Beth Hodgson presented today at the Safety Fest of the Great Northwest virtual conference on “Chemical PFAS – Health & Remediation Update”.   Polyfluroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals with a carbon and fluorine atom backbone that are “forever” chemicals.  Copies of the handouts, EPA December 2021 guidance, and EPA FACT sheet are available here.

• Chemical PFAS – Health & Remediation Update (handouts)
• EPA Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS 201218
• EPA PFAS InfoPage

Beth Hodgson and the staff at Spring Environmental wish you a Happy New Year and encourage you to register early for your 2021 training. https://springenvironmental.com/training/registration/

Check out our LinkedIn and FaceBook pages for more about Spring Environmental and plans for 2021.

The December HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back January 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

Fire Marshals from Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD), City of Spokane Fire Department (SFD), Spokane County, City of Cheney, City of Airway Heights, and City of Deer Park have all enacted the Fire Danger Burn Restriction. With high temperatures in the forecast, all Cities and Fire Agencies want to keep area communities safe from fire risk by reducing the number of human-caused wildfires.  This season in particular with so many of our citizens testing positive for COVID-19, we want to do our part to keep our air quality as smoke free as possible. Breathing smoke affects the respiratory system and is especially harmful to everyone and most especially, younger and elderly generations, and those with heart and respiratory conditions.

Unauthorized open burning and unauthorized recreational fires are restricted until this order is lifted or unless otherwise permitted by law enforcement or authorized agencies.  Details, including photos of devices allowed/not allowed can be found here.

The July HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back August 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

The July winner is Andrew Ruiz Congratulations!

The 2020 Safety Fest: North Idaho was held at the NIC Workforce Training Center in Post Falls, Idaho February 19 – 21, 2020. Spring Environmental’s staff presented 4 seminars during the event. The presentations are available for download via the links provided.  If you have any questions on the presentations, please reach out to Rory and Beth using the contact information included in the presentation or on staff page of this website.

• 2/19/2020 – Respiratory Protection (Beth Fifield Hodgson)
• 2/19/2020 – Silica Awareness (Beth Fifield Hodgson)
• 2/20/2020 – Chemical PFAS: Health and Remediation Update (Beth Fifield Hodgson)
• 2/21/2020 – Confined Space Awareness (Rory McKinnon)

This year you may notice some changes to Ecology’s online reporting tool TurboWaste: Ecology relocated TurboWaste to SAW, added security, and updated its forms to address dangerous waste regulations effective 4/28/2019.  New forms will allow you to report consolidation of SQGs into a company-owned LQG, episodic events, and hazardous secondary material.   Annual Dangerous Reports are due 3/1/2020.  Ecology has a new reporting guide available.  Read more about these changes or contact us.

Governor Inslee selected Laura Watson to serve as the new Ecology Director effective January 8, 2020. Ms. Watson has been an assistant attorney general supporting the Department of Ecology for over fifteen years. During this time, Ms. Watson represented every program in enforcement actions, rulemaking efforts, permit appeals, site cleanups, bill analysis, etc. And during the last five years, she been a member of Ecology’s Executive Leadership Team.

Ms. Watson graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and from the University of Washington in 1998 with her law degree. She has spent her entire legal career in public service at the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

More information on Ms. Watson is available on LinkedIn and will be published at https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Meet-our-director after January 1st.

The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal-level veterans’ employment award that recognizes a company or organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention, and professional development. Review the 2019 List of Awardees and the criteria for the 2020 award cycle.

Spring Environmental has been recognized in the highest level for the category of Small Employers [1 – 50 employees] based on our employment and community support of veterans.

Wood Heating and Outdoor Burning

Effective at 1 p.m., Thursday, October 31, 2019, a burn restriction is in effect.

Restrictions on outdoor burning and indoor wood heating take effect at 1 p.m. today, until further notice.

Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency issued the following restrictions because concentrations of air pollutants are increasing, putting residents at potential risk.

Stage 1 “yellow” burn ban: 

• The use of non EPA-certified wood stoves, fireplaces, inserts and other non-certified wood-burning devices is prohibited in the Smoke Control Zone, unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat.

• EPA-certified wood stoves, pellet stoves and other certified wood-burning devices are allowed.

• All outdoor burning is banned throughout Spokane County.

Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency