Environmental Watch

Omega Environmental
BOTHELL -- Omega Environmental Inc. has appointed Louis J. Tedesco, 55, a veteran executive of Fluor Corp. and Dravo Corp., as its president and chief executive officer. He has also been named to Omega's board of directors, increasing the size of the board to six directors.

David C. Kravitz, 38, who has served as Omega's president since 1992, was elected chairman of the board. Former Chairman Leo L. Azure Jr., 56, will continue to serve as a director, and was named chairman of the company's new Executive Committee.

Tedesco joins Omega following six years as president and chief executive officer of Energy America Inc., an energy and environmental services company owned in part by Occidental Petroleum. Earlier, he served as president and CEO of Dravo Corp.'s worldwide combined engineering companies, and as corporate senior vice president and group executive for all of its engineering and construction functions. From 1981 to 1985, Tedesco was with Fluor Corp. as a vice president and general manager of Fluor Engineers Inc., where his responsibilities included leadership of a full service engineering and construction management division serving power, process and petrochemical markets and clients.

Omega Environmental is a leading provider of comprehensive products and services for fuel and chemical storage and handling, including engineered remediation services for contaminated soils and groundwater, through 52 offices in the U.S. and North America.

Weyerhaeuser, Postal Service join forces
TACOMA (Dow Jones News) -- Weyerhaeuser Co. said last week it was selected by the U.S. Postal Service to collect and recycle its wastepaper in 11 Western states.

Weyerhaeuser will pay the Postal Service based on current market levels for the wastepaper, and the agency is expected to receive revenues of more than $1 million a year from the arrangement, the company said.

Under the agreement, Weyerhaeuser will collect office wastepaper, old corrugated containers, newspaper and undeliverable third-class bulk business mail from 395 postal facilities in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The agreement is expected to generate more than 700,000 pounds a week of mixed office paper or undeliverable third-class bulk business mail and over 75,000 pounds per week of corrugated cardboard, the company and the Postal Service said.

Weyerhaeuser, a Tacoma-based forest products company, uses the paper it collects in the manufacture of new printing and writing papers, corrugated containers and newsprint.

Everett apartments offered free recycling
Up to 20,000 Everett residents living in 575 apartment complexes will be eligible for free recyling services as part of an agreement between the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) and Rubatino Refuse Removal, which provides garbage and recycling services to city residents.

In March 1995, the Everett City Council passed an ordinance requiring recyling services to be provided to all multi-family complexes with garbage service. It was assumed that there would be a charge for the recycling which would be offset by savings resulting from less garbage.

However, strong marking conditions over the past year for recyclable materials have allowed RRR to offer recycling services at no additional cost. As those market conditions change, the company, with oversight of the WUTC, will evaluate the need to charge for the services.

The rates apply to all multi-family apartment complexes in Everett that contain five units or more and are serviced by Rubatino. Some trailer courts and condominiums are also eligible.

To begin the new service, apartment managers can call RRR at (206) 259-0044 or the city of Everett Recycling Coordinator at (206) 259-8988 for more information. It is expected to take six months to a year to establish the service at all complexes.

Whidbey Island site removed from Superfund
SEATTLE (AP) -- The seaplane base at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station has been removed from the national priority list of Superfund sites, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

The federal agency said Wednesday that it has determined the seaplane base no longer poses a significant threat to public health or the environment.

The site was placed on the priority list in 1990 because part of the base had been contaminated with lead, arsenic, PCBs and pesticides. Nearly 1,300 cubic yards of contaminated soil was removed, with the work completed last November, the EPA said.

DOE grant program seeks 1996 applicant
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Industrial Competitiveness through Energy, Environment and Economics grant program is looking for 1996 projects.

Industry applicants must submit a project proposal by Jan. 16 through a state energy, pollution prevention or business development office. One-time grants of up to $400,000 will be awarded.

Region 10 applicants can call the following contacts: Virginia Haas, Washington State Energy Office, (360) 956-2241; Mark Kendall, Oregon Department of Energy, (503) 378-7806; Peter Crimp, Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs, (907) 269-4631; and Gerald Fleischman, Idaho Department of Water Resources, (208) 327-7959.

General questions about the program should be directed to Roxanne Dempsey, DOE, at (206) 553-2155.

Record fine for asbestos removal violations
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) -- A chemical company has agreed to pay $1.2 million for improperly handling and removing asbestos while demolishing a manufacturing plant.

The fine against Hercules Inc. is the largest settlement under the Clean Air Act's asbestos regulations, the Justice Department said. A consent decree was lodged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke and will be filed after a 30-day public comment period.

The Justice Department alleged that Hercules failed to notify the Environmental Protection Agency before having a contractor demolish the building in Covington.

The company also failed to make sure the asbestos was wet before it was removed to keep fibers from floating in the air, the government said. Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause cancer and lung disease.

Hercules plans to pay the fine and improve its asbestos management, said Amy Binder, a spokeswoman at the company's Wilmington, Del., headquarters.

"We weren't rigorous enough to make sure the contractor was certified and following procedures," she said.

Hercules agreed to begin a training program for those involved in asbestos removal and appoint a national asbestos coordinator to review all demolition and renovation projects at its U.S. facilities.

The Covington plant was used to produce plastic film for packaging in the 1970s.

It was damaged by fire in 1980, and Hercules hired a company to demolish it in 1992. The work went on for seven months before an EPA inspector discovered the asbestos contamination, the complaint said.

Environmental Watch

EcoChem

EcoChem, an environmental consulting firm located in Seattle, has hired Allan Chartrand as senior toxicologist. Chartrand has 14 years of experience in toxicological evaluation of aquatic systems, NRDA issues and risk assessment. He will lead EcoChem's efforts to expand its services in human health and ecological risk assessment.

Sherri L. Wunderlich has also joined the company, which specializes in data validation and environmental chemistry, as project chemist. Wunderlich has 10 year of experience in laboratory settings, most recently serving a five-year stint as senior chemist in GC/MS analyses.

And, Kari L. O'Keefe has been hired as marketing coordinator. She has been marketing northwest environmental services for the past two years.

Geraghty & Miller Inc.

Lorna Luebbe has joined the Seattle office of nationwide environmental consulting, engineering and remedial design firm Geraghty & Miller Inc. as a project scientist. She will be responsible for managing remediation and litigation support projects, providing support to the firm's corporate CERCLA program, conducting compliance audits and providing support for large scale projects.

Luebbe joined Geraghty & Miller in 1994. She previously worked for two years as an environmental law clerk for the Bonneville Power Administration in the Portland area, and concurrently held an associate editor position for the Lewis & Clark Environmental Law Journal. Luebbe has also been an environmental geologist/project manager in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Green buses to run on red wine

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Commuters in Stockholm soon may be able to drink Spanish wine and use it to ride to work, too.

Stung by the high price of ethanol for their environment-friendly buses, authorities plan to use cheap Spanish wine as fuel instead, a newspaper said Tuesday.

The city's transportation chief, Claes Anstrand, told Expressen that surplus Spanish wine will be imported and transformed into fuel for use in the capital's 82 ethanol-powered buses.

Swedish ethanol is made of waste products from the forest industry, such as branches and sticks. Wine can be put through the same process. The newspaper did not give the price of the ethanol or the wine.

"We have ordered another 48 environmental buses, and Spanish grapes will keep them in traffic, at least for the next couple of years," Anstrand said.

Environmental positioning for the year 2000.

Interested in learning what leading Pacific Northwest companies are doing to turn environmental challenges into market advantages? Shapiro and Associates, a Seattle-based environmental services firm, will present results of a major research project designed to determine what industry leaders are doing to position themselves for the 21st century.

Results of the survey will be presented Thursday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in One Financial Center, Second Floor Conference Room, 121 S.W. Morrison Street, Portland.

To attend, call (503) 274-9000 by Sept. 27.

Omega Environmental

BOTHELL (BW) -- Omega Environmental Inc. has finalized a previously announced credit facility with New York-based BNY Financial Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of New York, for senior secured term and revolving credit facilities totaling $30 million.

The new facility will enable the Bothell-headquartered company to consolidate its regional facilities, and will provide additional working capital for internal growth and expansion, according to Omega Environmental President and CEO David C. Kravitz.

The BNY Financial facility is a $10 million senior secured 3-year term loan and a senior secured revolving line with availability up to $20 million, subject to certain asset levels. It will bear interest at favorable rates over either LIBOR or Prime, at the company's election, and is secured by the company's assets.

As of June 30, Omega Environmental reported current assets of $63.8 million and liabilities of $40.5 million, with working capital of approximately $23.3 million. Total assets were $112.6 million and shareholders' equity was $64.4 million.

Omega Environmental provides products and services for fuel and chemical storage and handling, including engineered remediation services for contaminated soils and groundwater, through 49 locations in the United States and North America.

ICF Kaiser wins $330 million contract

ICF Kaiser International Inc. has signed am estimated $330 million to perform "cradle-to-grave" environmental restoration work at federal installations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District.

The Total Environmental Restoration Contact is for four years, with two, three-year options. It is the largest hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste contract ever awarded by the Corps and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The TERC program was established to clean up contaminated Army sites in a streamlined manner by partnering with private contractors to handle all aspects of remediation. The result is quicker cleanup, more effective project management and better coordination with federal and state regulators and the public.

ICF Kaiser also announced the signing of a five-year contract estimated at $50 million to provide environmental services for the Corps of Engineers, Savannah (Georgia) district.

Skagit, Fraser named 'Heritage Rivers'

VANCOUVER, B.C. (AP) -- The Fraser River, the Skagit and six other British Columbia rivers will be protected with heritage designations, says Environment Minister Moe Sihota.

"We are making a commitment to nurture these rivers in a fashion that has never been seen before in the history of this province," he told a news conference Tuesday.

Sihota pledged action to improve and protect several of the eight rivers but revealed few specifics.

The Skagit flows into Washington State, past Mount Vernon into Skagit Bay near La Conner.

Besides the Fraser and the Skagit, the rivers nominated by a public advisory board for heritage designation are: Adams, Babine, Blackwater, Cowichan, Similkameen and Stikine. The government intends to name 20 heritage rivers in the next year.

Sihota said the government will make acquisition of large tracts of valley land adjacent to the Cowichan River a priority.

He said his ministry will tailor a response to each river and the first move on the Cowichan will be to limit further stream-side development.

Much of the valley bottom is owned by timber companies and Sihota said approaches will be made to acquire several hundred yards on either side of the river from Lake Cowichan to Duncan, 30 miles north of Victoria.

The government's Forest Practices Code imposes new limits on logging near rivers but does not apply to privately held lands.

Sihota said the threat is not so much from logging as from the potential for timber companies selling their holdings to developers.

Environmental Watch

Open space preserved in West Seattle

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Greg Nickels, Executing Gary Locke, and Seattle Mayor Norm Rice were on hand Thursday at a ceremony held in West Seattle to announce a tentative agreement for the City of Seattle to buy and preserve a critical piece of county-owned open space next to the Duwamish Head Greenbelt.

Acquired by Metro in 1986 as part of a pipeline project, the one-acre parcel sits at the mouth of the Fairmount Ravine and had been slated for surplus to a condominium developer. The surrounding area is home to at least one Bald Eagle's nest and other wildlife.

Under the agreement, which must be approve by the City and County Councils, the City Open Space Program would purchase the land from Metro and reimburse the agency over a number of years.

"This agreement preserves a significant link in our open space system, and makes Metro ratepayers whole for their investment in the property, said Nickels. "I authored the 1989 open space bond to preserve just this sort of land."

Delegates want int'l forestry practices code

PRINCE GEORGE, British Columbia (AP) -- There's a need for an international code of forestry practices that can be adapted to different cultures and forests around the world, delegates to a United Nations forestry seminar have agreed.

The group -- 200 delegates from 32 countries -- called for an international set of guidelines for sustainable forest management.

They said it should include a land-allocation process that would tell where forestry would be practised and would involve all stakeholders in the decision process.

The UN delegates also called for the use of the best information available, including ecological site classifications and an understanding of local conditions, so work can be adapted to the site.

The ideas from the week-long seminar that ended Friday are expected to be discussed at a number of United Nations meetings over the next year or two.

The meetings here were the first time the seminar has been held outside Europe.

Pacific Rim Environmental Conference

The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is holding its 1995 Pacific Rim Environmental Conference at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, Oct. 2-4. The purpose of the conference is to stimulate technology cooperation and promote business opportunities based on the management of environmental challenges throughout the Pacific Rim.

Speakers represent such organizations as the Secretariat for the Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries in Mexico City; the Environmental Protection Administration in Taiwan; and the United State-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP), a regional United States Agency for International Development initiative that incorporates environmental fellowships and exchanges, technology partnering, environmental and infrastructure development and biodiversity. US-AEP recently awarded A&WMA a grant to support establishing local environmental professional grant associations in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka.

Two full-day and half-day continuing education courses will be held Sept. 1 in conjunction with the conference. Course topics are: Introduction to Economic Incentive Strategy for Air Quality Management, Key Issues in Designing an Effective Audit Program, Introduction to the Internet and Introduction to the World Wide Web.

Cosponsors of the conference include the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IX.

For more information, contact the registrar, A&WMA, One Gateway Center, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, phone (412) 232-3444, fax (412) 232-3450, e-mail info@awma.org.

Recycled car grilles

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- That ringing in your truck might not be as ominous as it sounds. Could be the recycled telephone in your grille.

Ford Motor Co. says it is recycling 2 million pounds a year of phone and computer housings to help form the grilles for F-series pickup trucks and Econoline vans.

"When people think about recycling, they usually think about soda bottles and newspapers," says Susan Day, Ford vehicle recycling coordinator. "At Ford, we are looking for new, creative recycled materials that meet our tough performance standards and reduce the amount of waste sent to our landfills each year."

Ford says it collects plastic housings for computers, phones and other equipment, then separates, grinds and makes the plastic into new pellets. Those are used in grilles made at Ford's Carplastic Plant in Apodaca, Mexico. The material to mold each grille contains about 25 percent recycled materials, Ford says.

In 1994, Ford said its annual usage of material containing post-consumer recycled materials was more than 26 million pounds. It expects a 25 percent increase in that figure in 1995.

Solid Waste Advisory Committee

Countywide representatives on the Snohomish County Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC), focusing on waste prevention, recycling and solid waste issues, will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Snohomish County Administration Building, third floor executive conference room, in Everett.

The Committee will hear updates on various solid waste and recycling programs including the Recycling Potential Assessment and Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan. There will also be a discussion about mandatory garbage collection.

The public is invited to all meetings of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, held on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. To confirm future meetings dates and locations, call (206) 388-6478.

Cryptosporidium-free drinking water wanted

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A plan to prevent an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis, a potentially fatal infection for those whose immune systems are weak, was adopted by the Metropolitan Water District board.

In Milwaukee two years ago, more than 400,000 people became ill and 100 died due to the infection.

In most people, the parasite found in the feces of animals and humans causes a one-time bout of diarrhea, but for those whose immune system has been damaged, including AIDS, cancer and transplant patients, the infection can be chronic and sometimes fatal.

Cryptosporidium occurs in raw water, the runoff from hillsides where wildlife live, said water district spokesman Bob Gomperz. It is also transmitted through improper handling of foods.

MWD directors approved $1.5 million to finance the first phase of a three-year program that will monitor water sources, add disinfectants stronger than chlorine, and conduct tests of the drinking water supply, Gomperz said.

"The primary protection is to try to control runoff in the reservoirs," he said. "Chlorine is not effective with this bug so we're switching over to stronger oxidants than chlorine to fight it."

The plan also links MWD with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Partnership for Safe Water for additional research and prevention plans.

MWD and its 27-member public agencies provide nearly 60 percent of the water used by 16 million people living in portions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.

Environmental Watch

Browning-Ferris

HOUSTON (Dow Jones News) -- Browning-Ferris Industries Inc. has named President and Chief Operating Officer Bruce Ranck to the additional post of chief executive, effective Oct. 1.

Ranck replaces William Ruckelshaus, who will remain chairman of Browning-Ferris, a Houston-based waste services company.

Ruckelshaus, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has been chairman and chief executive of Browning-Ferris since October 1988.

Feds test "green" highway paint

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) -- The federal government is testing alternatives after determining that the yellow and white paint now used to mark lanes on highways nationwide is helping to deplete the planet's ozone layer.

Fifty different products that release fewer volatile organic compounds during application are being tested on a half-mile stretch of Oregon Highway 34. Some are paints; some are thermal plastics.

The Federal Highway Department picked Oregon as one of its test states because of its wet and mild weather conditions, and because the state is a leader in its willingness to test new technology, said Mike Dunning, new products coordinator for the state Department of Transportation.

There are 400 strips of paint placed every six to eight inches in the test area. Most products have about eight lines, while one has 16 strips.

The products will be evaluated for durability, how the color changes over time, and how bright the colors are at night.

Similar test areas have been placed in Texas and Kentucky.

The federal government is requiring that states meet new paint guidelines next year, Dunning said.

The new paint must be water based, contain less solvents, and have lower lead content, Dunning said. The new paint is expected to reduce the solvents released into the air by 1.1 million pounds a year in Oregon alone.

State highway workers used about 390,000 gallons of paint in 1993 for fog and center lines at a cost of $7.50 a gallon, Dunning said. The state does 7,600 miles of striping in an average year.

Environmental management standard

The International Standards Initiative will host a presentation on ISO 14000, this Friday Sept. 15, at 7:30 a.m., at US West's New Vector University, 15800 S.E. Eastgate Way, Bellevue.

IS 14000, the new international environmental management standard that applies total quality management principles in the environmental arena, is important to all companies that do international business and may be used by state and federal regulatory agencies as well. Draft standards have begun to be released and are expected to become effective in 1996.

The presentation will describe the main components of the ISO 14000 series, how they apply to specific businesses, and discuss outstanding issues and controversies. It will be led by Mike Ruby, president of Envirometrics, an environmental engineering firm that specializes in air pollution control, and John Kinsella, vice president of SCS Engineers, an environmental consulting firm with 25 years experience in dealing with solid and hazardous waste issues in North America and overseas. Ruby is a member of the U.S. technical advisory committee on ISO 14000. SCS is currently working with several Northwest firms on developing their ISO 14000 programs.

ISI is also sponsoring a two-day conference on ISO 14000: Environmental Management for the 21st Century, on Nov. 6-7, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. Call ISI at (206) 392-7610 for further information.