The following stories have been carefully selected from various sites on the internet that address environmental compliance, regulations, science, and professional growth.
For each, we’ve added context or perspective. Enjoy!
1. The Dry Run for July 1, 2015
Is the end of California here?
Most people know that California is going through a severe drought, and it’s affecting everything from the almonds to air quality.
And yet, even as we are in one of the worst droughts in the state’s history—due to almost zero rainfall—folks are anxiously preparing for the new set of stormwater regulations that go into effect on July 1, 2015.
California’s industrial facilities have been complying with an outdated Industrial General Permit since 1997, and the new permit has been something that all covered facilities have been waiting for.
The time has come, and the new permit will take effect on July 1, 2015. Earlier this year, the State Water Resources Control Board conducted a training campaign around the state.
If you missed the training, you can watch three records of the workshop, as well as get a summary of the significant changes to the program.
As noted in the summary provided by the Water Board, the new general permit has a number of significant changes, which includes:
- Mandatory use of SMARTS
- Implementation of minimum BMP
- The opportunity to submit a no exposure certification
- The opportunity to submit a notice of non-applicability
- New training expectations
- Numeric Action Levels
- Exceeding response actions
- Increased sampling frequencies
You can get the entire summary by visiting the Water Board’s website.
The whole stormwater frenzy that we’re in now is strange considering that California is in the midst of one its worst droughts because of a stormwater shortage.
2. Climate Change and the Tale of Two I’s: Ignore or Implement
This week in the EUEC Journal, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation Janey McCabe outlined the main elements and focus areas of the Clean Power Plan (CPP).
As noted on the EPA’s website, the CPP proposes a “commonsense plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants.”
As with the climate change debate, there are two sides to the CPP. Earlier this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that he plans to sue the Obama administration over the CPP.
On the flip side, states are working on developing the required plans to demonstrate compliance with the CPP despite an earlier recommendation from Mitch McConnell earlier this year to ignore the regulation.
Can we simply ignore AB32 because the regulation is inconvenient?
It would save a lot time collecting records and calibrating meters.
3. Pivnert, Footballs, and Deflategate: Chemistry Finally Goes Mainstream
Earlier this year, the ideal gas law — commonly referred to as “Pivnert” — found its way into the mainstream with Tom Brady and the (alleged) use of under-inflated footballs during the AFC championship when the Colts lost to the Patriots 45 to 7 (see Deflategate).
As mentioned in an investigation report into “Deflategate” that was released by the NFL this week, “it is more probable than not” that Brady knew about the under-inflated footballs during the game.
Regardless of whether or not you believe the report, it’s fascinating that Sal Kahn was able to use Deflategate to teach us about “Pivnert” in a way that actually makes sense. Check it out for yourself.
If you don’t remember anything from your freshmen chemistry class, you will once you see the video by Sal Kahn. Excellent job!
4. Regain 230 Hours of Lost Time … And Solve the California Drought
The solution to the drought may be in the kitchen of almost every home in California, and it could also save you about 230 hours: upgrade your dishwasher.
While most people take pride in doing the dishes by hand, the fact of the matter is that a new dishwasher, as the EPA’s Energy Star program writes, can save nearly 5,000 gallons of water each year.
Since there will always be positions for and against having such a simple solution, in today’s “busy trap,” who will argue if you say that they could “save” those 230 hours of dishwashing time each year?
Regain time and save water? Where can we sign up!?
5. Moving Beyond a “Better Sameness” and Embracing Elevated Levels of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
NASA scientists recently noted that the atmospheric level of CO2 has reached 400 PPM.
The climate change argument posits that humans are causing the increase in global levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, and there are various regulatory programs in effect to reduce the levels.
As it stands, much of the focus has been on reducing global GHG emissions, but think about this: What if we could harness the atmospheric CO2 and use the carbon to make organic materials that have value (i.e., fuels, small carbon building blocks)?
In theory, it wouldn’t matter that we passed the 400 PPM mark, it would just mean that we have more starting material to make more stuff. Interestingly, plants are able to do this (photosynthesis), but science hasn’t yet been able to fully recreate it.
Earlier this month, a group of chemists from UC Berkeley made a major advance in artificial photosynthesis. In their experiment, the scientists used carbon nanowires to harvest solar energy and transfer it to bacteria to reduce CO2 into acetic acid, a more usable product.
Is artificial photosynthesis moving beyond Guy Kawasaki’s “better sameness” argument when it comes to innovation and toward something that’s revolutionary when it comes to climate change?
Maybe. Stay tuned.
6. When It Comes to Water Desalination, Is Permitting the Real Bottleneck?
There is a new permit-streamlining process in town, and this time, it’s for water desalination projects.
With the ongoing drought in California, there has been no shortage of ideas and proposed solutions to increase water production in the state. As reported in Reuters:
California water regulators on Wednesday adopted a new uniform permitting process for seawater desalination projects expected to expand in number as the drought-stricken state increasingly turns to the ocean to supplement its drinking supplies.
In recent years, water desalination has been the talk of the town, and these projects have been proposed (or are currently being built) in various cities in California.
Yet despite a new permitting process for the projects, water-desalination projects, and the potential to bring much-needed water into California, face opposition.
With oceans holding 96.5 percent of Earth’s water, and California having only one year of water left in its reservoirs, support for these projects should seem like the obvious choice.
But with any environmental project, water desalination also comes with opposition and concern. Some of the concerns of water desalination include cost, increased energy use, how seawater is brought in, how the drinkable water is separated out, and what happens to the salt afterward.
In a recent “report,” it’s been noted that energy comprises about half of a desalination plant’s costs.
The BLR has also noted that “desalination by any process involves energy.” So if we were to meet in the middle with project supporters and opponents, the key question remains: Where is all of this energy going to come from?
With the EPA’s clean power plan on the horizon, AB 32 in full swing in California, and the SCAQMD’s NOx RECLAIM shave about to happen, is the true bottleneck for desalination projects the permitting?
Maybe it’s the emissions that are associated with generating the energy for these projects and finding the equipment to meet all of the emission requirements.
Maybe it’s technology. Who knows?
7. NOx: A Real Problem Outside of Southern California?
Southern California is not the only one with a NOx problem.
In late April, the British Supreme Court ordered the next government to deal with the increasing concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NOx) in the atmosphere.
Britain has long been exceeding limits set by the European Union on air pollution. In 2014, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported that, in the previous year, annual mean limits for NO{-2} had been breached in 38 out of 43 sites.
With the air quality in Southern California being among the worst in the nation, maybe the next British government can study what is going on now in Southern California since the SCAQMD has proposed a number of emission reduction proposals as part of its RECLAIM program.
Here’s the link to those proposed changes. Start studying.
8. The Bottom Story That Helps You Get to the Top
We teach kids not to talk to strangers, but at the same time, we’ve also been told the power of networks, networking, and connections, and all of that is reliant on talking to strangers.
So let’s make up our minds.
Should we talk to strangers or not?
Recently, marketing and strategy consultant Dorie Clark wrote about the power of serendipitous encounters or unexpected interactions, especially with regards to entrepreneurs.
In her Harvard Business Review piece, she writes about four tips that can help people network when they hate talking to strangers:
- Be the speaker at an event where you don’t know anything. Make them come to you.
- Bring a “wingman” or “wingwoman” to help you make warm introductions so that you’re not talking to people cold.
- Have a few opening lines ready, such as:
- “What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now?”
- “How do you spend most of your time?”
- “How did you hear about the event?”
- When there’s a common tie, such as alumni group, ask questions that might lead to commonalities: What year did you graduate? What house or dorm did you live in?
- “Can I talk to you?”
- Research people at the event in advance so you feel like you know something about them.
For further reading on the subject, Keith Ferrazzi’s book Never Eat Alone is an excellent resource on ways to connect with others.
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Image Credit: Drought
