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Environment, Health, Safety & Security

Targeting clean energy

Last month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approval of New York’s Clean Energy Standard, which according to the governor’s office is “the most comprehensive and ambitious clean energy mandate in the state’s history, to fight climate change, reduce…

OSHA launches challenge for hearing protection

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mine Safety and Health Administration, in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), have initiated a "Hear and Now – Noise Safety Challenge." According…

Winning for ‘green chemistry’

Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.; www. epa.gov) recognizes “green chemistry” achievements — innovative technologies that reduce hazards to humans and the environment, as well as the leading scientists who contribute to this end. These achievements…

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Air-Pollution Control: Assessing the Options

Compliance with air-pollution regulations requires ongoing effort. Follow these recommendations to assess competing options and optimize system design while minimizing cost and risk The goal of air-pollution control (APC) is to limit the amount of pollutants entering the environment. These…

Modernizing TSCA

Last month, the U.S. Congress passed the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. This bill, called “historic” by many, brings very significant changes to the 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This much-needed modernization of TSCA is…

Letters to the Editor: Carbon Steel Piping

At the April 2016 Seattle meeting of the ASME B31.3 Process Piping Code Committee, a presentation — a cautionary note in a manner of speaking — was given by Barry Messer of Fluor Corp. (www.fluor.com). The topic was the unexpectedly…

Defining Sustainability in the Chemical Process Industries

This article examines the measures — both global and local — that chemical processors are taking to instill sustainability into everyday operations Although discussions about sustainability in the chemical process industries (CPI) are usually geared toward making processes more environmentally…

EPA announces implementation plan for TSCA amendments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted an implementation plan that outlines the agency's first-year plans to implement the recently passed Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The Implementation Plan along with additional information can…

President Obama signs the Lautenberg Act into law

On June 22, 2016, President Obama signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act into law. The bipartisan bill brings significant changes to the 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Details can be found on the…

Modern Rupture Discs Support Increased Plant Capacity

The use of today’s high-performance rupture disc designs can help to reduce many common operating problems and support increased throughput requirements Chemical process industries (CPI) plants are typically designed to achieve specific production volumes, but as anyone who has worked…