Air Matters, June 2007

Volume 2, Issue 3

Bureau of Air Management
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707

• Governor Creates Task Force on Global Warming
• Wisconsin Joins The Climate Registry
• Air Quality Watches and Advisories, Letting You Know
• New Permits for Printers Now Available
• Winners of 2006 Wisconsin Partners For Clean Air Award
• Staff Awards

Governor Creates Task Force on Global Warming
By Caroline Garber

In April 2007, Governor Jim Doyle signed an Executive Order (#191) creating a Task Force on Global Warming and charged it with the following mission:

• Present recommendations to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions and make Wisconsin a leader in implementing global warming solutions.
• Advise on opportunities to address global warming while growing the state’s economy, creating new jobs and utilizing a mix of fuels and technologies in energy and transportation.
• Identify specific short and long term goals for reductions in GHG emissions that are consistent with Wisconsin’s proportionate share of reductions needed to occur worldwide.

The Task Force is chaired by Roy Thilly, CEO of Wisconsin Public Power Inc, and Tia Nelson, Executive Secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. Members represent business, energy, environment, and government leaders. A final report with recommendations must be submitted to the Governor by December 31, 2007.

At the first meeting held on May 9, 2007, the co-chairs expressed their commitment to an open process that draws on the expertise of all the members as well as the expertise of others including the general public. While reaching consensus is an important objective, the co-chairs recognize the need to reflect any dissenting opinions in the final report. It is anticipated that the Task Force will break out into work groups that include the electric utility, transportation, other industry, and agriculture/forestry sectors.

For more information on the Task Force and to track its progress, please see http://dnr.wi.gov/environmentprotect/gtfgw/.

For more information on global warming, please see http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/global/climatechange.html.

To receive information about Task Force activities, sign up here.

Garber is Chief of the Environmental Studies and Outreach section in the Bureau of Air Management located in Madison.

Wisconsin Joins The Climate Registry
By Caroline Garber

In early May 2007, Wisconsin joined 34 states, two tribes and two Canadian provinces as a member of The Climate Registry, a multi-state collaboration to develop and manage a common emission reporting system for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide that contribute to global warming. The Registry partnership was created to establish common measurement standards for member states and tribes to use in both voluntary and mandatory emissions reporting and reduction programs. It will include third-party verification procedures.

The Registry and its protocols can be considered as tools for states to use in implementing their own programs. It will complement the work of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming which will submit policy recommendations in December 2007. Having common measurement standards and reporting systems will allow businesses to follow the same rules in all member states. Pooling resources from multiple states to establish common standards saves money for the states, while development of an accurate, consistent, transparent, and verified system provides for a high level of integrity in reported emissions.

The Registry is expected to be operational by January 2008. For more information on the Registry, please see: http://theclimateregistry.org/index.html.

Garber is Chief of the Environmental Studies and Outreach section in the Bureau of Air Management located in Madison.

Air Quality Watches and Advisories, Letting You Know
By Mary Hamel

DNR’s commitment to improving air quality and protecting public health keeps us working to get information out to people. We want to make it as easy as possible to get current air quality information as well as guidance on how to protect the air and their health. To do this, the DNR has developed a new Alert Box as well as new web pages that contain tips to help reduce air pollutants.

Alert Box

A new two-column-wide red “Alert!” box that shows up on DNR’s home page whenever we have an Air Quality Watch or an Air Quality Advisory. Anyone visiting the home page when a watch or advisory has been issued will see this notice at the top of the page and can get details about the days and times for the watch or advisory and learn what counties are affected. Clicking further will show them steps they can take to protect the air and their health.

Web Pages

Also new are web pages dedicated to simple tips people can take to protect air quality. The pages include links to the Do A Little, Save A Lot! audio and video spots that played across Wisconsin airwaves in May.

These latest additions to our communications system augment our existing outreach, including:

• Weather Service - Through our partnership with the National Weather Service, when people check the weather, they can now learn of air quality watches and advisories.
• Listserv - Those who sign up for our listserv receive an e-mail message whenever a watch or advisory is called. HAVE YOU SIGNED UP?
• Web/Phone - At any time, anyone can check current air quality conditions, either on the web or by phone hotline (1-866 Daily Air or 1-866-324-5924).
• Brochure - Our “What’s an Air Quality Watch?” brochure offers details about the Watch/Advisory system. Order one or a supply.
• Medical Pads - Physicians, school nurses and other medical personnel can get free medical pads, on protecting health during an Air Quality Advisory. The pads (each with 100 sheets) are designed to be torn off and offered to patients or their families.

Hamel is the air education coordinator with the Bureau of Education and Information located in Madison.

New Permits for Printers Now Available
By Caroline Garber and Renee Bashel

Printers in Wisconsin now have a wide range of permit options available for their needs. The Department of Natural Resources has issued General Permits for five different types of printers and a Printer Registration Permit.

General Permits are like traditional permits in that they include in great detail all the air pollution requirements that apply to a specific type of industry or process equipment. In the case of printers, they will be available for five specific types of presses: digital, heatset (web), non-heatset (sheet fed), non-heatset (web), and screen. A printer with more than one type of printing operation will need to be covered by more than one type of general permit.

The Registration Permit for printers is a more generic permit with fewer detailed requirements in the permit. Unlike the general permit, the registration permit covers the whole facility. It is left up to the owner to understand all possible air pollution control requirements that might apply. A compliance guide will be available once the registration permit has been issued.

Benefits of coverage under the new types of printer permits include a 15-day turnaround from application to coverage and the ability to construct new equipment without the need to obtain an additional construction permit so long as the printer maintains eligibility for coverage under the general or registration permit.

For further information and to apply for coverage under these permits, please see: http://dnr.wi.gov/air/permits.html.

Garber is chief of the Environmental Analysis & Outreach Section. Bashel is a Clean Air Specialist and Clean Air Ombudsman in the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.

Winners of 2006 Wisconsin Partners For Clean Air Award
By Jessica Lawent

Congratulations to Kalahari Resort Convention Center, Kohl’s Department Stores, and Packaging Corporation of America - Tomahawk, winners of the 2006 Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air Recognition Award. These three businesses adopted voluntary and innovative strategies to conserve energy and reduce their emissions in order to improve air quality in 2006. Awards were announced at the Clean Air Extravaganza event held May 24, 2007 at the Wauwatosa Civic Center.

Kalahari Resort Convention Center – Wisconsin Dells

• Installed fans to circulate warm air, saving over $100,000 in natural gas in just 10 months.
• Replaced water park halogen lights and hotel room lights with more efficient fluorescent lights. Installed motion lights in common areas and less occupied spaces.
• Installing room energy systems that control energy usage based on guest’s presence and put hotel room fireplaces on timers. Replacing shower heads to save over 2 million gallons per year and associated energy. Also installed low volume nozzles at dishwashing stations.
• Researching the feasibility of installing 120 solar panels to heat 65 percent of their water.

Kohl’s Department Stores - Milwaukee

• Adopted the Green Scene program to reduce energy and waste and to develop responsible building design challenging associates and vendors to be good stewards. Purchase 8 percent of their energy from renewable sources (among top five retailers for Green Power purchases). A member of EPA’s Green Power and Enery Star programs.
• Offer on-site amenities at corporate headquarters for employee convenience and travel reduction (day care, restaurants, banking, etc.) and soon will be expanding to include a fitness and medical facility. Installed motion lighting throughout headquarters.
• Deliver almost half of their merchandise using more energy efficient rail.
• Provide tips, articles and presentations to associates and vendors on environmental practices.

Packaging Corporation of America – Tomahawk Mill

• Exceeded EPA’s Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) regulations by piping the HAPs to their wastewater treatment plant for biological digestion, reducing over 1.6 million pounds/year versus the 0.3 pounds/year with the EPA prescribed technology.
• Installed a biogas collection system at their wastewater treatment plant to capture the methane and CO2 created from HAP degradation. The biogas is then used to power a boiler to generate steam. This created a closed loop pollution control system saving $1.5 million/year on fuel costs.
• Expanded their biogas collection by 40 percent, recovering enough energy to heat and cool 2,250 homes.

For more information about the award and the Wisconsin Partners organization, please visit: http://www.cleanairwisconsin.org/ [exit DNR]

Lawent is a Vehicle and Voluntary Air Quality Programs Specialist with DNR’s Southeast Region Air Program

Staff Awards

Joe Ancel

Air quality in west central Wisconsin is better today because of nearly three decades of work by Joe Ancel, supervisor of the West Central Region Air Team located in Wisconsin Rapids. On April 30, 2007, Joe received some well-deserved recognition as the recipient of the West Central Region Outstanding Service Award. Once a year the employees in the DNR’s 19-county West Central Region select a colleague who truly stood out in their work to preserve and protect the resources and environment of the area.

This is a significant award recognizing Joe for his outstanding work efforts not only in 2006, but also throughout his career. In his nomination, Joe was praised not only by DNR employees but also by executives of companies he regulated. DNR Secretary Scott Hassett presented the award to Joe in a ceremony at the Wisconsin Rapids Service Center.

Jeff Myers

The 2007 Henrik L. Blum Award for Excellence in Health Policy was awarded to Jeff Myers, a toxicologist with the DNR Air Management program located in Madison. Jeff was nominated by Dr. Mark Werner and Dr. Marni Bekkedal from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. He won the award because of his lead efforts to use cutting-edge modeling technology in evaluating human exposure and potential health impacts of contaminants from multiple sources.

Jeff’s work is part of a larger Department of Health effort to establish a public health tracking system for the state of Wisconsin to link environmental data to public health tracking data. Jeff will officially accept the award on behalf of Wisconsin’s Public Health Tracking team efforts at the annual American Public Health Association meeting in Washington DC in November 2007.

 

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