November 20th Marks 2nd Great Lakes Sealant Reduction Webinar

The second in a series of EPA-funded webinars coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Association is set for Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 9:30 am CST.  The focus of this session is the State/Provincial-level efforts. As you can see from the agenda below it will include discussions from representatives from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.  While […]

New Pennsylvania Study Agrees: Coal Tar Sealant Dominant Urban PAH Source

 A view of Conodoguinet Creek in south-central Pennsylvania and part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Researchers from Dickinson College broadened our geographical understanding of the problem of coal tar sealants with research published in the journal Environmental Pollution.  The study was in the 524 square mile Conodoguinet Creek basin in south central Pennsylvania along its 100 […]

FAA Proposes New Options For Airport Pavement Maintenance

Coal tar pavement sealants have long been the mainstay of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for airport pavement maintenance, but that appears to be changing. Just last month, the FAA published proposed changes to their standard recommendations for pavement maintenance. The specifications are more accurately called an “Advisory Circular” because they are intended to advise design […]

Highlights of First Great Lakes Sealant Reduction Webinar

Cleaning up all of their stormwater basins, like this one, couldcost Inver Grove Heights, MN as much as $27 million. This week marked the first in a series of webinars hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) which included important new information about the progress being made with sealant applicators, health-related effects from coal tar […]

More Repetition Than Revelation in Coal Tar Sealer Industry’s New Bias Claims

A few weeks ago, representatives of the coal tar sealer industry came out with new claims of bias by USGS researchers.  Press releases, presentations and insider editorials were coordinated to push back on recent research by the USGS and Baylor University, which found high lifetime cancer risks when living near a coal tar sealed parking […]

October 29th is First in the Rescheduled Coal Tar Sealant Webinar Series

Earlier this month this series was delayed with the October 1st government shutdown.  Well it’s over for now and that means the webinars hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are now back on track. An email went out announcing this change and is pasted below.  Registration is required for each separate webinar. The first […]

Coal Tar Sealant Runoff Remediation Study Underway

Bioretention Photo Courtesy of US Navy While some continue to debate the reality of coal tar sealant pollution, it is good to see research focusing on remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution from this and other sources. The nation has a lot of cleanup to do and improving our means and methods of dealing […]

Coal Tar Sealers Legal in California and Mandatory in One LA Community!!

Last year we demonstrated the extent of coal tar sealant use in California as the state legislature considered a bill to ban coal tar sealants (see Surprising New Info on California Coal Tar Sealant Use).  That really was a surprise to many that assumed such an environmentally-proactive state would have banned this nasty product years […]

South Carolina’s First Coal Tar Sealant Ban is Now on the Books!

Copyright © City of Greenville. All rights reserved. Last month the Greenville, South Carolina’s City Council passed an amendment to their stormwater ordinance that included the State’s first ban of coal tar pavement sealants.  The area that includes Greenville is the largest population region of South Carolina with a population over 1.4 million.  Greenville is […]