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Continuing with Client-Centered
Environmental Solutions
By Brian
J. Beahan, P.G., President
It's been a challenging year for businesses (and households)
everywhere in the current economy. Regardless of this, we at
Alternative Environmental Solutions, Inc. continue to stick to
our vision of "Providing quality, client-centered
environmental solutions". Have we had to be extra creative
in provision of these solutions? Certainly. Have we had to work
harder than ever and stay open to new business and market
opportunities? We have indeed. In hardship cases, we've even
developed creative financing options to fund the solutions
provided to many of our valued clients. Despite all of this, one
thing that has not changed, and will not change, is that we
continue to be centered on our clients through solutions-driven
services. We'd be pleased to serve you on your environmental
challenges as together, we wrestle through the back end of the waning
(hopefully) recession.
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The Marcellus Shale
By Jude
Horton
With all eyes focused on the coming deregulation of electric
power, the rising costs of home heating oil (yes, it's that time
again, folks,) and the fluctuating costs of gasoline, there may
be a glimmer of hope. Imagine a depository of trillions of cubic
feet of natural gas that burns more cleanly than other fossil
fuels, and has fewer emissions of sulfur, carbon and nitrogen
than coal or oil. This is the Marcellus Shale.
The Marcellus Shale is a rock formation underlying portions of
New York state, West Virginia and about 2/3 of Pennsylvania.
Studies suggest that portions of the southwest, northcentral and
northeastern areas of Pennsylvania may be extremely productive.
So why haven't we tapped this resource to date? Until recent
advancements in drilling technology, we have not been able to
safely and cost-effectively harvest this resource. Extracting
this gas requires a very involved process. A combination of both
vertical and horizontal drilling is utilized, along with a
process called 'hydraulic fracturing.' A drilled well is cased
and cemented to protect groundwater and prevent the escape of
natural gas and other fluids. Next, under high pressure, large
amounts of water, sand and other fluids are pumped into the shale
formation to fracture the shale around the well, allowing the
natural gas to flow freely to the well bore. Depending on the
type of well, the amount of water needed for hydraulic fracturing
may range from one million to five million gallons. When the
process is completed, the used water, or 'frac retruns,' will be
reused or transferred to an approved treatment facility. All of
these actions require environmental permitting and oversight.
Interesting Numbers:
- According to the
Energy Information Administration website, slightly more
than half of the homes in the United States use natural gas
as their main heating fuel.
- More than 62
percent of homes use natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces,
water heaters, clothes dryers, and other household
appliances.
- Propane is a
byproduct of the processing of natural gas.
- Natural gas is an
essential raw material in many common products; to name a
few, paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes,
photographic film, medicines and explosives.
Natural Gas Use for 2007 according to the Energy
Information Administration
For more information, please visit the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and
the Energy
Information Administration websites. For any
questions about any services needed in regards to the
environmental ramifications of tapping this valuable resource,
contact Brian Beahan at (888) 844- 2371.
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Oil Heat Tank and Operational Tips in
Preparation for Heating Season
By William
C. Gable
Autumn will soon arrive in our Region, and with the change in
seasons comes the switch from air conditioning to heating. This
is the perfect opportunity to give your home an Autumn check up.
These measures will help to ensure your conserve energy and
prevent and / or promptly address any oil storage leaks to the
environment.
Operational Tips:
If you have a heating oil or gas burner, have it inspected and
cleaned by a professional. Consider replacing your current system
with a new, more efficient unit. Resetting the temperature to a
range of 160 - 180 degrees will also conserve energy. If you have
a furnace or heat pump (forced air heater,) replace and properly
seal your air filter. Dirty filters and leaking systems are a
major factor in inefficiency. To optimize your water heater, add
an extra layer of insulation to your water heater and insulate
nearby copper pipes. Setting the temperature to a maximum of 120
degrees will also save energy.
Tank Tips:
Early autumn is traditionally a time when we at AES most often
hear of accidental heating oil overfills, tank releases and
catastrophic environmental impacts for businesses and homeowners.
We recently remediated a site where the oil release was caused by
delivery of fuel through a fill line that remained in place,
although no tank or use of heating oil had been needed at the
site for over 20-years (they had switched to natural gas).
Here are a few tips to check things out and help ensure that
you're not bitten by the heating oil release bug:
- If you have an
aboveground heating oil storage tank (AST), perform an
exterior inspection to observe for rust spots, product
dripping, loose or damaged fittings or other corrosion.
- If you've
recently, or in the past, removed an oil storage tank, by
all means either remove your fill pipe or plug it so an
accidental delivery doesn't occur.
- Check the fill
amount compared to when your tank was last filled and use
water paste and a tank stick to carefully check for water in
the tank, which could impact the effectiveness of the oil
burner and also may be an indication of leakage if you have
an underground storage tank (UST).
- Gauge the amount
of fuel in your UST and compare to last used volumes (there
may be some nominal loss if you use this for hot water heat
and/or ran the heater at all over the spring and summer).
There should not be a significant loss. If discovered, you
may have an ongoing leak that should be promptly addressed.
- Give
consideration for removal of your UST if it is made of
unprotected steel and greater than 15-years old.
For help on any environmental or tank management issues
associated with petroleum storage, handling or remediation,
please call an AES associate now at 1- 888-844-2371.
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Getting Help with Leaking Tanks
By Elizabeth M. Cushman
Along with over 30 grants and loans that the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) offers to
homeowners, businesses, and communities, there are two
reimbursement programs available for previous owners of regulated
or heating oil underground storage tanks (USTs): the Pollution
Prevention Reimbursement Grant and the Underground Storage Tank
Heating Oil Cleanup Grant Program. These programs provide
financial assistance to homeowners and businesses following a
tank closure, and they provide incentive for pollution prevention
and cleanup.
The Pollution Prevention Reimbursement Grant (also
known as the Pump & Plug Program) provides financial
reimbursement for activities surrounding the closure of a
regulated, registered UST, up to $2,500 per tank. Other
eligibility requirements include:
- The tank must not
have been upgraded to comply with technical requirements of
federal or state regulations.
- The application
must be submitted after the completion of all tank closure
work.
- Work completed
prior to July 1, 1998 is not eligible.
Costs incurred by you that are eligible for reimbursement
include:
- Pumping regulated
product out of the tank - including equipment rentals, man
power, etc.;
- Transport and
proper disposal of the regulated product;
- Cleaning the tank
- including washing, inerting, excavation, equipment
rentals, etc.; and,
- Closure in place
- including resealing and backfilling activities and
grouting the fill pipe.
Tank owners considering applying for the Pump & Plug Program
should be sure to keep all itemized invoices and bills of landing
or manifest as documentation of the tank removal, and must submit
these with the application. The certified contractor who
performed the work must also sign the application.
The Underground Storage Tank Heating Oil Cleanup Grant
Program provides financial reimbursement for activities
surrounding the cleanup of a release from a heating oil UST with
a capacity of 3,000-gallons or less. The owner must pay the first
$1,000 of cleanup costs, after which PADEP will provide up to
$4,000 for the remaining cleanup costs.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Heating oil tanks
stored within a basement or other underground area are not
eligible.
- Costs for
repairing or replacing an existing system are not eligible.
- Only costs not
reimbursed by private insurance are eligible for
reimbursement.
- The release must
have been discovered or occurred after January 30, 1998.
Costs incurred by you that are eligible reimbursement include:
- Excavating,
emptying, cleaning, removing, and the transport and disposal
of a leaking UST;
- Excavating any
contaminated soil and removing any free product left in the
UST;
- Transport and
disposal of contaminated soils or groundwater encountered
during the excavation;
- The installation
of soil borings or monitoring wells used to determine the
extent of contamination;
- Sampling and
analytical costs; and,
- Backfilling,
grading, landscaping, and other restoration activities.
Tank owners considering applying for the Underground Storage Tank
Heating Oil Cleanup Grant Program should be sure to keep all
itemized invoices, bills of landing or manifest, and analytical
data as documentation of the tank removal and determination of
the extent of the release. These documents, along with proof of
payment for the first $1,000 of work must be submitted with the
application. The contractor who performed the work must also sign
the application.
Potential applicants should note that a W-9 form must be
submitted for both programs, and any reimbursement funds may be
subject to taxes. You should talk with your accountant regarding
any potential taxes on the grant funds.
For assistance, contact Alternative Environmental Solutions at
(888) 844-2371, or peruse the following links:
Applications:
Underground
Storage Tank Heating Oil Cleanup Grant Program
Pump
& Plug Program
PADEP
Grants and Loans Information
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Seeking Employment?
By Brian J. Beahan, P.G., President
We are always interested in speaking with qualified professionals
to join our team. We appreciate your referrals of business and
now are seeking your referrals for qualified environmental and
geologic consulting professionals. If you know of anyone who is
seeking a change and a challenging new direction in their career,
where creativity and solutions-oriented thinking really make a
difference, please pass on our contact information.
Find
out more....
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Our customers have approached us with problems, we've
understood what needed to be done and we've provided appropriate
solutions. Our mission statement, indeed our company as a whole, is
centered on meeting this objective. May we put our quality,
client-centered environmental solutions to work for you too?
On behalf of the staff of Alternative Environmental
Solutions, Inc., I invite you to experience the value we add to
your business.
Sincerely,
Brian J. Beahan
Alternative
Environmental Solutions
email: aes1@altenv.com
phone:
717-517-5000
fax:
717-517-5004
web: http://www.altenv.com
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