WASHINGTON The President's new adviser for energy policy, Gov. John Love of Colorado, says he favors voluntary action in handling the country's energy crisis. At a news conference announcing his appointment, Love said there is "no instant panacea" to the energy shortage, but that private curtailment by individuals would enable the American people both to maintain their standard of living and
meet their defense needs. He said he opposed fuel rationing except as a last resort. President Nixon, in introducing the new energy chief, said he was initiating a research and development program that would cost $10 billion over a five-year period l o begin July 1, 1974. He ais0 said he has asked Congress to establish a new Department of Energy and Natural Resources. The EPA has set regulations requiring warning systems, such as dashboard lights or buzzers. on 1975 and later model cars to alert drivers to malfunctions or the need for maintenance on certain air pollution systems. installation of the warning systems will be required if the emission control devices are expected to require maintenance during the vehicle's useful life. The EPA has intensified its fight against violators of the Clean Air Act. Under a proposed regulation. industrial plants. manufacturing establishments, and other facilities found to be in violation of the act will not be eligible for contracts, grants or loans larger than $100,000 from the Federal Government. The agency plans to compile a list of violating facilities to use as a tool to bring about voluntary compliance.
The EPA also has announced that asbestos fibers in high concentrations have been discovered in the drinking water supply of Duluth and several communities on the Minnesota shore of Lake Superior. The sourceof these fibers is believed to be the discharge of taconite tailings by the Reserve Mining Co. The agency has contracted with a hospital unit to determine the accumulation of fibers in the tissues of residents of the area. The National Commission on Material Policy, created in 1970 by P. L. 91152. recently came up with its final report to Congress. The thrust of the wide-ranging report, with a total of 189 recommendations and 22 specifically calling for more R&D, is toward a coordinated materials, energy, and environmental policy so that the Federal Government can better organize to cope with the changing interactions of the materials system. Commission chairman Jerome Klaff noted that the report avoided getting involved with policy implementation. Both the House and Senate Public Works committees are expected l o hold hearings on material policy in September. Some of the recommendations will ultimately find their way into new legislative proposals Both Russian and U.S. olficals are pleased with progress made during the first year of the two countries' Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection. At a news conference in Washington, Yuri Israel, the Soviet coordinator for the agreement, said a very successful beginning has been made. CEQ's Russell Train cited the wildlife "Whistling Swan" project, joint lake studies, and ocean dumping as areas where particular progress has been achieved. A new Department of Commerce program encourages major home appliance manufacturers to inform consumers how much energy their products consume. If industry is willing to go along, information on the energy efficiency of each appliance would be written in language easily understandable to
the consumer and displayed on a tag or label placed on the appliance. The Department 01 the Interior has praised the new citrate process, which removes virtually all of the noxious sulfur dioxide from industrial waste gases. Developed at the Bureau of Mines' Salt Lake City Metallurgy Research Center, the process converts sulfur dioxide to pure sulfur. The sulfur can then be safely stored, or sold to offset some of the antipollution costs.
STAT New York state's total phosphate detergent ban became effective in Junefollowing a 2-yr 8.7% limit. Except for home dishwashing products, products used directly in
Total phosphate bans Akron, Ohio July 1973 Connecticut June 1974 Dade County, Fla. July 1973 Indiana Jan. 1973 (Some exceptions) New York June 1973 (Some exceptions) Prince Georges County, Md. Jan. 1974 manufacturing processes, and products used in dairy and food processing, sellers can be fined up to $2500 for each box of phosphate detergent .offered for sale. Nortli Carolina is cracking down on sedimentation, oil pollution, and septic tank pollution. A new law, effective last month, creates a Sedimentaiion Control Commission which will develop and administer an erosion and sedimentation control program. An oil spill law, effective this month, requires parties responsible for the spill to clean it up. Another law provides for septic tank installation permits and inspections to protect ground water. A "River Keeper'' has been appointed for the Hudson River by the Hudson River Conservation Society and the Hudson River Fisherman's Association. Thomas Whyatt, the first "River Keeper of the Volume 7, Number 8 . August 1973 671
CURRENTS Hudson," will investigate complaints about pollution, present and potential, as well as inform the public about seasonal events of interest. Next month, New Jersey will further protect its shoreline from misuse. The Coastal Area Facility Review Act regulates construction in the coastal zone including manufacturing processes, housing developments of 25 or more dwelling units, and nuclear electricity generating facilities. Any construction project must file an application with the Department of Environmental Protection accompanied by an environmental impact statement. Vermont has expanded its control over land use and development. A 1970 law (Act 250) created an environmental board to regulate land use and develop land use capability plans. The new law adopts the plans and establishes criteria for issuing land use permits based on environmental effects. Land speculation will be curtailed by tax rates. Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation last month promulgated solid waste management regulations that are "an important thrust toward solving the state's most significant and obvious environmental problem," emphasizes commissioner Max Brewer. The main regulatory tool is a permit system which requires the operator of a solid waste disposal facility to obtain a "permit to operate." Other stipulations cover operation of incinerators and sanitary landfills and disposal of junked automobiles. Six Indiana electric utilities are suing the state Environmental Management Board and the Air Pollution Control Board contending that the state's standards for S O n removal cannot be met because commercially proved equipment is not available. The utilities involved are Indiana & Michigan Electric Co., Indianapolis Power & Light Co., Northern Indiana Public Service Co., Public Service Co. of Indiana, Indiana Statewide Rural Electric Cooperative Inc., and I nd i a na- Kent uc ky EIec t ri c Cor p . U.S.Steel Corp. has been ordered by the federal EPA to cut particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions from its 672
Environmental Science & Technology
Gary, Ind., works by December 1975. The compliance order, to be completed in stages, covers "one of the largest single sources of industrial air pollution" in the U.S. The California Air Resources Board has suspended its ongoing program of retrofitting 1966-70 model vehicles with NOx exhaust control devices until October. The Board took this action after data from diagnostic centers indicated a correlation between faulty vacuum advance and exhaust valve deterioration. San Diego Gas & Electric Co. included a 15-member ad hoc citizens committee with its site selection consulting firm as integral parts of the site selection process for a new fossil fuel power plant. The citizens committee, local representatives from environmental and community planning groups, was brought in before land had been acquired for the facility and discussed siting considerations with the consulting firm, Dames & Moore (Los Angeles, Calif.).
TECHNOLOGY Alcoa will test its new electrolytic aluminum process at a 15,000 tonsper-year plant at Palestine, Tex. The company's process, which has only been partially unwrapped for the press, uses a molten electrolyte and aluminum chloride in a closed reduction cell to produce metallic aluminum and chlorine. Aluminum
chloride is prepared from alumina and chlorine. The chlorine driven off in the cell is then recycled for aluminum chlorination. Alcoa says the process will consume 30% less energy than the standard Hall method for cryolite reduction of alumina. Since the new process does not use cryolite, troublesome fluoride emissions are eliminated. The plant is scheduled to start up in 1975. Fuel cells powerful enough to produce electricity for large neighborhoods are on the "threshold of development," according to Northeast Utilities chairman and president Lelan F. Sillin, Jr. Northeast Utilities has made a $5million commitment to Pratt & Whitney for R&D to bring the concept of substation-sized fuel cell power plant unit to the demonstration stage by 1976 and to commercial application by early 1980's. Earlier studies resulted in preliminary specifications for a fuel cell capable of operating continuously at 26,000 kw-enough to provide power for a community of more than 20,000 people. Such a cell would be small enough for installation at established substations located near load centers. Picatinny Arsenal, the research, development, and engineering center for the U.S. Army Material Command, is looking for public and industrial leaders to join in its Qualitative Requirements Information (QRI) program. Picatinny is interested in buying ideas, or new or better approaches to existing systems, rather than production items, in the field of conventional and nuclear munitions. Currently, 1000 registrants are in the QRI program, half of which are small business enterprises. Unsolicited proposals are welcome; more detail is available from the arsenal, attn: SMUPA-PA-F. The largest contract to date for air pollution R&D has been awarded by EPA to the Science Center of Rockwell International Corp. The $2.9-million contract calls for building and operating 23 neighborhood air sampling stations for EPA's Community Health Air Monitoring Program (CHAMP).
Duval Corp., will scale up its Clear process for electrolytic copper extractions at a $18.5-million. 32,500-tpy plant outside Tucson, Ariz. The Clear process dissolves copper sulfide ores in a recyclable solution and deposits metallic copper electrolytically. Iron, sulfur, and othet metals as well as mineral byproducts are then discharged with a minimum of pollution. The Ralph M. Parsons Co. will design and build the plant for Duval.
I NDUSTRY
Du Ponl's RO units
CHAMP will function as part of the more elaborate Community Health and Environmental Surveillance System (CHESS). The first CHAMP station will be completed by October 15, 1973. and the entire network should be functioning within a year. Sensors and calibrators in monitoring stations will automatically analyze air pollution data and feed it back to EPA at Research Triangle Park, N.C. A lot of the Government's desalting eggs are going into one basket, as the Administration lays plans to build the world's largest desalting unit using reverse osmosis. Under proposals made by the Interior Dept., a 130-140-million-gpd brackish water treatment unit would be constructed at a cost of about $40 million. The plant, which would be 50 times larger than any existing reverse osmosis desalting plant, would be constructed in the lower Colorado River Basin. Irrigation runoff from the salty land in the basin has seriously compromised the quality of water flowing from the U S . to Mexico, straining relationships between.the U S . and Mexican governments in the process.
Less polluting processes for extracting copper from ore continue to advance. Pennzoil subsidiary,
The automotive industry requested a I-year suspension of the 1976 nitrogen oxides emission standard. Chrysler Corp. first applied for a suspension on May 29,1973. and was joined in the request on June 18 by General Motors and on June 19 by Ford. i n statements before the hearing board, Detroit maintained that automakers have sought ways to meet the standards but have been unable to meet the technology. Also testifying a i the EPA hearings, Quesior Corp. told EPA that there was no need to relax the 1976 standards, but a year's delay was needed for "system developing and manufacturing lead time." Gould, Inc.. spokesman Edward E. David, Jr., also told the EPA board that the 1976 NO, standard was "achievable with a durable and reasonably low cost catalysts system." With regard to the extension, David said that today's technology would support a standard of 0.6 g/mile and that the rapid pace of development would allow the company to present "every consumer with a trouble-free product by the 1976 model year" which could meet the 0.4 g/mile standard consistently for 25,000 miles. The American Petroleum Institute, however, testifying before the Senate Public Works Committee, is urging Congress to authorize EPA to make changes in the nitrogen oxide emission standards. API says the whole NOx emission problem should be studied more thoroughly and that in the meantime EPA should have authority to revise the standards since a comprehensive study would take a good deal of time.
Chevron Oil Co.'s advertising campaign for its F-310 gasoline additive gets a boost from the decision of Federal Trade Commission administrative law judge, Eldon P. Schrup. Dismissing the FTC complaint against Chevron, Judge Schrup said, "The overwhelming weight of the reliable and probative evidence of this matter indicates, that in fact, the use of Chevron gasolines containing F-310 will reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions from the cars with dirty engines. and prevent or minimize the increase of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions from new cars or new cars with gasoline engines, by amounts which constitute a significant reduction of those pollutants in the atmosphere, thereby making a significant contribution to cleaner air." FTC will appeal the ruling.
WWEMA's William Konrad
The Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Assn. (WWEMA) is pressing for tariff action to protect U S . industry against unfair competition coming from nations with less stringent and costly environmental protection laws. WWEMA's executive director, David L. Gallagher. proposed the legislation in the form of a resolution from the WWEMA board of directors at a recent EPA-Industry Meeting on International Pollution Control Activities. WWEMA president William M. Konrad charges that the high cost of pollution control is "undermining U S . industry's ability to compete in the world and domestic markets." Volume 7, Number 8, August 1973 673
