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Computing Clout

April 1, 2005By Erwin T. Prater

Recent advances in PC-based software capabilities give environmental managers better tools for dealing with an increasing range of problems

Environmental managers face a growing number of responsibilities, from air-quality compliance issues to emergency response planning and accident mitigation. Increased concerns about terrorism have created additional responsibilities.

Fortifying the Last Line of Defense

April 1, 2005By James P. Zeigler, Susan Lovasic

By learning more about chemical protective clothing selection, users can better protect themselves against chemical exposure and flashfire hazards

What factors should you consider when faced with the dual hazards of chemical exposure and flash fire? The simple answer is barrier -- both chemical and thermal barrier. However, as much as we wish that personal protective equipment (PPE) selection could be a simple process, this one word '"barrier'" encompasses a number of both chemical-protective and flash-fire-protective properties that need to be considered during the protective clothing selection process.

Identifying Metrics with Strategic Business Impact

April 1, 2005By Richard MacLean

Step one: Understand the difference between financial and managerial accounting

Everyone wants metrics: first it was the regulatory agencies; now it is a myriad of stakeholders, watchdogs, and investment analysts. As companies struggle to satisfy these external demands, they may be overlooking the true indicators of future competitive performance.

A Time Saving Tool

March 1, 2005By William A. Timmons

Water system modeling can be enhanced by the use of spreadsheets

Computer spreadsheet software provides a powerful means for the planning, preparation, calibration, and use of a water distribution, pumping, or storage system computer model.

AAI Update

March 1, 2005By Jon E. Kallen, Donald F. Allen

Proposed "all appropriate inquiries" rule will have far-reaching effects on real estate due diligence efforts

On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("SBLR&BRA" or "Brownfields Amendments"). The act amends the innocent landowner defense against liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), which is also known as Superfund, and extends liability protection to new categories of landowner, i.e. the "bona fide prospective purchaser" and "contiguous property" owner.

Manager's Notebook: Killer Meetings

March 1, 2005By Richard MacLean

EHS professionals are dying to go to some meetings; others bore them to death

All environmental, heath, and safety (EHS) professionals at some point in their careers will be directly responsible for a segment or all of a large group meeting, conference, workshop, or forum. Indeed, corporations spend enormous resources getting people together for or sending staff off to these networking and learning experiences.

Information Technology Systems

January 1, 2005By Richard MacLean

Some IT systems cost millions. Are they worth it?

Environmental, health and safety IT (information technology) systems span the spectrum from simple, home-grown spreadsheets to complex, enterprise systems that promise to do just about anything and everything.

Just Around the Corner

January 1, 2005By Stephen I. Addlestone, JD

Top issues in hazardous waste management in 2005

Despite at least a perceived drop in enforcement, there continue to be developments in regulation and litigation involving solid and hazardous waste. As many predicted, the Bush administration has not been particularly active on the environmental front. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports an increase in the amount of civil penalties recovered in the last fiscal year, the fine print reveals that this "increase" is the result of a relatively few number of larger cases.

On the Road to 2005

January 1, 2005By Angela Neville

Environmental executives predict what we will find on our journey during this new year.

Each January, Environmental Protection asks leading environmental professionals to predict what trends they see for the coming year.

Regulatory Climate Changes

January 1, 2005By Bill S. Forcade

Top issues in air quality management in 2005

In prior years one or two major issues have dominated regarding air pollution. This year, there will be a fascinating mix of significant issues, including hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), implementation of the new ambient air quality standards, Title V permitting, New Source Review (NSR), and enforcement.

The Water Front

January 1, 2005By Joe Dischinger

2005's top water-quality issues

With one party in charge of all three branches of the federal government, there have been no dramatic announcements of radical changes in water quality policy. At the time of this writing, it appears recent issues and trends in water quality will remain the hot issues for 2005.

Clearing the Fog

November 1, 2004By John P. Bachner

When negotiating contracts, environmental consultants need to understand the legal implications of the term standard of care

Environmental professionals, civil engineers, and most other professionals are legally obligated to meet the standard of care, i.e., to apply the care and skill ordinarily applied by local peers performing similar services at the same time.

Force Multiplier

November 1, 2004By Richard MacLean

Stakeholder networking has undergone a dramatic transformation -- what might it mean to your organization?

In 1999, when former Vice President Al Gore stated during an interview on a CNN television program that he "took the initiative in creating the Internet," neither political party had any idea of the significance his invention would have on American politics.

Safeguarding Our Water

November 1, 2004By C. Russell Davis

Membrane filtration protects Great Lakes' drinking water from Cryptosporidium microbes

Beautiful and blue, vast, and sometimes violent, the Great Lakes are truly "Nature's Reservoir." They contain 20 percent of the earth's fresh surface water, spanning nearly 900 miles from the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River in Kingston, Ontario, in the east to their western fingertip at Duluth, Minnesota.

Tackling Tough Contaminants

November 1, 2004By Russell A. Schuck, PG

Successful remediation of recalcitrant compounds starts with comprehensive site characterization

There are numerous case studies of failed remedial systems, which in turn can be linked to the remedial design team not fully understanding the site conditions. Often the most effective way to clean up these recalcitrant sites is source/migration control rather than intrusive remediation. The best solution can only be determined if the site is properly understood.