Elliot Townsend (far left), director of environmental compliance at Raba Kistner, moderated a panel on air quality standards at the TACA Environmental, Sustainability & Safety Seminar. Taking part in the panel were were Ensafe’s Shawn Haven (second from left), Groundwater & Environmental Services‘ Douglas Wolf (third from left), and Westward Environmental’s Melissa Fitts (far right). Photo: TACAThe Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) hosted its annual Environmental, Sustainability & Safety Seminar Oct. 24-25 at the Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa, with 120 attendees taking part in the two-day event.
Attendees heard from industry experts about a variety of issues, including Environmental Product Declarations; drug testing trends; new driver, safety and camera technologies; structural engineering sustainability; conservation opportunities; heat illness prevention; new silica standards; slag concrete; and working relationships between concrete delivery and the concrete pump industry. In addition, participants learned about new air quality standards from a panel of three experts.
Elliot Townsend, director of environmental compliance services at Raba Kistner, moderated the panel. Taking part in the panel were Melissa Fitts, senior vice president of permitting and compliance at Westward Environmental; Shawn Haven, senior project manager at EnSafe; and Douglas Wolf, director of air quality services at Groundwater & Environmental Services.
On Feb. 7, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule under the Clean Air Act lowering the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM2.5) from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter. The aggregates industry is required to comply with the new standards, while continuing to provide the materials to build roads, bridges, schools, buildings, homes and hospitals.
“There is no doubt that the final rule will have far-reaching effects on the industry and beyond,” Fitts says. “For operators, there is a high probability that the new PM2.5 standard could mean such things as bigger property line distances, limited production, enclosures and reduced stockpiles.”
Haven says operators can stay under Significant Impact Levels (SIL) – which is considered a negligible level for PM2.5 particles – by performing an air dispersion modeling analysis that evaluates the potential off-site PM2.5 impacts to human health and the environment. The analysis considers multiple factors, including emission source types, production rates and emissions control techniques, to evaluate if the project can stay under overall SIL levels to avoid a more comprehensive modeling analysis.
Wolf says wind barriers can be highly effective in reducing downwind speeds by more than 50 percent, resulting in reduced PM2.5 concentrations by 60 percent. Wind screening can also be helpful from an aesthetic standpoint when nearby residential developments build next to sites, he adds.
Attendees also heard from Bonnie Evridge, mechanical coatings section manager of the air permits division for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Evridge discussed how the agency is evaluating the new federal air quality standard, which went into effect May 6, and how it may affect permitting for the Texas aggregate, concrete and cement industries.
“We are thrilled that TACA is able to offer the Environmental, Sustainability & Safety Seminar each year to its members,” says Zak Cover, TACA president and CEO. “For two days, we bring together subject matter experts on a wide variety of issues. Members spend two full days learning from our speakers and each other, as well as enjoying networking activities – all of which provide immense value to themselves and their companies. With ever-changing standards handed down by the EPA, member benefits like this are invaluable.”
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