EPA Proposes Revised Emissions Limits for Industrial Boilers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revised its proposed emissions limits for industrial boilers, saying the changes provided more flexibility.

The agency today issued the latest version of its plan to reduce emissions levels for air pollution such as mercury and soot after announcing the rule Feb. 21. With the latest changes, the standards will affect less than 1 percent of boilers in the U.S. and will cost about $1.5 billion less than a 2010 proposal, the agency said in an e-mailed statement.

The rule, which may require upgrades of pollution controls at paper mills, chemical manufacturers and refineries, may cost $3 billion, President Barack Obama said in an Aug. 30 letter to Republican House Speaker John Boehner. The EPA proposed the rule in February on orders of a federal court. The agency said May 16 that it would delay implementation, giving the public more time to comment.

The EPA is proposing “more flexible compliance options for meeting the particle pollution and carbon monoxide limits,” the agency said in the statement.

For companies that use boilers, the rule may cost $14.3 billion and put 230,000 jobs at risk in 26 different sectors, including construction and chemical manufacturing, according to the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners, a trade group based in Warrenton, Virginia.

The EPA’s rules to restrict air pollution may create a market valued at $24 billion for Babcock & Wilcox Co. of Charlotte, North Carolina, Chief Executive Officer Brandon C. Bethards said during a May 10 conference call.

Shaw Group, Fluor

Other companies that provide pollution controls, including the Shaw Group of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Fluor Corp. of Irving, Texas, may also benefit, John Rogers, head of institutional equity research at D.A. Davidson and Co. in Lake Oswego, Oregon, said in a phone interview.

The boiler rule, which is meant to protect Americans from cancer and asthma, may prevent as many as 8,100 deaths in 2015, the EPA said today. The agency said it plans to make today’s proposed changes final in the spring of 2012.

Senators Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, have sponsored legislation to give the EPA 15 months to write new rules and at least five years to implement them. The House passed similar legislation Oct. 13.

The House bill is H.R. 2250. The Senate bill is S. 1392

--Editor: Steve Geimann, Larry Liebert
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Wingfield in Washington at bwingfield3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Liebert at lliebert@bloomberg.net -0- Nov/28/2011 20:00 GMT
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-06/epa-proposes-revised-emissions-limits-for-industrial-boilers.html

Tiebreaks Burn Boilers On Solid Day Two Of Schwartz Tennis Challenge

The second day of the Schwartz Tennis Challenge was a tough, yet still successful one as several Boilermakers were burned by third set tiebreakers.
On Saturday morning, the Boilermakers faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, a team that finished last season ranked No. 13 in the nation and returns four seniors. At No. 1, Jennifer Rabot had things going well early for Purdue as she got out to a set lead with a 6-2 win. However, O'Neill, the No. 21 ranked individual nationally, bounced back in the second with a 6-4 win of her own to force a third set tiebreak. O'Neill was able to hold on and win the tiebreak 10-5.
Freshman Lynda Xepoleas put in a fantastic effort at No. 2 as she won the final eight games of her match over Kilborn to claim a 7-5, 6-0 victory. Sophomore Mara Schmidt went back and forth for her entire match against the No. 44 player in the country, Ngo. In the end, though, Schmidt fell in a heartbreaker, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7, at No. 3. Daniela Vidal also had a very tough, close match at No. 4 against the Blau, the No. 124 player in the country. After dropping the first set, 6-3, Vidal battled back and forth in the second before eventually falling in that one, too, 7-5.
Gisella Pere also fell victim to the misfortunes of a third set tiebreaker. The junior dropped the first set, 6-2, but rallied in the second to even it up with a 6-3 win. However, in the tiebreaker, she lost, 10-6, at No. 5. Imogen Golder also had her chances at No. 6 against the No. 81 ranked player in the country, Anghelescu. Golder battled tough for two sets, but dropped both, each with a score of 6-4.
In the afternoon, the Boilermakers faced Big Ten rival Illinois. Rabot battled at No. 1 against Lambropolous and quickly found herself down a set after dropping the first, 6-3. However, the senior from England bounced back in a big way, blanking the Fighting Illini fifth year senior, 6-0. The tiebreak went back and forth, but the pattern of the day for the Boilermakers continued as Rabot fell, 10-8.
Xepoleas found herself in a tiebreak after winning the first set, 6-4, and dropping the second, 3-6, at No. 2 against Kopinski. As the theme of the day continued, the Boilermaker freshman dropped a heartbreaker, 11-9, to lose the match. Schmidt found herself on the positive end of a first set tiebreak as she held on, 7-6 (4). The sophomore carried the momentum into the second set and finished off Allin at No. 2, 6-2. At No. 4, Illinois' Falkin topped Vidal, 6-1, 6-2. Pere was consistent at No. 5 as she knocked off Smutko, 6-3, 6-3. Dushkina put together a beautiful performance at No. 6 as she blanked Jamieson, 6-0, 6-0.
If the match were a true dual, the score between Illinois and Purdue would be knotted at three with doubles play to be the determining factor. That doubles match is scheduled to take place on Sunday at approximately 11:15 a.m. ET.
Purdue opens Sunday's play at 9 AM in doubles play against Big Ten foe, Iowa. He Boilermakers took five of the six singles matches against the Hawkeyes on Friday.
 http://www.purduesports.com/sports/w-tennis/recaps/110511aab.html

Three Rivers bans wood-burning boilers

Members of the Three Rivers City Commission have voted to ban outdoor solid fuel-fired boilers, which includes wood-burning boilers.
The move caps nearly a year of discussions regarding the devices, prompted by Fire Chief Dan Tomlinson. Tomlinson said his concerns centered less on fire safety and more on the smoke emitted from the boilers.
Commissioners who voted in favor of the ban agreed that considering the proximity of houses within the city limits, the boilers could become a nuisance if improper materials or unseasoned hardwood are placed in the burners.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/07/three_rivers_bans_wood-burning.html

WKU Installs Natural Gas Boiler

Sustainability efforts at WKU are heating up with the installation of a second large natural gas boiler in as many years at the Central Heat Plant.
The boiler, constructed in West Point, Miss., weighs 93,600 pounds, is 27 feet long and can produce 75,000 pounds of steam per hour. Transported by a special heavy haul truck, the boiler arrived at WKU on Tuesday (March 29). A large crane was used to move the boiler into the heat plant.

A 17-foot long boiler that produces 40,000 pounds of steam was installed last year and helped heat the WKU campus this winter. The two large Babcock & Wilcox boilers join an existing small natural gas boiler installed in 1992 and two large coal boilers, one installed in 1956 and the other in 1960.
“The installation of natural gas boilers is part of an overall effort to reduce WKU’s carbon footprint,” Sustainability Director Christian Ryan-Downing said.
The boilers will allow WKU to heat campus using natural gas instead of coal. WKU used only 300 tons of coal this winter compared to 1,700 tons last winter, according to Dale Dyer, plant operations manager for Facilities Management. At one time, WKU used as much as 6,000 tons of coal annually in the boilers at the heat plant, he said.
“The natural gas boilers will help our operations become more efficient as the new boilers are nearly 25 percent more efficient than the old coal boilers. They will also provide a cleaner environment inside our central heat plant,” Dyer said.
Natural gas is currently being supplied by Atmos Energy Marketing.
“The installation of the natural gas boilers is a compliment to our energy management and facilities staff who have been successful in conservation efforts across our campus,” said John Osborne, vice president for Campus Services and Facilities.
The two natural gas boiler projects were funded with utility savings from conservation and energy management efforts, Ryan-Downing said. “This is an accomplishment that everybody on campus can feel a part of,” she said. “But this project is really close to students’ hearts because many of them have been concerned about how we use coal on campus. They were pleased when our utility savings from campus conservation was being used for gas boilers.”
WKU is working with Johnson Controls on an Energy Savings Performance Contract that includes $9.7 million in energy-reducing and facility improvements to water systems, lighting fixtures and HVAC systems across the campus. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21,487 metric tons annually.
“We realize there are sustainability issues with natural gas,” Ryan-Downing said. “It’s not the perfect solution but it’s a great next step.”
The Central Heat Plant, built in 1927 as one of buildings designed by Brinton B. Davis, will become a stop on WKU’s green tour. “A steam plant that is more sustainable and more efficient is something we can be proud of,” Ryan-Downing said.
The plant supplies steam to most campus buildings through a piped distribution system nearly three miles long. Once steam is inside the buildings it is used to heat water for the building heat, domestic water for showers, cooking in dining service kitchens, dishwashing and humidification, Dyer said.

http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/WKU_Installs_Natural_Gas_Boiler_118916259.html?ref=259