LITTLE ROCK — Electronic-waste grant deadline set
Entities interested in starting electronic-waste-recycling programs have until Sept. 1 to apply for grants through the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
Last year, the department awarded 17 grants for about $102,000. This year, $117,000 is available through the program.
The grants are designated for projects that include public education, collection activities and transportation.
Among entities eligible to apply are cities; counties; primary-, secondary- and higher-education schools; private industry; regional solidwaste-management boards; and nonprofit organizations or associations.
Many electronics contain elements such as lead, mercury and cadmium that can be hazardous if disposed of in household trash and compacted at landfills.
Grant applications are available at www.adeq.state.ar.us.Awards will be announced on or about Oct. 15.
Air-permit remarks
get 20 more days
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is extending the public comment period to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 9 for a proposed renewal of a general air permit for minorsource natural-gas compression facilities operating in Arkansas.
Minor-source natural-gas compression facilities treat and compress natural gas for distribution in pipelines. The renewal updates the permits because of new federal requirements on engines and adds requirements for facilities that treat the natural gas to remove contaminants. It allows all minor-source natural-gas compression stations to be eligible for coverage under the general permit.
A public hearing was held Tuesday at the department’s North Little Rock headquarters. At that hearing, a request was made to extend the public comment period. Mike Bates, chief of the department’s air division, agreed to the 20-dayextension.
Written comments may be faxed to (501) 682-0880 or mailed to 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, 72118. Comments should be addressed to the attention of Phil Murphy, Air Division. Comments can be emailed to murphy@adeq. state.ar.us.
Storage-tank panel to get fund update
The Arkansas Petroleum Storage Tank Advisory Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality headquarters, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock.
The meeting will be held in Conference Room 1E09 on the first floor of the building, and committee members will get updates on third-party claims against the Petroleum Storage Tank Trust Fund and consider requests for reimbursements for cleanup operations involving petroleum-product releases at Beebe, Bono, Dumas, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Quitman and Sheridan.
The committee advisesand assists the department and the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission concerning administration of the state-regulated storage-tank program.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 07/24/2010