Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy

IMPLEMENTING THE BINATIONAL TOXICS STRATEGY
Implementation

Stakeholders Forum
November 16-17, 1998 - Chicago, Illinois

Meeting and Workshop on Potential Mercury Reductions at Electric Utilities

DAY 1: USEPA - Region 5 Offices - 77 W. Jackson Blvd (3rd Floor) - Chicago, Illinois
DAY 2: Chicago Hilton and Towers - 720 South Michigan (Marquette Room) - Chicago, Illinois

The Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (BTS) Mercury Workgroup will be holding meetings on November 16 and 17, 1998 in Chicago. November 16 will be a general meeting, which will include progress reports on actions taken to implement the BTS challenges to reduce mercury use and release. Reports on actions taken by the chlor-alkali, medical, and steel industries will be included. This meeting will be held at the U.S. EPA Region 5 Offices, 3rd floor, 77 W. Jackson.   November 17 will be a workshop on near-term actions that electric utilities can take to reduce mercury, focusing on multi-pollutant reduction strategies such as energy conservation and fuel switching, and on ways to encourage mercury reduction from this sector, such as green marketing. This meeting will be held at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, Marquette Room, 720 South Michigan Avenue.

Please note that the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) are also holding a one day mercury workshop on November 17 in Washington, D.C. While both the BTS and the CEC / NESCAUM workshops deal with mercury and utilities, they focus on very different aspects of this issue. In order to assist you in making your decision about which workshop to attend, the following descriptions are provided.

The CEC / NESCAUM workshop will focus on technologies and strategies for controlling mercury emissions from combustion sources, with special emphasis on innovative and emerging technologies for large coal-fired boilers. The BTS Chicago workshop will include some discussion of this issue, but will focus on pollution prevention and incentives for mercury reduction, as well as the impact on mercury emissions from the restructuring of the electric utility industry. The organizers of  workshops will be sharing information so that all of the groups (BTS /CEC / NESCAUM) can benefit from the results of both workshops.

The CEC / NESCAUM workshop in Washington, DC is focused on the implemmentation of innovative and emerging mercury control technologies for large coal-fired boilers. Information developed from thtis workshop is expected to have near-term and, more importantly, long-term applicability to the mercury action plan of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers and to the Phase 2 North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) for mercury. The Phase 2 NARAP for mercury is currently under development by the Mercury Task Force of the CEC's Sound Management of Chemicals (SMOC) Workgroup. The information from this workshop is also anticipated to be of assistance to USEPA in their ongoing consideration of additional mercury reduction measures. Special attention will be given to the cost-effectiveness of each technology.

If the participation forms indicate the need, French and/or Spanish interpretation will be available. For information concerning the Washington workshop, please contact Dr. Praveen Amar, Director, Science and Policy, NESCAUM at 617 367 8540 (e-mail pamar@nescaum.org).

The Chicago workshop will include an overview of utility mercury reduction options developed under MinnesotaÆs Mercury Contamination Reduction Initiative, and presentations on the state of emissions control technology and the potential effects of restructuring, deregulation and other market forces on mercury emissions. In addition, there will be a presentation on the ways that utilities can reduce the use of mercury-containing equipment. In the afternoon, presentations and panel discussions will focus on pollution prevention opportunities (including energy conservation, fuel switching and elimination of mercury-containing equipment) and incentives for reducing emissions from electric power generation (including "green" marketing and early reduction credits). The purpose of this workshop is to identify practical options that electric utilities can begin to implement as a means of reducing mercury, in order to protect the Great Lakes and meet the Canadian and U.S. mercury reduction challenges of the Binational Toxics Strategy. This workshop will be conducted in English only. For further details on the agenda for the Chicago workshop, please contact either Mr. Alexis Cain (312) 886-7018 [cain.alexis@epa.gov], or Mr. Robert Krauel (416) 739-5861 [robert.krauel@ec.gc.ca].

The November 16 BTS meeting will be held 8:30 to 5:00 pm in the 3rd floor conference area at EPA Region V Headquarters, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL. The morning session will be a plenary with other BTS workgroups on implementation of the overall BTS. The afternoon will be devoted to breakout sessions of the substance-specific workgroups, including the Mercury Workgroup.

The November 17 BTS Workshop on Potential Mercury Reductions at Electric Utilities will held 8:00 to 5:00 pm in the Marquette Room, Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL. Please note that the November 16 and 17 meetings are in different locations.

To register for the conference, please send name, organization, address, phone, fax, and e-mail to:

Kim Turner
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd.
1218 Third Ave., Suite 1207
Seattle, WA 98101
Tel:  206-447-1805
Fax: 206-447-0956
email: bnsstake@ross-assoc.com

or

Madhu Malhotra
Environment Canada
Tel:   416-739-4191
Fax:  416-739-4804
email: madhu.malhotra@ec.gc.ca

Please specify that whether you intend to participate in the Mercury Workgroup meeting on November 16, the utility workshop on November 17, or both.

Hotel information:

Blocks of rooms are being held at the Palmer House Hilton [(312) 726-7500] and at the Union League Club [(800) 443-0578]. Please mention the Binational Toxics Strategy-U.S. EPA to obtain the government rate. If you are unable to secure a room at either hotel, please call Kim Turner at the phone number, above, for additional ideas. Both hotels are very near to the EPA offices and a short walk or cab ride to the Hilton.

** Please note that we were unable to secure government rate rooms at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. You can contact them at (312) 922-4400 for room rates.

Workshop on Potential Mercury Reductions at Electric Utilities
BINATIONAL TOXICS STRATEGY MERCURY WORKGROUP

November 17, 1998
Chicago Hilton and Towers, Marquette Room (NOTE NEW LOCATION!)
720 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 922-4400

8:00 AM Check-in

8:15 AM Welcome, Agenda Review, and Meeting Purpose

8:30 AM Overview of Mercury Reduction Options for Utilities
Identified by the Minnesota Mercury Contamination Reduction Initiative
Carol Andrews/Ed Swain/John Gilkeson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
25 minute presentation, 15 minute discussion

9:10 AM Practicable Emissions Control Technologies
George Offen, EPRI, "Mercury Control Technologies--principles, tests, controls"
Paula Choutts, SENES Consultant, A Review of Recent Mercury Control Technologies
Two 20 minute presentations, 10 minutes discussion

10:00 AM Management of Mercury-Containing Devices
Lou Pocalujka, Consumers Energy

10:25AM Break

10:40AM Impact of Restructuring, Deregulation, and Other Market
Forces
Jeremy Platt, EPRI
Bruce Lourie, Lourie & Love
Two 20 minute presentations, 20 minute discussion

11:40AM Lunch on your Own

12:45 PM Pollution Prevention Panel:
Bill Grant or Nancy Lang, Isaak Walton League on Fuel Switching
Presentation on Energy Efficient Lighting Speaker to be Determined
Paul Schueller, Franklin Energy Services, Inc., Market Transformation Programs for Energy Efficiency
Three 20 minute Presentations, 30 minutes discussion
Moderator: Ian Smith, Ministry of the Environment, Province of Ontario (invited)

2:15PM Break

2:30PM Incentives for Cleaner Power Panel:
Karen Jaeckels, WEPCo, Review of Wisconsin's Largest
Green Energy Program
Stacey Davis or Sue Gander, Center for Clean Air Policy, Early Reduction Credits
Presentation on Alternative Energy Speaker to be Determined
Moderator: Frank Anscombe, U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office

4:00PM Facilitated Discussion: Specific Concrete Actions and Opportunities to Reduce Mercury Entering the Great Lakes Basin

5:00PM Adjourn