Association news

U.S. Composting Council names 2015 directors

The U.S. Composting Council (USCC), Bethesda, Maryland, has announced election results for its 2015 board of directors. Four individuals return and three new members join the USCC board in 2015.

Clayton Leonard of San Antonio’s New Earth Inc. was appointed to fill a slot being vacated by a departing board member. Tim Goodman of Minnetonka, Minnesota-based Natureworks and Robert Michtisch, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Soils Department, were elected to openings on the board. Patrick Geraty of St. Louis Composting, Valley Park, Missouri; Wayne King Sr., Erth Products, Peachtree City, Georgia; Jeff Ziegenbein, Inland Regional Compost Authority, Rancho Cucamonga, California; and consultant Matt Cotton, Nevada City, California, will return to the board for another term. The new term began Jan. 1, 2015.

“We are thrilled to have these new voices and experts on the board,” says Lorrie Loder, USCC president. “They will strengthen a board that is already committed to moving the industry and the use of compost forward.

Election participation by the USCC’s 800 members was at an all-time high, with a 58 percent increase in participation over past averages, the association says. “Our industry is strong, and our association reflects that,” says Interim Executive Director Al Rattie.

The board also elected its new officers, who began their terms Jan. 1.

AF&PA releases statement on EPA’s reconsidered Boiler MACT Rule

Donna Harman, president and CEO of the Washington-based American Forest & Paper Association, has issued a statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reconsidered Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule.

“We’re encouraged that EPA has finally put forth this important proposal clarifying several areas of uncertainty that remain with Boiler MACT implementation and the associated capital investments,” Harmon writes. “While we have not yet studied the proposal details, we are pleased that it intends to address the challenges of appropriate standards during startup, shutdown and malfunction and several outstanding technical issues.”

She continues, “We generally support the core aspects of the final rules; however, unexpected delays have perpetuated an atmosphere of uncertainty, and companies are understandably hesitant to invest millions of dollars that could become stranded if the rules change in the home stretch. With this in mind, it’s only fair that EPA [delay] the January 2016 compliance deadline until these reconsidered rules are finalized so that companies can make investment decisions that will help them meet the final standards.”

The reconsideration, which the EPA released Dec. 1, 2014, affects air toxic standards that limit air pollutant emissions from major industrial, commercial and institutional boilers and process heaters and area industrial, commercial and institutional boilers; and commercial and industrial solid waste incineration (CISWI) units.

The EPA is looking for public comment on five issues the agency has agreed to reconsider for area boilers:

• definitions of startup and shutdown periods;
• alternative particulate matter (PM) standard for new oil-fired boilers that combust low-sulfur oil;
• establishment of a subcategory and separate requirements for limited-use boilers;
• establishment of a provision that eliminates further performance testing for PM for certain boilers based on their initial compliance test; and
• establishment of a provision that eliminates further fuel sampling for mercury for certain coal-fired boilers based on their initial compliance demonstration.

The EPA is seeking public comment on three issues the agency has agreed to reconsider regarding major boilers:

• definitions of startup and shutdown periods and the work practices that apply during such periods;
• revised carbon monoxide (CO) emission limits based on a minimum CO level of 130 parts per million; and
• use of particulate matter continuous parameter monitoring system, including the consequences of exceeding the operating parameter.

The EPA says it also has proposed several technical corrections related to inaccuracies and oversights. The agency is soliciting comment only on whether the proposed changes provide the intended accuracy, clarity and consistency.

Proposed changes applying to major boilers and process heaters can be viewed at http://1.usa.gov/15h2ekQ, while proposed amendments affecting area boilers and process heaters can be viewed at http://1.usa.gov/1y4qJIX.

Canadian group releases poll on energy from waste

A poll commissioned by the Cana- dian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), has found that two-thirds of Canadians have a favorable impression of energy-from-waste (EfW) technologies.

The poll finds that gasification and feedstock recycling received the most positive support at 60 percent, followed by solid recovery fuel at 59 percent and mass-burn combustion at 50 percent support.

According to the CPIA, EfW as an energy source merits a higher impression than other power sources. The poll finds that 69 percent of respondents have either a warm or favorable impression of EfW, while natural gas trailed at 59 percent, oil at 37 percent, nuclear at 34 percent and coal at just 19 percent.

The only energy areas that had higher favorability levels were solar at 90 percent and wind at 75 percent.

When it comes to feedstock, 89 percent of Canadians prefer that nonrecyclable plastics be used at EfW facilities rather than be landfilled. Further, the poll notes that treating nonrecyclable plastics in an EfW plant as opposed to going to a landfill has solid support in all age groups. Eighty-nine percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 see EfW as a preferred option, according to the CPIA.

The CPIA poll also finds that 63 percent of Canadians surveyed indicated they would support the use of EfW in their communities, which shows considerable commitment to the technology, the association says.

According to the association, the Canadian EfW market has grown more than 200 percent over the past eight years. The number of operating EfW plants also has increased, from just four operating plants in 2006 to 12 facilities in an advanced stage of approval or construction by 2014.

Krista Friesen, CPIA vice president of sustainability, observes, “We know there is a certain percentage of the material that is unrecyclable due to contamination or lack of mechanical technology. For those materials, we believe that alternative technologies which allow for energy recovery have an important role to play in Canada’s waste hierarchy.”

Visit http://tinyurl.com/mc2b887 to view the poll results.

Covanta exec honored by Ontario association

The Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA) has named Joey Neuhoff, Covanta’s vice president of client business management, one of its 2014 Canadian Waste Sector Executives of the Year. The award recognizes the most accomplished individuals in Canada’s private and public waste sectors. Neuhoff was recognized under the category of Medium Publicly Traded Private Company.

Winners were honored at the Canadian Waste to Resource Conference, which took place in Toronto in November 2014.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this prestigious award from the OWMA,” said Neuhoff. “Ontario is leading the way in sustainable waste management, and I’m proud to have played a part through Covanta’s development efforts of the Durham York Energy Centre (Clarington, Ontario). I look forward to continuing our efforts in Canada to provide municipalities with sustainable waste solutions that generate clean energy and protect the environment.”

Covanta, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, says the nearly completed Durham York facility will be the first greenfield energy-from-waste project built in North America since 1995. When fully operational the facility will process 140,000 metric tons of post-recycled waste per year and generate 17.5 megawatts of renewable energy.

“The greatest assets that organizations in the waste and recycling arena have are their people, and that’s why OWMA and its national partners are pleased to recognize outstanding leaders like Joey Neuhoff through the annual Canadian Executive of the Year Awards,” said Robert Cook, CEO of OWMA. “Joey has displayed all the qualities that the selection committee looks for in award candidates including strong ethics, vision and leadership, innovative business achievements, and social/environmental responsibility, providing external value to his organization.”

Also recognized by the OWMA during the awards ceremony was Mirka Januszkiewicz, director of waste services from the Region of Durham, in the Large Municipality category. She was honored for her efforts in leading the development of the Durham York Energy Centre on behalf of Durham Region.

Commenting on that award, Neuhoff said, “I feel privileged to have worked closely with Mirka for the past five years on the development of the Durham York Energy Centre. She is an outstanding professional who is dedicated and results-driven. Under her leadership, Durham Region’s programs have become a model for integrated sustainable waste and resource management.”

Other winners honored during the association’s annual meeting were:

• Blair McArthur, Miller Waste Systems, Markham, Ontario, Large Private Company;
• Bob Martin, Pnewko Brothers Ltd., Vaughan, Ontario, Small Private Company; and
• Jay Stanford, city of London, Medium Municipality.