February 2008
News
- South Central responds to fertilizer plant fire
- Brick manufacturer reduces air emissions
- Virginia localities reduce ozone, meet standards
- Free workshops kick-start school recycling
- Virginia joins partnership with EPA
- Nominations for stewardship awards due April 30
- Love-A-Tree kits available to teachers
Director's Corner
News
South Central responds to fertilizer plant fire
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| The Lynchburg fire department responds to a fire at the Agrium Fertilizer Distribution Terminal in Lynchburg. |
The South Central Regional Office responded to a fire at the Agrium Fertilizer Distribution Terminal (former Royster Clark fertilizer plant) in Lynchburg on Jan. 14. DEQ joined representatives of the Lynchburg fire department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and WEL, Inc., Agrium’s cleanup contractor. Smoldering wood timbers partially buried under fertilizer and building rubble proved difficult to extinguish, creating nuisance smoke and ammonia odors that lingered in the area. Ammonia monitoring was performed around-the-clock to ensure ammonia levels remained below evacuation levels (levels remained near threshold of detection throughout the event).
Concerns about possible asbestos-bearing materials prompted an asbestos survey that confirmed the building’s remains were contaminated. The waste generated from this event contains some asbestos. Agrium and its contractor are working with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and DEQ to ensure proper handling and disposal of the material. Metal scraps will be decontaminated onsite and recycled, while remaining debris goes to a commercial asbestos landfill. The DEQ Pollution Response Program received its first call on Jan. 23 from a concerned citizen. The citizen, who was more than half a mile downwind from the fire, was concerned about ash and other charred debris that fell on her property during the night of Jan. 13. Agrium was contacted, and WEL specialists were dispatched to clean up material from the residence. The environmental cleanup crew also visited the caller’s other family members who live nearby and in the downwind plume to collect fire debris from their properties. The cleanup at the fertilizer terminal started the week of Feb. 4 and could take two to three weeks to complete.
Brick manufacturer reduces air emissions
The DEQ Piedmont Regional Office recently worked with Lawrenceville Brick, Inc. in Brunswick County to reclassify the company as a synthetic minor source of air pollution. The company was once a major source of hazardous air pollutants and some criteria pollutants under certain federal regulations. Litigation at the federal level recently negated these regulations. Even though the regulations no longer applied to brick manufacturers, the Lawrenceville Brick facility, in cooperation with DEQ, used the controls on their kilns to reduce air pollutant emissions. These controls reduced permitted limits of particulate matter by 25 percent, carbon monoxide by 58 percent and hazardous air pollutants by over 75 percent. As a result, the facility has reduced their potential emissions below major source thresholds, and DEQ has reclassified the company as a minor source of air pollution.
Virginia localities reduce ozone, meet standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Roanoke, Winchester and Frederick County localities in February for improving their local air quality and meeting the federal standard for ozone before the scheduled deadline.
These areas have been working with EPA under Early Action Compacts, which allow areas to develop a local approach to meeting the eight-hour ozone standard. EPA now considers these localities “attainment” areas, meaning that they have achieved the federal standard, and is in the process of formally making these determinations.
Free workshops kick-start school recycling
The Virginia Recycling Association will host a series of workshops on how to start recycling programs in schools. The workshops are free and open to the public. The first workshop will take place in Richmond on March 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please visit the association’s website to register.
Virginia joins partnership with EPA
Virginia joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership. EPA will provide information, technical support and access to tools that can help gauge the effectiveness of clean energy policies. Virginia will use the support provided by EPA to help implement the Virginia Energy Plan. DEQ will work with the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, which will be the primary partner.
Nominations for stewardship awards due April 30
The Secretary of Natural Resources and the Virginia Petroleum Council have announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2008 Virginia Environmental Stewardship Awards. The recognition program is sponsored by the Virginia Petroleum Council and the Commonwealth. Nominations that exemplify innovative and effective stewardship initiatives and educational approaches to help enhance Virginia’s natural resources will be considered. Additional information is available on the DEQ website.
Love-A-Tree kits available to teachers
Love-A-Tree activity kits are available for free to teachers from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The packets include a teacher resource guide with lesson plans and activities on land conservation and stewardship. The kit was designed for middle school teachers, but it can be adapted for upper elementary or high school students.
To request a kit, contact Stephanie Feaser at DEQ by email at srfeaser@deq.virginia.gov and include a mailing address. Additional information about the Love-A-Tree kits and Virginia Naturally is available on the DEQ website.