FPA's 2007 Environmental Summit & Safety Conference

January 24-26, 2007

The TradeWinds Island Grand Resort
St. Petersburg Beach, Florida

Richard Pettifor, Vice Chairman, FPA’s Regulatory & Government Relations Division, Sun Chemical Corporation

Sustainable Packaging
This is a three-part session followed by the round table discussion.  The first presenter will explain what sustainable packaging is and when and how it is likely to impact the flexible packaging manufacturers.  The presenter would review the scorecards that Wal-Mart has developed to determine and ensure the sustainability of product packaging.   A state government representative will share a recent life cycle inventory analysis which compares environmental burdens of flexible and rigid packaging in e-commerce order fulfillment, how the study’s results are highly favorable to flexible packaging, why the study was commissioned and how it’s being used.  Finally, Gwynne Rogers will present the consumer insight and analyze the importance of sustainability and how that affects the usage of specific products and the packaging of those products.  Specifically, the presenter will explain which consumer segment is most interested in and driven by sustainability, and whether the environmental impact of packaging is a benefit at the product level or the corporate level (or both).  The attendees will get a sense of how big the sustainability marketplace is in general and what role packaging plays in that marketplace.

Jeff Wooster, The Dow Chemical Company

David Allaway, Oregon DEQ

Gwynne Rogers, The National Marketing Institute

EPA’s Air Outlook and Priorities for 2007
EPA uses variety of tools, such as rulemaking, guidance, technical assistance, voluntary partnerships, science and economic analysis to implement its regulatory agenda under the Clean Air Act.  What tools are emphasized in carrying out the agency’s statutory responsibilities has impact on industry and the environment.  Learn the program priorities of EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards (OAQPS) and how these activities may impact your operations.

EPA’s Response to Title V Task Force Recommendations
The Title V Task Force, sponsored by EPA, has submitted recommendations to improve the Title V Operating Permits Program. The presentation will include a brief overview of the Task Force: its origin and purpose, how it accomplished its tasks, and what it found. The Task Force conclusions and recommendations will be summarized. Attendees will hear the agency’s opinion about the report and how it intends to respond to it. The report contains almost one hundred recommendations for improving the Title V program, including suggestions for rulemaking, guidance, best practices, and other actions.  

Title V Flexible Permitting Options
EPA is considering flexible permits rulemaking but it is not clear when it will be proposed.  For this reason, the realities of flexible permitting represent opportunities and significant challenges.  Depending upon your permitting needs, a Plantwide Applicability Limit (PAL) might represent an attractive option and provide unprecedented Title V permitting flexibility.  The presentation will provide an engineer’s perspective of PAL submission to EPA Region IV; what was experienced as a first “Test Case”, pros and cons of PALs and ways to enable a permittee to obtain a PAL in as expeditious of a timeline as possible. The presenter will discuss other flexible permitting opportunities as well. 

Air Quality Program Management This session will cover several elements of the air quality program management.

• Ozone and PM Implementation Issues:  The presenter will review the rules and policies and provide an issues update affecting the development of State Implementation Plans for Ozone and PM national ambient air quality standards.

Valerie Broadwell, US EPA

Air Quality Program Management (continued)

• Once-In-Always-In (OIAI):  EPA is developing a proposal package to allow a major source of HAP to become an area source at any time.  The package is currently going through the EPA approval process and expected that the rule will be proposed by spring 2007.  Find out the impact of the proposal on OIAI policy and your operations.
  
  
• Emissions Factors Development Procedures:  Currently EPA is revising its procedures to develop emissions factors in order to streamline and clarify the process.  These new procedures are expected to improve the quality of emissions factors, reduce time needed to develop emissions factors, and provide users with alternative methods of quantifying emissions to reduce the levels of uncertainty.  Find out how these new procedures, and electronic data reporting tool will affect your compliance. 
  
  
• Compliance Assurance Monitoring (CAM) Rule Revisions:  EPA is developing revisions to Part 64 CAM rule, which may require enhanced monitoring at other units including those units regulated by work practice standards, equipment design requirements, limit on fuel, or raw material components, and process operation limitations.  We expect this to be a very interactive session. 
  
  
• Continuous Parameter Monitoring Performance Specifications: EPA is developing a proposal that will provide performance specifications and quality assurance procedures for common parameters used in or by emissions control devices.  The first set of specifications, expected to be proposed by summer 2007, are targeted for temperature, pressure, flow, pH, and conductivity measurement devices.  You can not afford to miss this session. 

Environmental Reporting Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Originally passed as a law to improve corporate governance, Sarbanes-Oxley has introduced profound changes to almost all aspects of business, including the management of environmental affairs.  The presentation on Sarbanes-Oxley will address the legal requirements and, more importantly, the practical real-world implications that Sarbanes-Oxley has on the environmental manager.  For example, should the existing cost estimation rules be used or should the ASTM approach be adopted?  How do these estimation procedures apply in buy/sell transactions or to international operations and when is it appropriate to use a consultant and for what?

Adding to the complexity of Sarbanes-Oxley is the adoption of new accounting standards for environmental issues.  FASB 143 and FIN 47 significantly changed long-held views of when environmental costs need to be recognized and accounted for, which can have a direct affect on the company’s financial statements, loan agreements and ability to obtain financing.  The presentation will discuss the new accounting rules and practical procedures of addressing the requirement.

The Impact of Registration, Evaluation, Authorization of Chemicals (REACH)
The presenter will explain what REACH stands for, where it is currently in the regulatory process, and how its passage will impact the US manufacturers of packaging materials.  The REACH is just not a European phenomena but applies to all chemicals manufactured in or imported into the EU and affiliated countries. 

NSR Reforms Update
EPA continues to work on updating and improving the highly controversial NSR permitting regulations.  This session will present litigation updates, including an explanation of the current regulatory climate following decisions by the Court on the first two rounds of NSR Reform.  Also, you will get the latest information on recent and upcoming regulatory proposals for Debottlenecking, Aggregation and Project Netting, the Fugitive Emissions reconsideration, the "Reasonable Possibility" remand (recordkeeping), BACT Alternatives Rulemaking, and other pertinent rulemakings.  You cannot afford to miss this session if you are an EH&S manager or have plant management responsibilities.

Closing Remarks & Adjourn

Golf Tournament

For registration details, contact Jim Hillstrom, Glenroy, Inc., at (262) 255-4422