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MGP Reporter The GEI MGP Reporter is a quarterly newsletter covering selected environmental issues in the electric and gas industry. Through feature articles, editorials, newsbriefs and other sections of the newsletter, GEI keeps readers abreast of issues related to MGP technology, news, events, history, websites, and even pop culture. The newsletter staff welcomes articles and comments from members of the industry. When contractor and/or vendor names are listed anywhere in this publication, it is for information only and does not imply any endorsement whatsoever on the part of GEI or its co-sponsors. For information about being added to our mailing list, please Contact Us. For now, feel free to browse recent editions of the MGP Reporter online. Please see brief introductions to each issue below. Please continue to send us your feedback and any ideas you might have for future issues. In this issue of the GEI MGP Reporter, we present Part II of a two-part series on risk thresholds at MGP sediment sites. Part II provides examples of alternative derivations of PRGs for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment. Our feature editorial takes a look at spray foam insulation and asbestos. Also in this issue are the attendee’s reactions to the Fourth International Symposium and Exhibition on the Redevelopment of Manufactured Gas Plant Sites (MGP 2012) held in Chicago last March. In MGP Briefs, check out the alternative rock band called Coaltar of the Deepers, learn more about “greening” coal tar, parking lot sealants, and the history of manufactured gas in Russia. In this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter, we present Part I of a two-part series on risk thresholds at MGP sediment sites. This first article weighs the options for risk-based Preliminary Remediation Goals. We also take a look at an early 19th century American Balloonist who used coal gas to fly. In MGP Briefs we have another gasholder movie sighting and a don’t-try-this-at-home tale about Prussian blue. In this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter, our feature article discusses several modeling and visualization tools available for presenting data related to MGP sites. While each software tool has its strengths, the combined passing of data between them can facilitate understanding of the site. You can even view an animated EVS model that presents a site, the former holder foundations and BTEX impacts in soil. In other sections, we found coal tar on facebook. Check it out; maybe you'll want to become a fan. We also provide a look back at the driveway sealer debate and are happy to announce that we have opened two new offices in the Southeast and hired a new Water-Energy Program Manager. In this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter, cyanide toxicity is the theme of the feature article, The Truth About Cyanide at MGP Sites. The article discusses the chemical makeup of cyanide to explain why MGP-related cyanide is usually of little concern, posing insignificant risk to human health and the environment. The Editorial takes a jab at the myths associated with cyanide. The rest of the newsletter consists of a recent MGP DNAPL publication, the latest on the coal tar sealant debate, a Lewis and Clark coal tar connection, a page about the misleading names of unhealthy dyes, ways to use coal tar in a sentence, and more! We are also excited to announce the official Call for Papers for MGP 2012. Abstracts are due September 30, 2011 and exhibit space and sponsor opportunities are filling up fast, so don’t delay. Lastly, our Coal Tar History section describes a firsthand encounter with Bee Hive Coke Ovens. In this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter, our feature article Active Risk-Management Systems for MGP Sites describes how automated monitoring systems are efficient risk management tools at MGP sites. They can provide near real-time data access, minimize time lag for processing, and lower costs by reducing the extent of field labor. The Reporter has other MGP-related goodies including a recent movie sighting, journal publication, link to a news article about the staying power of gas lights (even in the toughest of winter storms), an update on coal-tar and driveway sealers, and the long-awaited announcement about the MGP 2012 Conference! We hope you will appreciate the Editorial which advocates for a realistic look at MGPs, coal tar, and the facts associated with the history and benefits, risks and impacts, and social and economic challenges of dealing with remediation. Sediment is a hot topic in MGP remediation these days so we made it the theme of this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter. In the feature article: Stuck in the Mud: Multiple Causes of Ecological Risk in Sediment, several of GEI's ecology experts explore the ecological risks associated with MGP sites located on waterways with contaminated sediments. Read it to find out why the authors believe that MGP sediment investigations should consider using one or more specialized tools for evaluating the relative effects of "multiple stressors" rather than relying on the standard BERA approaches. In keeping with the sediment theme, in the Newsbriefs section of the Reporter, we summarize a recent US EPA Region 5 Record of Decision involving sediment cleanup at an MGP site in Ashland, Wisconsin estimated to cost between $83-$97 million. And to finish off the issue, the Editorial discusses the dilemma of how "strict conformance with regulations may force remediation that does not actually address the problem." In this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter, our feature article entitled, Remedial Design, Bidding Strategy and Smart Risk Sharing, discusses pros and cons associated with various bidding strategies ranging from minimal design and project definition (with substantial risk placed on the remedial contractor) to well-developed, tightly scoped designs (with limited risk placed on the contractor). In the Newsbriefs section of the Reporter, MGP cleanups in New York and South Carolina are highlighted. And, as always, we have our Coal Tar History, which reminisces with former fisherman, Nick Markovich about one use of coal tar, back in the day. In this issue of The GEI MGP Reporter, our feature article defines Green Remediation and describes how each decision made during the cleanup of contaminated properties has an impact on our natural environment. This issue also provides an editorial which examines the "no action alternative" and discusses whether no action can, in fact, be a good choice in this greener-minded day and age. In this issue, Jim Roewer, Executive Director of USWAG, contributes an article: "Is Naphthalene a Carcinogen?" which points out that 'if naphthalene becomes the driver at MGP site cleanups there would be profound operational and economic impacts on the utility industry.' You can also read an editorial on Permissible Exposures Limits of soil vapor, ambient air and indoor air. And learn more about the 5 senior MGP professionals GEI recently added to our utility group. In this issue, you can read Part 2 of the TarGOST® - High Resolution MGP Waste NAPL Characterization series by Randy St. Germain and find a summary of MGP USA 2008, held September 23-25, 2008 in Mystic, Connecticut. You’ll also want to check out what classic 1968 Warner Brothers film is featured in "MGP in the Movies". In this issue, you can learn more about TarGOST® - High Resolution MGP Waste NAPL Characterization. You can also get highlights of MGP 2008: Gasworks Europe AND link to information and registration for MGP 2008 USA. Plus, find out how coal tar was used by practical jokers in the early 1920s. In this issue, read how pejorative language and "forensic" analysis from environmental consultants might sway insurance coverage litigation involving MGP claims. Get a look at MGP Futures based on an informal survey of 25 utility program managers. And check out pictures of a former MGP site that has been redeveloped into a park in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Read “Part Two” from the previous issue about how neighbors of MGP sites bring their life experience to cleanups and are not influenced by modern risk assessment and/or other complex rationales for leaving wastes in place. You can also get information about MGP 2008 in Dresden, Germany and read what’s been happening with the ban on coal tar-based pavement sealers in Texas. In the feature article “Meet the Neighbors—Part One” read about how today’s main obstacle to MGP cleanup is likely to be your ratepayer who happens to live next door to your MGP remediation. There’s also a report on the Brownfields 2006 Conference held in Boston, MA. In this issue, you can learn more about Naphthalene and how recent changes in cancer status and regulatory implications may affect MGP site cleanups. You’ll also want to check out Godzilla as our featured “MGP in the Movies”. This special conference follow-up issue gives a report on the International Symposium and Exhibition on the Redevelopment of Manufactured Gas Plant Sites (or MGP 2006) held in Reading, England including survey results, a picture gallery, and fun conference highlights—like best pub and favorite tourist spot. Learn about the latest acronym in the world of coal-to-gas, IGCC—Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, see a schematic on how it works and check out several gasification-related websites. As a follow-up to the “Financial Disclosure Rules Evolving” article in the Winter 2005 issue, this quarter’s feature article takes a look at some stakeholders outside of the organization, including the Congress, the SEC and an environmental advocacy organization. On a lighter note, you’ll enjoy reading about The Gas House Gang, a nickname given to the 1930s St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Read about ever-evolving financial rules in a post-Enron, Sarbanes-Oxley world and some of the changes utilities and other corporations are experiencing in their approaches to disclosure of environmental liabilities. And read how the Supreme Court scales back contribution actions on one case involving a voluntary cleanup. Read about successful control of site emissions using temporary structures and the recommended monitoring techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of the temporary structure for emissions control. Also, read what the editor thinks are the hot topics in MGP site management.   |
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