An Information Service for Alberta’s Environment Industry The Week Ending October 23rd, 2015

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Inside this Issue:

ESAA Regulatory Forums Return Announced

Google Earth Enhances Noise Map of Edmonton Area’s Industrial Heartland

Firm Hired for Six-Month Assessment of West Village Contamination

Alberta’s New Abandoned-Well Program Makes Compliance Impossible for Some

New ESAA Members and much more ….

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IN FLANDERS FIELDS In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved,

and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae, 1915

WATERTECH 2016 - CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

April 6-8, 2016 Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff

WaterTech returns to the Fairmont Banff Spring and features a closing keynote by Rick Mercer.

The 9th Annual WaterTech Symposium will be held April 6-8, 2016 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Call for Abstracts: Information on the Call for Abstracts is available via the WaterTech website: www.esaa.org/watertech/agenda/call-for-abstracts/ Deadline to submit abstracts in December 31, 2015. Keynote Speakers: WaterTech 2016 will feature the following keynote speakers:

Opening Keynote: Dr. Zafar Adeel, Director, United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health

Thursday Lunch Keynote: Mac Stone, Everglades Photographer

Friday Lunch Keynote: Rick Mercer, Host of The Mercer Report on CBC

Sponsorship and Exhibitor Information: Sponsorship and exhibitor information will be released by December 15th, 2015. Registration Information: Early bird registration is now open with special delegate rates available for Members and Non-Members until January 15th, 2016. Registration details available at: www.esaa.org/watertech/

ESAA REGULATORY FORUMS RETURN

February 11th, 2016 - Marriott at River Cree Resort – Edmonton March 16, 2016 – Safari Lodge Calgary Zoo

The following organizations have been invited to provide updates at the ESAA Regulatory Forum:

Alberta Energy Regulator and Alberta Environment and Parks - Remediation and Reclamation Updates

Alberta Environment and Parks and Alberta Transportation - Alberta Wetlands Policy Updates

Alberta Environment and Parks - General updates, priorities, climate change policy, groundwater directive

Alberta Environment and Parks - Waste Control Regulations, Waste Users Guides, other updates

Alberta Energy Regulator - Updates and Priorities

Environmental Appeals Board and Public Lands Appeal Board - Updates

Alberta Environmental Monitoring Agency - Updates and Priorities Draft agenda with full details will be available in mid-November. Registration information for both events is now available online at: http://www.esaa.org/events/#cid=153&wid=401

ALBERTA WOOD BUFFALO BUSINESS GROUPS WANT NEW APPROACH TO OILSANDS DEVELOPMENT (Source: Edmonton Journal) Three Fort McMurray business groups called Monday on the Alberta government to develop an orderly, co-ordinated and responsible approach to dealing with socio-economic issues affecting the oilsands and the Wood Buffalo region.

Fort McMurray’s chamber of commerce, its real estate board and Urban Development Institute – Wood Buffalo released a report titled Protecting the Investment in Our Future. It’s designed as a blueprint for cross-government collaboration to ease socio-economic impacts of oilsands development.

“We commissioned this report because it was evident beginning in 2011 that the provincial government had become disengaged from playing a leadership role in the management of socio-economic issues in Fort McMurray,” Urban Development Institute – Wood Buffalo board member Ben Dutton told a news conference.

The report contains 69 recommendations, including a plea that the Oilsands Sustainable Development Secretariat be restored “to full strength or create a new agency with a similar mandate and sufficient authority to co-ordinate the efforts of the provincial government in Alberta’s oilsands.”

The report says that for responsible development to continue, the cost of oilsands production must be globally competitive, the oilsands workforce must be stable, and urban growth and community development in Wood Buffalo must be “responsive and responsible” so that it contributes to quality of life.

The report says no government agency currently has the authority or capacity to co-ordinate provincial government activity in the region. Departments often work at cross-purposes, it says.

Transportation infrastructure is lacking, Crown land for residential and commercial development is unreasonably priced, housing is among the most expensive in Canada and the federal government has failed to recognize a shadow population of more than 40,000 temporary residents in work camps, the report says.

It says roughly $4 billion in potential revenue is lost each year from income taxes paid in other provinces and oilsands company costs associated with work camp accommodations expensed against income.

The report follows up on Investing in Our Future, a 2006 report commissioned by then-Premier Ed Stelmach’s government that provided a short-term plan for handling northern Alberta’s growth pressures.

That report led to $3 billion in special-purpose funding commitments and the creation of the Oilsands Sustainable Development Secretariat to address environmental, social and economic impacts of resource extraction.

The secretariat produced a 20-year strategic plan, but the document hasn’t been updated since 2011, the business groups said Monday. Progress made between 2006 and 2011 “has stalled,” the new report says.

The report’s author, Michael Evan, s said Wood Buffalo’s challenges can be tackled “if the parties are talking,” but “these conversations are not happening.”

Under Stelmach, there was a recognition that someone had to take a big-picture view and co-ordinate efforts on the ground, Evans said. “That vision has just dissipated over the past five years to the point where nobody is co-ordinating anything anymore.

“What we need in Fort McMurray is that same thing that we’ve got everywhere else in Alberta, where a municipality can plan on a 30-year horizon for growth, and Fort McMurray has never been able to do that. At best they’ve been able to plan on a three-year horizon.”

Brad Hartle, press secretary to Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, said Monday “the Wood Buffalo region is an important economic centre and driver of Alberta’s economy. Our government will thoughtfully consider the report’s recommendations toward ensuring we are doing everything we can to support local governments and responsible growth in the region.”

GREYS PAPER RECYCLING NOW SEEKING CREDITOR PROTECTION

Greys Paper Recycling, which has a plant at Edmonton’s waste management centre, filed for protection with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy in early October.

(Source: Metro News) An Edmonton recycling firm that has received millions from the city is now in creditor protection, in part because of a dispute with the city.

Greys Paper Recycling, which has a plant at Edmonton’s waste management centre, filed for protection with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy in early October.

Darren Bieganek, the company’s lawyer, said Greys’ dispute with the city is one of many factors leading his client to ask for protection from those it owes money.

“Companies seek creditor protection for a variety of reasons, but the primary purpose is to restructure their affairs so that eventually they come out of protection,” he said.

Bieganek said Greys plans to continue operating despite the filing.

Since 2010, the city has invested $9.4-million into Greys, money the company used to help construct its building and purchase some equipment.

The company's aim was to make office paper made from 100 per cent post-consumer waste, something that isn't currently on the market.

The company was prepared to pay its rent to the city, but wanted to use money from new investors, while the city was insistent the funds come from sales.

The company was retooling the plant to produce higher quality paper and had little sales revenue at the time.

Bieganek said the company’s future is dependent on the city discussing a way forward.

“Any type of ongoing plan, which sees the business continuing as a viable enterprise, is going to have to involve negotiations with the city,” he said.

The city declined to comment on the filing.

Chad Wagner, an investor in the company, said he doesn’t understand Edmonton’s position with Greys.

Meanwhile, he said, the company’s plans to market its technology in China have been side-tracked.

“That would have been probably their biggest potential. They city and them were going together to convince all of the cities in China to do the same thing.”

GOOGLE EARTH ENHANCES NOISE MAP OF EDMONTON AREA'S INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND

Screen capture from Google Earth program showing typical noise outputs from industrial facilities in Alberta's Industrial Heartland. Supplied: NCIA

(Source: Edmonton Journal) Curious about typical noise levels in the Industrial Heartland area northeast of Edmonton? Now you can learn more with an online tool based in Google Earth.

Noise model outputs went online in mid-October showing typical calm-wind noise outputs of industrial facilities clustered within the region.

Anyone with the Google Earth program on their computer can look at the big noise picture or zoom in to learn the decibel outputs of individual plants. The display can be modified to include noise footprints from regional highways and rail lines.

The Google Earth feature is part of a regional noise management plan developed by the Northeast Capital Industrial Association, which includes 25 companies operating in the area. In use since 2013, the plan is the first large-scale noise management effort anywhere, said Laurie Danielson, the association’s executive director.

Danielson describes the plan, developed at a cost to date of about $300,000, as a best-management-practices approach. Association members are required to manage and minimize noise levels. There is an expectation that results will show continuous improvement over time.

While industrial noise can have impacts, the current background level of noise in the Heartland area is “acceptable,” Danielson said — similar to background noise in a city at night.

Normal industrial operations haven’t prompted any noise complaints in years, he said. “There are always periodic complaints when companies are building plants because that’s pretty noisy — particularly when you’re pounding piles, you’re bound to disturb some people. But that’s not part of the regional noise management plan. That’s not normal operation.”

Two versions of the noise model are online. One is restricted to association members and contains detailed information that can satisfy regulatory requirements. Its information is available to non-members for a fee.

The other version is free to the public. To find it, go to www.ncia.ab.ca and look under the Our Environment tab. (If you don’t have Google Earth, you’ll need to download the free program.)

“The plan was developed for industry and the regulator, but we’re making some aspects of it available to the public so that — for full transparency — they can see what’s going on, and spark conversations with their nearest neighbours if they feel the need,” Danielson said.

“The calm-wind piece is interesting for those folks who live in the region who want to get an idea of how these types of regional effects are managed. I think it gives you another piece of information that you can use to have conversations with your industry neighbours.”

The noise model shows typical noise levels for each facility, but assumes that all equipment is running all the time at full capacity. This modelling predicts slightly more noise than would normally be experienced, “but it’s better to have a slight overprediction than to be way out to lunch on the other end,” Danielson said.

Traffic noise levels are based on 2013 roadway traffic flow data provided by Alberta Transportation. Noise from rail transportation is based on estimates of main-line rail traffic volume over a 24-hour period in 2010. Danielson said the association is exploring ways to get better data for rail noise.

FIRM HIRED FOR SIX-MONTH ASSESSMENT OF WEST VILLAGE CONTAMINATION (Source: Calgary Herlad) WorleyParsons has been hired to conduct a six-month environmental study to assess the scale of contamination in the West Village, said the city’s land development subsidiary.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation said Thursday the firm will oversee a three-step assessment of the 56-hectare site on the western edge of downtown, where the Flames organization has proposed building a massive sports complex.

Starting Nov. 10, WorleyParsons will begin drilling and collecting soil samples at several locations on the site, which is currently occupied by several car dealerships, a Greyhound terminal and Pumphouse Theatre.

The company will also review reams of historical documents and earlier environmental reports, the CMLC said in a statement.

“We are initiating a three step environmental assessment … to understand the degree of contamination and the impact of contamination on the site’s redevelopment potential,” Michael Brown, president and CEO of the CMLC, said in a statement.

“Historical documentation and environmental reports produced for the City of Calgary point to varying degrees of contamination in the area – the result of previous heavy industrial use,” Brown said.

A predecessor of Domtar Corporation owned and operated a wood preserving plant on a 15-hectare parcel of land between 14th Street and Crowchild Trail before it closed in 1962.

However, the operator left behind an estimated two million litres of creosote, a toxic wood preservative, which could cost tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up.

In August, the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation pitched an ambitious plan to build an $890-million sports complex on the site.

The facility, dubbed CalgaryNEXT, would include a new hockey arena for the Calgary Flames and a combined CFL football stadium and multi-sport field house.

While the group has proposed using both public and private dollars to build the facility, it’s still unclear who is responsible for cleaning up the site.

Both Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Environment Minister Shannon Phillips have said the polluter should foot the bill for the remediation.

The CMLC, a subsidiary of the city overseeing the redevelopment of the Rivers District (which includes the East Village), has been tasked with analyzing the environmental contamination in the West Village.

The land corporation earlier hired a law firm, Dentons Canada, to complete a regulatory and liability analysis related to the polluter’s role in remediating or mitigating the site.

“It is still too early to assume how development can responsibly occur in West Village but we are committed to working with the city to answer the right questions,” added Brown.

A full report will be shared with the city in April 2016.

OILSANDS TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYS ELECTRICITY TO ZAP TAILINGS POND REMEDIATION (Source: Calgary Herald) A new technology that passes electric current through sediment-darkened water in an oilsands tailings pond to encourage fine clay particles to settle out will be installed at a northern Alberta mining operation next spring for a year of extensive testing, a Calgary conference heard Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at Suncor Energy Inc.’s Dover lease, a new oilsands production technology moved to the next test phase employs radio frequency energy and solvent injection to eliminate most of the need for water and about 30 per cent of the surface equipment compared with a typical steam-assisted gravity drainage project.

Environmental and financial sustainability were front and centre Tuesday at the annual Technology Talks conference in downtown Calgary, sponsored by Alberta Innovates — Energy and Environment Solutions.

Bruce Beattie, San Diego-based director of research and development for ElectroKinetic Solutions Inc. and co-inventor of its tailings remediation technology, said the company came up with the concept about five years ago, proved it would work in a California lab, then turned to cutting costs and finding a partner to test it.

It is partnering now with oilsands miner Shell Canada Ltd. and AI-EES on a $1-million pilot project to remediate tailings in a 130,000-litre tank in Edmonton.

“We’re working now on a full-scale field deployment with a COSIA member that we hope to supply with a hybrid array up in Fort McMurray by July, August next year to run for a full year, including underneath the ice cap (of a tailings pond),” he said.

“It’s been very exciting, the work continues, the price point is correct, we’re very cost competitive, we’re getting water extracted that’s good for bitumen reuse, and we’re getting great solids formation around the electrode arrays.”

He said he wouldn’t identify the member of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance.

Oilsands miners haven’t been able to efficiently retire tailings ponds because fine particles of clay, sand, bitumen and chemicals remain suspended instead of settling. Beattie said the EKS technology will also clear the water of hazardous materials that have killed waterfowl that land on the ponds.

Mark Bohm, manager of in situ technology development at Suncor, reported that its $44-million project with partners to test enhanced solvent extraction incorporating electromagnetic heating (or ESEIEH) is progressing well since a 100-metre well-pair was brought on stream last June.

“It’s not just one technology but multiple technologies we’re bringing together, a brand new approach to extracting bitumen,” he said at the conference. “It combines a solid extraction process with radio frequency heating into a full system that you can deploy for in situ reservoirs.”

He said the plan is to continue testing the technology (for which patents were filed in 2007) for 18 months to two years, then proceed to a commercial demonstration project with five to 10 well pairs.

Eric Newell, chairman of the AI-EES board, said he expects oilsands innovation to accelerate because of the New Democrat government’s decision to increase its carbon levy on big emitters in Alberta. But he said environmental solutions could be found even sooner if Alberta would establish a price for carbon, noting that the idea is gaining support among big industry players.

“I think we can go faster — we need to go faster,” said Newell.

ALBERTA’S NEW ABANDONED-WELL PROGRAM MAKES COMPLIANCE IMPOSSIBLE FOR SOME (Source: Alberta Oil Magazine) The Alberta Energy Regulator has updated its LLR rules preventing wells from being abandoned. But the new law could inadvertently kill the companies that own them

The vertical oil well located near Red Earth Creek in northern Alberta, identified by the number 2-27, is by most accounts a good asset. The Crimson Oil & Gas-owned well typically produces about 20 barrels of oil equivalent per day, and has been valued at $650,000 by third-party engineers. But in March its production plummeted to zero when the sucker rods connecting its downhole pump to the pump jack snapped in two.

And because the well is surrounded by marshland, the company couldn’t justify sending in a service rig until winter (Crimson says it’s about a $20,000 fix, but accessing the site during summer months would have cost more than

seven times that amount). Considering all the costly problems that can occur on an oil well, a $20,000 fix may seem like a good problem to have. Instead, the well poses a major threat to the company’s balance sheet. That’s because under the Alberta Energy Regulator’s Licensee Liability Rating (LLR) program, well 2-27 is fast becoming a liability.

“If you were transferring that license to a better licensee, why would the AER not accept that transfer?” – Jim O’Byrne, Chairman of Crimson Oil & Gas

The LLR program measures the value of a well largely based upon its monthly production over a year-long period, which has small producers like Crimson racing against the clock to keep up production – or run the risk of slipping into a negative asset-to-liability ratio with the regulator. “The recoverable oil in that well hasn’t gone down,” says Michael O’Byrne, the president of Crimson. “However, the way the AER looks at it, the value of that well is spiraling down on a month-by-month basis. There’s no opportunity for us to say to the AER: ‘This well is still worth, say, half a million dollars – it’s a good producer.’ ”

The company hopes to have the well repaired by November, weather permitting. Well 2-27 is only one of many assets owned by Crimson, which produces about 500 boe/d, but it’s emblematic of the risk non-producing assets can pose to juniors under the LLR program, particularly amid low commodity prices and in a tight capital market. If the company slips below the 1.0 ratio set by the AER, it will have to post a monthly security to the regulator – and if it has to post a monthly security, much of the capital Crimson needs to bring its ratio above 1.0 will be tied up in the LLR, and can’t be deployed elsewhere. “They tie up all your capital while you’re waiting for the market to recover,” says Jim O’Byrne, the chairman of Crimson. “So it’s very counterproductive in our minds.” For Alberta’s regulators, the LLR program is deemed a necessary measure in cleaning up the province’s growing itinerary of orphan wells. For juniors, however, it now represents one of their biggest operational risks.

The LLR program was introduced in 2000 by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board in order to encourage companies to properly abandon and reclaim wells, facilities and pipelines after their operational life ends. Regulators at the time saw improper abandonment of wells as a serious environmental and financial liability, and the LLR program was meant to act as a deterrent for non-compliant operators. More than a decade later it was difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the program: By the end of 2012 there were 65,050 suspended wells in Alberta that had not yet been properly abandoned, according to the Energy Resources Conservation Board. As a result, in 2013 the deposit companies paid into the LLR fund was increased substantially. At the time the fund totaled $13 million, with 88 companies paying into it, but the changes ultimately increased that to $297 million from 248 companies, all within a two-month period. As of August 2015, the fund had a balance of $183 million.

Yet critics say the program still isn’t achieving what it set out to do. “The concept is right, [but] the practicality doesn’t work for what they’re trying to do,” says Rick Nixon, the CEO of Midlake Oil & Gas. “What it’s become is a solvency test instead of a process to abandon and reclaim wells.” It’s also a solvency test that overwhelmingly targets juniors. Of the 351 licensees that were below the industry threshold, almost all of them were small producers. The risk of being deemed insolvent according to LLR assessments has reduced junior producers’ ability to access capital in an already-constrained market. Bruce Edgelow, the vice-president of strategic initiatives at ATB Financial, says companies that fall below the 1.0 ratio feel added pressure in terms of repaying various debts. “We’re not per se declining loans [based on LLR ratios] but what we’re looking at is the net obligation of these companies,” he says. “The unfortunate part is the juniors tend to have more of these conversations now, because by virtue of their size they’re getting crunched more than anyone else.”

Some juniors are also frustrated at the difficulty they’ve had transferring well licenses after a company becomes insolvent. Crimson has yet to successfully transfer most of the 39 wells it purchased from Tallgrass Energy, a company that filed for receivership in 2013 (largely due, the company said at the time, to the increased LLR deposits demanded by the AER). Tallgrass completed its receivership in March of 2014, leaving behind 76 wells and 11 facilities in Alberta’s Bigoray area totaling an estimated $9 million in liabilities.

Those wells and other infrastructure, taken as a whole, included too steep a liability charge under the LLR to justify a purchase, so Crimson instead selected 39 of the Tallgrass wells that it considered salvageable. On August 19, 2014, it was granted the rights to the assets by a provincial court. Crimson expected to be charged about $390,000 by the AER to transfer the assets, based on its $10,000-per well transfer fee. But the regulator then included a non-refundable $2.8-million charge to the company – presumably to cover reclamation costs for the assets, though the AER never told Crimson how, precisely, that figure was determined.

In a letter sent to the Orphan Well Association (OWA) and AER on November 24, 2014, Crimson argued that the $2.8-million charge would unfairly drag the company into the “residual issues created by the Tallgrass insolvency,”

adding that it had “no appetite to plunge headlong into becoming Tallgrass II.” At the time Alberta Oil went to press, it was still resolving the matter with the AER but had successfully transferred two wells and one facility from the regulator for a total refundable charge of $387,000.

For Crimson’s Jim O’Byrne, the apparent misunderstanding between his company and the AER speaks to a short-sightedness in the program that favors abandoning wells through the OWA rather than transferring them to competent operators – a practice that, he argues, would more effectively work toward reclaiming Alberta’s orphan wells. “If you were transferring that license to a better licensee, why would the AER not accept that transfer?”

The AER wouldn’t comment directly on the matter but says it operates under the mandate to protect industry, and ultimately government, from assuming abandonment and reclamation costs. “In the instance of transfers we have some specific guidelines, again largely based upon protecting the public,” says Brenda Cherry, vice-president of closure and liability at the AER. In 2014 the regulator began offering the LLR Program Management Plan, which offered more lenient payment timelines to small producers that meet specific criteria. But juniors like Crimson still see the program mostly as a non-negotiable assessment of what counts as an asset and what counts as a liability – one that is forcing them to keep up production at all costs. “We’re not the only ones who are on shaky ground,” says Michael O’Byrne. “We don’t know where we’re going to be with the AER six months from now.”

Remediation Technology News and Resources

(The following are selected items from the US EPA's Tech Direct - http://clu-in.org/techdirect/)

Upcoming Live Internet Seminars

SERDP ESTCP Munitions Response: Land Based Program Closeout - November 12, 2015 12:00PM - 1:30PM EST (17:00-18:30 GMT). Mr. David Wright (CH2M HILL), Mr. John Jackson (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento), and Mr. Doug Maddox (Environmental Protection Agency) will present on Land-Based Program Closeouts at Munitions sites. For more information and to register, see https://serdp-estcp.org/Tools-and-Training/Webinar-Series .

Implementing Greener Cleanups through ASTM's Standard Guide (E2893-13) - November 17, 2015, 12:00PM-2:00PM EST (17:00-19:00 GMT). The U.S. EPA and other organizations encourage use of the ASTM International Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups (E2893-13), which offers a step-wise approach for reducing the environmental footprint of site cleanup activities. This two-hour webinar sponsored by the U.S. EPA will provide participants with an overview of the Standard, show how the Standard can inform project decisions, and describe experiences in using the Standard at sites across the U.S. under state or federal cleanup programs. For more information and to register, see https://clu-in.org/live.

RE-Powering's Screening Tools - November 18, 2015 1:30PM-3:00PM EST (18:30-20:00 GMT). EPA's RE-Powering America's Land Initiative encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites. The Initiative has recently upgraded its Google Earth Mapper and released its electronic decision tree tool to allow stakeholders the ability to identify and explore sites for solar or wind potential. The Mapper uses Google Earth and displays and screens over 80,000 EPA- and state-tracked sites, comprising over 43 million acres. The Mapper provides search options by renewable energy at various scales, contaminated land type or specific site names. In addition, many sites are linked to site-specific reports maintained by the EPA region and program managing the site. The electronic decision tree is a downloadable computer application that: explores potentially contaminated sites (e.g., brownfields, RCRA permitted, Superfund sites), landfills, and underutilized sites and rooftops; walks users through a series of Yes / No / Skip questions supplemented by tips and links to relevant tools and information resources; screens for site characteristics, redevelopment considerations, criteria specific to landfills and contaminated sites, energy load, policies and financial considerations; and generates reports of the screening results and user annotations. The webinar will provide a brief overview of the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative, provide a quick review and update on its Mapper tool and focus on describing and demonstrating the Electronic Decision Tree tool. For more information and to register, see https://clu-in.org/live.

Screening, Testing, and Application of Residuals and Byproducts for Remediation - December 2, 2015, 1:00PM-3:00PM EST (18:00-20:00 GMT). This webinar will discuss the use of coal combustion products for soil remediation at mining sites, as well as discuss recent research on screening and testing residuals, such as waste lime, gypsum, and paper mill sludge, for application on contaminated lands. Presentations will include case study data and findings that are supported by publications available from the presenter and collaborators' website www.landrehab.org. A previous, related CLU-IN mining webinar on Using Biosolids and Coal Combustion Products for Soil Remediation at Mining Sites was presented on July 24, 2014 and is archived at https://clu-in.org/live/archive. For more information and to register, see https://clu-in.org/live.

Issues and Options in Human Health Risk Assessment - A Resource When Alternatives to Default Parameters and Scenarios are Proposed - December 3, 2015, 1:00PM-3:15PM EST (18:00-20:15 GMT). After participating in this ITRC training course, the learner will be able to apply ITRC's Decision Making at Contaminated Sites: Issues and Options in Human Health Risk (RISK-3, 2015) document when developing or reviewing site-specific risk assessments by: identifying common issues encountered when alternatives to default parameters and scenarios are proposed during the planning, data evaluation, toxicity, exposure assessment, and risk characterization and providing possible options for addressing these issues; recognizing the value of proper planning and the role of stakeholders in the development and review of risk assessments; and providing information (that includes links to additional resources and tools) to support decision making when alternatives to default approaches, scenarios and parameters are proposed. For more information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/live.

Petroleum Vapor Intrusion: Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management - December 4, 2015, 1:00PM-3:15PM EST (18:00-20:15 GMT). Chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater can volatilize into soil gas and migrate through unsaturated soils of the vadose zone. Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when these vapors migrate upward into overlying buildings through cracks and gaps in the building floors, foundations, and utility conduits, and contaminate indoor air. If present at sufficiently high concentrations, these vapors may present a threat to the health and safety of building occupants. Petroleum vapor intrusion (PVI) is a subset of VI and is the process by which volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) released as vapors from light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPL), petroleum-contaminated soils, or petroleum-contaminated groundwater migrate through the vadose zone and into overlying buildings. The ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance Web-Based Document, Petroleum Vapor Intrusion: Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management (PVI-1, 2014) and this associated Internet-based training provides regulators and practitioners with consensus information based on empirical data and recent research to support PVI decision making under different regulatory frameworks. The PVI assessment strategy described in this guidance document enables confident decision making that protects human health for various types of petroleum sites and multiple PHC compounds. This guidance provides a comprehensive methodology for screening, investigating, and managing potential PVI sites and is intended to promote the efficient use of resources and increase confidence in decision making when evaluating the potential for vapor intrusion at petroleum-contaminated sites. By using the ITRC guidance document, the vapor intrusion pathway can be eliminated from further investigation at many sites where soil or groundwater is contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons or where LNAPL is present. For more information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/live.

New Documents and Web Resources

NAVFAC Technical Memorandum on Vapor Intrusion Passive Sampling. This technical memorandum describes the basics of passive sampler theory and design, available types of passive samplers, advantages and limitations of passive samplers, and important considerations when implementing a passive sampling program. Results from two vapor intrusion case studies at DoD sites are highlighted (July 2015, 20 pages). Download at https://clu-in.org/download/issues/vi/VI-passive-sampling-EXWC-EV-1503.pdf. Technology Innovation News Survey Corner. The Technology Innovation News Survey contains market/commercialization information; reports on demonstrations, feasibility studies and research; and other news relevant to the hazardous waste community interested in technology development. Recent issues, complete archives, and subscription information is available at http://clu-in.org/products/tins/ . The following resources were included in recent issues:

Quantifying Seepage Flux Using Sediment Temperatures

Biotransformation of Dimethylarsinic Acid: Engineering Issue

The Biogeochemistry and Bioremediation of Uranium and Other Priority Radionuclides

Methods for Characterizing the Fate and Effects of NanoZerovalent Iron During Groundwater Remediation

Detection and Characterization of Engineered Nanomaterials in the Environment: Current State-of-the-Art and Future Directions -- Report, Annotated Bibliography, and Image Library

Ground Water Technical Considerations During the Five-Year Review Process

Cost-Effective, Ultra-Sensitive Groundwater Monitoring for Site Remediation and Management: Standard Operating Procedures with QA/QC

Soil and Groundwater Remediation Technologies for Former Gasworks and Gasholder Sites

Risk-Based Management of Mercury-Impacted Sites

U.S. EPA Proceedings of National Conference on Mining-Influenced Waters: Approaches for Characterization, Source Control and Treatment

Draft Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls

EUGRIS Corner. New Documents on EUGRIS, the platform for European contaminated soil and water information. More than 17 resources, events, projects and news items were added to EUGRIS in October 2015. These can be viewed at http://www.eugris.info/whatsnew.asp . Then select the appropriate month and year for the updates in which you are interested. The following resource was posted on EUGRIS: In situ thermal treatment (ISTT) for source zone remediation of soil and groundwater. Published in 2013 by the Centre of Competence for Soil, Groundwater and Site Revitalisation in Germany, this text covers In situ thermal treatment (ISTT) Guidelines. The specific planning and implementation steps in the different project phases are illustrated for users, principals and authorities in an easy-to-understand, practice-based manner. The guidelines are also intended to assist in estimating and evaluating the site-specific remediation success of ISTT right from an early stage of planning. Furthermore, possibilities to compensate for investigatory and forecast insecurities by adjusting the overall design are demonstrated, and advice is given for the monitoring of the remediation operations and the evaluation of the remediation success. View or download at http://www.reconsite.com/fileadmin/dateien/Publikationen/ISTT_Guidelines_FINAL_PRINT.pdf .

New ESAA Members

ESAA’s Board of Directors and staff would like to welcome the following new members:

Full Members:

RWDI

#1000, 736-8th Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2P 1H4 Phone: (403) 232-6771 Web: www.rwdi.com

Francoise Robe, Project Director e-mail: francoise.robe@rwdi.com

Profile:

With a network of offices across Canada and around the world, RWDI provides environmental consulting to energy, oil & gas, mining, industrial, government, and institutional clients. A staff of unique experts, along with a suite of modelling and measurement tools help solve even the most complex issues. We work closely with our clients to focus on value-added solutions for the many different environmental challenges that they face.

Air Quality Assessments

Noise & Vibration

Emission Inventories

GHG Estimates and Verifications

Monitoring

Stack Testing

Odour Assessments

Dust Assessments

Regulatory Permitting

Ventilation and Control Systems

Weather Forecasting

Real-Time Modelling

Climate and Meteorology

Baseline Studies

Renewable Energy

Waste Management

Custom Software Solutions

Hazard and Risk

Snow & Ice Assessments

Training courses

Full Member:

SCG Industries Limited 250 King William Road

Saint John, NB E2M 2Y5 Phone: (506) 674-1081

Web: www.scgindustries.com

Russell Kerr, Marketing & Inside Sales e-mail: rkerr@scgindustries.com

Profile: SCG Industries is a knowledge based Environmental Remediation services provider. Our continual focus on innovation enables us to provide exceptional services in response to our global clientele's toughest environmental challenges.

Upcoming Events

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 25TH ANNUAL EMERALD AWARDS OPEN NOVEMBER 2! Albertans are passionate about balancing the development of our province's rich resources with environmental stewardship. For the past 25 years, the Emerald Awards have recognized and celebrated the innovation and dedication of large and small businesses, individuals, not-for-profit associations, community groups, youth and governments.

Elevate Alberta's environmental leadership by nominating yourself or someone you know for an Emerald Award today. This year's categories are:

Business (Large and Small)

Community Group & Not-for-Profit Association

Education (School or Classroom & Post Secondary)

Government Institution

Individual Commitment

Youth

Shared Footprints

Innovation

Nominations open November 2, 2015 and close February 19, 2016. Visit www.emeraldfoundation.ca for more information!

The second COSIA Water Conference, now including Alberta Innovates – Energy Environment Solutions (AI-EES) as a conference partner, builds on the inaugural 2014 conference and five previous CONRAD Water Usage Workshops over the past decade which established a reputation for best-in-class discussions on water management in the oil sands industry in Alberta.

This important biennial event enables industry, researchers, governments, and the service, supply and technology sectors to advance technology research, development and deployment aimed at environmental performance improvement for water management in the oil sands.

The 2016 two-day conference will take place on March 22 to 23 in Calgary, AB.

http://www.cosia.ca/events/water-conference

SWANA's Northern Lights Chapter is hosting our annual conference May 11-13, 2016, at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, Alberta.

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS Solid waste managers, operators, community leaders, students, researchers, educators, government officials, consultants and others with an interest in solid waste are invited to submit presentations for the Conference. The theme of the conference is "Signs of the Times." Possible topics for papers include:

Safety

Social Marketing/Communications

Waste Management and Diversion in the Industrial/Commercial/Institutional (ICI) Sector

Organics

Bylaws

Waste Management and Diversion in the Residential Sector

Collection and Transportation

Waste Reduction Initiatives

Fire Prevention - Landfills and compost facilities

Construction and Demolition

Oilfield Waste Management Programs and Solutions

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts: December 2, 2015

Submission of Abstracts:

Maximum abstract length is 250 words.

Please include the title of the presentation and the names of the author(s) and presenter(s) with a brief presenter bio and full contact information.

Authors may submit more than one abstract, however the intent is to limit presenters to one topic.

Abstracts should be submitted by email to: Sheri Praski, Executive Director, Solid Waste Association of North America - Northern Lights Chapter Sheri Praski

A discounted conference registration fee will be available for presenters of accepted papers. Student presentations will be included in the conference and a student registration rate will be available. Conference presentations will be included in the proceedings (posted on the SWANA web page). For more information on the conference, visit swananorthernlights.org

UPCOMING TIER 2 TRAINING COURSES Interactive, hands-on training workshops on the use of the Alberta Tier 2 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines will be held on the following dates:

December 1-2, 2015 - Calgary

February 2-3, 2016 - Edmonton

March 1-2, 2015 - Calgary

To register, please go to http://www.mems.ca/httpwww-mems-cawp-contentuploadstier-2-training-workshops-general-2016-form-pdf/

The workshops will be taught by Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd. Enrolment is limited due to the hands-on nature of the workshops.

Should you be interested but unable to attend on those dates, the link also includes contact information to indicate your interest in future sessions.

ALBERTA ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES SEMINAR MISSION TO CHINA AND KOREA January 18, 2016( Monday) – Seoul, Korea January 20, 2016 (Wednesday) – Beijing, China January 22, 2016 (Friday) - Fuzhou, China Registration due date: November 18, 2015

The Government of Alberta invites companies in the environmental and clean technologies sectors who have solid technologies, projects and international business plans to participate in this outbound mission to explore and expand your business connections to China and Korea. The seminar will help connect your company with prospective Chinese and Korean business partners and potential investors. CHINA China’s National Development and Reform Commission issued its first blueprint for climate change in December 2013, outlining list of objectives to achieve by 2020. Factories, including state-owned enterprises, are required to publicly report real-time figures on their water discharges and air emissions. The Chinese government pledged $357 billion (Canadian dollars) over five years to clean up the air, reinforced by the amended environmental protection law to allow stricter punishments against companies or individuals polluting the environment. This has increased the market demands in environmental and clean technologies sectors. KOREA Korea’s Ministry of Environment has identified 22,868 sites subject to soil contamination control. Of these, 15,112 gas station sites require remediation. In addition, the Korean government has invested $1.8 billion (Canadian dollars) to restore 1,034km of polluted or ecologically damaged rivers. Made-in-Alberta solutions can address some of these issues. WHO TO JOIN Alberta companies with technologies in air, soil, water or solid waste management and remediation are most welcome to participate in the mission. Areas listed below but not limited to:

Pollution control technologies related to air quality, industrial and municipal waste water, and soil remediation and reclamation.

Environmental monitoring and analysis.

Clean energy production, green buildings, comprehensive resource utilizations and ecology restoration and protection.

Environmental management, environmental services, products and technologies. For enquiries, please contact: Constance Leung (China Portion) Senior Trade and Investment Officer, Northeast Asia Tel: 403-297-5782 Constance.leung@gov.ab.ca Darcy Kirtzinger (Korea Portion) Senior Trade and Investment Officer, Northeast Asia Tel: 780-415-8819 darcy.kirtzinger@gov.ab.ca

Industry Positions Openings

For more information visit ESAA’s Job Board under the news section of HTUwww.esaa.org UTH

Trace Associates Inc. (Trace) is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm advising the energy, mining, industrial, real estate, and development market sectors. We provide services in environmental site assessment (ESA), remediation, reclamation, spill response, liability assessment, environmental auditing, GIS, regulatory advisory, and facility decommissioning. Our Vision is to be the most respected specialized environmental consulting firm in Western Canada. Our Mission is to be safe and be the best, and our Core Values are safety, excellence, and balance.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Due to continued growth, we are seeking a

Senior Professional Forester based out of our

Calgary and Edmonton offices.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY ▪ Develop and execute revegetation and reclamation

plans on a variety of project types. ▪ Lead field work relating to forestry and reclamation

projects in the energy, industrial, and mining sectors. ▪ Liaise and foster relationships. ▪ Manage all aspects of projects including daily and

ongoing project management. ▪ Coach and mentor junior and intermediate technical

staff.

YOUR PROFILE ▪ Minimum of seven years of operational experience in

silviculture, forest management, or reclamation. ▪ Active member of College of Alberta Professional

Foresters (CAPF) or College of Alberta Professional Forest Technologists (CAPFT) or be eligible for registration with CAPF or CAPFT, within a year.

▪ You embrace being a key member of integrated and interdisciplinary teams.

▪ You enjoy a balanced combination of fieldwork and project management responsibilities.

▪ An enthusiastic and positive attitude, ability to multi-task, and a passion for consistently delivering out-standing work.

▪ You’re excited about coaching and mentoring staff. ▪ Excellent written and verbal communication skills. ▪ For the right individual, backgrounds in agrology,

biology, and other sciences will be considered.

For further information or to apply, quote position no.

CAN-AB-CAL-0100-23 and email your resume to

info@traceassociates.ca or visit TraceAssociates.ca

environmental consulting scientists

Calgary I Edmonton (St. Albert) I Lethbridge I Stettler I Davidson I Saskatoon

We thank all those who apply; however, only those selected for interviews will be

contacted.

Senior Professional

Forester