Identification of Pollution Prevention and Accident Prevention Technology Opportunities for use in Supplemental Environmental Projects

Pollution Prevention (PP) is generally recognized as the preferred strategy to address environmental problems linked with industrial activity. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through a combination of various regulatory and incentive mechanisms, can influence the adoption of PP. This thesis (a) argues that the term PP in the Supplemental Enforcement Projects context should clearly include Accident Prevention (AP) goals and (b) proposes a methodological approach for the identification of promising PP technologies for possible inclusion in SEPs, that can maximize the environmental benefits of SEPs. Part I establishes the conceptual framework and clarifies the relationship between AP and PP in the SEP context. This clarification may have significant impact in the environmental strategies of EPA, because currently AP technologies are not actively promoted by the EPA as part of SEPs, although they clearly meet the criteria of PP SEPs. Part II describes the screening criteria and proposed screening methodology in the identification of high-priority industrial sectors/industrial processes and product lines. These high-priority areas present a high potential for tangible environmental benefits if PP technologies are implemented. Moreover, the methodology offers a practical strategy for future application in the construction of pollution-oriented inter-sector prioritization schemes. Part III demonstrates an application of the search methodology in the identification of eight SIC-specific and four general-purpose PP technologies, that are suitable for promotion by the EPA through the SEP mechanism. Part IV presents policy recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the PP and AP initiatives of the EPA. These recommendations concern the scope of the PP SEPs, the proper information content that PP-related material should posses, and the ways that the PP technology prioritization methodology can be extended to AP technologies. Several key conclusions emerged from this research. First, the working definition of PP in the context of SEPs should use language that explicitly encompasses AP. Second, there exists a number of sectors/processes/product lines with high environmental burden where proven PP technologies are available; EPA should actively promote their inclusion in SEP agreements. Finally, the coherent prioritization methodology for the identification of PP technologies that was developed in that thesis can be easily extended to the prioritization of AP technologies. Thesis Advisor: Dr. N. A. Ashford Title: Professor of Technology and Policy