The "Resource Conservation Challenge" is the major topic for this year's RCRA National Meeting, which is being co-sponsored by the US EPA and the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA). The meeting will be held in Washington DC August 12-15, 2003.

According to the meeting hosts, this year's conference program will feature presentations on a variety of topics of interest to the chemical process industries, including Green Products and Purchasing, Solid and Hazardous Waste Minimization, Industrial Ecology, RCRA Brownfields, RCRA Risk Assessments, Permitting Innovations, Regulatory Updates and International issues (e.g. import/export).

The Resource Conservation Challenge, initiated by EPA in September 2002, will result in less hazardous and solid waste from industry as well as the public, more economic growth and greater energy savings. Thus, the theme of this year's conference is "Putting Resource Conservation into RCRA". For more information on the Resource Conservation Challenge, see www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/index.htm.

The Resource Conservation Challenge emphasizes partnerships and improved approaches to implementing RCRA. Industry, government, nongovernmental organizations and the public are invited to participate. Building on the success of EPA's WasteWise Partnership Program and other voluntary initiatives, the EPA is challenging industry to reduce the generation of 30 chemicals most commonly found in hazardous waste by 50 percent by 2005.

31 - 8:04:06 PM    comment []   - See Also:  conference - News-Events    ()  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to remove methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from the Clean Air Act's list of 188 hazardous air pollutants emitted from large industrial facilities. Since 1996, the EPA has exhaustively reviewed the potential health and environmental effects that could result from exposure to MEK emitted from industrial facilities, and EPA has concluded that the sources of exposure regulated by the Clean Air Act are not likely to cause adverse human health or environmental problems. The health effects information on MEK that EPA used to make this decision has undergone independent scientific peer review. MEK is used as a solvent in the surface coatings industry. Industries also use MEK for producing adhesives, magnetic tapes, printing inks, degreasing and cleaning fluids, antioxidants, and perfumes. The EPA's proposed delisting of MEK as a hazardous air pollutant does not affect other ways this chemical will be regulated. MEK will continue to be regulated as a volatile organic compound because of its contribution to smog. In addition, MEK emissions would still be reported as part of EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. This proposal is open to public comment for 90 days after publication in the Federal Register. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]

30 - 8:03:15 PM    comment []   - See Also:  regulatory    ()