|
1990 - Present
|
| 1990 |
Heightened recognition of manufactured gas production residuals as environmental threats. Dubuque, IA, NPL site becomes first FMGP to receive EPA permission to burn tar-contamination as electric generation station boiler fuel. |
| 1991 |
Soil Vapor Analysis reaches widespread attention and is used to locate unexpected subsurface source volumes of coal-tars as well as subsurface pathways of present or former migration.\ |
| 1992 |
HQEPA and Edison Electric Institute in confidential negotiations over methods of incineration of coal-tar residues; main emphasis on emissions control. USEPA Region VII begins work on Presumptive Remedies for FMGP cleanup; Effort finally dies at HQUSEPA in 1997. |
| 1993 |
Emergence of push-technology for site screening and location of PAH hot spots. Voluntary Cleanup concept originates in California and immediately followed by Minnesota, Illinois and other States; Offers freedom from following the provisions of the Federal CERCLA (SUPERFUND) Act. |
| 1994 |
Emergence of "intrinsic remediation" (AKA "Wait and See"), with "treatment" equated to no effective external action with groundwater monitoring for six years and then reevaluation of further need for remediation. Concept is flawed when applied to FMGPs due to nature of the dominant SVOC nature of tar residuals. ASTM Emergency Standard ES 38; Emergency Standard for Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) Applied at petroleum underground storage tank (UST) release sites for petroleum hydrocarbons (in actuality quite different from PAH residues of manufactured gas operations). Gas industry workshops conducted on minimization of FMGP cleanup efforts, through Removal Site Evaluations (sanctioned by USEPA) which set out to attend to a possibility of defining actual site remedial efforts and which routinely result in RP declarations of "NIFRAP" (No Further Remedial Action Planned). HQ EPA introduces Presumptive Remedy program for proof of application at Wood Treatment sites; First applied to bioventing for petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. |
| 1995 |
"Brownfields" (RCRA Subtitle S) program borrowed from the States and implemented by HQ USEPA to stimulate non-governmental-sponsored cleanup of industrial sites and to levy States with responsibility to pay beyond seed-funding of $200,000 per "competitively- selected urban clean-up sites. |
| 1996 |
USEPA loses its corporate will and resolve in dealing with former manufactured gas plants; Abandons the concept of nominating FMGPs and other coal-tar sites to the National Priority List; sheds the remediation responsibility to the States. Hundreds of FMGPs wait inactive and unattended on the CERCLIS. American Gas Association donates its world-class library to Linda Hall Library of Technology & Science, Kansas City, MO; Much of the technology content of the Joint Engineeering Societies Library, NYC, is salvaged by Linda Hall Library. |
| 1997 |
USEPA abandons its five-year effort in formulating Presumptive Remedies for Former Manufactured Gas Plants before the document is distributed, as the logical follow-up for approval of proven Technologies for remedial application. Financial and landuse subculture forms to promote or assist in profitable redevelopment of prime urban land occupied by coal-tar sites. |
| 1998 |
Striking increase in number of FMGP sites elevated to remedial action by U.S. State regulatory agencies. First major FMGP site is rapidly and politically pushed to redevelopment without attention to needs of site remediation; Citizens Gas Company (1863) of San Francisco is rolled into Pacific Bell Stadium with virtually no remediation or regulatory participation. 30 separate U.S. FMGPs are in litigation involving many separate defendants. |
| 1999 |
Rising recognition of the profound differences between VOC DNAPL industrial solvents and the dominantly SVOC nature of coal-tar residuals. |
| 2000 |
Number of FMGP sites involved in litigation is predicted to rise with filing of an additional 30 to 100 by year 2000. |
| 2001 |
|
e