘s finances.March 30 -- Seven of Illinois’ 11 hospitals with on-sitemedical waste incinerators have agreed to close themdown since Gov. Rod Blagojevich called for the closingsin September 2004.Hinsdale Hospital, in Hinsdale, is the latest to agree.While the governor called for voluntary closures, hesaid he would pursue legislation to close the incinera-tors if they did not agree.”The emissions from hospital incinerators are known tocontain dangerous toxins,“ Blagojevich said March 27as he announced Hinsdale Hospital‘s decision. ”Thereare newer, safer ways to dispose of medical waste, so there´s absolutely no justification for continuing to threaten the health of residents in nearby communi-ties.“He called on the four remaining hospitals to agree to close their incinerators, too.The EPA is negotiating with Hinsdale Hospital on setting a timetable for the incinerator´s shutdown.The hospitals still operating in Illinois invested inupgrading their incinerators to meet federal emissionstandards that were tightened in 2000, and previouslysaid they were taken by surprise when the governorasked them to close.However, Illinois Environmental Protection AgencyAdministrator Renee Cipriano said that while it is truethat the hospitals invested in upgrading their pollutioncontrol equipment, emerging scientific data shows thateven with tighter controls, the incinerators remain asource of air toxins, including dioxin, a carcinogen.EPA Proposes Exempting Small Facilities From Toxic Air Permit RulesMarch 28 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyis proposing a rule that would permanently exemptsmall facilities in five industrial categories from arequirement that they obtain federal operating permitsbecause of toxic air pollution.BEF´s refurbishing process generated silver, lead and chromium waste that the company illegally discharged into sewers.BEF also pleaded guilty to violating the InternationalEmergency Economic Powers Act and to makingfalse statements to the government for illegallyexporting refurbished photo labs to Iran.Seven IllinoisHospitals Agreeto Shut DownIncinerators(Continued on page 6)PROGRESSIVENews Summer 2005 • 6The proposal would exempt dry cleaners, halogenatedsolvent degreasers, chrome electroplaters, ethyleneoxide sterilizers, and secondary aluminum smelters.To qualify for the exemption, businesses would need toqualify as "area sources," meaning they emit less than10 tons per year of a single toxic air pollutant or fewerthan 25 tons of a combination of pollutants.Permits would still be required for major sources of airtoxics in these industry categories, according to theEPA.Those granted exemptions would still need to complywith emission control requirements such as new sourcereview performance standards or maximum achievablecontrol technology standards. And states would havethe authority to require operating permits if they wish.The EPA can grant exemptions to certain categoriesunder the Clean Air Act if the agency determines thatcomplying with the requirements is impracticable,infeasible or unnecessarily burdensome.Additional information is available online atwww.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t5pfpr.html.Illinois Company´s Bankruptcy Estate Will Pay for Superfund ProjectMarch 25 - A $2.6 million settlement with OutboardMarine Corp.’s bankruptcy estate will help pay forgroundwater cleanup at the company’s plant inWaukegan, Ill.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state ofIllinois and the U.S. Department of Justice announcedthe agreement. The settlement will provide funding forSuperfund cleanup to address severe contamination atthe site and clears the way for the city to buy and eventually redevelop the site, said Bharat Mathur, acting regional administrator for EPA´s Region 5 office.The EPA placed part of the site on its SuperfundNational Priorities List in 1984 due to polychlorinatedbiphenyl contamination in Waukegan Harbor. Theagency and stated filed a civil suit against OutboardMarine Corp., which resulted in a $20-million consentdecree to clean the harbor. The company declaredbankruptcy in 2000.Illinois State AttorneyBattles Power Plant ConstructionBy Joe TruiniMarch 24 - The Illinois attor-ney general has joined thefray involving a battle to sitetwo new coal-fired powerunits in Wisconsin.Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed an amicusbrief in the Wisconsin Supreme Court backing 10 localand national public health and environmental groupsand SC Johnson in trying to stop We Energies frombuilding the two 615-megawatt units at its Oak Creek,Wis., site. The court will hear oral arguments March 30to determine whether the company can move forwardwith construction.We Energies, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corp.,received state permission in 2003 to build the units. Theplant currently produces 1,200 megawatts of electricitythrough its four units. The company has retired fourother older units at the site, and adding the two newcoal-fired generators is part of its larger plan to pro-vide power to the state, which desperately needs it,said We Energies spokesman Thad Nation."Wisconsin is, in many ways, a utility island," he said.But opposition has stifled progress. Dane County CircuitCourt Judge David Flanagan ruled to vacate theWisconsin Public Service Commission´s construction permit for the units. We Energies appealed the decisiondirectly to the state Supreme Court."For more than three years, we have been raising concerns related to the damage two new dirty coalplants will do to the environment, public health andthe economy of Southeast Wisconsin," said KatieNekola, a spokeswoman for Clean Wisconsin.Despite doubling the power plant´s production, thetwo new units, along with additional pollution controlson the existing four units, will result in a 50 percentreduction in total emissions from the site, Nation said."When you´re talking to people about building coalplants, they have visions of coal plants from the ´50s,´60s and ´70s. The technology is night and day," he said."Coal is a four-letter word."(Continued from page 5)PROGRESSIVENews Summer 2005 • 7Waste Management and 11 Others Agree to Pay Cleanup Costs at a Former LandfillBy Jim JohnsonMarch 24 - A dozen defendants, including WasteManagement Inc., will pay a total of $2.6 million toreimburse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyfor clean-up costs at the Kin-Buc landfill Superfund sitein Edison, N.J.The defendants also will invest more than $900,000 inland and cash through a supplemental environmentalproject that will protect more than 100 acres of nearbyland as open space, the EPA said.The Kin-Buc site is a 200-acre former municipal, industrial and hazardous waste landfill that beganoperations in 1947 and accepted tens of millions of gallons of hazardous liquid waste from 1973 to 1976,the EPA said.The defendants also will pay a $100,000 civil penaltyfor what the EPA calls late performance of certaincleanup actions.The defendants are former owners and operators ofthe landfill as well as and former transporters of haz-ardous substances to the site, the EPA said. TranstechIndustries Inc. of Piscataway, N.J., also is a part of thesettlement.Transtech, according to its Web site, generates electrici-ty utilizing methane gas, supervises and performs land-fill monitoring and closure procedures and managesmethane gas recovery operations.The company also said it formerly was involved in theresource recovery and waste management industries,including waste hauling and operation of three land-fills and a solvents recovery facility."We are extremely pleased that Transtech and WasteManagement stepped up and agreed to this settle-ment," said Assistant Attorney General Thomas L.Sansonetti. "The people of New Jersey could not haveasked for a better result and should feel confident thatthis agreement will help protect and restore the envi-ronment."California Circuit Board Maker Pleads Guilty to Wastewater DischargesMarch 18 -- A San Diego circuit board maker and oneof its owners have pleaded guilty to illegally discharg-ing wastewater after deciding not to fix broken pollu-tion control equipment.Moore Printed Circuits and Ghanshyambhai Patel pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for theSouthern District of California in San Diego last month.The company admitted to the illegal discharges andwill pay a $75,000 fine. Patel pleaded guilty to conspir-acy charges. Paramanand Sheth, president of MoorePrinted Circuits, previously pleaded guilty in the samecase. The court has yet to determine their sentences.Pollution control equipment broke down in 2003 andthe owners determined it was too expensive to fix.Workers tampered with monitoring equipment at theplant to make it appear the facility was complying withits National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.Progressive News was designed by Schuster Creative Imagesand printed by People's Graphics.For design information call:Stacey Schuster at 847-698-4333For printing information and quotes call:Sheri TretinaManaging PartnerPeople's Graphics9745 S. Industrial Dr, Unit 4-6Bridgeview, IL 60455708-233-1250 Office • 847-903-9654 Cell708-599-2706 FaxWhere Your Business is Precious to UsO U R N A M E S AY S I T A L L PROGRESSIVENews800-323-9785 TOLL-FREEProgressive Environmental Services205 W.Grand Ave.Bensenville,IL 60106