pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 84
1.01M
| source
stringlengths 39
45
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__wiki
| 0.840577
| 0.840577
|
SOFI DE LA TORRE: ‘BOLD, SEXY, POP DONE RIGHT…GO BIG OR GO HOME’
6th November 2015 No Comments
Following the sizzling release of her previous EP, ‘That Isn’t You’, Paramore’s Hayley-approved + self-styled “Pop done right”, Berlin-based hot & talented Spanish artist Sofi de la Torre, reveals sultry new track from her forthcoming ‘Mess’ EP, entitled ‘London x Paris’.
‘London x Paris’ was co-written with Sofi’s long-term Finnish producer Jonas Karlsson and songwriter Axel Ehnström. Watch the video for ‘London x Paris’, shot, directed and edited by herself…
Sofi reveals…”I have been exploring melancholic and smooth vibey tracks for a while…There was a part of me that wasn’t really being put out there…The sassy, not-so-easy-to-handle Sofi that nobody has really experienced so far. This track felt like the perfect thing to release at this moment in my career. It’s upbeat, it’s fun and it’s messy!”
Sofi…You are a “Paramore’s Hayley-approved Berlin-based hot & talented Spanish artist”… Please tell us more. And… Is it true that you “make music & eat burgers”?
Haha yeah I love a good burger. Bacon cheeseburger? Forget about it, I’m done. Best thing ever. Other than that, I make music yeah. Haha.
Can you describe your new EP, ‘Mess’, in 5 words?
Bold, sexy, pop done right.
This is the EP’s lead single, ‘Mess’…
What were your influences whilst writing it?
I have a lot of people I look up to for sure but I think I wasn’t heavily influenced by anyone in particular with this EP. I just zoned out and that was the result.
How much of the real Sofi, can we find in your songs?
Every single bit.
Can we say you are a genuine self-made pop artist?
Yeah 100%. I do everything myself, partly because I’m a control freak but mostly cause I just love the process. For me the music isn’t done until all the visuals are done and it’s a complete body of art.
You describe your sound as “pop done right”…Could you briefly reveal your music-making process?
Yeah, 90% of the time I write on beats. Sometimes inspiration will strike and I’ll have no beats to write to so I just grab the instrumental of an existing song and come up with something myself. Funny story: my song ‘That Isn’t You’ was written over the Beyonce “I Miss You” beat. You’d never say, cause the final track sounds nothing like it, we re-produced the whole thing obviously. But I wrote those words and that melody, whilst “I Miss You” was playing on the background. You gotta do what you gotta do!
What are your dreams and goals?
I’m really ambitious and not provincial at all with what I want to achieve with my music. Go big or go home.
Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
Frank Ocean is pretty iconic for me. Through listening to his music I realised how important lyrics are.
Tell us about your next show and why we should be there
November 19th, Rockwood Music Hall, NYC – be there because who wants to miss out on pop done right? Also, drinks on us.
facebook.com/sofidltmusic
@sofidelatorre
By Fabrizio Belluschi ©FAMEMAGAZINE.co.uk
FM RECOMMENDSVIDEOSONES TO WATCH 2016BEST NEW MUSICBEST NEW MUSIC
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1820
|
__label__wiki
| 0.731217
| 0.731217
|
10 New Beach Resorts for 2016
Whether you're looking to take a family trip or a couples' only retreat, these ten new beach hotels—some already opened, some eagerly expected later in the year—have the views, locations, and noteworthy perks to make them ideal for a sun-soaked getaway.
HYATT ZIVA CANCUN (ALL INCLUSIVE)
Where: Cancún, Mexico
Following approximately $85 million in expansions and renovations, the former Dreams Cancún resort reopened this month as the Hyatt Ziva Cancún, set on a coveted stretch of the Yucatán Peninsula that's surrounded on three sides by the Caribbean Sea. In addition to 547 guest rooms, each with a balcony and ocean views, the resort features upgraded furnishings and amenities. Even better is the next-level all-inclusive experience: rates include unlimited gourmet buffet, à la carte, and in-room dining; experiences with on-site brewmasters and tequila and wine sommeliers; access to three infinity pools, water- and land-based activities; a full calendar of classes, shows, and tastings; dedicated kid, teen, and adult zones; floating swim-up suites; and much more. Upgrade to the Hyatt Club Level for perks like a beach butler and personal concierge.
Where: Miami Beach, Florida
Locals and travelers alike have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Miami's Faena District, a $1 billion-plus, four-block-long entertainment/art/residential/retail complex brought envisioned by the Argentinean Faena brand—with the help of famous architects like Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster, and noted visionaries like film director Baz Luhrmann. Although the development is still underway in the District, the centerpiece Faena Hotel Miami Beach officially opened to guests in late December 2015. Inspired by the historic Saxony Hotel, a hotspot for Hollywood types in the 1950s and '60s, the 169-room hotel mixes Art Deco and Old World touches with vibrant colors (think bold reds), handcrafted textiles and furnishings, perks like custom bath products and freestanding tubs, and lots of commissioned artwork. Each floor has a dedicated butler, and many rooms look out toward the pools, the Atlantic Ocean, and what will eventually be the Faena Playa Beach Club. The three restaurants celebrate global influences and local ingredients, while the oceanfront Tierra Santa Spa draws from ancient holistic and herbal healing traditions.
PARK HYATT ST. KITTS
Where: Banana Bay, St. Kitts
Long in the works, the hotly anticipated Park Hyatt St. Kitts, slated to open in November 2016, is located in the Christophe Harbour development along Banana Bay, a quieter part of the island with white-sand beaches, clear waters, and views of The Narrows straight separating St. Kitts and Nevis. The sustainably designed resort will feature 125 rooms with a locally inspired design and all the expected five-star amenities; some suites will also have soaking tubs and rooftop pools. There will also be three dining outlets, a 12-room spa (with outdoor treatment areas), infinity pools, and access to all the Christophe Harbour facilities, including an 18-hole Tom Fazio–designed golf course, a Beach Club, and a super-yacht marina village.
W PUNTA DE MITA
Where: Punta de Mita, Mexico
When it opens in mid-2016, this property in the Pacific Coast Riviera Nayarit region will become W Hotels' second in Mexico. Set in the upscale Los Veneros enclave 10 miles from the Puerto Vallarta international airport and 15 miles from the center of town, W Punta de Mita has 120 beautifully appointed guest villas and all the signature W facilities, including a Living Room lobby hangout, a lounge with DJs and live music, a WET pool deck, and a gourmet restaurant. There's also a 4,000 square-foot AWAY Spa offering relaxing treatments, and a well-equipped FIT gym.
MELIA BRACO VILLAGE
Where: Rio Bueno, Jamaica
For Spain-based Melia Hotels, 2016 started off with a bang, thanks to the January opening of the brand's first property in Jamaica. The all-inclusive Melia Braco Village houses 226 guestrooms (including 61 suites), each with Nespresso coffee machines, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, WiFi, 24-hour room service, and either ocean or garden views. The six dining venues include Nikkei for Japanese–Peruvian fusion, and Rasta Pasta for à la carte Italian; keep the late-night party going at a piano bar, cocktail lounge, or DJ-helmed seaside spot. Along with the beach and two pools, facilities include an eight-room YHI Spa, 24-hour fitness center, a kids' club, and even an on-site basketball court. Take the experience up a notch by checking into The Level, a VIP block of rooms that come with a dedicated lounge, beachside restaurant, personal concierge, premium alcohol, and added treats like complimentary sunscreen and aloe vera—if the sun proves too enticing.
ZEMI BEACH HOUSE
Where: Anguilla
Powdery Shoal Bay East, often voted one of the best beaches in the world, forms the dramatic backdrop for Zemi Beach House—which, upon its opening in February 2016, will be the first resort on Anguilla's East End (and the first new-build resort to open on the island in 6 years.) Initially, the hotel will launch with 70 rooms, then expand to 129 by the end of the year; all will feature balconies or terraces, Bluetooth-equipped speakers, and Caribbean-themed mini-bars, while the multi-bedroom residences will also have plunge pools. Five dining and drinking spots—including the Rhum Room for small-batch estate rum —will satisfy taste buds, while activities like snorkeling and glass-bottom kayaking will be available via the Beach Concierge and the Beach Club. Don't miss a swim in the oceanfront pool, which has an underwater window looking out to the shore.
MAR ADENTRO
Where: Los Cabos, Mexico
Part of Los Cabos' major resort boom, Mar Adentro, officially opening in the first part of 2016, is a luxury hotel and residence complex set a 10-minute drive from the charming town San Jose del Cabo, the quieter counterpart to party-centric Cabo San Lucas. The 205-room hotel is designed and owned by renowned Mexican architect Miguel Ángel Aragonés, so along with Sea of Cortez views, you'll find stylish all-white decor, an art gallery with rotating local and international exhibits, and partnerships with fashion designers and performance venues—all combining to create a refined, creative atmosphere. Enjoy activities like surfing, holistic spa treatments, shopping at the upscale plaza, and indulging at five on-site restaurants (from fine dining to fresh fish tacos), or just relax in the plush rooms, which feature pillow, aromatherapy, and "color scene" lighting menus.
FOUR SEASONS O'AHU
Where: O'ahu, Hawaii
Four Seasons fans are eagerly looking forward to the expansion of the brand's Hawaiian collection, which currently includes four always-popular locations. Set to open in mid-2016, the fifth outpost—and the first on Oahu—will be the 358-room Four Seasons Resort O'ahu at Ko Olina, located in a resort community on the island's western coast, adjacent to the Lanikuhonua Cultural Estate and nature preserve. The 17-story tower and lush grounds will house five restaurants and bars—from an Italian pizzeria to a feet-in-the-sand fish house—as well as an on-site marina, tennis center, and six-floor wellness complex with extensive spa and workout facilities. Choose from several beach areas and pools (a few of the latter are adults-only), or take advantage of the preferred access to Ko Olina golf club.
AMANERA
Where: Dominican Republic
From its perch atop 60-foot cliffs, the Aman brand's new Dominican Republic outpost, opened in November 2015, looks out on to the jungle, the Cordillera Septentrional Mountain Range, and the crescent-shaped Playa Grande beach. Amanera’s 25 casitas—which range from one-bedrooms with private gardens to two-bedrooms with outdoor living/dining spaces and private infinity pools—all have ocean views, terraces and a comfortable, contemporary decor. Along with enjoying on-site facilities like an intimate two-room spa, gourmet seafood-focused restaurant, casual beachside eatery, and a lounge with an extensive rum and tequila selection, guests can hit the greens on the Robert Trent Jones, Sr.–designed Playa Grande Golf Course, where the 18 holes wind along the coastline. Kite surfing, whale-watching, and exploring lagoons and waterfalls provide further diversions.
THOMPSON PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Where: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
For their second Mexican location, Thompson Hotels headed east to the Riviera Maya, settling in the heart of lively Playa del Carmen. Thompson Playa del Carmen is really two experiences in one: the main, contemporary-style 92-room hotel, opened in December 2015, sits at the intersection of shop-lined, pedestrian-only Quinta Avenida and the trendy bar and nightlife street, Calle 12; the bohemian, villa-style Beach House, located a few blocks away on the water, is slated to open early in 2016. Guests of both sections can dine at the rooftop CATCH, a south-of-the-border sister to CATCH NYC, and hang out at in the rooftop pool and cabanas to soak up the 360-degree views. A beachside grill, suites with fire pits and hot tubs, and access to activities like yoga, stand-up paddleboarding, and scuba diving bring the location to life.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1822
|
__label__wiki
| 0.848394
| 0.848394
|
fanatix | Football | Premier League | Arsenal FC | Bayern Munich star Dante says his team can win Champions League ahead of Arsenal clash
Bayern Munich star Dante says his team can win Champions League ahead of Arsenal clash
Bayern Munich defender Dante is confident his team can progress past Arsenal and go on to win the UEFA Champions League.
On the eve of Wednesday’s Champions League last 16, second leg against Arsenal, Bayern Munich’s star defender Dante has said the German giants have what it takes to be crowned European champions.
Bayern are bidding to reach their third Champions League final in four years when they face the Gunners at Munich’s Allianz Arena with a 3-1 lead from the first leg and a quarter-final place at stake.
Still in only his first season at Bayern since switching from Moenchengladbach last July, Dante – full name Dante Bonfim Costa Santos – has been one of the Bundesliga’s stand-out performers this season.
The imposing centre-back has anchored the Munich defence with his confidence on the ball, strength in the air and calm under pressure, and famously taunted Arsenal for their lack of a challenge in the first leg.
Dante taunts Arsenal: “To be honest, our training games have been more of a challenge.”
— Keeper (@okeeper) March 12, 2013
Since his arrival, Bayern have conceded just 10 goals in their 25 matches so far this season.
Bayern last won silverware in May 2010 but with a 20-point lead in the Bundesliga the current squad want titles and are still in the running to become the first German club to win the league, cup and Champions League treble.
The Gunners of Arsenal come to Munich hunting goals to overturn Bayern’s significant first-leg advantage but as favourites to go into Friday’s quarter-finals draw, Dante says Munich can go all the way to the final.
“I believe it does,” he told AFP when asked if Bayern has what it takes to win the Champions League final at London’s Wembley stadium on May 25.
“Last year, this team almost did it. We are very hungry for titles and we are working very hard to achieve them. It is not easy, of course, but we are striving for it.”
Dante sat out Saturday’s 3-2 win over Fortuna Duesseldorf when Bayern twice came from behind to finish the weekend 20 points clear in the Bundesliga and could win the title as early as April 6 at Eintracht Frankfurt.
“The season is not over yet,” said Dante, with Bayern showing no signs of releasing their iron grip on the German league.
“Of course, until now it has been great. In the Bundesliga we have a very good advantage and depending on other results we could win it all in three more games.
“However, we also want to win the German Cup and go as far as possible in the Champions League.”
Dante’s performances for Bayern earned him a Brazil call up and first appearance against England at Wembley in last month’s 2-1 defeat and has been included in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad for the upcoming friendlies against Russia and Italy.
He also wants to be in the squad when Brazil host the 2014 World Cup and despite his relaxed on-field persona — he has taught Bastian Schweinsteiger the Arrocha dance from his home state of Bahia after scoring goals — he is fiercly determined.
“When a team like Bayern comes calling, you just have to accept it,” said the 29-year-old. “It is one of the best clubs in the world which is always fighting for championships and this is something I can relate to.
“I want to win titles, do not like to lose and the Bayern’s mentality fits perfect to mine. The World Cup in Brazil would be a dream to play in my home country. Brazil has great players and the fight for a spot will be very difficult.
“However, if I continue to do a good job here at Bayern and play well in the national team, then I will have a good chance to be part of the World Cup.”
Ex-Barcelona trainer Pep Guardiola takes over as Bayern coach on July 1 and the team are hoping to bring down the curtain on Jupp Heynckes’s three years with titles — and then Dante would teach Heynckes the steps to the Arrocha.
“Heynckes is a great coach and it is a pleasure for me to work with him,” said Dante. “If we win these titles, for sure we will celebrate. I hope he can come along and dance with us.”
More Stories: Arsenal FC, FC Bayern Munich
Private: Man City confident of signing £39m defender this summer
Exclude from Google News Posted May 4, 2016 16:09
Private: Video: Wilshere returns but Arsenal disappoint against Sunderland
Arsenal FC Posted April 24, 2016 16:55
Private: Video: Alexis Sanchez brace enough to help Arsenal sink withered West Brom
Arsenal interested in signing Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson
AFC Bournemouth Posted May 16, 2015 20:31
Arsenal midfielder eyed by Premier League title rivals in £30m swoop
Arsenal FC Posted April 28, 2015 6:00
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1823
|
__label__cc
| 0.580082
| 0.419918
|
Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters, New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces, and New Residential Masonry Heaters
A Proposed Rule by the Environmental Protection Agency on 02/03/2014
Comments must be received on or before May 5, 2014. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, comments on the information collection provisions are best assured of having full effect if the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) receives a copy of your comments on or before March 5, 2014.
6329-6416 (88 pages)
CFR:
40 CFR 60
Agency/Docket Numbers:
EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734
FRL-9904-05-OAR
RIN:
2060-AP93
I. General Information
A. Executive Summary
1. Purpose of the Regulatory Action
2. Summary of the Major Provisions of This Proposed Regulatory Action
3. Costs and Benefits
B. Does this action apply to me?
C. Where can I get a copy of this document?
D. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for the EPA?
1. Submitting CBI
2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments
II. Background
A. What is the NSPS program?
B. Why was the original residential wood heaters NSPS developed?
C. What are the requirements of the current 1988 NSPS?
D. What are the major developments since the original NSPS was published?
E. Why is residential wood smoke a concern?
F. What are the major issues that drove the review process?
III. Summary of Proposed Residential Wood Heater Appliance Amendments
A. Room Heaters
B. Central Heaters: Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces
1. Heater (aka Boiler) Temperature Range
2. Efficiency Calculations
3. Time Period for Recording Temperatures
4. Test Fuel Moisture Content
5. Water Density
6. Calculations
7. Overall Efficiency (CSA B415.1-10 Stack Loss Method)
8. Wood Loading
9. Drawing of Test Apparatus
10. Aquastat Settings
11. Narrative
C. Masonry Heaters
IV. Summary of Environmental, Cost, Economic, and Non-Air Health and Energy Impacts
A. What are the air quality impacts?
B. What are the benefits?
C. What are the cost impacts?
D. What are the economic impacts?
E. What are the non-air quality health and energy impacts?
V. Rationale for Proposed Amendments
A. Why are we proposing to expand the scope of appliances subject to the NSPS?
B. How did we determine BSER and the proposed emission standards?
1. Room Heaters
a. Adjustable Burn Rate Wood Heaters
b. Pellet Heaters/Stoves
c. Single Burn Rate Wood Heaters
2. Central Heaters
a. Hydronic Heaters
b. Forced-air Furnaces
3. Masonry Heaters
4. Alternative Approach for Comment
5. Other Proposed Emissions Testing and Reporting
a. Efficiency Testing and Reporting
b. CO Testing and Reporting
c. Pellet Fuel Requirements
d. Prohibited Fuel Types
C. How did we establish the proposed compliance timelines?
D. How are we proposing to streamline the requirements for certification, quality assurance and laboratory accreditation?
E. What changes and additions to the allowed test methods are we proposing?
F. What other changes and additions to the administrative requirements are we proposing?
VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use
I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 60
PART 60—STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW SOURCES
Subpart A—GENERAL PROVISIONS
Subpart AAA—Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters
Subpart QQQQ—Standards of Performance for New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces
Subpart RRRR—Standards of Performance for New Residential Masonry Heaters
Appendix A-8 to Part 60—Test Methods 26 through 30B
Test Method 28R for Certification and Auditing of Wood Heaters
1.0 Scope and Application
2.0 Procedures
Test Method 28 WHH for Measurement of Particulate Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances
2.0 Summary of Method and References
3.0 Terminology
3.1 Definitions
4.0 Summary of Test Method
5.0 Significance and Use
6.0 Test Equipment
7.0 Safety
8.0 Sampling, Test Specimens and Test Appliances
9.0 Preparation of Test Equipment
10.0 Calibration and Standardization
11.0 Conditioning
12.0 Procedure
13.0 Calculation of Results
13.1 Nomenclature
13.3 Determine Average Fuel Load Moisture Content
14.0 Report
15.0 Precision and Bias
16.0 Keywords
Method 28WHH-PTS A Test Method for Certification of Cord Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances With Partial Thermal Storage: Measurement of Particulate Matter (PM) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances With Partial Thermal Storage
2.2 Referenced Documents
14.0 Report
Appendix I to Part 60—Owner's Manuals for Wood-Burning Heaters Subject to Subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR of Part 60
2. Instructions for Preparation of Wood Heater Owner's Manuals
2.2 Topics Required To Be Addressed in Owner's Manual
2.3 Sample Text/Descriptions
2.3.1 Wood Heater Description and Compliance Status
2.3.2 Tamper Warning
2.3.3 Catalyst Information
2.3.3.1 This section should also provide clear instructions on how to exercise the warranty (how to package for return shipment, etc.).
2.3.4 Fuel Selection
2.3.5 Achieving and Maintaining Catalyst Light-Off
2.3.6 Catalyst Monitoring
2.3.7 Catalyst Troubleshooting
2.3.8 Catalyst Replacement
2.3.9 Wood Heater Operation and Maintenance
“DO NOT OVERFIRE THIS HEATER”
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 6330
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Proposed rule.
The EPA is proposing to amend the Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters and to add two new subparts: Standards of Performance for New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces and Standards of Performance for New Residential Masonry Heaters. This proposal is aimed at achieving several objectives for new residential wood heaters and other wood-burning appliances, including applying updated emission limits that reflect the current best systems of emission reduction; eliminating exemptions over a broad suite of residential wood combustion devices; strengthening test methods as appropriate; and streamlining the certification process. This proposal does not include any requirements for heaters solely fired by gas, oil or coal. In addition, it does not include any requirements associated with appliances that are already in use. The EPA continues to encourage state, local, tribal, and consumer efforts to changeout (replace) older heaters with newer, cleaner, more efficient heaters, but that is not part of this federal rulemaking.
Particulate pollution from wood heaters is a significant national air pollution problem and human health issue. Health benefits associated with these proposed regulations are valued to be much greater than the cost to manufacture cleaner, lower emitting appliances. These proposed regulations would significantly reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions and many other pollutants from these appliances, including carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and hazardous air pollutants (HAP). Emissions from wood stoves occur near ground level in residential communities across the country, and setting these new requirements for cleaner stoves into the future will result in substantial reductions in exposure and improved public health.
Public Hearing. The EPA will hold a public hearing on this proposed rule on February 26, 2014, in Boston, Massachusetts. The hearing will be at the following location: EPA New England Regional Office, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, Leighton Hall, Boston, MA. For directions and public transportation, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region1/directions/. Please note that 5 Post Office Square is a federal building, and proper identification is required for entry.
The public hearing will provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views or arguments concerning the proposed rule. The EPA may ask clarifying questions during the oral presentations, but will not respond to the presentations at that time. Written statements and supporting information submitted during the comment period will be considered with the same weight as any oral comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing. Written comments must be postmarked by the last day of the 90-day comment period.
If you would like to present oral testimony at the hearing, please register on-line (preferred method for registering) at http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters no later than February 19, 2014, to request a general time slot for you to speak and any special equipment. If this method is not available to you, please notify Mr. David Cole no later than February 19, 2014, by email: cole.david@epa.gov); or by telephone: (919) 541-5565. The EPA will make every effort to follow the schedule as closely as possible on the day of the hearing. The public hearing will begin each day at 9 a.m. (local time) and continue into the evening until 7 p.m. (local time). The EPA will make every effort to accommodate all other speakers who arrive and register before 7 p.m. (local time) on the day of the hearing. The EPA is scheduling lunch breaks from 12:30 until 2 p.m. (local time).
Testimony will be limited to five (5) minutes for each commenter to address the proposal. We will not be providing equipment for commenters to show overhead slides or make computerized slide presentations unless we receive special requests in advance. The EPA encourages commenters to provide written versions of their oral testimonies either electronically on computer disk or CD-ROM or in paper copy.
The hearing schedule, including lists of speakers, will be posted on the EPA's Web page for the proposal at: http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters prior to the hearing. Verbatim transcript of the hearing and written statements will be included in the rulemaking docket.
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734.
Fax: (202) 566-9744, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734.
Mail: United States (U.S.) Postal Service, send comments to EPA Docket Center, EPA West (Air Docket), Attention Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20004. Please include a total of two copies. In addition, please mail a copy of your comments on the information collection provisions to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for EPA, 735 17th St. NW., Washington, DC 20503.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, EPA West (Air Docket), Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC, Attention Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI, or otherwise protected, through www.regulations.gov or email. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an “anonymous access” system, which means the EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of Start Printed Page 6331your comment. If you send an email comment directly to the EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, the EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If the EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, the EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional information about the EPA's public docket, visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. For additional instructions on submitting comments, go to section I.D.2 of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
Docket: The EPA has established a docket for this rulemaking under Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734. All documents in the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 566-1742.
For questions about this proposed action, contact Mr. Gil Wood, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Outreach and Information Division, Community and Tribal Programs Group (C304-03), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; telephone number: (919) 541-5272; fax number: (919) 541-0242; email address: wood.gil@epa.gov.
The information in this preamble is organized as follows:
The purpose of this action is to propose amendments to the Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters (40 CFR part 60, subpart AAA) and to add two new subparts: Standards of Performance for New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces and Standards of Performance for New Residential Masonry Heaters (40 CFR part 60, subparts QQQQ and RRRR). This proposal was developed following a Clean Air Act (CAA) section 111(b)(1)(B) periodic review of the current residential wood heaters new source performance standards (NSPS). We concur with numerous stakeholders that the current body of evidence justifies revision of the current residential wood heaters NSPS to capture the improvements in performance of such units and to expand the applicability of this NSPS to include additional wood-burning residential heating devices that are in the market. The proposed changes are aimed at achieving several objectives, including applying updated emission limits that reflect the current best systems of emission reduction (BSER); eliminating exemptions over a broad suite of residential wood combustion devices; strengthening test methods as appropriate; and streamlining the certification process. This proposal does not include any requirements for heaters solely fired by gas, oil or coal. In addition, it does not include any requirements associated with wood heaters or other wood-burning appliances that are already in use. The EPA continues to encourage state, local, tribal, and consumer efforts to changeout (replace) older heaters with newer, cleaner, more efficient heaters, but that is not part of this federal rulemaking.
These revisions will help reduce the health impacts of fine particle pollution, of which wood smoke is a contributing factor in many areas. Residential wood smoke contains fine particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5), CO, toxic air pollutants (e.g., benzene and formaldehyde), and climate-forcing emissions (e.g., methane and black carbon). Residential wood smoke can increase PM2.5 to levels that cause significant health concerns. Populations that are at greater risk for experiencing health effects related to fine particle exposures include older adults, children and individuals with pre-existing heart Start Printed Page 6332or lung disease. Each year, smoke from wood heaters contributes hundreds of thousands of tons of fine particles throughout the country—mostly during the winter months. Nationally, residential wood combustion accounts for 44 percent of total stationary and mobile polycyclic organic matter (POM) emissions, nearly 25 percent of all area source air toxics cancer risks and 15 percent of noncancer respiratory effects.[1] Residential wood smoke causes many counties in the U.S. to either exceed the EPA's health-based national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for fine particles or places them on the cusp of exceeding those standards.[2] To the degree that older, higher emitting, less efficient wood heaters are replaced by newer heaters that meet the requirements of this rule, or better, the emissions would be reduced, the efficiencies would be increased and fewer health impacts should occur.
This action is conducted under the authority of section 111 of the CAA, “Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources,” under which the EPA establishes federal standards of performance for new sources within source categories that cause or contribute significantly to air pollution, which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Consistent with section 111(h), if it is not feasible to prescribe or enforce a standard of performance, the Administrator may instead promulgate a design, equipment, work practice, or operational standard, or combination thereof, that reflects the best system of continuous emission reduction, which (taking into consideration the cost of achieving such emission reduction, and any non-air quality, health, and environmental impact and energy requirements) the Administrator determines has been adequately demonstrated.
In response to the results of the NSPS review, we are proposing to amend 40 CFR part 60, subpart AAA, Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters. The current regulation applies to affected appliances manufactured after 1988. The current emission limits would remain in effect for the heaters and model lines manufactured before the effective date of this rule until their current EPA certification expires (maximum of 5 years) or is revoked. After the certification expires or is revoked, these heaters and other new heaters would have to meet updated emission standards. We propose to broaden the applicability of the regulation beyond adjustable burn rate wood heaters (the focus of the original regulation), to specifically include all single burn rate wood heaters/stoves and pellet heaters/stoves. (Some pellet heaters/stoves were not affected by the 1988 regulation.) Note that this preamble uses the following terms interchangeably: heaters, stoves and heaters/stoves. Heaters/stoves and model lines manufactured after the effective date of the rule would be required to meet PM standards.
As with the 1988 regulation, the source category covered by this NSPS is fundamentally different from the typical NSPS source category in several ways. For example, most NSPS source categories focus on industrial or commercial facilities, and typically these heaters are installed and operated in residences, not industrial or commercial facilities. Also, residential wood heaters, hydronic heaters, forced-air furnaces, and most masonry heaters are mass-produced consumer items, rather than industrial processes typically regulated by NSPS. Therefore, as in 1988, we are proposing that manufacturers participate in a certification program that tests a representative heater per model line rather than requiring testing each heater. If the representative heater meets the applicable emission limits, the entire model line may be certified and the manufacturer would not be required to test every heater. Individual heaters within the model line would still be subject to all other requirements, including labeling and operational requirements. Manufacturers would be required to have quality assurance programs to ensure that all heaters within the model line conform to the certified design and meet the applicable emission limits. The EPA would continue to have the authority to conduct audits to ensure compliance. We ask for comments on all aspects of this approach, especially whether more than one representative heater should be tested prior to certification of the model line.
The 1988 regulation also addressed some of the specific characteristics of this source category by developing a two-step compliance approach that provided a reasonable, phased implementation of emission limits for manufacturers. We believe such an approach is prudent this time also to allow manufacturers lead time to develop, test, field evaluate and certify current technologies across their consumer product lines. In 1988, there were “logjam” concerns about the capacity of accredited laboratories to conduct certifications tests and time for the EPA to review the tests and adequately assure compliance if all the NSPS requirements were to be immediate. Those concerns have been expressed this time also. Thus, upon the effective date of this rule, new heaters/stoves would be required to meet Step 1. Five years later, new heaters/stoves would be required to meet Step 2. The rule also would require that each unit be equipped with a permanent NSPS label. The two-step approach would apply to all the heater types addressed in this rulemaking except for masonry heaters. For masonry heaters, we are not proposing a second more stringent emission limit.
Additional requirements would apply to entities other than the manufacturer. The wood heater test laboratory would be subject to quality assurance requirements. The rule would continue to require the proper burn practices that currently apply to the owner or operator of a wood heating appliance. In addition, new pellet heater/stove owners and operators would be required to use only the grade of licensed pellet fuels that are included in the heater/stove certification tests, or better. We are proposing to streamline the current enforcement and audit provisions of the current subpart to reflect changes in industry practices and development of new tools and procedures. We are proposing improvements to the previous test methods as well as new test methods.
We are also proposing new subpart QQQQ, which would apply to new wood-fired residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces, and new subpart RRRR, which would apply to new residential masonry heaters. These new subparts are being proposed to address the remaining heater appliance types in the 1987 residential wood heater source category listing that were not regulated by the 1988 NSPS. Both subparts are designed using principles similar to those in subpart AAA, i.e., certification testing of a representative unit in a model line, label requirements, associated quality assurance requirements and phased implementation. Subpart RRRR has some additional features to address very small volume manufacturers, including a proposed compliance extension and the ability to use a software certification Start Printed Page 6333approach rather than a laboratory emission test.
The proposed PM standards for subparts QQQQ and RRRR would be implemented in two steps. For subpart QQQQ, upon the effective date of the rule, hydronic heaters would be required to meet a Step 1 PM limit of 0.32 pound per million British thermal unit (lb/MMBtu) output and forced-air furnaces would be required to meet a Step 1 PM limit of 0.93 lb/MMBtu heat output. Five years after the effective date of the rule, both hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces would be required to meet a Step 2 PM limit of 0.06 lb/MMBtu heat output. For subpart RRRR (masonry heaters), upon the effective date of the rule, large manufacturers (defined as manufacturers constructing greater than or equal to 15 masonry heaters per year) would be required to meet a PM limit of 0.32 lb/MMBtu heat output. Five years after the effective date of the rule, small volume masonry heater manufacturers (defined as manufacturers constructing less than 15 masonry heaters per year) would be required to meet the 0.32 lb/MMBtu heat output PM limit.
Consistent with Executive Order 13563, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,” we have estimated the cost and benefits of the proposed rule. The estimated net benefits of our proposed rule at a 3 percent discount rate are $1.8 billion to $4.1 billion or $1.7 billion to $3.7 billion at a 7 percent discount rate. The non-monetized benefits include 33,000 tons of CO reductions; 3,200 tons of VOC reductions; reduced exposure to HAP, including formaldehyde, benzene, and POM; reduced climate effects due to reduced black carbon emissions; reduced ecosystem effects; and reduced visibility impairments. Table 1 is a summary of the results of the analysis per type of residential wood heater. We have provided estimates reflecting average annual impacts for the 2014 to 2022 timeframe, which are the implementation years for the options analyzed in the RIA for this proposal. Monetized benefits are not currently available for masonry heaters. We ask for emission and projected sales data per model that would help us prepare emission reduction estimates and corresponding monetized benefits estimates for masonry heaters.
Table 1—Summary of Compliance Costs, Monetized Benefits, and Monetized Net Benefits (2010 Dollars) by Type of Heater in the 2014-2022 Time Frame for the Proposed Rule
Type of heater
Total annualized costs ($ millions)
Monetized benefits ($ millions) a b
Monetized net benefits ($ millions)
Wood stoves $4.2 $62 to $140 $62 to $140.
Single burn rate stoves 0.9 $290 to $650 $290 to $650.
Pellet stoves 3.5 $19 to $43 $19 to $43.
Forced-air furnaces 2.3 $1,000 to $2,200 $1,000 to $2,200.
Masonry heaters 0.3 N/A c N/A.
Hydronic heating systems 4.5 $480 to $1,100 $480 to $1,100.
a All estimates are for the time frame from 2014 to 2022 inclusive. These results include units anticipated to come online and the lowest cost disposal assumption. Total annualized costs are estimated at a 7 percent interest rate.
b Total monetized benefits are estimated at a 3 percent discount rate. The total monetized benefits reflect the human health benefits associated with reducing exposure to PM2.5 through reductions of directly emitted PM2.5. It is important to note that the monetized benefits include many but not all health effects associated with PM2.5 exposure. Benefits are shown as a range from Krewski et al. (2009) to Lepeule et al. (2012). These models assume that all fine particles, regardless of their chemical composition, are equally potent in causing premature mortality because the scientific evidence is not yet sufficient to allow differentiation of effect estimates by particle type. Because these estimates were generated using benefit-per-ton estimates, we do not break down the total monetized benefits into specific components.
c The monetized benefits for masonry heaters are not available because we do not have national estimates of the potential emission reductions.
The potentially regulated sources that are the subject of this proposal are listed in Table 2 of this preamble. Table 2 is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this proposed action. This standard, and any changes considered in this rulemaking, would be directly applicable to sources as a federal program. Thus, federal, state, local and tribal government entities are not affected by this proposed action.
Table 2—Potentially Regulated Entities
NAICS a Code
Examples of regulated entities
Residential Wood Heating 333414—Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing Manufacturers, owners and operators of wood heaters, pellet heaters/stoves, hydronic heaters, and masonry heaters.
333415—Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing Manufacturers, owners and operators of forced-air furnaces.
238140—Masonry Contractors Manufacturers, owners, operators and testers of masonry heaters.
Testing Laboratories 541380—Testing Laboratories (except Medical, Veterinary) Testers of wood heaters, pellet heaters/stoves, hydronic heaters and masonry heaters.
a North American Industry Classification System.
Start Printed Page 6334
In addition to being available in the docket, an electronic copy of this proposal, following signature by the EPA Administrator, will be posted at the following address: http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters.
Do not submit information containing CBI to the EPA through www.regulations.gov or email. Instead, clearly mark the part or all of the information that you claim to be CBI and send or deliver only to the following address: Roberto Morales, OAQPS Document Control Officer (C404-02), Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, Attention Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734. For CBI information on a disk or CD-ROM that you mail to the EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the specific information that you claim as CBI. In addition to one complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as CBI, you must submit a copy of the comment that does not contain the information claimed as CBI for inclusion in the public docket. If you submit a disk or CD-ROM that does not contain CBI, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM clearly that it does not contain CBI. Information not marked as CBI will be included in the public docket and the EPA's electronic public docket without prior notice. Information marked as CBI will not be disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
When submitting comments, remember to:
Identify the rulemaking by docket number and other identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
Follow directions. Respond to specific questions and organize comments by a section number.
Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and substitute language for your requested changes.
Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information and/or data that you used.
If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow it to be reproduced.
Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and suggest alternatives.
Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of profanity or personal threats or character assassination.
Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline.
Under section 111 of the CAA, “Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources,” the EPA lists categories of sources that, in the EPA's judgment, cause or contribute significantly to air pollution, which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare pursuant to section 111(b)(1)(A), and then promulgates federal standards of performance for new sources within such categories under section 111(b)(1)(B). At the time the EPA proposes and establishes standards for certain pollutants for a source category, the EPA prepares an analysis of the potential costs and benefits associated with the NSPS, which includes the benefits from reductions in pollutants for which the standards do not set limits. For example, emission reductions associated with the requirements of this proposed rule will generate health benefits by reducing emissions of PM2.5, other criteria pollutants, such as CO, and non-criteria HAP. Consistent with section 111(h), if it is not feasible to prescribe or enforce a standard of performance, the Administrator may instead promulgate a design, equipment, work practice, or operational standard, or combination thereof, which reflects the best system of continuous emission reduction which (taking into consideration the cost of achieving such emission reduction, and any non-air quality, health, and environmental impact and energy requirements) the Administrator determines has been adequately demonstrated. The NSPS do not establish standards of performance for existing sources. However, numerous states have acted independent of this rule to address new and existing sources as part of state implementation plan (SIP) measures necessary to ensure attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS. Several examples are discussed in section II.E of this preamble.
The level of control prescribed by section 111 of the CAA historically has been referred to as “Best Demonstrated Technology” or BDT. To better reflect that section 111 was amended in 1990 to clarify that “best systems” may or may not be “technology,” the EPA is now using the term “best systems of emission reduction” or BSER. As was done previously in analyzing BDT, the EPA uses available information and considers the emissions reductions and incremental costs for different systems available at reasonable cost. The residential wood heaters source category is different from most NSPS source categories in that it is for mass-produced residential consumer products. Thus, important elements in determining that BSER include the significant costs and environmental impacts of delaying production while models with those systems are being designed, tested, field evaluated and certified. As noted earlier and discussed more fully later in this preamble, the 2-step approach that the EPA is proposing considers these factors. That is, for this rulemaking, the EPA has determined the appropriate emission limits and compliance deadlines that together are representative of BSER. Details of the BSER determinations are included in section V.B. of this preamble.
Section 111(b)(1)(B) of the CAA requires the EPA to periodically (every 8 years) review an NSPS unless it determines “that such review is not appropriate in light of readily available information on the efficacy of such standard.” If needed, the EPA must revise the standards of performance to reflect improvements in methods for reducing emissions, including consideration of what emissions limitation is achieved in practice. Numerous stakeholders have suggested that the current body of evidence justifies the revision of the current residential wood heaters NSPS to capture the improvements in performance of such units and to expand the applicability of this NSPS to include additional residential wood-burning heating devices that are available today. The states of New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, have filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, to ask the court to order the EPA to promptly review, propose and adopt necessary updates to the NSPS for residential wood heaters. Likewise, the American Lung Association, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Clean Air Council, and Environment and Human Health, Inc., have filed a similar request. Also, some stakeholders have suggested that the Start Printed Page 6335EPA develop additional NSPS to regulate residential heating devices that burn fuels other than or in addition to wood, e.g., coal, corn or grass. This proposal does not include any requirements for heaters that solely burn fuels other than wood.
The development of the residential wood heater regulations began in the mid-1980s in response to the growing concern that wood smoke contributes to ambient air quality-related health problems. Several state and local governments developed their own regulations for wood heaters. Then, in response to a lawsuit filed by New York State and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the EPA agreed to initiate a residential wood heaters NSPS rulemaking, with a schedule calling for final action by January 31, 1988. The original standard was developed using a regulatory negotiation process with the key stakeholders (the wood heating industry, state governments, and environmental and consumer groups) under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
Pursuant to CAA section 111(b)(1)(A), the EPA listed the residential wood heater source category based on its determination that residential wood heaters cause, or contribute significantly to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare (52 FR 5065, February 18, 1987). The EPA also proposed regulations for residential wood heaters (52 FR 4994, February 18, 1987). The final standards were published on February 26, 1988 (53 FR 5860). At the time the original NSPS was proposed, the EPA estimated that a typical pre-NSPS conventional wood heater emits about 60 to 70 g/hr of PM and that a wood heater complying with the NSPS would emit 75 to 86 percent less than conventional wood heaters.
The current subpart AAA defines a wood heater as an enclosed, wood-burning appliance capable of and intended for space heating or domestic water heating that meets all of the following criteria:
1. An air-to-fuel ratio (ratio of the mass of combustion air introduced into the firebox to the mass of dry fuel consumed) in the combustion chamber averaging less than 35-to-1 as determined by the test procedure prescribed in 40 CFR 60.534 performed at an accredited laboratory;
2. A usable firebox volume of less than 0.57 cubic meters (20 cubic feet);
3. A minimum burn rate (weight of dry test fuel consumed per hour) of less than 5 kilograms per hour (kg/hr) (11 pounds per hour (lb/hr)) as determined by the test procedure prescribed in 40 CFR 60.534 performed at an accredited laboratory; and
4. A maximum weight of 800 kg (1,760 lb), excluding fixtures and devices that are normally sold separately, such as flue pipe, chimney, and masonry components that are not an integral part of the appliance or heat distribution ducting.
In the 1988 rulemaking, the EPA identified several types of residential wood combustion appliances that are not subject to the current 1988 NSPS:
Open masonry fireplaces constructed on site
Boilers/Heaters
Cook Stoves
In addition, the current 1988 NSPS exempts the following from the emission limits:
Wood heaters used solely for research and development (R&D) purposes
Wood heaters manufactured for export
Coal-only heaters
As noted earlier, because of the specific characteristics of this source category (e.g., it applies to mass-produced residential consumer items), the residential wood heaters NSPS (also sometimes informally referred to as the wood stove NSPS) allows compliance for model lines to be certified “pre-sale” by the manufacturers. A typical NSPS source category approach that imposes emission standards and then requires a unit-specific compliance demonstration would have been very costly and impractical. Therefore, the 1988 NSPS was designed to allow manufacturers of wood heaters to use a certification program to test representative wood heaters on a model line basis. Once a model line is certified, all of the individual units within the model line are subject to labeling, operational and other requirements. Manufacturers are then required to conduct a quality assurance program to ensure that appliances produced within a model line conform to the certified design and meet the applicable emission limits. There are also provisions for the EPA to conduct audits to ensure compliance.
As discussed in the 1988 rulemaking, the standards limiting PM emissions from wood heaters in the current 1988 NSPS were phased in for this source category because of the need to consider the costs of delayed production while new models were being developed and certified. Advanced technology heaters/stoves including both catalytic and noncatalytic systems were considered to be BDT (now called BSER), because the net emissions of both systems over time were estimated to be similar (even though the initial certification test results were lower for catalytic models) due to possible degradation and lack of catalyst replacement. The EPA considered requiring catalyst replacement on a regular schedule but determined that enforcement of such a requirement would be difficult or impractical. The EPA did require manufacturers to provide 2-year unconditional warranties on the catalysts and prohibited the operation of catalytic heaters/stoves without a catalyst. Principally because of these concerns, the EPA wanted to ensure that both catalytic and noncatalytic technology would continue to be options for manufacturers to use and further develop. The Subpart AAA Phase I standards issued in 1988 were very similar to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality standards that had been in existence for a few years. The Subpart AAA Phase II standards, issued in 1988 and which are still in effect, are more stringent and had to be met within 2 years of publication of the final rule, i.e., by 1990. Models equipped with a catalytic combustor cannot emit more than a weighted average of 4.1 g of PM per hour. Models that are not equipped with a catalytic combustor cannot emit more than a weighted average of 7.5 g of PM per hour. The lower initial emission limit for the catalytic combustor-equipped models incorporates an expected deterioration rate for the catalysts such that after 5 years the emissions from those models were expected to be similar to the emissions from noncatalytic models.
New systems for residential wood heating devices are commercially available in the U.S. that perform at significantly lower g/hr emission rates than required under the current 1988 NSPS. Furthermore, even greater performance potentially can be achieved by greater deployment of the best U.S. systems and the typical systems already widely employed in Europe, especially for outdoor and indoor hydronic heaters. The EPA has conducted a research project “Environmental Characterization of Outdoor Wood-fired Hydronic Heaters” through a cooperative R&D agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Start Printed Page 6336Development Authority (NYSERDA) that evaluated four types of technology ranging from a common outdoor wood boiler/heater to a state-of-the-art, high-efficiency pellet boiler/heater from Austria. The study showed considerable emission reduction due to a 2-stage combustion technology that includes gasification of the fuel and more complete combustion.[3]
Many stakeholders have expressed concern to the EPA about a broad range of residential wood heating appliances that do not have emission standards in the current 1988 NSPS. These include single burn rate wood heaters; pellet heaters/stoves that are not subject to the current standard via the NSPS air-to-fuel ratio; wood “boilers” (hydronic heaters); forced-air furnaces; and masonry heaters. Some stakeholders have also expressed an interest in regulating non-“heater” devices, such as indoor and outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, cook stoves and pizza ovens.
One category of wood heating appliances that has undergone significant growth is wood heaters/boilers or “hydronic heaters.” (Note that these units are technically called heaters rather than boilers because many are not pressurized and do not boil the liquid.) Hydronic heaters are typically located outside the buildings they heat in small sheds with short smokestacks. These appliances burn wood to heat a liquid (water or a water-antifreeze mixture) that is piped to provide heat and hot water to occupied buildings, such as homes. Often, in addition to supplying heat for homes, the same unit is used to provide heat for barns and greenhouses and to provide warm water for swimming pools. Hydronic heaters may also be located indoors and may use other biomass (such as corn or wood pellets) or coal or a combination for fuel.
Studies have shown that PM2.5 concentrations in proximity to a typical outdoor hydronic heater (aka outdoor wood boiler) can exceed the 24-hour NAAQS.[4] Thus, the EPA developed a hydronic heater voluntary partnership program in order to encourage manufacturers to reduce impacts on air quality and health through developing and distributing cleaner hydronic heaters for those locations where local jurisdictions allow hydronic heaters. We developed the voluntary partnership program with the goal of bringing cleaner models to market faster than the traditional federal regulatory process. Properly operated Phase 1 [5] emission level (0.60 lb/MMBtu heat input) qualifying [6] units are approximately 70 percent cleaner than typical unqualified units. After March 31, 2010, units that only meet the Phase 1 emission level are no longer considered “qualified models” under the voluntary partnership program. Properly operated Phase 2 emission level (0.32 lb/MMBtu heat output) qualifying units are estimated to be approximately 90 percent cleaner than typical unqualified units. Typically, qualified models have improved insulation, secondary combustion, separation of the firebox from the water jacket, and the addition of improved heat exchangers.
In addition to the voluntary partnership program, the EPA provided technical and financial support for the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) to develop a model rule that several states have adopted to regulate hydronic heaters. The model rule is a starting point for local regulatory authorities to consider, and additional actions may be needed due to site-specific concerns, e.g., local terrain, meteorology, proximity of neighbors and other exposed individuals. Thus, some regulatory authorities have instituted additional requirements, such as limits on proximity to neighbors, limits on visible emissions and limits on use in non-heating seasons. Some authorities have banned hydronic heaters entirely in some areas.
The EPA also developed a similar voluntary partnership program for low mass fireplaces (engineered, pre-fabricated fireplaces) and site-built masonry fireplaces. Fireplaces were not included in the 1988 NSPS for residential wood heaters because typical fireplaces are not considered to be effective “heaters.” Most of the heat content from the wood burned in a typical fireplace is lost out the chimney rather than heating a room. The voluntary program began in February 2009, and pertained only to low mass fireplaces at that time. In July 2009, the program was expanded to masonry fireplaces. Under this program, cleaner burning fireplaces are ones that qualify for the Phase 1 emissions level of 7.3 grams of particles emitted per kilogram (g/kg) of fuel burned (approximately 57 percent cleaner than unqualified models) or the Phase 2 emissions level of 5.1 g/kg (approximately 70 percent cleaner than unqualified models). So far, 36 models (of hundreds of models on the market) have qualified under this voluntary partnership program at the Phase 2 level. Typically, qualified models have improved insulation and added secondary combustion and/or a catalyst to reduce emissions. Some manufacturers have added doors to reduce the excess air and thus improve combustion. The Phase 2 emission level in the voluntary fireplace program has been considered as a starting point for some local regulatory authorities, and additional actions have also been considered due to site-specific concerns, e.g., local terrain, meteorology, proximity of neighbors and other exposed individuals, and magnitude of other emissions in the airshed. Thus, some regulatory authorities have instituted additional requirements (e.g., “no burn” days on which the fireplaces cannot be operated) and some have banned new wood-burning fireplaces in some areas.
The current 1988 NSPS in subpart AAA have been in effect for over 25 years and manufacturers and test laboratories have gained considerable experience in complying with the requirements of the program. As a result, many manufacturers and test laboratories have suggested changes to the certification process to better implement the program, such as developing an electronic system for submittals and approval. Many manufacturers and test laboratories have also questioned the effectiveness of some of the current audit procedures. In addition, they have participated in the development of new test methods and test method improvements as part of the efforts of ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society of Testing and Materials). The 1988 NSPS left a placeholder for development of an efficiency test method for use in subpart AAA. On June 1, 2007, the EPA approved the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) stack loss method in B415 as an alternative for wood heater efficiency testing in subpart AAA Start Printed Page 6337provided that the tests use the same burn rate categories specified in the EPA Reference Method 28. We are now proposing that the current version of this method be used for efficiency testing (CSA B415.1-10). We are also proposing EPA Method 28 WHH (wood-fired hydronic heaters) that has been used for qualification testing of hydronic heaters in the EPA voluntary partnership program and numerous state regulations. Other issues that have been identified over the years regarding test methods and emissions calculations include emissions averaging, burn rate weightings, hot start versus cold start, emission caps per burn rate, and catalyst degradation. Another issue is whether to change current requirements to conduct certification tests with “crib” wood to “cord” wood. “Crib wood” is a specified configuration and quality of dimensional lumber and spacers, which was intended to improve the repeatability of the test method in 1988. “Cord wood” is a different specified configuration and quality of wood that more closely resembles what a typical homeowner would use. We address all these issues as part of this proposal.
1. Health and air quality concerns. There is increasing recognition of the health impacts of particle pollution, to which wood smoke is a contributing factor in many areas. Wood smoke contains a mixture of gases and fine particles that can cause immediate effects, including burning eyes, runny nose and bronchitis. Exposure to fine particles has been associated with a range of health effects, including aggravation of heart or respiratory problems (as indicated by increased hospital admissions and emergency department visits), changes in lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, as well as premature death. Populations at greater risk for experiencing health effects related to fine particle exposures include older adults, children and individuals with pre-existing heart or lung disease.[7] Residential wood smoke contains fine particles and toxic air pollutants (e.g., benzene and formaldehyde). Each year, smoke from wood heaters contributes hundreds of thousands of tons of fine particles throughout the country—mostly during the winter months. Nationally, residential wood combustion accounts for 44 percent of total stationary and mobile POM emissions, nearly 25 percent of all area source air toxics cancer risks, and 15 percent of noncancer respiratory effects.[8]
In a number of communities, residential wood smoke increases particle pollution to levels that cause significant health concerns. Several areas with wood smoke problems either exceed the EPA's health-based NAAQS for fine particles or are on the cusp of exceeding those standards. For example, in places such as Keene, New Hampshire; Sacramento, California; Tacoma, Washington; and Fairbanks, Alaska; wood combustion can contribute over 50 percent of daily wintertime fine particle emissions.[9]
In December 2012, the EPA issued revised NAAQS for PM to provide increased protection of public health and welfare. The 2012 NAAQS for PM strengthened the annual NAAQS for fine particles to 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m[3] ) from the 1997 standard of 15 µg/m[3] and retained the existing 24-hour fine particle standard of 35 µg/m[3] issued in 2006. The 2012 NAAQS for PM also retains the current 24-hour PM10 standards for health and environmental effects at a level of 150 µg/m[3] to continue to provide protection against effects associated with exposure to thoracic coarse particles. Areas that do not meet the standards must take steps to reduce PM emissions. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), the Environmental Council of States (ECOS), NESCAUM, the Western States Air Resources Council (WESTAR), and the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO) have argued that more stringent standards for new wood heating devices would provide a much needed tool for states and local communities to use in addressing the growth of pollution from these sources.[10 11] Recent health studies considered in the review of the PM NAAQS confirm the impacts on public health. The latest information on the PM NAAQS reviews is at http://www.epa.gov/pm/actions.html.
There is also concern about the health effects of other pollutants found in wood smoke. In addition to PM, wood smoke contains harmful chemical substances such as CO, formaldehyde and other organic gases, and nitrogen oxides (NOX).
Health effects from CO include:
Interference with the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the brain, which impairs thinking and reflexes
Heart pain
Lower birth weights and increased deaths in newborns
Health effects from formaldehyde and other organic gases include:
Irritation of eyes, nose, and throat
Inflammation of mucous membranes, irritation of the throat and sinuses
Interference with lung function
Nose and throat cancer in animals and cancer in humans
Nitrogen oxide can irritate the eyes and respiratory system, may damage the immune system by impairing the body's ability to fight respiratory infection and can affect lung function.[12]
Residential wood combustion emissions contain potentially carcinogenic compounds including formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, and dioxin, which are toxic air pollutants, but their effects on human health via exposure to wood smoke have not been studied as extensively.[13]
2. Concerns about existing sources. Many areas of the country are struggling with reducing PM emissions due to residential wood smoke from existing wood-burning appliances. Existing wood heaters will not be affected by this rule. In addition, due to the long life span of wood-burning appliances and slow turnover, it may be many years before the full benefits of these regulations on new appliances will be shown. However, there are strategies to reduce wood smoke that states, counties and townships can take to reduce wood smoke independent of this rule.[14] Some states have direct legislative authority, and all states have authority to address new and existing sources as SIP measures necessary to ensure attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS. For examples, the State of Start Printed Page 6338Oregon, Washoe County (NV), and Township of Mammoth Lakes (CA) have required that, when a home is sold, existing wood heaters that have not been certified to meet the NSPS be removed and destroyed and not resold. As additional SIP strategies, some states and local authorities have banned wood burning during certain high PM events, restricted the amount of burning, and regulated the type of materials being burned. Non-regulatory programs, such as education programs to teach the public how to use their wood-burning appliances in ways that minimize emissions, have also been implemented. The EPA has also implemented programs that encourage good burning practices, which can have a significant impact on emissions. The EPA, some state and local agencies, and other stakeholders, including the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA), have been active in promoting wood heater/stove changeout programs to replace older, higher-emitting heaters/stoves with lower-emitting EPA-certified heaters/stoves, pellet heaters/stoves, or other cleaner burning appliances.
We received several requests to conduct a review of the residential wood heaters NSPS, including a joint letter from WESTAR and NESCAUM that urged us to update and develop regulations relating to a variety of wood combustion devices. The authors cited concerns that many communities are measuring ambient conditions above or very close to the PM2.5 NAAQS and that, in many instances, emissions from wood smoke are a large contributor to those high PM2.5 levels. In addition, wood heater technology has greatly improved since the last revision of the NSPS. The standards we are proposing today recognize the cleaner, more efficient technologies developed in recent years. Other states, environmental groups, and HPBA have also recommended several changes to the NSPS. The HPBA Outdoor Wood-fired Hydronic Heater (OWHH) Manufacturers Caucus wrote the EPA to express their unanimous support for the EPA to develop a federal regulation for OWHH.[15]
Specific requests from stakeholders include:
Tightening emission standards based on current performance data
Addressing other pollutants of concern
Reviewing the format of the standards, including adding requirements to document the tested efficiency of the unit
Reevaluating exemptions, such as those based on air-to-fuel ratios and size and weight
Adding other wood heating devices such as pellet heaters/stoves, hydronic heaters, and masonry heaters to the NSPS
Regulating fireplaces and other “non-heater” devices (e.g., cook stoves)
Regulating heating devices that burn fuel other than wood (e.g., other solid biomass and coal)
Updating test methods
Streamlining the certification process to use electronic data submittals/reviews
Considering use of International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-accredited labs and ISO-accredited certifying bodies
Improving compliance assurance/enforceability and quality assurance/quality control
Making the rule more consumer friendly by making more information readily available on-line
We are proposing to amend 40 CFR part 60, subpart AAA, Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters. We are also proposing two new subparts to address additional types of residential wood heating appliances. Specifically, we are proposing subpart QQQQ, Standards of Performance for New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces, and subpart RRRR, Standards of Performance for New Residential Masonry Heaters. The following sections describe the major provisions of each subpart. This proposal does not include any requirements that would apply to heaters that are fueled solely by gas, oil or coal. In addition, this proposal does not include any requirements associated with wood heaters or other wood-burning appliances that are already in use. The EPA continues to encourage state, local, tribal, and consumer efforts to changeout (replace) older heaters with newer, cleaner, more efficient heaters, but that is not part of this federal rulemaking.
The current 1988 regulation (subpart AAA) applies to affected appliances manufactured since 1988. The current emission limits would remain in effect for the heaters and model lines manufactured before the effective date of this rule until their current EPA certification expires (maximum of 5 years) or is revoked. After the certification expires or is revoked, these heaters and other new heaters would have to meet updated emission standards. We propose to broaden the applicability of the wood heaters regulation beyond adjustable burn rate wood heaters (the focus of the original regulation) to specifically also include single burn rate wood heaters/stoves, pellet heaters/stoves, and any other affected appliance as defined in the proposed subpart AAA as a “room heater.” The proposed subpart AAA does not apply to new residential hydronic heaters, new residential forced-air furnaces and new residential masonry heaters because they would be subject to their own subparts. Like the 1988 current subpart AAA, the proposed subpart AAA does not apply to fireplaces. This proposal tightens the definition for “cook stoves” and adds definitions for “camp stoves” and “traditional Native American bake ovens” to clarify that they would not be subject to the standard other than appropriate labeling for cook stoves and camp stoves. Finally, the proposed subpart AAA clarifies that the emission limits would only apply to wood-burning devices (i.e., not to devices that only burn fuels other than wood, e.g., gas, oil or coal).
As discussed in section II, NSPS determinations of BSER must consider costs. The fact that this source category is for consumer products manufactured for residential sale results in cost considerations that are different from those for industrial process source categories that are typical for most NSPS. Specifically, if production and sales were to be suspended while designing, testing, field evaluating and certifying cleaner models, the cost of potential lost revenues would be significant, which necessitates reasonable lead times for compliance with proposed emission limitations. This was true in 1988, and is still true today. Thus, we propose to allow a transition period so that heaters/stoves with EPA certification currently in effect can continue to be manufactured and sold until the current certification expires (5 years from date of certification) or is revoked by the Administrator, whichever date is earlier. We would not allow renewal of these certifications. That is, in the near term, we are proposing to retain the current Phase II PM emission limits (issued in the current 1988 standards for compliance in 1990) for adjustable burn Start Printed Page 6339rate wood heaters and pellet heaters/stoves with a current EPA certification issued prior to the effective date of this rule. While our top priorities are to ensure that emission reductions occur in a timely manner and that there is no backsliding from the improvements that many manufacturers have already made, it is also important to avoid unreasonable economic impacts on those manufacturers (mostly small businesses) who need additional time to develop a full range of cleaner models. The compliance schedule should also help avoid potential “logjams” at laboratories conducting certification testing. We ask for specific comments on the length of this proposed transition and the degree to which there would be any critical economic impacts on manufacturers who have heaters with current certifications if we were to not allow up to the full 5-year certification period for units manufactured after the effective date of the final rule. We also ask for specific comments on allowing grandfathering of Step 1 models that are tested in good faith according to the proposed test methods and the proposed emission limits, even though the final test methods may differ from this proposal, and if so, for how long.
We are proposing a two-step compliance approach (referred to herein as the “Proposed Approach”) that would apply to all new adjustable burn rate wood heaters, single burn rate wood heaters and pellet heaters/stoves. Under this Proposed Approach, the Proposed Step 1 emission limits for these sources would apply to each source (a) manufactured on or after the effective date of the final rule or (b) sold at retail on or after the date 6 months from the effective date of the final rule. Proposed Step 2 emission limits for these sources would apply to each adjustable rate wood heater, single burn rate wood heater and pellet heater/stove manufactured or sold on or after the date 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. We ask for specific comments on the Proposed Approach and the degree to which these dates could be sooner.
We are also asking for comments on a three-step compliance approach (referred to herein as the “Alternative Approach”) for all adjustable rate wood heaters, single burn rate wood heaters and pellet heaters/stoves. Under this Alternative Approach, the Alternative Step 1 emission limits would apply to each source: (a) manufactured on or after the effective date of the final rule, or (b) sold at retail on or after the date 6 months from the effective date of the final rule. (Step 1 under the Alternative Approach is the same as Step 1 under the Proposed Approach.) The Alternative Step 2 emission limits would apply to each source manufactured or sold on or after the date 3 years after the effective date of the final rule. The Alternative Step 3 emission limits would apply to each source manufactured or sold on or after the date 8 years following the effective date of the final rule (thus providing 5 years between the Alternative Step 2 and Alternative Step 3). We ask for specific comments on this Alternative Approach, including data and potential environmental and economic impacts on this alternative, and the degree to which the Alternative Approach emission levels and dates could be considered BSER. Our current preference is the Proposed Approach, but we intend to finalize a single compliance approach after fully considering the comments received during the public comment period on this proposed rulemaking.
Table 3 summarizes the PM emissions standards that would apply to each wood heater appliance under this Proposed Approach at each step. Table 4 summarizes the PM emissions standards that would apply to each wood heater appliance under each step of the Alternative Approach.
Table 3—Proposed Approach Subpart AAA PM Emissions Limits
Phases/steps
PM emissions limit
Adjustable Rate Wood Heaters or Pellet Heaters/Stoves with current EPA certification issued prior to the effective date of the Final Rule Transition period from 1988 rule through the later of the effective date of the final revised rule or expiration of current certification (maximum of 5 years certification and no renewal) 4.1 g/hr for catalytic heaters/stoves and 7.5 g/hr for noncatalytic heaters/stoves.
All Other Adjustable Rate Wood Heaters, Single Burn Rate Wood Heaters or Pellet Heaters/Stoves (includes currently certified heaters after the certification expires, catalytic and noncatalytic) Step 1: upon the effective date of final rule Step 2: 5 years after the effective date of the final rule 4.5 g/hr. 1.3 g/hr.
Table 4—Alternative Approach Subpart AAA PM Emissions Limits
Adjustable Rate Wood Heaters or Pellet Heaters/Stoves with Current EPA Certification Issued Prior to the effective date of Final Rule Transition period from 1988 rule through the later of the effective date of the final revised rule or expiration of current certification (maximum of 5 years certification and no renewal) 4.1 g/hr for catalytic heaters/stoves and 7.5 g/hr for noncatalytic heaters/stoves.
All Other Adjustable Rate Wood Heaters, Single Burn Rate Wood Heaters or Pellet Heaters/Stoves (includes currently certified heaters after the certification expires, catalytic and noncatalytic) Step 1: upon the effective date of final rule Step 2: 3 years after the effective date of the final rule Step 3: 8 years after the effective date of the final rule 4.5 g/hr. 2.5 g/hr. 1.3 g/hr.
Although the 1988 promulgated subpart AAA (53 FR 5860, February 26, 1988) included an additional 1-year compliance extension for low-volume manufacturers, i.e., companies that manufacture (or export to the U.S.) fewer than 2,000 heaters per year, this proposal does not include a similar compliance extension. We are not proposing a delay for adjustable burn rate wood heaters or pellet heaters/stoves because the majority of these appliances already comply with the proposed Step 1 emission levels. See section V.C. of this preamble for more Start Printed Page 6340discussion of this topic. However, we are requesting comments on the possible need for such a compliance extension for single burn rate wood heaters, which are not subject to the current subpart AAA requirements.
We are proposing to make a single determination of BSER for both catalytic and noncatalytic heater systems. The EPA considered requiring catalyst replacement on a regular schedule but determined that federal enforcement of such a requirement would be difficult. As in the current 1988 rule, we are proposing to require manufacturers to provide warranties on the catalysts and prohibit the operation of catalytic heaters/stoves without a catalyst. In addition, we are proposing to require warranties for noncatalytic heaters/stoves. Though we are not proposing efficiency standards at this time, we are proposing to require testing and reporting of these data; however, we are requesting specific comment on the need to propose efficiency standards and any data to support the basis for these standards.
We are also proposing to require emission testing and reporting based on both crib wood and cord wood for the proposed Step 1 compliance, and allowing manufacturers to choose whether to certify with crib wood or cord wood for the proposed Step 1 upon the effective date of the final rule. For the proposed Step 2 compliance 5 years after the effective date of the final rule, we would require certifying with cord wood only. As discussed earlier in this preamble, “crib wood” is a specified configuration and quality of dimensional lumber and spacers that was intended to improve the repeatability of the test method in 1988. “Cord wood” is a different specified configuration and quality of wood that more closely resembles what a typical homeowner would use. We ask for comments and test data to compare heater performance with crib wood and cord wood.
Although we lack sufficient data to propose a separate CO emissions standard at this time, we propose to require that the manufacturer determine CO emissions during the compliance test and report those results to the EPA. We specifically request emission and cost data for systems that reduce CO emissions. If those systems warrant inclusion in the final rule, we would consider doing so. In addition, we ask for specific comments on whether the final rule should explicitly require indoor CO monitors as a critical safety component for heaters installed in occupied buildings or other buildings or enclosures in which the operator would enter to add fuel to the heater or conduct other normal operation and maintenance of the heater. Numerous stakeholders have indicated that an explicit requirement is needed.
Like the current 1988 subpart, the EPA is using its authority under section 114 of the CAA to require each manufacturer to submit certifications of compliance with this rule for all models and all units. As in the 1988 rule, provided that the certifications are timely, complete, and accurate, the EPA is proposing to allow certification to be determined based on testing of a representative unit within the model line. As in 1988, the cost of testing each unit would be an order of magnitude greater than the cost of a wood heater/stove and would be economically prohibitive. In addition, as in 1988, the testing of each unit could create a potential “logjam” that would stymie the certification of cleaner model lines. However, as discussed earlier, we are asking for specific comments on whether we should require testing of more than one representative unit prior to certification of a model line. The proposed subpart revises the definition of “Accredited Test Laboratory,” from only EPA-accredited laboratories to laboratories approved by the EPA after being accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body to perform testing for each of the test methods specified in this NSPS under ISO-IEC [16] Standard 17025, to conduct the certification testing. The laboratories would have to register their credentials with the EPA and be approved by the EPA prior to conducting any certification testing or related work used as a basis for compliance with this rule. Also, they would be required to report any changes in their accreditation and any deficiencies found under ISO 17025, and the EPA may revoke the approval if appropriate. Our proposal is this laboratory definition revision be effective upon the effective date of the final rule. However, we request specific comments on whether we should allow a transition period.
The proposal would require a “Certifying-Body-Based Certification Process,” upon the effective date of the final rule. Under this process, after testing is complete, a certification of conformity with the PM emissions standards must be issued by a certifying body with whom the manufacturer has entered into contract for certification services. The certification body would have to be accredited under ISO-IEC Standard 17065 and register their credentials with the EPA and receive EPA approval prior to conducting any certifications or related work used as a basis for compliance with this rule and report any changes in their accreditation and any deficiencies found under ISO 17065. We believe any certifying body that is approved by the EPA and is ISO-accredited should be expected to act in such a way that will not create a conflict of interest. The EPA would oversee the certification body's work and retain the right to revoke the approval if appropriate. Upon review of the test report and quality control plan submitted by the manufacturer, the certifying body may certify compliance and submit the required documentation to the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance for review, approval and listing of the certified appliance. Our preference is to require the new expanded certification process (i.e., inclusion of ISO-accredited and EPA-approved certifying bodies) for certifications that occur after the effective date of the final rule. However, we request specific comments on whether we should allow a transition period; that is, whether we should retain the current “Administrator Approval Process” to review the certification application, including test results, for the first year following the effective date of the final rule. Note that models certified prior to the effective date of the final rule would not have to be re-tested until the certification expires or is revoked.
As in the current 1988 NSPS, each affected unit would be required to have an applicable permanent label and have an owner's manual that contains specified information. We are proposing that permanent labels would be required for each affected unit on the effective date of the final rule. We propose to clarify that the permanent label must be installed so that it is readily visible both before and after the unit is installed. This clarification is needed to document the use of complying heaters that may be required by state and local rules and/or to determine the unit's applicability to any future changeout programs. We also request specific comments on how to best assure that manufacturers and retailers and online marketers of wood heaters only use valid certification test data and not exaggerated claims.
In the current (1988) NSPS, temporary labels (aka, hangtags) were required for wood heaters that are subject to the standards and also for ones that are not (e.g., coal heaters/stoves). These temporary labels were intended primarily to contain information useful Start Printed Page 6341to consumers and prospective heater purchasers to be able to compare different appliance models and to inform the consumer about the importance of proper operation and maintenance. These temporary labels included the wood heater's compliance status, comparative emission and efficiency performance data, and heat output rates and explicitly stated that the appliance will achieve low smoke output and high efficiency only if properly operated and maintained. The EPA no longer believes these temporary labels are necessary for all certified heaters because we have developed and are continuing to improve our education and outreach program for consumers on selecting the cleanest certified appliances and wood fuel with appropriate moisture content and on the effective use and operation of these appliances. Consequently, we are proposing to remove the requirement for temporary labels on certified heaters. Consumers can get additional information that would normally be contained on the temporary labels at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/monitoring/programs/caa/woodheaters.html. We request comment on the potential impact that deleting this requirement might have on a consumer's ability to select wood heaters that meet the proposed standards and are the cleanest and whether we should consider developing a voluntary labeling program for the cleanest of the clean. As discussed elsewhere, we also ask for specific comments on language that we should require manufacturers and retailers to provide to consumers to help explain the relative benefits of high-performing heaters versus lower-performing heaters and how to reduce exaggerated claims.
In addition to the PM emissions standards, we are proposing to continue to require the proper burn practices that already apply to the owner or operator of a wood heating appliance. That is, the current 1988 standards already include the requirement that the owner or operator must operate the heater consistent with the owner's manual and not burn improper fuels and manufacturers typically void their warranties in cases of improper operation. Numerous states have expressed their support for the continuation of these requirements. Some states and local jurisdictions have enforced similar requirements, and this proposal would allow potential delegation of enforcement authority of these NSPS requirements upon the EPA approval of state requests.
The proposed revision clarifies that the current requirement to operate according to the owner's manual continues to include a list of prohibited fuel types that create poor or even hazardous combustion conditions and includes operation of pellet fuel appliances only with the grades of pellet fuels that are included in the certification tests, or better. We propose that pellets for the certification tests be only those that have been produced under a licensing agreement with the Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI), or equivalent (after request and subsequent approval by the EPA), to meet certain minimum requirements and procedures for a quality assurance process. Details of the PFI program are available at http://pelletheat.org/pfi-standards/pfi-standards-program/. We are not aware of any other U.S. organization that has a pellet fuel quality assurance program similar in quality to the PFI program. However, we request specific comments on whether another high quality program exists. Manufacturers' data show that pellet fuel quality assurance is necessary to ensure that the appliances operate properly such that emissions are reduced as intended. We ask for specific comments on how to determine equivalency for fuel pellets, and whether we should include other requirements of best burn practices or adjustments to help ensure proper operation, e.g., chimney height and draft specifications, moisture content of wood and limits on visible emissions.
The proposed subpart AAA still contains the crucial quality assurance provisions in the current 1988 NSPS. A comprehensive discussion of the rationale is included in the 1988 preamble. For example, a model line must be recertified whenever any change is made in the original design that could affect the emissions rate for that model line or when any of several specified tolerances of key components are changed. The 1988 requirements for manufacturer quality assurance programs would be superseded by a Certifying-Body-Based Quality Assurance program. (As noted earlier in this preamble, we would not require retesting for models that are certified prior to the effective date of the final rule until the certification expires or is revoked.) The certifying body would conduct regular, unannounced audits to ensure that the manufacturer's quality control plan is being implemented properly.
The EPA audit testing programs of the 1988 NSPS will be maintained under the proposed changes, although they will be streamlined and simplified to better ensure compliance and to clarify that audits can be based on any information the EPA has available and do not have to be statistically random. Also, we clarify that the EPA and states are allowed to be present during the audits and that states (and other entities, including the public) may provide the EPA with information that may ultimately be used in the EPA enforcement and compliance assurance efforts.
As discussed earlier, the EPA developed Method 28 in 1987 and 1988 as part of our efforts on the 1988 NSPS. We received input at that time from manufacturers, laboratories, and some states. Oregon Method 7 was the starting point for Method 28 and, thus, Method 28 has many aspects similar to Oregon Method 7. The details on the history and development of Method 28 are contained in the February 18, 1987, proposal in the Federal Register (52 FR 5003) and the February 26, 1988, final rule in the Federal Register (53 FR 5866).
The manufacturers, laboratories, states and the EPA have more than 25 years of experience with Method 28, and it has been very useful for certifying hundreds of model lines of wood heaters/stoves. We asked the manufacturers, EPA-accredited laboratories and states for their insights on Method 28. Many stakeholders agree that changes should be made to improve the reproducibility and repeatability of the test procedures and to address concerns about how to best ensure protection across the entire U.S. when various operating scenarios are used and various wood species and densities are used. For example, to address some of these concerns, ASTM has used a “consensus-based” process to develop E2515-10 “Standard Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions in a Dilution Tunnel.” The EPA is proposing that this sampling and analysis method be used for all of the appliances in this rulemaking. As with all test methods, there are opportunities for continual improvement, and the EPA requests specific comments and supporting data for additional potential improvements to E2515-10.
A number of states have expressed concern about ASTM's Intellectual Property Policy which requires all participants to give their intellectual property rights to ASTM so that, in turn, ASTM can control distribution of the drafts and final test methods and sell the final test methods to potential users. Attorneys General for several states have indicated that state employees in their states cannot give to ASTM the property rights for property that their states paid for via the employee salaries and other expenditures and thus cannot participate in ASTM's “consensus-Start Printed Page 6342based” process. For this rulemaking, ASTM is allowing public review, for no charge, of the ASTM test methods and draft work products relevant to this proposed rule at www.astm.org/epa. The EPA requests specific comments and supporting data on the substance of all of the test methods relevant to this rulemaking and specific comments on the ASTM process and ways to ameliorate the process concerns.
The ASTM methods E2779-10 “Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Emissions from Pellet Heaters” and E2780-10 “Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Emissions from Wood Heaters” are being considered for potentially replacing the wood heater fueling and operation requirements in Method 28 for pellet heaters and wood heaters, respectively. Note that ASTM intends to use the same E2515-10 for the sampling and analysis portion for all the appliances and then separate methods per appliance types for the fueling and operation portions of these methods. The EPA believes E2525-10 is a sound method for sampling and analysis and we are proposing its use. The EPA also believes that E2779-10 is a sound method for measuring emissions from pellet heaters/stoves and includes reasonable measures to reduce testing costs for continuously-fed appliances, and we are proposing its use. However, because, as noted earlier, some states were not able to participate in the ASTM method development process, we specifically request comments and supporting data of all aspects of not only these test methods but also all the proposed methods as part of the comments on this proposed rule.
Similarly, the EPA believes that ASTM Method E2780-10 includes improvements for testing adjustable and single burn rate wood heaters, and we are proposing many of the improvements today. For example, we are proposing the use of the E2780-10 appendix for testing single burn rate appliances. However, we, and some states, do not agree with all the changes that ASTM has made for adjustable burn rate wood heaters, and some provisions are not as protective as we, and some states, now believe they need to be. As noted above, several states are concerned about how to best ensure that the methods are protective for the entire U.S., considering differences in wood species, density, and homeowner operation. The EPA and the states are particularly concerned about scenarios in which heaters/stoves will have higher emissions in home use than the emissions measured in the laboratories. For example, the states and the EPA are concerned about the ASTM changes on burn rate categories, i.e., easing or eliminating the lowest burn rates that often occur in home operations and are typically the highest emitting and least efficient. The EPA is asking for specific comments on these issues and recommendations and supporting data for other changes. The following paragraphs discuss some of the key test method provisions we are proposing and not proposing. Additional information on the methods is at http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters and at www.astm.org/epa.
1. We do not agree with the ASTM changes to the burn rate categories, low burn rate requirement, and weightings in Method 28. Several states are very concerned that easing these items would create the potential for backsliding. Also, we are aware of several design changes being considered by a number of manufacturers that are relatively inexpensive (i.e., less than $20 dollars) and will reduce the emissions during periods when operated at low burn rates. We instead propose that the original provisions in Method 28 be retained for the burn rate categories and low burn rate requirement. We considered the weightings and believe that if weightings are to be used, they should be the same as the original requirements in Method 28. We are also proposing that the burn rates not be weighted at all for the Step 2 standards but rather that the emission limits be separate for Burn Rate Category 1 (lowest burn rate category) and Burn Rate Category 4 (maximum burn rate category) and that compliance for each be shown separately.
2. We propose to not allow 5 minutes for startup before closing the doors because startup is often the highest emitting part of the wood heater operation, and manufacturers need to ensure that startup emissions are also reduced. Again, relatively inexpensive means exist to reduce these emissions.
3. We are not proposing to use the new ASTM equation for converting the emission test values between the EPA Reference Method 5G “Determination of Particulate Emissions From Wood Heaters From a Dilution Tunnel Sampling Location” and the EPA Reference Method 5H “Determination of Particulate Emissions From Wood Heaters From a Stack Location” currently allowed in the NSPS. Rather, we are proposing that Method 5G(3) test values be reported as tested for heaters that have valid certifications prior to the effective date of this rule and ASTM E2515-10 for all other heaters and that Method 5H not be used for testing for certifications after the effective date of this rule. We request data to help inform our decision for the final rulemaking.
4. We are not proposing to allow manufacturers to specify a smaller volume of the firebox for testing because of our concerns about how to ensure that homeowners do not circumvent such a specification during operation, thereby increasing emissions beyond the levels that are measured during testing.
5. We are proposing several tighter specifications on the test fuel moisture content, fuel load and coal bed depth in order to improve the reproducibility and repeatability of the certification tests. This part of the proposal is based on recommendations from one of the original EPA-accredited laboratories. We specifically request comments and supporting data regarding the following proposed tighter specifications for the laboratory test: (a) tightening fuel load dry-basis moisture content tightened from the Method 28-allowed 6 percentage-point range from 19 percent to 25 percent to a reduced range of 22.5 percent +/−1 percent; (b) tightening the Method 28-allowed range for fuel load weight from 7.0 lb/ft 3 +/−10 percent of the fuel load weight (or 7 lb/ft 3 +/−0.7 lb/ft 3) to 7 lb/ft 3 +/−1 percent (or 7 lb +/−0.07 lb) of the fuel load weight, calculated in accordance with Method 28; and (c) tightening the Method-28-allowed range for the test-initiation coal-bed weight from 20 percent to 25 percent of the fuel load weight to 22 percent +/−1 percent of the fuel load weight.
6. We propose to require efficiency testing according to CSA B415.1-10[17] using the stack loss method. That is, during each test run, data must be obtained and presented for the purpose of calculation of overall efficiency as specified in CSA B415.1-10. This would include CO and carbon dioxide (CO2), flue gas temperature and appliance mass. CSA B415.1-10 was developed by a “consensus” process, but no states were part of the process. Thus, we specifically request comments on our proposal to require use of this method.
7. We propose that electronic test report submittals include the locked spreadsheets so the formulas used and relevant calculations can be evaluated in detail. We request comments on this specific proposal.
8. We propose that the test report include a narrative detailing specifics about test conditions and operations, such as how the test was run, operating conditions, issues and special procedures.Start Printed Page 6343
9. We propose that each individual moisture content reading must be in the range of 18 to 28 percent on a dry basis and the average moisture content of each piece of test fuel must be in the range of 19 to 25 percent. Also, we propose the following procedure for the moisture measurements: “Using a fuel moisture meter as specified, determine the fuel moisture for each test fuel piece used for the test fuel load by averaging at least five fuel moisture meter readings, one from each of three sides, measured parallel to the wood grain. Penetration of the moisture meter insulated electrodes shall be 1/4 (one-fourth) the thickness of the fuel piece or 19 millimeters (mm) (3/4 in.), whichever is less, for 3 of the measurements made at approximately 3 inches from each end and the center. Two additional measurements at approximately one-third the thickness shall be made centered between the other three locations.”
10. We also propose this alternate procedure developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory: [18] “Select three pieces of cord wood from the same batch of wood as the test fuel and the same weight as the average weight of the pieces in the test load ± 1.0 lb. From each of these three pieces, cut three slices. Each slice shall be 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick. One slice shall be cut across the center of the length of the piece. The other two slices shall be cut half way between the center and the end. Immediately measure the mass of each piece in pounds. Dry each slice in an oven at 220 °F for 24 hours or until no further weight change occurs. The slices shall be arranged in the oven so as to provide separation between faces. Remove from the oven and measure the mass of each piece again as soon as practical in pounds. The moisture content of each slice, on a dry basis, shall be calculated as:
MCslice = 100 · (WSliceWet−WSliceDry)/WSliceDry
Where: WSliceWet = weight of the slice before drying in pounds; WSliceDry = weight of the slice after drying in pounds; [and] MCSlice = moisture content of the slice in % dry basis.”
11. We propose to require two Step 1 tests, one using crib wood and one using cord wood and reasonable additional non-binding tests with a range of fuels for which the appliance is designed for warranted and/or advertized operation. These tests are needed to show how emissions and efficiency vary according to test methods, operating scenarios, wood species and density and other variables such as cord wood versus crib wood. We believe that such testing would help assure consumers, neighbors and other stakeholders that the appliances perform as well on all manufacturer-listed fuels and operating scenarios as they do for the EPA laboratory test scenarios. Proposed Step 2 tests will use cord wood and not crib wood. The EPA, industry and states believe that moving to cord wood testing will help address concerns about actual emissions from heaters/stoves in home use versus test laboratories. We are working with states and industry on a cord wood test method and evaluating potential revisions to the current version of the ASTM E2780-10 cord wood test method. Industry is conducting tests now using the cord wood test method, and we will consider the results of that testing when it becomes available during the public comment period of this rulemaking.
The proposed subpart QQQQ would apply to new wood-fired residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces and any other affected appliance as defined in subpart QQQQ as a “central heater.” We believe this new “central heater” categorization will better ensure that all appliances potentially affected under new proposed subpart QQQQ are included in this proposed action. The provisions of subpart QQQQ would apply to each affected unit that is manufactured or sold on or after April 4, 2014. This proposal does not include any requirements for heaters that are fueled solely by gas, oil or coal. In addition, this proposal does not include any requirements associated with appliances that are already in use. The EPA continues to encourage state, local, tribal and consumer efforts to changeout (replace) older heaters with newer, cleaner, more efficient heaters, but that is not part of this federal rulemaking.
As discussed earlier in this preamble, subpart QQQQ affects a source category of mass-produced residential consumer products rather than typical industrial processes. Thus, this proposed NSPS has many aspects that are similar to those in Subpart AAA, e.g., certification of model lines and phased implementation. This Proposed Approach would apply to all new residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces. Under the Proposed Approach, the Proposed Step 1 emission limit for residential hydronic heaters and forced air heaters would apply upon the effective date of the final rule. The Proposed Step 2 emission limit for residential hydronic heaters and forced air heaters would apply 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. We ask for specific comments on the Proposed Approach and the degree to which these dates could be sooner.
We also considered an alternative three-step approach (Alternative Approach) for residential hydronic heaters and forced air heaters. Under this Alternative Approach, as in the Proposed Approach, the Alternative Step 1 emission limits for residential hydronic heaters and forced air heaters would apply upon the effective date of the final rule. The Proposed Step 1 emission limits and the Alternative Approach Step 1 emission limits are identical. The Alternative Step 2 emission limit for residential hydronic heaters and forced air heaters would apply 3 years after the effective date of the final rule. The Alternative Step 3 emission limit for residential hydronic heaters and forced air heaters would apply 8 years after the effective date of the final rule (thus providing 5 years between the Alternative Step 2 and the Alternative Step 3). The Proposed Step 2 emission limits and the Alternative Approach Step 3 emission limits are identical. We ask for specific comments on this Alternative Approach and the degree to which these dates could be sooner.
Table 5 summarizes the proposed PM emissions standards that would apply under this Proposed Approach at each step. Table 6 summarizes the PM emissions standards that would apply under each step of the Alternative Approach. Similar to the proposed requirements for subpart AAA, we are not proposing a standard for CO or efficiency, but we are proposing to require manufacturers to collect and report CO emissions and efficiency data during certification tests. Some regulatory authorities have instituted additional requirements such as limits on visible emissions and limits on use in non-heating seasons and we ask for specific comments on the appropriateness of such limits and other requirements in this NSPS.Start Printed Page 6344
Table 5—Proposed Approach Subpart QQQQ PM Emissions Standards
Particulate matter emissions limits
Residential Hydronic Heater Step 1: Upon the effective date of the final rule 0.32 lb/MMBtu heat output and a cap of 7.5 g/hr for individual test runs.
Step 2: 5 years after the effective date of final rule 0.06 lb/MMBtu.
Forced-Air Furnace Step 1: Upon the effective date of the final rule 0.93 lb/MMBtu.
Table 6—Alternative Approach Subpart QQQQ PM Emissions Standards
Step 3: 8 years after the effective date of the final rule 0.06 lb/MMBtu.
Unlike the 1988 subpart AAA requirements, the subpart QQQQ requirements would not provide an additional time period for the sale of unsold units manufactured before the compliance date. No additional time is prudent because cleaner EPA-qualified Phase 2 hydronic heaters systems have already been readily available for several years, the older systems have caused numerous complaints nationwide, and this proposal publication is ample notice for the remaining old high-emitting units. For the same reasons, the subpart QQQQ requirements would not include a small volume manufacturer compliance extension. See section V.C. of this preamble for more discussion of this topic. We ask for comments on the timing for implementation.
As in the current subpart AAA for wood heaters/stoves, we are proposing a list of prohibited fuels because their use would cause poor combustion or even hazardous conditions. We request comment on these requirements and data to support additional requirements, if warranted. Also, as in the current subpart AAA for wood heaters/stoves, we are proposing that the owner or operator must not operate the hydronic heater or forced-air furnace in a manner that is inconsistent with the owner's manual. For pellet-fueled appliances, this proposal makes it clear that operation according to the owner's manual includes operation only with pellet fuels that have been used in the certification test and have been graded and marked under a licensing agreement with the PFI, or equivalent (after request and subsequent approval by the EPA), to meet certain minimum requirements and procedures for a quality assurance process. Details of the PFI program are available at http://pelletheat.org/pfi-standards/pfi-standards-program/. Data show that quality assurance provisions are necessary to ensure that the appliances operate properly such that emissions are reduced as intended. We ask for specific comments on the use of the PFI program and the PFI specifications, especially the degree to which the PFI program will adequately ensure the absence of construction and demolition waste (and associated toxic contaminants) in the pellets. (No other organization has volunteered to develop such a quality program.)
The proposed labeling requirements and owner's manual requirements are similar to the guidelines in the EPA's current voluntary hydronic heater program with some improvements. We request specific comments on ways to improve the delivery of information on the permanent label and in the owner's manual and whether different information might be useful to the consumer and to the regulatory authorities.
The structure of the rest of the proposed subpart QQQQ is similar to the proposed subpart AAA certification and quality assurance process. We request specific comments on changes or improvements to that process that might be needed to address any special concerns related to the certification of hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces.
As discussed earlier, the EPA developed Method 28 OWHH, in 2006, as part of our efforts for voluntary qualification of cleaner hydronic heaters. We received input at that time from manufacturers, laboratories, and some states in order to quickly develop a mostly consensus-based method that we incorporated into the program partnership agreements. We used Method 28 for wood heaters/stoves as the foundation. Thus, Method 28 OWHH has many aspects similar to Method 28. Three significant differences are: (1) Method 28 OWHH uses larger cribs because hydronic heater fireboxes are typically much larger than wood heater fireboxes; (2) Method 28 OWHH uses red oak instead of Douglas fir because red oak is the more common fuel in the U.S.; and (3) Method 28 OWHH includes procedures for determining 8-hour heat output and efficiency. The manufacturers, laboratories, states and the EPA have now had over 7 years of experience with Method 28 OWHH and its successor Method 28 WHH (improved and expanded to include indoor heaters, not just outdoor heaters).
All the stakeholders that have provided input on the test methods agree that the methods should be thoroughly vetted and changed as necessary to improve the method's accuracy and precision and to address concerns about how to best ensure protection across the entire U.S. when various operating scenarios and wood species and densities are used. ASTM has developed E2618-13 to address some of these concerns, and the EPA believes that E2618-13 does include some improvements. However, as with the wood heater/stove methods, we and some states do not agree with all the changes that ASTM has made. For example, the states of Washington and Oregon are very concerned that Method Start Printed Page 634528 WHH and ASTM E2618-13 do not specify fueling with Douglas Fir, which is used in EPA Method 28 for wood heaters/stoves and which these states require in their regulations for residential wood heaters, including hydronic heaters. They are concerned that hydronic heaters tested with red oak will have higher emissions when fueled with Douglas Fir and other less dense species typical in their states and have provided test data that shows higher emissions. Thus, they require testing with Douglas Fir in their states. Also, a number of states and the EPA are concerned about the ASTM changes to the burn rate categories, i.e., easing or eliminating testing at the lowest burn rates, which often occur in home operations and are typically the highest-emitting and least efficient. For several years, we have been communicating with European certification laboratories to learn how they conduct their tests under EN 303-5 and to consider if incorporating some of their testing procedures might improve our test methods.
More recently, because of initial concerns about some surprisingly high laboratory test efficiencies for a couple of the EPA voluntary partnership program Phase 2 qualified partial heat storage models, the EPA, the Northeast states that regulate hydronic heaters, laboratories (including EPA-accredited laboratories and Brookhaven National Laboratory) and manufacturers have conducted a review of voluntary partnership program qualifying test reports. All of the stakeholders that provided input on the test methods agree that we need a change in the test method for testing of non-integral partial heat storage models (i.e., models that have separate heat storage but the storage does not have the capacity to safely handle all the heat generated by a full load of fuel). ASTM has been leading an effort to develop an Appendix X2 to the test method for such models but has not completed that effort as of this proposal. Brookhaven National Laboratory recommended a method to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and NYSDEC is requiring that method be used for certification of such models in their states. We are proposing that method be used for certification of the NSPS for hydronic heaters equipped with a partial heat storage unit.[19]
Further, we are proposing revisions to Method 28 WHH that would require that all affected non-pellet hydronic heaters, subject to new subpart QQQQ, conduct certification compliance testing using both crib wood and cord wood for the Step 1 emission limits upon the effective date of the final rule and solely cord wood for the Step 2 emission limits 5 years after the effective date of the final rule.
We are asking for specific comments on whether the EPA should use: (1) One or more of the draft versions of Appendix X2 being considered as part of ASTM work product WK26581; (2) the European Union test method EN303-05 as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection approved for certification of hydronic heaters in their state as equivalent to the EPA Method 28 WHH; (3) the partial thermal storage test method developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory; and/or (4) some other test method(s). For use of any of the test methods, the EPA would require that the amount of heat storage for the actual sale and installation of the hydronic heaters be no less than the amount used for the certification tests. Because EN303-05 does not currently use heat storage during the certification test, if the EPA were to use EN303-05 test results, the EPA would require the installed heater to have heat storage that can safely handle at least 60 percent of the maximum heat output of the heater or a greater level if the manufacturer specifies a greater level. The EPA is asking for specific comments on the appropriateness of this heat storage level or other levels. The EPA will consider any or all of these options as the preferred reference test methods or as acceptable emission testing alternatives. (ASTM previously developed an Appendix X1 for testing of models that have “full” heat storage that can safely accept the heat from the full load of fuel.) We request comments on all aspects of heater testing and are especially interested in emission test data that compare the results for testing by these different methods.
Also, the review discussed above found a number of areas in the methods to improve the quality of the data and reduce anomalies. In June 2011, the voluntary partnership program stakeholders agreed to a number of changes to Method 28 OWHH, and we are proposing the revised method as EPA Reference Method 28 WHH. The EPA is asking for specific comments on this method and recommendations and supporting data for other changes or acceptable alternatives. The following paragraphs discuss some of the changes we are proposing for comment. Additional information on the EPA methods is available at http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters. The ASTM methods and draft work products are available at www.astm.org/epa.
We propose that for all tests, the return water temperature to the heater must be 120 °F or greater. We additionally propose that if the manufacturer specifies a thermal control valve or other arrangement to be installed and set to control the return temperature at 120 °F or higher, the valve must be installed and set per the manufacturer's written instructions.
We propose to require the use of thermopiles to measure the temperature change “delta T” and verify accuracy of the load side flow meter. The accuracy of the flow meter is determined separately by direct weighing of timed water collection. Thermocouples must measure water temperature at the inlet and outlet of the load side heat exchanger. We propose to delete the requirement for supply side flow measurements and require one load side reading with thermopiles (using a commercial system or a homemade system). Efficiency would be measured on the output (load) side of the heat exchanger. The flow meter would be calibrated before and after each test run within the flow range used for the test.
We propose that all water temperatures, differential water temperatures and water flow rates must be recorded at time intervals of 1 minute or less. This data file must be submitted with the test report. For determination of heat output, the data for these parameters must be measured in equal time intervals no greater than 10 minutes or at a frequency that results in a minimum of 50 equal intervals per test run, whichever is greater.
We propose that each individual test fuel moisture content reading must be in the range of 18 to 28 percent on a dry basis and the average moisture content of each piece of test fuel must be in the range of 19 to 25 percent.
We also propose the following moisture measurement procedure: Using a fuel moisture meter as specified in the test method, determine the fuel moisture for each test fuel piece used for the test fuel load by averaging at least five fuel moisture meter readings, one from each of three sides, measured parallel to the wood grain. Penetration of the moisture meter insulated Start Printed Page 6346electrodes must be one-fourth the thickness of the fuel piece or 19 mm (3/4 in.), whichever is less for 3 of the measurements made at approximately 3 inches from each end and the center. Two additional measurements at approximately one-third the thickness shall be made centered between the other three locations. We request specific comments on the moisture content limits and the procedures for determining the moisture content and the typical variances due to the measurement procedures.
We also request specific comments on the following approach for determining moisture content. “Select three pieces of cord wood from the same batch of wood as the test fuel and the same weight as the average weight of the pieces in the test load ± 1.0 lb. From each of these three pieces, cut three slices. Each slice shall be 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick. One slice shall be cut across the center of the length of the piece. The other two slices shall be cut half way between the center and the end. Immediately measure the mass of each piece in pounds. Dry each slice in an oven at 220 °F for 24 hours or until no further weight change occurs. The slices shall be arranged in the oven so as to provide separation between faces. Remove from the oven and measure the mass of each piece again as soon as practical in pounds. The moisture content of each slice, on a dry basis shall be calculated as:
MCslice = 100 · (WSliceWet −WSliceDry) / WSliceDry
Where: WSliceWet = weight of the slice before drying in pounds; WSliceDry = weight of the slice after drying in pounds; [and] MCSlice = moisture content of the slice in % dry basis.” [20]
Also, we propose that moisture must not be added to previously dried fuel pieces except by storage under high humidity conditions and temperature up to 100 °F. Fuel moisture must be measured no more than 4 hours before using the fuel for a test. The test report must describe the source and storage history of the test fuel.
a. We propose that the measured volumetric flow from the flow meter be converted to mass basis by using the water density based on water temperature. The same method must be used on both the load and supply side if the optional supply side meter is used.
b. We propose that the water density be calculated using the water temperature measured at the flow meter.
a. We propose that the electronic test reports submittals include all data within the locked spreadsheets so the formulas used and relevant calculations can be reviewed in detail.
b. To ensure common application, we propose to require averages to be calculated on each 10-minute reading rather than averaging over the entire test run.
We propose that during each test run, data must be obtained and presented for the purpose of calculation of overall efficiency as specified in the stack loss method in CSA B415.1-10. This includes CO and CO2, flue gas temperature, and appliance mass (remaining fuel weight). Overall efficiency for each run must be determined as per CSA B415.1-10 and reported. Whenever the CSA B415.1-10 overall efficiency is found to be lower than the overall efficiency based on the load side measurements, as determined by this method, the report must include a discussion of the reasons for this result.
Test fuel loads would be determined by multiplying the firebox volume by 4.54 kg (10 lb) of wood (as used, wet weight) per cubic foot, or a higher load density as recommended by the manufacturer's operating instructions. As discussed earlier, the EPA will require separate tests in the proposed Step 1 using cribs and using cord wood. In the proposed Step 2, the tests would all be using cord wood. There are ongoing discussions on how to improve both types of tests. We are working with states and industry on a cord wood test method and evaluating making revisions to the current version of the ASTM cord wood test method and states' ideas on cord wood testing. Also, we are reviewing European experiences with cord wood testing.
The test report would be required to contain a drawing of the test apparatus, including thermocouples, piping arrangements including any recirculation loops, the thermopile and flow meter(s).
Aquastat or other heater output control device settings that are adjustable would be set using manufacturer specifications, either as factory set or in accordance with the owner's manual, and must remain the same for all burn categories.
The test report would be required to include a statement that the test was conducted according to the method specified. If there are any deviations from the test procedure requirements, the test report would need to include a section identifying those deviations, the reasons for those deviations, and an evaluation of the data quality implications, if any, of such deviations on the test results.
12. The test report would include a standard summary page as a quick check for the reviewer that results are within method specifications.
13. We propose to require testing with a range of all fuels for which the appliance is designed, per the manufacturer's warranty and owner's manual, to show how emissions and efficiency vary according to species and density and cord wood versus crib wood.
In addition, ASTM has developed a draft test method that uses cord wood rather than crib wood to better represent real world conditions. All stakeholders agree that a test method that better represents real world conditions would be a significant improvement and help ameliorate concerns that some heaters do not perform as well in home use as they do in laboratories. We are also interested in real-time emission test methods that measure cold or warm startup emissions and emission peaks/durations. We are also interested in field test methods and less expensive test methods that regulators and neighbor can use to better quantify impacts in the real world. The EPA is asking for specific comments and data on all these potential methods, issues and recommendations.
The EPA is proposing to rely on the test method that has been developed by the CSA for forced-air furnaces. All CSA standards are developed through a consensus development process approved by the Standards Council of Canada. This process brings together volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus and develop a standard. CSA worked for years on development of this test method that has its roots in earlier U.S. efforts on wood heaters/stoves. The current version of CSA B415.1-10 was published in March 2010, and it includes not only the forced-air furnace test method but also new Canadian emission performance specifications for indoor and outdoor central heating appliances.Start Printed Page 6347
Although the CSA B415.1-10 technical committee included numerous U.S. manufacturers and laboratories, it did not include any states or environmental groups, and the EPA participation was minimal during the development. Now that we have reviewed this method in substantively, we are satisfied that it warrants proposal for this rulemaking. We request specific comments and supporting data. We ask for specific comments on the appropriateness of using the CSA test method in its entirety, including the use of cord wood instead of crib wood that are used in current versions of Method 28 and Method 28 WHH. To review the CSA test method, please go to www.csa.ca.
The proposed subpart RRRR would apply to new residential masonry heaters. The provisions apply to each affected unit that is manufactured on or after April 4, 2014. We are proposing that, as of the effective date of the final rule, no person would manufacture or sell a residential masonry heater that does not meet the proposed emission limit of 0.32 lb of PM per MMBtu heat output. We are also proposing a 5-year small volume manufacturer compliance extension that would apply to companies that construct fewer than 15 masonry heaters per year. See section V.C. of this preamble for more discussion of compliance date related issues. We request specific comments on the degree to which these dates can be sooner. As in the case of subpart AAA and subpart QQQQ, we are proposing requirements that would apply to the operator of the masonry heater, including a provision to operate the unit in compliance with the owner's manual; a prohibition on use of certain fuels; and a requirement to use licensed wood pellets or equivalent, if applicable. We are not proposing efficiency or CO standards for new residential masonry heaters at this time because sufficient data are not yet available to support the basis for such standards.
The EPA is proposing to rely on ASTM method E2817-11 for masonry heaters. The laboratories, some states and the masonry heater industry worked for years on drafts of this method that has its roots in earlier regulatory efforts in Colorado. The EPA has participated in the discussions from time to time over the years and has provided comments and suggestions. The current ASTM methods are ASTM E2817-11 “Standard Test Method for Test Fueling Masonry Heaters” and the draft work product ASTM WK26558 “Specification for Calculation Method for Custom Designed, Site-built Masonry Heaters.” (http://www.astm.org/DATABASE.CART/WORKITEMS/WK26558.htm.) We propose that they be used for this rulemaking. We request specific comments on these methods and any changes that should be considered and supporting data for those changes. We request specific comments and supporting emission test data on the use of “Annex A1. Cordwood Fuel” and “Annex A2. Cribwood Fueling.” ASTM is allowing public review, for no charge, of the ASTM test methods and draft work products relevant to this rule at www.astm.org/epa.
As an alternative to testing, we are proposing that manufacturers of masonry heaters may choose to submit a computer model simulation program, such as ASTM WK 26558 noted above, for the EPA's review and approval. Masonry heater manufacturers and laboratories developed computer simulations as a way to encourage good designs without having to conduct emission tests for slight variations, especially because there are so few masonry heaters built every year per manufacturer. Since these units are built on-site, it is not easy to test each of them. These units are typically cleaner than pre-NSPS certified wood stoves. Considering all of these factors, we believe a simple computer simulation showing how new models would perform may be all that is necessary for many of these models.
The structure of the rest of the proposed new subpart RRRR is similar to the proposed subpart AAA certification and quality assurance process and contains similar requirements for labels, owner's manual, etc. One difference, however, is that for small custom unit manufacturers, we are requiring less stringent quality control (QC) procedures. Specifically, we are proposing that the initial certification for these custom units is sufficient and that no further QC is necessary since each unit is a unique model and subject to certification. We request comment on changes or improvements that might be needed to address special concerns related to certification of masonry heaters.
The EPA estimates the proposed NSPS's total annualized average nationwide costs would be $15.7 million ($2010) over the 2014 through 2022 period. The economic impacts for industries affected by this proposed rule over this same period range from 4.3 percent for manufacture of wood heater/stove models to 6.4 percent compliance cost-to-sales estimate for manufacture of single burn rate wood heater models. These impacts do not presume any pass-through of impacts to consumers. With pass-through to consumers, these impact estimates to manufacturers will decline proportionate to the degree of pass-through.
To determine the air quality impacts, we developed emission factors for each appliance type and then applied those emission factors to shipment data for each of the appliance types subject to the proposed NSPS.[21] We developed the emission factors using the EPA Residential Wood Combustion (RWC) emission estimation tool,[22] which is a Microsoft Access database that compiles nationwide RWC emissions using county-level, process-specific data and calculations. The compilation of such data is a large, important, continually improving effort by the EPA and the states to ensure that we and the states have access to the best information available. We summed the estimated nationwide number of appliances and the estimated total tons of wood burned for each of the relevant product categories in the inventory and then made some adjustments/assumptions to the baseline RWC inventory to reflect emission characteristics specific to new units.
We used the resulting subset of the RWC database to calculate an average emission rate per appliance for each category, as follows. First, we multiplied the total tons of wood burned by devices within the category by the category emission factor to calculate the total tons of emissions for each of the pollutants PM2.5, VOC and CO emissions for that category. Then we divided these values by the number of appliances in the category to calculate the average emissions of PM2.5, VOC and CO per individual appliance. We then developed adjusted emission factors to reflect the NSPS options and then used the adjusted factors to calculate average tons of emissions of each of these three pollutants per appliance for each category.Start Printed Page 6348
We used data in the Frost & Sullivan Market (F&S) report [23] on 2008 shipments by product category and F&S revenue forecasts, which incorporated the weak economy in years 2009 and 2010, to calculate the reduced number of shipments in years 2009 and 2010. We adjusted these data to include appliances not covered in the F&S report (e.g., forced-air furnaces). For years 2011 through 2038, we estimated shipments based on a forecasted revenue growth rate of 2.0 percent, in keeping with the average annual growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) predicted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.[24] Historically wood heater shipments have most closely corresponded to GDP, housing starts, and price of wood relative to gas. We think the overall trend in the projection is reasonable in the absence of additional specific shipment projections. We did not change the relative percentages of one type of residential wood heater versus other types of residential wood heaters over this time period. We ask for comments and data that would support improved projections.
The next step was to calculate the total emissions per appliance category. First, we multiplied the emission factor for each category by the inventory value of total tons of wood burned by all appliances within that category, and then divided by the number of appliances in the inventory population. The appliance value was then multiplied by the number of units shipped to calculate total emissions from each category per year using the baseline conditions emission factors (i.e., in the absence of a revised NSPS). Using the same procedure, category emissions were then calculated using the emission factors for the proposed NSPS.
Table 7 is a summary of the average emissions reductions over years 2014 through 2022 resulting from implementing the proposed NSPS compared to baseline conditions (for the years analyzed in the RIA). Note that we do not have national emission impacts from masonry heaters because they are not included in the RWC emission estimation tool. Because of the relatively high cost of emission testing versus the current small number of masonry heaters sold per manufacturer, and in total, there are few emission test data from masonry heater manufacturers and laboratories. Based on the limited data we have, we believe that nationwide emissions from masonry heaters are relatively low, given the low number of sales. Thus, we also believe that the total emission reductions from masonry heaters will be relatively low. However, the limited data we have do show that the emission reductions could be significant for some models that do not follow current best designs, perhaps as high as 70 percent for some designs. We do not know how many of these typically custom-made heaters already use best practice designs versus other designs and thus we do not have nationwide estimates of baseline emissions. We ask for comments and data to help us prepare emission estimates.
Table 7—Estimated Annual Average (2014-2022) Air Quality Impacts 25
PM2.5 (tons)
VOC (tons)
CO (tons)
Revised NSPS
Wood Heaters 548 385 163 781 551 230 7,857 5,448 2,409
Single Burn Rate Heaters 932 178 754 1,614 244 1,370 7,029 2,860 4,169
Pellet Heaters/Stoves 199 150 49 3 2 1 1,035 778 257
Furnace: Indoor, Cord Wood 3,044 434 2,610 1,290 184 1,106 20,294 2,896 17,398
Hydronic Heating Systems 1,332 84 1,249 565 35 530 8,883 557 8,326
Total 6,055 1,230 4,825 4,253 1,016 3,237 45,098 12,538 32,559
Note: This table only includes the emissions during the first year of the life of each wood heater. That is, this table does not include the emissions that continue for the duration of the lifetime of each appliance's use, typically greater than 20 years.
Emission reductions associated with the requirements of this rule will generate health benefits by reducing emissions of PM2.5, HAP, as well as criteria pollutants and their precursors, including CO and VOC. VOC are precursors to PM2.5 and ozone. For this rule, we were only able to quantify the health co-benefits associated with reduced exposure to PM2.5 from directly emitted PM2.5. Our benefits reflect the average of annual PM2.5 emission reductions occurring between 2014 and 2022 (inclusive). We estimate the monetized PM2.5-related health benefits of the proposed residential wood heaters NSPS in the 2014-2022 timeframe to be $1,800 million to $4,100 million (2010 dollars) at a 3-percent discount rate and $1,700 million to $3,700 million (2010 dollars) at a 7-percent discount rate. Using alternate relationships between PM2.5 and premature mortality supplied by Start Printed Page 6349experts, higher and lower benefits estimates are plausible, but most of the expert-based estimates fall between these two estimates.[26] A summary of the emission reduction and monetized benefits estimates for this rule at discount rates of 3 percent and 7 percent is in Table 8 of this preamble, except for masonry heaters. As requested earlier in this preamble, we ask for emission and sales data per model that would help us prepare emission reduction estimates and corresponding monetized health benefits for masonry heaters.
Table 8—Summary of Monetized PM2.5-Related Health Benefits for Proposed Residential Wood Heaters NSPS in 2014-2022 Timeframe
[millions of 2010 dollars] a, b, c
Estimated emission reductions (tpy)
Total monetized benefits (3% discount rate)
Directly emitted PM2.5 4,825 $1,800 to $4,200 $1,700 to $3,700.
PM2.5 Precursors
VOC 3,250 — —
a All estimates are for the 2014-2022 timeframe (inclusive) and are rounded to two significant figures so numbers may not sum across rows. The total monetized benefits reflect the human health benefits associated with reducing exposure to PM2.5 through reductions of PM2.5 precursors, such as NOX, and directly emitted PM2.5. It is important to note that the monetized benefits do not include reduced health effects from exposure to HAP, direct exposure to NO2, exposure to ozone, VOC, ecosystem effects or visibility impairment.
b PM benefits are shown as a range from Krewski, et al. (2009) to Lepeule, et al. (2012). These models assume that all fine particles, regardless of their chemical composition, are equally potent in causing premature mortality because the scientific evidence is not yet sufficient to allow differentiation of effects estimates by particle type.
c The emission reductions and monetized benefits for masonry heaters are not included in this summary.
These benefits estimates represent the monetized human health benefits for populations exposed to less PM2.5 from emission limits established to reduce air pollutants in order to meet this rule. Due to analytical limitations, it was not possible to conduct air quality modeling for this rule. Instead, we used a “benefit-per-ton” approach to estimate the benefits of this rulemaking. To create the benefit-per-ton estimates, this approach uses a model to convert emissions of PM2.5 precursors into changes in ambient PM2.5 levels and another model to estimate the changes in human health associated with that change in air quality, which are then divided by the emissions in specific sectors. These benefit-per-ton estimates were derived using the approach published in Fann et al. (2012),[27] but they have since been updated to reflect these studies and population data in the 2012 p.m. NAAQS RIA.[28] Specifically, we multiplied the benefit-per-ton estimates from the “Residential Wood Heaters” category by the corresponding emission reductions.[29] All national-average benefit-per-ton estimates reflect the geographic distribution of the modeled emissions, which may not exactly match the emission reductions in this rulemaking, and thus they may not reflect the local variability in population density, meteorology, exposure, baseline health incidence rates, or other local factors for any specific location. More information regarding the derivation of the benefit-per-ton estimates for this category is available in the technical support document, which is referenced in the footnote below and is available in the docket.
These models assume that all fine particles, regardless of their chemical composition, are equally potent in causing premature mortality because the scientific evidence is not yet sufficient to allow differentiation of effects estimates by particle type. Even though we assume that all fine particles have equivalent health effects, the benefit-per-ton estimates vary between precursors depending on the location and magnitude of their impact on PM2.5 levels, which drive population exposure.
It is important to note that the magnitude of the PM2.5 benefits is largely driven by the concentration response function for premature mortality. We cite two key empirical studies, one based on the American Cancer Society cohort study [30] and the extended Six Cities cohort study.[31] In the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for this rule, which is available in the docket, we also include benefits estimates derived from expert judgments (Roman et al, 2008) as a characterization of uncertainty regarding the PM2.5-mortality relationship.
Considering a substantial body of published scientific literature, reflecting thousands of epidemiology, toxicology, and clinical studies, the EPA's Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter [32] documents the association between elevated PM2.5 concentrations and adverse health effects, including increased premature mortality. This assessment, which was Start Printed Page 6350reviewed twice by the EPA's independent Science Advisory Board, concluded that the scientific literature consistently finds that a no-threshold model most adequately portrays the PM-mortality concentration-response relationship. Therefore, in this analysis, the EPA assumes that the health impact function for fine particles is without a threshold.
In general, we are more confident in the magnitude of the risks we estimate from simulated PM2.5 concentrations that coincide with the bulk of the observed PM concentrations in the epidemiological studies that are used to estimate the benefits. Likewise, we are less confident in the risk we estimate from simulated PM2.5 concentrations that fall below the bulk of the observed data in these studies. Concentration benchmark analyses (e.g., lowest measured level [LML] or one standard deviation below the mean of the air quality data in the study) allow readers to determine the portion of population exposed to annual mean PM2.5 levels at or above different concentrations, which provides some insight into the level of uncertainty in the estimated PM2.5 mortality benefits. There are uncertainties inherent in identifying any particular point at which our confidence in reported associations becomes appreciably less, and the scientific evidence provides no clear dividing line. However, the EPA does not view these concentration benchmarks as a concentration threshold below which we would not quantify health benefits of air quality improvements.
For this analysis, policy-specific air quality data are not available. Thus, we are unable to estimate the percentage of premature mortality associated with this specific rule's emission reductions at each PM2.5 level. As a surrogate measure of mortality impacts, we provide the percentage of the population exposed at each PM2.5 level using the source apportionment modeling used to calculate the benefit-per-ton estimates for this sector. Using the Krewski, et al, (2009) study, 93 percent of the population is exposed to annual mean PM2.5 levels at or above the LML of 5.8 µg/m3. Using the Lepeule, et al, (2012) study, 67 percent of the population is exposed above the LML of 8 µg/m3. It is important to note that baseline exposure is only one parameter in the health impact function, along with baseline incidence rates, population, and change in air quality. Therefore, caution is warranted when interpreting the LML assessment for this rule because these results are not consistent with results from rules that had air quality modeling.
Every benefit analysis examining the potential effects of a change in environmental protection requirements is limited, to some extent, by data gaps, model capabilities (such as geographic coverage) and uncertainties in the underlying scientific and economic studies used to configure the benefit and cost models. Despite these uncertainties, we believe the benefit analysis for this rule provides a reasonable indication of the expected health benefits of the rulemaking under a set of reasonable assumptions. In addition, we have not conducted air quality modeling for this rule, and using a benefit-per-ton approach adds another important source of uncertainty to the benefits estimates. The 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS benefits analysis provides an indication of the sensitivity of our results to various assumptions.
One should note that the monetized benefits estimates provided above do not include benefits from several important benefit categories, including exposure to HAP, VOC and ozone exposure, as well as ecosystem effects and visibility impairment. Although we do not have sufficient information or modeling available to provide monetized estimates for these benefits in this rule, we include a qualitative assessment of these unquantified benefits in the RIA [33] for this proposal.
For more information on the benefits analysis, please refer to the RIA for this rule, which is available in the docket.
In analyzing the potential cost impacts of the proposed NSPS, we considered two types of impacts. The first was the impact to the manufacturer to comply with the proposed standards. The second was the increase in price of the affected unit. In both of these cases, we considered the same input variables: R&D cost to develop and certify complying model lines, certification costs (where these are separate from R&D), reporting and recordkeeping costs, numbers of shipments of each appliance category (modified, from Frost & Sullivan report), number of manufacturers, and number of models per manufacturer. This section of the preamble contains a summary of these costs. For more detailed information, see the manufacturer cost impact memo [34] and unit cost memo [35] in the docket. Unless otherwise specified, all costs are in 2010 dollars.
To develop average R&D costs, we reviewed information provided by manufacturers. Based on this information, we estimated [36] average costs to develop a new model line, including testing, of 356,250 for certified wood heaters and pellet heaters/stoves. We also assumed 356,250 for single burn rate wood heaters, which may be high if currently available units can meet the standards without significant modifications as some manufacturers have suggested. We also assumed development costs for forced-air furnaces and hydronic heaters of 356,250. Finally, we also assumed development costs of 356,250 for the masonry heaters. The estimates of the cost of R&D are crucial to our estimates of overall costs and economic impacts and greatly influence our decisions on BSER, implementation lead times and small volume provisions. Thus, we request specific comments on these estimates, including whether they should be reduced and thus allow greater emission reductions sooner.
We annualized the R&D costs over 6 years, applied the NSPS implementation assumptions, and estimated the average manufacturing cost per model line per manufacturer. Under the proposed rules, pellet heaters/stoves will only face certification (testing) costs (no R&D should be required), so we estimated certification costs of 10,000 per model line. Similarly, many masonry heater model lines that would comply with the proposed standards have already been developed. These manufacturers would also face certification costs of 10,000 per model line. We estimated post R&D period certification costs for hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces at 20,000 per model line.
The masonry heater compliance costs included implementation of a software package based on a European masonry heater design standard. This software has been verified in the laboratory and under field conditions to produce masonry heaters that would meet the proposed NSPS emission limits. The cost of this software to the user is approximately $1,500 for the package with an approximately $450 annual fee Start Printed Page 6351that commences in the second year following purchase. In addition, we believe that some manufacturers will use this approach to demonstrate that “similar” model designs meet the proposed emissions standards.
The estimate of the number of model types was derived from information provided by HPBA, individual manufacturers, and Internet searches of product offerings. For numbers of manufacturers, we started with HPBA data and modified the dataset based on Internet searches of manufacturers of the major appliance types. Table 9 is a summary of the nationwide average annual NSPS-related cost increases to manufacturers. The average annual cost increases are presented over the 2014 to 2022 period consistent with the years analyzed in the RIA,[37] as well as over the 2013 to 2038 period. The 2013 to 2038 period encompasses the first year of estimated NSPS-related costs (2013 since some companies have already started in anticipation of the NSPS) through the life span of models designed to meet the NSPS, as explained further below and in our background analyses.[38]
Table 9—Summary of Nationwide Average Annual Cost Increases
[2010$]
2014-2022 Period
Wood Heaters $4,212,303 $1,749,726
Single Burn Rate Heaters 901,732 456,316
Pellet Heaters/Stoves 3,460,489 1,702,796
Forced-Air Furnaces 2,252,284 1,171,222
Hydronic Heating Systems 4,554,152 2,221,551
Masonry Heaters 307,511 228,896
Total Average Annual Cost 15,688,471 7,530,507
To develop estimates of potential unit cost increases, we used major variables including the estimated number of units shipped per year, the costs to develop new models, baseline costs of models, and the schedule by which the proposed revised NSPS would be implemented. Both the number of shipped units and the baseline costs of models were based on data from the Frost & Sullivan report with modifications to address additional appliances or subsets of appliances. The 20-year model design life span and 20-year use/emitting appliance life span are based on actual historical design certification and heater use data. That is, the data show that many models developed for the current 1988 NSPS are still being sold (after 25 years), many “new” models still have the same internal working parts with merely exterior cosmetic changes, and most residential wood heaters in consumer homes emit for at least 20 years and often much longer. Therefore, our analysis tracks shipments and costs through year 2038 (i.e., 19 years after a model designed to meet the NSPS Step 2 emission limits expected to be implemented in 2020 has completed development and is shipped). Finally, we also estimated the potential additional manufacturing costs to make NSPS complying models. These expenses result from the use of more expensive structural materials, components to enhance good combustion, etc. We estimated the following additional manufacturer price increases per unit based on appliance type:
Certified wood heaters and pellet heaters/stoves represent a well-developed technology, and we could not identify price differences between models due solely to lower emission levels compared to models with higher emission levels. Rather, price differences are more closely related to cosmetic differences and output. Therefore, we have assumed no additional manufacturing costs.
One manufacturer estimated that it will cost an average of 100 more to manufacture a lower emitting single burn rate product.
We have seen a range of estimates for additional price increases for manufacture of a cleaner hydronic heater, with an average being approximately 3,000 (as compared to a typical pre-regulation sales price of 7,500).
We estimate that the additional price increases to manufacture a certified forced-air furnace will be comparable to the price increases for manufacturing certified hydronic heaters, i.e., $3,000 (as compared to a typical pre-regulation price of $900).
Our next step was to develop the following incremental cost formula: Cost of R&D multiplied by number of units shipped per year divided by number of models multiplied by model life equals the incremental cost of developing a new unit, spread over the number of units expected to be sold during the model life. In developing this calculation, we included the concept that the R&D costs per model line are recovered in the sales price of future models, which means that the more units that are sold or the longer the model life, the lower the incremental cost per unit. For our unit cost analysis, we assumed a flat growth rate in shipments—that is, we assumed future shipments over the 20 years of model design life would be equal to the shipments estimated in the first NSPS compliance year. We did not assume lower sales due to market competition with other wood heaters or non-wood heaters. We did not assume lower projected sales for increased prices because of the uncertainty of other demand factors. Where there are additional manufacturing costs as discussed above, we added these to the unit cost number. Table 10 is a summary of the baseline unit costs, NSPS unit costs, and incremental cost increase.Start Printed Page 6352
Table 10—Summary of Unit Cost Impacts
Post-NSPS
Incremental increase
Certified Wood Heaters $859 $883 $24
Single Burn Rate Heaters 253 479 226
Pellet Heaters/Stoves 1,295 1,319 24
Forced-Air Furnaces 912 4,174 3,262
Masonry Heaters 9,157 9,245-9,997 88-840
Hydronic Heating Systems 7,528 13,986 6,458
We request specific comments on these estimates, which significantly affect the estimates of costs per model lines and per unit sold and potential changes in sales and, thus, affect decisions on the affordability of candidate BSER. For example, if the number of model lines was less and the number of heaters per model line was greater, then the cost per unit sold would be less and more stringent options for BSER could potentially be implemented sooner.
The economic impacts of the proposed rule are estimated using industry-level estimates of annualized compliance cost to value of shipments (receipts) for affected industries. In this case, cost-to-receipts ratios approximate the maximum price increase needed for a producer to fully recover the annualized compliance costs associated with a regulation. Essentially, the revenues to producers will likely fully cover the annualized compliance cost incurred by producers at this maximum price increase. Any price increase above the cost-to-receipts ratio provides revenues that exceed the compliance costs. These industry level cost-to-receipts ratios can be interpreted as an average impact on potentially affected firms in these industries. Cost-to-receipts ratios for the affected product types range from 2.3 percent for pellet heaters/stoves up to 6.4 percent for single burn rate wood heaters for the proposed option. More information on how these impacts are estimated can be found in Chapters 5 and 6 of the RIA. In estimating the net benefits of regulation, the appropriate cost measure is “social costs.” Social costs represent the welfare costs of the rule to society. We believe that the social costs are best approximated by the compliance costs estimated for this rule. Thus, the annualized social costs for this proposal are best estimated to be $15.7 million for the proposed option, based on the estimate of costs to manufacturers for the proposal and assuming no cost pass-through to consumers. More information on how these social costs are estimated can be found in Chapter 5 of the RIA.
These proposed NSPS are anticipated to have no impacts or only negligible impacts on water quality or quantity, waste disposal, radiation or noise. To the extent new NSPS models are more efficient, that would lead to reduced wood consumption, thereby saving timber and preserving woodlands and vegetation for aesthetics, erosion control, carbon sequestration, and ecological needs.
It is difficult to determine the precise energy impacts that might result from this proposed rule. On the one hand, to the extent that the NSPS wood-fueled appliance is more efficient, energy outputs per mass of wood fuel consumed will rise. However, wood-fueled appliances compete with other biomass forms as well as more traditional oil, electricity, and natural gas. We have not determined the potential for consumers to choose other types of fuels and their associated appliances if the consumer costs of wood-fueled appliances increase and at what level that increase would drive consumer choice. Similarly, we have not determined the degree to which better information on the energy efficiency of the NSPS appliances will encourage consumers to choose new wood-fueled appliances over other new appliances.
As described in section II, the EPA has had ongoing discussions with many stakeholders regarding the need to expand the scope of the current residential wood heater regulation. Stakeholders described adverse health and environmental impacts arising from the increasing use of some appliances, actions taken at the state and local levels to address such concerns, and growth in types and numbers of appliances that are currently on the market. Numerous states (e.g., Vermont, New York, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota) have indicated to us that individuals' concerns about smoke from residential wood burning, particularly by hydronic heaters, are the top source of environmental complaints. In the case of masonry heaters, we believe EPA certification of these typically cleaner devices, would allow them to be excellent emission reduction alternatives to replace pre-NSPS wood heaters and be a good consumer alternative in parts of the country that currently ban uncertified appliances (contingent upon approval by the local jurisdiction). We also saw a need to address the residential heating market in a way that recognizes that some heaters and fuels are substitutes for each other. Regulating only one type of heater may result in unintended incentives for consumers to favor purchase and use of unregulated and potentially higher emitting devices. We felt a comprehensive assessment was needed. Therefore, as part of the NSPS review process, we evaluated a wide range of residential biomass heating devices and non-heating devices (such as cook stoves and fireplaces) to determine what expansions in scope might be needed.[39]
The residential wood heaters NSPS is a “standard of performance” as defined by section 111(a) of the CAA. The term “standard of performance” means a “standard for emissions of air pollutants which reflects the degree of emission limitation achievable through the application of the best system of emission reduction which (taking into account the cost of achieving such reduction and any non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements) the Administrator determines has been adequately demonstrated.” As discussed earlier, the level of control prescribed by section 111 historically has been commonly referred to as “Best Demonstrated Start Printed Page 6353Technology” or BDT. To better reflect that section 111 was amended in 1990 to clarify that “best systems” may or may not be “technology,” the EPA is now using the term “best systems of emission reduction” or BSER. As previously with BDT, in determining BSER, the EPA uses available information and considers the emissions reductions and incremental costs for different systems available at reasonable cost. The residential wood heaters source category is mass-produced residential consumer products, fundamentally different from the typical NSPS source category that regulated industrial processes. Thus, for the residential wood heaters source category important elements in determining BSER include the significant costs and environmental impacts of delaying production and sales while models with those systems are being designed, tested, field evaluated, and certified. The EPA determines the appropriate emission limits representative of BSER. After the emission limits are established, in general, the source may use whatever systems meet the emission limits. In developing the proposed rule, we evaluated possible systems both at baseline conditions (conditions in the absence of additional regulation) and under other scenarios. In most cases, candidate BSER for residential wood heaters is based on improved combustion techniques, primarily improvements in model-specific combinations of time, temperature, and turbulence. That is, the improved combustion models have greater airflow residence time, better insulation to increase temperatures, and passageways and directed flows to improve mixing and turbulence. In addition, some heaters also use catalytic combustors to reduce emissions. Each manufacturer has a potential myriad of combinations of specific designs that could incorporate these key aspects. Many systems reduce emissions significantly, increase efficiency, and provide good operator flexibility. The key differences tend to be confidential business information as to the specifics of the combination that the manufacturer uses and does not share with other manufacturers but rather holds as proprietary. Similarly, the industry trade association cannot facilitate exchange of such information because of antitrust regulations. Because each appliance type has a potentially unique emissions profile, market niche, and manufacturer profile, we made BSER determinations for each heater type, as described below.
For certain types of devices, information is lacking. For example, we have no information or very limited information on emissions and emission reduction techniques for cook stoves, pizza ovens, chimineas, coal stoves and biomass (other than wood or wood pellet) stoves/furnaces (e.g., fueled with grass, corn, cherry pits). We are interested in receiving data for contributions to air quality, endangerment of public health and welfare, emissions, potential emission reductions, costs, prices, and sales of coal stoves and biomass stoves because we believe we do not have sufficient information at this time to list these sources under section 111(b) and develop proposed standards. For example, usage rates of some of these appliances are limited both in numbers of new units and in the number of markets they occupy. Also, some stakeholders have stated that use of coal stoves is more common in some coal mining regions, where the consumer may have access to free or cheap coal, but such stoves are not typically used in other areas. We request data on any of these appliances that might help us potentially develop national programs or standards for these devices in the future.
We are also deferring any regulatory action addressing emissions from wood-burning fireplaces at this time. Fireplaces typically are not designed to be “wood heaters” and thus are not within the current scope of the “residential wood heater” source category listed on February 18, 1987, pursuant to the authority of section 111(b). (Fireplaces are typically used for ambience and most of the heat content of the wood is lost out the chimney with the relatively large amounts of excess combustion air rather than heating the room. For effective heating, some homeowners have inserted a new EPA certified wood stove into an otherwise open masonry fireplace. In those cases, new wood heaters/stoves are regulated under the current 1988 rule and would be regulated by this proposal. Also, some fireplaces have restricted excess combustion air to less than 35:1 air-to-fuel ratio and are certified under the current 1988 NSPS.) Fireplaces are addressed in the current EPA voluntary partnership program that encourages the development and sale of lower-emitting wood-burning fireplaces over the sale of higher-emitting fireplaces. The EPA's fireplace program covers new masonry and prefabricated (low-mass) fireplaces and retrofit devices for existing fireplaces. See the voluntary partnership program Web site for more information: www.epa.gov/burnwise/participation.html#fireplace. We request comments and additional data on contributions to air quality, endangerment of public health and welfare, emissions, potential emission reductions, costs, prices, and sales of fireplaces. We request data that might help us potentially develop new or revised national programs or a source category listing and standards under section 111(b) for these devices in the future. We are especially interested in data on current and projected sales of new wood-burning fireplaces versus gas-fired fireplaces, current and projected usage patterns for new fireplaces versus existing fireplaces, current and projected quantities of wood burned per existing and new fireplaces, current and projected best systems of emission reduction for new fireplaces versus existing fireplaces and costs of current and projected best systems versus current costs of fireplaces. Also, we are interested in national data and how these data vary by state and local areas.
As discussed earlier in this preamble, the proposed subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR recognize that the sources covered by these subparts are fundamentally different from the typical NSPS source category in that residential wood heaters are mass-produced residential consumer products whereas most NSPS regulate industrial processes. Discussions in sections V.B.1 through V.B.4 of this preamble focus on the analysis of PM emission reductions under our proposed two-step phased-in standards for each appliance type affected by this proposal. In general, for this rulemaking, we have determined that the proposed first step represents the emission levels that almost all models can readily achieve now using today's designs and technology. Further, we have determined that the proposed second step represents stronger emission levels achievable for all appliance types at reasonable cost, but allows appropriate lead times for manufacturers to redesign their model lines to accommodate the improved technology across multiple model lines and test, field evaluate, and certify the new model lines. See section V.B.5 for a discussion of the Alternative Approach we considered to reduce PM emissions based on three-step phased-in standards, under which the strongest emission standard would be 8 years after the effective date of the final rule rather than the proposed 5 years. Section V.B.6 discusses other provisions Start Printed Page 6354we considered and for which we request additional data and information from commenters.
For these source categories, our BSER determination rests on: (1) the achievability of the proposed emission levels (i.e., the fact that top-performing models for each appliance type are already achieving the proposed emission levels); and (2) the cost effectiveness of the proposed standards when considering the design life span and the emitting life span of the appliances in residences. The net monetized benefits of the proposal far exceed the costs for all options considered. Realistic model design and appliance emitting life span assumptions are essential components for a meaningful cost effectiveness analysis. As explained above in section IV.C. and in our background documentation,[40] a model design life span of 20 years is supported by the historical data that show that the non-cosmetic aspects of wood heaters designed to meet the 1988 NSPS are still being used today in some model lines. While some manufacturers may choose to make more frequent cosmetic changes to their models, the internal design changes a manufacturer must make to a wood heater model line to comply with the NSPS are longer lasting. Furthermore, once installed in consumer homes, wood heaters emit for at least 20 years and many are operated in residences for much longer time periods (a key fact motivating wood heater/stove changeout programs). Once purchased, consumers tend to only replace appliances when they no longer serve their functional purpose. Wood heaters tend to serve the basic function of producing heat for well over 20 years. Table 11 presents our estimated cumulative costs, PM2.5 emission reductions, and associated cost per ton for our proposed limits, based on a model design life span of 20 years and an appliance emitting life span of 20 years.
For all of the standards proposed in this Federal Register notice, the EPA invites specific comments on the data and analyses on which we base the proposed standards. Moreover, the EPA invites specific comments that provide additional data and analyses that would support a different standard. Interested persons should note that the EPA will consider promulgating a more stringent or less stringent standard than what we are proposing for any of these categories, if the record contains data or analyses that support a different standard.
Table 11—Cost Effectiveness of PM2.5 Emission Reductions of Proposed Standards and Emission Co-Reductions Based on Cumulative Analysis
[2013-2057] 41
Nationwide cumulative cost (2010$)
PM2.5 reductions
VOC Co-Reductions
CO Co-Reductions
Cumulative emission reduction (tons)
Cost per ton (2010$)
Cord Wood Stoves $45,492,874 96,523 $471 136,293 $334 1,426,240 $32
Single Burn Rate Stoves 11,864,204 236,254 50 416,828 28 1,602,218 7
Pellet Stoves 44,272,694 29,269 1,513 392 112,894 152,082 291
Furnaces 30,451,763 823,770 37 349,207 87 5,491,797 6
Hydronic Heaters 57,760,316 360,587 160 152,858 378 2,403,916 24
Total * 189,841,851 1,546,403 123 1,055,578 180 11,076,253 17
* NOTE: Masonry Heaters are not included in this analysis because representative emission tons per appliance could not be determined.
The current subpart AAA definition of “wood heater” specifies certain conditions, including that affected sources are those that have an air-to-fuel ratio of less than 35:1. As part of the regulatory negotiation for the current 1988 NSPS, the EPA included the air-to-fuel criterion in the rule primarily to exclude typical fireplaces from the affected source definition. An unintended side effect, however, is that it also resulted in the exclusion of the majority of pellet heaters/stoves. Also included in the current 1988 NSPS definition of “wood heater” is an exclusion of heaters that have a minimum burn rate of greater than 5 kg/hr. The definition and test methods had the effect of excluding a large number of single burn rate wood heaters. As described below, we are proposing to change the applicability of subpart AAA to include all three types of “room heater” appliances: adjustable burn rate wood heaters, pellet heaters/stoves and single burn rate wood heaters. Our intent is that this rule will be stated in broad enough terms to regulate any future room heater appliances that may come into the U.S. market and function as room heaters.
Adjustable burn rate wood heaters include freestanding heaters and heaters modified to fit within a firebox (sometimes called fireplace inserts). These units were the primary focus of the 1988 NSPS and are subject to current NSPS limits of 7.5 g/hr for noncatalytic heaters and 4.1 g/hr for catalytic heaters. As discussed in the February 26, 1988, final rule (53 FR 5865) and earlier in this preamble, the EPA considered the performance of catalytic heaters and noncatalytic heaters co-BDT (now called BSER) because the net emissions over time were estimated to be similar (even though the initial certification test results are typically lower for catalytic models) assuming possible degradation of the catalyst and lack of catalyst replacement by the operator. The EPA considered requiring catalyst Start Printed Page 6355replacement on a regular schedule, but determined that enforcement of such a requirement would be difficult. The EPA did require manufacturers to provide 2-year unconditional warranties on the catalysts and prohibited the operation of catalytic heaters/stoves without a catalyst. Additionally, because of these concerns, the EPA wanted to ensure that further development of both noncatalytic and catalytic technology would continue.
Since the 1988 NSPS was developed, the state of Washington issued standards in 1995 imposing limits of 4.5 g/hr for noncatalytic heaters and 2.5 g/hr for catalytic heaters. In developing the proposed revisions to the NSPS, we evaluated and identified these “improved” catalytic and noncatalytic systems and associated emission levels as the proposed Step 1. This analysis showed that the state of Washington level of 4.5 g/hr is achieved by 107 out of 121 (88 percent) of the EPA-certified adjustable burn rate wood heater models in production and sold in the U.S. today (noncatalytic and catalytic models combined). This statistic includes 92 of the 106 certified noncatalytic wood heater models (87 percent) and 15 of the 15 certified catalytic models (100 percent). The median certification value for noncatalytic models was 3.2 g/hr and for all certified models was 3.4 g/hr. Details of the analysis are in the docket.[42]
For the proposed Step 2 (5 years after the effective date of the final standard), we considered “state-of-the-art” systems that achieve a certification value of 1.3 g/hr (using crib wood as the test fuel as specified in Method 28 as required by the 1988 NSPS). This is approximately 50 percent less than the 1995 state of Washington standard for catalytic models (2.5 g/hr). The EPA certification test data show that a level of 1.3 g/hr is achieved by 27 adjustable burn rate wood heater models as of December 2013. This includes 11 certified noncatalytic wood heater models and 16 certified catalytic models. There were no apparent break points other than the current state of Washington initial certification level of 4.5 g/hr for noncatalytic heaters. That is, the distribution of certification values was relatively linear with no step functions other than at the state of Washington level of 4.5 g/hr. We ask for comments and emission test data using cord wood to help us determine if the proposed emission levels should be adjusted for any differences between crib wood and cord wood.
This source category is fundamentally different from the typical NSPS source category composed of industrial processes. This source category involves the manufacture and sale of mass-produced residential consumer products that are significantly affected by production and sales volumes and timing of testing and certification. Thus, we are proposing implementing the proposed Step 2 BSER emission limit 5 years after the effective date of the final standard to allow for longer lead times for redesign, testing, field evaluation and certification. This also spreads the costs over a longer time and a larger number of units. The intent behind the proposed Step 2 BSER emission limit is to recognize that current state-of-the-art level of performance appears to be significantly better than the state of Washington limit of 4.5 g/hr met by over 85 percent of the heaters sold today on a sales-weighted basis (i.e., 92 out of 106 noncatalytic models and 15 out of 15 catalytic models), and furthermore better than the state of Washington catalytic limit of 2.5 g/hr for over 25 percent of the adjustable burn rate wood heaters sold in the U.S. today (i.e., 20 out of 106 or approximately 19 percent of noncatalytic models and 13 out of 15 or approximately 87 percent of catalytic models). As noted earlier and discussed more fully in the paragraphs below, our decisions on BSER for this source category have fully considered not only the emission performance but also the cost and economic impacts, including the costs to accommodate the best systems in additional model lines. The net monetized benefits far exceed the costs of all options considered.
The cost impacts of the proposed Step 1 are very small. This is because, despite being a limit that was originally developed for only one state, over 85 percent of currently EPA-certified non-catalytic and catalytic heaters that are in active production already meet the state of Washington initial certification test values. We also believe production of any certified heaters that do not meet the proposed Step 1 standard would be discontinued, as manufacturers would likely focus on models that already comply with the proposed standard in the short term. While implementing the proposed Step 1 standard would not impose any significant additional costs on most of the manufacturers, it also would not achieve a large amount of new emissions reductions for most of the models. However, implementing an emission standard associated with the proposed Step 1 would have the benefit of ensuring consistent nationwide standards and ensuring that the remaining 15 percent of non-complying adjustable burn rate wood heater models could no longer be sold. It would also ensure that wood heater/stove changeout programs aimed at reducing emissions from old, pre-NSPS or pre-state of Washington heaters/stoves would result in replacement models that meet the state of Washington levels or better.
The proposed Step 1 limit eliminates the distinction between catalytic and non-catalytic heater models, which we view as progress. It is important to remember that the lower emission level catalytic standards were initially instituted because of concerns that the early generation catalysts would degrade over time, resulting in eventual real world emission levels comparable to non-catalytic units. After 25 years of catalyst heater development experience, manufacturers have demonstrated that the performance of these heaters typically remains consistently good over the course of proper operation because of changes manufacturers have made to improve heater design to protect the catalysts from flame impingement and other factors that previously caused catalysts to degrade significantly. For example, one recent study of four catalytic combustors from the two selected heaters/stoves showed that the combustors maintained substrate integrity without substantial PM emissions performance reduction.[43] Therefore, establishing a separate limit to accommodate “degradation” seems to create a distinction where none exists and adds unnecessary confusion to the overall regulation.
We recognize that there may be concern that a single limit based on the Washington State non-catalytic limit could result in “backsliding” of current catalytic heater models. We think that the likelihood of actual backsliding is extremely low because of other factors driving the wood heater market. Given the pending implementation of the proposed Step 2 limits described below and that some manufacturers have heaters that already achieve Step 2, all manufacturers would have market incentives to improve performance as soon as possible rather than degrade performance. Also, with consumer education regarding the impacts of PM emission levels, we believe that consumer pressure will favor better performing units that in general are more energy efficient and lower Start Printed Page 6356emitting at reasonable cost, especially as they compare wood heaters and gas heaters. However, we are requesting comments on whether we should maintain a separate, lower limit for catalytic heater models for the proposed Step 1 emission limits, based on the current state of Washington catalytic standard of 2.5 g/hr.
The proposed Step 2 state-of-the-art BSER cost and economic impacts would be significant, but our analysis shows a very reasonable cost per ton of emission reduction when considering the typical design and appliance life spans.[44] Our data show that at the proposed Step 2 BSER emission level of 1.3 g/hr, about 20 percent of catalytic models and 5 percent of noncatalytic models currently manufactured would already comply with the proposed Step 2 standard. Thus, manufacturers would need to either modify noncomplying lines or develop new ones to continue production for approximately 95 percent of the current market. Some unknown fraction of manufacturers may be able to switch some of their production from noncomplying models to complying models. Because we do not know this fraction, because the total of complying units is only 6 percent (combined catalytic and non-catalytic models) at this time, and because many manufacturers have no complying models at this time, we have assumed this fraction to be zero for our analysis. Historically, those manufacturers that chose to comply with the 1988 NSPS did so for a full range of models. Thus, our analysis shows the potential emission and cost impacts for the approximately 95 percent of adjustable burn rate wood heater models projected to undertake R&D needed to develop the heater-specific combinations of time, temperature, and turbulence to achieve higher efficiencies and lower (proposed Step 2 compliant) emissions. That is, although the manufacturers know the factors that are important for good combustion and low emissions, they still need to develop and test the laboratory-specific combinations that can be incorporated into the design of specific model lines. Alternatively, some manufacturers might convert noncatalytic models to catalytic models or hybrids as ways to reduce emissions.
We estimated the resulting nationwide costs based on the cost assumptions explained in section IV.C. The average annual cost increase to manufacturers of adjustable burn rate wood heaters during the 2014 through 2022 period analyzed in the RIA is approximately $4.2 million. Estimated nationwide annual PM2.5 emissions, averaged over this same period (2014-2022), are projected to be 548 tons/year under baseline conditions versus 385 tons/year under the proposed two-step BSER, an average reduction of 163 tons/year, considering only the first year of emissions for each new heater sold. Given that limited snapshot for these cost and emission estimates, the average cost of reducing each new ton of PM2.5 emissions during the 2014-2022 period would be approximately $26,000 per ton annually. As explained in section IV.C, the cost-to-sales ratio, which is an indicator of the ability of the manufacturer to successfully absorb the regulatory impacts, is high at 4.3 percent. However, when considering the total costs and cumulative emission reductions over the more representative full model design life span and appliance emitting life span of 20 years; the overall cost effectiveness is approximately $500 per ton (shown above in Table 11).[45]
Given the reasonable cost effectiveness of imposing the two-step BSER when considering total costs and cumulative emission reductions, and given the 6-year lead time (from the date of these proposed standards) until models must meet the proposed Step 2 emission limit, we determined that the two-step phased-in emission limits represent BSER for these residential consumer product appliances at this time. Thus, we are proposing a two-step standard for adjustable burn rate wood heaters, in which Proposed Step 1 is required upon the effective date of the final rule and Proposed Step 2 is required 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. Section V.B.5 discusses a three-step alternative approach that we also considered for adjustable burn rate wood heaters, and on which we are seeking comment.
We note that there have been some technical questions associated with measuring the emission levels associated with the proposed Step 2, which we are addressing in this proposed rule. That is, the currently available laboratory proficiency test results cast some doubt on the reproducibility of test results at lower levels of the standard for the current EPA Test Method 28. An HPBA analysis [46] found that the repeatability and reproducibility of the current test method for wood heater emissions, as demonstrated by the EPA-accredited laboratory proficiency test data, may be poor based on the scope of their analysis. Their analysis stated:
“At the 95-percent confidence level, repeatability for the EPA weighted average emission rate is at best ±2.9 g/hr and ranged as high as ±5.4 g/hr.”
“The reproducibility was no better than ±4.5 g/hr and ranged as high as ±6.4 g/hr.”
We believe some mitigating factors are not accounted for in their analysis, such as the lack of regulatory requirements or incentives for the test laboratories to achieve highly reproducible results in proficiency testing (i.e., the laboratories are not required to meet a certain proficiency level; they are not paid for the proficiency tests, but rather they absorb the costs as part of their overhead; and, in some cases, they intentionally staged the test to demonstrate that variability was possible within the current protocol). Also, these factors do not reflect the proposed changes to improve the repeatability and reproducibility of the test method. Consequently, we believe the previous results merit consideration of concerns about implementing a lower emission standard, but they do not mean that lower emission standards cannot be measured accurately. For example, the State of Washington Department of Ecology has successfully used lower emission levels in their regulations since 1995, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has used lower levels for tax credits for low-emitting pellet heaters/stoves.
As noted earlier in this section, we ask for comments and emission test data using cord wood to help us determine if the proposed emission levels should be adjusted for any differences between crib wood and cord wood.
Several certified pellet heaters/stoves are subject to current subpart AAA. However, most models currently offered for sale are exempt due to air-to-fuel ratios greater than 35:1. We considered candidate options similar to those discussed earlier for wood heaters/stoves, i.e., improved catalytic and improved noncatalytic systems and state-of-the-art systems. Our data set for currently manufactured U.S. pellet heaters/stoves, for which we have reproducible emissions data, contains 24 models, of which 23 would meet the 4.5 g/hr proposed Step 1 BSER emission limit. We also compared the listings of certified pellet heaters/stoves for both the EPA and the state of Washington. Of the 224 pellet heater/stove models from both lists, 221 models produced by 35 manufacturers would meet the state of Start Printed Page 6357Washington emission standard. Only three models produced by three manufacturers would not meet the standard. Assuming that the rest of the pellet heater/stove market has comparable performance, we would expect to see only a small cost impact of requiring the proposed Step 1 BSER emission levels of 4.5 g/hr for noncatalytic and catalytic pellet heaters in terms of having to redesign units to meet the proposed Step 1 BSER.
Even though additional R&D would not be required to meet the proposed Step 1 BSER, manufacturers would need to test and certify their heaters/stoves to sell them after the effective data of the final rule, which we expect to occur in 2015. Some manufacturers of pellet heaters/stoves have started incurring costs in anticipation of the final rule. They would also incur ongoing recertification costs for the fraction of heaters/stoves with expiring certifications.
Some stakeholders have argued that pellet heaters/stoves are relatively cleaner burning than other wood heaters and that regulation is not needed. Other stakeholders have argued that pellet heater/stove standards should be tighter to show how clean they are and encourage consumers to purchase pellet heaters/stoves instead of cord wood heaters/stoves. Considering both positions, and because pellet heaters/stoves are cleaner burning in general, we think there is environmental value in ensuring they have an EPA certification so they can be sold in jurisdictions that require such certification of any wood-burning appliance (contingent upon approval by the local jurisdiction). This would help avoid a competitive imbalance regarding wood heaters. Also, we believe there is environmental value in having third-party accredited laboratory test results available in all areas so that consumers can make informed choices among competing residential heaters.
We are also proposing implementation of a Step 2 state-of-the-art BSER 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. We estimate that at least 30 percent of current U.S. pellet heater/stove models already meet the proposed Step 2 emission level. We assume that manufacturers will either modify the remaining models or invest in developing new model lines that can meet the proposed Step 2 emission level. This assumption may somewhat overstate the potential cost and economic impacts of requiring a proposed Step 2 BSER, because some noncomplying models will be dropped and manufacturers may consolidate their model lines in the short term. However, we do not know how many models will be dropped. This industry has a history of manufacturing a wide range of choices of models for the marketplace.
The nationwide annualized total costs are significant based on our cost assumptions explained in section IV.C and in our background documentation.[47] The average annual cost increase to manufacturers of pellet heaters/stoves during the 2014 through 2022 period analyzed in the RIA is approximately $3.5 million. Estimated nationwide annual PM2.5 emissions, averaged over this same period (2014-2022), are projected to be 199 tons/year under baseline conditions versus 150 tons/year under the proposed two-step BSER, an average reduction of 49 tons/year, considering only the first year of emissions for each new heater sold. Given this limited snapshot for these cost and emission estimates, the average cost of reducing each new ton of PM2.5 emissions during the 2014-2022 period is approximately $71,000 per ton annually as compared to the monetized health benefits of $360,000 per ton to $810,000 per ton of reducing direct PM2.5. The annualized cost-to-sales ratio is 2.3 percent. However, when considering the total costs and cumulative emission reductions over the more representative full model design life span and appliance emitting life span of pellet heaters/stoves, the overall cost effectiveness is approximately $1,500 per ton (shown above in Table 11).[48]
Given the reasonable cost effectiveness of imposing the proposed two-step BSER when considering total costs and cumulative emission reductions, and given the 6-year lead time (from the date of these proposed standards) until model lines must come into compliance with the proposed Step 2 limit, we determined that the two-step phased-in limits represent BSER for these residential consumer appliances at this time. Thus, we are proposing a two-step standard for pellet heaters/stoves, in which Proposed Step 1 is required upon the effective date of the final rule, and Proposed Step 2 is required 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. Section V.B.5 discusses a three-step alternative approach that we also considered for pellet heater/stoves, and on which we are seeking comment.
Single burn rate wood heaters represent a huge regulatory exemption in the current residential wood heater market. We estimate that over 40,000 of these units are sold per year. We evaluated all of the available emission data and discussed the state of R&D with manufacturers of single burn rate wood heaters. The data show that the BSER for single burn rate wood heaters based on improved combustion could achieve the same emission levels for one individual burn rate category as adjustable burn rate category wood heaters do for the weighted average of four burn rates. To compare single burn rate emissions to adjustable burn rate emissions, however, one must remember that single burn rate wood heaters are by definition incapable of operating at the lowest burn rates, and that these low burn rates result in the greatest level of emissions in an adjustable burn rate wood heater. Thus, the certification test method for single burn rate wood heaters must be modified to take the single burn rate into account (instead of the multiple burn rates for the adjustable rate heaters). For example a rate of 3.0 g/hr could be considered to be equivalent to the state of Washington standards (of 4.5 g/hr for adjustable burn rate wood heaters) adjusted to the single burn rate.
Considering that single burn rate wood heaters will not be expected to operate at the typically higher-emitting burn rates, we expect the majority of single burn rate wood heaters to meet the proposed Step 1 BSER limit of 4.5 g/hr for adjustable burn rate wood heaters, if the design is focused on one optimal single burn rate. However, some models would require modifications to ensure that they consistently pass the test and to add tamper-proof settings to ensure that operators do not circumvent the intent of the NSPS. For our analyses, we assumed that all existing models would need to be modified through R&D, resulting in significant emission reductions to achieve the proposed Step 1 BSER. We request specific data and comments regarding these assumptions. Since 2009, single burn rate wood heater designs have been undergoing R&D in anticipation of the proposed NSPS, and the information that we have from industry is that cleaner designs are nearly market-ready.[49] Nonetheless, because these devices were previously unregulated and may need to transfer technology from adjustable burn rate wood heaters, our cost analysis assumed that R&D efforts would intensify in order to meet the proposed Step 1 standard while also beginning R&D to develop models to meet the more stringent proposed Step 2 BSER limit. Specifically, for single burn rate wood Start Printed Page 6358heaters, we doubled our R&D estimate of $356,250 per model for other appliances in these early years.
The nationwide annualized total costs are based on the cost assumptions explained in section IV.B and in the background documentation.[50] The average annual cost increase to manufacturers of single burn rate heaters during the 2014 through 2022 period analyzed in the RIA is approximately $902,000. Estimated nationwide annual PM2.5 emissions, averaged over this same period (2014-2022), are projected to be 932 tons/year under the baseline (unregulated) condition versus 178 tons/year under the proposed two-step BSER, an average reduction of 754 tons/year, considering only the first year of emissions for each new heater sold. Given this limited snapshot for these cost and emission estimates, the average cost of reducing each new ton of PM2.5 emissions during the 2014-2022 period is approximately $1,200 per ton annually as compared to the monetized health benefits of $360,000 per ton to $810,000 per ton of reducing direct PM2.5. The cost-to-sales ratio is 6.4 percent and is calculated based on only the initial 5-year period. However, when considering the total costs and cumulative emission reductions over the more representative full model design life span and appliance emitting life span, the overall cost effectiveness is approximately $50 per ton (shown above in Table 11).[51]
Given the reasonable cost effectiveness of imposing the two-step BSER when considering total costs and cumulative emission reductions, and given the 6-year lead time (from the date of these proposed standards) until new model lines must meet the proposed Step 2 emission limit, we determined that the two-step phased-in limits represent BSER for these residential consumer appliances at this time. Thus, we are proposing a two-step standard for single burn rate wood heaters, in which Proposed Step 1 is required upon the effective date of the final rule and Proposed Step 2 is required 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. Section V.B.5 discusses a three-step alternative approach that we also considered for single burn rate wood heaters, and on which we are seeking comment.
We are proposing subpart QQQQ for wood-burning appliances that function as “central heaters” with the purpose of heating the entire residence, including current new residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces. Our intent is that this rule will be stated in broad enough terms to regulate any future central heater wood-burning appliances that may come into the U.S. market and function as central heaters. In this section, we describe our rationale for determining BSER and the associated proposed emission standards for both hydronic heating systems (“hydronic heaters”) and forced-air furnaces. As discussed earlier in this preamble, the source categories to be regulated by proposed subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR are fundamentally different from the typical NSPS source category that includes industrial processes whereas subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR include mass-produced residential consumer products. Thus, additional factors are included in the analyses presented today. Section V.B.2.a. below discusses hydronic heaters. Section V.B.2.b. discusses forced-air furnaces.
As described in section II.D, hydronic heaters (commonly known as “outdoor wood boilers” although there are indoor units as well) are the subject of an EPA voluntary partnership program, started in January 2007. The EPA's voluntary partnership program provided criteria in 2007 for qualification of units to be approximately 70 percent cleaner than unqualified models (Phase 1, “orange hangtag”). In October 2008, the program evolved to Phase 2, and EPA-qualified Phase 2 (“white hangtag”) units are approximately 90 percent cleaner than older, pre-program unqualified units. Under the Phase 2 voluntary partnership program, new qualified models must emit no more than 0.32 lb/MMBtu of heat output and have a cap of 18 g/hr on any individual test run conducted during the qualifying test. (As noted in the hydronic heaters test method discussion in this preamble, the EPA, the manufacturers, the laboratories, and key states conducted an additional review of the test reports to support these qualifications and made some changes to the test methods to improve the reliability and reproducibility of the test results.)
The proposed Step 1 emission limit for hydronic heaters is the Phase 2 qualifying level of the hydronic heater voluntary partnership program, 0.32 lb/MMBtu. There are currently 36 models (27 cord wood and 9 pellet models) built by 17 U.S. manufacturers that have been qualified to meet the 2008 Phase 2 level of 0.32 lb/MM BTU.[52] In almost all cases, the manufacturers developed models that rely upon improved combustion techniques, primarily improvements in time, temperature, and turbulence. That is, the improved combustion models have greater residence time, separation of the firebox and the water jacket and the addition of better heat exchangers and better insulation to increase temperatures, and passageways and directed flows to improve mixing and turbulence. In some cases, manufacturers are also using catalyst technology. Each manufacturer has developed their own confidential business combinations of specific designs that incorporate these key aspects and some other techniques.
In addition to the voluntary partnership program, the EPA provided technical and financial support for NESCAUM to develop a model rule for outdoor hydronic heaters, which several states have adopted or plan to adopt to regulate those units in their jurisdictions. The model rule Phase 2 emission limits and the voluntary partnership program Phase 2 emission levels/caps are identical, and are the same as our proposed Step 1 limit. In several states, the Phase 2 emission levels have become regulatory requirements for new units. Based on our experience with the hydronic heater market through the voluntary partnership program, we understand that it is dominated by a few manufacturers in terms of the bulk of sales, and each of these manufacturers has at least one qualifying model already.
For these reasons, we consider the Phase 2 voluntary partnership program level the appropriate emission level for the NSPS proposed Step 1 BSER, effective upon the effective date of the final rule. As noted above, there are currently 36 models (27 cord wood and 9 pellet models) built by 17 U.S. manufacturers that have already been qualified to meet the Phase 2 voluntary partnership program level of 0.32 lb/MM BTU.
The EPA believes the proposed Step 2 limit for hydronic heaters is achievable for some manufacturers now and would be achievable for all manufacturers 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. We consider this compliance period a reasonable amount of time for manufacturers to complete development across model lines and complete testing, field evaluation, and Start Printed Page 6359certification so that sufficient models are ready for sale. We reviewed all the hydronic heater emission data available, and we found our proposed Step 2 emission limit of 0.06 lb/MMBtu is already met by 4 hydronic heater models (2 cord wood and 2 pellet models) built by 2 U.S. manufacturers (using crib wood as specified in Method 28 WHH in the voluntary partnership program),[53] as well as over 50 European models per test method EN 303-05 (which uses cord wood).[54] We ask for comments and emission test data using cord wood and different test methods to help us determine if the proposed emission levels should be adjusted for any differences in test methods and test fuels, e.g., between crib wood and cord wood.
Our review of the available data also showed a break point at the emission level of 0.15 lb/MMBtu heat output. We considered this break point as a candidate for interim Step 2 in the three-step Alternative Approach, as discussed in section III above. Several years ago, we discussed the 0.15 lb/MMBtu level with the voluntary program stakeholders, including states and manufacturers, as a potential future “Phase 3” interim target in the voluntary partnership program to reduce emissions to approximately one-half of the Phase 2 voluntary partnership program level. Some of the manufacturers responded quickly to this informal target and now 11 of the 36 models (6 cord wood and 5 pellet models) that currently qualify under the Phase 2 voluntary partnership program already qualify at an emission level of 0.15 lb/MMBtu or better.
The proposed BSER levels include both outdoor hydronic heaters and indoor hydronic heaters. The initial manufacturers who actively participated in the voluntary partnership program were primarily manufacturers of outdoor units, due to the very large concern about the health effects of emissions from the outdoor units and the fact that over 90 percent of hydronic heater sales were and still are for outdoor models. When we moved to Phase 2 of the voluntary partnership program in October 2008, we explicitly included indoor units to more strongly encourage cleaner indoor units and to provide another tool for the states and local jurisdictions, especially since some states were concerned that some high-emitting indoor units were avoiding rules that only specified outdoor units. Indoor and outdoor models compete in the marketplace and having standards on only outdoor units would provide a market advantage to indoor models. Indoor and outdoor models both can use currently available improved combustion and improved heat transfer techniques to achieve similar emission levels. Given the number of years the voluntary partnership program has already been in existence, we believe our proposed Step 1 limit upon the effective date of the final rule and the proposed Step 2 limit 5 years after the effective date of the final standard provide reasonable lead time to incorporate BSER in both outdoor and indoor residential consumer models. We ask for specific comments and data on this determination and the degree to which other options would be appropriate.
We estimate that there are 30 manufacturers producing approximately 120 hydronic heater models for sale in the U.S. On a sales-weighted basis, less than 25 percent of the models currently sold would need to undertake R&D to meet the proposed Step 1 BSER limit, with a higher percentage that would need to undertake R&D to meet the proposed Step 2 BSER limit. We assumed that any manufacturer undertaking R&D to develop a new model would aim to meet the proposed Step 2 limit to maximize the lifetime of the resulting product, while shifting production to models that already meet the proposed Step 1 limit. For our cost analysis, we assumed that 100 percent of the 120 hydronic heater models would incur NSPS-related R&D costs to achieve the proposed Step 2 BSER limit. Considering typical R&D lead times, and even the different starting dates for outdoor versus indoor manufactures, we concluded that 5 years after the effective date of the final standard is an achievable compliance deadline for both outdoor and indoor models, even if they were just starting their R&D now. As discussed earlier in this preamble, most manufacturers have known of the hydronic heater emission concerns for over 7 years already.
We also investigated the performance of European models in considering BSER options. Several European countries have already established emission limits, and they are considering more stringent limits in the near future. This has encouraged the European industry to develop more energy efficient and lower emitting technologies. Most of these state-of-the-art models use multiple-stage combustion and some use oxygen sensors and CO sensors and automated feedback controls to help optimize combustion conditions. A concern in comparing the emission performance of European models with North American models is the difference in test methods. All European models are tested on cord wood fuel in Europe by European laboratories to meet European standards. Few have been imported to the U.S. (by U.S. companies) and very few have been tested in the U.S. according to U.S. testing requirements. However, a recent report [55] included an effort to compare the performance of the European models to U.S. type performance standards. Although a perfect comparison is not possible due to differences in duty-cycle (i.e., proportion of time the unit is operating) to be evaluated in the test and the emissions sampling and analysis protocols, the analysis indicates that the top 20 percent performing European wood boilers (i.e., hydronic heaters) in the size range of 120,000-170,000 Btu would meet an output-based emission rate of 0.06 lb/MMBtu using the European test methods. The underlying test data and limited comparative testing show that over 50 European models would likely be considered state-of-the-art BSER and be capable of meeting the proposed Step 2 BSER associated emission level of 0.06 lb/MMBtu heat output, using EN 303-05, which specifies cord wood as the test fuel. We ask for comments and emission test data using different test methods and cord wood to help us determine if the proposed emission levels should be adjusted for any differences in test methods and between fuels, e.g., crib wood and cord wood.
The nationwide annualized total costs are based on the cost assumptions explained in section IV.C and in the background documentation.[56] The average annual cost increase to manufacturers of hydronic heaters during the 2014 through 2022 period anlayzed in the RIA is approximately $4.6 million. Estimated nationwide annual PM2.5 emissions, averaged over this same period (2014-2022), are projected to be 1,332 tons/year under the baseline (unregulated) condition versus 84 tons/year under the proposed two-step BSER, an average reduction of 1,249 tons/year, considering only the first year of emissions for each new heater sold. Given this limited snapshot for these cost and emission estimates, the average cost of reducing each new Start Printed Page 6360ton of PM2.5 emissions during the 2014-2022 period is approximately $3,600 per ton annually. The annualized cost-to-sales ratio is 3.3 percent for hydronic heater models. However, when considering the total costs and cumulative emission reductions over the more representative full model design life span and appliance emitting life span, the overall cost effectiveness is approximately $160 per ton (shown above in Table 11).[57]
Given the reasonable cost effectiveness of imposing the two-step BSER, and given the 6-year lead time (from the date of these proposed standards) until model lines must come into compliance with the proposed Step 2 limit, we determined that the two-step phased-in limits represent BSER for these residential consumer appliances at this time. Thus, we are proposing a two-step standard for hydronic heaters, in which Proposed Step 1 is required upon the effective date of the final rule, and Proposed Step 2 is required 5 years after publication of the final rule. Section V.B.5 discusses a three-step alternative approach that we also considered for hydronic heaters, and on which we are seeking comment.
Emissions from wood-fired, forced-air furnaces have not previously received much attention in the U.S. However, industry information suggests that there are three times more sales of wood-fired, forced-air furnaces each year compared to wood-fired hydronic heaters. These units are relatively easy to retrofit into existing structures, and their sales price is substantially less than hydronic heaters but greater than gas or oil furnaces. Because they are whole-house heating systems, they have the capacity to generate large amounts of emissions. Also, they compete with wood-fired hydronic heaters, which we propose to regulate. Not regulating wood-fired, forced-air furnaces could create an adverse competitive imbalance with the wood-fired hydronic heater market segment of the residential wood heater source category. Both forced-air furnaces and hydronic heaters compete with oil and gas furnaces. Consumer choices vary with consideration of upfront sales price, financing costs, and operating costs, e.g., the cost of obtaining seasoned wood versus oil or gas.
Wood-fired, forced-air furnaces are not currently regulated in the U.S. (with the exceptions of broader bans or use limits on wood-burning appliances), but they are beginning to be regulated in Canada. The main regulatory mechanisms are local and provincial regulations requiring listing per CSA B415.1-10, which is the CSA specification for emission performance of solid-fuel-burning heating appliances.[58] All CSA standards are developed through a consensus standards development process approved by the Standards Council of Canada. This process brings together stakeholder volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus and develop a standard. The most recent B415.1-10 Committee consisted of manufacturers, Environment Canada,[59] provincial agency staff, test laboratories and the EPA. The current version of B415.1-10 was published in March 2010, and it includes new requirements for indoor and outdoor central heating appliances, including wood-fired forced-air furnaces. In addition to establishing performance test requirements, B415.1-10 also includes emissions requirements for PM. Section 4.2.1(c) of the CSA standard establishes an average particulate emission rate of less than or equal to 0.40 g/MJ, which is equivalent to 0.93 lb/MMBtu. Manufacturers anticipate that CSA Standard B415.1-10 will effectively establish the minimum requirements for future units sold in Canada. For example, the province of British Columbia has enacted regulations limiting the sale of wood-burning appliances to those that comply with B415.1-10 (or the U.S. NSPS when the EPA issues such a standard), and other provinces and municipalities in Canada are in the process of amending their regulations to apply to central heating systems, including forced-air furnaces.
In developing the B415.1-10 emissions limit of 0.40 g/MJ (0.93 lb/MMBtu) for solid-fuel central heating systems, the CSA committee thoroughly reviewed the best systems available, developed a test method for such systems and supported emission testing of candidate best systems. A B415.1-10 validation-testing program performed by Intertek in Middleton, Wisconsin, included both a high-tech furnace and a conventional furnace. The high-tech furnace achieved average particulate emissions of 0.46 g/MJ output (1.067 lb/MMBtu). The conventional furnace achieved average particulate emissions of 1.65 g/MJ (3.828 lb/MMBtu) output. Thus, the CSA limit of 0.40 g/MJ (0.93 lb/MMBtu) output corresponds to a 75 percent reduction in emissions when using the average particulate emissions of the conventional furnace tested by Intertek as part of the CSA B415.1-10 validation program.
We also investigated the performance of European production forced-air furnace models to determine whether their performance might be better than what CSA found in North America. However, forced-air furnaces are not commonly used in Europe because they are considered to be an inferior technology for home heating in Europe; thus we had no European candidate BSER to consider.
Manufacturers are actively conducting R&D in response to both the current CSA standard and the anticipated NSPS we are proposing. For example, one company has recently had an EPA-certified laboratory test two of their newest models. These tests, using the test method in CSA B415.1-10, show particle emissions below 0.1 lb/MMBtu heat output. Considering all of the above, we believe that BSER for forced-air furnaces may be demonstrated at the same emission levels as for hydronic heaters. We have considered proposing standards for forced-air furnaces that match the Step 1 and Step 2 standards we are proposing for hydronic heaters, that is, a proposed Step 1 BSER of 0.32 lb/MMBtu heat output and a cap of 18 g/hr as determined by the test methods and procedures in CSA B415.1-10 upon the effective date of the final standard and a proposed Step 2 BSER of 0.06 lb/MMBtu heat output as determined by the test methods and procedures in CSA B415.1-10, 5 years after the effective date of the final standard. However, we have concerns that only one U.S. manufacturer currently has models that have been tested by CSA B415.1-10 and shown to achieve these levels, and, thus, we are proposing that the Step 1 BSER for forced-air furnaces match the current CSA B415.1-10 level of 0.93 lb/MMBtu heat output. We are also proposing, however, that by 5 years after the effective date of the final standard, forced-air furnaces be subject to the same standards as hydronic heaters and be required to meet the proposed Step 2 BSER of 0.06 lb/MMBtu that hydronic heaters must meet then under this proposal.
Given that the largest U.S. forced-air furnace manufacturer already has a catalytic model meeting 0.06 lb/MMBtu, we think the 6 years of lead time is sufficient time in which to conduct R&D Start Printed Page 6361to produce comparably lower emitting model lines, although we are seeking comment on an alternative 3-step approach with a longer lead time. Since there are limited emissions data available for forced-air furnaces that reflect hydronic heater proposed Step 1 and proposed Step 2 BSER, we request specific comments and data on the proposed emission levels and compliance deadlines, as well as the environmental impacts and market implications for setting emission limits that match what we are proposing for hydronic heaters.
The nationwide annualized total costs are based on the cost assumptions explained in section IV.C and in the background documentation.[60] The average annual cost increase to manufacturers of forced air furnaces during the 2014 through 2022 period analyzed in the RIA is approximately $2.3 million. Estimated nationwide annual PM2.5 emissions, averaged over this same period (2014-2022), are projected to be 3,044 tons/year under the baseline (unregulated) condition versus 434 tons/year under the proposed two-step BSER, an average reduction of 2,610 tons/year, considering only the first year of emissions for each new heater sold. Given this limited snapshot for these cost and emission estimates, the average cost of reducing each ton of PM2.5 emissions during the 2014-2022 period is approximately $860 per ton annually, as compared to the monetized health benefits of $360,000 per ton to $810,000 per ton of reducing direct PM2.5. The cost-to-sales ratio is 2.4 percent. However, when considering the total costs and cumulative emission reductions over the more representative full model design life span and appliance emitting life span, the overall cost effectiveness is approximately $40 per ton (shown above in Table 11).[61]
Given the reasonable cost effectiveness of imposing the two-step BSER, and given the 6-year lead time (from the date of these proposed standards) until new model lines must come into compliance with the proposed Step 2 limit, we determined that the two-step phased-in limits represent BSER for these residential consumer appliances at this time. Thus, we are proposing a two-step standard for forced air furnaces, in which Proposed Step 1 is required upon the effective date of the final rule and Proposed Step 2 is required 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. Section V.B.5 discusses the three-step alternative approach that we also considered for forced air furnaces, and on which we are seeking comment.
We are proposing subpart RRRR for new masonry heaters. With a few exceptions, masonry heater emissions are not subject to specific PM emission limits in North America or Europe. Some states and local areas do not allow any residential wood heaters that are not certified to meet the current residential wood heater NSPS. The states of Colorado and Washington have set 6 grams of particles emitted per kilogram of wood burned (g/kg) and 7.3 g/kg limits, respectively (each of which is based on different test methods), and a small number of appliances have been tested and certified for those states. (The BSER level we are proposing below uses a different format but is commonly accepted to be only slightly more stringent than the Colorado and Washington limits.) We considered various forms for a masonry heater standard, and we believe that an appropriate format could be a daily average g/hr limit for the heating cycle coupled with a limit for emissions per heat output (lb/MMBtu output). The daily average over the heating cycle format seems to be well adapted to the nature of the technology of masonry heater operation, which involves one or two short high burn rate cycles where hot gases are generated during combustion of a fuel load in the firebox and then pass through the channels, saturating the masonry mass with heat. The masonry mass then radiates heat into the area around the masonry heater for 12 to 24 hours. Unfortunately, we lack sufficient data to set the level of a daily average data approach, so we are proposing instead a heat output format. The heat output format has the advantage of providing a good metric for consumers and regulatory agencies to compare emissions of competing residential heating appliances for an equivalent heat output. We ask for specific comments on whether a g/kg format would be better.
We had numerous discussions with states, masonry heater manufacturers, and laboratories on heater designs, test methods and heater emissions and performance. The best performing improved combustion technology masonry heaters have well-engineered designs with long channels to maximize complete combustion and heat transfer. The manufacturers provided all available current emissions data. For example, one manufacturer provided an archive of available data. The data set included results from 31 tests (measuring emissions per heat output) that ranged from 0.07 g/MJ to 0.51 g/MJ (~0.17 to 1.22 lb/MMBtu), with an average rate of 0.26 g/MJ (0.621 lb/MMBtu). As we discussed earlier in this preamble, we do not have good information on how many heaters emit at each of these levels and thus have not developed a good estimate of baseline emissions and we ask for data that would help inform us. However, looking at this data set in more detail, we can see that the best “improved combustion” systems have an emission level of 0.13 g/MJ (0.32 lb/MMBtu) heat output. We note that this level is consistent with the proposed Step 1 BSER for hydronic heaters.
As discussed earlier in this preamble, the source categories to be regulated by the proposed subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR are fundamentally different from the typical NSPS source category in that most NSPS regulate industrial processes whereas the source categories in subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR include mass-produced residential consumer products. Thus, additional factors are included in the analyses presented today as compared to typical NSPS. For example, we considered whether we should allow longer lead time over which small manufacturers/builders could spread their R&D costs in order to stay in business. The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act Panel strongly recommended that we consider allowing more time. See section V.C of this preamble for discussion of this topic.
We estimated proposed Step 1 improved combustion BSER emissions and cost and economic impacts based on four groups of costs. The first group of costs consisted of the two large manufacturers that we know have already developed potentially complying models and would only face the costs of certification tests. For the second group of costs, we estimated the costs incurred by an additional two large manufacturers that conduct R&D to develop a total of four new model lines. For the third group of costs, we estimated the cost of one of the manufacturers using the computer simulation approach to certify additional model lines. Finally, for the fourth group of costs, we estimated the cost for all of the small, custom-built manufacturers using the computer simulation approach to certify their model lines. We do not anticipate a large nationwide emission reduction resulting from requiring the proposed Step 1 BSER versus what most manufacturers would have done in the absence of a rule; however we believe there are some masonry heaters that do Start Printed Page 6362not use current best designs and for those heaters there can be an emission reduction of 70 percent or more. We believe it is important to ensure that all new models achieve the BSER emission levels and avoid backsliding.
The nationwide annualized total costs are based on the cost assumptions explained in section IV.C and in the background documentation.[62] The average annual cost increase to manufacturers of masonry heaters during the 2014 through 2022 period analyzed in the RIA is approximately $294,000. The estimated cost-to-sales ratio is 4.8 percent. If one were to spread the costs over the much longer typical lifetimes of masonry heaters (over 40 years), the average annual costs would be much lower. We concluded that the proposed Step 1 BSER level of 0.32 lb/MMBtu heat output is appropriate for these appliances.
For masonry heaters, we are proposing that large manufacturers of masonry heaters (defined as those manufacturers constructing 15 or more masonry heaters per year) would be required to comply with these standards upon the effective date of the final rule. We are proposing that small manufacturers (defined as those manufacturers of less than 15 masonry heaters per year) would be required to comply with these standards 5 years after the effective date of the final rule. We are requesting specific comments on the proposed BSER option and data that might support alternative findings and enhance our impact analyses. For example, if we were to develop a g/hr average format in addition to the lb/MMBtu heat output format, are there products that might meet a daily average over the heating period versus the averaging only over the combustion period, and if so, how would this affect levels of performance and impacts on the environment? Further, we are seeking comment on the degree to which these dates could be sooner.
As noted in section III, in addition to the proposed two-step standards described above for appliances regulated as “room heaters” under subpart AAA (currently catalytic and noncatalytic adjustable burn rate wood heaters, single burn rate wood heaters, and pellet heaters/stoves) and for appliances regulated as “central heaters” under subpart QQQQ (currently hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces), we also considered a different approach, an “alternative three-step approach” for subparts AAA and QQQQ. We seek comments on whether the final rule should be our (preferred) proposed two-step approach or whether the final rule should be this alternative three-step approach. We do not intend for the final rule to allow a choice between the two approaches. We did not develop a three-step approach for masonry heaters under subpart RRRR, since it is a one-emission-level standard, but we are seeking comments on our proposed 5-year compliance extension for small volume masonry heater manufacturers.
We compared unit cost increases,[63] nationwide manufacturer cost estimates,[64] emission reductions,[65] and overall cost effectiveness of the two-step proposal to the three-step alternative approach considered.[66] Table 12 compares the unit cost increase, nationwide average cost to manufacturers and the annual particulate emission reductions, during the 2014 through 2022 period analyzed in the RIA, for appliances currently affected by this proposal, considering only the first year of emissions for each new heater sold. Based on the cost and emission reduction estimates presented in this table, the overall cost effectiveness for this proposal over the 2014-2022 period is $3,250 per ton, but $5,800 per ton for the alternative approach considered (assuming no emission reductions for masonry heaters, for the sake of this analysis). Additional information on the impacts is included in the RIA in the docket.
Table 12—Comparison of Proposal and Alternative Approach (2014-2022)
Unit cost increase from baseline (2010$)
Nationwide average cost increase from baseline (2010$)
Emission reduction from baseline (tons)
Certified Wood Heaters 24 48 4,212,303 8,090,026 163 136
Single Burn Rate Heaters 226 337 901,732 1,540,600 754 756
Pellet Heaters/Stoves 24 47 3,460,489 6,255,536 49 24
Forced-Air Furnaces 3,262 4,891 2,252,284 3,813,898 2,610 2,712
Hydronic Heating Systems 6,458 9,672 4,554,152 8,302,026 1,249 1,250
Masonry Heaters 300 (ave.) 300 (ave.) 307,511 293,776 Not estimated Not estimated.
Total 10,294 15,295 15,688,471 28,295,862 4,825 4,878
We are seeking comment and information on potential justifications for implementing such a three-step standard, instead of our proposed two-step standard for each of the appliances affected by this proposed rule, to provide additional flexibility for manufacturers that have different capabilities and resources to ultimately reach the most stringent BSER. The proposed two-step standards rely on the assumption that the proposed Step 2 BSER, already demonstrated by various models in each appliance category affected by the proposed rule, is achievable within 5 years of the proposed Step 1 BSER. There is a significant emission reduction achieved by the proposed Step 2 BSER compared to the proposed Step 1 BSER in each appliance category discussed above in section V, but there are no proposed interim emission limits imposed during the transition from the proposed Step 1 to the proposed Step 2. In the alternative approach considered, there is a longer transition period of 8 years between Step 1 and Step 3 (with the same significant emission reduction achieved between our proposed Step 1 and proposed Step 2), but there is an interim Step 2 limit which manufacturers must meet 3 years after Start Printed Page 6363the proposed Step 1. If we were to give a longer timeframe to redesign across model lines to accommodate the best systems, test, field evaluate, and certify a wide range of model lines, we believe there would be benefit to establishing required interim limits to codify progress in reducing emissions and to focus positive attention on early achievers as they show compliance in the period between 2015 and 2023.
We expect that the manufacturers that do not already meet the strongest emission limits would like the longer time to meet the Alternative Approach Step 3 but would prefer to not have an interim Step 2 requirement. However, we do not currently see adequate justification for allowing extra time without also requiring satisfactory progress, especially because numerous models already achieve the strongest emission levels. We also have concerns about the complexity of a 3-step approach and whether it would be harder for the EPA to enforce. Thus, we seek comment, including data and potential environmental and economic justifications, on whether the described Alternative Approach Step 2 emission limits represent BSER within 3 years of the effective date of the final rule. We also seek comment on whether an additional 5 years would be necessary to transition from the Alternative Approach Step 2 to the Alternative Approach Step 3 limit, or whether such a transition could be made in a shorter time period. Finally, for single burn rate wood heaters and forced-air furnaces, we are seeking comment on whether the alternative Step 1 limit should become effective upon the effective date of the final rule or after a 1-year “adjustment” period. The EPA seeks to encourage national achievement of the (proposed Step 2) BSER for each appliance category as soon as possible and as efficiently as possible, which is why we prefer the proposal over the alternative approach we considered. However, we also seek to balance industry's R&D needs with timely and efficient standards, and so we are seeking comment on the alternative approach outlined immediately above and in section III.
While the CAA gives the EPA authority to set standards for emissions, and we have issued final rules that have used a variety of formats for such standards, including efficiency, we lack sufficient data to propose efficiency standards for residential wood heaters at this time. We are proposing only to require testing and reporting but not a minimum efficiency standard. Current data and other information from manufacturers and testing laboratories and the NYSERDA “European Wood-Heating Technology Survey” discussed earlier in this preamble show that, in general, the same types of improved combustion BSER designs that tend to reduce PM2.5 emissions also tend to increase combustion efficiency, reduce CO emissions and improve efficiency. Current subpart AAA allows sources to either measure efficiency or report a default efficiency value. We believe these proposed subparts are an excellent opportunity to standardize the collection and reporting of such data.
Most industry members support the collection and reporting of tested efficiency values, but some do not necessarily support an efficiency standard because they have concerns that efficiency standards would encourage a “ratings race” and worry that some manufacturers would sacrifice operational viability in the field for a higher efficiency rating. We agree that some heat loss is necessary to ensure adequate draft out the chimney/stack and not backdrafting into living areas. However, we do not expect manufacturers to jeopardize their reputation or operator safety for a higher rating, and we believe that competition among manufacturers to increase their heaters/stoves' efficiencies is good for consumers and the environment. We request specific comments and supporting data that would help inform the need for and level of a possible efficiency standard. Also, we ask for specific comments on how, in the meantime, to best ensure consumers have access to the best information on efficiency performance, e.g., labels, owner's manual, Burn Wise Web site and/or other means.
We considered developing CO emission limits for all new residential wood heaters. However, our current data for CO emissions performance and methods of control are not sufficiently robust to support strong CO emission limits, and it would delay the NSPS if we were to seek additional data elsewhere at this time to support strong CO emission limits. We expect the CO emissions to be reduced as a result of the control of PM, because meeting the PM standards will be achieved primarily by BSER based on good combustion (and in some cases catalysts and hybrids) which will also result in good CO reductions without additional standards for CO. However, we are proposing that manufacturers measure and report CO. We believe this information will be useful to consumers and state and local regulators. Requiring manufacturers to measure and report CO emissions would also result in the collection of data that could be used in the future to establish a CO emissions limit. We are requesting specific comments and supporting data on the need for and level of a possible CO emissions standard. Also, we ask for comments on whether we should require CO monitors to help ensure proper operation of the heater and to reduce health and safety concerns for appliances that are installed in occupied areas.
A wide variety of pellet fuels is available for purchase. However, in some cases, quality claims on the pellet fuel bag do not necessarily reflect what is in the bag and there can be variable performance. Manufacturers' data show that some fuel qualities have worse burning characteristics and operational characteristics than others, which results not only in heater performance problems but also increased emissions of PM. The PFI, an industry trade organization, has had pellet fuel quality standards in place since 1995, with updated standards issued in 2005, and again, most recently in 2011 (http://pelletheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/PFI-Standard-Specification-November-2011.pdf), in response to the EPA's planned revisions to the residential wood heaters NSPS. We have reviewed the PFI program and believe it is a good program that obviates the need for the EPA to develop our own program at this time. Under the proposed NSPS, pellet burning appliances would be tested using PFI (or, upon request to the EPA Administrator, an equivalent organization's) graded pellet fuel(s). Once certified, pellet burning appliances would only be allowed to burn the grade of fuel that the appliance manufacturer chose for the appliance certification test and the manufacturer specifies in their owner's manual for the operator to use. As discussed above, use of inferior grades would cause heater operational problems and increase emissions. The overall intent of the certification process is to increase the consistency and quality of pelletized fuel throughout the industry, and, thus, reducing appliance operational problems and helping certified appliances perform at the emission levels to which they are certified. Heater manufacturers have indicated to us that market competition will compel them to specify the widest range of grades for Start Printed Page 6364which their heaters will properly perform.
The PFI is also implementing a quality assurance program to ensure that manufacturers reliably produce graded fuels. We propose to require adherence to this program (or equivalent) as a condition of producing graded pellet fuels to be used in obtaining certification under the NSPS. Similar to the NSPS quality assurance program, the PFI quality assurance program relies on use of accreditation and auditing bodies that:
Accredit auditing agencies and testing laboratories
Implement and enforce the program, including testing that the pellet fuels meet the grading specifications
Maintain the enforcement regulations
Administer a laboratory proficiency program
Pursue product complaints
In addition, accredited auditing agencies perform the following tasks:
Certify the production of densified fuel manufacturers
Authorize production facilities to use PFI's “grading mark”
Conduct regular audits and extracts samples for third party verification
Revoke authority to use the PFI mark, if necessary
Accredited testing laboratories perform the following activities:
Provide QA/QC testing for fuel producers—“as needed”
Provide testing for samples collected by auditing agencies
Participate in the accreditation body's proficiency testing program
Finally, the densified fuel producers perform the following activities:
Develop an in‐house QA/QC program based on the PFI QA/QC handbook and the PFI standard specification
Select an auditing agency and test lab
Demonstrate compliance with grading system component
Maintain compliance through periodic audits, inspection and testing
As noted earlier, we have reviewed the PFI program and believe it is a good program that obviates the need for the EPA to develop our own program at this time. We ask for specific comments on this decision and the PFI program.
As regulated in the current 1988 subpart AAA standards for residential wood heaters/stoves, operation according to the owner's manual requires operation with the appropriate fuels because the choice of fuels to burn in any appliance can have a major impact on emissions and efficient operation of the appliance. For clarity, we are proposing a list of prohibited fuel types (e.g., trash, plastics, yard waste) to emphasize the responsibility of owners and operators to use appropriate fuels that will result in the performance of the unit as certified, to avoid the creation of possibly hazardous fumes from burning inappropriate materials, and to ensure that appliance continues to operate as designed. Even with burning clean wood, one of the key factors affecting emissions is the moisture content. Some advocates have suggested that we only allow use of wood certified to a certain moisture level and that we include visible emission limits as a tool to help with practical enforceability of the requirements for proper operation and maintenance. Manufacturers typically include in their owner's manuals information on proper maintenance and operation and state that the wood must be properly seasoned so that the moisture content is not too high for proper operation. Some manufacturers include moisture meters for the operators. We are proposing to require commercial owners (direct distribution manufacturers and retailers) to provide a moisture meter with the wood heater at the time of sale, along with the owner's manual and a copy of the warranty. We request specific comments on whether we should include more specific requirements on proper operations, such as the moisture content of the wood and visible emission limitations.
The following table summarizes the proposed compliance timelines for the appliances covered by the three subparts.
Table 13—Summary of Proposed Compliance Dates
Compliance date
Adjustable Rate Wood Heaters or Pellet Heaters/Stoves with Current EPA Certification Issued Prior to the Effective Date of the Final Rule 1988 requirements remain in effect for these heaters/stoves through the later of the effective date of the final revised rule or expiration of current certification (maximum of 5 years after certification and no renewal).
All Other Adjustable Rate Wood Heaters or Pellet Heaters/Stoves (includes currently certified heaters after the certification expires) Step 1: upon the effective date of the final rule. Step 2: 5 years after the effective date of the final rule.
Single Burn Rate Heaters Step 1: Upon the effective date of the final rule.
Step 2: 5 years after the effective date of the final rule.
Hydronic Heaters Step 1: Upon the effective date of the final rule.
Forced-Air Furnaces Step 1: Upon the effective date of the final rule.
Masonry Heaters Large manufacturers: Upon the effective date of the final rule for large manufacturers.
Small manufacturers: 5 years after the effective date of the final rule.
The proposed compliance dates are tied to the effective date of the final standards. As stated earlier, an element of the BSER determination includes reasonable lead time for R&D to develop and certify cleaner units. We think limited or no R&D is needed to comply with the proposed Step 1 BSER standards. This allows manufacturers approximately 1 year between the date of this proposal and the date of the final rule to meet proposed compliance standards and limits. This 1-year period is in addition to the time that manufacturers have had leading up to this proposed rule.
We allowed small producers of masonry heaters that do not have a history of federal or extensive state regulation, or experience with voluntary partnership programs, 5 years after the effective date of the final rule to come into compliance with the same emission standards as larger masonry heater manufacturers in order to ensure a reasonable lead-time.Start Printed Page 6365
Finally, we think our proposal for a 6-year lead time before the Step 2 BSER limits (i.e., 5 years after the effective date of the final rule) would allow manufacturers a reasonable time to develop complying models, access the necessary capital to develop them, and complete the certification process.
We are proposing a 6-month “sold at retail” provision for adjustable burn rate wood heaters, single burn rate heaters/stoves, and pellet heaters/stoves that were manufactured prior to the effective date of the final rule, but not yet sold. This “sold at retail” provision is similar to that provided in the current subpart AAA, and provides a reasonable transition for manufacturers to recoup their investment in their stock on hand. We believe this provision would have a nominal impact on air quality, because the majority of these appliances are already expected to achieve the Step 1 emission limits. For small producers of masonry heaters, we are proposing an additional 5-year lead-time. We are not proposing to apply these extensions to other sources regulated by this proposal. We do not believe that an additional “sold at retail” provision is needed for outdoor and indoor hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces. In the case of hydronic heaters, we believe that any delay of the compliance deadline for sales would also result in the sale and long-term use of non-complying units, with a potentially adverse quality impact. We request specific comments on whether there are other factors we should consider regarding this “sold at retail” window and what length of time might be considered appropriate in specific circumstances.
While the original subpart AAA created a 1-year compliance extension for wood heater manufacturers producing less than 2,000 heaters per year, this proposed rule does not include a compliance extension provision for single burn rate heaters. The purpose of the original NSPS compliance date extension was to reduce the potential for a testing logjam and to provide small manufacturers additional time to conduct R&D, obtain financing, or purchase complying designs likely to meet the proposed standards. We believe that manufacturers and testing facilities have now had sufficient time and have gained the expertise necessary to meet these standards as proposed and that meeting the proposed compliance dates will impose no undue imposition on manufacturers or testing facilities. We request comment on the need for such a compliance extension and the number of models that might qualify as a small single burn rate heater manufacturer.
As stated above, we are proposing a 5-year compliance date extension for masonry heater manufacturers that sell fewer than 15 units per year. We also seek comments on whether we should have a cap on the total units sold in the 5 years, perhaps 50 units. Most of these manufacturers are very small companies. There are only a few major producers. According to one manufacturer, the Finnish firm, Tulikivi, manufactures and supplies about one-half of the U.S. masonry heater units installed yearly through its network of installing distributors. The second largest producer is a Canadian firm, Temp-Cast, which manufactures and exports a large percentage of the remainder as internal core components only to U.S. dealer/installers and homeowners. This manufacturer states that the remainder of the industry is dozens of small producers and installers who produce only a few units, most of which are custom and individually designed. This manufacturer also stated that over 80 percent of U.S. masonry heater installations use manufactured core product installation and are not custom site built (brick-by-brick).
Because of the resources required to develop, test, and certify masonry heaters (estimated by industry to be approximately $250,000 per model, although our cost analysis used a larger estimate), we have concluded that a manufacturer of a small number of custom site-built model(s) of masonry heaters would likely be unable to recover the total cost of R&D and certification testing costs in a reasonable timeframe. Similarly, a company that makes core components or sells design kits would be unable to recover total costs if only a few such components or kits are sold per year. We estimated that the annualized cost for developing, testing and certifying a single model is approximately $60,000, most of which is the cost of R&D. If a seller makes $5,000 of profit on each model sold, he or she would need to sell 12 units per year to break even. The masonry heater industry recognized concerns about these costs, and it has developed an alternative compliance method based on computer simulations. The industry expects that this alternative will allow sharing licensing of cleaner designs such that the initial software purchase would cost approximately $1,500 but ongoing annual licensing cost will be approximately $450 per manufacturer. We believe the 5-year compliance date extension discussed above for masonry heater manufacturers that sell fewer than 15 units per year will allow sufficient time for manufacturers to become comfortable with this alternative, and use it to demonstrate compliance.
We considered proposing a compliance exemption for small manufacturers of masonry heaters because of the overall small size of the market. However, we were concerned that this might encourage installation of cheaper, low-performing models, which would place complying models at a potential disadvantage. We request comment on the need for either a compliance date extension or a compliance date exemption for masonry heaters and the length of time that we should allow.
We are not proposing any extensions or exemptions for small manufacturers of adjustable burn rate wood heaters or pellet heaters/stoves. Adjustable burn rate wood heaters are already subject to the NSPS, and we have estimated that they should not face any R&D expenses to comply with the Step 1 standards. To reduce unnecessary certification costs, we are proposing to allow a one-time waiver from performance testing for the first certification period for any manufacturer that has previously conducted a valid certification test that demonstrates the wood heaters in the model line meet the proposed standards. We also believe that pellet heaters/stoves would not face any R&D costs to comply with the proposed Step 1 standards, and we estimate that certification costs will only pose a minor impact. We request comment on whether there are other factors we should consider regarding a small manufacturer compliance extension for these appliances.
We also are not proposing a small manufacturer compliance extension for the Step 1 standards for new residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces. There are currently 36 hydronic heater models built by 17 U.S. manufacturers that have already been qualified to meet the Phase 2 voluntary partnership program level of 0.32 lb/MM BTU. Manufacturers of hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces have known for several years that we were drafting this proposal and that the states have been very concerned about emissions from the models that may not meet the proposed standards; and we do not want to perpetuate sales and use of models unless they demonstrate they do meet the standards. Once again, we request comment on whether there are other factors we should consider regarding a small manufacturer compliance extension for these appliances and what number of appliances sold would constitute a small volume manufacturer.Start Printed Page 6366
As discussed above, we recognize there is some concern, as there was with the initial NSPS compliance dates, that testing laboratories capacity may not be able to meet the demand for certification tests in the first few years. However, we believe that the steps we have already proposed, the availability of additional ISO-accredited labs, the advance notice that industry has had concerning the NSPS prior to this proposal, and the time between this proposal and the proposed compliance date of the final rule, should ensure that adequate compliance certification resources are available. The logjam provisions of the current 1988 NSPS were never invoked, and we do not think they are needed at this time. However, we are taking comment on this issue. We also request comment on whether these compliance timelines strike the right balance between avoiding undue economic burdens and the need to get better performing models on the market as soon as possible to reduce emissions, and whether other compliance dates would be appropriate.
As part of the NSPS review process, several stakeholders stated the need to improve the current certification and quality assurance requirements. For example, some pellet heaters/stove manufacturers said one reason they avoid certifying their heaters/stoves is because they are concerned that the current process is a barrier to rapid product development and making changes to respond to market demand. Many manufacturers were also concerned that, as the scope of the NSPS program expands to include multiple appliance types, the certification program would act as a logjam. Some states are concerned, however, that moving away from the EPA certification might result in less effective oversight. At the EPA, we are also looking for ways to use our enforcement resources more effectively.
We believe that the proposed changes, described in section III.A regarding a third-party certification program by an ISO-accredited certifying body and testing at ISO-accredited labs, will facilitate the development of improved designs by providing a faster approval process and reducing redundancies in quality assurance for emissions testing and safety testing, and will improve enforcement by providing for more frequent on-site inspections of manufacturing facilities and laboratories. For example, safety certification audits take place quarterly and include the random inspection of manufactured units for compliance with design and safety factors. The experience of the voluntary partnership programs' ISO process has shown that the third-party approach can work.
We also reviewed the list of design changes (the “k” list; See 40 CFR, subpart AAA, § 60.633(k)) that would result in a need to recertify a model line when certain tolerances are exceeded. We reviewed this list based on the experience we have to date on the types of changes that are significant and knowledge about current manufacturing processes that help prevent these changes from occurring. The resulting list focuses on the following key tolerances:
Firebox dimensions
Air introduction systems
Dimensions and locations of the baffle, catalyst, refractory/insulation, flue gas exit, and the outer shielding and covering
Dimensions and fit of the gaskets for the door and catalyst bypass
Fuel feed system
Forced air combustion system
We believe these changes will focus resources on the significant changes that could affect emissions performance of the model in question. We ask for specific comments on this list and the level of appropriate tolerances.
We propose to revise the requirement for manufacturers to conduct quality assurance emission tests once a specified number of units are sold. Instead, we propose to replace this numerical trigger with a requirement to retest when manufacturer-specific quality assurance criteria (e.g., multiple errors in safety tests) are exceeded. We believe that development of a manufacturer-specific quality assurance plan with specific criteria and approval by an ISO-accredited certifying body (or EPA-approved equivalent) and required follow-up by that certifying body is a more direct measure of possible performance issues, but we request comment on the exact event(s) that should be used as the trigger(s) to retest and whether the triggering event(s) should vary by appliance type.
We are proposing to retain final EPA approval of the certification, and we also propose to require the manufacturer to submit with the application for certification a statement signed by a responsible official that the manufacturer has complied with all requirements of the subpart and that the manufacturer understands that he or she remains responsible for compliance regardless of noncompliance by the certifying body. We believe this combination of requirements would provide meaningful EPA oversight, assign clear lines of responsibility, and free up resources to do more on-site inspections and other quality assurance activities, such as addressing issues of counterfeit certificates or absence of certificates.
The current random compliance audit testing of the certification testing program is considered underused by many. The EPA recognized this and has recently initiated such testing.
A key element of the current 1988 NSPS laboratory audit program is the “round robin” test program. In this program, the EPA purchases a wood heater and sends it to each of the accredited laboratories to conduct emissions tests (two runs at each burn rate for a total of eight runs). The EPA then compares the results to determine inter-laboratory performance. The EPA recognizes that we have not given this program as much attention as was envisioned in 1988. Thus, we propose to strengthen this program by specifying that every laboratory conducting certification tests under the NSPS must participate in the round robin tests every other year. If a lab's results are not within ±10 percent of the value at which the heater was certified, then the lab must conduct another 8 runs. Also, we will remind the manufacturers that, as always, the EPA may potentially use this information to help determine the need for manufacturer audits and potential enforcement actions. We think that these requirements and reminders, combined with the proposed changes in test methods (described in greater detail in the test methods discussion in this preamble) and implementation of the ISO process will help improve inter-laboratory repeatability and reproducibility.
As described earlier in this preamble, we are proposing changes to the test methods required by subpart AAA. We are also proposing test methods for the new subparts QQQQ and RRRR (as described earlier). In addition, we are proposing new requirements for testing and ultimately certifying using cord wood, which is what the consumer burns. All affected devices required to be tested using Method 28 or Method 28 WHH would now be required to conduct such tests using crib wood and cord wood. Under Proposed Step 1, manufacturers would have the option of selecting which of these test results to use to show compliance with the emissions standards. In other words, we Start Printed Page 6367are proposing to require manufacturers to conduct two separate tests, one with crib wood and one with cord wood. We are also proposing that manufacturers be required to report the results of both tests to the EPA, but manufacturers can choose to certify with either crib or cord wood under Proposed Step 1. Under Proposed Step 2, manufacturers would be required to show compliance testing with cord wood.
We are also proposing to revise the test methods to require the addition of 1-hour filters for each test run to gather data regarding startup and anticipated peaks. Further, we are proposing new compliance requirements for Step 2 with emissions limits at the lowest burn rate (Category 1) and the maximum burn rate (Category 4), not a weighted average of the four burn rates, as in the current 1988 NSPS.
Based on the extensive consensus development process, history of the subpart AAA NSPS and hydronic heater voluntary partnership program emission test experience, and review of similar international standards, we believe the proposed methods reflect state-of-the-art test methods. However, we request specific comment on test method related issues and any data supporting such issues or concerns.
Consistent with Executive Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Relief, we reviewed the entire current subpart AAA to identify information that is no longer relevant or useful and removed associated reporting and recordkeeping requirements. For example, because of the changes in the audit procedures, we do not believe it is necessary for manufacturers to keep records of the number of affected appliances that are sold each year, by certified model lines, for purposes of these subparts.
The prohibitions section in each of the proposed subparts (§ § 60.538, 60.5480, 60.5492) is based substantially on the current prohibitions section in subpart AAA. Similarly, the delegation section in each proposed subpart (§ § 60.539a, 60.5482, 60.5494) is based primarily on the current delegation section in subpart AAA. In general, we believe these delegations have worked well and are still appropriate with some clarifications and additions. The intent of the prohibitions section is to clarify the responsibility of owners and operators and manufacturers to comply with the proposed subparts. Key provisions for owners and operators emphasize that appliances must be operated in accordance with the owner's manual and the appliances must not be altered in any way to circumvent the design and operation of a certified appliance. Key provisions for manufacturers emphasize the importance of complying with the label requirements and the need to maintain current certification for all heaters that are offered for sale. The intent of the delegation section is to clarify the regulatory provisions for which the EPA has retained sole enforcement authority (definitions, compliance and certification, test methods and procedures, laboratory accreditation, reporting and recordkeeping, revocation of certification, and hearings and appeals procedures). However, we have proposed to include the ability to delegate provisions to state, local or tribal agencies where local enforcement is essential, such as enforcement of permanent labels and owner's manual content, and presentation of false or misleading information. Note that when the EPA “delegates” enforcement authority, we retain our authority to enforce while allowing the delegatees also to be able to enforce the delegated provisions. Also note that the delegations are upon request, not a requirement by the EPA.
We are proposing to replace the current subpart AAA hearing and appeal procedures with a streamlined Petition for Review process and also use this process in subparts QQQQ and RRRR. This process would allow accredited laboratories and manufacturers to contest audit test findings, laboratory accreditations, certification denials, and certification revocations by submitting a written request and supporting documentation to the EPA. This process would allow for expedited review and resolution. We request specific comments on this proposed process and other ways to improve or streamline procedures while preserving the integrity of the program.
Under Section 3(f)(1) of Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this action is an “economically significant regulatory action” because it is likely to have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities. The $100 million threshold can be triggered by either costs or benefits, or a combination of them. Accordingly, the EPA submitted this action to OMB for review under Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 2011) and any changes made in response to OMB recommendations have been documented in the docket for this action.
In addition, the EPA prepared an analysis of the potential costs and benefits associated with this action. This analysis is contained in the RIA for this proposed rule. A copy of the analysis is available in the docket for this action.
A summary of the monetized benefits and net benefits for the proposed rule at discount rates of 3 percent and 7 percent is in Table 8 of this preamble, and a more detailed discussion of the benefits is found in section IV.B of this preamble. For more information on the benefits analysis, please refer to the RIA for this rulemaking, which is available in the docket.
The information collection requirements in this proposed rule have been submitted for approval to OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Information Collection Request (ICR) documents have been prepared for each proposed subpart. The subpart AAA ICR has been assigned the EPA ICR number 1176.10, which is a revision of the currently approved ICR number 1176.09. The subpart QQQQ ICR is a new collection, which has been assigned the EPA ICR number 2442.01. The subpart RRRR ICR also is a new collection, which has been assigned the EPA ICR number 2443.01. The new information collection requirements are not enforceable until OMB approves them.
The proposed rules would require manufacturers of new residential wood heating devices to submit applications for certification of model lines, to submit results of emissions tests conducted to demonstrate that the model lines would comply with the standards and produce certified units according to a quality control plan approved by an independent certifying body. Manufacturers must submit a notification of the initial test and biennial reports that each certified model line remains unchanged. They must also maintain records of all certification data, maintain results of quality assurance program inspections and emissions test data, and seal and store the tested appliance.Start Printed Page 6368
Consistent with the current ICR for subpart AAA, we have included costs to manufacture and apply permanent labels (for all models) on each applicable unit prior to sale. These labels provide important compliance information to enforcement officials.
Test laboratories that want to conduct NSPS certification testing would need to apply for accreditation, conduct initial and biennial proficiency testing and report the results of all such testing. Accredited test laboratories would also be required to participate in an audit compliance program. Finally, the accredited laboratories must maintain records of all certification tests, proficiency tests and compliance audit test data.
The required notifications are used to inform the agency when a new model line is expected to be tested. The EPA may then observe the testing operation, if desired. Emissions test reports are needed as these are the agency's record of a model line's initial capability to comply with the emission standard, and serve as a record of the operating conditions under which compliance was achieved.
Adequate recordkeeping and reporting are necessary to ensure compliance with these standards as required by the CAA. The information collected from recordkeeping and reporting requirements is also used for targeting inspections and is of sufficient quality to be used as evidence in court. As discussed earlier, we have reviewed all the current requirements and are proposing to remove the portions of the recordkeeping that are not necessary.
The estimated burden for proposed subpart AAA is based on an estimated 72 respondents (66 manufacturers and 6 testing laboratories) that would be subject to the rule. The number of total annual responses for subpart AAA is estimated at 265. The annual burden for this information collection averaged over the first 3 years of this ICR is estimated to be a total of 6,489 labor hours per year at a total labor cost of $516,188 per year. The ICR estimates that capital and the associated operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for these systems would be $1,452,177 per year. The average annual labor burden per response is 24 hours.
The estimated burden for proposed subpart QQQQ is based on an estimated 41 respondents (37 manufacturers and 4 testing laboratories) that would be subject to the rule. The number of total annual responses for subpart QQQQ is estimated at 67. The annual burden for this information collection averaged over the first 3 years of this ICR is estimated to be a total of 2,134 labor hours per year at a total labor cost of $169,745 per year. The ICR estimates that capital and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs would be $715,796 per year. The average annual labor burden per response is 32 hours.
The estimated burden for proposed subpart RRRR is based on an estimated 48 respondents (45 manufacturers and 3 testing laboratories) that would be subject to the rule. The number of total annual responses for subpart RRRR is estimated at 108. The annual burden for this information collection averaged over the first 3 years of this ICR is estimated to be a total of 2,044 labor hours per year at a total labor cost of $162,589 per year. The ICR estimates that capital and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs would be $89,037 per year. The average annual labor burden per response is 19 hours. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for the EPA's regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9.
To comment on the agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, the EPA has established a public docket for this rule, which includes this ICR, under Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734. Submit any comments related to the ICR to the EPA and OMB. See ADDRESSES section at the beginning of this notice for where to submit comments to the EPA. Send ICR-related comments to OMB at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk Office for EPA. Since OMB is required to make a decision concerning the ICR between 30 and 60 days after February 3, 2014, a comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it by March 5, 2014. The final rule will respond to any OMB or public comments on the information collection requirements contained in this proposal.
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) generally requires an agency to prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis of any rule subject to notice and comment rulemaking requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act or any other statute unless the agency certifies that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Small entities include small businesses, small organizations and small governmental jurisdictions.
For purposes of assessing the impacts of this proposed rule on small entities, small entity is defined as: (1) A small business that is primarily engaged in manufacturing heating equipment (except electric and warm air furnaces), such as heating boilers (heaters), heating stoves, floor and wall furnaces, and wall and baseboard heating units, as defined by NAICS code 333414 with fewer than 500 employees, or is primarily engaged in manufacturing air-conditioning and warm air heating equipment as defined by NAICS code 333415 with fewer than 750 employees, or is primarily engaged in masonry contracting, as defined by NAICS code 238140 with annual receipts less than 14 million dollars (based on Small Business Administration size standards); (2) a small governmental jurisdiction that is a government of a city, county, town, school district or special district with a population of less than 50,000; and (3) a small organization that is any not-for-profit enterprise which is independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field.
Pursuant to section 603 of the RFA, the EPA prepared an initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA) that examines the impact of the proposed rule on small entities along with regulatory alternatives that could reduce that impact. The IRFA contained within the RIA for this proposed rule is available for review in the docket and is summarized below:
Reason Why Action Is Being Considered. As discussed earlier in this preamble, this proposal was developed following CAA section 111(b)(1)(B) review of the existing residential wood heater NSPS.
Statement of Objectives and Legal Basis of Proposed Rule. As discussed earlier in this preamble, the EPA is proposing to amend Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters and to add two new subparts: Standards of Performance for New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces and Standards of Performance for New Residential Masonry Heaters. This proposal would achieve several objectives, including applying updated emission limits that reflect BSER; improving coverage of the broad suite of residential wood heaters; improving the test methods; and streamlining the certification process. This proposal does not include any requirements on heaters that are solely fired by gas or oil. This proposal does not affect existing heaters. This proposal Start Printed Page 6369was developed under the authority of CAA section 111.
Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities. As discussed earlier in this preamble, small entities that the EPA anticipates being affected by this proposal would include almost all manufacturers of residential wood heaters. We estimate that roughly 250-300 U.S. companies manufacture residential wood heaters. We believe that approximately 90 percent of these manufacturers meet the SBA small-entity definition of having fewer than 500 employees.
Description of reporting, recordkeeping and other compliance requirements. The reporting and recordkeeping requirements are described in the section immediately above (B. Paperwork Reduction Act). As discussed there, the information collection requirements (ICR), including reporting and recordkeeping, in this proposed rule have been submitted for approval to OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. For subpart AAA, we estimated the potential annual burden averaged over the first 3 years of the ICR to be a total of 6,489 labor hours per year at a total labor cost of $516,188 per year and an average annual labor burden per response of 24 hours. For subpart QQQQ, we estimated 2,134 labor hours per year at a total labor cost of $169,745 per year and an average annual labor burden per response of 32 hours. For subpart RRRR, we estimated 2,044 labor hours per year at a total labor cost of $162,589 per year and an average annual labor burden per response of 19 hours.
Description of other compliance requirements. As described earlier in this preamble, this proposal would apply updated emission limits that reflect the current best systems of emission reduction and improve the coverage of the expanded variety of types of residential wood heaters. We estimate the proposed NSPS's total annualized average nationwide costs would be $15.7 million (2010$) over the 2014 through 2022 period. The economic impacts for industries affected by this proposed rule over this same period range from 4.3 percent for manufacture of wood heater/stove models to as much as an 6.4 percent compliance cost-to-sales estimate for manufacture of single burn rate wood heater models. These impacts do not presume any pass-through of impacts to consumers. With pass-through to consumers, these impact estimates to manufacturers will decline proportionate to the degree of pass-through. We estimate that small entities will have annualized costs of greater than 1 percent of their sales in all industries except NAICS 332510, 333414 and 423720 with fewer than 20 employees, and NAICS 236115, 238140 and 442299 with receipts less than $10 million. Those establishments in NAICS 332510, 333414 and 423720 with cost-to-receipt ratios higher than 1 percent account for 80 percent of small entities affected in these industries. Establishments in NAICS 236115, 238140 and 442299 with cost-to-receipt ratios higher than 1 percent account for 99 percent of small entities affected in these industries.
Relevant federal rules that may overlap or conflict with this proposal. There are no other relevant federal rules.
Significant alternatives. The significant alternatives to this proposal, especially those that might minimize potential impacts on small entities, are presented in the remainder of this section.
As required by section 609(b) of the RFA, as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA), the EPA also convened a Small Business Advocacy Review Panel (Panel) to obtain advice and recommendations of representatives of the small entities that potentially would be subject to the rule's requirements. The following paragraphs describe the process, the type of small entity representatives, the outreach efforts and the Panel members.
Well before beginning the formal SBREFA process, the EPA actively engaged in outreach with HPBA, the Masonry Heater Association (MHA) and PFI and many of their member companies to discuss the rule under development and to provide these contacts with an early opportunity to ask questions and discuss their concerns.[67] The EPA provided each small business with general information on the SBREFA process and background information on the NSPS rulemaking process and current schedule.
Based on consultations with the Small Business Administration, and resulting from solicited self-nominations, we prepared a list of 30 potential Small Entity Representatives (SERs), from residential wood heating appliance manufacturers (wood heaters, pellet heaters/stoves, hydronic heaters, forced-air furnaces and masonry heaters), other wood-burning appliance manufacturers (fireplaces, cook stoves), equipment suppliers, chimney sweeps, test laboratories, masons and trade associations. Once the official pre-Panel process began and potential SERs were identified, the EPA held an outreach meeting with the potential SERs and invited representatives from the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (OA/SBA) and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget (OIRA/OMB) on June 29, 2010, to solicit their feedback on the upcoming proposed rulemaking. Representatives from 26 of the 30 companies and organizations that we selected as potential SERs for this SBREFA process participated in the meeting (in person and by phone). At that meeting, the EPA solicited written comments from the potential SERs, which were later summarized and shared with the Panel as part of the convening document.
The SBAR Panel convened on August 4, 2010. The Panel consisted of representatives of the EPA, OA/SBA and OIRA/OMB. The Panel held a formal outreach meeting/teleconference with the SERs on August 25, 2010. To help the SERs prepare for this meeting, on August 11, 2010, the Panel sent a list of questions, preliminary cost information and other materials to each of the SERs via email. Additional materials were emailed to the SERs on August 19, 2010. The Panel provided the opportunity for questions and comment during the meeting on various aspects of the proposal being developed, including the expanded scope of the rule, changes to the current requirements under consideration, preliminary cost information and follow up from the June 29, 2010, meeting on the SERs' ideas for regulatory flexibility. During the August 25 meeting, SERs voiced general support for the planned proposed rule and shared specific concerns with the Panel members. As a result of this meeting, the EPA received many useful verbal comments, and the EPA received many helpful written comments by September 10, 2010.
Consistent with the RFA/SBREFA requirements, the Panel evaluated the assembled materials and small-entity comments on issues related to elements of the IRFA. A copy of the Panel final full report is included in the docket for this proposed rule. We invite comments on the report. A summary of the Panel recommendations is presented below. We have attempted to follow the Panel's recommendations to the degree we can while also ensuring that the options are practicable, enforceable, Start Printed Page 6370environmentally sound and consistent with the CAA. For those recommendations not adopted by the EPA, we have included an explanation for why we rejected them.
Many of the SERs and the Panel had concerns about the breadth of this rulemaking and the challenges the EPA faces in conducting rulemaking for all of these source categories at one time and the challenges that the small businesses will face in having to comply with standards for all of these source categories at one time. The Panel recommended that the EPA should consider focusing efforts first on emissions sources that have the greatest potential to impact public health through the magnitude of emissions and population exposure. We have focused our efforts. The Panel noted the adverse effects of the 1988 NSPS on numerous wood heater/stove manufacturers, and the need to carefully develop a rule that will minimize business closures, while still achieving significant emission reductions. All Panel members believed that the EPA had adequate information to move forward with developing revisions that apply to the residential wood heater categories that are already regulated by the 1988 NSPS. However, two Panel members recommended that the EPA Administrator consider taking more time to collect additional information to better determine BSER for the certified wood heater category. They concluded that the EPA did present to the Panel enough information to justify regulation of this subcategory, but the EPA did not adequately inform the SERs about the other categories. These two Panel members believed it was unclear whether adoption of a more stringent standard for new sources would slow the adoption of new, cleaner burning heaters, potentially delaying improvements in air quality. The two Panel members further believed, based on the information available from the EPA and the SERs at that time, that they could not conclude that a nationwide NSPS limit on the other categories would be the preferred approach for reducing wood heater emissions.
Following the Panel's convening on August 4, 2010, the EPA collected additional information, and we refined the economic and technical analyses based, in part, on input from the SERs as the basis for this proposal. The Panel recommended that the EPA Administrator consider assessing the availability of data to better characterize each source category prior to considering proposal of standards. In particular, the Panel recommended that the EPA consider characterizing the emissions per unit, operating hours per year, and the distribution of emissions across the unit types within each category under discussion at that time to better understand the magnitude of emissions reductions that may or may not be reduced through alternative regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms. As discussed earlier, the EPA has considered such characterizations and alternatives.
The following is a list of Panel recommendations and how we incorporated them into this proposal:
The Panel recommended that the EPA should consider focusing efforts first on emissions sources that have the greatest potential to impact public health through the magnitude of emissions and population exposure. This proposal focuses on those sources.
The Panel encouraged the EPA to consider flexibilities that will most directly minimize the small business burdens, for example delayed compliance dates for low volume production. The delayed compliance approach was predicated on the concept that it will take a number of years for manufacturers to recover the costs of the R&D investment in order to achieve compliance. This proposal has incorporated a stepped approach for emission limits and asks for comments on other alternative approaches.
The Panel recommended that the EPA consider the availability and feasibility of certification, testing labs, testing standards and other requirements. In particular, the Panel recommended that the EPA consider ways to streamline compliance certification, identifying flexible approaches and procedures that will reduce the burden and time for manufacturers to complete the application, testing and approval process for new model lines. For example, the Panel recommended that the EPA consider allowing the use of International Standards Organization (ISO)-accredited laboratories and certifying bodies to expand the number of facilities that would be required for testing and certification of the new residential solid biomass combustion appliances. Additionally, the Panel recommended that the EPA consider different compliance time frames for different product categories to reduce the potential for logjams at test labs and the overall impact on companies that manufacture multiple categories. This proposal includes stepped emission limits for different categories and adds ISO-accredited laboratories and ISO-accredited certifying bodies to increase the availability of laboratories and certifiers. Further, this proposal asks for specific comments on the schedules.
The Panel recommended that the EPA continue to allow manufacturers to test a representative unit for a model line rather than testing and reporting results for each individual unit. This proposal continues to allow that.
The Panel recommended that the EPA consider emphasizing that the NSPS will address only new units. This proposal emphasizes that it does not affect existing units.
In the Panel Report, SBA and OMB recommended that the EPA not move forward with proposed emission limits for pellet stoves, indoor hydronic heaters, biomass pellet stoves, masonry heaters, masonry fireplace kits, site-built masonry fireplaces, coal stoves, cook stoves, bake ovens (including Native American Traditional Bake Ovens), camp stoves, outdoor fireplaces and chimineas. This proposal establishes emission limits for pellet stoves/heaters, which compete with adjustable burn rate wood stoves/heaters in the “room heaters” consumer marketplace. There is confusion in the marketplace as to why some pellet stoves are regulated and why some are not. As discussed earlier in this preamble, the potential exclusion of pellet stoves with greater than 35-to-1 air-to-fuel ratio is an unintended consequence of the 1988 actual intention of not setting emission limits for open fireplaces with high excess combustion air that do not operate as effective heaters. We believe that not moving forward on pellet stoves now would contribute to further confusion and an uneven playing field in the marketplace. Further, the emission levels we are proposing for pellet stoves/heaters are at the same level as the proposed wood stove/heater standards and are already achieved by most pellet stove/heater models and thus do not impose substantial compliance costs. Similarly, masonry heaters compete in the residential wood heaters consumer marketplace and there is confusion as to why they are regulated by some states, but not the EPA, and are even banned by some air districts because masonry heaters are not EPA-certified. Most masonry heaters are effective heaters and relatively clean and efficient, especially compared to pre-NSPS wood stoves. Requiring valid certification testing and reporting and providing that information to regulators and consumers and the public will help inform all as they strive to make appropriate choices on wood heating and air quality. That is, the masonry heaters can be an excellent emission reduction choice for replacing higher emission pre-NSPS wood stoves and Start Printed Page 6371should be encouraged over old wood stoves in most air sheds. Further, the emission levels we are proposing are already achieved by most masonry heater designs and we allow extra time for small manufacturers. This proposal addresses indoor hydronic heaters because they compete with outdoor hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces in the “central heaters” consumer marketplace and there already is confusion as to why some are regulated by some states and some are not. Further, the magnitude of their emissions is of great concern and BSER controls are highly justified on cost-benefit grounds. The remainder of the appliances listed above are not included in this proposal.
In the Panel report, SBA and OMB recommended that “where EPA estimates that the nationwide emissions are less than 300 tons per year (or some other value) . . . the EPA Administrator should consider options of not issuing an NSPS but rather consider allowing Regions and States to control such sources and consider other efforts, including voluntary standards to lower emissions.” We considered this recommendation but we could not find a legal or policy justification for an arbitrary cutoff and it is not included in this proposal. Also, we note that many states are prohibited from setting control requirements more stringent than the EPA requirements and all states have concerns about the lack of resources necessary to develop and adopt and implement state standards or voluntary programs, especially when most believe it is the EPA's responsibility, and some have sued the EPA for failure to review and promulgate national standards on time as statutorily required. Further, the EPA does not agree with this recommendation, especially considering the strong recommendations by many states that the EPA regulate all residential wood heaters as soon as possible to provide another tool to help them with their efforts to reduce wood smoke emissions. As stated elsewhere in this proposal, the EPA is not proposing standards at this time for biomass pellet heater/stoves that are designed to only combust biomass other than wood, bake ovens, fireplaces, coal-only stoves, chimineas, ceremonial fires and commercial pizza ovens.
Two Panel members recommended that if the EPA decides to later pursue regulation of categories other than certified wood heaters, the EPA should convene another Panel to address those subcategories at the appropriate time. The EPA does not agree with this recommendation for residential wood heaters because the EPA believes that the SERs already have had multiple opportunities to address those subcategories. Furthermore, the EPA has conducted numerous meetings after the Panel process was completed to provide much additional information (e.g., technical discussions of refined alternatives) and updates to stakeholders including the SERs and other small businesses and other interested parties. We emphasize that this proposal is not a final rule but rather it is a proposal for public review and comment. We welcome comments and data on all aspects of this proposal that will help us prepare the final rulemaking.
As noted earlier, a copy of the Panel final full report is included in the docket for this proposed rule. We invite comments on the report and on all aspects of the proposal and its impacts on small entities.
This proposed rule contains no federal mandates under the provisions of Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2 U.S.C. 1531-1538 that may result in expenditures of $100 million or more for state, local or tribal governments, in the aggregate, or to the private sector in any 1 year. This proposed action imposes no enforceable duty on any state, local or tribal governments. The nationwide annualized average compliance cost of this proposed rule for directly affected appliances is $15.7 million/yr in the 2014-2022 timeframe (2010$). Therefore, this proposed rule would not be subject to the requirements of sections 202 or 205 of the UMRA.
This proposed rule would also not be subject to the requirements of section 203 of UMRA because it contains no regulatory requirements that might significantly or uniquely affect small governments. The proposed rule would not apply to such governments and would impose no obligations upon them.
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999) requires the EPA to develop an accountable process to ensure “meaningful and timely input by state and local officials in the development of regulatory policies that have federalism implications.” “Policies that have federalism implications” are defined in the Executive Order to include regulations that have “substantial direct effects on the states, on the relationship between the national government and the states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.”
This proposed rule does not have federalism implications. It would not have substantial direct effects on the states, on the relationship between the national government and the states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government, as specified in Executive Order 13132. The proposed rule would not impose any requirements on state and local governments. Thus, Executive Order 13132 does not apply to this proposed rule. Although section 6 of Executive Order 13132 does not apply to this proposed action, the EPA did consult with representatives of state and local governments in developing this action. In the spirit of Executive Order 13132 and consistent with the EPA policy to promote communications between the EPA and state and local governments, the EPA specifically solicits comment on this proposed rule from state and local officials.
This proposed action does not have tribal implications, as specified in Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000). This proposed rule would not impose any requirements on tribal governments; thus, Executive Order 13175 does not apply to this action. Although Executive Order 13175 does not apply to this action, we recognize that the air quality and public health benefits to be achieved by this rule would benefit tribes, and we conducted outreach to tribal environmental staff and consulted with representatives of tribal officials in developing this action.
During the development of this proposed rulemaking, the EPA conducted outreach with numerous tribal representatives to provide opportunities for input prior to development of the proposed rule. We provided information at the July 2010, National Tribal Forum/National Tribal Air Association (NTAA) meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the November 2010, EPA Region 10 Tribal Leaders Summit in Juneau, Alaska. We also presented information on this proposed rulemaking in the April 2010, issue of Tribal Air News and during the EPA/NTAA tribal workgroup conference calls (April 2010, July 2010, August 2010, and May 2013). Specifically, we received input from the EPA/NTAA tribal workgroup members on culturally relevant exclusions from the proposed Start Printed Page 6372standards. We agreed with their input, clarified that we do not intend to regulate ceremonial fires, and added a definition to the rule to exclude traditional Native American bake ovens.
On February 18, 2011, the EPA mailed letters to about 600 elected tribal leaders in the U.S. offering an opportunity for consultation on this proposal. We received requests from six tribes. These tribes agreed to discuss this proposal with us in a conference call held on March 22, 2011. The tribes were very supportive of this proposal and provided some helpful clarifications of definitions (e.g., Native American bake ovens) that we have incorporated in this proposal.
We plan to continue to provide updates on the rule on the EPA/NTAA conference calls and to offer opportunities to tribal leaders for consultation. The EPA specifically solicits additional comment on this proposed action from tribal officials.
Executive Order 13045, “Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks” (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), applies to any rule that: (1) Is determined to be “economically significant,” as defined under Executive Order 12866; and (2) concerns an environmental health or safety risk that the EPA has reason to believe may have a disproportionate effect on children. If the regulatory action meets both criteria, the EPA must evaluate the environmental health or safety effects of the planned rule on children and explain why the planned regulation is preferable to other potentially effective and reasonably feasible alternatives considered by the Agency.
This proposed rule is not subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997) because the agency does not believe the environmental health risks or safety risks addressed by this action present a disproportionate risk to children. The report, “Analysis of Exposure to Residential Wood Combustion Emissions for Different Socio-Economic Groups,” [68] shows that on a nationwide basis, cancer risks due to residential wood smoke emissions among disadvantaged population groups generally are lower than the risks for the general population due to residential wood smoke emissions. One of the demographic variables examined for this report was that of children 18 years and younger.
This proposed rule is expected to reduce environmental impacts for everyone, including children. This action proposes emissions limits at the levels based on BSER, as required by the CAA. Based on our analysis, we believe this rule would not have a disproportionate impact on children, and, in fact, will result in improvements to children's health.
The public is invited to submit comments or identify peer-reviewed studies and data that assess effects of early life exposure to smoke from residential wood heaters.
This proposed rule is not a “significant energy action” as defined in Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001), because it is not likely to have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy. Further, we have concluded that this rule is not likely to have any significant adverse energy effects. In general, we expect the NSPS to improve technology, including energy efficiency. Reducing emissions and increasing efficiency might increase the use of wood fuel, which would relieve pressure on traditional coal or petroleum based energy sources. However, as described in section IV.E, it is difficult to determine the precise energy impacts that might result from this rule. This is because wood-fueled appliances compete with other biomass forms as well as more traditional oil, electricity and natural gas. We have not determined the potential conversion to other types of fuels and their associated appliances if the consumer costs of wood-fueled appliances increase and at what level that increase would drive consumer choice.
Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (“NTTAA”), Public Law 104-113 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) directs the EPA to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS) in its regulatory activities unless to do so would be inconsistent with applicable law or otherwise impractical. VCS are technical standards (e.g., materials specifications, test methods, sampling procedures and business practices) that are developed or adopted by VCS bodies. The NTTAA directs the EPA to provide Congress, through OMB, explanations when the Agency decides not to use available and applicable voluntary consensus standards.
This proposed rulemaking involves technical standards. The EPA proposes to use several VCS test methods, in full or in part, including the following methods available for review at the ASTM Web site www.astm.org/EPA-review: E2515-10 “Standard Test Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected by a Dilution Tunnel” (See also ASTM WK20442 proposed revision and ASTM WK31433 proposed revision); E2779-10 “Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Matter Emissions from Pellet Heaters;” E2780-10 “Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Matter Emissions from Wood Heaters;” E2618-13 “Standard Test Method for Measurement of Particulate Matter Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Outdoor Solid Fuel-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances;” ASTM E2817-11 “Standard Test Method for Test Fueling Masonry Heaters;” ASTM WK26558 “Specification for Calculation Method for Custom Designed, Site Built Masonry Heaters.” Also, we propose to use, in part, the following test method available for review at the CSA Web site http://shop.csa.ca/en/canada/fuel-burning-equipment/b4151-10/invt/27013322010/: CSA B415.1-10 “Performance Testing of Solid-fuel-burning Heating Appliances.” Finally, we propose to use, in part, the following test method prepared by the European Union: EN 303-5 “Heating boilers for solid fuels, hand and automatically stoked nominal heat output of up to 1025 MBtu—Terminology, requirements, testing, and marketing.” We believe that all the methods listed above have some positive aspects that can help stakeholders determine emissions under various operation conditions. For more details on each method, please refer to the discussions in Section III of this preamble.
In addition, we determined that the VCS ASTM E871-82 (2006), “Standard Test Method for Moisture Analysis of Particulate Wood Fuels” is acceptable as an alternative to Methods 5H and 28.
The search identified five other VCS that were potentially applicable for this rule in lieu of the EPA reference methods. However, the EPA determined that the five candidate VCS would not be practical due to lack of equivalency, documentation, validation data and other important technical and policy considerations. The five VCS and other information and conclusion, including Start Printed Page 6373the search and review results, are in the docket for this proposed rule. The EPA welcomes comments on this aspect of the proposed rulemaking. Specifically, we invite the public to identify potentially applicable voluntary consensus standards and to explain why such standards, in whole or in part, should or should not be used in this regulation.
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994) establishes federal executive policy on environmental justice. Its main provision directs federal agencies, to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law, to make environmental justice part of their mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the U.S. The EPA defines “Environmental Justice” to include meaning involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
As discussed earlier, the report, “Analysis of Exposure to Residential Wood Combustion Emissions for Different Socio-Economic Groups,” shows that on a nationwide basis, cancer risks due to residential wood smoke emissions among disadvantaged population groups generally are lower than the risks for the general population due to residential wood smoke emissions. Thus, we have determined that this proposed rule would not have disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority, low-income or indigenous populations because it increases the level of environmental protection for all affected populations without having any disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on any population, including any minority low-income or indigenous population.[69] This proposed rule establishes national standards that would reduce primarily PM emissions from new residential wood heaters and, thus, would decrease the amount of these emissions to which all affected populations are exposed.
Start List of Subjects
Administrative practice and procedure
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
End List of Subjects Start Signature
Dated: January 3, 2014.
Gina McCarthy,
Administrator.
End Signature
For the reasons stated in the preamble, title 40, chapter I, of the Code of Federal Regulations is proposed to be amended as follows:
Start Part
End Part Start Amendment Part
1. The authority citation for part 60 continues to read as follows:
End Amendment Part Start Authority
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.
End Authority
Start Amendment Part
2. Section 60.17 is amended by:
End Amendment Part Start Amendment Part
a. Adding paragraphs (a)(109) through (a)(115); and
b. Adding paragraph (p) to read as follows:
End Amendment Part
§ 60.17
Incorporations by reference.
(a) * * *
(109) ASTM E871-82 (2006), Standard Test Methods for Moisture Analysis of Particulate Wood Fuels, IBR approved for appendix A: Method 5H and Method 28.
(110) ASTM E2515-10, Standard Test Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected by a Dilution Tunnel, IBR approved for § 60.534(c), § 60.5476(b) and § 60.5488(b).
(111) ASTM E2779-10, Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Matter Emissions from Pellet Heaters, IBR approved for § 60.534(a)(2).
(112) ASTM E2618-13 Standard Test Method for Measurement of Particulate Matter Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Outdoor Solid Fuel-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances, IBR approved for § 60.5476(a)(2).
(113) ASTM E2780-10, Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Matter Emissions from Wood Heaters, IBR approved for § 60.534(a)(2).
(114) ASTM E2817-11, Standard Test Method for Test Fueling Masonry Heaters, IBR approved for § 60.5488(a).
(115) ASTM WK26558, New Specification for Calculation Method for Custom Designed, Site Built Masonry Heaters, IBR approved for § 60.5488(c)(1).
(p) This material is available for purchase from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) at http://shop.csa.ca/en/canada/fuel-burning-equipment/b4151-10/invt/27013322010/.
(1) CSA B415.1-10, Performance Testing of Solid-fuel-burning Heating Appliances, IBR approved for § 60.534(d) and § 60.5476(c) and (d).
(2) [Reserved]
3. Revise subpart AAA to read as follows:
Am I subject to this subpart?
What definitions must I know?
What standards and associated requirements must I meet and by when?
What compliance and certification requirements must I meet and by when?
What test methods and procedures must I use to determine compliance with the standards and requirements for certification?
What procedures must I use for laboratory accreditation or certifying body accreditation?
What requirements must I meet for permanent labels and owner's manuals?
What records must I keep and what reports must I submit?
What activities are prohibited under this subpart?
What Petition for Review procedures apply to me?
60.539a
Who implements and enforces this subpart?
60.539b
What parts of the General Provisions do not apply?
§ 60.530
(a) You are subject to this subpart if you operate, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, import for sale, distribute, offer to distribute, introduce, or deliver for introduction, into commerce in the United States, an affected wood heater specified in paragraphs (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section:
(1) Each adjustable burn rate wood heater with a current EPA certificate of compliance, single burn rate wood heaters with a current EPA certificate of compliance, and each pellet stove with a current EPA certificate of compliance issued prior to [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] according to the certification procedures in effect in this subpart at the time of certification that are manufactured on or after July 1, 1988 are affected wood heaters.Start Printed Page 6374
(2) All other residential wood heaters under this subpart manufactured or sold on or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] are affected wood heaters.
(b) Each affected wood heater must comply with the provisions of this subpart unless exempted under paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(6) of this section.
(1) Affected wood heaters manufactured in the United States for export are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.532 and the requirements of § 60.533.
(2) Affected wood heaters used for research and development purposes that are never offered for sale or sold and that are not used for the purpose of providing heat are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.532 and the requirements of § 60.533. No more than 50 wood heaters manufactured per model line can be exempted for this purpose.
(3) Appliances that do not burn wood or wood pellets (such as coal-only heaters that meet the definition in § 60.531 or corn-only pellet stoves) are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.532 and the requirements of § 60.533.
(4) Cook stoves that meet the definition in § 60.531 are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.532 and the requirements of § 60.533.
(5) Camp stoves that meet the definition in § 60.531 are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.532 and the requirements of § 60.533.
(6) Modification or reconstruction, as defined in § 60.14 and § 60.15 of Subpart A will not, by itself, make a wood heater an affected facility under this subpart.
(c) The following are not affected wood heaters and are not subject to this subpart:
(1) Residential hydronic heaters and residential forced-air furnaces subject to subpart QQQQ of this part.
(2) Residential masonry heaters subject to subpart RRRR of this part.
(3) Appliances that are not residential heating devices (for example, manufactured or site-built masonry fireplaces).
(4) Traditional Native American bake ovens that meet the definition in § 60.531.
As used in this subpart, all terms not defined herein have the meaning given them in the Clean Air Act and subpart A of this part.
Adjustable burn rate wood heater means an enclosed, wood-burning appliance capable of and intended for residential space heating or domestic water heating that is equipped with or installed with a damper or other mechanism to allow the operator to vary burn rate conditions, regardless of whether it is internal or external to the appliance. This definition does not distinguish between heaters that are free standing or fireplace inserts.
Accredited test laboratory means a test laboratory that is accredited for wood heater certification testing under § 60.535 or is an independent third-party test laboratory that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity under ISO-IEC Standard 17025 to perform testing using the test methods specified in § 60.534 and approved by the EPA for conducting testing under this subpart.
At retail means the sale by a commercial owner of a wood heater to the ultimate purchaser.
Camp stove (sometimes also called cylinder stove or wall tent stove) means a portable stove equipped with a pipe or chimney exhaust capable of burning wood or coal intended for use in a tent or other temporary structure used for hunting, camping, fishing, or other outdoor recreation. The primary purpose of the stove is to provide space heating, although cooking and heating water may be additional functions.
Catalytic combustor means a device coated with a noble metal used in a wood heater to lower the temperature required for combustion.
Certifying entity means an independent third party that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity under ISO-IEC Standard 17020 to perform certifications, inspections and audits under ISO-IEC Guide 17065 and approved by the EPA for conducting certifications, inspections and audits under this subpart.
Coal-only heater means an enclosed, coal-burning appliance capable of space heating, or domestic water heating, which has all of the following characteristics:
(1) An opening for emptying ash that is located near the bottom or the side of the appliance;
(2) A system that admits air primarily up and through the fuel bed;
(3) A grate or other similar device for shaking or disturbing the fuel bed or power-driven mechanical stoker;
(4) Installation instructions that state that the use of wood in the stove, except for coal ignition purposes, is prohibited by law; and
(5) The model is listed by a nationally recognized safety-testing laboratory for use of coal only, except for coal ignition purposes.
Commercial owner means any person who owns or controls a wood heater in the course of the business of the manufacture, importation, distribution (including shipping and storage), or sale of the wood heater.
Cookstove means a wood-fired appliance that is designed primarily for cooking food and that has the following characteristics:
(1) An oven, with volume of 0.028 cubic meters (1 cubic foot) or greater, and an oven rack;
(2) A device for measuring oven temperatures;
(3) A flame path that is routed around the oven;
(4) An ash pan;
(5) An ash clean-out door below the oven;
(6) The absence of a fan or heat channels to dissipate heat from the appliance;
(7) A cooking surface measured in square inches or square feet that is 1.5 times greater than the firebox, which is measured in cubic inches or cubic feet. Example: A firebox of 2 cubic feet would have a cooking surface of at least 3 square feet;
(8) A portion of at least four sides of the oven is exposed to the flame path during the heating cycle of the oven. A flue gas bypass may exist for temperature control.
Manufactured means completed and ready for shipment (whether or not packaged).
Manufacturer means any person who constructs or imports into the United States a wood heater.
Model line means all wood heaters offered for sale by a single manufacturer that are similar in all material respects.
Particulate matter (PM) means total particulate matter including coarse PM (PM10) and fine PM (PM2.5).
Pellet stove means an enclosed, solid fuel burning device capable of and intended for residential space heating or domestic water heating that is designed specifically to burn wood pellet fuel that incorporates induced air flow, is installed with an automatic pellet feeder, and is a free standing room heater or fireplace insert.
Representative affected wood heater means an individual wood heater that is similar in all material respects to other wood heaters within the model line it represents.
Room heater means an enclosed, wood-burning appliance capable of and intended for residential space heating. Unless otherwise specified, these devices include adjustable burn rate wood heaters, single burn rate wood heaters and pellet stoves.Start Printed Page 6375
Sale means the transfer of ownership or control, except that a transfer of control of an affected wood heater for research and development purposes within the scope of § 60.530(b)(2) is not a sale.
Seasoned wood means wood with a moisture content of 20 percent or less.
Similar in all material respects means that the construction materials, exhaust and inlet air system, and other design features are within the allowed tolerances for components identified in § 60.533(k).
Single burn rate wood heater means an enclosed, wood-burning appliance capable of and intended for residential space heating or domestic water heating that is not equipped with or installed with a damper to allow the operator to vary burn rate conditions.
Traditional Native American bake oven means a wood or other solid fuel burning appliance that is designed primarily for use by Native Americans for food preparation, cooking, warming, or for instructional, recreational, cultural or ceremonial purposes.
Valid certification test means a test that meets the following criteria:
(1) The Administrator was notified about the test in accordance with § 60.534(f);
(2) The test was conducted by an accredited test laboratory;
(3) The test was conducted on a wood heater similar in all material respects to other wood heaters of the model line that is to be certified; and
(4) The test was conducted in accordance with the test methods and procedures specified in § 60.534.
Wood heater means an enclosed, wood burning-appliance capable of and intended for residential space heating or domestic water heating. Unless otherwise specified, these devices include adjustable burn rate wood heaters, single burn rate wood heaters and pellet stoves.
Wood pellet fuel means refined and densified wood shaped into small pellets or briquettes that are uniform in size, shape, moisture, density and energy content.
(a) 1990 Particulate Matter Standards. Unless exempted under § 60.530, each adjustable burn rate wood heater and pellet stove with a current EPA certification issued prior to [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], according to the certification procedures in effect in this subpart at the time of certification, must comply with the following particulate matter emission limits as determined by the applicable test methods and procedures in § 60.534(a) through (c) until the current certification expires as specified in § 60.533(h)(1), or it is revoked by the Administrator as specified in § 60.533(l), whichever is first. After the certificate expires or is revoked, individual wood heaters in that model line can no longer be manufactured or sold unless the manufacturer receives a new certificate of compliance from the Administrator.
(1) An affected wood heater equipped with a catalytic combustor must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 4.1 g/hr (0.009 lb/hr) as specified in the applicable test method. Particulate matter emissions during any test run at any burn rate that is required to be used in the weighted average as specified in the applicable test method must not exceed the value calculated for “C” (rounded to 2 significant figures) calculated using the following equation:
(i) At burn rates less than or equal to 2.82 kg/hr (6.2 lb/hr),
C=K1 BR+K2
BR = Burn rate in kg/hr (lb/hr)
C = Actual particulate matter emission rate in g/hr (lb/hr) per burn rate in a given test run
K1= 3.55 g/kg (0.00355 lb/lb)
K2= 4.98 g/hr (0.0.011 lb/hr)
(ii) At burn rates greater than 2.82 kg/hr (6.2 lb/hr), C = 15 g/hr (0.033 lb/hr).
(2) An affected wood heater not equipped with a catalytic combustor must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 7.5 g/hr (0.017 lb/hr) as specified in the applicable test method. Particulate matter emissions must not exceed 15 g/hr (0.033 lb/hr) during any test run at a burn rate less than or equal to 1.5 kg/hr (3.3 lb/hr) that is required to be used in the weighted average as specified in the applicable test method and particulate matter emissions must not exceed 18 g/hr (0.040 lb/hr) during any test run at a burn rate greater than 1.5 kg/hr (3.3 lb/hr) that is required to be used in the weighted average as specified in the applicable test method.
(3) As an alternative, an affected wood heater subject to paragraph (a) of this section may elect to comply with the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section.
(b) 2015 Particulate Matter Standards. Unless exempted under § 60.530 or subject to the standards specified in paragraph (a) of this section, each adjustable burn rate wood heater or pellet stove manufactured on or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or sold at retail for use in the United States on or after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] must comply with the emission limits specified in paragraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section, as applicable. Unless exempted under § 60.530, each single burn rate wood heater manufactured on or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or sold at retail on or after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] must comply with the emission limit specified in paragraph (b)(3) of this section. Compliance for all sources must be determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.534.
(1) An adjustable burn rate wood heater or pellet stove that is an affected wood heater equipped with a catalytic combustor must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 4.5 g/hr (0.01 lb/hr).
(2) An adjustable burn rate wood heater or pellet stove that is an affected wood heater not equipped with a catalytic combustor and capable of making burn rate adjustments must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 4.5 g/hr (0.01 lb/hr).
(3) A single burn rate wood heater that is an affected wood heater must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of 4.5 g/hr (0.01 lb/hr).
(c) 2020 Particulate Matter Standards. Unless exempted under § 60.530 or subject to the standards specified in paragraph (a) of this section, each adjustable burn rate wood heater, pellet stove or single burn rate wood heater manufactured or sold at retail for use in the United States on or after [5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of 1.3 g/hr (0.003 lb/hr) for any burn rate. Compliance for all sources must be determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.534.
(d) [Reserved]
(e) Pellet Fuel Requirements. Operators of wood heaters that are certified to burn pellet fuels may only burn pellets that have been produced under a licensing agreement with the Pellet Fuels Institute or an equivalent organization approved by the EPA. The pellet fuel must meet the following minimum requirements:
(1) Density: consistent hardness and energy content with a minimum density of 38 pounds/cubic foot;Start Printed Page 6376
(2) Dimensions: maximum length of 1.5 inches and diameter between 0.230 and 0.285 inches;
(3) Inorganic fines: less than or equal to 1 percent;
(4) Chlorides: less than or equal to 300 parts per million by weight;
(5) Ash content: no more than 2 percent; and
(6) A quality assurance process licensed by the Pellet Fuels Institute or equivalent organization approved by EPA.
(f) Prohibited Fuel Types. No person is permitted to burn any of the following materials in an affected wood heater:
(1) Residential or commercial garbage;
(2) Lawn clippings or yard waste;
(3) Materials containing rubber, including tires;
(4) Materials containing plastic;
(5) Waste petroleum products, paints or paint thinners, or asphalt products;
(6) Materials containing asbestos;
(7) Construction or demolition debris;
(8) Paper products, cardboard, plywood, or particleboard. The prohibition against burning these materials does not prohibit the use of fire starters made from paper, cardboard, saw dust, wax and similar substances for the purpose of starting a fire in an affected wood heater;
(9) Railroad ties or pressure treated wood;
(10) Manure or animal remains; or
(11) Salt water driftwood or other previously salt water saturated materials.
(g) Owner's Manual. A person must not operate an affected residential wood heater in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual. The owner's manual must clearly specify that operation in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual would violate the warranty.
(h) Temperature Sensor Requirement. An affected wood heater equipped with a catalytic combustor must be equipped with a temperature sensor that can monitor combustor gas stream temperatures within or immediately downstream [within 2.54 centimeters (1 inch)] of the catalytic combustor surface.
(a) Certification Requirement. Each affected wood heater must be certified to bein compliance with the applicable emission standards and other requirements of this subpart. For each model line manufactured or sold by a single entity, e.g., company or manufacturer, compliance with applicable emission standards of § 60.532 may be determined based on testing of representative affected wood heaters within the model line. If one entity, licenses a model line to another entity, each entity's model line must be certified. If an entity changes the name of the entity or the name of the model, the manufacturer must apply for a new certification.
(1) Prior to [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], the manufacturer must submit to the EPA the information required in paragraph (b) of this section and follow either the certification process in paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section or the certifying entity based application process specified in paragraph (f) of this section.
(2) On or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], the manufacturer must submit the information required in paragraph (b) of this section and follow the certifying entity based application process specified in paragraph (f) of this section.
(b) Application for Certificate of Compliance. Any manufacturer of an affected wood heater must apply to the Administrator for a certificate of compliance for each model line. The application must be submitted to: Wood Heater NSPS Compliance Program at www.epa.gov/Wood_Heater_NSPS_Compliance_Program. The application must be signed by a responsible representative of the manufacturer or an authorized representative and must contain the following:
(1) The model name and/or design number and responsible contact information for the manufacturer and all authorized representatives, including name, affiliation, physical address, telephone number, and email address.
(2) Engineering drawings and specifications of components that may affect emissions (including specifications for each component listed in paragraph (k) of this section). Manufacturers may use complete assembly or design drawings that have been prepared for other purposes, but must designate on the drawings the dimensions of each component listed in paragraph (k) of this section. Manufacturers must identify tolerances of components of the tested unit listed in paragraph (k)(2) of this section that are different from those specified in that paragraph, and show that such tolerances may not reasonably be anticipated to cause wood heaters in the model line to exceed the applicable emission limits. The drawings must identify how the emission critical parts, such as air tubes and catalyst, can be readily inspected and replaced. The drawings may be submitted either in hard copy or electronic format.
(3) A statement whether the firebox or any firebox component (including the materials listed in paragraph (k)(3) of this section) will be composed of material different from the material used for the firebox or firebox component in the wood heater on which certification testing was performed and a description of any such differences.
(4) Clear identification of any confidential business information. Submit such information under separate cover to the EPA CBI Office; Attn: Residential Wood Heater Compliance Program. Note that emissions data, including information necessary to determine emission rates in the format of the standard, cannot be claimed as confidential business information.
(5) All documentation pertaining to a valid certification test, including the complete test report and, for all test runs: raw data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and test results. Documentation must include the items specified in the applicable test methods. The test report must include a summary table that clearly presents the individual and overall emission rates, efficiencies, and heat output range. Submit the test report and all associated required information according to the procedures for electronic reporting specified in § 60.537(f).
(6) A copy of the warranties for the model line, including a statement that the warranties are void if the unit is used to burn materials for which the unit is not certified by the EPA.
(7) A statement that the manufacturer or certifying entity will conduct a quality assurance program for the model line that satisfies the requirements of paragraph (m) of this section.
(8) A statement describing how the tested unit was sealed by the laboratory after the completion of certification testing and that such unit will be stored by the manufacturer in the sealed state until 1 year after the certification expires.
(9) Statements that the wood heaters manufactured under this certificate will be—
(i) Similar in all material respects as defined in this subpart to the wood heater submitted for certification testing, and
(ii) Labeled as prescribed in § 60.536.
(iii) Accompanied by an owner's manual that meets the requirements in § 60.536. In addition, a copy of the owner's manual must be submitted to the EPA and be available on the manufacturer's Web site.
(10) A statement that the manufacturer has entered into a contract with an accredited laboratory that satisfies the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section.Start Printed Page 6377
(11) A statement that the accredited certifying body is allowed to submit information on behalf of the manufacturer.
(c)(1) Administrator Approval Process. The Administrator will electronically issue a certificate of compliance for a model line if the Administrator determines, based on all information submitted by the applicant and any other relevant information available, that:
(i) A valid certification test demonstrates that the representative affected wood heater complies with the applicable emission standards in § 60.532,
(ii) Any tolerances for components listed in paragraph (k)(2) of this section that are different from those specified in those paragraphs may not reasonably be anticipated to cause wood heaters in the model line to exceed the applicable emission limits; and
(iii) The requirements of paragraph (b) of this section have been met.
(2) The Administrator will deny certification if the Administrator determines that the criteria in paragraph (c)(1) of this section have not been satisfied. Upon denying certification under this paragraph, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for this determination.
(d) Prior to [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], the Administrator will issue the certificate for the most stringent particulate matter emission standard that the unit meets under § 60.532(a) or (b), as applicable.
(e) To receive EPA certification, a manufacturer must enter into a contract with the accredited laboratory that performed the certification test, under which the laboratory will:
(1) Conduct the compliance audit test at no additional cost to the manufacturer if the EPA selects that laboratory to conduct the test; or
(2) Pay the manufacturer the cost of a compliance audit test (as determined by the EPA) if the EPA selects any other laboratory to conduct the test.
(f) Certifying Entity-Based Application Process.
(1) Any manufacturer of an affected wood heater must apply to the Administrator for a certificate of compliance for each model line. The manufacturer must meet the following requirements:
(i) The manufacturer must contract with a certifying entity for certification services.
(ii) The manufacturer must submit the materials specified in paragraph (b) of this section and a quality control plan that meets the requirements of paragraph (m)(4) of this section to the certifying entity. The quality control plan must ensure that units within a model line accurately reflect emission-critical components of the model line design, and it must include design drawings for the model line.
(iii) The manufacturer must apply to the certifying entity for a certification of conformity with the applicable requirements of this subpart for the model line.
(A) After testing by an accredited test laboratory is complete, certification of conformity with the emission standards in § 60.532 must be performed by the manufacturer's contracted certifying entity.
(B) The certifying entity can certify conformity if the emission tests have been conducted per the appropriate guidelines and the test report is complete and accurate and the instrumentation is properly calibrated and the test report shows that the representative affected wood heater meets the applicable emission limits specified in § 60.532 and the quality control plan is adequate to ensure that units within the model line will be similar in all material respects to the wood heater submitted for certification testing.
(iv) The manufacturer must then request that the certifying entity electronically submit, on behalf of the manufacturer, an application for EPA certification that includes the certification of conformity, quality control plan, test report and supporting documentation.
(v) The submission must include a statement signed by a responsible official of the manufacturer that the manufacturer has complied with all requirements of this subpart and that the manufacturer remains responsible for compliance regardless of any error by the certifying entity.
(2) The Administrator will electronically issue to the manufacturer a certificate of compliance for a model line if it is determined, based on all of the information submitted in the application for certification and any other relevant information, that:
(i) A valid certification of conformity has demonstrated that the representative affected wood heater complies with the applicable emission standards in § 60.532; and
(ii) Any tolerances or materials for components listed in paragraph (k)(2) or (3) of this section that are different from those specified in those paragraphs may not be reasonably anticipated to cause wood heaters in the model line to exceed the applicable emission limits.
(iii) The requirements of paragraphs (b) of this section have been met.
(iv) A valid certificate of conformity for the model line has been prepared and submitted.
(3) The Administrator will deny certification if the Administrator determines that the criteria in paragraph (f)(2) of this section have not been satisfied. Upon denying certification under this paragraph, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for the determination.
(g) Waiver from Submitting Test Results. An applicant for certification may apply for a potential waiver of the requirement to submit the results of a certification test pursuant to paragraph (b)(3) of this section, if the wood heater meets either of the following conditions:
(1) The wood heaters of the model line are similar in all material respects, as defined in this subpart, to another model line that has already been issued a certificate of compliance. A manufacturer that seeks a waiver of certification testing must identify the model line that has been certified, and must submit a copy of an agreement with the owner of the design permitting the applicant to produce wood heaters of that design.
(2) The manufacturer has previously conducted a valid certification test to demonstrate that the wood heaters of the model line meet the applicable standard specified in § 60.532(a), and that test also demonstrates that the wood heaters of the model line meet the applicable standard specified in § 60.532(b). This option is only potentially available a maximum of one time per model line.
(h) Certification Period. Unless revoked sooner by the Administrator, a certificate of compliance will be valid for the following periods as applicable:
(1) For a model line certified as meeting the emission standards in § 60.532(a), a certificate of compliance will be valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.
(2) For a model line certified as meeting emission standards in § 60.532(b), a certificate of compliance will be valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.
(3) For a model line certified as meeting emission standards in § 60.532(c), a certificate of compliance will be valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.
(i) Renewal of Certification.
(1) The certificate must be recertified or renewed every 5 years or the manufacture may choose to no longer manufacture or sell that model. If the manufacturer chooses to no longer Start Printed Page 6378manufacture or sell that model, then the manufacturer must submit a statement to EPA for that model. A manufacturer of an affected wood heater may apply to the Administrator for potential renewal of their certificate by submitting the material specified in § 60.533(b) and following the procedures specified in § 60.533(f) or by affirming in writing that the wood heater has been subject to no changes that would impact emissions and requesting a potential waiver from certification testing.
(2) If the Administrator grants a renewal of certification, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for the determination and issue a certification renewal.
(3) If the Administrator denies the request for a renewal of certification, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for the determination.
(j) [Reserved]
(k) Recertification.
(1) The manufacturer must recertify a model line whenever any change is made in the design submitted pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section that is presumed to affect the particulate matter emission rate for that model line. The manufacturer of an affected wood heater must apply to the Administrator for potential recertification by submitting the material specified in § 60.533(b) and following the procedures specified in § 60.533(f) or by affirming in writing that the wood heater has been subject to no changes that would impact emissions and requesting a potential waiver from certification testing. The Administrator may potentially waive this requirement upon written request by the manufacturer, if it is determined that the change may not reasonably be anticipated to cause wood heaters in the model line to exceed the applicable emission limits. The granting of such a waiver does not relieve the manufacturer of any compliance obligations under this subpart.
(2) Any change in the design tolerances of any of the following components (where such components are applicable) is presumed to affect particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions and efficiency if that change exceeds ±0.64 cm (±1/4 inch) for any linear dimension and ±5 percent for any cross-sectional area relating to air introduction systems and catalyst bypass gaps unless other dimensions and cross-sectional areas are previously approved by the Administrator under paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of this section:
(i) Firebox: Dimensions;
(ii) Air introduction systems: Cross-sectional area of restrictive air inlets and outlets, location and method of control;
(iii) Baffles: Dimensions and locations;
(iv) Refractory/insulation: Dimensions and location;
(v) Catalyst: Dimensions and location;
(vi) Catalyst bypass mechanism and catalyst bypass gap tolerances (when bypass mechanism is in closed position): Dimensions, cross-sectional area, and location;
(vii) Flue gas exit: Dimensions and location;
(viii) Door and catalyst bypass gaskets: Dimensions and fit;
(ix) Outer shielding and coverings: Dimensions and location;
(x) Fuel feed system: For wood heaters that are designed primarily to burn wood pellets and other wood heaters equipped with a fuel feed system, the fuel feed rate, auger motor design and power rating, and the angle of the auger to the firebox; and
(xi) Forced air combustion system: For wood heaters so equipped, the location and horsepower of blower motors and the fan blade size.
(3) Any change in the materials used for the following components is presumed to affect particulate matter emissions and efficiency:
(i) Refractory/insulation; or
(ii) Door and catalyst bypass gaskets.
(4) A change in the make, model, or composition of a catalyst is presumed to affect particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions and efficiency, unless the change has been approved in advance by the Administrator, based on test data in the same model stove that demonstrate that the replacement catalyst is equivalent to or better than the original catalyst in terms of particulate matter emission reduction.
(l) Criteria for Revocation of Certification.
(1) The Administrator may revoke certification if it is determined that the wood heaters being manufactured or sold in that model line do not comply with the requirements of this subpart. Such a determination will be based on all available evidence, including but not limited to:
(i) Test data from a retesting of the original unit on which the certification test was conducted or a similar unit;
(ii) A finding that the certification test was not valid. (iii) A finding that the labeling of the wood heater model line or the owner's manual or marketing information does not comply with the requirements of § 60.536;
(iii) Failure by the manufacturer to comply with reporting and recordkeeping requirements under § 60.537;
(iv) Physical examination showing that a significant percentage (as defined in the quality assurance plan, but no larger than 1 percent) of production units inspected is not similar in all material respects to the representative affected wood heater submitted for testing; or
(v) Failure of the manufacturer to conduct a quality assurance program in conformity with paragraph (m) of this section.
(2) Revocation of certification under this paragraph will not take effect until the manufacturer concerned has been given written notice by the Administrator setting forth the basis for the proposed determination and an opportunity to request a review under § 60.539.
(m) Quality Assurance Program.
(1) On or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], for each certified model line, the manufacturer must conduct a quality assurance program that satisfies the requirements of this section The quality assurance program requirements of this section supersede the quality assurance plan requirements specified in § 60.533(o) of the 1988 rule. By [60 DAYS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], for model lines that had a valid EPA certification on [60 DAYS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], manufacturers must submit the quality assurance plan to the EPA Administrator for review and approval.
(i) The manufacturer must prepare and operate according to a quality assurance plan for each certified model line that has specific inspection and testing requirements for ensuring that units within a model line accurately reflect emission-critical components of the model line design and meet the emissions standards in § 60.532.
(ii) The quality assurance plan must be approved within 30 days by the certifying entity as part of the certification of conformity process specified in paragraph (f) of this section.
(iii) Within 30 days after approval by the certifying entity, the quality control plan must also be submitted to EPA for review and approval.
(iv) The certifying entity must conduct quarterly unannounced audits under ISO-IEC Guide 17065 and ISO-EC Standard 17020 to ensure that the manufacturer's quality control plan is being implemented.
(v) The certifying entity must prepare a report for each audit under ISO-IEC Guide 17065 and ISO-EC Standard 17020 that fully documents the results of the audit, and the manufacturer must include in their contract with the certifying entity the authorization and requirement to submit all such reports Start Printed Page 6379to the EPA within 30 days. In the audit report, the certifying entity must identify deviations from the manufacturer's quality control plan and specify the corrective actions that need to be taken to address each identified deficiency.
(vi) The manufacturer must report within 30 days to the certifying entity and to the EPA its responses to any deficiencies identified in an audit report.
(n) EPA Compliance Audit Testing.
(1)(i) The Administrator may select by written notice wood heaters for compliance audit testing to determine compliance with the emission standards in § 60.532.
(ii) The written notification shall be forwarded to the manufacturer by the Administrator and shall include the name and address of the laboratory selected to perform the audit test and the model name and serial number of the wood heater(s) selected to undergo audit testing.
(2)(i) The Administrator may test, or direct the manufacturer to have tested, the wood heater(s) selected under paragraph (n)(1)(i) of this section in a laboratory accredited under § 60.535 that is selected pursuant to paragraph (n)(3) of this section.
(ii) The expense of the compliance audit test is the responsibility of the wood heater manufacturer. A manufacturer may require the laboratory that performed the certification test to bear the expense of an audit test by means of the contract required under paragraph (e) of this section. The manufacturer will bear the cost of audit testing if the laboratory with which the manufacturer had a contract has ceased business or is otherwise legally unable to honor the contract. The manufacturer will also bear the cost of audit testing if the manufacturer has not entered into contract with an accredited test laboratory to perform audit testing.
(iii) The test must be conducted using the same test method and procedure used to obtain certification or a new test method approved by the EPA Administrator. If the certification test consisted of more than one particulate matter sampling test method, the Administrator may direct the test laboratory as to which of these methods to use for the purpose of audit testing. The Administrator will notify the manufacturer at least 1 week prior to any test under this paragraph, and allow the manufacturer and/or his authorized representatives to observe the test.
(3) The Administrator may select any accredited test laboratory or federal laboratory for audit testing.
(4) Revocation of Certification.
(i) If emissions from a wood heater tested under paragraph (n)(2) of this section exceed the certification emission values limit by more than 50 percent, the Administrator will notify the manufacturer that certification for that model line is suspended effective 72 hours from the receipt of the notice, unless the suspension notice is withdrawn by the Administrator. The suspension will remain in effect until withdrawn by the Administrator, or 30 days from its effective date (if a revocation notice under paragraph (n)(5)(ii) of this section is not issued within that period), or the date of final agency action on revocation, whichever occurs earlier.
(ii)(A) If emissions from a wood heater tested under paragraph (n)(2) of this section exceed the applicable emission limit, the Administrator will notify the manufacturer that certification is revoked for that model line.
(B) A suspension under paragraph (n)(4)(i) or a revocation notice under paragraph (n)(4)(ii)(A) of this section will become final and effective 60 days after receipt by the manufacturer, unless it is withdrawn, a supplemental review is requested under § 60.539, or the deadline for requesting a supplemental review is extended.
(C) The Administrator may extend the deadline for requesting a supplemental review for up to 60 days for good cause.
(D) A manufacturer may extend the deadline for requesting a supplemental review for up to 6 months, by agreeing to a voluntary suspension of certification.
(iii) Any notification under paragraph (n)(4)(i) or (n)(4)(ii) of this section will include a copy of a preliminary test report from the accredited test laboratory or federal test laboratory. The test laboratory must provide a preliminary test report to the Administrator within 10 days of the completion of testing, if a wood heater exceeds the applicable emission limit in § 60.532. The test laboratory must provide the Administrator and the manufacturer, within 30 days of the completion of testing, all documentation pertaining to the test, including the complete test report and raw data sheets, laboratory technician notes, and test results for all test runs.
(iv) Upon receiving notification of a test failure under paragraph (n)(4)(ii) of this section, the manufacturer may request up to four additional wood heaters from the same model line be selected under paragraph (n)(1) of this section for testing at the manufacturer's expense, at the test laboratory that performed the emissions test for the Administrator.
(v) Whether or not the manufacturer proceeds under paragraph (n)(4)(iv) of this section, the manufacturer may submit any relevant information to the Administrator, including any other test data generated pursuant to this subpart. The manufacturer must pay the expense of any additional testing.
(vi) The Administrator will withdraw any notice issued under paragraph (n)(4)(ii) of this section if tests under paragraph (n)(4)(iv) of this section show either—
(A) That all wood heaters tested for the manufacturer met the applicable emission limits; or
(B) That the second and third wood heaters selected met the applicable emission limits and the average of all three (including the original audit test) was below the applicable emission limits.
(C) The Administrator will revise the certification values based on the test data and other relevant information and the manufacturer must revise the labels and marketing information accordingly.
(vii) The Administrator may withdraw any proposed revocation, if the Administrator finds that an audit test failure has been rebutted by information submitted by the manufacturer under paragraph (n)(4)(iv) of this section and/or (n)(4)(v) of this section or by any other relevant information available to the Administrator.
Test methods and procedures specified in this section or in appendices of this part, except as provided under § 60.8(b), must be used to determine compliance with the standards and requirements for certification under § § 60.532 and 60.533 as follows:
(a)(1) Method 28 of appendix A-8 of this part must be used to establish the certification test conditions and the particulate matter emission values for affected wood heaters subject to the 1990 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.532(a).
(2) For affected wood heaters subject to the 2015 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.532(b), you must conduct testing according to paragraphs § 60.534(a)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section and submit the full test reports. You have the option of submitting the test results of either (a)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section to the Administrator as specified under § 60.537 for certification compliance.Start Printed Page 6380
(i) Conduct testing with crib wood using EPA Method 28R of appendix A-8 of this part to establish the certification test conditions and the particulate matter emission values.
(ii) Conduct testing with cord wood using EPA Method 28R of appendix A-8 of this part to establish the certification test conditions and the particulate matter emission values.
(3) For affected wood heaters subject to the 2020 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.532(c), you must conduct testing with cord wood using EPA Method 28R of appendix A-8 of this part to establish the certification test conditions, except that you should first test Burn Rate Categories 1 and 4 and then test 2 more times for whichever burn rate category is worse and then report the results separately per burn rate category.
(b) For affected wood heaters subject to the 1990 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.532(a), emission concentrations must be measured with Method 5G of appendix A-3 of this part, i.e., using a dilution tunnel sampling location. Method 5H is no longer allowed for certification testing.
(c) For affected wood heaters subject to the 2015 and 2020 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.532(b) and (c), emission concentrations must be measured with ASTM E2515-10.
(d) Canadian Standards Administration Method B415.1-10, section 13.7, must be used to measure the efficiency and carbon monoxide output of the tested appliance.
(e) [Reserved]
(f) The manufacturer of an affected wood heater must notify the Administrator of the date that certification testing is scheduled to begin by email to Wood Heater NSPS Compliance Program at www.epa.gov/Wood_Heater_NSPS_Compliance_Program. This notice must be received by the EPA at least 30 days before the start of testing. The notification of testing must include the manufacturer's name and physical and email addresses, the accredited test laboratory's name and physical and email addresses, certifying entity name, the model name and number (or, if unavailable, some other way to distinguish between models), and the dates of testing.
(g) The accredited test laboratory must allow the manufacturer, the EPA and delegated states to observe certification testing. However, manufacturers must not involve themselves in the conduct of the test after the pretest burn has begun. Communications between the manufacturer and laboratory or certifying entity personnel regarding operation of the wood heater must be limited to written communications transmitted prior to the first pretest burn of the certification series. Written communications between the manufacturer and laboratory personnel may be exchanged during the certification test only if deviations from the test procedures are observed that constitute improper conduct of the test. All communications must be included in the test documentation required to be submitted pursuant to § 60.533(b)(3) and must be consistent with instructions provided in the owner's manual required under § 60.536(f), except to the extent that they address details of the certification tests that would not be relevant to owners or regulators.
(a)(1) A laboratory must apply to the Administrator for accreditation as an EPA accredited test laboratory by submitting documentation that the laboratory is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity under ISO-IEC Standard 17025 to perform testing using the test methods specified under § 60.534.
(2) As part of the application, the test laboratory must:
(i) Agree to enter into a contract as described in § 60.533(e) with each wood heater manufacturer for whom a certification test has been performed;
(ii) Agree to participate biennially in a proficiency testing program conducted by the Administrator;
(iii) Agree to allow the Administrator and delegated states and certifying bodies access to observe certification testing;
(iv) Agree to comply with reporting and recordkeeping requirements that affect testing laboratories; and
(v) Agree to perform a compliance audit test (as determined by the Administrator) at the cost normally charged to manufacturers if it is selected to conduct the compliance audit test of a model line originally tested for certification at another laboratory.
(vi) Have no conflict of interest and receive no financial benefit from the outcome of certification testing conducted pursuant to § 60.533.
(vii) Agree to not perform initial certification tests on any models manufactured by a manufacturer for which the laboratory has conducted research and development tests within the last 5 years.
(3) If the EPA approves the accreditation, the Administrator will provide the test laboratory with a certificate of accreditation. If the EPA denies the accreditation, the Administrator will give written notice to the laboratory setting forth the basis for the determination.
(b)(1) The Administrator may revoke the EPA laboratory accreditation if it is determined that the laboratory:
(i) Is no longer is accredited by the nationally recognized ISO certifying entity;
(ii) Does not follow required procedures or practices;
(iii) Has falsified data or otherwise misrepresented emission data;
(iv) Failed to participate in a proficiency testing program, in accordance with its commitment under paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section; or
(v) Failed to seal the wood heater in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.
(2) Revocation of accreditation under this paragraph will not take effect until the laboratory concerned has been given written notice by the Administrator setting forth the basis for the proposed determination and an opportunity for a Petition for Supplemental Review under § 60.539. However, if revocation is ultimately upheld, all tests conducted by the laboratory after written notice was given will, at the discretion of the Administrator, be declared invalid.
(c)(1) With the exception of laboratories meeting the provisions of paragraph (c)(2) of this section, and unless revoked sooner, a certificate of accreditation as an accredited test laboratory granted by the Administrator is valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.
(2) Laboratories accredited by the EPA by February 3, 2014 under the provisions of § 60.535 in effect prior to that date may continue to be accredited until [1 YEAR AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], at which time the accreditation ends unless the laboratory has obtained accreditation under § 60.535 as in effect beginning on [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE].
(d) A laboratory accredited by the Administrator must seal any wood heater on which it performed certification tests, immediately upon completion or suspension of certification testing, by using a laboratory-specific seal. For any tests that are suspended, the laboratory must email the EPA immediately with the date suspended, the reason(s) why, and the projected date for re-starting. The laboratory must submit the operation and test data obtained, even if the test is not completed.
(e)(1) A Certifying Entity may apply to the Administrator for approval to be an EPA-approved certifying entity by submitting credentials demonstrating that they have been accredited by a Start Printed Page 6381nationally recognized accrediting entity to perform certifications and inspections under ISO-17025, ISO-IEC Standard 17065 and ISO-IEC Standard 10720.
(2) As part of the application, the certifying entity must:
(i) Agree to enter into a contract as described in § 60.533(e) with each wood heater manufacturer for whom a certification test has been performed and a test report has been received and reviewed;
(ii) Agree to periodically conduct audits as described in § 60.534 and manufacturer's QA/QC Plan;
(iii) Agree to participate biennially in a proficiency testing program conducted by the Administrator;
(iv) Agree to comply with reporting and recordkeeping requirements that affect accredited wood heater testing laboratories and certifying entities;
(v) Have no conflict of interest and receive no financial benefit from the outcome of certification testing conducted pursuant to § 60.533;
(vi) Agree to make available to the EPA supporting documentation for each wood heater certification and audit; and
(vii) Agree to not perform initial certification reviews on any models manufactured by a manufacturer for which the certifying entity has conducted research and development within the last 5 years.
(3) If approved, the Administrator will provide the certifying entity with a certificate of accreditation. The accreditation will expire 5 years after being issued unless renewed by the certifying entity. If the EPA denies the accreditation, the Administrator will give written notice to the certifying entity for the basis for the determination.
(f)(1) The Administrator will revoke the EPA certifying entity accreditation if it is determined that the certifying entity;
(i) Is no longer accredited by the nationally recognized ISO certifying entity
(iii) Has falsified certification data or otherwise misrepresented emission data; or
(iv) Failed to participate in the EPA proficiency testing program.
(2) Revocation of accreditation under this paragraph will not take effect until the certifying entity concerned is given written notice by the Administrator setting forth the basis for the proposed determination and an opportunity for a Petition for Supplemental Review under § 60.539. However, if revocation is upheld, all tests reviewed by the certifying entity will, at the discretion of the Administrator, be declared invalid.
(a) Permanent Label Requirements. (1) Each affected wood heater manufactured on or after the date the applicable standards come into effect as specified in § 60.532, must have a permanent label affixed to it that meets the requirements of this section.
(2) Except for wood heaters subject to § 60.530(b)(1) through (b)(5), the permanent label must contain the following information:
(i) Month and year of manufacture of the individual unit;
(ii) Model name or number; and
(iii) Serial number.
(3) The permanent label must:
(i) Be affixed in a readily visible or accessible location in such a manner that it can be easily viewed before and after the appliance is installed;
(ii) Be at least 8.9 cm long and 5.1 cm wide (31/2 inches long and 2 inches wide);
(iii) Be made of a material expected to last the lifetime of the wood heater;
(iv) Present required information in a manner so that it is likely to remain legible for the lifetime of the wood heater; and
(v) Be affixed in such a manner that it cannot be removed from the appliance without damage to the label.
(4) The permanent label may be combined with any other label, as long as the required information is displayed, the integrity of the permanent label is not compromised, and the permanent label still meets the requirements in § 60.536(a)(3).
(5) Any label statement under paragraph (b) or (c) of this section constitutes a representation by the manufacturer as to any wood heater that bears it:
(i) That certification of compliance was in effect at the time the wood heater left the possession of the manufacturer;
(ii) That the manufacturer was, at the time the label was affixed, conducting a quality assurance program in conformity with § 60.533(o); and
(iii) That any wood heater individually tested for emissions by the manufacturer under § 60.533(o)(2) or (o)(4) met the applicable emissions limits.
(b) If the adjustable burn rate wood heater or pellet stove belongs to a model line certified under § 60.533, and it has been found to meet the applicable emission limits or tolerances through quality assurance testing, one of the following statements, as appropriate, must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 1990 particulate emission standards. Not approved for sale or operation after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2015 particulate emission standards. Not approved for sale or operation after [5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission standards.
(c) If the single burn rate wood heater belongs to a model line certified under § 60.533, and it has been found to meet the applicable emission limits or tolerances through quality assurance testing, the following statements must appear on the permanent label:
(d)(1) If an affected wood heater is manufactured in the United States for export as provided in § 60.530(b)(1), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Export stove. May not be sold or operated within the United States.
(2) If an affected wood heater is manufactured for use for research and development purposes as provided in § 60.530(b)(2), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Not certified. Research Stove. Not approved for sale or for operation other than research.
(3) If an affected wood heater is exclusively a non wood-burning heater as provided § 60.530(b)(3) the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This heater is not certified for wood burning. Use of any wood fuel is a violation of federal law.
(4) If an affected wood heater is a cookstove that meets the applicable definition in § 60.531, the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This unit is not a certified residential wood heater. The primary use for this unit is for cooking or baking.Start Printed Page 6382
(5) If an affected wood heater is a camp stove that meets the applicable definition in § 60.531, the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This unit is not a certified residential wood heater. For portable and temporary use only.
(e) The permanent label for all certified wood heaters must also contain the following statement:
“This wood heater needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. Consult owner's manual for further information. It is against the law to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in the owner's manual.”
(f) Owner's Manual.
(1) Each affected wood heater offered for sale by a commercial owner must be accompanied by an owner's manual that must contain the information listed in paragraphs (f)(2) and (f)(3) of this section. Such information must be adequate to enable consumers to achieve optimal emissions performance. Such information must be consistent with the operating instructions provided by the manufacturer to the accredited test laboratory for operating the wood heater during certification testing, except for details of the certification test that would not be relevant to the ultimate purchaser. The commercial owner must also make current and historical owner's manuals available on the company Web site and upon request to the EPA.
(2) Installation information: Requirements for achieving proper draft.
(3) Operation and maintenance information:
(i) Fuel loading procedures, recommendations on fuel selection, and warnings on what fuels not to use, such as treated wood, colored paper, cardboard, solvents, trash and garbage.
(ii) Fire starting procedures
(iii) Proper use of air controls
(iv) Ash removal procedures
(v) Instructions for replacement of gaskets, air tubes and other parts that are critical to the emissions performance of the unit and other maintenance and repair instructions
(vi) For catalytic models, information on the following pertaining to the catalytic combustor: Procedures for achieving and maintaining catalyst activity, maintenance procedures, procedures for determining deterioration or failure, procedures for replacement, and information on how to exercise warranty rights
(vii) For catalytic models, the following statement:
“This wood heater contains a catalytic combustor, which needs periodic inspection and replacement for proper operation. It is against federal law to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in this manual, or if the catalytic element is deactivated or removed.”
(viii) For noncatalytic models, the following statement:
“This wood heater needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. It is against federal law to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in this manual.”
(4) Any manufacturer using the EPA-recommended language contained in appendix I of this part to satisfy any requirement of this paragraph (f) will be considered to be in compliance with that requirement, provided that the particular language is printed in full, with only such changes as are necessary to ensure accuracy for the particular wood heater model line.
(5) Wood heaters that are affected by this subpart, but that have been owned and operated by a noncommercial owner, are not subject to paragraphs (f) of this section when offered for resale.
(a)(1) Each manufacturer who holds a certificate of compliance under § 60.533(c) or (f) for a model line must maintain records containing the information required by paragraph (a) of this section with respect to that model line.
(2) All documentation pertaining to the certification test used to obtain certification, including the full test report and raw data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and the test results for all test runs.
(3) Results of the quality assurance program inspections required by § 60.533(m).
(4) For emissions tests conducted pursuant to the quality assurance program required by § 60.533(o), all test reports, data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and test results for all test runs, the remedial actions taken, if any, and any follow-up actions such as additional testing.
(b) Each accredited test laboratory and certifying entity must maintain records consisting of all documentation pertaining to each certification test, QA/QC inspection and audit test, including the full test report and raw data sheets, technician notes, calculations, and the test results for all test runs. Each accredited test laboratory must submit initial and biennial proficiency test results to the Administrator. Each certifying entity must submit each certification test, QA/QC inspection report and ISO IEC accreditation credentials to the Administrator.
(c) Each manufacturer must retain each wood heater upon which certification tests were performed based upon which certification was granted under § 60.533(c) or (f) at the manufacturer's facility for as long as the model line in question is manufactured. Each heater or furnace must remain sealed and unaltered. Any such wood heater must be made available to the Administrator upon request for inspection and testing.
(d) Each manufacturer of an affected wood heater certified under § 60.533(c) or (f) must submit a report to the Administrator every 2 years following issuance of a certificate of compliance for each model line. This report must include the sales for each model by state and certify that no changes in the design or manufacture of this model line have been made that require recertification under § 60.533(k).
(e)(1) Unless otherwise specified, all records required under this section must be maintained by the manufacturer, commercial owner of the affected wood heater, accredited test laboratory or certifying entity for a period of no less than 5 years.
(2) Unless otherwise specified, all reports to the Administrator required under this subpart must be made to: Wood Heater NSPS Compliance Program at www.epa.gov/Wood_Heater_NSPS_Compliance_Program.
(f) Within 60 days after the date of completing each performance test, each manufacturer or accredited test laboratory or certifying entity must submit performance test data electronically to the EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) by using the Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ert/index.html). Only data collected using test methods compatible with ERT are subject to this requirement to be submitted electronically to the EPA's CDX. Manufacturers may submit compliance reports to the EPA via regular mail at the address listed below if the test methods they use are not compatible with ERT or if ERT is not available to accept reports at the time the final rule is published. Owners or operators who claim that some of the information being submitted for performance tests is confidential business information (CBI) must submit a completed ERT file, including information claimed to be CBI on a compact disk or other commonly used electronic storage media (including, but not limited to, flash drives), to the EPA, and the same ERT Start Printed Page 6383file, with the CBI omitted, to the EPA via CDX as described earlier in this paragraph. The compact disk must be clearly marked as CBI and mailed to U.S. EPA/OAQPS/CORE CBI Office, Attention: WebFIRE Administrator, MD C404-02, 4930 Old Page Rd., Durham, NC 27703. Emission data, including all information necessary to determine compliance, except sensitive engineering drawings and sensitive detailed material specifications, may not be claimed as CBI.
(a) No person is permitted to operate an affected wood heater that does not have affixed to it a permanent label pursuant to § 60.536 (b), (c), or (d)(2) through (d)(5).
(b) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected wood heater labeled under § 60.536(d)(1) except for export.
(c)(1) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale or sell an affected wood heater permanently labeled under § 60.536 (b) or (c) unless:
(i) The affected wood heater has been certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission standards. This prohibition does not apply to wood heaters affected by this subpart that have been previously owned and operated by a noncommercial owner; and
(ii) The commercial owner provides any purchaser or transferee with an owner's manual that meets the requirements of § 60.536(f), a copy of the warranty and a moisture meter.
(2) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected wood heater permanently labeled under § 60.536(d)(3), unless the affected wood heater has been certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission. This prohibition does not apply to wood heaters affected by this subpart that have been previously owned and operated by a noncommercial owner.
(3) A commercial owner other than a manufacturer complies with the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section if the commercial owner:
(i) Receives the required documentation from the manufacturer or a previous commercial owner; and
(ii) Provides that documentation unaltered to any person to whom the wood heater that it covers is sold or transferred.
(d)(1) In any case in which the Administrator revokes a certificate of compliance either for the knowing submission of false or inaccurate information or other fraudulent acts, or based on a finding under § 60.533(l)(1)(ii) that the certification test was not valid, the Administrator may give notice of that revocation and the grounds for it to all commercial owners.
(2) On and after the date of receipt of the notice given under paragraph (d)(1) of this section, no commercial owner is permitted to sell any wood heater covered by the revoked certificate (other than to the manufacturer) unless the model line has been recertified in accordance with this subpart.
(e) No person is permitted to install or operate an affected wood heater except in a manner consistent with the instructions on its permanent label and in the owner's manual pursuant to § 60.536(f).
(f) No person is permitted to operate an affected wood heater that was originally equipped with a catalytic combustor if the catalytic element is deactivated or removed.
(g) No person is permitted to operate an affected wood heater that has been physically altered to exceed the tolerance limits of its certificate of compliance.
(h) No person is permitted to alter, deface, or remove any permanent label required to be affixed pursuant to § 60.536.
(i) No certifying entity is permitted to certify its own certification test report.
(a)(1) In any case where the Administrator—
(i) Denies an application under § 60.530(c) or § 60.533(f);
(ii) Issues a notice of revocation of certification under § 60.533(l);
(iii) Denies an application for laboratory accreditation under § 60.535(a); or
(iv) Issues a notice of revocation of laboratory accreditation under § 60.535(b), the manufacturer or laboratory affected may submit to the EPA, a Petition for Review request under this section within 30 days following receipt of the required notification of the action in question.
(2) In any case where the Administrator issues a notice of revocation under § 60.533(p), the manufacturer may submit to the EPA a Petition for Review request under this section with the time limits set out in § 60.533(p)(4).
(b) Any Petition for Review request must be in writing, must be signed by an authorized representative of the petitioning manufacturer or laboratory, and must include a statement and supporting documentation setting forth with particularity the petitioner's objection to the Administrator's determination or proposed determination.
(c) Upon receipt of a Petition for Review under paragraph (a) of this section, the Administrator shall provide a written response within 45 days.
§ 60.539a
(a) In delegating implementation and enforcement authority to a state under section 111(c) of the Act, the authorities contained in paragraph (b) of this section must be retained by the Administrator and not transferred to a state.
(b) Authorities that must not be delegated to states:
(1) Section 60.531, Definitions;
(2) Section 60.533, Compliance and certification;
(3) Section 60.534, Test methods and procedures; and
(4) Section 60.535, Laboratory accreditation.
§ 60.539b
What parts of the General Provisions do not apply to me?
The following provisions of subpart A of part 60 do not apply to this subpart:
(a) Section 60.7;
(b) Section 60.8(a), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g); and
(c) Section 60.15(d).
4. Add subpart QQQQ to read as follows:
What standards and requirements must I meet and by when?
What procedures must I use for laboratory accreditation?
§ 60.5472
(a) You are subject to this subpart if you operate, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, import for sale, distribute, offer to distribute, introduce, or deliver for introduction, into commerce in the United States, residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace manufactured on or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE].
(b) Each residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace must comply with the provisions of this subpart unless exempted under paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(3) of this section.
(1) Affected residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces manufactured in the United States for export are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.5474 and the requirements of § 60.5475.
(2) Affected residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces used for research and development purposes that are never offered for sale or sold and that are not used to provide heat are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.5474 and the requirements of § 60.5475. No more than 12 affected residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces manufactured per model line may be exempted for this purpose.
(3) Appliances that do not burn wood or wood pellets (such as coal-only hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces that meet the definition in § 60.5473 or corn-only hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces) are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.5474 and the requirements of § 60.5475.
(c) The following are not affected residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces and are not subject to this subpart:
(1) Residential wood heaters subject to subpart AAA of this part.
As used in this subpart, all terms not defined herein have the same meaning given them in the Clean Air Act and subpart A of this part.
Accredited test laboratory means a test laboratory that is accredited for residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace certification testing under § 60.5477 and is an independent third-party test laboratory that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity under ISO-IEC Standard 17025 to perform testing using the test methods specified in § 60.5476 and approved by the EPA for conducting certification tests under this subpart.
At retail means the sale by a commercial owner of a residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace to the ultimate purchaser.
Central heater means a fuel-burning device designed to burn wood or wood pellet fuel that warms spaces other than the space where the device is located, by the distribution of air heated by the furnace through ducts or liquid heated in the device and distributed typically through pipes. Unless otherwise specified, these devices include residential forced-air furnaces and residential hydronic heaters.
Coal-only hydronic heater or forced-air furnace means an enclosed, coal-burning appliance capable of space heating or domestic water heating that has all of the following characteristics:
(1) Installation instructions that state that the use of wood in the appliance, except for coal ignition purposes, is prohibited by law; and
(2) The model is listed by a nationally recognized safety-testing laboratory for coal use only, except for coal ignition purposes.
Commercial owner means any person who owns or controls a residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace in the course of the business of the manufacture, importation, distribution, or sale of the unit.
Manufactured means completed and ready for shipment (whether or not packaged) for purposes of determining the date of manufacture.
Manufacturer means any person who constructs or imports into the United States a residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace.
Model line means all residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces offered for sale by a single manufacturer that are similar in all material respects as defined in this section.
Particulate matter (PM) means total particulate matter including PM10 and PM2.5.
Pellet fuel means refined and densified solid wood shaped into small pellets or briquettes that are uniform in size, shape, moisture, density and energy content.
Representative residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace means an individual residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace that is similar in all material respects as defined in this section to other residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces within the model line it represents.
Residential forced-air furnace means a fuel burning device designed to burn wood or wood pellet fuel that warms spaces other than the space where the furnace is located, by the distribution of air heated by the furnace through ducts.
Residential hydronic heater means a fuel burning device designed to burn wood or wood pellet fuel for the purpose of heating building space and/or water through the distribution, typically through pipes, of a fluid heated in the device, typically water or a water and antifreeze mixture.
Sale means the transfer of ownership or control, except that a transfer of control of an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace for research and development purposes within the scope of § 60.5472(b)(2) is not a sale.
(1) The Administrator was notified about the test in accordance with § 60.5476(f);
(2) The test was conducted by an accredited test laboratory as defined in this section;
(3) The test was conducted on a residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace similar in all material respects as defined in this section to other residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces of the model line that is to be certified; and
(4) The test was conducted in accordance with the test methods and procedures specified in § 60.5476.
(a) Particulate Matter Standards. Unless exempted under § 60.5472, no person is permitted to:
(1) On or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], manufacture or sell at retail a residential hydronic heater unless it has been certified to meet the 2015 particulate matter emission limits in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(2) On or after [5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] manufacture or sell at retail a residential hydronic heater unless it has been Start Printed Page 6385certified to meet the 2020 particulate matter emission limit in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(3) On or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], manufacture or sell at retail a residential forced-air furnace unless it has been certified to meet the 2015 particulate matter emission limits in paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
(4) On or after [5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] manufacture or sell at retail a residential forced-air furnace unless it has been certified to meet the 2020 particulate matter emission limit in paragraph (b)(4) of this section.
(b)(1) 2015 residential hydronic heater particulate matter emission limit: 0.32 lb/million Btu (0.137 g/megajoule) heat output and 7.5 g/hr (0.017 lb/hr) as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476.
(2) 2020 residential hydronic heater particulate matter emission limit: 0.06 lb/million Btu (0.026 g/megajoule) heat output as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476.
(3) 2015 forced-air furnace particulate matter emission limit: 0.93 lb/million Btu (0.40 g/megajoule) heat output and 7.5 g/hr (0.017 lb/hr) as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476.
(4) 2020 forced-air furnace particulate matter emission limit: 0.06 lb/million Btu (0.026 g/megajoule) heat output as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476.
(c) [Reserved]
(e) Pellet Fuel Requirements. Operators of outdoor residential hydronic heaters, indoor residential hydronic heaters, or residential forced-air furnaces that are certified to burn pellet fuels may only burn pellets that have been produced under a licensing agreement with the Pellet Fuels Institute or an equivalent organization approved by the EPA. The pellet fuel must meet the following minimum requirements:
(1) Density: consistent hardness and energy content with a minimum density of 38 pounds/cubic foot;
(4) Chlorides: less than or equal to 300 parts per million by weight; and
(5) Ash content: no more than 2 percent.
(6) A quality assurance process licensed by the Pellet Fuel Institute or equivalent organization approved by EPA.
(f) Prohibited Fuel Types. No person is permitted to burn any of the following materials in an outdoor residential hydronic heater, indoor residential hydronic heater, or residential forced-air furnace:
(8) Paper products; cardboard, plywood or particleboard. The prohibition against burning these materials does not prohibit the use of fire starters made from paper, cardboard, saw dust, wax and similar substances for the purpose of starting a fire in an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace;
(9) Railroad ties or pressure treated lumber;
(10) Manure or animal remains;
(11) Salt water driftwood or other or other previously salt water saturated materials;
(12) Unseasoned wood; or
(13) Any materials that were not included in the certification tests for the subject heater or furnace.
(g) Owner's Manual. A person must not operate an outdoor residential hydronic heater, indoor residential hydronic heater, or residential forced-air furnace in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual. The owner's manual must clearly specify that operation in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual would violate the warranty.
(a)(1) Certification Requirement. Each affected residential hydronic heater and forced-air furnace must be certified to be in compliance with the applicable emission standards and other requirements of this subpart. For each model line manufactured or sold by a single entity, e.g., company or manufacturer, compliance with applicable emission standards of § 60.5474(b) must be determined based on testing of representative affected residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces within the model line. If one entity licenses a model line to another entity, each entity's model line must be certified. If a entity changes the name of the entity or the name of the model, the manufacturer must apply for a new certification.
(2) The manufacturer of each model line must submit the information required in § 60.533(b) and follow the certification procedure specified in § 60.533(f) except that, for the purposes of this paragraph, the references in § 60.533(f) to the “emission standards” in § 60.532 must be understood to refer to the emission limits in § 60.5474(b).
(b) Waiver from Submitting Test Results. An applicant for certification may apply for a potential waiver of the requirements to submit the results of a certification test pursuant to the certification procedures specified in § 60.533(f) according to the procedure specified in § 60.533(g)(1).
(c) Certification Period. Unless revoked sooner by the Administrator, a certificate of compliance will be valid 5 years from the date of issuance.
(d) Renewal of Certification. (1) Any manufacturer of an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace may apply to the Administrator for potential renewal of a certificate of compliance by submitting the material specified in § 60.533(b) and following the procedures specified in § 60.533(f).
(2) The certificate must be recertified or renewed every 5 years or the manufacture may choose to no longer manufacture or sell that model. If the manufacturer chooses to no longer manufacture or sell that model, then the manufacturer must submit a statement to the EPA for that model. A manufacturer may apply for potential renewal of their certificate by submitting certification information in accordance with § 60.533(b) or by affirming in writing that the wood heater has been subject to no changes that would impact emissions and request a potential waiver from certification testing.
(3) If the Administrator grants or waives certification testing under paragraph (d)(2) of this section, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for the determination and issue a certification renewal.
(e) Recertification. The procedure specified in § 60.533(k) must be used to determine when a product line must be recertified.
(f) Criteria for Revocation of Certification. (1) The Administrator may revoke certification of a product line if it is determined that the residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces being manufactured or sold in that model line do not comply with the requirements of this subpart. Such a determination will be based on all Start Printed Page 6386available evidence, including but not limited to:
(i) Test data from retesting of the original unit on which the certification was conducted or a similar unit;
(ii) A finding that the certification test was not valid. The finding will be based on problems or irregularities with the certification test or its documentation, but may be supplemented by other information;
(iii) A finding that the labeling of the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace model line or the owner's manual or marketing information does not comply with the requirements of § 60.5478;
(iv) Failure by the manufacturer to comply with the reporting and recordkeeping requirements of § 60.5479;
(v) Physical examination showing that a significant percentage (as defined in the quality assurance plan, but no larger than 1 percent) of production units inspected is not similar in all material respects as defined in this subpart to the representative affected hydronic heater or forced-air furnace submitted for testing; or
(vi) Failure of the manufacturer to conduct a quality assurance program in conformity with paragraph (g) of this section.
(2) Revocation of certification under this paragraph will not take effect until the manufacturer concerned has been given written notice by the Administrator setting forth the basis for the proposed determination and an opportunity to request a review under § 60.5481.
(g) Quality Assurance Program. For each certified model line, the manufacturer must conduct a quality assurance program according to the requirements of § 60.533(m).
(h) EPA Compliance Audit Testing. The Administrator will conduct compliance audit testing according to the requirements of § 60.533(n). For the purposes of this paragraph, references in § 60.533(n) to § § 60.532 through 60.535 must be understood to refer to the comparable paragraphs in §§ 60.5474 through 60.5477 and the associated test methods specified in this subpart.
Test methods and procedures specified in this section or in appendix A of this part, except as provided under § 60.8(b), must be used to determine compliance with the standards and requirements for certification under §§ 60.5474 and 60.5475 as follows:
(a)(1) Method 28 WHH must be used to measure the heat output (million Btu/hr) of outdoor and indoor residential hydronic heaters.
(2) If the model is subject to the 2015 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.5474(a)(1) and is equipped with an external heat storage unit, you must conduct testing according to paragraph § 60.5476(a)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section. You have the option of submitting the test results of either (a)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section to the Administrator as specified under § 60.5479 for certification compliance.
(i) Conduct testing using crib wood as specified in Method 28 WHH. The heat input and heat output measurements must be performed according to ASTM method E2618-13 entitled “Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Matter Emissions and Heating of Outdoor Solid Fuel-fired Hydronic Heating Appliances.” Testing conducted with continuously fed biomass as the fuel(s) must be conducted according to the relevant section of the ASTM method.
(ii) Conduct testing using cord wood as specified in “A Test Method for Certification of Cord Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances with Partial Thermal Storage: Measurement of Particulate Matter (PM) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances with Partial Thermal Storage.”
(3) If the model is subject to the 2020 particulate matter standards specified in § 60.5474(a)(2) and is equipped with an external partial heat storage unit, you must conduct cord wood testing according to the test methods and procedures of “A Test Method for Certification of Cord Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances with Partial Thermal Storage: Measurement of Particulate Matter (PM) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances with Partial Thermal Storage.”
(b) Method 28 WHH in conjunction with ASTM E2515-10 must be used to measure the particulate matter emission rate (lb/million Btu heat output) of outdoor and indoor residential hydronic heaters, except that for the 2020 standards, you should first test Burn Rate Categories 1 and 4 and then test 2 more times for whichever burn rate category is worse on a lb/million BTU heat output basis and report the results separately per burn rate category.
(c) Canadian Standards Administration (CSA) Method B415.1-10 must be used to measure the heat output (million Btu/hr) and particulate matter emission rate (lb/million Btu heat output) of forced-air furnaces, except that for the 2020 standards, you should first test Burn Rate Categories 1 and 4 and then test 2 more times for whichever burn rate category is worse on a lb/million BTU heat output basis and report the results separately per burn rate category.
(d) CSA Method B415.1-10, section 13.7, must be used to measure the thermal efficiency of outdoor and indoor residential hydronic heaters.
(f) The manufacturer of an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace must notify the Administrator of the date that certification testing is to begin, by email, to Wood Heater NSPS Compliance Program at www.epa.gov/Wood_Heater_NSPS_Compliance_Program. This notice must be at least 30 days before the start of testing. The notification of testing must include the manufacturer's name and address, the accredited test laboratory's name and address, certifying entity name, the model name and number (or, if unavailable, some other way to distinguish between models), and the dates of testing.
(g) The accredited test laboratory must allow the manufacturer, the EPA and delegated states to observe certification testing. However, manufacturers must not involve themselves in the conduct of the test after the pretest burn (as defined by EPA Method 28 WHH) has begun. Communications between the manufacturer and laboratory or certifying entity personnel regarding operation of the hydronic heater must be limited to written communications transmitted prior to the first pretest burn of the certification series. Written communications between the manufacturer and laboratory personnel may be exchanged during the certification test only if deviations from the test procedures are observed that constitute improper conduct of the test. All communications must be included in the test documentation required to be submitted pursuant to § 60.533(b)(3) and must be consistent with instructions provided in the owner's manual required under § 60.5478(f), except to the extent that they address details of the certification tests that would not be relevant to owners.
The accreditation procedure specified in § 60.535 must be used to certify test laboratories under this subpart.
(a) Permanent Label Requirements.
(1) Each affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace manufactured or sold on or after the date the applicable standards come into effect as specified in § 60.5474, must have a permanent label affixed to it that meets the requirements of this section.
(2) The permanent label must contain the following information:
(ii) Be at least 8.9 cm long and 5.1 cm wide (3 1/2 inches long and 2 inches wide);
(iii) Be made of a material expected to last the lifetime of the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace;
(iv) Present required information in a manner so that it is likely to remain legible for the lifetime of the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace; and
(v) Be affixed in such a manner that it cannot be removed without damage to the label.
(4) The permanent label may be combined with any other label, as long as the required information is displayed, the integrity of the permanent label is not compromised, and the requirements of § 60.5478(a)(3) are still met.
(b) If the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace belongs to a model line certified under § 60.5475, and it has been found to meet the applicable emission limits or tolerances through quality assurance testing, one of the following statements, as appropriate, must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2015 particulate emission standards. or
(c) The label under paragraph (b) of this section must also contain the following statement on the permanent label:
“This appliance needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. Consult owner's manual for further information. It is against the law to operate this appliance in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in the owner's manual.”
(d) Any label statement under paragraph (b) of this section constitutes a representation by the manufacturer as to any residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace that bears it:
(1) That the certification of compliance was in effect at the time the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace left the possession of the manufacturer;
(2) That the manufacturer was, at the time the label was affixed, conducting a quality assurance program in conformity with the manufacturer's quality assurance program; and
(3) That as to any residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace individually tested for emissions by the manufacturer under § 60.5475(f), it met the applicable emission limit.
(e)(1) If an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace is manufactured in the United States for export as provided in § 60.5472(b)(1), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Export appliance. May not be operated in the United States.
(2) If an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace is manufactured for use for research and development purposes as provided in § 60.5472(b)(2), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Not certified. Research Appliance. Not approved for sale.
(3) If an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace is a non wood-burning hydronic heater or forced-air furnace exclusively as provided in § 60.5472(b)(3) the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This appliance is not certified for wood burning. Use of any wood fuel is a violation of federal law.
(f) Owner's Manual. (1) Each affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace offered for sale by a commercial owner must be accompanied by an owner's manual that must contain the information listed in paragraph (f)(2) of this section (pertaining to installation), and paragraph (f)(3) of this section (pertaining to operation and maintenance). Such information must be adequate to enable consumers to achieve optimal emissions performance. Such information must be consistent with the operating instructions provided by the manufacturer to the accredited test laboratory for operating the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace during certification testing, except for details of the certification test that would not be relevant to the ultimate purchaser. The commercial owner must also make current and historical owner's manuals available on the company Web site.
(v) Instructions for replacement of gaskets and other parts that are critical to the emissions performance of the unit and other maintenance and repair instructions
(vi) The following statement: “This wood heating appliance needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. It is against federal law to operate this wood heating appliance in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in the manual.”
(4) Any manufacturer using the EPA model language contained in appendix I of this part to satisfy any requirement of this paragraph (f) will be considered to be in compliance with that requirement, provided that the particular model language is printed in full, with only such changes as are necessary to ensure accuracy for the particular model line.
(5) Residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces that are affected by this subpart but have been operated by a noncommercial owner are not subject to paragraph (f) of this section when offered for resale.
(a) Each manufacturer who holds a certificate of compliance pursuant to § 60.5475(a)(2) for a model line must maintain records containing the following information with respect to that model line.
(2) Results of the quality assurance program inspections required pursuant to § 60.5475(g).
(3) For emissions tests conducted pursuant to the quality assurance program required by § 60.5475(g), all test reports, data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and test results for all test runs, the corrective actions taken, if any, and any follow-up actions such as additional testing.Start Printed Page 6388
(b) Each accredited test laboratory must maintain records consisting of all documentation pertaining to each certification test and audit test, including the full test report and raw data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and the test results for all test runs. Each accredited test laboratory must submit initial and biennial proficiency test results to the Administrator.
(c) Each manufacturer must retain each residential hydronic heater and forced-air furnace upon which certification tests were performed and certification granted under § 60.5475(a)(2) at the manufacturer's facility for as long as the model line is manufactured. Each heater or furnace must remain sealed and unaltered. Any such residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace must be made available upon request to the Administrator for inspection and testing.
(d) Each manufacturer of an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace certified pursuant to § 60.5475(a)(2) must submit a report to the Administrator every 2 years following issuance of a certificate of compliance for each model line. This report must include the sales for each model by state and certify that no changes in the design or manufacture of the model line have been made that require recertification pursuant to § 60.5475(e).
(e)(1) Unless otherwise specified, all records required under this section must be maintained by the manufacturer, commercial owner of the affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace, accredited test laboratory or certifying entity for a period of no less than 5 years.
(f) Within 60 days after the date of completing each performance test, each manufacturer or accredited test laboratory or certifying entity must submit performance test data electronically to the EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) by using the Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ert/index.html). Only data collected using test methods compatible with ERT are subject to this requirement to be submitted electronically to EPA's CDX. Manufacturers may submit compliance reports to the EPA via regular mail at the address listed below if the test methods they use are not compatible with ERT or if ERT is not available to accept reports at the time the final rule is published. Owners or operators who claim that some of the information being submitted for performance tests is confidential business information (CBI) must submit a completed ERT file, including information claimed to be CBI on a compact disk or other commonly used electronic storage media (including, but not limited to, flash drives), to the EPA and the same ERT file, with the CBI omitted, to the EPA via CDX as described earlier in this paragraph. The compact disk must be clearly marked as CBI and mailed to U.S. EPA/OAQPS/CORE CBI Office, Attention: WebFIRE Administrator, MD C404-02, 4930 Old Page Rd., Durham, NC 27703. Emission data and all information necessary to determine compliance, except sensitive engineering drawings and sensitive detailed material specifications, may not be claimed as CBI.
(a) No person is permitted to operate an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace that does not have affixed to it a permanent label pursuant to § 60.5478(b) or (c).
(b)(1) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace that does not have affixed to it a permanent label pursuant to § 60.5478(b) or (e)(3).
(2) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace labeled under § 60.5478(e)(1) except for export.
(c)(1) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace permanently labeled under § 60.5478(b) or (e)(3) unless:
(i) The affected appliance has been certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission standards. This prohibition does not apply to affected residential hydronic heaters or forced-air furnaces regulated under this subpart that have been previously owned and operated by a noncommercial owner; and
(ii) The commercial owner provides any purchaser or transferee with an owner's manual that meets the requirements of § 60.5478(f), a copy of the warranty and a moisture meter.
(ii) Provides that documentation unaltered to any person to whom the residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace that it covers is sold or transferred.
(d)(1) In any case in which the Administrator revokes a certificate of compliance either for the knowing submission of false or inaccurate information or other fraudulent acts, or based on a finding under § 60.5475(e)(1)(ii) that the certification test was not valid, the Administrator may give notice of that revocation and the grounds for it to all commercial owners.
(2) On and after the date of receipt of the notice given under paragraph (d)(1) of this section, no commercial owner is permitted to sell any residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace covered by the revoked certificate (other than to the manufacturer) unless the model line has been recertified in accordance with this subpart.
(e) No person is permitted to install or operate an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace except in a manner consistent with the instructions on its permanent label and in the owner's manual pursuant to § 60.5478(f), including only using fuels for which the unit is certified.
(f) No person is permitted to operate an affected residential hydronic heater or forced-air furnace that has been physically altered to exceed the tolerance limits of its certificate of compliance.
(g) No person is permitted to alter, deface, or remove any permanent label required to be affixed pursuant to § 60.5478.
(h) No certifying entity is permitted to certify its own certification test report.
(a) In any case where the Administrator:
(1) Denies an application under § 60.5475(a)(2);
(2) Issues a notice of revocation of certification pursuant to § 60.5475(e);
(3) Denies an application for laboratory accreditation pursuant to § 60.5477; or
(4) Issues a notice of revocation of laboratory accreditation pursuant to § 60.5477, the manufacturer or laboratory affected may submit to the EPA a request for review under this section pursuant to the procedures specified in § 60.539 within 30 days following receipt of the required notification of the action in question.Start Printed Page 6389
(b) In any case where the Administrator issues a notice of revocation pursuant to § 60.5475(g), the manufacturer may submit to the EPA a Petition for Review request under this section with the time limits set out in § 60.533(p)(4).
(a) In delegating implementation and enforcement authority to a state under section 111(c) of the Clean Air Act, the authorities contained in paragraph (b) of this section must be retained by the Administrator and not transferred to a state.
(1) Section 60.5473, Definitions;
(2) Section 60.5475, Compliance and certification;
(3) Section 60.5476, Test methods and procedures; and
(4) Section 60.5477, Laboratory accreditation.
5. Add subpart RRRR to read as follows:
(a) You are subject to this subpart if you operate, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, import for sale, distribute, offer to distribute, introduce, or deliver for introduction, into commerce in the United States, a residential masonry heater manufactured on or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE].
(b) Each affected masonry heater must comply with the provisions of this subpart unless exempted under paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(3) of this section.
(1) Affected masonry heaters manufactured in the United States for export are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.5486 and the requirements of § 60.5487.
(2) Affected masonry heaters used for research and development purposes that are never offered for sale or sold and that are not used to provide heat are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.5486 and the requirements of § 60.5487. No more than six affected masonry heaters manufactured per model line may be exempted for this purpose.
(3) Affected masonry heaters that do not burn wood or wood pellets (such as coal-only heaters that meet the definition in § 60.5485 or corn-only heaters) are exempt from the applicable emission limits of § 60.5486 and the requirements of § 60.5487.
(c) The following are not affected masonry heaters and are not subject to this subpart:
(2) Residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces subject to subpart QQQQ of this part.
Accredited test laboratory means a test laboratory that is accredited for masonry heater certification testing under § 60.5489 or is an independent third party test laboratory that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity under ISO-IEC Standard 17025 to perform testing using the test methods specified in § 60.5488 and approved by the EPA for conducting certification tests under this subpart.
At retail means the sale by a commercial owner of a residential masonry heater to the ultimate purchaser.
Certifying entity means an independent third party that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting entity under ISO-IEC Standard 17020 to perform certifications and inspections under ISO-IEC Guide 17065 and approved by the EPA for conducting certifications, inspections and audits under this subpart.
Coal-only heater means an enclosed, coal-burning appliance capable of space heating or domestic water heating which has all of the following characteristics:
(1) Installation instructions that state that the use of wood in the heater, except for coal ignition purposes, is prohibited by law; and
Commercial owner means any person who owns or controls a residential masonry heater in the course of the business of the manufacture, importation, distribution, or sale of the unit.
Manufactured means completed and ready for shipment (whether or not packaged) or installed in a residence in the case of custom-built masonry heaters for purposes of determining the date of manufacture.
Manufacturer means any person who constructs or imports into the United States a residential masonry heater.
Model line means all residential masonry heaters offered for sale by a single manufacturer that are similar in all material respects as defined in this section.
Pellet fuel means refined and densified wood shaped into small pellets or briquettes that are uniform in size, shape, moisture, density and energy content.
Representative affected masonry heater means an individual residential masonry heater that is similar in all material respects as defined in this section to other residential masonry heaters within the model line it represents.
Residential masonry heater means a factory-built or site-built wood-burning device that has the following characteristics:
(1) The device has a core constructed primarily of manufacturer-built, supplied, or specified masonry materials (such as stone, cemented aggregate, clay, tile, or other non-combustible, non-metallic solid materials) that weighs at least 1700 pounds;
(2) The firebox effluent of the masonry heater travels horizontally and/or downward through one or more heat absorbing masonry duct(s) for a distance at least the length of the largest single internal firebox dimension before Start Printed Page 6390leaving the masonry heater. These parameters are determined as follows:
(i) Horizontal or downward travel distance is defined as the net horizontal and/or downward internal duct length, measured from the top of the uppermost firebox door opening(s) to the exit of the masonry heater as traveled by any effluent on a single pathway through duct channel(s) within the heater (or average of net internal duct lengths for multiple pathways of different lengths, if applicable). Net internal duct length is measured from the center of the internal side or top surface of a duct, horizontally or vertically to the center of the opposite side or the bottom surface of the same duct, and summed for multiple ducts or directions on a single pathway, if applicable. For duct channel(s) traversing horizontal angles of less than ninety degrees from vertical, only the net actual horizontal distance traveled is included in the total duct length; and
(ii) The largest single internal firebox dimensions is defined as the longest of either the length or the width of the firebox hearth and the height of the firebox, measured from the hearth to the top of the uppermost firebox door opening(s);
(3) The device has one or more air-controlling doors for fuel-loading that are designed to be closed during the combustion of fuel loads, and that control the entry of combustion air (beyond simple spark arresting screens) to one or more inlets as prescribed by the masonry heater manufacturer; and
(4) The device is assembled in conformance with Underwriters Laboratories' and/or manufacturer's specifications for its assembly and, if the core is constructed with a substantial portion of materials not supplied by the manufacturer, is certified by a representative of the manufacturer to be substantially in conformance with those specifications.
Sale means the transfer of ownership or control, except that a transfer of control of an affected heater for research and development purposes within the scope of § 60.5484(b)(2) is not a sale.
(1) The Administrator was notified about the test in accordance with § 60.5488(d)
(3) The test was conducted on a residential masonry heater similar in all material respects as defined in this section to other residential masonry heaters of the model line that is to be certified; and
(a) Particulate Matter Standard. Unless exempted under § 60.5484:
(1) On or after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], no person is permitted to manufacture and, on or after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], no person is permitted to sell at retail a residential masonry heater unless the heater has been certified to meet the particulate matter emission limit in paragraph (b) of this section or the manufacturer is a small manufacturer as defined in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(2) On or after [5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], no small manufacturer is permitted to manufacture a residential masonry heater unless it has been certified to meet the particulate matter emission limit in paragraph (b) of this section. For the purposes of this subpart, a small manufacturer is defined as a manufacturer that constructs less than 15 residential masonry heaters per year. A small manufacturer may elect to comply with the emission limit in paragraph (b) of this section earlier than specified in this paragraph.
(b) Residential masonry heater particulate matter emission limit: 0.32 lb/million Btu (0.137 g/megajoule) heat output as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5488.
(c) Pellet Fuel Requirements. Operators of masonry heaters that are certified to burn pellet fuels may only burn pellets that have been produced under a licensing agreement with the Pellet Fuel Institute or an equivalent organization approved by EPA. The pellet fuel must meet the following minimum requirements:
(6) A quality assurance process licensed by the Pellet Fuel Institute or equivalent organization approved by the EPA.
(d) Prohibited Fuel Types. No person is permitted to burn any of the following materials in a residential masonry heater:
(8) Paper products, cardboard, plywood, or particleboard. The prohibition against burning these materials does not prohibit the use of fire starters made from paper, cardboard, saw dust, wax and similar substances for the purpose of starting a fire in an affected masonry heater;
(e) Owner's Manual. A person must not operate a residential masonry heater in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual. The owner's manual must clearly specify that operation in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual would violate the warranty.
(a)(1) Certification Requirement. Each affected residential masonry heater must be certified to be in compliance with the applicable emission standards and other requirements of this subpart. For each model line manufactured or sold by a single entity, e.g., company or manufacturer, compliance with applicable emission standards of § 60.5486(b) must be determined based on testing of representative affected appliances within the model line. If one entity licenses a model line to another entity, each entity's model line must be certified. If an entity changes the name of the entity or the name of the model, the manufacturer must apply for a new certification.
(2) The manufacturer of each model line must submit to the EPA the information required in paragraph (b) of this section and follow the certification procedure specified in § 60.533(f) except that, for the purposes of this paragraph, the reference in § 60.533(f) to the emission limits in § 60.532 must be understood to refer to the emission Start Printed Page 6391limits in § 60.5486(b) and the associated test methods are those specified in this subpart.
(3) As an alternative to the certification process described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, an applicant may choose to submit a computer model simulation program for review and certification by the certifying entity and subsequent review and approval by the Administrator for use as a surrogate for emissions testing. The Administrator will post the certified model on the EPA Burnwise Web site.
(b) Waiver from Submitting Test Results.
(1) An applicant for certification may apply for a potential waiver of the requirements to submit the results of a certification test pursuant to the certification procedures specified in § 60.533(f) according to the procedure specified in § 60.533(g)(1).
(2) Alternatively, an applicant may submit results using a validated computer model simulation program that demonstrates the masonry heater design meets the emission limit in § 60.5486(b).
(c) Certification Period.
(1) Unless revoked sooner by the Administrator, a certificate of compliance will be valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.
(2) If the manufacturer qualifies as a small manufacturer as defined in § 60.5486(a)(2) and the model was certified using the procedure defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the certificate of compliance will be valid for the life of the model line unless it is revoked by the Administrator.
(d) Renewal of Certification.
(1) Any manufacturer of an affected masonry heater may apply to the Administrator for potential renewal of a certificate of compliance by submitting the material specified in § 60.533(b) and following the process specified in § 60.533(f).
(2) A certificate issued pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be recertified or renewed every 5 years or the manufacture may choose to no longer manufacture or sell that model. If the manufacturer chooses to no longer manufacture or sell that model, then the manufacturer must submit a statement to EPA for that model. A manufacturer may apply to the Administrator for potential renewal of their certificate by submitting certification information in accordance with § 60.533(b) or by affirming in writing that the wood heater has been subject to no changes that would impact emissions and request a potential waiver from certification testing.
(3) If the Administrator waives certification testing under paragraph (c)(2) of this section, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for the determination and issue a certification.
(4) If the Administrator denies the request, the Administrator will give written notice to the manufacturer setting forth the basis for the determination.
(e) Recertification.
(1) The procedure specified in § 60.533(k) must be used to determine when a model line must be recertified.
(2) If the manufacturer qualifies as a small manufacturer as defined in § 60.5486(a)(2) and the model line was certified using the procedure defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the recertification provisions of paragraph (e)(1) of this section do not apply.
(f) Criteria for Revocation of Certification.
(1) The Administrator may revoke certification of a model line if it is determined that the residential masonry heaters produced in that model line do not comply with the requirements of this subpart. Such a determination will be based on all available evidence, including but not limited to:
(ii) A finding that the certification test or model simulation was not valid;
(iii) A finding that the labeling of the residential masonry heater model line or the associated owner's manual or marketing information does not comply with the requirements of § 60.5490;
(v) Physical examination showing that an inspected production unit is not similar in all material respects as defined in this subpart to the representative affected masonry heater submitted for testing; or
(vi) Failure of the manufacturer to conduct a quality assurance program in conformity with paragraph (f) of this section.
(2) Revocation of certification under this paragraph will not take effect until the manufacturer concerned has been given written notice by the Administrator setting forth the basis for the proposed determination and an opportunity to request a Petition for Review under § 60.5493.
(g) Quality Assurance Program. For each certified model line, except for any model line at small manufacturers as defined in § 60.5486(a)(2) and where the model line was certified using the procedure defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the manufacturer must conduct a quality assurance program according to the requirements of § 60.533(m).
(h) EPA Compliance Audit Testing. The Administrator may conduct compliance audit testing according to the requirements of § 60.533(n). For the purposes of this paragraph, references in § 60.533(p) to § § 60.532 through 60.535 must be understood to refer to the comparable paragraphs in § § 60.5486 through 60.5489, respectively. The requirements of this paragraph do not apply to small manufacturers as defined in § 60.5486(a)(2) and where the model line was certified using the procedure defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section.
Test methods and procedures specified in this section or in appendix A of this part, except as provided under § 60.8(b), must be used to determine compliance with the standards and requirements for certification under § § 60.5486 and 60.5487 as follows:
(a) ASTM E2817-11, Standard Test Method for Test Fueling Masonry Heaters, must be used to measure the heat output (million Btu/hr) of residential masonry heaters.
(b) ASTM E2515-10 must be used in conjunction with ASTM E2817-11 to measure the particulate emission rate (lb/million BTU heat output) of residential masonry heaters.
(c)(1) ASTM WK26558, New Specification for Calculation Method for Custom Designed, Site Built Masonry Heaters may be used as an alternative to certification testing as specified in paragraphs (a), (b) and (d) of this section.
(2) If the Administrator approves an alternative computer model simulation program pursuant to § 60.5487(a)(3), the approved simulation program also may be used as an alternative to certification testing as specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.
(d) Method 10 in appendix A-4 of this part must be used to measure CO emissions of residential masonry heaters.
(e) The manufacturer of an affected masonry heater must notify the Administrator of the date that certification testing is to begin, by email, to Wood Heater NSPS Compliance Program at www.epa.gov/Wood_Heater_NSPS_Compliance_Program. This notice must be received at least 30 days Start Printed Page 6392before the start of testing. The notification of testing must include the manufacturer's name and address, the accredited test laboratory's name and address, certifying entity name, the model name and number (or, if unavailable, some other way to distinguish between models), and the dates of testing.
(f) The accredited test laboratory must allow the manufacturer, the EPA and delegated states to observe certification testing. However, manufacturers must not involve themselves in the conduct of the test after the pretest burn (as defined by ASTM E2817-11) has begun. Communications between the manufacturer and laboratory or certifying entity personnel regarding operation of the masonry heater must be limited to written communications transmitted prior to the first pretest burn of the certification series. Written communications between the manufacturer and laboratory personnel may be exchanged during the certification test only if deviations from the test procedures are observed that constitute improper conduct of the test. All communications must be included in the test documentation required to be submitted pursuant to § 60.533(b)(3) and must be consistent with instructions provided in the owner's manual required under § 60.5490(g), except to the extent that they address details of the certification tests that would not be relevant to owners.
(1) Each affected masonry heater manufactured on or after the date the applicable standards come into effect as specified in § 60.5486, must have a permanent label affixed to it that meets the requirements of this section.
(iii) Be made of a material expected to last the lifetime of the residential masonry heater;
(iv) Present required information in a manner so that it is likely to remain legible for the lifetime of the residential masonry heater; and
(4) The permanent label may be combined with any other label, as long as the required information is displayed, the integrity of the permanent label is not compromised, and the requirements of § 60.5490(3) are still met.
(b)(1) If the residential masonry heater belongs to a model line certified under § 60.5487, and it has been found to meet the applicable emission limits or tolerances through quality assurance testing, the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2015 particulate emissions standards.
(2) If the masonry heater belongs to a model line owned by a manufacturer that qualifies for the small volume manufacturer delay as specified in § 60.5486(a)(2), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This masonry heater was produced by a small volume manufacturer that manufactures or exports to the United States fewer than 15 masonry heaters per year. This appliance cannot be sold after [5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE].
(c) The label under paragraph (b) of this section must also contain the following statement on the permanent label: “This appliance needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. Consult owner's manual for further information. It is against the law to operate this appliance in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in the owner's manual.”
(d) Any label statement under paragraph (b) of this section constitutes a representation by the manufacturer as to any residential masonry heater that bears it:
(1) That the certification was in effect at the time the residential masonry heater left the possession of the manufacturer;
(3) That as to any residential masonry heater individually tested for emissions by the manufacturer under § 60.5487(f), it met the applicable emission limit.
(e)(1) If an affected masonry heater is manufactured in the United States for export as provide in § 60.5484(b)(1), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Export unit. May not be operated in the United States.
(2) If an affected masonry heater is manufactured for research and development purposes as provided in § 60.5484(b)(2), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Not certified. Research unit. Not approved for sale.
(3) If an affected masonry heater is a non wood-burning masonry heater exclusively as provided § 60.5484(b)(3) the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
(1) Each affected masonry heater offered for sale by a commercial owner must be accompanied by an owner's manual that must contain the information listed in paragraph (f)(2) of this section (pertaining to installation), and paragraph (f)(3) of this section (pertaining to operation and maintenance). Such information must be adequate to enable consumers to achieve optimal emissions performance. Such information must be consistent with the operating instructions provided by the manufacturer to the accredited test laboratory for operating the residential masonry heater, except for details of the certification test that would not be relevant to the ultimate purchaser. The commercial owner must also make current and historical owner's manuals available on the company Web site.
(v) Instructions for replacement of gasket and other parts that are critical to the emissions performance of the unit and other maintenance and repair instructionsStart Printed Page 6393
(5) Residential masonry heaters that are affected by this subpart but have been operated by a noncommercial owner are not subject to paragraph (f) of this section when offered for resale.
(a) Each manufacturer who holds a certificate of compliance pursuant to § 60.5487(a)(2) for a model line must maintain records containing the information required by this paragraph (a) with respect to that model line.
(1) All documentation pertaining to the certification test or computer simulation used to obtain certification.
(i) For certification tests, this includes the full test report and raw data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and the test results for all test runs.
(ii) For computer simulations, this includes all data input into the simulation program and all computer-generated output.
(2) Results of the quality assurance program inspections required pursuant to § 60.5487(f).
(3) For emissions tests conducted pursuant to the quality assurance program required by § 60.5487(f), all test reports, data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and test results for all test runs, the remedial actions taken, if any, and any follow-up actions such as additional testing.
(4) If a masonry heater manufacturer qualifies as a small volume manufacturer as specified in § 60.5486(a)(2) and elects to defer compliance as allowed by that paragraph, records of the number of masonry heaters produced or constructed per year during the deferral period.
(b) Each accredited test laboratory must maintain records consisting of all documentation pertaining to each certification test, audit test, or computer simulation, including the full test report and raw data sheets, laboratory technician notes, calculations, and the test results for all test runs. Each accredited test laboratory must submit initial and biennial proficiency test results to the Administrator.
(c) Each manufacturer must retain each residential masonry heater upon which certification tests were performed and certification granted pursuant to § 60.5487(a)(2) at the manufacturer's facility for as long as the model line is manufactured. Each masonry heater must remain sealed and unaltered. Any such residential masonry heater must be made available upon request to the Administrator for inspection and testing.
(d)(1) Each manufacturer of an affected masonry heater certified pursuant to § 60.5487 must submit a report to the Administrator every 2 years following issuance of a certificate of compliance for each model line. This report must include the sales for each model by state and certify that no changes in the design or manufacture of the model line have been made that require recertification pursuant to § 60.5487(d).
(2) If the manufacturer qualifies as a small manufacturer as defined in § 60.5486(b)(2) and the model line was certified using the procedure defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the reporting provision of paragraph (d)(1) of this section does not apply.
(e)(1) Unless otherwise specified, all records required under this section must be maintained by the manufacturer, commercial owner of the affected masonry heater, accredited test laboratory or certifying entity for a period of no less than 5 years.
(f) Within 60 days after the date of completing each performance test, each manufacturer or accredited test laboratory or certifying entity must submit performance test data, except opacity data, electronically to the EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) by using the Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ert/index.html). Only data collected using test methods compatible with ERT are subject to this requirement to be submitted electronically to the EPA's CDX. Manufacturers may submit compliance reports to the EPA via regular mail at the address listed below if the test methods they use are not compatible with ERT or if ERT is not available to accept reports at the time the final rule is published. Owners or operators who claim that some of the information being submitted for performance tests is confidential business information (CBI) must submit a completed ERT file, including information claimed to be CBI, on a compact disk or other commonly used electronic storage media (including, but not limited to, flash drives), to the EPA, and the same ERT file, with the CBI omitted, to the EPA via CDX as described earlier in this paragraph. The compact disk must be clearly marked as CBI and mailed to U.S. EPA/OAQPS/CORE CBI Office, Attention: WebFIRE Administrator, MD C404-02, 4930 Old Page Rd., Durham, NC 27703. Emission data and all information necessary to determine compliance, except sensitive engineering drawings and sensitive detailed material specifications, may not be claimed as CBI.
(a) No person is permitted to operate an affected masonry heater manufactured after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or sold at retail after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] that does not have affixed to it a permanent label pursuant to § 60.5490.
(b)(1) No manufacturer or commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected masonry heater manufactured after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or sold at retail after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] that does not have affixed to it a permanent label pursuant to § 60.5490.
(2) No manufacturer or commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale, or sell an affected masonry heater manufactured after [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] or sold at retail after [6 MONTHS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] labeled under § 60.5490(d)(1) except for export.
(c)(1) No commercial owner is permitted to advertise for sale, offer for sale or sell an affected masonry heater permanently labeled under § 60.5490(b) unless:
(i) The affected appliance regulated under this subpart was previously owned and operated by a noncommercial owner;
(ii) The commercial owner provides any purchaser or transferee with an owner's manual that meets the requirements of § 60.5490(g), a copy of the warranty and a moisture meter.
(2) A commercial owner other than a manufacturer complies with the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section if the commercial owner:Start Printed Page 6394
(ii) Provides that documentation unaltered to any person to whom the residential masonry heater that it covers is sold or transferred.
(2) On and after the date of receipt of the notice given under paragraph (d)(1) of this section, no commercial owner is permitted to sell any residential masonry heater covered by the revoked certificate (other than to the manufacturer) unless the model line has been recertified in accordance with this subpart.
(e) No person is permitted to install or operate an affected masonry heater except in a manner consistent with the instructions on its permanent label and in the owner's manual pursuant to § 60.5490(g), including only using fuels for which the unit is certified.
(f) No person is permitted to operate an affected masonry heater that has been physically altered to exceed the tolerance limits of its certificate of compliance.
(2) Issues a notice of revocation of certification under § 60.5487(e);
(4) Issues a notice of revocation of laboratory accreditation pursuant to § 60.5489, the manufacturer or laboratory affected may submit to the EPA a Petition for Review request under this section pursuant to the procedures specified in § 60.593 within 30 days following receipt of the required notification of the action in question.
(b) In any case where the Administrator issues a notice of revocation under § 60.5487(e), the manufacturer may submit to the EPA a Petition for Review request under this section pursuant to the procedures specified in § 60.5493 with the time limits set out in § 60.533(p)(4).
(b) Section 60.8(a), (c), (d), (e), and (f); and
6. Part 60 Appendix A-8 is amended by adding Methods 28R, 28WHH, and 28WHH-PTS to follow Method 28A to read as follows:
1.1 This test method applies to certification and auditing of wood-fired room heaters and fireplace inserts.
1.2 The test method covers the fueling and operating protocol for measuring particulate emissions, as well as determining burn rates, heat output and efficiency.
1.3 Particulate emissions are measured by the dilution tunnel method as specified in ASTM E2515-10 Standard Test Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected in a Dilution Tunnel.
2.1 This method incorporates the provisions of ASTM E2780-10 except as follows:
2.1.1 The burn rate categories, low burn rate requirement, and weightings in Method 28 shall be used.
2.1.2 The startup procedures shall be the same as in Method 28.
2.1.3 The equation for converting the emission test values between the EPA Reference Method 5G “Determination of Particulate Emissions From Wood Heaters From a Dilution Tunnel Sampling Location” and EPA Reference Method 5H “Determination of Particulate Emissions From Wood Heaters From a Stack Location” shall be the same as in Method 28.
2.1.4 Manufacturers shall not specify a smaller volume of the firebox for testing than the full usable firebox.
2.1.5 The test fuel moisture content, fuel load, and coal bed depth shall be as follows:
(a) The fuel load dry-basis moisture content shall be within a range of 22.5 percent +/− 1 percent;
(b) The fuel load weight shall be 7 lb/ft3 +/− 1 percent (or 7 lb +/−0.07 lb) of the fuel load weight, calculated in accordance with Method 28; and
(c) The range for the test-initiation coal-bed weight shall be 22 percent +/− 1 percent of the fuel load weight.
1.1 This test method applies to wood-fired hydronic heating appliances. The units typically transfer heat through circulation of a liquid heat exchange media such as water or a water-antifreeze mixture.
1.2 The test method measures particulate emissions and delivered heating efficiency at specified heat output rates based on the appliance's rated heating capacity.
1.3 Particulate emissions are measured by the dilution tunnel method as specified in ASTM E2515-10 Standard Test Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected in a Dilution Tunnel. Delivered Efficiency is measured by determining the heat output through measurement of the flow rate and temperature change of water circulated through a heat exchanger external to the appliance and determining the input from the mass of dry wood fuel and its higher heating value. Delivered efficiency does not attempt to account for pipeline loss.
1.4 Products covered by this test method include both pressurized and non-pressurized heating appliances intended to be fired with wood. These products are wood-fired hydronic heating appliances that the manufacturer specifies for indoor or outdoor installation. They are often connected to a heat exchanger by insulated pipes and normally include a pump to circulate heated liquid. They are used to heat structures such as homes, barns and greenhouses and can heat domestic hot water, spas or swimming pools.
1.5 Distinguishing features of products covered by this standard include:
1.5.1 Manufacturer specifies for indoor or outdoor installation.
1.5.2 A firebox with an access door for hand loading of fuel.
1.5.3 Typically an aquastat that controls combustion air supply to maintain the liquid in the appliance within a predetermined temperature range provided sufficient fuel is available in the firebox.
1.5.4 A chimney or vent that exhausts combustion products from the appliance.
1.6 The values stated are to be regarded as the standard whether in I-P or SI units. The Start Printed Page 6395values given in parentheses are for information only.
2.1 Particulate matter emissions are measured from a wood-fired hydronic heating appliance burning a prepared test fuel crib in a test facility maintained at a set of prescribed conditions. Procedures for determining burn rates, and particulate emissions rates and for reducing data are provided.
2.2 Referenced Documents
2.2.1 EPA Standards
2.2.1.1 Method 28 Certification and Auditing of Wood Heaters
2.2.2 Other Standards
2.2.2.1 ASTM E2515-10 Standard Test Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected in a Dilution Tunnel.
2.2.2.2 CAN/CSA-B415.1-2010 Performance Testing of Solid-Fuel-Burning Heating Appliances.
3.1.1 Hydronic Heating—A heating system in which a heat source supplies energy to a liquid heat exchange media such as water that is circulated to a heating load and returned to the heat source through pipes.
3.1.2 Aquastat—A control device that opens or closes a circuit to control the rate of fuel consumption in response to the temperature of the heating media in the heating appliance.
3.1.3 Delivered Efficiency—The percentage of heat available in a test fuel charge that is delivered to a simulated heating load as specified in this test method.
3.1.4 Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity—The value in BTU/hr (MJ/hr) that the manufacturer specifies that a particular model of hydronic heating appliance is capable of supplying at its design capacity as verified by testing, in accordance with Section 13.
3.1.5 Burn rate—The rate at which test fuel is consumed in an appliance. Measured in pounds (lbs) of wood (dry basis) per hour (kg/hr).
3.1.6 Firebox—The chamber in the appliance in which the test fuel charge is placed and combusted.
3.1.7 Test fuel charge—The collection of Test Fuel layers placed in the appliance at the start of the emission test run.
3.1.8 Test Fuel Layer—Horizontal arrangement of Test Fuel Units.
3.1.9 Test Fuel Unit—One or more Test Fuel Pieces with 3/4 inch (19 mm) spacers attached to the bottom and to one side. If composed of multiple Test Fuel Pieces, the bottom spacer may be one continuous piece.
3.1.10 Test Fuel Piece—A single 4 x 4 (4 ± 0.25 inches by 4 ± 0.25 inches)[100 ± 6 mm by 100 ± 6 mm] white or red oak wood piece cut to the length required.
3.1.11 Test Run—An individual emission test that encompasses the time required to consume the mass of the test fuel charge.
3.1.12 Overall Efficiency (SLM)—The efficiency for each test run as determined using the CSA B415.1-2010 Stack Loss Method.
3.1.13 Thermopile—A device consisting of a number of thermocouples connected in series, used for measuring differential temperature.
4.1 Dilution Tunnel. Emissions are determined using the “dilution tunnel” method specified in ASTM E2515 Standard Test Method for Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected in a Dilution Tunnel. The flow rate in the dilution tunnel is maintained at a constant level throughout the test cycle and accurately measured. Samples of the dilution tunnel flow stream are extracted at a constant flow rate and drawn through high efficiency filters. The filters are dried and weighed before and after the test to determine the emissions catch and this value is multiplied by the ratio of tunnel flow to filter flow to determine the total particulate emissions produced in the test cycle.
4.2 Efficiency. The efficiency test procedure takes advantage of the fact that this type of appliance delivers heat through circulation of the heated liquid (water) from the appliance to a remote heat exchanger and back to the appliance. Measurements of the water temperature difference as it enters and exits the heat exchanger along with the measured flow rate allow for an accurate determination of the useful heat output of the appliance. The input is determined by weight of the test fuel charge, adjusted for moisture content, multiplied by the Higher Heating Value. Additional measurements of the appliance weight and temperature at the beginning and end of a test cycle are used to correct for heat stored in the appliance. Overall Efficiency (SLM) is determined using the CSA B415.1-2010 stack loss method for data quality assurance purposes.
4.3 Operation. Appliance operation is conducted on a hot-to-hot test cycle meaning that the appliance is brought to operating temperature and a coal bed is established prior to the addition of the test fuel charge and measurements are made for each test fuel charge cycle. The measurements are made under constant heat draw conditions within predetermined ranges. No attempt is made to modulate the heat demand to simulate an indoor thermostat cycling on and off in response to changes in the indoor environment. Four test categories are used. These are:
4.3.1 Category I: A heat output of 15 percent or less of Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity.
4.3.2 Category II: A heat output of 16 percent to 24 percent of Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity.
4.3.3 Category III: A heat output of 25 percent to 50 percent of Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity.
4.3.4 Category IV: Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity.
5.1 The measurement of particulate matter emission rates is an important test method widely used in the practice of air pollution control.
5.1.1 These measurements, when approved by state or federal agencies, are often required for the purpose of determining compliance with regulations and statutes.
5.1.2 The measurements made before and after design modifications are necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of design changes in reducing emissions and make this standard an important tool in manufacturers' research and development programs.
5.2 Measurement of heating efficiency provides a uniform basis for comparison of product performance that is useful to the consumer. It is also required to relate emissions produced to the useful heat production.
5.3 This is a laboratory method and is not intended to be fully representative of all actual field use. It is recognized that users of hand-fired, wood-burning equipment have a great deal of influence over the performance of any wood-burning appliance. Some compromises in realism have been made in the interest of providing a reliable and repeatable test method.
6.1 Scale. A platform scale capable of weighing the appliance under test and associated parts and accessories when completely filled with water to an accuracy of ±1.0 pound (±0.5 kg).
6.2 Heat exchanger. A water-to-water heat exchanger capable of dissipating the expected heat output from the system under test.
6.3 Water Temperature Difference Measurement. A Type-T `special limits' thermopile with a minimum of 5 pairs of junctions shall be used to measure the temperature difference in water entering and leaving the heat exchanger. The temperature difference measurement uncertainty of this type of thermopile is equal to or less than ± 0.05 °F (± 0.25 °C). Other temperature measurement methods may be used if the temperature difference measurement uncertainty is equal to or less than. ± 0.50 °F (± 0.25 °C).
6.4 Water flow meter. A water flow meter shall be installed in the inlet to the load side of the heat exchanger. The flow meter shall have an accuracy of ± 1 percent of measured flow.
6.4.1 Optional—Appliance side water flow meter. A water flow meter with an accuracy of ± 1 percent of the flow rate is recommended to monitor supply side water flow rate.
6.5 Optional Recirculation Pump. Circulating pump used during test to prevent stratification of liquid being heated.
6.6 Water Temperature Measurement—Thermocouples or other temperature sensors to measure the water temperature at the inlet and outlet of the load side of the heat exchanger. Must meet the calibration requirements specified in 10.1.
6.7 Wood Moisture Meter—Calibrated electrical resistance meter capable of measuring test fuel moisture to within 1 percent moisture content. Must meet the calibration requirements specified in 10.4.
6.8 Flue Gas Temperature Measurement—Must meet the requirements of CSA B415.1-2010, Clause 6.2.2.
6.9 Test Room Temperature Measurement—Must meet the requirements of CSA B415.1-2010, Clause 6.2.1.Start Printed Page 6396
6.10 Flue Gas Composition Measurement—Must meet the requirements of CSA B415.1-2010, Clauses 6.3.1 through 6.3.3.
7.1 These tests involve combustion of wood fuel and substantial release of heat and products of combustion. The heating system also produces large quantities of very hot water and the potential for steam production and system pressurization. Appropriate precautions must be taken to protect personnel from burn hazards and respiration of products of combustion.
8.1 Test specimens shall be supplied as complete appliances including all controls and accessories necessary for installation in the test facility. A full set of specifications and design and assembly drawings shall be provided when the product is to be placed under certification of a third-party agency. The manufacturer's written installation and operating instructions are to be used as a guide in the set-up and testing of the appliance.
9.1 The appliance is to be placed on a scale capable of weighing the appliance fully loaded with a resolution of ± 1.0 lb (0.5 kg).
9.2 The appliance shall be fitted with the type of chimney recommended or provided by the manufacturer and extending to 15 ± 0.5 feet (4.6 ± 0.15 m) from the upper surface of the scale. If no flue or chimney system is recommended or provided by the manufacturer, connect the appliance to a flue of a diameter equal to the flue outlet of the appliance. The flue section from the appliance flue collar to 8 ± 0.5 feet above the scale shall be single wall stove pipe and the remainder of the flue shall be double wall insulated class A chimney.
9.3 Optional Equipment Use
9.3.1 A recirculation pump may be installed between connections at the top and bottom of the appliance to minimize thermal stratification if specified by the manufacturer. The pump shall not be installed in such a way as to change or affect the flow rate between the appliance and the heat exchanger.
9.3.2 If the manufacturer specifies that a thermal control valve or other device be installed and set to control the return water temperature to a specific set point, the valve or other device shall be installed and set per the manufacturer's written instructions.
9.4 Prior to filling the tank, weigh and record the appliance mass.
9.5 Heat Exchanger
9.5.1 Plumb the unit to a water-to-water heat exchanger with sufficient capacity to draw off heat at the maximum rate anticipated. Route hoses, electrical cables, and instrument wires in a manner that does not influence the weighing accuracy of the scale as indicated by placing dead weights on the platform and verifying the scale's accuracy.
9.5.2 Locate thermocouples to measure the water temperature at the inlet and outlet of the load side of the heat exchanger.
9.5.3 Install a thermopile meeting the requirements of 6.3 to measure the water temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the load side of the heat exchanger.
9.5.4 Install a calibrated water flow meter in the heat exchanger load side supply line. The water flow meter is to be installed on the cooling water inlet side of the heat exchanger so that it will operate at the temperature at which it is calibrated.
9.5.5 Place the heat exchanger in a box with 2 in. (50 mm) of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam insulation surrounding it to minimize heat losses from the heat exchanger.
9.5.6 The reported efficiency and heat output rate shall be based on measurements made on the load side of the heat exchanger.
9.5.7 Temperature instrumentation per 6.6 shall be installed in the appliance outlet and return lines. The average of the outlet and return water temperature on the supply side of the system shall be considered the average appliance temperature for calculation of heat storage in the appliance (TFavg and TIavg). Installation of a water flow meter in the supply side of the system is optional.
9.6 Fill the system with water. Determine the total weight of the water in the appliance when the water is circulating. Verify that the scale indicates a stable weight under operating conditions. Make sure air is purged properly.
10.1 Water Temperature Sensors. Temperature measuring equipment shall be calibrated before initial use and at least semi-annually thereafter. Calibrations shall be in compliance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Monograph 175, Standard Limits of Error.10.2 Heat Exchanger Load Side Water Flow Meter.
10.2.1 The heat exchanger load side water flow meter shall be calibrated within the flow range used for the test run using NIST Traceable methods. Verify the calibration of the water flow meter before and after each test run and at least once during each test run by comparing the water flow rate indicated by the flow meter to the mass of water collected from the outlet of the heat exchanger over a timed interval. Volume of the collected water shall be determined based on the water density calculated from section 13, Eq. 8, using the water temperature measured at the flow meter. The uncertainty in the verification procedure used shall be 1 percent or less. The water flow rate determined by the collection and weighing method shall be within 1 percent of the flow rate indicated by the water flow meter.
10.3 Scales. The scales used to weigh the appliance and test fuel charge shall be calibrated using NIST Traceable methods at least once every 6 months.
10.4 Moisture Meter. The moisture meter shall be calibrated per the manufacturer's instructions and checked before each use.
10.5 Flue Gas Analyzers—In accordance with CSA B415.1-2010, Clause 6.8.
11.1 Prior to testing, the noncatalytic appliance is to be operated for a minimum of 10 hours using a medium heat draw rate. Catalytic units shall be operated for a minimum of 50 hours using a medium heat draw rate. The pre-burn for the first test can be included as part of the conditioning requirement. If conditioning is included in pre-burn, then the appliance shall be aged with fuel meeting the specifications outlined in sections 12.2 with a moisture content between 19 and 25 percent on a dry basis. Operate the appliance at a medium burn rate (Category II or III) for at least 10 hours for noncatalytic appliances and 50 hours for catalytic appliances. Record and report hourly flue gas exit temperature data and the hours of operation. The aging procedure shall be conducted and documented by a testing laboratory.
12.1 Appliance Installation. Assemble the appliance and parts in conformance with the manufacturer's written installation instructions. Clean the flue with an appropriately sized, wire chimney brush before each certification test series.
12.2 Fuel. Test fuel charge fuel shall be red (Quercus ruba L.) or white (Quercus alba) oak 19 to 25 percent moisture content on a dry basis. Piece length shall be 80 percent of the firebox depth rounded down to the nearest 1 inch (25mm) increment. For example, if the firebox depth is 46 inches (1168mm) the 4 × 4 piece length would be 36 inches (46 inches × 0.8 = 36.8 inches round down to 36 inches). Pieces are to be placed in the firebox parallel to the longest firebox dimension. For fireboxes with sloped surfaces that create a non-uniform firebox length, the piece length shall be adjusted for each layer based on 80 percent of the length at the level where the layer is placed. Pieces are to be spaced 3/4 inches (19 mm) apart on all faces. The first fuel layer may be assembled using fuel units consisting of multiple 4 × 4s consisting of single pieces with bottom and side spacers of 3 or more pieces if needed for a stable layer. The second layer may consist of fuel units consisting of no more than two pieces with spacers attached on the bottom and side. The top two layers of the fuel charge must consist of single pieces unless the fuel charge is only three layers. In that instance only the top layer must consist of single units. Three-quarter inch (19 mm) by 1.5 inch (38 mm) spacers shall be attached to the bottom of piece to maintain a 3/4 inch (19 mm) separation. When a layer consists of two or more units of 4 × 4s an additional 3/4 inch (19 mm) thick by 1.5 inch (38 mm) wide spacer shall be attached to the vertical face of each end of one 4 × 4, such that the 3/4 inch (19 mm) space will be maintained when two 4 × 4 units or pieces are loaded side by side. In cases where a layer contains an odd number of 4 × 4s one piece shall not be attached, but shall have spacers attached in a manner that will provide for the 3/4 inch (19 mm) space to be maintained. (See Figure 1). Spacers shall be attached perpendicular to the length of the 4 × 4s such that the edge of the spacer is 1 ± 0.25 inch from the end of the 4 × 4s in the previous layers. Spacers shall be red or white oak and will be attached with either nails (non-galvanized), brads or Start Printed Page 6397oak dowels. The use of kiln-dried wood is not allowed.
12.2.1 Using a fuel moisture meter as specified in 6.7 of the test method, determine the fuel moisture for each test fuel piece used for the test fuel load by averaging at least five fuel moisture meter readings measured parallel to the wood grain. Penetration of the moisture meter insulated electrodes for all readings shall be 1/4 the thickness of the fuel piece or 19 mm (3/4 in.), whichever is lesser. One measurement from each of three sides shall be made at approximately 3 inches from each end and the center. Two additional measurements shall be made centered between the other three locations. Each individual moisture content reading shall be in the range of 18 to 28 percent on a dry basis. The average moisture content of each piece of test fuel shall be in the range of 19 to 25 percent. It is not required to measure the moisture content of the spacers. Moisture shall not be added to previously dried fuel pieces except by storage under high humidity conditions and temperature up to 100 °F. Fuel moisture shall be measured within four hours of using the fuel for a test.
12.2.2 Firebox Volume. Determine the firebox volume in cubic feet. Firebox volume shall include all areas accessible through the fuel loading door where firewood could reasonably be placed up to the horizontal plane defined by the top of the loading door. A drawing of the firebox showing front, side and plan views or an isometric view with interior dimensions shall be provided by the manufacturer and verified by the laboratory. Calculations for firebox volume from computer aided design (CAD) software programs are acceptable and shall be included in the test report if used. If the firebox volume is calculated by the laboratory the firebox drawings and calculations shall be included in the test report.
12.2.3 Test Fuel charge. Test fuel charges shall be determined by multiplying the firebox volume by 10 pounds (4.54 kg) per ft 3 (28L), or a higher load density as recommended by the manufacturer's printed operating instructions, of wood (as used wet weight). Select the number of pieces of standard fuel that most nearly match this target weight. This is the standard fuel charge for all tests. For example, if the firebox loading area volume is 10 ft 3 (280L) and the firebox depth is 46 inches (1168 mm), test fuel charge target is 100 lbs (45 kg) minimum and the piece length is 36 inches (914 mm). If 8-4 × 4s, 36 inches long weigh 105 lbs (48 kg), use 8 pieces for each test fuel charge. All test fuel charges will be of the same configuration.
12.3 Sampling Equipment. Prepare the particulate emission sampling equipment as defined by ASTM E2515-10 “Standard Test Method For Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions Collected In a Dilution Tunnel.”
12.4 Appliance Startup. The appliance shall be fired with wood fuel of any species, size and moisture content at the laboratories discretion to bring it up to operating temperature. Operate the appliance until the water is heated to the upper operating control limit and has cycled at least two times. Then remove all unburned fuel, zero the scale and verify the scales accuracy using dead weights.
12.4.1 Pre-Test Burn Cycle. Reload appliance with oak wood and allow it to burn down to the specified coal bed weight. The Pre-Test burn cycle fuel charge weight shall be within ±10 percent of the test fuel charge weight. Piece size and length shall be selected such that charcoalization is achieved by the time the fuel charge has burned down to the required coal bed weight. Pieces with a maximum thickness of approximately 2 inches have been found to be suitable. Charcoalization is a general condition of the test fuel bed evidenced by an absence of large pieces of burning wood in the coal bed and the remaining fuel pieces being brittle enough to be broken into smaller charcoal pieces with a metal poker. Manipulations to the fuel bed prior to the start of the test run are to be done to achieve charcoalization while maintaining the desired heat output rate. During the pre-test burn cycle and at least one hour prior to starting the test run, adjust water flow to the heat exchanger to establish the target heat draw for the test. For the first test run the heat draw rate shall be equal to the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity.
12.4.1.1 Allowable Adjustments. Fuel addition or subtractions, and coal bed raking shall be kept to a minimum but are allowed up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the test run. For the purposes of this method, coal bed raking is the use of a metal tool (poker) to stir coals, break burning fuel into smaller pieces, dislodge fuel pieces from positions of poor combustion, and check for the condition of charcoalization. Record all adjustments to and additions or subtractions of fuel, and any other changes to the appliance operations that occur during pretest ignition period. During the 15-minute period prior to the start of the test run, the wood heater loading door shall not be open more than a total of 1 minute. Coal bed raking is the only adjustment allowed during this period.
12.4.2 Coal Bed Weight. The appliance is to be loaded with the test fuel charge when the coal bed weight is between 10 percent and 20 percent of the test fuel charge weight. Coals may be raked as necessary to level the coal bed but may only be raked and stirred once between 15 to 20 minutes prior to the addition of the test fuel charge.
12.5 Test Runs. For all test runs, the return water temperature to the hydronic heater must be equal to or greater than 120 °F. Aquastat or other heater output control device settings that are adjustable shall be set using manufacturer specifications, either as factory set or in accordance with the owner's manual, and shall remain the same for all burn categories.
Complete a test run in each heat output rate category, as follows:
12.5.1 Test Run Start. Once the appliance is operating normally and the pretest coal bed weight has reached the target value per 12.4.2, tare the scale and load the full test charge into the appliance. Time for loading shall not exceed 5 minutes. The actual weight of the test fuel charge shall be measured and recorded within 30 minutes prior to loading. Start all sampling systems.
12.5.1.1 Record all water temperatures, differential water temperatures and water flow rates at time intervals of one minute or less.
12.5.1.2 Record particulate emissions data per the requirements of ASTM E2515.
12.5.1.3 Record data needed to determine Overall Efficiency (SLM) per the requirements of CSA B415.1-2010 Clauses 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.3, 8.5.7, 10.4.3(a), 10.4.3(f), and 13.7.9.3.
12.5.1.3.1 Measure and record the test room air temperature in accordance with the requirements of Clauses 6.2.1, 8.5.7 and 10.4.3(g).
12.5.1.3.2 Measure and record the flue gas temperature in accordance with the requirements of Clauses 6.2.2, 8.5.7 and 10.4.3(f).
12.5.1.3.3 Determine and record the Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the flue gas in accordance with Clauses 6.3, 8.5.7 and 10.4.3(i) and (j).
12.5.1.3.4 Measure and record the test fuel weight per the requirements of Clauses 8.5.7 and 10.4.3(h).
12.5.1.3.5 Record the test run time per the requirements of Clause 10.4.3(a).
12.5.1.4 Monitor the average heat output rate on the load side of the heat exchanger. If the heat output rate gets close to the upper or lower limit of the target range (±5 percent) adjust the water flow through the heat exchanger to compensate. Make changes as infrequently as possible while maintaining the target heat output rate. The first test run shall be conducted at the category IV heat output rate to validate that the appliance is capable of producing the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity.
12.5.2 Test Fuel Charge Adjustment. It is acceptable to adjust the test fuel charge (i.e., reposition) once during a test run if more than 60 percent of the initial test fuel charge weight has been consumed and more than 10 minutes have elapsed without a measurable (1 lb or 0. 5 kg) weight change while the operating control is in the demand mode. The time used to make this adjustment shall be less than 60 seconds.
12.5.3 Test Run Completion. The test run is completed when the remaining weight of the test fuel charge is 0.0 lb (0.0 kg). End the test run when the scale has indicated a test fuel charge weight of 0.0 lb (0.0 kg) or less for 30 seconds.
12.5.3.1 At the end of the test run, stop the particulate sampling train and Overall Efficiency (SLM) measurements, and record the run time, and all final measurement values.
12.5.4 Heat Output Capacity Validation. The first test run must produce a heat output rate that is within 10 percent of the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity (Category IV) throughout the test run and an average heat output rate within 5 percent of the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity. If the appliance is not capable of producing a heat output within these limits, the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity is considered not validated and testing is to be terminated. In such cases, the tests may be restarted using a lower heat output capacity if requested by the manufacturer.Start Printed Page 6398
12.5.5 Additional Test Runs. Using the Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity as a basis, conduct a test for additional heat output categories as specified in 4.3. It is not required to run these tests in any particular order.
12.5.6 Alternative Heat Output Rate for Category I. If an appliance cannot be operated in the category I heat output range due to stopped combustion, two test runs shall be conducted at heat output rates within Category II. When this is the case, the weightings for the weighted averages indicated in Table 2 shall be the average of the category I and II weightings and shall be applied to both category II results. Appliances that are not capable of operation within Category II (<25 percent of maximum) cannot be evaluated by this test method.
12.5.6.1 Stopped Fuel Combustion. Evidence that an appliance cannot be operated at a category I heat output rate due to stopped fuel combustion shall include documentation of two or more attempts to operate the appliance in burn rate Category I and fuel combustion has stopped prior to complete consumption of the test fuel charge. Stopped fuel combustion is evidenced when an elapsed time of 60 minutes or more has occurred without a measurable (1 lb or 0.5 kg) weight change in the test fuel charge while the appliance operating control is in the demand mode. Report the evidence and the reasoning used to determine that a test in burn rate Category I cannot be achieved. For example, two unsuccessful attempts to operate at an output rate of 10 percent of the rated output capacity are not sufficient evidence that burn rate Category I cannot be achieved.
12.5.7 Appliance Overheating. Appliances shall be capable of operating in all heat output categories without overheating to be rated by this test method. Appliance overheating occurs when the rate of heat withdrawal from the appliance is lower than the rate of heat production when the unit control is in the idle mode. This condition results in the water in the appliance continuing to increase in temperature well above the upper limit setting of the operating control. Evidence of overheating includes: 1 Hour or more of appliance water temperature increase above the upper temperature set-point of the operating control, exceeding the temperature limit of a safety control device (independent from the operating control), boiling water in a non-pressurized system or activation of a pressure or temperature relief valve in a pressurized system.
12.6 Additional Test Runs. The testing laboratory may conduct more than one test run in each of the heat output categories specified in section 4.4.1. If more than one test run is conducted at a specified heat output rate, the results from at least two-thirds of the test runs in that heat output rate category shall be used in calculating the weighted average emission rate (See section 15.1.14). The measurement data and results of all test runs shall be reported regardless of which values are used in calculating the weighted average emission rate.
ET —Total particulate emissions for the full test run as determined per ASTM E2515 in grams.
Eg/MJ—Emissions rate in grams per mega joule of heat output.
Elb/mmBtu output—Emissions rate in pounds per million Btu's of heat output.
Eg/kg—Emissions factor in grams per kilogram of dry fuel burned.
Eg/hr—Emissions factor in grams per hour.
HHV—Higher Heating Value of fuel = 8600 Btu/lb (19.990 MJ/kg).
LHV—Lower Heating Value of fuel = 7988 Btu/lb (18.567 MJ/kg).
ΔT—Temperature difference between water entering and exiting the heat exchanger.
Qout—Total heat output in BTU's (mega joules).
Qin—Total heat input available in test fuel charge in BTU's (mega joules).
M—Mass flow rate of water in lb/min (kg/min).
Vi—Volume of water indicated by a totalizing flow meter at the ith reading in gallons (liters).
Vf—Volumetric Flow rate of water in heat exchange system in gallons per minute (liters/min).
Θ—Total length of test run in hours
ti—Data sampling interval in minutes.
ηdel—Delivered heating efficiency in percent.
Fi—Weighting factor for heat output category i. (See Tables 2A and 2B)
T1—Temperature of water at the inlet on the supply side of the heat exchanger.
T2—Temperature of the water at the outlet on the supply side of the heat exchanger.
T3-Temperature of water at the inlet to the load side of the heat exchanger.
TIavg—Average temperature of the appliance and water at start of the test.
MC—Fuel moisture content in percent dry basis.
MCi—Average moisture content of individual 4 × 4 fuel pieces in percent dry basis.
MCsp—Moisture content of spacers assumed to be 10 percent dry basis.
σ—Density of water in pounds per gallon.
Cp—Specific Heat of Water in Btu/lb °−F.
Csteel—Specific Heat of Steel (0.1 Btu/lb−°F).
Wfuel—Fuel charge weight in pounds (kg).
Wi—Weight of individual fuel 4 × 4 pieces in pounds (kg).
Wsp—Weight of all spacers used in a fuel load in pounds (kg).
Wapp—Weight of empty appliance in pounds.
Wwat— Weight of water in supply side of the system in pounds.
13.2 After the test is completed, determine the particulate emissions ET in accordance with ASTM E2515.
13.5 Determine heat output and efficiency.
13.5.1 Determine heat output as:
Qout = Σ [Heat output determined for each sampling time interval]+ Change in heat stored in the appliance.
13.5.5 Determine ηSLM—Overall Efficiency (SLM) using Stack Loss For determination of the average overall thermal efficiency (ηSLM) for the test run, use the data collected over the full test run and the calculations in accordance with CSA B415.1-2010, Clause 13.7 except for 13.7.2 (e), (f), (g), and (h), use the following average fuel properties for oak: percent C = 50.0, percent H = 6.6, percent O = 43.2, percent Ash = 0.2 percent.
13.5.5.1 Whenever the CSA B415.1-2010 overall efficiency is found to be lower than the overall efficiency based on load side measurements, as determined by Eq. 16 of this method, section 14.1.7 of the test report must include a discussion of the reasons for this result.
13.6 Weighted Average Emissions and Efficiency
13.6.1 Determine the weighted average emission rate and delivered efficiency from the individual tests in the specified heat output categories. The weighting factors (Fi) are derived from an analysis of ASHRAE Bin Data which provides details of normal building heating requirements in terms of percent of design capacity and time in a particular capacity range—or “bin”—over the course of a heating season. The values used in this method represent an average of data from several cities located in the northern United States.
13.7 Average Heat Output (Qout-8hr) and Efficiency ((ηavg-8hr) for 8 hour burn time.
13.7.1 Units tested under this standard typically require infrequent fuelling, 8 to 12 hours intervals being typical. Rating unit's based on an Average Output sustainable over an 8 hour duration will assist consumers in appropriately sizing units to match the theoretical heat demand of their application.
13.7.2 Calculations:
Y1 = Test Duration just above 8 hrs
Y2 = Test Duration just below 8 hrs
X1 = Actual Load for duration Y1
ηdel1 = Average Delivered Efficiency for duration Y1
13.7.2.1 Determine the Test Durations and Actual Load for each Category as recorded in Table 1A.
13.7.2.2 Determine the data point that has the nearest duration greater than 8 hrs. X1 = Actual Load,
Y1 = Test Duration and
ηdel1 = Average Delivered Efficiency for this data point.
13.7.2.3 Determine the data point that has the nearest duration less than 8 hrs.
X2 = Actual Load,
13.7.2.4 Example:
Category Actual Load Duration
[Category Actual Load Duration ηdel]
(Btu/Hr)
(Hr)
1 15,000 10.2 70.0
2 26,000 8.4 75.5
4 100,000 4.7 80.9
Category 2 Duration is just above 8 hours, therefore: X1 = 26,000 BTU/hr, ηdel1 = 75.5% and Y1 = 8.4 Hrs
Category 3 Duration is just below 8 hours, therefore: X2 = 50,000 BTU/hr, ηdel2 = 80.1% and Y2 = 6.4 Hrs
Qout-8hr = 26,000 + {(8—8.4) × [(50,000—26,000)/(6.4—8.4)]}
= 30,800 BTU/hr
ηavg-8hr = 75.5 + {(8—8.4) × [(80.1—75.5)/(6.4—8.4)]} = 76.4%
14.1.1 The report shall include the following.
14.1.2 Name and location of the laboratory conducting the test.
14.1.3 A description of the appliance tested and its condition, date of receipt and dates of tests.
14.1.4 A statement that the test results apply only to the specific appliance tested.
14.1.5 A statement that the test report shall not be reproduced except in full, without the written approval of the laboratory.
14.1.6 A description of the test procedures and test equipment including a schematic or other drawing showing the location of all required test equipment. Also, a description of test fuel sourcing, handling and storage practices shall be included.
14.1.7 Details of deviations from, additions to or exclusions from the test method, and their data quality implications on the test results (if any), as well as information on specific test conditions, such as environmental conditions.
14.1.8 A list of participants and observers present for the tests.
14.1.9 Data and drawings indicating the fire box size and location of the fuel charge.
14.1.10 Drawings and calculations used to determine firebox volume.
14.1.11 Information for each test run fuel charge including piece size, moisture content, and weight.
14.1.12 All required data for each test run shall be provided in spreadsheet format. Formulae used for all calculations shall be accessible for review.
14.1.13 Test run duration for each test.
14.1.14 Calculated results for delivered efficiency at each burn rate and the weighted average Emissions reported as total emissions in grams, pounds per million Btu of delivered heat, grams per mega-joule of delivered heat, grams per kilogram of dry fuel and grams per hour. Results shall be reported for each heat output category and the weighted average.
14.1.15 Tables 1A, 1B, 1C and 2 must be used for presentation of results in test reports.
14.1.16 A statement of the estimated uncertainty of measurement of the emissions and efficiency test results.
14.1.17 Raw data, calibration records, and other relevant documentation shall be retained by the laboratory for a minimum of 7 years.
15.1 Precision—It is not possible to specify the precision of the procedure in Draft Test because the appliance Start Printed Page 6401operation and fueling protocols and the appliances themselves produce variable amounts of emissions and cannot be used to determine reproducibility or repeatability of this measurement method.
15.2 Bias—No definitive information can be presented on the bias of the procedure in Draft Test Method 28 WHH for measuring solid fuel burning hydronic heater emissions because no material having an accepted reference value is available.
16.1 Solid fuel, hydronic heating appliances, wood-burning hydronic heaters.
1.1 This test method applies to wood-fired hydronic heating appliances with heat storage external to the appliance. The units typically transfer heat through circulation of a liquid heat exchange media such as water or a water-antifreeze mixture. Throughout this document, the term “water” will be used to denote any of the heat transfer liquids approved for use by the manufacturer.
1.2 The test method measures PM and CO emissions and delivered heating efficiency at specified heat output rates referenced against the appliance's rated heating capacity as specified by the manufacturer and verified under this test method.
1.3 PM emissions are measured by the dilution tunnel method as specified in the EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein with the exceptions noted in Section 12.5.9. Delivered Efficiency is measured by determining the fuel energy input and appliance output. Heat output is determined through measurement of the flow rate and temperature change of water circulated through a heat exchanger external to the appliance and the increase in energy of the external storage. Heat input is determined from the mass of dry wood fuel and its higher heating value (HHV). Delivered efficiency does not attempt to account for pipeline loss.
1.4 Products covered by this test method include both pressurized and non-pressurized hydronic heating appliances intended to be fired with wood and for which the manufacturer specifies for indoor or outdoor installation. The system, which includes the heating appliance and external storage, is commonly connected to a heat exchanger by insulated pipes and normally includes a pump to circulate heated liquid. These systems are used to heat structures such as homes, barns and greenhouses. They also provide heat for domestic hot water, spas and swimming pools.
1.5 Distinguishing features of products covered by this standard include:
1.5.1 The manufacturer specifies the application for either indoor or outdoor installation.
1.5.2 A firebox with an access door for hand loading of fuel.
1.5.3 Typically an aquastat mounted as part of the appliance that controls combustion air supply to maintain the liquid in the appliance within a predetermined temperature range provided sufficient fuel is available in the firebox. The appliance may be equipped with other devices to control combustion.
1.5.4 A chimney or vent that exhausts combustion products from the appliance.
1.5.5 A liquid storage system, typically water, which is not large enough to accept all of the heat produced when a full load of wood is burned and the storage system starts a burn cycle at 125 °F.
1.5.6 The heating appliances require external thermal storage and these units will only be installed as part of a system which includes thermal storage. The manufacturer specifies the minimum amount of thermal storage required. However, the storage system shall be large enough to ensure that the boiler (heater) does not cycle, slumber, or go into an off-mode when operated in a Category III load condition (See section 4.3).
1.6 The values stated are to be regarded as the standard whether in I-P or SI units. The values given in parentheses are for information only.
2.1 PM and CO emissions are measured from a wood-fired hydronic heating appliance burning a prepared test fuel charge in a test facility maintained at a set of prescribed conditions. Procedures for determining heat output rates, PM and CO emissions, and efficiency and for reducing data are provided.
2.2.1 EPA Standards
2.2.1.1 Method 28 Certification and Auditing of Wood Heaters
2.2.1.2 Method 28 WHH Measurement of Particulate Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances and the standards referenced therein.
2.2.2 Other Standards
2.2.2.1 CAN/CSA-B415.1-2010 Performance Testing of Solid-Fuel-Burning Heating Appliances
3.1.3 Delivered Efficiency—The percentage of heat available in a test fuel charge that is delivered to a simulated heating load or the storage system as specified in this test method.
3.1.4 Emission factor—the emission of a pollutant expressed in mass per unit of energy (typically) output from the boiler/heater
3.1.5 Emission index—the emission of a pollutant expressed in mass per unit mass of fuel used
3.1.6 Emission rate—the emission of a pollutant expressed in mass per unit time
3.1.7 Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity −The value in Btu/hr (MJ/hr) that the manufacturer specifies that a particular model of hydronic heating appliance is capable of supplying at its design capacity as verified by testing, in accordance with section 12.5.4.
3.1.8 Heat output rate—The average rate of energy output from the appliance during a specific test period in Btu/hr (MJ/hr)
3.1.10 NIST—National Institute of Standards and Technology
3.1.11 Test fuel charge—The collection of test fuel placed in the appliance at the start of the emission test run.
3.1.12 Test Run—An individual emission test which encompasses the time required to consume the mass of the test fuel charge. The time of the test run also considers the time for the energy to be drawn from the thermal storage.
3.1.13 Test Run Under “Cold-to-Cold” Condition—under this test condition the test fuel is added into an empty chamber along with kindling and ignition materials (paper). The boiler/heater at the start of this test is typically 125° to 130° F.
3.1.14 Test Run Under “Hot-to-Hot” Condition—under this test condition the test fuel is added onto a still-burning bed of charcoals produced in a pre-burn period. The boiler/heater water is near its operating control limit at the start of the test.
3.1.15 Overall Efficiency, also known as Stack Loss Efficiency—The efficiency for each test run as determined using the CSA B415.1-2010 Stack Loss Method (SLM).
3.1.16 Phases of a Burn Cycle. The “startup phase” is defined as the period from the start of the test until 15 percent of the test fuel charge is consumed. The “steady state phase” is defined as the period from the end of the startup phase to a point at which 80 percent of the test fuel charge is consumed. The “end phase” is defined as the time from the end of the steady state period to the end of the test.
3.1.18 Slumber Mode—This is a mode in which the temperature of the water in the boiler/heater has exceeded the operating control limit and the control has changed the boiler/heater fan speed, dampers, and/or other operating parameters to minimize the heat output of the boiler/heater.
4.1 Dilution Tunnel. Emissions are determined using the “dilution tunnel” method specified in EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein. The flow rate in the dilution tunnel is maintained at a constant level throughout the test cycle and accurately measured. Samples of the dilution tunnel flow stream are extracted at a constant flow rate and drawn through high efficiency filters. The filters are dried and weighed before and after the test to determine the emissions collected and this value is multiplied by the ratio of tunnel flow to filter flow to determine the total particulate emissions produced in the test cycle.
4.2 Efficiency. The efficiency test procedure takes advantage of the fact that this type of system delivers heat through circulation of the heated liquid (water) from the system to a remote heat exchanger (e.g. baseboard radiators in a room) and back to the system. Measurements of the cooling Start Printed Page 6404water temperature difference as it enters and exits the test system heat exchanger along with the measured flow rate allow for an accurate determination of the useful heat output of the appliance. Also included in the heat output is the change in the energy content in the storage system during a test run. Energy input to the appliance during the test run is determined by weight of the test fuel charge, adjusted for moisture content, multiplied by the Higher Heating Value. Additional measurements of the appliance weight and temperature at the beginning and end of a test cycle are used to correct for heat stored in the appliance. Overall Efficiency (SLM) is determined using the CSA B415.1-2010 stack loss method for data quality assurance purposes.
4.3 Operation. Four test categories are defined for use in this method. These are:
4.3.4 Category IV: Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity. These heat output categories refer to the output from the system by way of the load heat exchanger installed for the test. The output from just the boiler/heater part of the system may be higher for all or part of a test, as part of this boiler/heater output goes to storage.
For the Category III and IV runs, appliance operation is conducted on a hot-to-hot test cycle meaning that the appliance is brought to operating temperature and a coal bed is established prior to the addition of the test fuel charge and measurements are made for each test fuel charge cycle. The measurements are made under constant heat draw conditions within pre-determined ranges. No attempt is made to modulate the heat demand to simulate an indoor thermostat cycling on and off in response to changes in the indoor environment.
For the Category I and II runs, the unit is tested with a “cold start.” At the manufacturer's option, the Category II and III runs may be waived and it may be assumed that the particulate emission values and efficiency values determined in the startup, steady-state, and end phases of Category I are applicable in Categories II and III for the purpose of determining the annual averages in lb/MMBtu and g/MJ (See section 13). For the annual average in g/hr, the length of time for stored heat to be drawn from thermal storage shall be determined for the test load requirements of the respective Category.
All test operations and measurements shall be conducted by personnel of the laboratory responsible for the submission of the test report.
5.1 The measurement of particulate matter emission and CO rates is an important test method widely used in the practice of air pollution control.
5.1.2 The measurements made before and after design modifications are necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of design changes in reducing emissions and make this standard an important tool in manufacturer's research and development programs.
6.1 Scale. A platform scale capable of weighing the boiler/heater under test and associated parts and accessories when completely filled with water to an accuracy of ± 1.0 pound (± 0.5 kg) and a readout resolution of ± 0.2 pound (± 0.1 kg).
6.3 Water Temperature Difference Measurement. A Type-T `special limits' thermopile with a minimum of 5 pairs of junctions shall be used to measure the temperature difference in water entering and leaving the heat exchanger. The temperature difference measurement uncertainty of this type of thermopile is equal to or less than ± 0.50 °F (± 0.25 °C). Other temperature measurement methods may be used if the temperature difference measurement uncertainty is equal to or less than ± 0.50 °F (± 0.25 °C). This measurement uncertainty shall include the temperature sensor, sensor well arrangement, piping arrangements, lead wire, and measurement/recording system. The response time of the temperature measurement system shall be less than half of the time interval at which temperature measurements are recorded.
6.5 Optional Recirculation Pump. Circulating pump used during test to prevent stratification, in the boiler/heater, of liquid being heated.
6.6 Water Temperature Measurement—Thermocouples or other temperature sensors to measure the water temperature at the inlet and outlet of the load side of the heat exchanger must meet the calibration requirements specified in 10.1 of this method.
6.7 Lab Scale—For measuring the moisture content of wood slices as part of the overall wood moisture determination. Accuracy of ± 0.01 pounds.
6.9 Test Room Temperature Measurement—Must meet the requirements of CSA B415.1-2010, Clause 6.2.1.
6.11 Dilution Tunnel CO Measurement—In parallel with the flue gas composition measurements, the CO concentration in the dilution tunnel shall also be measured and reported at time intervals not to exceed one minute. This analyzer shall meet the zero and span drift requirements of CSA B415.1-2012. In addition the measurement repeatability shall be better than ±15 ppm over the range of CO levels observed in the dilution tunnel.
8.1 Test specimens shall be supplied as complete appliances, as described in marketing materials, including all controls and accessories necessary for installation in the test facility. A full set of specifications, installation and operating instructions, and design and assembly drawings shall be provided when the product is to be placed under certification of a third-party agency. The manufacturer's written installation and operating instructions are to be used as a guide in the set-up and testing of the appliance and shall be part of the test record.
8.2 The size, connection arrangement, and control arrangement for the thermal storage shall be as specified in the manufacturer's documentation. It is not necessary to use the specific storage system that the boiler/heater will be marketed with. However, the capacity of the system used in the test cannot be greater than that specified as the minimum allowable for the boiler/heater.
8.3 All system control settings shall be the as-shipped, default settings. These default settings shall be the same as those communicated in a document to the installer or end user. These control settings and the documentation of the control settings as to be provided to the installer or end user shall be part of the test record.
8.4 Where the manufacturer defines several alternatives for the connection and loading arrangement, one shall be defined in the appliance documentation as the default or standard installation. It is expected that this will be the configuration for use with a simple baseboard heating system. This is the Start Printed Page 6405configuration to be followed for these tests. The manufacturer's documentation shall define the other arrangements as optional or alternative arrangements.
9.4 Prior to filling the boiler/heater with water, weigh and record the appliance mass.
9.5.1 Plumb the unit to a water-to-water heat exchanger with sufficient capacity to draw off heat at the maximum rate anticipated. Route hoses and electrical cables and instrument wires in a manner that does not influence the weighing accuracy of the scale as indicated by placing dead weights on the platform and verifying the scale's accuracy.
9.5.3 Install a thermopile (or equivalent instrumentation) meeting the requirements of section 6.3 to measure the water temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the load side of the heat exchanger.
9.5.7 Temperature instrumentation per section 6.6 shall be installed in the appliance outlet and return lines. The average of the outlet and return water temperature on the supply side of the system shall be considered the average appliance temperature for calculation of heat storage in the appliance (TFavgand TIavg). Installation of a water flow meter in the supply side of the system is optional.
9.6 Storage Tank. The storage tank shall include a destratification pump as illustrated in Figure 1. The pump will draw from the bottom of the tank and return to the top as illustrated. Temperature sensors (TS1 and TS2 in Figure 1) shall be included to measure the temperature in the recirculation loop. The valve plan in Figure 1 allows the tank recirculation loop to operate and the boiler/heater-to-heat exchanger loop to operate at the same time but in isolation. This would typically be done before the start of a test or following completion of a test to determine the end of test average tank temperature. The nominal flow rate in the storage tank recirculation loop can be estimated based on pump manufacturer's performance curves and any significant restriction in the recirculation loop.
10.1 Water Temperature Sensors. Temperature measuring equipment shall be calibrated before initial use and at least semi-annually thereafter. Calibrations shall be in compliance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Monograph 175, Standard Limits of Error.
10.2 Heat Exchanger Load Side Water Flow Meter.
10.2.1 The heat exchanger load side water flow meter shall be calibrated within the flow range used for the test run using NIST-traceable methods. Verify the calibration of the water flow meter before and after each test run and at least once during each test run by comparing the water flow rate indicated by the flow meter to the mass of water collected from the outlet of the heat exchanger over a timed interval. Volume of the collected water shall be determined based on the water density calculated from section 13, Eq. 12, using the water temperature measured at the flow meter. The uncertainty in the verification procedure used shall be 1 percent or less. The water flow rate determined by the collection and weighing method shall be within 1 percent of the flow rate indicated by the water flow meter.
10.3 Scales. The scales used to weigh the appliance and test fuel charge shall be calibrated using NIST-traceable methods at least once every 6 months.
11.1 Prior to testing, a non-catalytic appliance is to be operated for a minimum of 10 hours using a medium heat draw rate. Catalytic units shall be operated for a minimum of 50 hours using a medium heat draw rate. The pre-burn for the first test can be included as part of the conditioning requirement. If conditioning is included in pre-burn, then the appliance shall be aged with fuel meeting the specifications outlined in section 12.2 with a moisture content between 19 and 25 percent on a dry basis. Operate the appliance at a medium heat output rate (Category II or III) for at least 10 hours for non-catalytic appliances and 50 hours for catalytic appliances. Record and report hourly flue gas exit temperature data and the hours of operation. The aging procedure shall be conducted and documented by a testing laboratory.
12.2 Fuel. Test fuel charge fuel shall be red (Quercus ruba L.) or white (Quercus Alba) oak 19 to 25 percent moisture content on a dry basis. Piece length shall be 80 percent of the firebox depth rounded down to the nearest 1 inch (25mm) increment. For example, if the firebox depth is 46 inches (1168mm) the piece length would be 36 inches (46 inches x 0.8 = 36.8 inches round down to 36 inches). Pieces are to be placed in the firebox parallel to the longest firebox dimension. For fireboxes with sloped surfaces that create a non-uniform firebox length, the piece length shall be adjusted for each layer based on 80 percent of the length at the level where the layer is placed. The test fuel shall be cord wood with cross section dimensions and weight limits as defined in CSA B415.1-2010, section 8.3, Table 4. The use of dimensional lumber is not allowed.
12.2.1 Select three pieces of cord wood from the same batch of wood as the test fuel and the same weight as the average weight of the pieces in the test load ± 1.0 lb. From each of these three pieces, cut three slices. Each slice shall be 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. One slice shall be cut across the center of the length of the piece. The other two slices shall be cut half way between the center and the end. Immediately measure the mass of each piece in pounds. Dry each slice in an oven at 220 °F for 24 hours or until no further weight change occurs. The slices shall be arranged in the oven so as to provide separation between faces. Remove from the oven and measure the mass of each piece again as soon as practical in pounds.
The moisture content of each slice, on a dry basis shall be calculated as:
WSliceWet = weight of the slice before drying in pounds
WSliceDry = weight of the slice after drying in pounds
MCSlice = moisture content of the slice in % dry basis
The average moisture content of the entire test load (MC) shall be determined using Eq. 6. Each individual slice shall have a moisture content in the range of 18 percent to 28 percent on a dry basis. The average moisture content for the test fuel load shall be in the range of 19 percent to 25 percent. Moisture shall not be added to previously dried fuel pieces except by storage under high humidity conditions and temperature up to 100 °F. Fuel moisture measurement shall begin within four hours of using the fuel batch for a test. Use of a pin-type meter to estimate the moisture content prior to a test is recommended.
12.2.3 Test Fuel charge. Test fuel charges shall be determined by multiplying the firebox volume by 10 pounds (4.54 kg) per ft3 (28L), or a higher load density as recommended by the manufacturer's printed operating instructions, of wood (as used wet weight). Select the number of pieces of cord wood that most nearly match this target weight. However, the test fuel charge cannot be less than the target of 10 pounds (4.54 kg) per ft3 (28L).
12.3 Sampling Equipment. Prepare the particulate emission sampling equipment as defined by EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein.
12.4.1 Startup Procedure for Category III and IV Test Runs, “Hot-to-Hot”
12.4.1.1 Pre-Test Burn Cycle. Following appliance startup (section 12.4), reload appliance with oak cord wood and allow it to burn down to the specified coal bed weight. The pre-test burn cycle fuel charge weight shall be within ±10 percent of the test fuel charge weight. Piece size and length shall be selected such that charcoalization is achieved by the time the fuel charge has burned down to the required coal bed weight. Pieces with a maximum thickness of approximately 2 inches have been found to be suitable. Charcoalization is a general condition of the test fuel bed evidenced by an absence of large pieces of burning wood in the coal bed and the remaining fuel pieces being brittle enough to be broken into smaller charcoal pieces with a metal poker. Manipulations to the fuel bed prior to the start of the test run are to be done to achieve charcoalization while maintaining the desired heat output rate. During the pre-test burn cycle and at least one hour prior to starting the test run, adjust water flow to the heat exchanger to establish the target heat draw for the test. For the first test run the heat draw rate shall be equal to the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity.
12.4.1.3 Coal Bed Weight. The appliance is to be loaded with the test fuel charge when the coal bed weight is between 10 percent and 20 percent of the test fuel charge weight. Coals may be raked as necessary to level the coal bed but may only be raked and stirred once between 15 to 20 minutes prior to the addition of the test fuel charge.
12.4.1.4 Storage. The Category III and IV test runs may be done either with or without the thermal storage. If thermal storage is used the initial temperature of the storage must be 125 °F or greater at the start of the test. The storage may be heated during the pre-test burn cycle or it may be heated by external means. If thermal storage is used, prior to the start of the test run, the storage tank destratification pump, shown in Figure 1, shall be operated until the total volume pumped exceeds 1.5 times the tank volume and the difference between the temperature at the top and bottom of the storage tank (TS1 and TS2) is less than 1 °F. These two temperatures shall then be recorded to determine the starting average tank temperature. The total volume pumped may be based on the nominal flow rate of the destratification pump (See section 9.6). If the Category III and IV runs are done with storage, it is recognized that during the last hour of the pre-burn cycle the storage tank must be mixed to achieve a uniform starting temperature and cannot receive heat from the boiler/heater during this time. During this time period the boiler/heater might cycle or go into a steady reduced output mode. (Note—this would happen, for example, in a Category IV run if the actual maximum output of the boiler/heater exceed the manufacturer's rated output.) A second storage tank may be used temporarily to enable the boiler/heater to operate during this last hour of the pre-burn period as it will during the test period. The temperature of this second storage tank is not used in the calculations but the return water to the boiler/heater (after mixing device if used) must be 125 °F or greater.
12.4.2 Startup Procedure for Category I and II test runs, “cold-to-cold.”
12.4.2.1 Initial Temperatures. This test shall be started with both the boiler/heater and the storage at a minimum temperature of 125 °F. The boiler/heater maximum temperature at the start of this test shall be 135 °F. The boiler/heater and storage may be heated through a pre-burn or it may be heated by external means.
12.4.2.2 Firebox Condition at Test Start. Prior to the start of this test remove all ash and charcoal from the combustion chamber(s). The loading of the test fuel and kindling should follow the manufacturer's recommendations, subject to the following constraints: Up to 10 percent kindling and paper may be used which is in addition to the fuel load. Further, up to 10 percent of the fuel load (i.e., included in the 10 lb/ft3) may be smaller than the main fuel. This startup fuel shall still be larger than 2 inches.
12.4.2.3 Storage. The Category I and II test runs shall be done with thermal storage. The initial temperature of the storage must be 125 °F or greater at the start of the test. The storage may be heated during the pre-test burn cycle or it may be heated by external means. Prior to the start of the test run, the storage tank destratification pump, shown in Figure 1, shall be operated until the total volume pumped exceeds 1.5 times the tank volume and the difference between the temperature at the top and bottom of the storage tank (TS1 and TS2) is less than 1 °F. These two temperatures shall then be recorded to determine the starting average tank temperature. The total volume pumped may be based on the nominal flow rate of the destratification pump (See section 9.6).
12.5 Test Runs. For all test runs, the return water temperature to the hydronic heater must be equal to or greater than 120 °F (this is lower than the initial tank temperature to allow for any pipeline losses). Where the storage system is used, flow of water from the boiler/heater shall be divided between the storage tank and the heat Start Printed Page 6407exchanger such that the temperature change of the circulating water across the heat exchanger shall be 30 ± 5 °F, averaged over the entire test run. This is typically adjusted using the system valves.
12.5.1 Test Run Start. For Category III and IV runs: once the appliance is operating normally and the pretest coal bed weight has reached the target value per 12.4.1, tare the scale and load the full test charge into the appliance. Time for loading shall not exceed 5 minutes. The actual weight of the test fuel charge shall be measured and recorded within 30 minutes prior to loading. Start all sampling systems.
For Category I and II runs: once the appliance has reached the starting temperature, tare the scale and load the full test charge, including kindling into the appliance. The actual weight of the test fuel charge shall be measured and recorded within 30 minutes prior to loading. Light the fire following the manufacturer's written normal startup procedure. Start all sampling systems.
12.5.1.2 Record particulate emissions data per the requirements of EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein.
12.5.1.3 Record data needed to determine Overall Efficiency (SLM) per the requirements of CSA B415.1-2010 Clauses 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.3, 8.5.7, 10.4.3 (a), 10.4.3(f), and 13.7.9.3
12.5.1.3.1 Measure and record the test room air temperature in accordance with the requirements of Clauses 6.2.1, 8.5.7 and 10.4.3 (g).
12.5.1.3.2 Measure and record the flue gas temperature in accordance with the requirements of Clauses 6.2.2, 8.5.7 and 10.4.3 (f).
12.5.1.3.3 Determine and record the Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the flue gas in accordance with Clauses 6.3, 8.5.7 and 10.4.3 (i) and (j).
12.5.1.3.4 Measure and record the test fuel weight per the requirements of Clauses 8.5.7 and 10.4.3 (h).
12.5.1.3.5 Record the test run time per the requirements of Clause 10.4.3 (a).
12.5.1.3.6 Record and document all settings and adjustments, if any, made to the boiler/heater as recommended/required by manufacturer's instruction manual for different combustion conditions or heat loads. These may include temperature setpoints, under and over-fire air adjustment, or other adjustments that could be made by an operator to optimize or alter combustion. All such settings shall be included in the report for each test run.
12.5.1.4 Monitor the average heat output rate on the load side of the heat exchanger based on water temperatures and flow. If the heat output rate over a 10 minute averaging period gets close to the upper or lower limit of the target range (± 5 percent), adjust the water flow through the heat exchanger to compensate. Make changes as infrequently as possible while maintaining the target heat output rate. The first test run shall be conducted at the category IV heat output rate to validate that the appliance is capable of producing the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity.
12.5.2 Test Fuel Charge Adjustment. It is acceptable to adjust the test fuel charge (i.e., reposition) once during a test run if more than 60 percent of the initial test fuel charge weight has been consumed and more than 10 minutes have elapsed without a measurable (1 lb or 0.5 kg) weight change while the operating control is in the demand mode. The time used to make this adjustment shall be less than 60 seconds.
12.5.3 Test Run Completion. For the Category III and IV, “hot-to-hot” test runs, the test run is completed when the remaining weight of the test fuel charge is 0.0 lb (0.0 kg). (WFuelBurned = Wfuel) End the test run when the scale has indicated a test fuel charge weight of 0.0 lb (0.0 kg) or less for 30 seconds.
For the Category I and II “cold-to-cold” test runs, the test run is completed; and the end of a test is defined at the first occurrence of any one of the following:
(a) The remaining weight of the test fuel charge is less than 1 percent of the total test fuel weight (WFuelBurned > 0.99 · Wfuel);
(b) The automatic control system on the boiler/heater switches to an off mode. In this case the boiler/heater fan (if used) is typically stopped, and all air flow dampers are closed by the control system. Note that this off mode cannot be an “overheat” or emergency shutdown which typically requires a manual reset; or
(c) If the boiler/heater does not have an automatic off mode: After 90 percent of the fuel load has been consumed and the scale has indicated a rate of change of the test fuel charge of less than 1.0 lb/hr for a period of 10 minutes or longer. Note—this is not considered “stopped fuel combustion,” See section 12.5.6.1.
12.5.3.2 At the end of the test run, continue to operate the storage tank destratification pump until the total volume pumped exceeds 1.5 times the tank volume. The maximum average of the top and bottom temperatures measured after this time may be taken as the average tank temperature at the end of the tests (TFSavg, See section 13.1). The total volume pumped may be based on the nominal flow rate of the destratification pump (See section 9.6).
12.5.3.3 For the Category I and II test runs, there is a need to determine the energy content of the unburned fuel remaining in the chamber if the remaining mass in the chamber is greater than 1 percent of the test fuel weight. Following the completion of the test, as soon as safely practical, this remaining fuel is removed from the chamber, separated from the remaining ash and weighed. This separation could be implemented with a slotted “scoop” or similar tool. A 1/4 inch opening size in the separation tool shall be used to separate the ash and charcoal. This separated char is assigned a heating value of 12,500 Btu/lb.
12.5.4 Heat Output Capacity Validation. The first test run must produce a heat output rate that is within 10 percent of the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity (Category IV) throughout the test run and an average heat output rate within 5 percent of the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity. If the appliance is not capable of producing a heat output within these limits, the manufacturer's rated heat output capacity is considered not validated and testing is to be terminated. In such cases, the tests may be restarted using a lower heat output capacity if requested by the manufacturer. Alternatively, during the Category IV run, if the rated output cannot be maintained for a 15 minute interval, the manufacturer may elect to reduce the rated output to match the test and complete the Category IV run on this basis. The target outputs for Cat I, II, and III shall then be recalculated based on this change in rated output capacity.
12.5.6 Alternative Heat Output Rate for Category I. If an appliance cannot be operated in the Category I heat output range due to stopped combustion, two test runs shall be conducted at heat output rates within Category II. When this is the case, the weightings for the weighted averages indicated in section 15.1.14 shall be the average of the Category I and II weighting's and shall be applied to both Category II results. Appliances that are not capable of operation within Category II (<25 percent of maximum) cannot be evaluated by this test method.
12.5.6.1 Stopped Fuel Combustion. Evidence that an appliance cannot be operated at a Category I heat output rate due to stopped fuel combustion shall include documentation of two or more attempts to operate the appliance in heat output rate Category I and fuel combustion has stopped prior to complete consumption of the test fuel charge. Stopped fuel combustion is evidenced when an elapsed time of 60 minutes or more has occurred without a measurable (1 lb or 0.5 kg) weight change in the test fuel charge while the appliance operating control is in the demand mode. Report the evidence and the reasoning used to determine that a test in heat output rate Category I cannot be achieved. For example, two unsuccessful attempts to operate at an output rate of 10 percent of the rated output capacity are not sufficient evidence that heat output rate Category I cannot be achieved.
12.5.7 Appliance Overheating. Appliances with their associated thermal storage shall be capable of operating in all heat output categories without overheating to be rated by this test method. Appliance overheating occurs when the rate of heat withdrawal from the appliance is lower than the rate of heat production when the unit control is in the idle mode. This condition results in the water in the appliance continuing to increase in temperature well Start Printed Page 6408above the upper limit setting of the operating control. Evidence of overheating includes: 1 hour or more of appliance water temperature increase above the upper temperature set-point of the operating control, exceeding the temperature limit of a safety control device (independent from the operating control—typically requires manual reset), boiling water in a non-pressurized system or activation of a pressure or temperature relief valve in a pressurized system.
12.5.8 Option to Eliminate Tests in Category II and III. Following successful completion of a test run in Category I, the manufacturer may eliminate the Cat II and III tests. For the purpose of calculating the annual averages for particulates and efficiency, the values obtained in the Category I run shall be assumed to apply also to Category II and Category III. It is envisioned that this option would be applicable to systems which have sufficient thermal storage such that the fuel load in the Cat I test can be completely consumed without the system reaching its upper operating temperature limit. In this case the boiler/heater would likely be operating at maximum thermal output during the entire test and this output rate may be higher than the Manufacturer's Rated Heat Output Capacity. The Category II and III runs would then be the same as the Category I run. It may be assumed that the particulate emission values and efficiency values determined in the startup, steady-state, and end phases of Category I are applicable in Categories II and III, for the purpose of determining the annual averages in lb/MMBtu and g/MJ (See section 13). For the annual average in g/hr, the length of time for stored heat to be drawn from thermal storage shall be determined for the test load requirements of the respective Category.
12.5.9 Modification to Measurement Procedure in EPA Method 28 WHH to Determine Emissions Separately During the Startup, Steady-State and End Phases. With one of the two particulate sampling trains used, filter changes shall be made at the end of the startup phase and the steady state phase (See section 3.0). This shall be done to determine the particulate emission rate and particulate emission index for the startup, steady state, and end phases individually. For this one train, the particulates measured during each of these three phases shall be added together to also determine the particulate emissions for the whole run.
12.5.10 Modification to Measurement Procedure in EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein on Averaging Period for Determination of Efficiency by the Stack Loss Method. The methods currently defined in Method 28 WHH allow averaging over 10 minute time periods for flue gas temperature, flue gas CO2, and flue gas CO for the determination of the efficiency with the Stack Loss Method. However, under some cycling conditions the “on” period may be short relative to this 10 minute period. For this reason, during cycling operation the averaging period for these parameters may not be longer than the burner on period divided by 10. The averaging period need not be shorter than one minute. During the off period, under cycling operation, averaging periods as specified in EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein may be used. Where short averaging times are used, however, the averaging period for fuel consumption may still be at 10 minutes. This average wood consumption rate shall be applied to all of the smaller time intervals included.
12.6 Additional Test Runs. The testing laboratory may conduct more than one test run in each of the heat output categories specified in section 4.3. If more than one test run is conducted at a specified heat output rate, the results from at least two-thirds of the test runs in that heat output rate category shall be used in calculating the weighted average emission rate. The measurement data and results of all test runs shall be reported regardless of which values are used in calculating the weighted average emission rate.
13.1 Nomenclature.
COs—Carbon monoxide measured in the dilution tunnel at arbitrary time in ppm dry basis.
COg/min—Carbon monoxide emission rate in g/min.
COT—Total carbon monoxide emission for the full test run in grams.
CO_1—Startup period carbon monoxide emissions in grams.
CO_2—Steady-state period carbon monoxide emission in grams.
CO_3—End period carbon monoxide emission in grams.
ET—Total particulate emissions for the full test run as determined per EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein in grams.
E1 = Startup period particulate emissions in grams.
E2 = Steady-state period particulate emissions in grams.
E3 = End period particulate emissions in grams.
E1_g/kg = Startup period particulate emission index in grams per kg fuel.
E2_g/kg = Steady-state period particulate emission index in grams per kg fuel.
E3_g/kg = End period particulate emission index in grams per kg fuel.
E1_g/hr = Startup period particulate emission rate in grams per hour.
E2_g/hr = Steady-state period particulate emission rate in grams per hour.
E3_g/hr = End period particulate emission rate in grams per hour.
Eg/MJ—Emission rate in grams per MJ of heat output.
Eg/hr—Emission factor in grams per hour.
ΔT—Temperature difference between cooling water entering and exiting the heat exchanger.
Qout − Total heat output in Btu's (MJ).
Qin − Total heat input available in test fuel charge in Btu's (MJ).
Qstd—Volumetric flow rate in dilution tunnel in dscfm.
Θ—Total length of burn period in hours (Θ1 + Θ2 + Θ3).
Θ1—Length of time of the startup period in hours.
Θ2—Length of time of the steady state period in hours.
Θ3—Length of time of the end period in hours.
Θ4—Length of time for stored heat to be used following a burn period in hours.
Fi—Weighting factor for heat output category i. See Table 2.
T1—Temperature of water at the inlet on the supply side of the heat exchanger, °F.
T2—Temperature of the water at the outlet on the supply side of the heat exchanger, °F.
T3—Temperature of cooling water at the inlet to the load side of the heat exchanger, °F.
T4—Temperature of cooling water at the outlet of the load side of the heat exchanger, °F.
T5—Temperature of the hot water supply as it leaves the boiler/heater, °F.
T6—Temperature of return water as it enters the boiler/heater, °F.
T7—Temperature in the boiler/heater optional destratification loop at the top of the boiler/heater, °F.
T8—Temperature in the boiler/heater optional destratification loop at the bottom of the boiler/heater, °F.
TIS1—Temperature at the inlet to the storage system at the start of the test.
TIS2—Temperature at the outlet from the storage system at the start of the test.
TFS1—Temperature at the inlet to the storage system at the end of the test.
TFS2—Temperature at the outlet from the storage system at the end of the test.
TISavg—Average temperature of the storage system at the start of the test.
σInitial—Density of water in the boiler/heater system at the start of the test in pounds per gallons.
σboiler/heater—Density of water in the boiler/heater system at arbitrary time during the test in pounds per gallon.
Cp—Specific heat of water in Btu/lb −°F.
Csteel—Specific heat of steel (0.1 Btu/lb −°F).
Vboiler/heater—total volume of water in the boiler/heater system on the weight scale in gallons.
Wfuel—Fuel charge weight, as-fired or “wet”, in pounds (kg).
Wfuel_1—Fuel consumed during the startup period in pounds (kg).
Wfuel_2—Fuel consumed during the steady state period in pounds (kg).
Wfuel_3—Fuel consumed during the end period in pounds (kg).
WFuelBurned—Weight of fuel that has been burned from the start of the test to an arbitrary time, including the needed correction for the change in density and weight of the water in the boiler/heater system on the scale in pounds (kg).
WRemainingFuel—weight of unburned fuel separated from the ash at the end of a test. Useful only for Cat I and Cat II tests.
Wapp—Weight of empty appliance in pounds (kg).
Wwat—Weight of water in supply side of the system in pounds (kg).
WScaleInitial—weight reading on the scale at the start of the test, just after the test load has been added in pounds (kg).
WScale—Reading of the weight scale at arbitrary time during the test run in pounds (kg).
WStorageTank—Weight of the storage tank empty in pounds (kg).
WWaterStorage—Weight of the water in the storage tank at TISavg in pounds (kg).
13.2 After the test is completed, determine the particulate emissions ET in accordance with EPA Method 28 WHH and the standards referenced therein.
13.3 Determination of the weight of fuel that has been burned at arbitrary time
For the purpose of tracking the consumption of the test fuel load during a test run the following may be used to calculate the weight of fuel that burned since the start of the test:
13.6 Determine heat output, efficiency, and emissions
Qout = Σ [Heat output determined for each sampling time interval] + Change in heat stored in the appliance + Change in heat in storage tank.
Note: The subscript (i) indicates the parameter value for sampling time interval ti.
Mi = Mass flow rate = gal/min × Density of Water (lb/gal) = lb/min.
Note: Vi is the total water volume at the end of interval i and Vi-1 is the total water volume at the beginning of the time interval. This calculation is necessary when a totalizing type water meter is used.
13.6.2 Determine Heat Output Rate Over Burn Period (Θ1+ Θ2+ Θ3) as:
If thermal storage is not used in a Category III or IV run, then Θ4 = 0
E1_g/kg = E1/(Wfuel_1/(1+MC/100)), g/dry kg
E1_g/hr = E1/Θ1, g/hr
13.6.4 Determine delivered efficiency as:
13.6.5 Determine ηSLM—Overall Efficiency, also known as Stack Loss Efficiency, using Stack Loss Method (SLM).
For determination of the average overall thermal efficiency (ηSLM) for the test run, use the data collected over the full test run and the calculations in accordance with CSA B415.1-2010, Clause 13.7 except for 13.7.2 (e), (f), (g), and (h), use the following average fuel properties for oak: %C = 50.0, %H = 6.6, %O = 43.2, %Ash = 0.2.
13.6.5.1 Whenever the CSA B415.1-2010 overall efficiency is found to be lower than the overall efficiency based on load side measurements, as determined by Eq. 22 of this method, section 14.1.7 of the test report must include a discussion of the reasons for this result. For a test where the CSA B415.1-2010 overall efficiency SLM is less than 2 percentage points lower than the overall efficiency based on load side measurements, Start Printed Page 6411the efficiency based on load side measurements shall be considered invalid. [Note on the rationale for the 2 percentage points limit. The SLM method does not include boiler/heater jacket losses and, for this reason, should provide an efficiency which is actually higher than the efficiency based on the energy input and output measurements or “delivered efficiency.” A delivered efficiency that is higher than the efficiency based on the SLM could be considered suspect. A delivered efficiency greater than 2 percentage points higher than the efficiency based on the SLM, then, clearly indicates a measurement error.]
13.6.6 Carbon Monoxide Emissions
For each minute of the test period, the carbon monoxide emission rate shall be calculated as:
Total CO emissions for each of the three test periods (CO_1, CO_2, CO_3) shall be calculated as the sum of the emission rates for each of the 1 minute intervals. Total CO emission for the test run, COT, shall be calculated as the sum of CO_1, CO_2, and CO_3.
13.7 Weighted Average Emissions and Efficiency.
If, as discussed in section 12.5.8, the option to eliminate tests in Category II and III is elected, the values of efficiency and particulate emission rate as measured in Category I, shall be assigned also to Category II and III for the purpose of determining the annual averages.
14.1.1 The report shall include the following:
14.1.4 A description of the minimum amount of external thermal storage that is required for use with this system. This shall be specified both in terms of volume in gallons and stored energy content in Btu with a storage temperature ranging from 125 °F to the manufacturer's specified setpoint temperature.
14.1.9 A list of participants and their roles and observers present for the tests.
14.1.10 Data and drawings indicating the fire box size and location of the fuel charge.
14.1.12 Information for each test run fuel charge including piece size, moisture content and weight.
14.1.13 All required data and applicable blanks for each test run shall be provided in spreadsheet format both in the printed report and in a computer file such that the data can be easily analyzed and calculations easily verified. Formulas used for all calculations shall be accessible for review.
14.1.14 For each test run, Θ1,Θ2, Θ3, the total CO and particulate emission for each of these three periods, and Θ4.
14.1.15 Calculated results for delivered efficiency at each heat output rate and the weighted average emissions reported as total emissions in grams, pounds per million Btu of delivered heat, grams per MJ of delivered heat, grams per kilogram of dry fuel and grams per hour. Results shall be reported for each heat output category and the weighted average.
14.1.16 Tables 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 2 must be used for presentation of results in test reports.
14.1.18 A plot of CO emission rate in grams/minute vs. time, based on 1 minute averages, for the entire test period, for each run.
14.1.19 A plot of estimated boiler/heater energy release rate in Btu/hr based on 10 minute averages, for the entire test period, for each run. This will be calculated from the fuel used, the wood heating value and moisture content, and the SLM efficiency during each 10 minute period.
15.1 Precision—It is not possible to specify the precision of the procedure in this test method because the appliance operation and fueling protocols and the appliances themselves produce variable amounts of emissions and cannot be used to determine reproducibility or repeatability of this test method.
15.2 Bias—No definitive information can be presented on the bias of the procedure in this test method for measuring solid fuel burning hydronic heater emissions because no material having an accepted reference value is available.
16.1 Solid fuel, hydronic heating appliances, wood-burning hydronic heaters, partial thermal storage.
Table 1A—Data Summary Part A
Run No.
Load % capacity
Target load
Actual load
Wfuel
MCave
Qout
Test duration
Wood weight as-fired
Wood moisture
Heat input
Btu/hr
% of max
%DB
I <15% of max
II 16-24% of max
III 25-50% of max
IV Max capacity
Table 1B—Data Summary Part B
T2 Min
Eg/hr
Eg/kg
ηdel
ΗSLM
Min return water temp.
Total PM emissions
PM output based
PM rate
PM factor
Delivered efficiency
Stack loss efficiency
lb/MMBtu Out
g/MJ
g/hr
g/kg
Table 1C—Data Summary Part C
Θ1
CO_1
Startup time.
Steady state time
Startup CO emission
Steady state CO emission
End CO emission
Total CO emission
Table 1D—Data Summary Part D
E1_g/kg
Startup PM
Steady state PM
End PM
Startup PM emission index
Steady state PM emission index
End PM emission index
g/kg fuel
Table 1E—Label Summary Information
ANNUAL EFFICIENCY RATING: ηavg (Using higher heating value).
PARTICLE EMISSIONS: Eavg GRAMS/HR (average).
LBS/MILLION Btu/hr OUTPUT.
Table 2—Annual Weighting
Weighting factor (Fi)
ηdel,i x Fi
Eg/MJ,i x Fi
Eg/kg,i x Fi
Elb/MMBtu Out,i x Fi
Eg/hr,i x Fi
I 0.437
II 0.238
III 0.275
IV 0.050
Totals 1.000
7. Revise Appendix I to Part 60 to read as follows:
The purpose of this appendix is to provide specific instructions to manufacturers for compliance with the owner's manual provisions of subparts AAA, QQQQ, and RRRR of this part.
2.1 Introduction
Although the owner's manuals do not require premarket approval, EPA will monitor the contents to ensure that sufficient information is included to provide heater operation and maintenance information affecting emissions to consumers. The purpose of this section is to provide instructions to manufacturers for compliance with the owner's manual provisions of § 60.536(f) of subpart AAA that applies to wood heaters, § 60.5478(f) of subpart QQQQ that applies to hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces, and § 60.5490(g) of subpart RRRR that applies to masonry heaters. A checklist of topics and illustrative language is provided as instructions. Owner's manuals should be tailored to specific wood heater models, as appropriate.
(a) Wood heater description and compliance status;
(b) Tamper warning;
(c) Catalyst information and warranty (if catalyst equipped);
(d) Fuel selection;
(e) Achieving and maintaining catalyst light-off (if catalyst equipped);
(f) Catalyst monitoring (if catalyst equipped);
(g) Troubleshooting catalytic equipped heaters (if catalyst equipped);
(h) Catalyst replacement (if catalyst equipped);
(i) Wood heater operation and maintenance; and
(j) Wood heater installation: achieving proper draft.
(a) The following are example texts and/or further descriptions illustrating the topics identified above. Although the regulation requires manufacturers to address (where applicable) the ten topics identified above, the exact language is not specified. Manuals should be written specific to the model and design of the wood heater. The following instructions are composed of generic descriptions and texts.
(b) If manufacturers choose to use the language provided in the example, the portion in italics should be revised as appropriate. Any manufacturer electing to use the EPA example language will be considered to be in compliance with owner's manual requirements provided that the particular language is printed in full with only such changes as are necessary to ensure accuracy.
Example language is not provided for certain topics, since these areas are generally heater specific. For these topics, manufacturers should develop text that is specific to the operation and maintenance of their particular products.
Owner's Manuals must include:
(a) Manufacturer and model;
(b) Compliance status (exempt, 1990 std., 2015 std., etc.); and
(c) Heat output range.
Exhibit 1—Example Text covering (a), (b), and (c) above:
“This manual describes the installation and operation of the Brand X, Model 0 catalytic equipped wood heater. This heater meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's emission limits for wood heaters sold after January 1, 2015. Under specific test Start Printed Page 6415conditions this heater has been shown to deliver heat at rates ranging from 8,000 to 35,000 Btu/hr.”
The following statement must be included in the owner's manual for catalyst-equipped units:
“This wood heater contains a catalytic combustor, which needs periodic inspection and replacement for proper operation. It is against the law to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in this manual, or if the catalytic element is deactivated or removed.”
The following information must be included with or supplied in the owner's and warranty manuals:
(a) Catalyst manufacturer and model;
(b) Catalyst warranty details; and
(c) Instructions for warranty claims.
Exhibit 2—Example Text covering (a), (b), and (c):
“The combustor supplied with this heater is a Brand Z, Long Life Combustor. Consult the catalytic combustor warranty also supplied with this wood heater. Warranty claims should be addressed to:
Stove or Catalyst Manufacturer
(a) Instructions on acceptable fuels; and
(b) Warning against inappropriate fuels.
Exhibit 3—Example Text covering (a) and (b):
“This heater is designed to burn natural wood only. Higher efficiencies and lower emissions generally result when burning air dried seasoned hardwoods, as compared to softwoods or to green or freshly cut hardwoods.
DO NOT BURN:
Treated Wood
Burning treated wood, garbage, solvents, colored paper or trash may result in release of toxic fumes and may poison or render ineffective the catalytic combustor. Burning coal, cardboard, or loose paper can produce soot, or large flakes of char or fly ash that can coat the combustor, causing smoke spillage into the room, and rendering the combustor ineffective.”
Owner's manuals must describe in detail proper procedures for:
(a) Operation of catalyst bypass (stove specific),
(b) Achieving catalyst light-off from a cold start, and
(c) Achieving catalyst light-off when refueling.
2.3.5.1 No example text is supplied for describing operation of catalyst bypass mechanisms (Item (a) above) since these are typically stove-specific. Manufacturers must provide instructions specific to their model describing:
(1) Bypass position during startup;
(2) Bypass position during normal operation; and
(3) Bypass position during reloading.
Exhibit 4—Example Text for Item (b):
“The temperature in the stove and the gases entering the combustor must be raised to between 500° to 700°F for catalytic activity to be initiated. During the startup of a cold stove, a medium to high firing rate must be maintained for about 20 minutes. This ensures that the stove, catalyst, and fuel are all stabilized at proper operating temperatures. Even though it is possible to have gas temperatures reach 600°F within 2 to 3 minutes after a fire is started, if the fire is allowed to die down immediately it may go out or the combustor may stop working. Once the combustor starts working, heat generated in it by burning the smoke will keep it working.”
Exhibit 5—Example Text for Item (c):
“REFUELING: During the refueling and rekindling of a cool fire, or a fire that has burned down to the charcoal phase, operate the stove at a medium to high firing rate for about 10 minutes to ensure that the catalyst reaches approximately 600 °F.”
(a) Recommendation to visually inspect combustor at least three times during the heating season;
(b) Discussion on expected combustor temperatures for monitor-equipped units; and
(c) Suggested monitoring and inspection techniques.
Exhibit 6—Example Text covering (a), (b) and (c):
“It is important to periodically monitor the operation of the catalytic combustor to ensure that it is functioning properly and to determine when it needs to be replaced. A non-functioning combustor will result in a loss of heating efficiency, and an increase in creosote and emissions. Following is a list of items that should be checked on a periodic basis:
Combustors should be visually inspected at least three times during the heating season to determine if physical degradation has occurred. Actual removal of the combustor is not recommended unless more detailed inspection is warranted because of decreased performance. If any of these conditions exists, refer to Catalyst Troubleshooting section of this owner's manual.
This catalytic heater is equipped with a temperature probe to monitor catalyst operation. Properly functioning combustors typically maintain temperatures in excess of 500 °F, and often reach temperatures in excess of 1,000 °F. If catalyst temperatures are not in excess of 500 °F, refer to Catalyst Troubleshooting section of this owner's manual.
You can get an indication of whether the catalyst is working by comparing the amount of smoke leaving the chimney when the smoke is going through the combustor and catalyst light-off has been achieved, to the amount of smoke leaving the chimney when the smoke is not routed through the combustor (bypass mode).
Step 1—Light stove in accordance with instructions in 3.3.5.
Step 2—With smoke routed through the catalyst, go outside and observe the emissions leaving the chimney.
Step 3—Engage the bypass mechanism and again observe the emissions leaving the chimney.
Significantly more smoke should be seen when the exhaust is not routed through the combustor (bypass mode). Be careful not to confuse smoke with steam from wet wood.”
The owner's manual must provide clear descriptions of symptoms and remedies to common combustor problems. It is recommended that photographs of catalyst peeling, plugging, thermal cracking, mechanical cracking, and masking be included in the manual to aid the consumer in identifying problems and to provide direction for corrective action.
The owner's manual must provide clear step-by-step instructions on how to remove and replace the catalytic combustor. The section should include diagrams and/or photographs.
Owner's manual must include:
(a) Recommendations about building and maintaining a fire;
(b) Instruction on proper use of air controls;
(c) Ash removal and disposal;
(d) Instruction on gasket replacement; and
(e) Warning against overfiring.
2.3.9.1 No example text is supplied for (a), (b), and (d) since these items are model specific. Manufacturers should provide detailed instructions on building and maintaining a fire including selection of fuel pieces, fuel quantity, and stacking arrangement. Manufacturers should also provide instruction on proper air settings (both primary and secondary) for attaining minimum and maximum heat outputs and any special instructions for operating thermostatic controls. Step-by-step instructions on inspection and replacement of gaskets should also be included. Manufacturers should provide diagrams and/or photographs to assist the consumer. Gasket type and size should be specified.
“Whenever ashes get 3 to 4 inches deep in your firebox or ash pan, and when the fire has burned down and cooled, remove excess ashes. Leave an ash bed approximately 1 inch deep on the firebox bottom to help maintain a hot charcoal bed.”
“Ashes should be placed in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. The closed container of ashes should be placed on a noncombustible floor or on the ground, away Start Printed Page 6416from all combustible materials, pending final disposal. The ashes should be retained in the closed container until all cinders have thoroughly cooled.”
Exhibit 8—Example Text covering Item (e):
“Attempts to achieve heat output rates that exceed heater design specifications can result in permanent damage to the heater and to the catalytic combustor if so equipped.”
2.3.10 Wood Heater Installation: Achieving Proper Draft
(a) Importance of proper draft;
(b) Conditions indicating inadequate draft; and
(c) Conditions indicating excessive draft.
Exhibit 9—Example Text for Item (a):
“Draft is the force which moves air from the appliance up through the chimney. The amount of draft in your chimney depends on the length of the chimney, local geography, nearby obstructions, and other factors. Too much draft may cause excessive temperatures in the appliance and may damage the catalytic combustor. Inadequate draft may cause backpuffing into the room and ‘plugging’ of the chimney or the catalyst.”
Exhibit 10—Example Text for Item (b):
“Inadequate draft will cause the appliance to leak smoke into the room through appliance and chimney connector joints.”
Exhibit 11—Example Text for Item (c):
“An uncontrollable burn or a glowing red stove part or chimney connector indicates excessive draft.”
End Supplemental Information
1. Strategies for Reducing Residential Wood Smoke. EPA-456/B-13-001, March 2013. Prepared by Outreach and Information Division, Air Quality Planning Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. pp. 4-5.
Back to Citation
2. Air Quality and Emissions Data; Supporting Information for the Residential Wood Heater New Source Performance Standard, August 14, 2013.
3. Environmental, Energy Market, And Health Characterization Of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heater Technologies. Prepared by U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, et al., prepared for NYSERDA. June 2012.
4. For more information on wood smoke health effects, see: “Smoke Gets in Your Lungs: Outdoor Wood Boilers in New York State,” prepared by Judith Schrieber, Ph.D., et al., for the Office of the Attorney General of New York. August 2005. See also: “Assessment of Outdoor Wood-fired Boilers,” prepared by NESCAUM, March 2006 (revised June 2006).
5. “Phase 1” and “Phase 2” emission levels refer to levels established in EPA voluntary partnership programs. The earlier use of the term “Phase II” (with a Roman numeral) standard refers to standards established in the current subpart AAA for residential wood heaters.
6. The terms “qualified” and “unqualified,” or other similar terms, refer to models that meet or have not been shown to meet the voluntary partnership program performance levels. Later use of the terms “certified” and “uncertified,” or other similar terms, refers to models that are deemed to be in compliance or noncompliance with the NSPS emission limits.
7. EPA Burn Wise (Consumer—Health Effects), http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/healtheffects.html.
9. Memorandum dated April 4, 2013, from David Cole, EPA, to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0734.
10. Arthur Marin, Executive Director of NESCAUM and Dan Johnson, Executive Director of WESTAR, to Steve Page, Director OAQPS/EPA. April 28, 2008.
11. Arthur Marin, Executive Director of NESCAUM, to Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation/EPA. January 14, 2011.
12. Department of Ecology, State of Washington, Brochure on Wood Smoke and Your Health. September 2008, http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/91br023.pdf.
13. EPA Burn Wise (Health Effects of Breathing Wood Smoke), http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/pdfs/woodsmoke_health_effects_jan07.pdf.
14. “Strategies for Reducing Residential Wood Smoke,” EPA-456/B-13-001. March 2013.
15. HPBA OWHH Caucus letter to Greg Green, Director, Outreach and Information Division, EPA. September 27, 2007.
16. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) prepare and publish international standards.
17. “CSA B415.1-10: Performance testing of solid-fuel-burning heating appliances,” Canadian Standards Association, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. 2010.
18. “A Test Method for Certification of Cord Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances with Partial Thermal Storage: Measurement of Particulate Matter (PM) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Emissions and Heating Efficiency of Wood-Fired Hydronic Heating Appliances with Partial Thermal Storage.” Prepared for NYSERDA by Brookhaven National Laboratory, February 15, 2013.
19. See footnote 18.
21. Memo to Gil Wood, USEPA, from EC/R, Inc. Estimated Emissions from Wood Heaters. February 15, 2013.
22. rwc_2008_tToolv4.1_feb09_2010.zip available in the docket.
23. Market Research and Report on North American Residential Wood Heaters, Fireplaces, and Hearth Heating Products Market. Prepared by Frost & Sullivan. April 26, 2010, pp. 31-32.
24. 2013 Global Outlook projections prepared by the Conference Board in November 2012; http://www.conference-board.org/data/globaloutlook.cfm.
26. Roman, et al, 2008. “Expert Judgment Assessment of the Mortality Impact of Changes in Ambient Fine Particulate Matter in the U.S.,” Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 7, 2268-2274.
27. Fann, N., K.R. Baker, and C.M. Fulcher. 2012. “Characterizing the PM2.5-related health benefits of emission reductions for 17 industrial, area and mobile emission sectors across the U.S.” Environment International 49 41-151.
28. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Final Revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. EPA-452/R-12-003. Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Health and Environmental Impacts Division. December 2012. Available at http://www.epa.gov/pm/2012/finalria.pdf.
29. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Technical support document: Estimating the benefit per ton of reducing PM2.5 precursors from 17 sectors. Research Triangle Park, NC. January 2013.
30. Krewski, C.A., III, R.T. Burnett, M.J. Thun, E.E. Calle, D. Krewski, K. Ito, and G.D. Thurston. 2002. “Lung Cancer, Cardiopulmonary Mortality, and Long-term Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution.” Journal of the American Medical Association 287:1132-1141.
31. Lepeule J, Laden F, Dockery D, Schwartz J 2012. “Chronic Exposure to Fine Particles and Mortality: An Extended Follow-Up of the Harvard Six Cities Study from 1974 to 2009.” Environ Health Perspect. Jul;120(7):965-70.
32. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). 2009. Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter (Final Report). EPA-600-R-08-139F. National Center for Environmental Assessment—RTP Division. December. Available on the Internet at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=216546.
33. Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for Residential Wood Heaters NSPS. [INSERT DATE RULE IS SIGNED].
34. Memo to Gil Wood, USEPA, from EC/R, Inc. Residential Heater Manufacturer Cost Impacts. February 22, 2013.
35. Memo to Gil Wood, USEPA, from EC/R, Inc. Unit Cost Estimates of Residential Wood Heating Appliances. February 21, 2013.
36. In developing average R&D costs, the EPA used the highest industry R&D estimates supplied, in order to avoid under-estimating potential costs per model line and to avoid understating the number of model lines that would undergo R&D nationwide.
38. Memo to Gil Wood, USEPA, from EC/R, Inc. Residential Heater Cost Effectiveness Analysis. February 26, 2013.
39. Subpart AAA—Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters: Revised Draft Review Document. Prepared for EPA by EC/R Incorporated. December 30, 2009.
40. See footnotes 24, 36 and 38.
41. Analysis period assumes that manufacturers will incur R&D costs beginning in 2013, in anticipation of final rule. Analysis is 2013 through 2057, based on assumption that the internal emission-related components of a model designed to meet the proposed Step 2 emission limit will be manufactured/shipped for 20 years, and shipped models will emit in residences for another 20 years. See footnotes 24, 36 and 38. PM2.5, VOC and CO costs per ton are calculated independently for illustrative purposes, even though VOC and CO reductions would actually occur with no additional cost as the PM2.5 reductions are achieved.
42. Attachment A of Residential Wood Heaters Manufacturer Cost Memorandum to Gil Wood, USEPA, from EC/R Inc. February 22, 2013.
43. The Interim Wood Stove Catalytic Combustor Longevity Study, Prepared for the Catalytic Hearth Coalition by L. Pitzman et al, OMNI Environmental Services. January 4, 2010.
46. Final Report: EPA Wood Heater Emission Test Method Comparison Study. Prepared by Robert Ferguson, Ferguson, Andors & Company for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association. December 1, 2010.
47. See footnotes 36 and 38.
48. See footnotes 24, 36, and 38.
52. A list of cleaner hydronic heaters participating in the EPA's voluntary partnership program is located at http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/owhhlist.html.
54. European Wood-Heating Technology Survey: An Overview of Combustion Principles and the Energy and Emissions Performance Characteristics of Commercially Available Systems in Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Final Report; Prepared for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; NYSERDA Report 10-01; April 2010.
58. CSA B415.1-10: Performance testing of solid-fuel-burning heating appliances, Canadian Standards Association, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. March 2010.
59. Environment Canada was created in 1971, and has the responsibility to implement the Government of Canada's environmental agenda including, but not limited to, Canada's environmental and wildlife legislation, enforcement activities and other efforts to protect, conserve and enhance the environment.
64. See footnote 24, 36 and 38.
67. Also, as noted in this preamble in the discussion of development of the hydronic heater emission limits, the EPA worked with the hydronic heater industry in 2006 to develop a voluntary partnership program to encourage manufacture of cleaner models, www.epa.gov/burnwise/participation.
68. “Analysis of Exposure to Residential Wood Combustion Emissions for Different Socio-Economic Groups, Revised Draft Report.” Prepared for Gil Wood, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Research Triangle Park, NC. Prepared by EC/R Inc., EPA Contract No. EP-D-05-085, Work Assignment No. 4-3. April 22, 2010.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1827
|
__label__wiki
| 0.857177
| 0.857177
|
Almost €350 million worth of old Irish money remains unclaimed
Irish research ship discovers mysterious deep sea chimneys
Scientists nickname the deep seabed area “Chimney-henge.”
These deep sea chimneys were formed as a side effect of chemosynthetic microorganisms over thousands of years of activity. The Irish Times
A team of scientists on board the Irish research ship Celtic Explorer has discovered deep-sea organisms that feed off methane and toxic hydrogen sulphite and survive without sunlight.
The researchers have nicknamed the area “Chimney-henge” because of the resemblance of the circular arrangement of the carbonate chimneys in the volcanic deep seabed area to England’s Stonehenge.
The Irish Times reports that the research cruise, named Deep-Links, mapped the sea floor in the Iberian peninsula’s Gulf of Cadiz and used the Marine Institute’s remotely operated vehicle ROV Holland I to gather biological, geological and chemical samples.
The expedition, which included researchers from NUI Galway, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and the Geological Survey of Ireland, was led by Dr Jens Carlsson of University College Dublin, who said they aimed to explore and take samples from mud volcanoes.
The toxic mud volcanoes are similar to volcanoes on land, but instead of lava, they emit liquefied mud with methane and hydrogen sulphite. The volcanoes can reach several hundred meters in height at depths extending to 5,000 meters.
The ROV focused on three mud volcanoes, named Hesperides, Anastasia and Gazul, and spent a great deal of time on the sea floor at depths ranging from 1,200m to 400m, sending live video feeds back to the ship, the Irish Times reports.
One of the most surprising finds was the presence of large fields of “fallen” carbonate chimneys.
“At first we thought these chimneys were old wood from ships or bones from a whale fall,” said Dr Carlsson. “But as we moved up the flank of the volcano we saw more and more toppled chimneys, and when we got to the peak of the volcano we had standing chimneys all around us.”
He explained that the chimneys were a result of chemosynthetic microorganisms over thousands of years of activity.
Chemosynthesis uses the energy released by chemical reactions to make sugar. Undersea hot springs provide habitats for the most extensive chemosynthesising communities.
“If the sun were to go black, life at the mud volcano would go on,” Dr Carlsson said.
“These micro organisms are then eaten by other animals like deep-water snails, shrimp and sea cucumbers. They in turn are eaten by other organisms including fish and crabs that might end up on our dinner table.
“However, some animals like mussels, clams and tubeworms even harbour these chemosynthetic micro organisms inside their bodies and get all the energy they need from this symbiotic relationship.”
Dr Carlsson said the abundance of carbonate chimneys in “Chimney-henge” shows volcanic mud eruptions were supporting life here for a long time.
The brilliance of Ireland's peacemaker John Hume
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1834
|
__label__wiki
| 0.876059
| 0.876059
|
About JCFJ
Support JCFJ
Penal Policy
Theological Reflection
Working Notes
The Prison Book
Reimagining Imprisonment in Europe: Effects, Failures and the Future
Countries throughout Europe are sending more and more of their citizens to prison, yet this has no correlation with crime figures. Alongside this, people are being sent to prison for longer.
This book stems from the Scribani international conference organised by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice which was held in Trinity College Dublin. The chapters analyse some of the key features of imprisonment throughout Europe today, including the political, social and economic forces shaping prison policy and practice. Authors explore how people in prison are treated and portrayed and what future imprisonment should look like in terms of policy, population size, prison conditions and most importantly, its use.
A unique publication, this book brings together contributors from different parts of Europe who work in different capacities in and around national penal systems: prison and probation officers, prisoner rights advocates, teachers, academics and others. A number of chapters act as conduits for the voices and opinions of people in prison. What binds together the variety of authors in this book is an immense desire to re-imagine how we respond to people who fall foul of the law, recognising them as fellow members of our society, and responding more constructively and with greater humanity.
Editors of the book
Eoin Carroll is Social Policy and Communications Co-ordinator of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Dublin. He was Conference Director of ‘Re-imagining Imprisonment in Europe: Common Challenges, Diverse Policies and Practice’, papers from which form this book.
Kevin Warner was Co-ordinator of Education in the Irish prison system for nearly 30 years until 2009. He chaired the Select Committee that formulated Council of Europe recommendations on education in prison (1990). He is now an adjunct lecturer in the School of Applied Social Science at University College Dublin and a board member of the Irish Penal Reform Trust.
Click here for information on contributors and content.
Order the Book Now
Theological Ethics in a Neoliberal Age
The Prison Documents
The Property Crash
Sign up for Working Notes
Working Notes is a journal published by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. The journal focuses on social, economic and theological analysis of Irish society. It has been produced since 1987.
54 - 72 Gardiner Street Upper, Dublin 1
info@jcfj.ie
© 2021 Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland. Registered Charity CHY 6965. Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms of Use
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1837
|
__label__wiki
| 0.749007
| 0.749007
|
Jennifer Grahame .com
Short Short Stories
My Triple whammy book launch!
On December 16, 2015 The Alibi Bar and Grill – Lee Gore Business Centre on Waterloo Road, Jamaica, was the venue for the launch of Jennifer Grahame’s three novels. The novels, Jacks Hill Road, Sex and Scrambled Eggs and The Bed Head were written over a three year period and are available in print and Kindle format.
The event was opened by Maxine Walters (producer and film maker) who informed the gathering that she had purchased the film rights to Jacks Hill Road. Margaret Newlands (actress of Royal Palm fame) read excerpts from the books. Dr. Christine Cummings (retired lecturer in Government at the University of the West Indies – Mona) did a comprehensive and lively revue of all three of the novels; drawing a parallel to the work and style of the late Anthony Winkler [The Lunatic].
Guests were treated to hors d’oeuvre, wine and music.
See a review by Michael Edwards, Freelance
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1838
|
__label__wiki
| 0.610451
| 0.610451
|
BlackBerry PlayBook Releasing On April 19th For $499, Available For Pre-Order Now!
by ICEMAN Mar 22, 2011 Aug 8, 2016
Research In Motion (RIM) has made it official that they will be releasing their first tablet called the BlackBerry PlayBook on April 19th with a price tag starting at $499 in United States and Canada. It features a brilliant 7″ high-res capacitative mulit-touch display with a highly responsive fluid touch screen experience. It also offers unmatched web browsing on any mobile platform with full support for Flash 10.1 as well as true multitasking, HD multimedia content, advanced security features and much more. It is now available for pre-order at Best Buy.
Following retailers and wireless carriers will initially carry BlackBerry PlayBook in US and Canada:
United States: AT&T, Best Buy, Cbeyond, Cellular South, Cincinnati Bell, Office Depot, RadioShack, ShopBlackBerry.com, Staples, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, BlackBerry from Wireless Giant
Canada: Bell, Best Buy, Chapters / Indigo, Costco, Future Shop, Mobilicity, MTS Allstream, Rogers, Sasktel, Sears, ShopBlackBerry.com, Staples, Telus, Tbooth Wireless
Pricing & Models: BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi will be released in 3 models with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage priced at $499, $599 and $699 respectively.
Tech Specs: Here are the complete specifications of BlackBerry Playbook:
● 7″ 1024×600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
● Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1” x 7.6” x 0.4” (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
● 1 GHz dual-core processor
● BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
● MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
● Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
● 1080p HDMI output
● Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
● 1 GB RAM memory
● Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
● GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
● Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
● Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
● Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support
Check out the cool promo video of BlackBerry playbook below:
Subscribe to our RSS Feed and keep following us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for all the latest news, updates and more.
Previous Story The iPad 2 Killers: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 & 10.1, More Powerful & Thinner Than iPad 2! [VIDEO]
Next Story Windows Phone 7 “NoDo” Update Is Now Available For Download!
I'm a technology enthusiast specializing in Diagnostic Radiology. I'm crazy about Formula 1, all sorts of gadgets, surfing, console gaming, movies, music & I simply LOVE high-end designer wear! Follow me on Twitter @DrUsmanQ
Smartwatches like Garmin, FitBit and Apple Watch detect COVID-19 days before symptoms appear
Recent studies reveal that smartwatches like Apple Watch detect COVID-19 symptoms days before they surface…
Apple could owe $1.1 billion to VirnetX after judge denies new trial
Apple has been unsuccessful in reducing the amount of money it owes VirnetX in patent…
Apple CEO Tim Cook talks Capitol attack, Car, and more during Fox News interview
Tim Cook appeared on Fox News Sunday for an interview with Chris Wallace and spoke…
Apple partner Foxconn starts automotive services as Apple Car rumors heat up
According to the report by Bloomberg, Apple’s long-term supplier, Foxconn is entering the automotive industry….
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1839
|
__label__wiki
| 0.685272
| 0.685272
|
John Plant, composer
Jocelyne & I in concert
Bob's paintings
Always torn between literature and music, I studied both at Middlebury College, and began a Ph.D program as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in comparative literature at Harvard. The Vietnam war brought me to Canada, where I continued studying composition at McGill. I owe an incalculable debt to my three composition teachers: George Todd at Middlebury, Bruce Mather and Charles Palmer at McGill.
My compositional career took flight with a series of works for choreographers Peter Boneham and Jean-Pierre Perrault of Le Groupe de la Place Royale, culminating in three dance-operas, in which the dancers perfomed the score while executing the choreography. These works premiered at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and subsequently on tour throughout Canada, England and France.
Until 2010 my music was primarily vocal, reflecting my fascination with literature, languages and the human voice. Much of it was directly inspired by the radiant voice of my life partner, Jocelyne Fleury. She can be heard in two CDs devoted to my vocal music: Canciones del alma (with Quatuor Claudel, SNA-825) and Babel is a Blessing: Vocal Works in Eight Languages (with Ensemble Prima conducted by Mélanie Léonard, MSR-1327). Though she has recently retired from singing, she is deeply entwined in every note I write; her imprint on the DNA of my music is indelible.
Instrumental works have taken a somewhat larger share of my attention since 2010, but even these sometimes have a theatrical, dramatic or text-based source. A key work in this shift of focus was A deep clear breath of life for saxophone and piano (Boston 2013, published by RC Editions). This work inaugurated a love affair with the saxophone which culminated in two further works: 'Insomnia,' for soprano, saxophone and piano, commissioned by Michael Couper and Jennifer Bill, and premiered at Carnegie Hall in October 2015; and Faustus: a SaxOpera, a concerto for alto saxophone and large wind ensemble, commissioned by World-Wide Concurrent Premieres Commissioning Fund (Boston 2015, San Diego 2016, Wolfville 2016, and elsewhere). At the request of several of the commissioning saxophonists, I have made two new versions of 'Faustus', one for saxophone, harp, and piano (North American Saxophone Alliance 2016; Tanglewood 2017), and one for saxophone, guitar, and piano (to be premiered at the World Saxophone Congress in Croatia, July 2018).
I have composed two operas: The Shadowy Waters (Montreal 2005) and I will fly like a bird, inspired by the Robert Dziekanski tragedy (Scotia Festival, Halifax 2012; staged by Opera Nova Scotia 2015 and by Thompson Street Opera, Chicago, September 2019).
This opera was listed among the Best Operas of the Decade by Opera Canada, and the Thompson Street Opera production received an Honorable Mention for Best Performances in 2019. My most recent work, 'Earthsea' Sonata for clarinet and piano, was commissioned by clarinettist Dominic Desautels, who premiered the work (with pianist Tina Chong) in Halifax in November 2017.
My Three Echoes of the Odyssey (Canada Council grant), for percussion and piano, will be premiered by Marie Josée Simard and Louise Bessette at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal on February 16, 2020.
I am presently at work on a music drama, or 'opera for actors', in collaboration with playwright Wanda Graham, entitled The Heart of Things.
I have no stylistic agenda other than that of continuing to forge a musical language which is personal, emotionally compelling and moving. This is a process of continual discovery, involving an ever-enlarging sense of the expressive capacities and technical resources of the voices and instruments for which I write. Each new work brings new surprises, for me and I hope for my audience.
Performers of my music have included: singers Suzie LeBlanc, Andrea Ludwig, Anita Krause, Jennifer Barrett, Marissa Simmons, Benjamin Butterfield, Jonathan Wilson, Nathaniel Hill, Krisztina Szabo, Alexander Dobson, Marcia Swanston, Clayton Kennedy, Patricia O'Callahan, Erin Bardua, Neil Aronoff, Sarah Hawkey, Franco Tenelli, Gianna Corbisiero, Margo McKinnon; the Blue Engine, Molinari, and Malibran Quartets; ensembles the Talisker Players, L'Ensemble du Jeu Présent, Ensemble Prima, Ensemble Phoenix, Montreal Chamber Orchestra, Boston University Wind Ensemble; San Diego State University Wind Ensemble; Mansfield University Wind Ensemble; Acadia University Wind Ensemble; opera companies Opera Nova Scotia, Thompson Street Opera conductors Mark Hopkins, Alexandra Enyart, Paolo Bellomia, Mélanie Léonard, Shannon Katelinger, Wanda Kaluzny, Adam Pelandini, David Martins; saxophonists Jennifer Bill, Michael Couper, Tristan de Borba, Joseph Murphy, William Chien, Joshua Thomas; clarinettists Dominic Desautels, Peter Stoll, Micah Heilbrunn, Mark Simons, Simon Aldrich, Lilia Olsen; violinists Jennifer Jones, Antoine Bareil, Eleonora Turovsky, Élise Lavoie; cellists William Valleau, Hilary Brown, Gwendolyn Smith, James Darling; flutists Liselyn Adamas, Derek Charke, Caroline Séguin; pianists ChoEun Lee, Simon Docking, Matthieu Fortin, Tina Chong, Yoshiko Kline, Katie Reimer, Jennifer King, Hannah Gruber, Patrice Newman; percussionists Ziya Tabassian, Mark Adam, Marie Josee Simard, Robert Leroux; harpists Ellen Gibling, Olga Gross, Caroline Lizotte, Franziska Huhn, Megan Sesma. Multiple salvoes of intense gratitude to them all!
I have received grants from Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Nova Scotia, the Ontario Arts Council, Metropolitan Life, World Wide Concurrent Premieres Commissioning Fund, and CUPFA. Suzie LeBlanc's CD I am in need of music, featuring my Sandpiper and Sunday 4 A.M., was named Best Classical CD at the 2014 East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Awards, and was a finalist for the Nova Scotia Governor General's Masterworks Award in the same year; Derek Charke's and Mark Adam's CD Kitchen Party, featuring my Capriccio for flute and marimba, received Best Classical CD at the 2015 ECMA Awards.
I taught composition and music history at Concordia University from 1993-2008. I retired in 2008 to devote myself fully to composition. Jocelyne and I live by the ocean in West Jeddore, Nova Scotia.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1848
|
__label__cc
| 0.525181
| 0.474819
|
Game Name: Star Trek: The Next Generation - Echoes of the Past
Platforms: Genesis/Mega Drive
Publisher(s): Sega
Developer(s): Spectrum Holobyte
Genre(s): Action Adventure
Echoes from the Past, (and its sister version “Future’s Past” on the SNES) is the first Star Trek game for the 16-bit era. It varies from the NES/Game Boy title by telling a complete story in the form of a single “episode” playing out over the course of the game. To introduce the appropriate gameplay elements and gameplay length, that story becomes a little more disconnected than any of the show’s episodes – even early ones like “Lonely Among Us” – but the ultimate flaw is the sheer gameplay tedium you will grapple with as you solve a strictly average Star Trek mystery.
Echoes of the Past begins with trouble on the Romulan border. Those dodgy motherfuckers claim to have lost a science team, and are requesting passage through Federation space on the pretense of searching for them. There’s some further suggestions that something deeper is afoot in this introductory setup, which is laid out entirely through a riveting text crawl beside a giant (and creepy) mugshot of Picard. No cutscenes or anything exciting, just the text of an extended captain’s log. The game picks up with a distress call from prominent Vulcan archeologist Dr. T’Laris, who is being attacked by, you guessed it, the Romulans!
Also starring Bob Vila as Commander William Riker
You must make haste to rescue the good doctor, so the game drops you right into the bridge. From here you will control all ship operations and move the Enterprise around space – so about half of the game will be spent pouring over its panels or looking out through the viewscreen. It’s a static recreation of the show’s set, apparently with the help of some authentic digital photographs (though with colors pared down to accommodate the Genesis limits). You take the perspective of a fixed camera placed in the center, and will pan around to the various stations to access information and manually lay in your orders.
The panning bridge deal is certainly neat, as it offered fans one of their first chances to be “standing” in the centerpiece of their favorite show. Unfortunately, running all these stations yourself never gets to be as exciting as you might expect. Though the Computer station has an absorbing amount of encyclopedia entries from the show’s universe, the other stations exist simply to move the game along. You won’t get to tinker around with the mechanics of the ship or actually feel like you’re performing any of these tasks in a meaningful way. They mostly exist for you to prove you know what you’re doing.
The best example is having to piece together your destination in the Conn control. Messages will give you a location like “Codis Omega VI,” and you must then assemble that from the endless possible nonsense combinations stored in the computer. You have to scroll through systems to find Codis, then a subset of that to find Omega, then a subset of that to find the planet, which can break down further to moons or orbiting objects. Once you’ve parsed out your path, you hit C, select an arbitrary warp speed (despite various warnings it’s really a question of if you want to go faster or slower) and hit C again to warp out.
It doesn’t seem like this would be that hard, until you see the heap of destinations your goal is buried under. So I would half pay attention to the named planet, get to “Omega Alpha… UGH!” and have to go visit Picard’s giant creepy mugshot in the ready room to be reminded of the complete destination. It’s almost like a password to get you to the next mission, or feels like it anyway, and is definitely on the level of annoyance of any manual-citing copy protection system of old. Extraneous areas are simply covered by a selection from a handful of randomized planet sprites and a single info screen from the “Sensors” station, a la Elite. Only the plot-related planets magically have breathable atmosphere, everything else are dull rocks and some science technobabble.
Ship combat is never worth it.
You won’t want to make too many side trips anyway, because the Romulans are out in full force. They will randomly appear and bring you out of warp to talk about those damnable missing scientists, and further the implication that they are Up To Something™. It gets irritating because they don’t just stop you as punishment if you lay in an incorrect or time-wasting course; you can pretty much rely on them to interrupt you at least once per warp.
I suppose this encourages you to get on to your destination instead of farting around the galaxy, but it’s still an excessive amount of combat – especially when it doesn’t actually mean anything except to slow you down. Aside from being a serious inconvenience, it also implies that there are A LOT of Romulans out there penetrating your border. Starfleet Command doesn’t seem aware or concerned, and the plot doesn’t seem to indicate that you’re running into as many Romulans as you actually are, making them just a gameplay contrivance. Your contact is randomly drawn from one of four captain types, two of which can be negotiated with (always in the same way), and two who spout the same dialogue and always force you into a fight.
To defend yourself, you’ll have to pan 180 degrees on the bridge to get to the tactical console, while your crew awaits instructions and damage cheaply accumulates. Once at the controls, you move an icon of the Enterprise with the D-pad and fire weapons with the face buttons. Everything here moves unsuitably fast. Your ships zip by each other, turn, and zip by again as if jousting. Damage for everyone adds up rapidly and gets repaired almost instantly. And for a “tactical” console, there are really no tactics to be had. The fights drag on and ultimately make no difference at all. Your only reward is that you’ll get to keep playing – provided another enemy doesn’t show up while you’re trying to repair your engines. The better alternative is to simply go immediately to the Conn, dial your course back in before your engines get shot out, and warp out of there with no repercussions. Let some other fool deal with the damn Romulans; you’ve got things to do.
You will automatically start orbiting upon arrival at your destination. You now get to assemble an away team and beam over to solve whatever crisis you came to address. You can have up to four members in your party, and each has a varying set of stats in the four categories of technical, tactical, health, and strength. These don’t appear to mean a damn thing. High technical skills means that character is more likely to bring along a tricorder, but doesn’t appear to be any more adept at using it. Same relationship for tactical and a phaser. Health is probably the most useful stat, because it will show if a character is already weakened from a previous mission. The final point worth noting is that some characters do have unique, unlisted attributes. Data and Geordi can see in the dark, Geordi can spot hidden items, and Troi can sense the truth in certain characters’ speech; and by “certain” I mean that this will come in handy exactly one time.
Take a seat, Romulan.
Once on the planet, you control one character at a time and can switch among them by holding down B and pressing up or down. Every character has a limited inventory space, and a specific kit, predictable as described above. The tricorder is useful for scanning questionable objects and letting you know if they’re dangerous, or in helping suggest the inventory items that might need to be used to solve a puzzle. The trick is that these messages, as well as any dialogue with characters, scrolls slowly along the bottom of the screen like a stock ticker. It works, but not well.
The phaser is used for defense or for blasting open loose passageways. It seems to auto-adjust between stun and full based on the situation, and never ever runs out of power. You can turn it on and wave the beam around to hit mobile enemies, though you can only aim in the eight main directions. Even with the infinite phasers, combat is still surprisingly, well, tedious, as all your enemies have their weapons set to the little-referenced “knock you on your ass” setting. Each blast will stun you for a few seconds before you instantly snap up and resume firing. Most enemies get knocked down in the same way, making for a wild ass-bumping time to be had by all.
Characters can be moved independently – good for sending out redshirts to clear the way, science guys to snoop around, or to keep one character at a set of force field controls while slipping another character through when it drops. To move the entire group at once, you can select the command badge in any character’s inventory and tag other party members to get them to follow you. This is very useful, but there’s no AI for the characters in this conga line. So if your party gets attacked, you’re the only one firing a phaser while everyone else takes damage with no reaction. If an enemy or a hazard pops up behind you, you’ll lead everyone in your group right into it. Damage taken cannot be healed in the field, even by taking along the characters with “Doctor” in their names.
Follow me to your doom, redshirts!
Missions come in two varieties: puzzle and maze. Puzzle levels are the most like what I was expecting out of this title, or previous Star Trek games like 25th Anniversary. You must scout around, engage in some limited combat, and find inventory items to be taken back and used in a specific area. The best example is the derelict ship whose engines and computers you must bring back online by finding and correctly applying spare parts. Similar levels make larger appearances later in the game, as you are “tested” by The Great Plot Device that appears.
The rest of the missions take place in the unmapped levels of giant mazes. A mining planet is the frequent excuse, where you must wander around and free trapped miners, then go right back to that same maze to collect 60-some pieces of ore. There are no maps in game, so prepare to wander or draw your own.The placement of so many required goals, which force you to scour every corner of the levels before you can continue the game, makes these mazes even worse. This feels like a level designed to sell strategy guides, or the kind of game that would advertise “35 hours of gameplay!” and spend 20 of those hours in these mazes. The fact that you go back to one mine twice is just unapologetically lazy.
They didn’t cheap out on the graphics at least, and the recreation of the show’s universe is done well. The bridge looks faithful to the well-known set, with consoles and locations authentically laid out. Ground locations look nice as well, though there’s never any location that looks specific to Star Trek. The ships and freighters look particularly generic, covered under the excuse that they’re “unknown alien designs,” and planetary missions fall back on the “stone ruin” motif a little too eagerly. The 3/4ths perspective on these overhead missions feels strangely limiting as well, especially in the mazes. There’s not enough view on the right or left to see or hit any approaching enemies, meaning you’ll stumble upon them or deadly hazards a bit more frequently than you should.
The show would have been into its sixth season and going strong by the time the game was released. Fans rightfully would have expected more. I appreciate that this is not a quickie side-scroller, and that some attempt to bring a PC-style adventure to the consoles has been made. The problem is that it’s just so damn tedious. There’s no reason to fight Romulans over and over again with no purpose. There’s no reason to have item hunts through multi-level mazes. The differences between this version and the SNES are also confusing, and make this one feel incomplete or perhaps incorrectly redesigned to be more action-heavy. Perhaps playing through the SNES game (which I plan to do next) will make these more clear. As for the Genesis, it’s hard to recommend struggling through the gameplay flaws for a plot that would earn two stars, at best, on the show. Probably best left in the past.
Attempt at a console adventure, works the license pretty well.
Constant space combat, excessive maze levels, lame ground combat.
Tags: adventure, isometric, sci-fi, tv show
Star Trek: The Next Generation (NES)
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (NES)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (SNES)
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1853
|
__label__wiki
| 0.93336
| 0.93336
|
Dal Cielo breaks drought with dominant win
Posted by: AAP+ at 5:24pm on 7/1/2017
Dal Cielo made the first step back to the Group One heights
Back Yourself! Join & Start Betting in Minutes!
Dal Cielo has made the first step on the long road back to the Group One heights he scaled as a two-year-old.
Now four and a gelding, Dal Cielo broke through for his first win for trainer Kris Lees in Saturday’s Summer Sprint (1000m) at Warwick Farm, his second start since being transferred from the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable in New Zealand.
Dal Cielo won the Group One Diamond Stakes in his home country as a juvenile and was runner-up in the Group Two Sandown Guineas at three, but failed to fire during the Sydney autumn.
The Summer Sprint ended a 22-month drought for Dal Cielo whose Diamond Stakes win was the last time he tasted victory.
Part-owner Lib Petagna, who also races Group One winner Lucia Valentia with Lees, retained his share in Dal Cielo and was joined by some of the trainer’s former teammates from the South Newcastle Rugby League Club.
Stable representative Cameren Swan said he was impressed with Dal Cielo’s improved barrier manners.
“We’ve only had him for two starts but he used to get himself really wound up in the enclosure,” Swan said.
“Today he was really good all day at the races.”
Jockey Glyn Schofield stalked leader Oxford Poet who was backed from $6.50 to $4.40 before the race but weakened late and finished third.
Hurrara ($26) finished off well to run second but was still two lengths behind Dal Cielo ($4.40) who was eased down late.
“It was pretty effortless in the end,” Schofield said.
“He jumped very cleanly today and put himself right on the speed.”
The Joe Pride-trained Mr Manhattan finished fourth after being sent out the $3.60 favourite and jockey Tim Clark suggested the horse was more effective in the earlier part of his preparations.
While an open handicap is a long way from an elite-level return for Dal Cielo, Swan is hopeful he can match it in stakes company.
“He won a Group One as a two-year-old so hopefully he gets up to those good sprinters but only time will tell,” he said.
Tags: featured, Summer Sprint
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1855
|
__label__wiki
| 0.712956
| 0.712956
|
Wednesday March 18th
Stock futures drop, hit ‘limit down’ halt, amid unprecedented volatility from coronavirus crisis
U.S. stock index futures pointed to big losses on Wednesday as the markets remained highly volatile with the government response to the coronavirus fallout still unfolding. A violent reversal in Treasury yields in response to a potential $1 trillion stimulus package helped to unnerve investors. Around 6:42 a.m. ET, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicated a more than 1,000-point loss at Wednesday’s open. S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were also down. Futures contracts for the indices were in “limit down” territory, a situation where trading is halted after futures have hit a 5% loss and can go no lower. The S&P 500 gained 6% on Tuesday. Exchange-traded funds that track the indexes are not subject to limit-down restrictions, however, and suggested what the open would look like. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF was down 6% in premarket trading, the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF was down 6.5%, and the Invesco QQQ Trust was off 5.8%. Wall Street has been on an unprecedented roller-coaster ride amid the coronavirus turmoil, with the S&P 500 swinging 4% or more in either direction for seven consecutive sessions. This tops the previous record of six days from November 1929, according to LPL Financial. The S&P 500 is 25% off its record high through Tuesday’s close. The 10-year Treasury yield jumped to 1.13% Wednesday after trading around 0.77% midday Tuesday before details of the potential stimulus emerged. It began the week at around 0.65%. It wasn’t the outright rate level that caused uneasiness among traders, but the rapid nature of the move overnight. On Tuesday, CNBC learned the White House is weighing a fiscal package of more than $1 trillion that includes direct payments to Americans and financial relief to small businesses and the airline industry. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said separately at a press conference that corporations will be able to defer tax payments of up to $10 million while individuals could defer up to $1 million in payments to the Internal Revenue Service. “When you decimate the restaurant industry, the travel industry, the hotel industry, the airline industry .. the cruise line industry, obviously you’re going to take a huge divot out of economic activity,” DoubleLine Capital CEO Jeffrey Gundlach said on a webcast Tuesday after the bell. Gundlach put the odds of a recession at 90% and said it was “ludicrous” to think otherwise. He added he believes the stimulus will end up being even bigger than $1 trillion. Gundlach also commented on the reversal higher in Treasury yields, noting it could put the U.S. in the uncomfortable position of having both a weak economy and rising rates, as new debt issuance to pay for the stimulus floods the bond market. Treasurys are the latest market to see extreme moves. The recent overnight trading of futures contracts has seen unusual volatility, leaving many investors to believe computer trading has exaggerated moves in the market’s collapse stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. The movement comes amid historic highs on the Cboe Volatility Index, which closed above its 2008 financial crisis peak on Monday. That index looks at options prices for the S&P 500 and is also known as the “fear gauge” of Wall Street. On Tuesday, the markets rebounded from their deepest rout since 1987 as investors grew hopeful that the Trump administration’s massive fiscal stimulus plans will rescue the economy, which is at risk of falling into a recession due to the coronavirus impact. Mnuchin told Republican senators that unemployment could reach 20% if Congress doesn’t enact the trillion-dollar stimulus package he proposed, CNBC reported Tuesday evening, citing a source familiar with the matter. The Dow soared more than 1,000 points on Tuesday to cap off another volatile session, making back less than half of Monday’s steep losses. On Tuesday, investors also cheered the Federal Reserve’s amped-up effort to help companies having a hard time getting short-term funding. The bank announced a special credit facility to purchase corporate paper from some issuers. This follows the Fed’s emergency $700 billion quantitative easing program and a further 100 basis point cut to interest rates on Sunday. “Signs are that the pandemic will be brought under control and that the economy will get enough support to weather the storm,” said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial. “Make no mistake, there will be damage. But from a market perspective, the question will be whether the damage is greater than markets now expect, or less.” The number of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases has jumped to more than 6,400, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, while the death count has broken above 100. Shares in Asia Pacific mostly fell in another day of turbulent trade on Wednesday as the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak globally continued to weigh on investor sentiment. South Korea’s Kospi also saw significant losses as it dropped 4.86% to close at 1,591.20 while the Kosdaq index plunged 5.75% to 485.14. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was also 3.49% lower, as of its final hour of trading. Meanwhile, shares in mainland Chinese shed earlier gains to close lower, The Shenzhen component slipped 1.7% to 10,029.57 while the Shenzhen composite declined 1.554% to around 1,678.25. The Shanghai composite fell 1.83% to about 2,728.76. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 shed earlier gains as it dropped 1.68% to close at 16,726.55 while the Topix index ended its trading day 0.19% higher at 1,270.84. Oil plummeted to a nearly 18-year low on Wednesday as the coronavirus outbreak continues to sap demand for crude, and as rising fears of a global recession lead to fears of longer-term demand destruction. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 9%, or $2.42, to trade at $24.49 per barrel. Earlier in the session WTI dropped to a session low of $24.42, its lowest level since June 12, 2002. International benchmark Brent crude shed 4.6%, or $1.33, to trade at $27.36 per barrel. Earlier Brent fell to its lowest level in more than 4 years. Gold erased early gains to fall more than 1% on Wednesday as mounting fears over the economic hit from the coronavirus overshadowed additional stimulus measures by the United States and prompted investors to sell precious metals to hoard cash. Spot gold fell 1.9% to $1,499.72 per ounce. U.S. gold futures were down 1.6% to $1,500.3 an ounce.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1858
|
__label__wiki
| 0.87491
| 0.87491
|
FBI sends nearly 100 additional agents to Ferguson
Agents will suppliment law enforcement presence
The FBI has sent nearly 100 additional agents to Ferguson, Missouri, to help law enforcement there as officials prepare for possible unrest ahead of a grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting. A U.S. official said Friday that the agents will supplement the law enforcement presence. The official was not authorized to discuss the FBI plans by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. A grand jury has been meeting to decide whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 shooting of the unarmed black 18-year-old. It's not clear when that decision will be announced. The Brown shooting has prompted weeks of unrest on the streets and occasionally violent clashes between police and protesters. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon earlier this week activated the National Guard.11833402
The FBI has sent nearly 100 additional agents to Ferguson, Missouri, to help law enforcement there as officials prepare for possible unrest ahead of a grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting.
A U.S. official said Friday that the agents will supplement the law enforcement presence. The official was not authorized to discuss the FBI plans by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A grand jury has been meeting to decide whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 shooting of the unarmed black 18-year-old. It's not clear when that decision will be announced.
The Brown shooting has prompted weeks of unrest on the streets and occasionally violent clashes between police and protesters. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon earlier this week activated the National Guard.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1860
|
__label__wiki
| 0.56835
| 0.56835
|
Home > Classical Music >
Verdi: Requiem - Carreras/Price/Norman/Raimondi
Giuseppe Verdi, himself an honored patriotic figure, held the poet Alessandro Manzoni in the highest of esteem. The great Requiem mass, as superb and typical as any of his operas, was composed by Verdi in memory of "Il Santo Don Alessandro".
This live recording from the world's greatest arts festivals features Claudio Abbado, internationally acclaimed as one of the finest conductors of the day, who studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. A rare gathering of four of the world's most distinguished singers sets the scene for an unforgettable performance of one of the most dramatic Requiem Masses.
"This is a DVD that listeners will return to again and again for a performance that ranks amongst the very greatest ever committed to disc."
- Marc Bridle, Music Web International
From The Edinburgh International Festival
Margaret Price soprano
Jessye Norman soprano
Jose Carreras tenor
Ruggero Raimondi bass
Classical Music > Performance
Opera > Recitals
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1862
|
__label__cc
| 0.73834
| 0.26166
|
Kingston Carers' Network is an independent voluntary sector charity based in Kingston upon Thames and supports unpaid carers of all ages. We aim to support carers' by providing a listening ear, giving information & advice about services and support available, letting them know about benefits available and regular carers' support groups.
admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk
Kingston Carers’ Network 418 Ewell Road , Tolworth, KT6 7HF
Government and NHS Advice
Covid 19 Survey
Adult carers
Advice & advocacy
Social Activities and Workshops
Working for Carers
Young Carers' Zone
Young Carers' Mentoring Project
GPs and hospital discharge service
Young Carers Mentoring Project
Mental Health Support 2020-21
www.mindinkingston.org.uk
Mind in Kingston opening hours:
Wednesday 23/10/20 10am to 3pm
Thursday 24/12/10/20 10am to 12:30pm
Friday 25/12/20 CLOSED (Christmas Day)
Monday 28/12/20 CLOSED (Bank Holiday)
Tuesday 29/12/20 10am to 3pm
Thursday 31/12/20 10am to 12:30pm
Friday 01/01/2021 CLOSED (New Year’s Day)
Mind in Kingston is not an emergency mental health service and we are unable to respond to a mental health crisis. But there are services who can help.
If you feel that you that you can’t keep yourself safe, are thinking of taking your own life, or are at risk of harming yourself, these services can offer urgent support.
If you feel absolutely desperate, if you have harmed yourself, or you feel you are at immediate risk of harming yourself or others, ring 999 for an ambulance or go to A&E (Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, Galsworthy Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 7QB). The hospital will assess your needs and keep you safe.
Who to contact if you feel mentally unsafe
Contact your GP
They are your first port of call if you are feeling worse, both physically and mentally, or if you feel you require medication or need to change your medication. Ask for an urgent/emergency appointment if necessary.
SW London Crisis Line
If you need mental health support in a crisis you can call the 24/7 Mental Health Support Line on 0800 028 8000. The Mental Health Support Line offers emotional support and advice to people who are affected by urgent mental health issues, at any time of the day or night. It is open to everyone: both children and adults of all ages, and to people who haven’t previously accessed mental health services.
If you are Deaf, you can call the Mental Health Support Line using Sign Live Video Relay Service (VRS): :
On a computer, go to https://signlive.co.uk/login/ and register using Facebook, Google or email
On phone, iPad or tablet download SignLive’s app for free and register. You will then be able to call the Trust for free.
Journey Recovery Hub
You can book a face-to-face slot, or be supported on the phone. The operating days from 8 September 2020 are:
Tuesday and Thursday:
6-10pm at 32 Hampton Road, Twickenham, TW2 5QB, face-to-face
2-8pm at the Alfriston Centre, 3 Berrylands Road, Surbiton, KT5 8RB,
Monday and Wednesday:
6-10pm / Sunday 2-8pm, offering support online and over the phone
To self-refer please complete our self-referral form or get in touch on 020 3137 9755, or e-mail: recoveryhub@rbmind.org
Journey Recovery Hubs provide out-of-hours support to reduce immediate crisis and to safety plan for those living with mental health problems. We aim to prevent escalation, reduce isolation, increase independence and self-management and improve wellbeing by drawing on strengths, resilience, and coping mechanisms.
Kingston Crisis and Home Treatment Team
Referrals to this service usually come from Community Mental Health Teams, GPs or Kingston Hospital. Patients who have previously used the service may be able to self-refer. This team cover the following conditions: Antisocial personality disorder, Psychotherapy, Schizophrenia. Link below.
13:30, 22 Dec 2020 by Jo Cocup
MIND IN KINGSTON
Christmas Hours of Operation
Seasons Greeting to all our Carers, Volunteers and their Families.
Kingston Carers’ Network will be closed from Christmas Eve 24th December 2020 and reopening on Monday 4th January 2021
Click here for a list of contact numbers for other organisations in the Borough that will be open over Christmas, including the Kingston Hub:
Kingston Stronger Together (Covid 19 Support Hub)
www.kingston.gov.uk/COVID-19
You can make a referral to KCN here:
https://www.kingstoncarers.org.uk/professionals/make-a-referral/
or email us admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk and we will get back to you when we reopen.
Please note that when we reopen in January, we are not allowing any visitors to the office due to Covid-19.
We look forward to speaking to you again in the New Year.
New Carers UK research
carersuk-news.org
To mark Carers Rights Day 2020, today Carers UK have released new research which estimates that the care provided to date during the COVID-19 pandemic by unpaid carers is a staggering £135 billion; meaning each day during the pandemic, unpaid carers are saving the UK state £530 million in the care they provide. You can read the report in full here.
Previous research we have undertaken in recent months found that the majority (81%) of carers have been taking on more care since the start of the pandemic, and nearly two thirds (63%) are worried about how they will continue to manage over winter.
As a result, we are calling on the government to provide additional support for carers, to acknowledge the enormous contribution made by carers during this pandemic, and give back to carers by prioritising their health, wellbeing and resilience this winter.
10:29, 27 Nov 2020 by Jo Cocup
Use the calendar or list of months to view entries made on those dates.
< Dec
KCN. Kingston Carers Network
Walk for Peace
If you have a feed reader you can use this link to get updates.
Registered Charity no. 1151456 I Company no. 8376060
Kingston Carers' Network | 418 Ewell Road | Tolworth | Kingston-upon-Thames | KT6 7HF | Tel 020 3031 2751 | Registered Charity No. 1151456 | Company No. 8376060
Free Community Websites | Terms | Privacy | Cookies
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1868
|
__label__wiki
| 0.586877
| 0.586877
|
Dying Light>
Dying Light ROW Steam CD Key>
Buy Dying Light ROW Steam CD Key
This is a restricted product and it CANNOT be activated nor played in Australia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, East Germany, Germany, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine
Go to product description
Dying Light is a first-person, action survival horror game set in a vast and dangerous open world. During the day, players traverse an expansive urban environment overrun by a vicious outbreak, scavenging the world for supplies and crafting weapons to defend against the growing infected population. At night, the hunter becomes the hunted, as the infected become aggressive and more dangerous. Most frightening are the predators which only appear after sundown. Players must use everything in their power to survive until the morning’s first light.
Survive the Night – During the day, players roam free and scavenge for supplies and weapons. But at night, the world undergoes a deadly transformation: the hunter becomes the hunted as the infected grow more aggressive and numerous, and something far more sinister awakens to stalk its prey.
Free Running Movement – Whether tracking prey or escaping predators, Dying Light lets players swiftly navigate the world by seamlessly leaping between buildings, grappling up walls and pouncing on unsuspecting enemies.
Welcome to the Quarantine – Dying Light is set in a vast open world, delivering expansive and varied environments, a wide variety of enemy classes and a hopeless tale of survival where resources are scarce and the infected are not the only threat.
Brutal Melee and Ranged Combat – get up-close using a variety of light and heavy weapons including knives, bats, axes, sledgehammers and more exotic weaponry or utilize guns and other firepower to take down enemies from a distance.
Choose Your Play Style – Dying Light features four playable characters that can be fully customized and upgraded to match any play style.
Craft Your Weapon – Why use a wrench when you can use a wrench wrapped in electrified barb wire? Dying Light’s sizeable crafting system enables players to create a slew of new, more potent weapons and equipment, as well as specialized ammunition.
Breathtaking Visuals and Gameplay – Dying Light is the first game powered by Chrome Engine 6, a cutting edge incarnation of Techland’s proprietary technology, designed from the ground up for the new console generation, DirectX 11 and other advanced solutions.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1869
|
__label__cc
| 0.561419
| 0.438581
|
Reading Now: Kidsbooks Kitsilano moving to a new location
Kidsbooks Kitsilano moving to a new location
Family • News • Real Estate • Shopping
Our special neighbourhood children’s bookstore Kidsbooks is moving locations. Not to worry though, they’re just heading four blocks east from Balaclava Street and West Broadway to Trafalgar and Broadway. The move is a result of planned building demolition for their current space. The new space will be larger and feature free underground parking. The move is set to take place “in early 2016.”
More about Kidsbooks: Kidsbooks first opened on West 4th Avenue in 1983 during a recession. It moved to West Broadway in 1987. In 1995 they opened a second location at Edgemont Village in North Van. Kidsbooks is known for being the first store in Canada to sell J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series in 1998. Of course they had the window displays to match. It’s also Vancouver’s favourite children’s bookstore.
kidsbooks.ca
80,000 party at public Vancouver NYE 2016 fiesta
3 open houses in Kits this week
One Response to " Kidsbooks Kitsilano moving to a new location "
Janette Griffiths says:
I am sad to see that the charm of West Broadway will soon disappear forever to be replaced by condos bought by people who want to enjoy the charm of the neighbourhood they are destroying….
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1870
|
__label__wiki
| 0.859768
| 0.859768
|
Vancouver police dog Vader was left with a broken tooth after an attempted carjacking on Monday, May 11, 2020. (Vancouver Police Department)
Man arrested after attempted carjacking leaves Vancouver police dog with broken tooth
The man was allegedly trying to steal a police vehicle
Katya Slepian
A Vancouver police dog had its tooth broken after officers said a man tried to steal a police car on Monday.
Police said they were called to the National Yards by a civic worker at about 6 a.m. after a man broke into a secure area in the works yard. Police said they stopped the man from trying to steal a police vehicle and took the man into custody.
Police said that during the arrest, the man fought with officers and kicked and punched a police dog, breaking its tooth. Police said the dog, Vader, is expected to make a full recovery.
“We are very fortunate that our officers and Canine unit were not seriously injured during the incident,” said Sgt. Aaron Roed. “This man was attempting to start the vehicle and flee before he was arrested.”
Police said the alleged theft came the day after the same person, a 66-year-old man of no fixed address, was arrested after allegedly uttering threats in Stanley Park. In that incident, the man had been released on a promise to appear.
The man was taken to hospital for assessment and police are recommending charges including assault of a police officer and assault of a police dog.
READ MORE: Vancouver police seize nearly $3M in street drugs, eight handguns after four-month probe
READ MORE: Man charged after allegedly breaking into Vancouver helicopter base, threatening staff
@katslepian
katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca
DogsVancouver police
Funds to fight COVID-19 in meat plants might not move for months, feds say
No threat at city public works yard: Vernon police
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1873
|
__label__wiki
| 0.676084
| 0.676084
|
Government grant helps create new jobs at Foulridge manufacturer
By Regenerate Pennine Lancashire
A manufacturing firm in Foulridge has taken on nine staff after obtaining a government grant for new machinery, which was endorsed by Pendle Council.
Pendle Polymer Engineering (PPE) specialise in bonding rubber to metal, with clients including JCB and Leyland Trucks.
Their new degreasing machine uses a chemical solvent which helps clean metal components of grease and rust, so that they can be bonded to rubber.
This replaces a slower, older machine which used over 300 times more solvent.
Cleaning jobs now take four minutes rather than 20, which means PPE are taking on additional orders and have employed nine staff as a result.
Regenerate Pennine Lancashire provided 20% of the plants cost through a grant programme supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund. The grant was approved by Pendle Borough Council.
John Lorrison, director of PPE, said: “The degreaser that Regenerate supported us with has increased our productivity and efficiency, which will create jobs and was necessary for the future growth of the company. Their business advisor’s cooperation and understanding couldn’t have been better.”
Pendle councillor Paul White, who is responsible for economic development, enterprise and growth in Pendle, said: “The grant received by PPE has created jobs in Pendle, and safeguarded over 30 more. I’d encourage other businesses in the area to apply and make the most of this funding to grow their business while it is available.”
By Lancashire Business View - Jan 18 2021
FWP has moved at speed to create community vaccination centres across the North West in the fight against th...
CoolKit records bumper year
By We Love Creative - Jan 14 2021
A leading manufacturer of temperature controlled transport solutions closed 2020 with a record high order bo...
Record new business sales of more than £1.4m in December
By Kingsley Asset Finance - Jan 08 2021
We finished 2020 on a great high, with December converting over £1.4m of asset finance for a wide variety of...
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1874
|
__label__wiki
| 0.620736
| 0.620736
|
PRO Cooling bath thermostats
Cooling bath thermostats for professional temperature control thermostating from -100 to 200 °C
With LAUDA PRO, customers gain access to a cutting-edge product line with outstanding overall concept. There are two operating units available: Base or Command Touch. These can be removed from the thermostat for very high levels of flexibility. On the one hand, this permits remote control of the devices and on the other hand, this considerably reduces the height of the devices. In addition, they are also equipped with a hybrid cooling system as standard. This also enables additional cooling of the refrigerating machine with water.
The PRO low-temperature bath thermostats for internal bath applications offer a working temperature range from -100 to 200°C. A multi-stage adjustable pump ensures excellent homogeneity of the bath. With their bath sizes from 10 to 30 liters and cooling capacity from 0.4 to 1.5 kW, the low temperature thermostats are suitable for a wide range of applications.
-100 °C
Remote control unit Base
Remote control unit Command touch
PRO RP 1090
PRO RP 1090 C
PRO RP 10100
PRO RP 10100 C
Working temperature min. -90 °C -90 °C -100 °C -100 °C -40 °C -40 °C -45 °C -45 °C -90 °C -90 °C -35 °C -35 °C
Working temperature max. 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C 200 °C
Interface(s) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B) Ethernet, USB (Type B)
Temperature stability 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K 0.01 ±K
Bath volume max. 10.5 L 10.5 L 10.5 L 10.5 L 21 L 21 L 21 L 21 L 21 L 21 L 29.5 L 29.5 L
Heater power 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW 3.6 kW
Low unit height and 360 ° accessibility of the bath through removable remote control unit
Full functionality of the bath due to low minimum filling height.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1876
|
__label__cc
| 0.573492
| 0.426508
|
24 hours a day/ 7 days a week 1-800-970-3050
Redcrest, CA Cremation Services
Serving Families With Cremation Needs For Over Two Decades
Most trusted Cremation provider for over two decades. Compassionate and Professional service, Affordable & Dignified Cremation Services Serving all faiths & ethnicities.
Our Cremation Packages Include
Transportation of the deceased to the crematory
Obtaining certified copies of death certificate
Obtaining cremation approval from the medical examiner
Assistance in filing for VA benefits and insurance policies
Social security administration forms completed
Alternative container (The container the body is cremated in)
Rigid container (For the return of the cremated remains)
One thing you can do to begin the healing process is to pay your respects in a distinctly personal way: What did he or she stand for? Value? Teach you?
Ask us about all the ways we can help you to uniquely celebrate your loved one’s legacy: burial at sea, scattering of cremains, interment of the ashes, viewings, and memorial services. Each can be done with a personal touch.
Scattering at Sea
The popularity of scattering at sea is steadily growing as people look to the organic nature of the ocean to help them bring closure to their loss.
Scattering at sea combines a sense of finality with a new beginning, as it returns us to nature and our origins.
If you are considering scattering the cremains of a loved one, we have lots of helpful information.
Why Legacy?
– Like family, we are here to help you in every way possible 24/7.
– Supportive, caring representatives who take your call the first time and are trained to answer all of your questions.
– All-inclusive service and guidance through each step of the process.
– Sensitivity to all your needs, both financial and spiritual.
– Local assistance that keeps you connected to community.
What to Expect from Cremation Services in Redcrest, CA
Cremation services in Redcrest, CA completely understand how you will be devastated by the loss of a loved one and will need help and assistance in arranging a cremation.
One of the main reasons that people regularly choose a cremation over a burial is linked to the cremation costs in Redcrest, CA. The final bill for cremating a person is usually far lower than the cost of arranging a burial because you do not have to pay for the land, its preparation and then the long-term upkeep.
Across all of America cremations are rapidly increasing as the most popular choice of interment and it is predicted that over 50% of people will choose cremation within the next 20 years or so. An exact and full price list will be passed to the person organizing the cremation so that you fully understand all of the cremation costs in Redcrest, CA.
Why Do People Choose Cremation in Redcrest, CA?
When you have experienced standing around a graveside as the body is lowered into the earth, it is an experience that many prefer to forget. The very different, and less dramatic experience of attending a cremation, focuses more on the person who has died rather than the events organized by Redcrest, CA cremation services.
As families grow, many people are moving long distances away with many people choosing to live abroad. This means that less people are available to tend a grave area. By choosing a cremation, the ashes can be spread and no-one is required to keep fresh flowers in a particular area to maintain a memory.
Some religions will only accept a cremation as the only option for interment and this will be explained by cremation services in Redcrest, CA. In the past, other religions would not accept a cremation as an alternative, but in modern times, the majority of religions are completely accepting of the cremation method being used.
Were you to cast a survey, you would find that modern cemeteries are regarded as extremely sterile and lacking of great character and if you live in a colder area, a grave is a difficult place to visit because of the weather, especially the snow and even more so in a northern state. This explains why many people look at the Redcrest, CA cremation costs and choose it as their best option
For extreme forward thinkers, they don’t wish their DNA to be available in the future and once the ashes have been scattered, the opportunity will disappeared forever.
What Happens During the Cremation?
In the majority of states, you can care for the deceased at your own home, but the majority of people will prefer that cremation services in Redcrest, CA will undertake the facility.
Redcrest, CA cremation services will explain that the body of the deceased is placed into a container which can be a coffin or casket, but a simple and suitable container is all that the law requires. At the crematorium, the employees will remove jewelry and medical devices, like pacemakers, to reduce the safety hazards for the cremation process. An efficient tagging system is used so that the individual can always be properly identified.
The individual will be cremated in the furnace at temperatures between 1400?F and 2000?F during the course of 2 to 3 hours, when the body will be reduced completely to fine powder, mostly a grey color. These are the ashes that are then returned to the nominated person as part of the cremation costs in Redcrest, CA.
Planning a Fitting Memorial Service
A memorial service can take place immediately after a cremation or days or weeks later at a time that is convenient for all family members to be able to attend. Many people will find that a memorial service is extremely therapeutic because people have the opportunity to stand up and speak about the life and loves of the person who has died at this in turn, personalizes the service.
All of the options related to the memorial service will be carefully discussed with Redcrest, CA cremation services.
How Will I Receive the Ashes?
The Redcrest, CA cremation costs will detail whether the crematorium will be supplying a standard urn to return the ashes to you or whether you have opted to purchase a model for display which you may decide to use for a number of years.
The individual is always cremated alone, so you can rest assured that the ashes being returned to you are always correct and all of the procedures will be explained in detail by Redcrest, CA cremation services.
Religious Questions in Redcrest, CA
Some religious groups will require for a cremation to be completed inside 24 hours after the death of the person. This will be arranged by the funeral director and included within the Redcrest, CA cremation costs, once all of the legal documentation is complete.
Where the individual was particularly religious, the funeral director will liaise with the appropriate clergy and a funeral service may be conducted within the proper church or in the private chapel at the crematorium. This chapel may also be used where a non-religious funeral service is required and equally, the service may be held elsewhere.
There are so many things that you need to think about after someone has died so you should not be worried about leaning heavily on the skills and experience offered by Redcrest, CA cremation services.
Someone will get back to you within one business day.
How We’ve Helped Other Families
I just wanted to say thanks for the beautiful memorial service. It was so personal and dignified (just how my husband would have wanted). Thank you for helping me celebrate such a wonderful life with such honor.
– Kelly Watson
City Site Map
Cremation Brochures
Scattering of Cremations
Answers to a Child's Questions
Organ Donation & Transplants
We accept payments with Visa, MasterCard and Discover Card
Copyright © 2018 Legacy Funeral Services. All rights reserved.
Legacy Funeral Services license number (FH-706) has a national network of locally-licensed funeral and cremation providers for final funeral and cremation services, which includes hand selected independently owned and locally operated licensed funeral and crematory establishments.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1881
|
__label__wiki
| 0.805225
| 0.805225
|
What is leprosy?
Triple Zero Leprosy Strategy
Effects of Leprosy
Treatment of Leprosy
Further Support For People Affected By Leprosy
Eradicate Leprosy Foundation
People You’ve Helped
ACTION Magazine
KIT Newsletters
Host a Cuppa for a Cure
Leaving Your Bequest
Become a National Council Member
World Leprosy Sunday 2021
Cure One Today
Provide Total Leprosy Care
Give a Gift in Memory
Give a Gift in Celebration
Partner in Prayer
Give Stamps or Coin Collections
Your Knitted Bandages
Where Your Funds go
Networks & Partnerships
You can give children affected by leprosy or disability in Nepal renewed hope and the opportunity of an education.
By making a donation to the Education Program in Nepal, you’ll be making a real difference — giving children affected by leprosy and disability the knowledge and skills they need for a better future.
Please note: Donations of $2 or more are Tax Deductible. Due to added security measures, donations below $10 can no longer be processed online. To make a gift $9 or less, please call us on 1800 LEPROSY (1800 537 767).
A $45 donation
Can provide assistance a child in Nepal who have not been able to previously attend school due to leprosy and disability.
Can provide assistance to two children in Nepal who have not been able to previously attend school due to leprosy and disability.
A $135 donation
Can provide assistance to three children in Nepal who have not been able to previously attend school due to leprosy and disability.
Donation Amount: $0.00 Questions Are donations $2 or more tax deductible? Yes! Can I donate under $10 online? Due to increased security measures donations under $10 are not available online. But please contact us via phone TOLL FREE on 1800 537 767 (1800 LEPROSY) or +61 3 97890 0577 and we can process your donation
Mr Mrs Miss Ms Dr Professor Rev Sir
Search address again
Payment Details*
We accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex. If you are experiencing problems with your donation, you can call us TOLL FREE within Australia on 1800 537 767 or on +613 9890 0577 or email us at hello@leprosymission.org.au with your name and a convenient phone number and we will get in touch with you. Thank you for your understanding.
Please note: All receipts are issued in English.
Donation Amount: $0.00
The Leprosy Mission Australia
PO Box 293, BOX HILL VIC 3128
1800 LEPROSY
(1800 537 767)
The Leprosy Mission Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability, and financial management. The Leprosy Mission Australia is committed to full adherence to the ACFID Code of Conduct. More information about the ACFID Code of Conduct may be obtained by contacting The Leprosy Mission Australia or visiting the ACFID website. Complaints relating to a breach of the ACFID Code of Conduct can be made to the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee.
We are committed to disability-inclusive development.
The Leprosy Mission Australia is a member of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand, a network of organisations that support fairness in prices and wages, improved market access and poverty alleviation.
Complaints | Contact Us
Copyright © 2021 The Leprosy Mission Australia. Website by Heartburst
Sign up to the KIT Newsletter so we can keep in touch!
I am over 18 years of age/I am under 18 but have my parents or guardians' consent to sign up
Your personal details are precious. We won’t pass them on to anyone. We promise. You can read our Privacy Statement.
I want to make a
Single Donation Recurring Donation
Are you looking to ask us a question, provide feedback, or having trouble with something on the website? Please fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch shortly.
Your shopping cart total is
This site uses cookies to improve your experience online. By continuing to use this site you're indicating that this is okay. Find out more.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1882
|
__label__cc
| 0.730413
| 0.269587
|
VacationInLeTouquet
V2 Rocket Launch Sites near Le Touquet
décembre 30, 2020 décembre 30, 2020 par Le Touquet Holidays
La Coupole Helfaut-Wizernes
Original V2 Rocket at La Coupole
V2 Rocket Launch Sites, A Hidden History of Pas-de-Calais.
The Pas-de-Calais department is rich in history, particularly WW1 and WW2 history, due to the heavy presence of occupying Germans in both conflicts. The WW1 sites are famous, but the French state has also turned the remains of several WW2 sites into historic destinations. In particular, it’s restored the bunkers built as V2 rocket launch sites aimed at England in 1944.
Barely more than an hour’s drive from Le Touquet, you can visit two fascinating WW2 places in one day. Both belong to the history of V2 rockets, the first missiles ever launched. After the war, Wernher von Braun’s genius but deadly invention became the early rocket technology of the US space program. Most of the V2s that caused so much death and damage in England in September 1944 launched from the Netherlands. However, the Pas-de-Calais was an experimental and practical site of the V2 rocket programme.
La Coupole: a Megalith for V2s Rocket Launches.
Exterior View of La Coupole
La Coupole is a spectacular place. Squatting the hills near Saint-Omer, it’s a massive dome that hides an underground bunker made up of large rooms and tunnels that any James Bond villain would enjoy. Its purpose was deadly: but its construction had been too. Hundreds of slave labourers were used to build what was conceived as one of the main V2 rocket launch sites. In the event, the Germans abandoned the bunker after the Allies bombed it in the summer of 1944, and it was never used for its purpose.
Nowadays, La Coupole is one of the most ambitious museums in Northern France. This giant concrete dome showcases the scientific and military history of the V2 rockets and a 3D Planetarium about the space age. It also serves as the regional memorial to the victims of Nazi Occupation in France.
A centre to educate and entertain, La Coupole offers several exciting exhibits. It also serves to show documentary films about the Second World War and put on temporary exhibitions. One such is running until the end of June 2019 – British Aviation in the Skies of Northern France, 1943-1944.
By far the greatest draw are the V2 rockets circuit and exhibits and the Planetarium. Charting the development of V2 rockets from von Braun’s design board up to the end of the war, the V2 circuit explains and demonstrates early rocket technology. It also explores the historical use of V2s against London and other cities.
Le Planetarium screens a 3D show three times a day and picks up where the circuit leaves off, taking the audience from the V2 rockets to the moon landings. To achieve full impact, it is experiential rather than documentary methods, so that you are launched into the exploration of space in 3D, with film, sound and light effects.
Le Blockaus at Eperlecques: hi-tech war in the forest
Blockhaus at Eperlecques
Less than half-an-hour from La Coupole, across the Parc Naturel Régional des Caps et Marais d’Opale, is the foreboding concrete block known as Le Blockhaus, a German word meaning ‘bunker’. Using slave labour, the Germans built the bunker as a launch site for the V1 flying bomb (also known as the Doodlebug), and for the V2 rockets. They abandoned its original purpose after aerial bombardments in the summer of 1944, and converted it into a liquid oxygen factory.
While less sophisticated than the nearby V2 rocket launch site museum at Wizernes, the Blockhaus demonstrates the reality of the V1 and V2 programme in its harsh reality.
Practical details for your V2 launch sites visits.
Allied diagram of the V2 bunker at Wizernes
To La Coupole, Wizernes by car from Le Touquet: via the A16 and the N42 roads.
From La Coupole to Eperlecques Blockhaus by car: via the D943 road.
There is a train from Le Touquet (Etaples) to Saint-Omer, and a shuttle called Moveo from Saint-Omer to La Coupole.
Length of visit: La Coupole history museum average length of visit: 2.5 hours.
Open daily from 9AM to 6PM, and in July and August, from 10AM to 7PM. Closed at Christmas and New Year, and every year between the 7th and the 20th of January.
3D Planetarium: 3 sessions a day, consisting of a 15 minutes introduction and 30 minutes show. Shows available in English via audio sets.
Blockhaus at Eperlecques: 45 minutes approximately. The area near the bunker is also popular for picnics.
Facilities at La Coupole: audio sets, shop and café, and a free picnic area.
Accessibility: both La Coupole and the Blockhaus d’Eperlecques are accessible to wheelchairs.
Ida tunnel at La Coupole, Wizernes
If you find the subject of V1 and V2 fascinating then why not give the 1965 movie “Operation Crossbow” ago. It has a big star cast including Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard. It features the methods used to destroy Hitler’s revenge weapons.
Catégories What To Do, whatson, whattosee Étiquettes France, HistoricVisits, HistoryPasDeCalais, HolidayInLeTouquet, Le Touquet, LeTouquetWW2, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup Laisser un commentaire
International Kite Festival at Berck-sur-Mer
décembre 4, 2020 par Le Touquet Holidays
Kite Festival Berck sur mer
The International Kite Festival has taken place in Berck-sur-Mer for over 25 years. Next year’s 35th RICV event hopefully will take place in April 2021. The dates are still to be announced due to Covid 19 restrictions.
Over the years it has become an event not to be missed on the Côte d’Opale. For 8 days in wind and sea enthusiasts, athletes or thrill-seekers can admire many giant kites, each with its own unique design.
Due to the numerous visitors during the festival days and the high demand for accommodation it is recommended to check availability and book rooms well in advance.
A Family Activity Day Out
Almost 700,000 spectators come to the vast Berck-sur-Mer beach to marvel the world’s best kite-makers’ new creations. Open to everyone, there is entertainment for all ages. Children can learn how to make and fly kites in a safe environment. Marine life, astonishing flying creatures, giant octopuses, even memorable cartoon characters drift across the sky. A colourful festival where you have your feet in the sand and your head in the sky.
Every Spring, the skies above the beach of Berck-sur-Mer explode with colour. Kites line up in well orchestrated displays for the crowds. Berck-sur-Mer is pretty seaside town 40 minutes from Calais. Is is also a short 25 mins drive from our holiday rental accommodation in Le Touquet. The Kite Festival takes place on the beautiful sandy beach, its a great thing to do for all members of the family young and old. If you can’t make it to the event then why not peek at the Live Webcam on the beach.
One of the favourite things to see at the Berck sur Mer kite festival are the flying battles between experts. International teams from all over the world come to take part in this colourful spectacular. On the last evening there is a night time flying display backed up with a firework show. There are many stalls at the event with Kites from many countries. Learn the history of kites or feast on the explosion of colour.
There are fantastic activities for kids. You not only make kites but get to have a go at flying some of the more exotic designs yourself. . For more information about the event visit the organisers website.
Le Touquet is a great base for visiting the Kite Festival and local attractions. Go swimming in the Aqualud, visit the Aquarium in Boulogne (Nausica) try some Sand yachting in Le Touquet, visit the maze at Laby’Parc.
Berck sur Mer Kite Festival Accommodation
If you are coming to the kite festival we currently have plenty of accommodation in Le Touquet just 25 minutes drive away.
Catégories whatson Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, Kites, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup
Trail Des Deux Baies – Le Touquet Trail of 2 Bays Marathon
décembre 16, 2019 par Le Touquet Holidays
Trail Des Deux Baies (Trail D2B)
Trail Des Deux Baies on the 26th January 2020 marks the 13th year of the event. The D2B Trail is a nature run along the coastline of the Opal Coast. Its special features include sand dunes and harsh weather. Its a challenging course made for adventurers. You can pick your race depending on distance and ability, there are 4 races.
A 42km marathon for seasoned competitors, a great preparation for
the marathon des sables or the ultra-trails on a demanding course.
Departure from Le Touquet: 8h00 on the beach to the north €27.
A trail of 23.5km accessible to as many people as possible.
Departure from Le Touquet, South Aqualud: 10:30 a.m. Arrival at Le Touquet Paris-Plage, Hippodrome €20
An 11.5km short trail as well as a golf course.
Departure from Stella Plage: 10:30 am on the beach €14
A 3km short trail for the young competitors.
Departure from Le Touquet: 11h30 on the beach €5
For your convenience, shuttle buses are available for € 3 available betweeen Le Touquet -> Stella.
For the 11.5km: RDV from 10:00 am to the right of the Aqualud near the Skate park (Bd Thierry Sabine) for a departure at 10:30 AM MAXIMUM
Le Touquet Parking Plan.
Last year over 2,200 participants came to let off steam on the Opal Coast. With over 1200 runners already registered time is running out if you want to book your place on this great run. There two mythical bays of the region which offer the participants and the numerous spectators breathtaking landscapes!
Accommodation - Trail Des Deaux Baies
If you have not booked your accommodation in Le Touquet then take a look at our website. We still have some larger properties that are ideal if you are a group of friends entering the race.
You can register online for the 2020 Trail Des Deaux Baies by visiting the organisers website.
Catégories whatson Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, Le Touquet Marathon, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, whattodo Laisser un commentaire
Visiting a Brocante or Flea Market
juillet 27, 2019 par Le Touquet Holidays
Visiting a Brocante or Flea Market can be the hi-light of any trip to Le Touquet and the Pas de Calais area. The street markets are great places to pick up a bargain or find that rare collectable. Visiting a brocante will give you a unique insight into French culture and can be an exciting way to spend a few hours.
There are around 15,000 Brocantes or “vide-greniers” (literally “emptying the attics”) that take place in communities across France.
In Le Touquet there is a regular Flea Market that takes place most Sundays in the covered market area of the town
Le Touquet Flea Market Dates 2019
If you prefer a more general market then there is a weekly market in Le Touquet This offers all general goods plus some amazingly fresh fish and locally grown produce. General Market
There are also many more Brocante’s in the surrounding towns such as Merlimont, Stella Plage, Cucqu, Etaples and Berck. There is even a specialist flea market for the children in Berck on the 23rd August 2019.
Place de l’Funnel
Merlimont Brocante:
Beach Flee Market.
Sunday 18 August 2019, flea market on Beach avenue.
Cucq Brocante
15th August – 35th Cucq Brocante.
Flea market of Cucq
Sports Avenue and Town Hall Square.
Stella-Plage Brocante
Flea market August 24th. 14h-20h Boulevard Labrasse Stration
Etaples Brocante
Flea market at the gare or station. This is personal favorite of mine as it tends to have more variety and is generally less expensive than Le Touquet.
Etaples-sur-Mer
train station Place de la Gare
62630 Etaples
From July 26, 2019 to September 25, 2019
If you are planning on visiting a brocante or flea market then keep up to date with all the latest news on Antique Fairs, Brocantes and Street markets by visiting www.vide-greniers.org
Catégories What To Do Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup Laisser un commentaire
What Shall we do in Le Touquet Today
juin 5, 2019 par Le Touquet Holidays
Le Touquet Map
Its tricky keeping the family balance whilst you are on holiday. If you have exhausted all of your ideas of where to go and what to do, then why not take a look at our recommendations on our custom Le Touquet Map. There are lots of choices from theme parks, activity days and great restaurants. Go and explore the fascinating Nord Pas de Calais region of France.
http://bit.ly/2kattractions
Catégories What To Do Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup
Twin Town Challenge 2020 Witney Le Touquet
mai 8, 2019 par Le Touquet Holidays
What is the Twin Town Challenge?
SPRING BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND 2020
Established in 2014, the Twin Town Challenge takes place every two years. To date the event has raised over £850,000 for Special Effect. Twin Town 2020 is the final event and they hope to take the fundraising total to over £1m! for SpecialEffect.
Twin towns Witney – Le Touquet, 100 cars, 1 amazing weekend. The Twin Town Challenge is a fun, team-based car challenge. Buy a £500 banger, add your own style and drive it from Oxfordshire to Le Touquet, France, competing in challenges along the way. All to raise money for technology charity SpecialEffect.
At its simplest, the Twin Town Challenge is a fun charity car rally. Teams buy a £500 banger and pimp their ride however they like. Then over Spring Bank Holiday weekend they take an epic road trip.
The route goes from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire to Witney’s twin town, Le Touquet in northern France. Along the way you’ll take on challenges and the occasional lap of a circuit. The event is in aid of SpecialEffect – a charity focused on improving the lives of the physically disabled.
They arrange a series of fun events and challenges before the main event to help you get in the spirit and meet your fellow Twin Towners. These will see you rubbing shoulders with celebrities, stoking team rivalries and having great fun.
The big jamboree is in Le Touquet itself, where our French compatriots throw a street party extravagaza. Expect live bands, fine French food and flowing drinks to help you toast your successful trip!
On the return to Merry England, afternoon tea and an awards ceremony round off a fantastic, fun weekend. All in aid of a great cause.
If you are planning on attending the event and you need some accommodation in Le Touquet then please take a look at our website. We still have availability for this weekend.
The Twin Town Challenge exists to support the fantastic work of SpecialEffect. They use technology to bring joy and fulfilment to the lives of physically disabled people. If you can’t take part in the Twin Town Challenge you can do your bit by donating. All money raised goes directly to SpecialEffect so please donate what you can today to help SpecialEffect improve more lives.
Every penny you donate will go directly to SpecialEffect. This helps them to provide one-to-one support that enables disabled people to work, play and lead more fulfilling lives through the use of technology.
Your donation will help to pay for occupational therapists, who take the time to understand each person’s needs. They then create customised controllers that can take the smallest movements from any part of the body and use this to control games, programs and other technology.
Text and images Twin Town
Catégories whatson Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, TwinTownChallenge, TwinTowns, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup Laisser un commentaire
The Battle of the Somme Guided Day Tour from Arras
Discover the trenches and terrible story of World War I’s Battle of the Somme on a full-day battlefield trip from Arras with an expert guide.
Just 90 minute from Le Touquet to the town of Arras. This is a fascinating day out for all.
Travelling to key battle sites and memorials by minivan, learn about the planning, execution and human cost of the infamous 1916 Western Front campaign. Visit must-sees including Pozieres Ridge and the Beaumont Hamel trenches; pay homage at Thiepval and other memorials; hear soldiers’ individual stories; and explore the grim events further at the Thiepval visitor centre.
Numbers are limited to eight for a small-group experience, and lunch, entry fees, and round-trip transport from Arras train station are included.
Full-day Battle of Somme battlefield tour from Arras, with air-conditioned transport and lunch
Explore the key sites of the World War I attritional campaign of 1916 Walk in the footsteps of soldiers at Beaumont Hamel’s trenches, Pozieres Bridge and Schwaben Redoubt Pause at the Thiepval Memorial and learn the in-depth story of the campaign at the Visitor Center Visit other pivotal sites and monuments, including the Australian Memorial and Lochnagar Mine Crater Hear the stories of soldiers and the main Somme offensives from a knowledgeable guide Small-group tour with a maximum of eight people for a more personalised atmosphere
Read more about Somme WWI Battlefield Day Tour from Arras.
Included.
Pickup and drop-off in central Arras
Entry/Admission – Franco-Australien Museum
Entry/Admission – Historial de la Grande Guerre – Musee de Thiepval
More ww1 sites.
Unique Le Touquet Flight
avril 29, 2019 par Le Touquet Holidays
Join a pilot on a unique flight and share the cost with him. A great way to discover the beautiful landscapes of this this charming region aboard a private plane. Your Wingly pilot will happily share with you their passion for flying and take you on an unforgettable trip around Le Touquet, providing stunning views of the Baie de Somme and Tréport’s cliffs. Please note that the flight schedule is subject to changes depending on the pilot’s availability. Wingly is a Flight Sharing platform. This is not a commercial flight but a private flight operated under the European cost sharing rule (EASA). Insurance is provided by Allianz on each flight.
Typical itinerary.
Pass By: Le Touquet Beach
Pass By: Baie de Somme (Somme Bay)
Pass By: Les Phoques de la Baie d’Authie, Berck,
Return to departure point.
Duration approximately 1 Hour
To find out visit. Fly Le Touquet
Catégories What To Do Étiquettes Flight, France, HolidayInLeTouquet, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup
Win A 2 Night Free Stay In Le Touquet
Its the last few days of our competition. So why not enter now and tell your friends. The more you share the more chance you have to win.
https://bit.ly/2YwHJhj
Catégories wheretostay Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup
avril 9, 2019 par Le Touquet Holidays
Go ahead and enter our competition to win a fantastic 2 night stay in Le Touquet. If you have entered already like our page or share on facebook to gain more entries to the competition.
Click below to find out more and enter.
Catégories Uncategorized Étiquettes France, HolidayInLeTouquet, LeTouquet, PasDeCalais, VacationInLeTouquet, VacationSoup
Hello, we are Richard and Roxanne Moore who own Le Touquet Holidays and are here to answer your questions regarding a visit to Le Touquet or anything regarding the accommodation.
If you prefer to call you can reach us on
3DS2 Payments
Enduro du Touquet Pas-de-Calais
Plans de la ferme St Josse
Bagatelle Parc Summer Season 2021
Aquarium Bagatelle bakery Beach Race Boulogne bread Calais Christmas Dover Easter Easter Break Emergency Enduro Ferry fine dining Food France gourmet HistoryPasDeCalais HolidayInLeTouquet Kites Labyrinth Last Chance Late Deals LeTouquet Le Touquet Maze Motor Bike Motorcycle Nausica PasDeCalais Pharmacies Polo Rally Restaurants ShowJumping Theme Parc TwinTownChallenge TwinTowns VacationInLeTouquet VacationSoup WakeBoard WaterSports whatson whattosee
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1883
|
__label__cc
| 0.519297
| 0.480703
|
Aerial view of Andes mountains, above Chile
Fishing boats in harbor at sunset, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Memorial at Sotomayor Plaza, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Power lines and pink building, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Heartfelt welcome at Valparaiso Cruise Terminal, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Mural artist Marcus Caceres Morales paints steps along the exterior of the Bellavista Hostel, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Colorful houses on hillside, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Red wine salud at Restaurante Divertimento Chileno restaurant, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Architectural contrast with Santiago Cathedral and modern glass office building, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Girl walks up steep street past purple building, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Ambush, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Colorful house, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Reflection of houses in door window, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Baker Pablo makes bread rolls at Panaderia y Pasteleria Menta, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
People crowd beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Pineapple juice stand and cruise ship MS Deutschland (Reederei Peter Deilmann) at pier, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Mansion and palm trees, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Interior of Santiago Cathedral, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Floral clock, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Taxi driver solicits for customers outside arrival hall of Santiago International Airport, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Fishing boats in harbor at dusk, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Stained glass window with outline of Chile and South Pacific Ocean inValparaiso Naval and Maritime Museum, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Fishing boats and cruise ship MS Deutschland (Reederei Peter Deilmann) at pier, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Ask Me information booth on Segway at Plaza de Armas main square with Santiago Cathedral and modern glass office building behind, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
People sit outside colorful snack bar, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Waiter with tray of Pisco Sour cocktails at Restaurante Divertimento Chileno restaurant, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Butcher at Carniceria, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Scallops for sale at fish shop, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Machinery of Ascensor Artilleria funicular ascension elevator, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
A flock of seagulls and cruise ship MS Deutschland (Reederei Peter Deilmann), Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
People crowd Playa el Sol beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon with high-rise apartment buildings behind, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Sailing ship Esmeralda at pier, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Exterior of Armada de Chile building, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Hostal, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Reflection of Santiago Cathedral in a modern glass office building, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
View from “La Sebastiana” Pablo Neruda House and Museum, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Two young girls enjoy the ride on a miniature ferris wheel near the beach, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Armada de Chile officer stands guard outside Valparaiso Naval and Maritime Museum, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Sailing ship Esmeraldo at dusk, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Ascensor Artilleria funicular ascension elevator, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Cheerful longshoremen enjoy their afterwork popsicle following the morning shift, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
People crowd beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon with high-rise apartment buildings behind, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Fountains at Palacio de la Moneda, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Friendly women at snack cart in front of graffiti wall, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Man sells Alpaca wool sweaters at market, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Bellavista Hostel with murals painted by artist Marcus Caceres Morales, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Fuzzy dice hang in window of public bus, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
White poodle dog on Plaza de Armas main square, Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Four pelicans in flight, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile
Palm tree and exterior of Valparaiso Naval and Maritime Museum, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Graffiti dog, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Ascensor Artilleria funicular ascension elevator and cruise ships in port, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
People wait in line at bottom of Ascensor Artilleria funicular ascension elevator, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
Chilean Armada naval officer stands in front of Heroes de Iquique Monument in Sotomayor Plaza, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
“La Sebastiana” Pablo Neruda House and Museum, Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1886
|
__label__wiki
| 0.900618
| 0.900618
|
Shock comparison between US, Australia’s virus response
Australia locks down suburbs amid 28-case spike while US records 3500 deaths in one day
In the US 3500 people died from COVID-19 in one day and nothing changed. But in Australia, 28 new cases has suburbs locked down.
When Harvard professor David Sinclair shared a side-by-side of Australia’s Bondi Beach and California’s Newport Beach in April, the contrast was stark.
Next to images of two idyllic beaches, he wrote: “California & Australia have similar populations but only Australia crushed #COVID-19. New cases = 1000 vs 9 per day. While the pundits argue about the cause, see if you notice a difference between Newport & Bondi. It’s a clue.”
Later, he wrote: “I miss the days when we were the role model for how to get things done.”
The pictures were an early indicator of the polar opposite approaches Australia and the US would take throughout the remaining eight months of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to take hold in both countries.
California & Australia have similar populations but only Australia crushed #COVID19. New cases = 1000 vs 9 per day. While the pundits argue about the cause, see if you notice a difference between Newport & Bondi. It's a clue. pic.twitter.com/TNHbFpiqJu
— David Sinclair, PhD (@davidasinclair) April 27, 2020
Since then, Australia and the US have lived through two completely different experiences.
Australia has largely banished the virus despite a second wave in Victoria that claimed more than 800 lives.
The US, conversely, ranks last among countries worst impacted by coronavirus with more than 17 million cases and 310,000 deaths.
Just yesterday, the US set its own double record. There were more than 3700 deaths and 250,000 new cases – both daily highs.
No new measures were introduced and the states were left to fend for themselves until a vaccine is ready to go.
Meanwhile, in NSW, as a cluster of cases jumped from six to 17 yesterday (and 28 today), authorities leaned on a familiar, hard line approach.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, announcing Friday’s 10 new cases, said she “cannot rule out” hard lockdown of the Northern Beaches where the cluster has emerged.
“We’re hopeful it won’t come to that,” she told reporters. “If we find we’re not getting on top of the virus, we will consider new measures. We will if we have to.”
RELATED: When Australia will get the vaccine
The Avalon RSL has been linked to the NSW cluster.
She told Sydneysiders, particularly north of the city, they “should not be leaving home” unless it is essential. And when they do leave home, they should be wearing masks.
“Stay away from non-essential activities,” she said.
“People should only be undertaking absolutely necessary activity. If we don’t get on top of it in the next few days, it could mean more restrictions.”
Northern Beaches Council has already taken measures to shut down all public spaces until at least Sunday, leaving more than 250,000 residents essentially stuck in their home.
Playgrounds, skate parks, aquatic centres and outdoor gyms are all closing but childcare centres and schools will remain open.
The measures are nothing new for Australia. Victoria introduced one of the world’s most strict lockdowns when the second wave hit. South Australia introduced a hard lockdown when it appeared cases were getting out of hand.
Passengers wearing masks leave a bus at Wynyard on Thursday.
AUSTRALIA, US APPROACHES COULD NOT BE MORE DIFFERENT
Reasonable Aussies know the approach saves lives and keeps the virus at bay. They also know America’s laissez-faire approach under President Donald Trump – a man who promised the virus would disappear and compared it to the flu – has led to countless preventable deaths.
Leading epidemiologist from the University of South Australia, Professor Adrian Esterman, told news.com.au there is a very good reason Australia does what it does.
“I think Australia is taking the most sensible approach with strict time-limited lockdowns for any breakout, and careful easing out of them,” he said.
“It has worked beautifully in Victoria and South Australia, and we are already seeing a bounce in the economies.”
Dr Lesley Russell is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Menzies Centre for Health Policy and a non-resident fellow at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney.
In an interview with Business Insider Australia earlier this year, she compared the US and Australian approaches.
Among four key differences, she noted that Australia was more prepared, had better co-operation between state and federal leaders and did not politicise the virus the way Mr Trump did.
“We don’t have Trump and America does, and that makes an enormous amount of difference,” she said.
The virus in the US continues to spread unabated but individual states are taking different approaches.
Analysis by The New York Time s shows masks are still not mandatory in 15 states and businesses remain open almost everywhere. Stay-at-home orders have only been issued in California, Ohio and North Carolina.
Avalon Beach on December 18, the site of a cluster of COVID-19 cases.
UK SLAMMED FOR CHRISTMAS RULES
It is not just the US taking a less cautious approach despite skyrocketing coronavirus case numbers.
In the UK, where there have been almost 2 million cases and 66,000 deaths – the sixth most for any nation – plans are afoot to take the highly controversial step of opening up for Christmas.
That’s despite lessons learned from Thanksgiving in the US where cases spiked to their highest levels since March.
The UK government was this week taken to task by the editors of two prestigious British medical journals who have called the decision to relax COVID-19 restrictions over Christmas a “blunder” that will “cost many lives”.
In just the second time in a century, the British Medical Journal and the Health Service Journal published a joint editorial that provides a scathing indictment of the government’s decision to relax restrictions over Christmas for a five-day period.
A COVID-19 testing clinic at Newport Community Centre on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The plan will allow up to three households to mix from December 23-27 to form a Christmas bubble. A day either side will be added for those in Northern Ireland to allow for travel.
But health professionals have branded the idea a “mistake” that could see a new wave of infections across the country as people travel to visit family and mix in private homes.
It comes as London, parts of Essex and Herefordshire have also just entered tier 3 restrictions – the toughest level – stretching the logic of why pubs and restaurants are being forced to close if all the gains could be wiped out in a five-day festive period.
Tags News Web
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1887
|
__label__cc
| 0.635899
| 0.364101
|
Home » littlebitsof » terminal text editor windows
terminal text editor windows
Then when we type the alias into Git bash it auto launches the text editor. text/html 3/9/2017 4:22:20 AM damonb_99 0. Vim Windows Install Guide – How to Run the Vim Text Editor in PowerShell on your PC. 1. Command line arguments. Try this. It is written in GO programming language and designed to utilize the full capabilities of modern Linux terminals. Don’t Miss: My Favorite Command Line Editors for Linux – What’s Your Editor? Windows Terminal is a new, modern, fast, efficient, powerful, and productive terminal application for users of command-line tools and shells like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL. All the editors in the list are Free to use. Like other famous mode-less text editors such as Nano, Emacs, Gedit or NotePad.exe, you can edit text in terminal window using a keyboard. Edit Text. Fortunately, Microsoft makes it very easy to install Vim and get it running on your PC. Notepad++ is a popular free to use code editor written in C++. You can handle from simple documents to complex codes using Emacs text editor. Since you want to open "a" text editor. If you get familiar … Macs come preinstalled with TextEdit, which can serve as a text editor, and Windows PCs come preinstalled with Notepad. Q10 (Windows, Free) Q10 is available only for Windows, with no plans for any other OS. According to the company’s employee an OS/2 version of the editor was used by some Windows NT team members to develop their operating system. December 13, 2019 8.2: Popup windows, text properties. An advanced and platform-independent text editor for developers and programmers alike. Terminal-Plus. text editor; 376 downloads; Notepas 0.9.34. Wordstar 4.0. Best text editors in 2020: for Linux, Mac, and Windows coders and programmers By Desire Athow 21 September 2020 Craft beautiful code with these free and paid-for text editors It supports a lot of programming along with many markup languages. These are some of the most commonly-used and powerful command-line text editors for Linux. (The default text editor is defined in your Windows settings.) Filenames may be given a :line or :line:column suffix to open at a specific location. Please type Ctrl-? Executing a bash command afterwards results in a command line being completely screwed up (terminal not setup properly) so you can forget about using 'vim' to edit any files. This means that rather than buttons to save, open and close files, you need to use the correct key commands as follows: To open vim, type vim at the command line. Using vim or Gedit is the ideal choice. What We Like. It also supports using custom settings based on user requirements. Micro is a modern, easy-to-use and intuitive cross-platform terminal-based text editor that works on Linux, Windows and MacOS. The code editor could be standalone or integrated into an IDE. Feb 11th 2014, 06:51 GMT. Commands are nothing but binaries (executables in the form of binary language) and scripts located in specific paths of your system. Terminal-Plus stays in the bottom of your editor while you work. The open-source terminal app boasts a range of powerful features including multiple tabs, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, and GPU accelerated text rendering … On 64-Bit windows you need a virtual machine. text editor; 58 downloads ; neoeedit R221. This text editor works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. curl https://getmic.ro | bash Star. But if you are using Windows as your operating system, you will need to install Vim separately. Just type . In this article I am taking a look at some of the best 21 open source commonly used text editors in Linux on both server and desktops. An editor for Microsoft Windows with various programming environments. Vim. Pros: Micro is a terminal-based text editor, which means it can run without a GUI. Quincy Larson. Installation steps of … You can now save in .html or .htm formats and share your files with other apps. Whole folders can be opened at once to open all of the text files. How to Configure Git Bash with Sublime Alias. What we want to do is create an alias for the sublime_text.exe found within the Sublime Text 3 folder. Each command executes one specific task. It is a desktop-based application built using various web technologies. Following is a curated list of Top 15 source code and text editor software for Windows and Mac platforms. Vi/Vim Editor. Freeware: Q10: A full screen text editor (Windows). A good text editor for Windows that has hotkeys available for its 312 text-processing functions, innovative features, and timesaving tools is TED Notepad, which is also available as a portable program. Previous Next. Supports tabs for easy file tracking. This text editor for Mac supports macro reading. Download Komodo Edit. This cross-platform text editor is available for some of the common operating systems like macOS, Windows, and Linux for coding purposes. Terminal-Plus is a terminal package for Atom, complete with themes and more. Looking at the other answers this might seem controversial. It is used to write different programming and markup languages with its various features. Announced earlier this year at Build 2019, Microsoft’s Windows 10 Terminal app is seemingly turning out to be a boon for developers and those who have always looked at Windows machines with huge expectations. It includes all the basic functionality you’d expect from a regular text editor, like syntax highlighting, multiple buffers, search and replace with regular expression support, spellchecking, UTF-8 encoding, and more. Jan 27th 2014, 14:18 GMT. A minimal interface is just one click away. Open Terminal. You can also click the search bar at the top of the Menu window and then type in terminal to search for it. It is intended to replace the well known nano editor by being easy to install and use on the go. Added rich text styling options, so you can make your notes look just the way you want them! But as you work mostly inside the the terminal. Graphical Vim (gVim) under GTK+ 2. The Micro text editor is designed as an enhancement to the Nano text editor. Here, I’ll compile a list of the best command line text editors for Linux. You don't need to remember all mappings. Sign in to vote. Pasting text into terminal editors always pastes into a single line on Ubuntu for Windows (10) 0 New to Linux - Installing and Using a Text Editor for Using Python and PyTorch Micro's number one feature is being easy to install (it's just a static binary with no dependencies) and easy to use. Classic Command Line Text Editors. Pico) and vim. Simple and powerful text editor for Android, to open and save files. Having issues on Windows 10? So powerful that both Linux and Mac have it installed by default. Sublime text editor is another popular text editor for the linux environment. It is one of the powerful tools out there but not the easiest one to use. Kiro is a mode-less text editor. 0. The only other item on the screen apart from your text is a page, word and character count at the bottom left. A modern and Open Source text editor application for Linux and Windows operating systems. Proprietary: SlickEdit: Proprietary: Smultron: A macOS text editor. Terminal window support and terminal gdb plugin. Usage. This will provide those nice Cascadia Code Powerline glyphs. In Linux, text editor are of two kinds that is graphical user interface (GUI) and command line text editors (console or terminal). It shouldn't be wrong if you use a command line text editor such as vim or vi. Features. To do so, click Menu, then find the Terminal app--which resembles a black box with a white ">_" in it--and click on it.You'll typically find Terminal in a bar on the left side of the Menu window. It provides support for plug-ins written in Node.js, has an embedded Git control that is developed by GitHub. Use it if it makes you happy. The terminal supports customization of global properties that affect the whole application, profile properties that affect the settings of each profile, and actions that allow you to interact with the terminal using your keyboard or the command palette. 1. Atom is a free (open-source) source code editor that can be used on Linux, macOS, and Windows. To begin configuring Git bash, we first need to open the bash terminal. Wed is a terminal text editor with key bindings commonly used in Windows based editors. It also includes a file compare utility and a file manager. The terminal is a program where you can issue commands to your system. In this article, you will learn how to install and use the Atom text editor on CentOS 8.0. 04. of 04. Highly Customizable. Your Windows PowerShell profile settings.json file should now look like this: { // Make changes here to the powershell.exe profile. There are a few text editors for the command line interface, such as nano (a.k.a. Vim is a powerful code editor. That means it’s a text editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS, and it is free. On Windows, the command line application is called, imaginatively, Command Prompt. It’s available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Only 32-Bit windows can run 16-Bit applications directly. Because of this, it doesn’t really belong on a list of terminal-based text editors, except to say that it’s an option on some systems. Nucleus Dark UI with Atom Material Syntax and our Homebrew theme. Currently, there is no Microsoft Provided 32-Bit or 64-Bit console application text editor for Windows. Freeware: RJ TextEd: Freeware: Sam: Free software: SciTE: Free software : SimpleText: Default under Classic Mac OS from version 7.5. We are beyond excited to announce Windows Terminal! If you’re on Linux for quite some time, you must have heard about Vim. Status Bar. You can keep track of terminal instances via the status bar. Best Free Code Editors for Windows & Mac 1) Notepad++. What We Don't Like. Once you have downloaded it you can start typing on the full screen. Emacs is also available for both Windows and Linux, and is customizable. Easy to Use . See detailed installation instructions. a modern and intuitive terminal-based text editor. It also includes modern improvements, such as color-coded syntax, plugins, copy/paste, and undo/redo. And several keys with Ctrl or Alt modifiers are mapped to various features. You should notice the change in your terminal as soon as you select Save in your editor. Includes a debugger; perfect for source code editing . There are many variants of Emacs available among which GNU Emacs is the most used one. Reader Andreas Kohl mentioned SlickEdit, which was a text mode editor for DOS, OS/2 and Windows console (before Visual SlickEdit stole it’s name). Trying to reset it does not work either so I believe there still is some work to be done. Vim is a text editor designed to support the command line / terminal interface. to know all mappings in editor. Users can easily extend its functionality by using plugins. Interface. 32bit installs on a 64bit version of Windows will be in C:\Program Files (x86) ... Use --stay to not switch back to the terminal when a file is closed (only relevant if waiting for a file). It aims for ease of use and to be a good starting editor for those new to a Unix terminal environment. There are no frills with Q10, other than a realistic typewriter sound which can be turned off if required. user> vim filename. ... On macOS, the preinstalled application is Terminal. It is packed with a lot of features and is specially designed to be used as a text editor and also as a development environment. Using standard Windows editor key bindings (e.g. Hence, text editors tailored for the terminal is definitely something important. ; Most Linux Distros open the Terminal as well, when pressing Ctrl+Alt+T. Vim is the default text editor for Mac, Linux, and Windows (if Windows has Git Bash installed). Friday, March 3, 2017 3:11 AM. Download. It can open more files at once, as it supports tabs. Visual Studio Code.
Society Of Land Surveyors, Red Verbena Plants For Sale, Taylor 214 Price, Poinsettia Images Printable, Types Of Bias In Medicine,
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1895
|
__label__cc
| 0.734818
| 0.265182
|
Central Washington Told to Watch Out for Bootleg Crypto Mining Companies
Central Washington – an area that has attracted a high level of bitcoin and crypto mining...
Bitcoin Mining Companies See Their Stocks Jump After Asset Reaches New All-Time High
Right as bitcoin struck its new all-time high of roughly $28,700 in late December of last...
Sweden and Norway Have Become the Top Crypto Mining Regions
Sweden and Norway have taken the top spots for bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining. Both countries have...
Barry Silbert Looks to Bring Chinese BTC Mining Business Back to the U.S.
Barry Silbert – crypto entrepreneur and the leader of the Digital Currency Group (DCG) – has announced that he is looking to remove some of the heavy bitcoin business that’s...
Nick Marinoff · August 31, 2020 · 5:00 pm
Could China Perform an Attack on Bitcoin?
The fact that China has become such a big “bitcoin nation” over the past several years is worrying to some. They are concerned that the country could potentially take over...
China Penalizes More Than 20 Mining Firms
The Inner Mongolia region of China is a prime hotspot for bitcoin miners. The energy is cheap and plentiful, so if you’re looking to potentially be part of the extraction...
Riot Blockchain to Purchase More than $17 Million in New Mining Equipment
Riot Blockchain has announced that it has signed a $17.7 million purchase with China’s Bitmain – the largest and most dominant crypto mining firm in the world – and that...
Is China Beating the U.S. When It Comes to Crypto Mining?
According to a new op-ed by Chris Larsen – the co-founder and executive chair of Ripple – the United States is losing the tech war against China and other nations....
Upstate New York Is a Growing Hotspot for BTC Miners
New York is a growing hotspot for bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining companies like Greenidge Generation. New York – Where Bitcoin Miners Never Sleep Often, New York is known for being...
Inconsistencies in the Bitcoin Space Are Widespread
There are several conflicting reports in the crypto world as of late. Despite the idea that bitcoin is surging like mad and is on the verge of once again striking...
Nick Marinoff · July 29, 2020 · 3:00 pm
Bit Farms Mining Firm Is Straddled with Tons of Debt
Canadian crypto mining firm Bit Farms is swamped with high-interest debt. How Will Bit Farms Pay Everything Off? The company has been struggling to pay off much of what it...
From Politics to Crypto: The BTC Journey of Craig Bergman
There appears to be a running theme of mixing politics with crypto, and the latest example comes by way of former Ron Paul campaign manager Craig Bergman. Bergman Sees Crypto...
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1897
|
__label__cc
| 0.727233
| 0.272767
|
Home >Mint-lounge >When your mamma rocks the floor
Family tree: We’re often a reflection of our parents, as in the movie Meet the Fockers.
When your mamma rocks the floor
4 min read . Updated: 13 Jan 2011, 07:04 PM IST The Good Life | Shoba Narayan
Have you ever been embarrassed by your parents? I confess that I have. The time when I was 18, for instance, and my father came searching for me at Mardi Gras (IIT Madras’ annual cultural festival). There I was, acting cool around those IIT guys. When my dad showed up to take me back home, the smoky independence that I affected came crashing down. Now, of course, my kids are embarrassed by me.
I wondered if the evening would work. I wondered if my parents would feel out of place amid the party-hopping crowd. And truth be told, I wished that my parents, particularly my mother, were Goan—equally at ease in a Western or Indian milieu; able to carry off a dress or a sari; able to hold a drink or two without being fastidious, judgemental or ignorant about it. My mom drinks champagne, wrinkles her nose, and says: “Too tart. Give me some pineapple juice."
Also Read Shoba Narayan’s earlier columns
When my daughter and niece dragged my mom to the dance floor, the most unexpected thing happened. Four hunky guys gravitated towards her. I couldn’t understand it. There was my mom doing her Bharatanatyam-like steps to a pumped-up version of Kajra Re, and these four guys surrounded her—shaking their shoulders, waving their hands, dancing Kajra Re like it ought to be danced. My mom was doing a Madhubala or Vyjayanthimala version of it. I mean, you can’t do Madhubala to remixed Bollywood rap. Doesn’t work. But it seemed like they couldn’t get enough of her. Were they missing their mothers? Was this some sort of Oedipal complex playing out on New Year’s Eve? Why were they dancing with my mom instead of all the lovely young women in little black dresses? Who would have thought? Certainly didn’t happen at SOB’s in New York.
You see those handsome guys dancing with your grandmother and making her feel part of the evening, I told my children. That’s the beauty of India. It is called filial piety and it is common in Asian cultures, particularly Korea and China… But they were gone to Rise Up, to Yves Larock.
At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world slept, and those of us gyrating at the Gardenia rose to claim the remaining champagne, not wholly or in full measure, but whatever was left, we hugged each other and shook hands with perfect strangers. Two of the strangers who had been dancing with my mom fell at her feet to get her blessing. Right there amid the smoke machine and surround sound. This is India, I thought. Would not have happened at Moulin Rouge. I doubt if grandmothers frequented Moulin Rouge on New Year’s Eve anyhow. Or five-year-olds, who were also present on the dance floor that night.
I asked one of the young men who was dancing with my mom who he was. His name was Harsha, he said, and he was a Kannada film actor. I didn’t recognize him but his muscular, clean-cut demeanour did indicate “hero" material. The man he was dancing with was a producer, he said, but he looked far too young. I asked them if I could be an extra in one of their movies, which, after being a stand-up comic, is one of my life goals. They were noncommittal.
My dad danced too, but his moves mostly involved clapping his hands in time to a song he had never heard: Pappu can’t Dance, Saala. Do you think I can have another Bloody Mary, he asked me? You know you are all grown up when your dad asks you for permission for a second drink.
Why are we embarrassed by the people we love? I don’t mean occasions where our loved ones do something inappropriate—your brother or sister shows up drunk to a funeral; as it happens oftentime in the movies; or your child spills her milk on your host’s new sofa. Those are embarrassing situations. I mean those instances when we are embarrassed not by what our dear ones did but because of who they are, or seem to be. This happens frequently to immigrants settled abroad. Children in the UK or the US are embarrassed when their parents come to parent-teacher meetings, their Indianness making them acutely different from the white parents. It happens here too. You are discussing Raza and Iqbal with some long-haired artsy types over Suleimani chai at Prithvi Theatre. Your clean-cut spouse shows up in a business suit and tie. Do you squirm? Why? Is it because of who he is or because of who you are trying to be? You invite your friends to brunch at Olive—strappy sundresses, champagne, antipasti, the usual. Your beloved mausi (aunt) appears in her Kota sari Gujarati style, with her wide smile and broken English, wanting to make sure that “all you youngsters eat properly". Do you squirm? Why? Is it because of who your mausi is, who your friends are, or because of who you are?
Every now and then, however, our loved ones surprise us. You take your dad to a snooty friend’s Page 3 party and instead of being sidelined as an old-timer, he is serenaded. He becomes the life of the party. And try as you might, you cannot stop grinning.
Shoba Narayan was grinning on New Year’s Eve. And trying to elbow out four guys to dance with her mom. Write to her at thegoodlife@livemint.com
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1898
|
__label__wiki
| 0.778688
| 0.778688
|
Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Football fans across the globe could be in for a real thriller on Saturday evening when Real Madrid and Liverpool take on each other in the Champions League final at NSK Olimpijs’kyj. The clash promises a true spectacle knowing that both sides have been thriving in the final third ever since the start of the season being rather fragile at the back at the same time.
Real Madrid chase the record and unprecedented hat-trick of Champions League silverwares in order to cement their status as the best side in the history of the competition. Zinedine Zidane’s outfit had had a generally dismal campaign in domestic league where they gave up the title contest way too early in the season. Nevertheless, the huge deficit to fierce rivals Barcelona could be forgotten with the new UCL trophy and a win over Liverpool in the huge final on Saturday.
Watch stream open Link
Jurgen Klopp has reasons to be satisfied with the huge rise his men showed this season (compared to the last term) and the Champions League final came just as a reward for the spectacular campaign the Reds’ attacking trio has had this year.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool: Head-to-head
Sides have two wins each coming into their fifth head to head encounter.Liverpool won 5-0 on aggregate in the last 16 round of the same competition nine years ago.Madrid got the revenge in the group stage of the 2014/15 campaign when they won both ties against Liverpool (4-0 goal difference in the process).
Real Madrid vs Liverpool: Prediction
The defending champions have to be considered favourites here given they’ve been clinical in big matches over the course of history. They have an amazing record of 12-3 in the UCL finals. Moving forward, the team led by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric & company has the winning mentality which might paly a big role here.
After all, Los Blancos proved their strength en route to Kyiv by eliminating the likes of PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich in the knockout stage.Liverpool will rely heavily on the attacking trio and hope for Mohamed Salah’s magical moments on inspiration like ones the Egyptian King had in home ties against Manchester City and Roma in past two rounds.The lack of meticulousness at the back might, however, be a huge issue for both sides. Zidane’s men kept just one clean sheet in last 11 competitive games and they conceded two or more goals in four of last five outings across competitions. They’ll be up against a deadly attacking trio Firmino, Salah and Mane who bagged 31 goals between them so far in the competition.Based on everything written above, the Over 2.5 goals FT & BTTS looks to be the banker bet at 1.66. The value is with Real Madrid to win & BTTS at 3.40, while competition’s top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo (15 goals so far) is our top suggestion for the anytime goalscorer bet at the odds of 1.66.
Griezmann Goal Against vs Italy – France 2-0 Italy [Video]
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1901
|
__label__cc
| 0.619008
| 0.380992
|
The European Tech Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report: 8/6/20
by London TechWatch
The European Tech Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report takes on a trip across various ecosystems in Europe, highlighting some of the notable funding activity in the various markets that we track. The notable European Tech startup fundings for the week ending 6/6/20 featuring funding details for Doctrin, Flusso, Beacon, and much much more.
$16.0M - Series A
Berlin-based BRYTER is the leading no-code platform to automate expert knowledge. Founded by Michael Grupp in 2018, BRYTER has now raised a total of $23.0M in total equity funding and is backed by investors that include Accel, Cavalry Ventures, Dawn Capital, Mike Chalfen, and Notion.
Climeworks
CHF 73.0M - Venture
Zurich-based Climeworks captures CO2 from air via commercial carbon dioxide removal technology. Founded by Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher in 2009, Climeworks has now raised a total of CHF 106.6M in total equity funding and is backed by investors that include Zurcher Kantonal Bank.
Doctrin
SEK 83.0M - Series B
Stockholm-based Doctrin provides decision support systems and communication tools to healthcare providers. Founded by Ashkan Labaf and Magnus Liungman in 2016, Doctrin has now raised a total of $27.3M in total equity funding and is backed by investors that include HealthCap and Swedbank Robur.
Keelvar
€16.0M - Series A
Cork-based Keelvar provides strategic sourcing software to large enterprises across the globe. It specializes in advanced sourcing for mature procurement and supply chain management teams seeking best of breed systems. Founded by Alan Holland in 2012, Keelvar has now raised a total of €16.8M in total equity funding and is backed by investors that include Elephant, Mosaic Ventures, and Paua Ventures.
TKS Talk with Shaloo Garg
President, United Nations Women USA
Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups
On June 20th @ 1pm EST, The Knowledge Society (TKS) will be hosting an invite-only talk with Shaloo Garg, Managing Director @ Microsoft! (spoiler, you're invited!) Register here!
Garg is also the President of the United Nations Women in Silicon Valley and Director of Strategy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For the past 15 years, she has been an executive at multi-billion dollar companies and is now on a mission to solve some of our world's toughest problems using emerging technologies. During her talk, she will discuss how startups are playing an increasingly important role to rapidly disrupt old industries as well as how Microsoft will contribute in the coming years.
As always, there is no cost to attend. Here's the link for details and registration. There is a short application to fill out, but you don't need any prior knowledge of startups or technology to attend. Our last talks were with artificial intelligence leaders from Google/Uber, and leaders at SpaceX/Tesla. We had more than 4,000 students from 40+ countries attending!
This event is specifically targeted to high-school & university students, parents, and teachers but everyone is welcome to join.
Tictrac
£6.0M - Venture
London-based Tictrac is a connected health platform that engages people in their health through their data. Founded by James Pollock, Jean-Philippe Doumeng, Jeremy Jauncey, Martin Blinder, and Oliver MacCarthy in 2010, Tictrac has now raised a total of £10.0M in total equity funding and is backed by investors that include Puma Private Equity.
$5.7M - Series A
Cambridge-based Flusso is in stealth mode, while developing the world's smallest flow sensor. Founded by Andrea De Luca and Florin Udrea in 2016, Flusso is backed by investors that include 24 Haymarket, Cambridge Angels group, Foresight Williams, Martlet Capital, Parkwalk Advisors, and University of Cambridge Enterprise.
Berlin-based Vara develops a breast cancer screening platform powered by AI. Founded by Jonas Muff and Stefan Bunk in 2018, Vara is backed by investors that include Merantix, OMERS Ventures, Plug & Play, Soleria Capital, and Think.Health.
London-based Beacon is a supply chain finance firm that provides real-time data of cargo delivery. Founded by Fraser Robinson and Dmitri Izmailov in 2018, Beacon is backed by investors that include 8VC, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, and Travis Kalanick.
Tagged With: 24 Haymarket, 8VC, Accel, Alan Holland, Andrea De Luca, Ashkan Labaf, Beacon, BRYTER, Cambridge Angels group, Cavalry Ventures, Christoph Gebald, Climeworks, Dawn Capital, Dmitri Izmailov, Doctrin, Elephant, Eric Schmidt, Florin Udrea, Flusso, Foresight Williams, Fraser Robinson, HealthCap, James Pollock, Jan Wurzbacher, Jean-Philippe Doumeng, Jeff Bezos, Jeremy Jauncey, Jonas Muff, Keelvar, Magnus Liungman, Martin Blinder, Martlet Capital, Merantix, Michael Grupp, Mike Chalfen, Mosaic Ventures, Notion, Oliver MacCarthy, OMERS Ventures, Parkwalk Advisors, Paua Ventures, PLUG & PLAY, Puma Private Equity, Soleria Capital, Stefan Bunk, Swedbank Robur, Think.Health, Tictrac, Travis Kalanick, University of Cambridge Enterprise, Vara, Zurcher Kantonal Bank
Previous The 13 Largest Global Startup Funding Rounds of May 2020
Next #LondonTech Week in Review: 31/5/20-6/6/20
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1905
|
__label__wiki
| 0.672904
| 0.672904
|
Cafes and delis
Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Sights and Attractions near Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Monmouth Coffee Company Borough, 2 Park Street, Bankside, Borough, London SE1 9AB
Monday-Saturday 7.30am-6pm
All Activities for Kids Art and Design Art Galleries Attractions for Kids Boats Boats and Bridges Historic Buildings House and Garden Museums Other Attractions Parks and Gardens Sights Sightseeing Tours Venue Hire
Hunter Penrose
London > Attractions > Historic Buildings
32 Southwark Street, SE1 | 1 minute from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
A beautiful old brick factory next to a blue railway bridge just off Southwark Street, this was once the... More
The Golden Hinde
London > Attractions > Boats and Bridges
St Mary Overie Dock, Cathedral Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 2 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Sir Francis Drake completed the second-ever circumnavigation of the world between 1577-80 in a galleon ship called The Golden Hinde. The ship has been re-created... More
London Bridge, Bankside, London SE1 | 2 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Dating back to around 1220 Southwark Cathedral is the oldest Gothic church in London. It has a varied and lively history and houses interesting memorials... More
The Clink Prison Museum
London > Attractions > Museums
1 Clink Street, Bankside, Bankside, London SE1 | 3 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Located on what was once the London estate of the Bishops of Winchester (known as the 'Liberty of the Clink'), the Clink Prison Museum unlocks... More
Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
9a St Thomas Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 3 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Hidden away in the roof space of the old St Thomas Baroque church, this restored 1821 women's operating theatre is the oldest operating theatre in... More
Flat Iron Square
London > Attractions
68 Union Street, SE1 | 3 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
The Flat Iron Square project is an exciting piece of town planning and urban renewal. This Bankside development... More
Contemporary Applied Arts
London > Attractions > Art Galleries
89 Southwark Street, Fitzrovia, London SE1 | 7 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Founded in 1948 to promote and champion British craft, Contemporary Applied Arts operates a modern gallery space at 89 Southwark Street as a showcase of... More
Lower Thames Street, City, London EC3R | 7 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
St Magnus' was built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1671-76, and boasts a steeple dating from 1705. Henry Yevele, Richard II's master mason, is buried... More
London > Attractions > Sights
96 Tooley Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
When it officially opened on Thursday 5th July 2012, The Shard became the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th tallest building in... More
Bankside Power Station, 25 Sumner Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Located along the banks of the River Thames in the former Bankside Power Station, originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1947, the architect... More
Tate Modern: The Tanks
Tate Modern, Bankside Power Station, Bankside, London SE1 | 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
A dramatic new development at Tate Modern, we got our first glimpse inside The Tanks in summer 2012 - revealed as part... More
River Thames, City, London SE1 | 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
This sleek, £18.2million 325m steel footbridge designed by Sir Norman Foster spans the River Thames between St Paul's Cathedral in the City and the Tate... More
The Monument
Fish Street Hill, City, London EC3R | 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Following an 18-month closure which began in 2007, The Monument reopened in February 2009 revealing the effects of a £4.5 million renovation. If you're feeling... More
Morgan's Lane, Tooley Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 9 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
HMS Belfast, moored at Morgan's Lane off Tooley Street, is a World War Two cruiser with nine decks. As you explore this floating museum, pop... More
38-40 Glasshill Street, SE1 | 9 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
After five years at 1 Vyner Street Alma Enterprises, the project-space which began as a base for successful young artists' collective 'Land', moved to this... More
Eames Fine Art Gallery
58 Bermondsey Street, SE1 | 9 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Specialising in the work of established masters of Modern and contemporary art, Eames Fine Art Gallery offers collectors a selection of original prints, drawings and... More
The Wapping Project Bankside
65a Hopton Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 9 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Dr Jules Wright, founder and owner of The Wapping Project, has opened up a second gallery space - the Wapping Project Bankside. Located next to... More
Bankside Gallery
48 Hopton Street, Bankside, London SE1 | 9 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Bankside Gallery is the home of the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers - the oldest societies of their kind in the... More
Bloomberg Arcade
3 Queen Victoria Street, EC2R | 10 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Running through the site of Bloomberg's new European headquarters, the covered pedestrian Bloomberg Arcade is home to... More
Fashion and Textile Museum
83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 | 10 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
The fashionista behind the Fashion and Textile Museum is Zandra Rhodes, the colourful designer who won the Designer of the Year award in 1972 and... More
St Stephen Walbrook
39 Walbrook, City, London EC4N | 10 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
One of Sir Christopher Wren's smaller masterpieces, this church has been immaculately restored. The central altar is by Henry Moore, and there is a magnificent... More
Church of St Mary Aldermary
Watling Street, City, London EC4M | 10 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
A church rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, approximately 1680, in the Gothic style after it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It is,... More
London Riviera
More London Place, Bankside, London SE1 | 10 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Every summer the London Riviera pops up in the shadow of City Hall adding a colourful food market and free... More
Walkie Talkie / 20 Fenchurch Street
20 Fenchurch Street, City, London EC3M | 11 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Vinoly, 20 Fenchurch Street, nicknamed the 'Walkie Talkie' made headlines before it even opened when it 'melted' cars... More
110 The Queen's Walk, Bankside, London SE1 | 11 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
It may look like a pile of CDs tilted at a precarious angle so it's about to fall over, but this attractive Norman Foster building... More
City of London, City, London EC4N | 11 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Mansion House, the Palace of the London Mayor, was originally for the Lord Mayor to represent the City in appropriate style, Sir Crispin Gascoigne was... More
One Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge, Bankside, London SE1 | 11 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Located at the foot of one of London's most famous landmarks, One Tower Bridge is home to a boutique hotel and Nicholas Hytner's London Theatre... More
One Blackfriars
1-16 Blackfriars Road, Bankside, London SE1 | 11 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Shortlisted for the 2015 World Architecture Festival Awards before it was even completed, One Blackfriars - or 'The Vase'... More
The London Underwriting Centre
3 Minster Court, Mincing Lane, City, London EC3R | 11 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Opened in October 1993, The London Underwriting Centre (LUC) at 3 Minster Court is a purpose-built building where the world's leading insurance and reinsurance companies... More
All Hallows by the Tower
Byward Street, City, London EC3R | 12 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
All Hallows, the oldest church in the City of London, is 1300 years old with a crypt museum, Roman pavement and Saxon and Roman artefacts.... More
Near Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Tours | Next performance 18th January 2021
The Shard 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
The View from The ShardAt almost twice the height of any other viewing platform in London, The View from The ...More
The View From The Shard Tickets
Attraction | Until 31st December 2022
London looks like a city in miniature from The View From The Shard which at 244 metres tall is the ...More
Exhibitions | Until 7th March 2021
Tate Modern 8 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
More than 260 photographs which document and celebrate the lives of South Africa's black lesbian, gay, trans, queer and intersex ...More
Dora Maurer
Exhibitions | Until 24th January 2021
A year-long exhibition brings together some 35 works by the Hungarian artist, including graphic works, photographs, films and paintings created ...More
Exhibitions | Until 21st February 2021
Immersive installations with an emphasis on sound and moving image by the Indiana-born artist, shown alongside poetic sculptures and neon ...More
Illuminated River
Exhibitions | Until 17th July 2029
River Thames 14 minutes walk from Monmouth Coffee Company Borough
Lighting up London's main waterway, Illuminated River will be one of the longest public art projects in the world when ...More
From cheap budget hotels to luxury 5 star hotels see our special offers for Monmouth Coffee Company Borough hotels, including London Hilton on Park Lane from 61% off.
Hotels near LITEXPO, Lithuania
Hotels near Te Pae - The Christchurch Convention Centre, New Zealand
Hotels Gift Card
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1906
|
__label__wiki
| 0.86106
| 0.86106
|
ONE LOUDER
Louder The Home Of High Voltage Rock'N'Roll
Dave Grohl edits Classic Rock
Buy David Coverdale
Tracks of the Week
Get Classic Rock
Louder is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Iron Maiden announce The Book Of Souls live package
By Scott Munro (Classic Rock) 20 September 2017
Iron Maiden will release The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter in November - including a free live streaming premiere of the concert film
Iron Maiden have announced that they’ll release a live package celebrating their 16th studio album The Book Of Souls.
Titled The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter, it will feature 15 tracks recorded on the band’s world tour in support of the record and will be available on November 17 via Warner Music/BMG on CD, deluxe CD and vinyl audio formats, with the concert film available to stream free online or as a digital download.
Bassist Steve Harris, who co-produced the album with Tony Newton, says: “We spent a huge amount of time working on this as I wanted to get it as close to the Maiden live experience as I possibly could and to represent our fans from different parts of the world.
“This meant listening to literally hours upon hours of tapes from every show to select material and construct a sound that would run consistently across the whole album and capture the excitement of a new country like El Salvador alongside such regular favourites as Donington or Wacken.”
Maiden manager Rod Smallwood adds: “The Book Of Souls World Tour was a huge undertaking – not least for Bruce who started the tour singing in public for the very first time since recovering from throat cancer.
“He also piloted Ed-Force One, upgraded last year from a Boeing 757 to a 747 so we could go further and faster to visit some fantastic cities and fans all round the world. This year continued that excitement bringing us our most successful North American and UK tours ever.”
Exclusive: Black Country Communion star in the new Classic Rock - Out Now!
Could Rammstein’s next album be their last?
Go inside Metallica's epic world tour in the new issue of Metal Hammer
Read Classic Rock, Metal Hammer & Prog for free with TeamRock+
He continues: “It was a very special tour in a great many ways so we felt we wanted to document it for both ourselves and for our fans. Steve has done an incredible job putting together this set from cities around the world and we’ve made sure the deluxe CD will be available in a matching book format to The Book of Souls release.
“On top of all that the release will be celebrated by an event that is a Maiden first – a free live streaming premiere of the concert film, as a thank you to our loyal fans around the world.
“We hope that the global Maiden community will all enjoy coming together to watch this special event online. Many of you will be in it as there is footage from a whole host of the places we played on this momentous tour.”
Further details on this one-off event will be revealed in the near future via the band’s website.
Find a list of tracks and the cities they were recorded in below, along with the cover art and CD and vinyl packages.
Iron Maiden The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter tracklist
If Eternity Should Fail - Sydney, Australia
Speed of Light - Cape Town, South Africa
Wrathchild - Dublin, Ireland
Children of the Damned - Montreal, Canada
Death or Glory - Wroclaw, Poland
The Red and the Black - Tokyo, Japan
The Trooper - San Salvador, El Salvador
Powerslave - Trieste, Italy
The Great Unknown - Newcastle, UK
The Book of Souls - Donington, UK
Fear of the Dark - Fortaleza, Brazil
Iron Maiden - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Number of the Beast - Wacken, Germany
Blood Brothers - Donington, UK
Wasted Years - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Maiden's Voyage: What happened at Iron Maiden's UK shows?
See more Classic Rock news
Classic Rock Newsletter
Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Classic Rock. You will receive a verification email shortly.
More from Classic Rock
Watch Saxon’s high-octane cover of Deep Purple’s Speed King, a celebration of rock ’n’ roll history
Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters and Jon Bon Jovi to celebrate Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration
Listen to Thunder revisit the ’80s with strutting hard rocker Going To Sin City
New York Dolls: the ultimate bluffers's guide
George Thorogood: the soundtrack of my life
Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1907
|
__label__wiki
| 0.710524
| 0.710524
|
Colin Burrow (2)
Bee Wilson (1)
Frank Kermode (1)
Hal Foster (1)
Jenny Turner (1)
Julian Bell (1)
Marina Warner (1)
Mark Ford (1)
Patrick Cockburn (1)
Philip Pullman (2)
David Lewis-Williams (1)
David Thomson (1)
Delmore Schwartz (1)
Herman Melville (1)
Hershel Parker (1)
James Schuyler (1)
Joseph Tabbi (1)
Peter Conrad (1)
Richard J. King (1)
Literature & Criticism (6)
Politics & Economics (1)
His Dark Example
Colin Burrow: ‘The Book of Dust’, 4 January 2018
The Book of Dust, Vol. I: La Belle Sauvage
by Philip Pullman.
David Fickling, 546 pp., £20, October 2017, 978 0 385 60441 3Show More
Daemon Voices: Essays on Storytelling
David Fickling, 480 pp., £20, October 2017, 978 1 910200 96 4Show More
“... wit and hidden political mischief, C.S. Lewis when his eye was on the story. And then there was Philip Pullman – whom I met first in his delightful retelling of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp (1993), and then in the cosmically ambitious His Dark Materials trilogy (1995-2000). I am no doubt unusually central to the target zone of fiction that pours ...”
Improving the Story
Frank Kermode: Philip Pullman’s Jesus, 27 May 2010
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
Canongate, 245 pp., £14.99, April 2010, 978 1 84767 825 6Show More
“... topic. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, however, is a game of an older kind. Philip Pullman is a writer admirable for his control of tone and genre. Open his trilogy, His Dark Materials, almost anywhere and you may find bears boasting their readiness for ritual combat in language vaguely reminiscent of Beowulf, and onlookers who ...”
The Atheists’ Picnic
Julian Bell: Art and Its Origins, 10 June 2010
Conceiving God: The Cognitive Origin and Evolution of Religion
by David Lewis-Williams.
Thames and Hudson, 320 pp., £18.95, March 2010, 978 0 500 05164 1Show More
“... stepping forward to pat the newcomer on the back and welcome him along, who should it be but Philip Pullman? ‘Magnificent … a sane, courteous and devastating criticism of religion,’ reads his statutory puff on the dust jacket of the latest addition to the New Atheist library. Lewis-Williams, however, makes a hesitant arrival. The seasoned ...”
Coruscating on Thin Ice
Terry Eagleton: The Divine Spark, 24 January 2008
Creation: Artists, Gods and Origins
by Peter Conrad.
Thames and Hudson, 529 pp., £24.95, September 2007, 978 0 500 51356 9Show More
“... Pico della Mirandola, Leonardo, Milton, Rameau, Sade, Mozart, Balzac, Darwin, Wagner, Rodin, Philip Pullman and a supporting cast of hundreds. A single page, selected at random and by no means the most thickly populated, scatters references to Conrad (Joseph), Hesiod, Rilke, Shakespeare, Plato, Mann, George Eliot, Gide and St John. Quite how much ...”
Marina Warner: Medea, 3 December 2015
“... usually discounted as childish make-believe. It has been most powerfully adopted by writers like Philip Pullman who are read principally by children. It also serves the crucial mythic purpose of mapping limits and prohibitions, demarcating the centre ground where fathers don’t eat their children, brothers don’t marry their sisters, and mothers ...”
The Last Whale
Colin Burrow, 4 June 2020
Ahab’s Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick
by Richard J. King.
Chicago, 430 pp., £23, November 2019, 978 0 226 51496 3Show More
Complete Poems
by Herman Melville, edited by Hershel Parker.
Library of America, 990 pp., £37.99, August 2019, 978 1 59853 618 8Show More
“... their own harpoon, of seamen pulled from the icy waves – with exact descriptions of local fauna. Philip Pullman knew what he was doing when he borrowed Scoresby’s surname for the entrepreneurial balloonist Lee Scoresby in His Dark Materials, since both Scoresbys manage to be at once sentimental and dispassionate polar adventurers. The original ...”
No one else can take a bath for you
Mark Ford, 31 March 1988
The ego is always at the wheel
by Delmore Schwartz.
Carcanet, 146 pp., £6.95, May 1987, 0 85635 702 2Show More
A Nest of Ninnies
by John Ashbery and James Schuyler.
Carcanet, 191 pp., £10.95, June 1987, 0 85635 699 9Show More
“... an obsession he enjoyed feeding: he would invent ridiculous sources for it – a delicatessen, a Pullman railroad car, a Tammany Hall club – while in his stories and poems he would always inflict on his leading character, who was always himself, a name exotic or absurd, half old-time Jewish and half Hollywood – Shenandoah Fish, Hershey Green, Cornelius ...”
Reasons for Liking Tolkien
Jenny Turner: The Hobbit Habit, 15 November 2001
“... help with Harry Potter.3 But both Ursula le Guin (in her great Earthsea trilogy, 1968-73) and Philip Pullman (in his trilogy, His Dark Materials, 1995-2000) developed evocative and consistent naming systems for their imagined worlds without going on and on about it. Of course Iorek Byrnison, one of the armoured bears in ...”
Patrick Cockburn: In Dover, 7 November 2019
“... only as it reaches the sea that the valley opens out, with the giant docks to the left and right. Philip Hutton, an architectural historian, thinks Dover’s layout makes it look like ‘a hammerhead shark’: that long tapering stretch inland, and then the massively spread-out head of the port areas facing the sea. It’s a town that invites this sort of ...”
Long Live Aporia!
Hal Foster: William Gaddis, 24 July 2003
Agapē Agape
by William Gaddis.
Atlantic, 113 pp., £9.99, January 2003, 1 903809 83 5Show More
by William Gaddis, edited by Joseph Tabbi.
Penguin, 182 pp., $14, October 2002, 0 14 200238 0Show More
“... Eastman (photography), Morgan (credit), Ford (assembly line, plant police), Pullman (model town), Mary Baker Eddy (applied ontology), Taylor (time studies), Watson (behaviourism), Sanger (sex) etc, etc.’ Clearly Gaddis is concerned less with mechanisation per se than with the ‘more pervasive principle of organisation’ which ...”
Pink and Bare
Bee Wilson: Nicole Kidman, 8 February 2007
by David Thomson.
Bloomsbury, 311 pp., £18.99, September 2006, 0 7475 7710 2Show More
“... shirts’ by day but takes them off later on for a love scene with her deceived husband (Bill Pullman). Thomson is not so keen on her bottom here. In itself, it is ‘pretty’ and ‘enough to bring credit to any actress’ but it is ‘so guarded by a separate close-up that we don’t necessarily trust it to be Nicole’s’. More authentic is the ...”
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1908
|
__label__cc
| 0.524058
| 0.475942
|
Madame Gilflurt's Guide to Life
Glorious Georgian gossip from the quill of Catherine Curzon
About Catherine
Being Mr Wickham
Why Georgian?
Jean Lannes, Duc de Montebello: The Death of an Emperor's Confidante
Jean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello (Lectoure, France, 10th April 1769 – Ebersdorf, Austria, 31st May 1809)
Jean Lannes by François Gérard
It seems that rarely a week goes by in which we do not have cause to visit France and hear a story from the shores of that particular nation. Today we meet another French character and hear a gruesome story from the battlefields of Aspern-Essling.
Jean Lannes was a man to be reckoned with. From humble origins he rose to the highest levels of military power and became a confidante and favoured commander of Napoleon, who made him Duc de Montebello in recognition of his efforts. The friendship between Lannes and the emperor was enduring and deep and when the end came for the Duc de Montebello, Napoleon was sharrered at his loss.
Lannes was a military commander to be reckoned with. Loyal, brave and a gifted strategist, on 22nd May 1809 he was engaged in the brutal battle of Aspern-Essling, with the French facing off against the forces of Austria in an attempt to cross the Danube. Napoleon's forces came under a barrage of heavy fire and he ordered Lannes to retreat back to the Danube island of Lobau in order to minimise the casualties falling victim to the Austrian efforts.
In fact, as their opponents fell back, the Austrians opened cannon fire on the sheltering forces whilst on Lobau, Lannes was in the company of his mentor, General Pierre-Charles Pouzet. As the two men discussed the battle, a cannonball struck Pouzet in the stomach and killed him instantly. Reeling from the shock at watching his close friend die so violently before his very eyes, the dazed Lannes stumbled to the edge of a ditch and sat down.
As he gathered his thoughts, shrapnel from a second cannonball tore through his legs, smashing the knee of one and badly injuring the other. Although Lannes told witnesses that his injuries were not so bad as they seemed, he was unable to stand and was rushed for treatment to our old friend, Dominique Jean Larrey. So terrible were the wounds to the Duke's limbs that Larrey elected to amputate one, whilst dressing the injuries to the other, although he would eventually face the trauma of having that leg amputated too.
The tomb of Lannes
When news of the Duke's plight reached Napoleon, he rushed to his friend's side in a state of utmost distress. The devastated emperor embraced Lannes and those present noted that he wept bitterly for his injured friend, perhaps counting the true cost of the disastrous battle. Under Napoleon's instruction Lannes was moved to the comfort of a house in Kaiser-Ebersdorf but there was nothing that could be done to save the injured man. Instead he lingered on for a week and, as dawn broke on 31st May 1809, Jean Lannes died. In death, Napoleon ensured that his confidante was feted and his body was interred at the Pantheon, where he rests to this day.
Labels: Austria, France, Gérard (artist), Medicine, Military, Napoleon
Queen of Snark said...
Thanks for the nice remembrance--Jean-boy was indeed a force to be reckoned with, as much off the battlefield as on. Sometimes one never knew what he'd say at a dinner party, for example, or an imperial ball, or how he'd say it. Ironically, the state funeral was not until 5 July 1810, and Napoleon didn't attend, saying it might upset his new wife, Marie-Louise, whose brother's army was after all responsible for the occasion.
Although the crypt in the Pantheon looks nice and bright in the photo, it's generally much darker when you're there in person. I have never thought Jean liked it much there--he's a sunshine and vineyards kind of guy..
Catherine Curzon said...
A pleasure; his death felt like one that should be commemorated. I really like your observation regarding the suitability of the Pantheon as a final resting place for Lannes, it does seem very formal and cold for such a chap!
Great piece. I believe Lannes' heart is buried in the far more sociable Montmartre Cemetery. There's certainly a crypt with his name on it there which I tracked down last summer.
Thank you for your lovely comment; that *does* sound more sociable!
GREAT MILITARY BATTLES said...
Warfare is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.
Your article is very well done, a good read.
Yvonna Both Brusik said...
Very Interesting subject must research this further, Thank you for posting this!
Visitors to Gin Lane...
Join 21318 other followers...
Just select your network above!
Georgian Non-Fiction
Curzon/Harkstead Novels
The Dispatches...
Jean Lannes, Duc de Montebello: The Death of an Em...
A Fatal Roast: The Death of Sir James Mackintosh
The Scandalous Birth and Eventful Life of Princess...
A Salon Guest... Happy 255th birthday, William Pit...
A Lucky Accident for Joseph von Fraunhofer
"The whole world seems to smile upon me!": The Dea...
The Death of Peter III of Portugal
The Execution of Jonathan Wild, Thief-Taker General
The Electrifying Death of James Otis Jr
The Great Fire of Chudleigh
A Salon Guest... Mary Elizabeth, Countess of Chatham
Francis Cotes: Portrait of an Unknown Lady
The Short Life and Tragic Death of Maria Isabel of...
A Lady of Many Names: Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony
A Gentleman of Law: Sir Ilay Campbell, Lord Succot...
Floating to Jamaica: Matthew "Monk" Lewis is (Not ...
Patenting the Puckle Gun
Jenner, Phipps and the Smallpox Vaccination
The Scandalous Affairs of Elizabeth Cavendish, Duc...
The Life of Le Gros: Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orl...
The Assassination of Spencer Perceval
The Painful Death of Louis XV
Francis Hopkinson and the Labours of Fancy
A Salon Guest... Marie Antoinette Bucking the Syst...
James Gillray: Fashionable Contrasts
Maximilien Robespierre Welcomes Louis XVI
The Murderous Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers
Napoleon Arrives on Elba
Princess Élisabeth of France, A Most Loyal Sister
The Wedding of Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold
The Premiere of The Marriage of Figaro
The Salon Favourites
The Eventful Life of Princess Mary of Great Britain
A Salon Guest... Toys and Games of the Long 18th Century
The Regency Sex Trade
Email the Dispatches!
© Catherine Curzon and Madame Gilflurt's Guide to Life, 2013-2020 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Catherine Curzon (Madame Gilflurt) and Madame Gilflurt's Guide to Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Background design by forluck & Eonscintilla.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1912
|
__label__wiki
| 0.69831
| 0.69831
|
Australian high commissioner should not be Lynas' mouthpiece
Wong Tack
Published 29 May 2019, 8:45 am
LETTER | The Australian high commissioner to Malaysia Andrew Goledzinowski's use of the media lately to help Lynas Corporation wriggle out of their own commitment to local regulators to remove their radioactive waste from the country is highly unethical and deplorable.
I wish to point out to the high commissioner that removing all waste from Malaysia is a legally binding, a black and white agreement undersigned by Lynas. Lynas would not have been allowed to operate from day one if they had not made this commitment.
However, the regulators and previous corrupt government, for reasons only they themselves know, have allowed Lynas to get away with not complying with this agreement over the past six years.
They have not only failed to comply with this condition, but blatantly violated our country’s laws, international best practices and their own commitments.
Our law says the storage area for radioactive waste must not be located in areas prone to natural disasters. About half a million tonnes of radioactive waste (water leached purification) are now piled in Lynas’ flood-prone backyard.
Our law says the amount of scheduled waste that can be stored onsite cannot exceed 20 metric tonnes. There are now more than one million metric tonnes piled up in the open in Lynas’ backyard.
Our law says the maximum 20 metric tonnes of scheduled waste cannot be stored on-site for more than 180 days. More than one million metric tonnes are piled up in the open in Lynas’ backyard over the past six years.
Our law says all scheduled waste must be kept in fully covered containers. More than one million metric tonnes are piled up in the open in their backyard, completely exposed to severe weather.
Our law says that all scheduled waste must be properly quantified, contained and labelled with the date the wastes are produced.More than one million metric tonnes are now dumped in a massive pile in Lynas’ backyard which clearly shows blatant disregard of our law.
Therefore, instead of being the mouthpiece for Lynas and continue to spin the issue on their behalf to mislead the Malaysian public, the high commissioner should do what is expected of an honourable person of his stature – to ask the company to honour the agreement to remove their radioactive wastes out of Malaysia.
I wish to remind the high commissioner that the lives of Malaysians are of equal value to those of Australians. We love our land and children as much as you do yours.
Do not forcefully dump onto our land things that Australia doesn’t want. Only those with coloniser behaviour will fail to understand this basic moral principle.
Malaysia has perpetually lost 1 sq km of our pristine forest in the Kledang Range to build the Mitsubishi joint-venture Asian Rare Earth’s radioactive waste tomb.
Our Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in reference to this painful episode in the history of this country had once said :
“Eventually, we agreed to bury this substance (radioactive wastes) in an area which was 1 sq km large. We had to bury it under thick cement to prevent the radiation from affecting people.
"Malaysia lost 1 sq km of land as the area was still not safe, which also led to losses in terms of areas meant for development.
The radiation effects triggered fear among the community, we don't want a repeat of this."
One mistake is enough. Malaysians will not tolerate a repeat. We will not sacrifice another square inch of our precious land forever to build a second radioactive waste tomb to bury Lynas’ wastes.
Mahathir and the energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister have both clearly said that Lynas must remove all their radioactive waste from Malaysia by Sept 2. Fail to do so, and Lynas shall be shut down.
But the most important thing that I hope the high commissioner is aware of is this – the rakyat of Malaysia is very clear on this issue, and we will fight until the end to stop Lynas from robbing our children’s future.
WONG TACK is the MP for Bentong.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
Lynas
China's rare earth supplies could be vital bargaining chip in US trade war
Lynas touts commercialised waste, silent on risks
Is vested interest at work in Lynas?
Saifuddin calls for healthy debate on Lynas
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1914
|
__label__cc
| 0.568565
| 0.431435
|
Former VP Dr. Jameel alleges current government has normalized corruption and theft.
“Corruption and Theft has become a fashion in this administration” said former Vice-President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed. In a tweet made today, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed heavily criticized the ruling coalition government making serious allegations against it. In his tweet the former Vice-President stated that within a short span the governing system had become corrupt, with the government failing to serve its people. He further went to state how corruption and theft had become a fashion in the current administration.
Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed also remarked on how no action is being taken against several senior officials in the current government with allegations of corruption against them. Dr.Mohamed Jameel Ahmed made this statement referring to the recent corruption scandals involving former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed and Health Minister Abdullah Ameen.
According to state audit reports, both Tourism and Health ministry had irregularities in its records with the Tourism Ministry spending millions outside of their mandate while the Health ministry had made several transactions with paper companies in procuring crucial medical equipment’s for the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Minister Abdullah Ameen was summoned today for questioning by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Maldives regarding the fraudulence involved in the procurement of 149 ventilators and several shipments of PPE’s.
Previous Post: President Trump’s $750 tax filing raises eyebrows.
Next Post: Government declines to reveal details of the $250 million Indian loan.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1915
|
__label__wiki
| 0.815532
| 0.815532
|
Media council issues statement after mayoral candidate makes death threats against journalist Ahmed Azaan.
Maldives Media Council has issued a statement regarding the death threats made by Male’ city mayoral candidate Alhan Fahmy, against “Dhiyares News” journalist Ahmed Azaan. The statement issued tonight stated that the journalist had informed the Maldives Media Council of the death threats and that they have also been notified of the recent string of death threats and harassment faced by the journalist on social medias.
Maldives Media Council expressed concern on the death threats made against the journalist Ahmed Azaan as journalists in Maldives who have had death threats against them on the past have had to endure violent attacks. The statement ended with the Maldives Media Council requesting the Maldives Police Service to investigate the matter with urgency.
In a tweet made late last night, Journalist Ahmed Azaan revealed that former MP and current Male’ city Mayoral candidate Alhan Fahmy had harassed and made death threats against him while on the road. According to Ahmed Azaan, Alhan Fhamy had approached them on motorcycle and made the threats while Azaan was also on a motorcycle with “Dhiyares News” staff Nahil Ahmed. Azaan also stated in his tweet that he intends to report the case to relevant authorities, including Maldives Police Service.
Previous Post: Polls predict a landslide win for Joe Biden.
Next Post: iPhone 12 revealed- price tag at $799.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1916
|
__label__wiki
| 0.510846
| 0.510846
|
Bti on TV: Documentary showcases current research on the insecticide used for mosquito control – now with German & English subtitles!
The documentary made by a Canadian team is the first of its kind that summarises the ecological impact of Bti use in mosquito control and also reflects on associated costs and benefits for the people. The video is now available on YouTube with subtitles of any language, so that everyone can watch and understand it.
The documentary is filmed in Canada, France and Germany, and we were very happy to have the team in Landau and the Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station. The film covers recent research findings, and therefore offers an excellent opportunity to understand the conflict of “environmental-friendly” biocide use in protected or pristine areas.
Background story: Bti and its use
The biological larvicide Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), used for 40 years around the world to control biting insects, is described as a miracle product, killing mosquitos efficiently without any environmental effects. Bti is also used in mosquito control in Canada in around 50 municipalities, home to nearly 2 million people. However, concerns about the widespread use of Bti are raising in Québec. Locals are faced with relatively high costs for mosquito control. For example, in the small municipality Labelle with a population of about 2,000, featured in the documentary, Bti applications over three years required a budget of $650,000. Moreover, the people in Canada are confronted with an industry that claims the environmental safety of Bti based on its use in Europe for decades.
Is Bti a harmless insecticide? The film team has a closer look
The environmental TV programme “La semaine verte” is asking the question: Bti, a harmless insecticide? The film is explaining the situation in Canada and also reports on research performed by my colleagues Brigitte Poulin who reported first environmental field effects in the Camargue, and Guillaume Tetreau who studies the different crystal toxins of Bti and their persistence in the environment at the University Grenoble. Both are among the co-authors of our recently published review on peer-reviewed studies on Bti impacts.
Director Pier Gagne und camerman Mathieu Hagnery in the cosges at Haute Königsburg before descending to the Rhine plains for filming the Bti treatment area (photo by M. Poiré)
The documentary is visually summarising the review and available studies on environmental effects, also the ones by Stefanie Allgeier, which is nice to see, instead of doing all the reading. Filmed in the Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station near Landau, it also shows the mesocosm ponds where experiments on Bti just started within our SystemLink program.
Shooting with Radio Canada at the Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station with cameraman Mathieu Hagnery from Radio-Canada in Paris in an interview with Maxime Poiré (photo by P. Gagné)
The documentary also describes the establishment of mosquito control in Germany providing the position of Dr. Norbert Becker, also called “Mr. Bti” in some parts of the world. Insights into alliances with the Bti industry and resulting politics are also presented. The Québec Ministry of Wildlife is preparing a guidance document that states concern about direct and indirect effects of Bti. To avoid any risk of serious or irreversible damage to the environment, the Department recommends applying the precautionary principle.
The documentary on Bti by Maxime Poiré et Pier Gagné in the series La semaine verte can be seen here (any language subtitles).
More information on the content is available here (in French).
I would like to use this opportunity for a merci beaucoup to Maxime and Pier for their interest in our work and putting the current knowledge on environmental effects together so nicely.
This entry was posted in Media coverage and tagged Allgeier, amphibian, Brühl, Bti, chironomid, conservation, environmental risk, mosquito, wetland on May 21, 2020 by Ve.
← International Online Autumn Academy on Spatial Ecotoxicology and Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment PostDoc in Environmental Chemistry at NTNU →
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1917
|
__label__wiki
| 0.702448
| 0.702448
|
Retail Watch: Skip the DMV: Two brothers – a Bethlehem councilman and former mayor – open driving school and testing center to alleviate stress of obtaining a license
Hershey’s Kisses iconic holiday commercial gets a big makeover. Watch it now.
Dean Browning explains the bizarre ‘I’m a Black gay guy' tweet, and what happened when it went viral
Lehigh Valley man stabbed 11 times after playing good Samaritan trying to aid stranded motorist, police say
Why Americans, particularly millennials, have fallen out of love with cars
Your View: COVID-19 disaster looms in Lehigh County Jail
GUSD officials respond to tweet’s ‘serious allegation’ against teacher
Judge sentences man who shot Pennsylvania state trooper on Route 33 to 53½ to 110 years
Bill White: All you Trump voters put our democracy at tremendous risk
LVHN setting up mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dorney Park, plans to give 5,000 shots a day when ready
Second stimulus check updates: Post-election rancor clouds chances for a COVID relief bill
Joe Biden’s top allies on Capitol Hill adopted a combative posture on COVID-19 relief on Thursday, pressing their case for a $2 trillion bill that’s a nonstarter for Republicans and faulting the GOP for dragging its feet on acknowledging Biden’s victory.
The message from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — both of whom witnessed disappointing outcomes in House and Senate races last week — was that Republicans should concede Biden won and immediately return to negotiations on COVID relief, with the Democrats' $2.4 trillion “HEROES Act” as the starting point.
“It’s most unfortunate that the Republicans have decided that they will not respect the will of the people,” Pelosi told reporters. “It’s like the house is burning down, and they just refuse to throw water on it.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reiterated that Republicans controlling the Senate simply won’t accept a bill of the size that Schumer and Pelosi want.
“That’s not a place I think we’re willing to go. But I do think there needs to another package. Hopefully, we can get past the impasse we’ve had now for four or five months and get serious about doing something that’s appropriate,” McConnell told reporters.
Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy of California, speaking just minutes later from the same podium, accused Pelosi of playing politics with COVID, deliberately dragging out pre-election talks on new relief to deny President Donald Trump a victory that could have helped him in the election. Trump hasn’t talked or tweeted much about COVID since the election, and has instead focused on grievances about the results.
The continued battling comes as caseloads are spiking across the country in a third wave of the pandemic that is threatening a dangerous winter, despite advances in vaccine development and treatments to fight it the disease. The rebound of the economy has been relatively strong so far, but both sides agree more help is needed — even as they spar over specifics like jobless assistance and the means to distribute treatments and vaccines.
“We need another COVID relief bill,” said moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. “We need another round of the (paycheck protection) program that’s aimed at the most distressed businesses or otherwise they will not be able to keep employing their workers and they will close their doors forever. We need more funding for schools, for health care providers, for the airlines and bus lines.”
Congress virtually unanimously passed a $1.8 trillion COVID rescue bill in March, but top leaders and the administration have fought for months over what another installment of relief should entail. Before the election, with Democrats riding high in the polls, Pelosi took a hard line in the talks, even as the administration made numerous concessions. Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, shied away from concessions made by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as well.
“She sacrificed our economy and people who were hurting,” McCarthy said.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, meet with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
The combative postures all around don’t appear to bode well for a quick resolution or the smooth resumption of the serious talks that flamed out before Election Day. Capitol Hill is in limbo, frozen by the refusal of Trump and Republicans like McCarthy to accept Biden’s victory and by two Senate runoff elections in Georgia that Republicans are favored to win to maintain control of the chamber.
Pelosi and Schumer, meanwhile, continue to press COVID relief proposals like more than $400 billion in aid to state and local governments that McConnell won’t go for.
The two later released a “readout” of a call with Biden, setting benchmarks for a lame-duck relief deal that “provides resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, relief for working families and small businesses, support for state and local governments trying to keep frontline workers on the payroll, expanded unemployment insurance, and affordable health care for millions of families.”
It appears, however, that Democratic leverage has eroded despite Biden’s win.
Latest Coronavirus
Pa. coronavirus cases and deaths: Track them here.
Where are Pa. coronavirus cases rising? Here are the key numbers to watch
“What Joe Biden got in this election was a mandate, a mandate to address the challenges that our country faces,” Pelosi said. “And in order to do that, we must address the COVID, the pandemic.”
Caught in the middle of a land battle: A homeless encampment in a suburban neighborhood
Four teens accused in slaying of Whitehall High School student during Bethlehem robbery face trial
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1920
|
__label__cc
| 0.645055
| 0.354945
|
Alexandre Léger
Alexandre Léger studied the piano with Françoise Thinat and then pursued his musical studies at Paris CNSMD – Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse – with Gérard Fremy, Cyril Huvé, Christian Ivaldi and Alain Planès. At Paris CNSMD, he won the first piano and chamber music prize and also graduated succesfully with the Teaching diploma.
Alexandre Léger leads a multifaceted activity. He was invited to play with orchestra as recently in Eskisehir in Turkey, where he played the concerto KV 488 by Mozart under the conducting of Patrick Souillot.
In recital he played the works of the great repertoire including Bach’s Goldberg Variations in numerous halls in France and abroad – “Beyond the fascinating digital control, is the lyricism of the collected passages key in this interpretation deeply inhabited” – La République du Centre.
He has a strong predilection for few composers including Déodat Séverac and contemporary music he practices very early in his career in its most original form as in the Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano by John Cage or Stockhausen’s Kontakte.
In chamber music he has played with the soloists of the “Orchestre de Bretagne”, the Manfred string quartet, Dominique Miton, Laurent the Flecher, Roland Pidoux, Francis Duroy, Gionata Sgambaro…
He enjoys participating in collective adventures, lately he gives the complete Schubert sonatas together with pianists Hélène Couvert, Christie Julien, Rebecca Chaillot, Ferenc Vizi, Sodi Braide and. Keen’s vocal repertoire he accompanied many singers including Billy Jerome, Guy Fletcher, Rachel Guilloux…
Passionate about literature and poetry he collaborated for many years with the stage director Emmanuelle Cordoliani writing shows uncovering the relationship between literary and musical reading, their next project will see Lord Chandos Letter by Hugo von Hofmannsthal set deep in the music of Arnold Shönberg.
At the same time, Alexandre Léger is passionate by teaching. Occupant of the CA – Certificat d’aptitude of piano, since 1997 he is a Professor at Rennes CRR – Conservatoire à rayonnement régional.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1925
|
__label__wiki
| 0.932306
| 0.932306
|
Musktree.com
The Authentic Sports Reporter
“Never In History”: Andrey Rublev Can’t Wait To See Roger Federer Returns to ATP Tour Again
By Murugesan Andrey Rublev • ATP Tour • Australian Open • Roger Federer • Tennis | 12:11 PM, Thu, 24 December 2020
Roger Federer and Andrey Rublev
The whole tennis world is eagerly waiting to see Roger Federer in the ATP Tours again. After having undergone back-to-back knee surgeries, the 39-years-old Swiss is now on the court and preparing for his comeback.
Andrey Rublev, who has received the most improved player of the year award a couple of days ago, said that he is excited about the former World No.1 Roger Federer’s comeback in a recent interview with Marca.
The 23-years-old Russian tennis star also emphasised that he wishes to increase his career as Swiss Maestro and confessed Roger’s return performances could serve as an example.
“It’s a good question because I’m really looking forward to seeing how he does it. Never in history has there been a case like him, and I want to see what will happen because it can serve as an example. I also want to extend my career as long as possible. I don’t see myself retiring at 30,” World No.8 said. (Quotes translated English via Google translator)
Read More – “I Have Been Trying My Whole Life To Transmit Positive Values ”, says Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer’s Name in Australian Open 2021 Entry List
The first Grand Slam event of the 2021 season, Australian Open will begin three weeks later than usual on 8th February in Melbourne.
World No.5 recently said that he had not completely recovered from his injury and hoped for the Aussie Open’s delayed start to help him compete.
My son just caught @rogerfederer practising at the tennis courts of Hayat Creek, Dubai. Seems Dubai is the in-place to escape #COVID19 & cold. pic.twitter.com/s597JCHzHX
— K. C. Singh (@ambkcsingh) December 23, 2020
Roger recently arrived in the United Arab Emirates with his family ahead of the Christmas celebration. While Federer was spotted training in Dubai on the hardcourt, he is still not yet confirmed his participation at the Melbourne major event.
On Thursday, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley released the 2021 season entry list, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, and many other top players.
Read More – “Wouldn’t Hurt”: Dominic Thiem on Becoming No.1 Tennis Player In The World
Andrey Rublev
Published : 12:11 PM, Thu, 24 December 2020
Murugesan
Mechanical Engineer .| Sports| Writing
Solo Traveler, Interested In Feeding Birds and Animals, Like to watch all sports and Love to play Tennis, Badminton and Cricket, Passion for Cooking and Writing.
WATCH: Players Unusual Practise For Australian Open 2021 During Quarantine
BY Murugesan January 17, 2021
“Rafael Nadal Does At Roland Garros Is Incomparable”, says Two Time French Open Champion
“Enjoyed Every Single Minute”: Swiss Rising Star Expresses Gratitude To Roger Federer and His Team
“She Fights To The Last Drop To Win”: Coach Darren Cahill Overjoyed To Reunite With Simona Halep
Copyright © 2020 musktree.com
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1926
|
__label__cc
| 0.60778
| 0.39222
|
The history of GN'R as told by GN'R (A4D)
By SoulMonster,
June 1, 2020 in GUNS N' ROSES - DISCUSSION & NEWS
SoulMonster 7,660
SoulMonster
I have been revising the history section at Appetite for Discussion and thought I should give you a heads up about this.
If this is new to you here's some background: I am currently in the process (and have been so these last years) of writing the history of Guns N' Roses based on what the band members themselves have said. The idea was to get a bit away from conjecture and biases and assumptions and instead handle each topic in the band's history from what they themselves have said. The good thing about this is of course that it at least tells their story from their perspective (not necessarily the truth, of course, but hopefully also not exaggerated stories to sell a book or to display a bias), the drawback is that it will be less informative on things the band members haven't wanted to talk about, or be biased towards band members who were more vocal than other.
I expect this work to result in the most comprehensive source on the history of Guns N' Roses, ever and wherever. The format (or my prose) doesn't necessarily make it very entertaining as a long-read, but hopefully it can serve as a reference source whenever people want to go back and check up on something or to fact check statements. It should also be a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to write their own version of the history of the band. Pick and choose quotes and you can basically write whatever narrative you want.
The way I go about doing this work is plowing through articles and interviews from the beginning of the band's history and forward in time. This means that the history section won't be finished until I have gone through everything ever written about the band (which is a lot). I update the older sections of the history whenever I come over newer articles that shed light on those periods. So it is a living document that is constantly refined and expanded. I am currently working on articles from 2002.
To do something like this having access to a large repository of articles and interviews is crucial. Thankfully we have just that over at A4D, much to @Blackstar's credit (who we all know is awesome). In addition to having a memory and overview that is mindboggling to someone like me, she is also a skilled researcher and scholar. Currently, our database contains in excess of 2,500 unique articles and interviews, but it is growing day by day. I have copied all the articles into a word document and to give you an idea of how massive this database is, the document is currently comprised of 138 pages (font size 9) containing 1,836,917 words. Trust me, there is no book on Guns N' Roses that is anywhere as comprehensive as this, and what authors have done is start with a much smaller set of articles to basically create the story they wanted to tell. What we have is the real deal. The unabridged, unshortened, ultimate collection with its warts and all. If you want to browse this section and read contemporary articles from the band's history, this is the link to the index https://www.a-4-d.com/t2861-interview-and-article-index (By looking around you will also find that the site contains more articles that have simply not been indexed yet (this happens as I write the history.)
My history writing is currently focused on the year 2002, but most of this work takes place in a hidden section of the site. As soon as I feel a section is finished (it never is, though) I move it to the open area. Currently the open area only covers the time period 1984-July 1987 (I recently moved everything else in anticipation of the revision work). I expect to quickly add more sections to this area over the next weeks so that it will contain the history from 1984-2001. The new revised edition contains more chapters, images, and more quotes. You can browse this area here: https://www.a-4-d.com/f1-the-history-of-guns-n-roses-as-told-by-guns-n-roses
This is all free for everyone to browse and read. registration shouldn't be required (except perhaps to see images). Keep in mind that no section of the history is finished until I have gone through all articles. Currently there are almost no quotes from after 2002. Still, I hope you will all find this valuable and appreciate the work that we have done to get where we are. This will only get better and better.
Created Jun 1
SoulMonster 25 posts
Sosso 7 posts
Blackstar 6 posts
Spike Killer 3 posts
Hi all, I have been revising the history section at Appetite for Discussion and thought I should give you a heads up about this. If this is new to you here's some background: I am currently
We have a sticky thread with @zombux 's tables (with a link to his thread here) in the songs section: https://www.a-4-d.com/f8-gn-r-song-archive I'd like to add that, besides the about 2,500
Hi guys, After a summer vacation I am back working on this again. Here's the index to all the chapters so far: https://www.a-4-d.com/t4924-02-global-index#19869 And here's the latest en
Voodoochild 946
Voodoochild
Awesome work guys. I wonder if you would be willing to provide some format for e-readers like Kindle.
Also, don't you think you could use an attachment document with @zombux tables of the recording sessions? Just a suggestion, of course.
55 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:
the document is currently comprised of 138 pages (font size 9)
Dude, how can you use such a tiny font size? I'm old hahaha
zombux 1,391
Location:CZ
what you're doing and have done so far easily dwarfs my own research (which I initially just had to made for myself to clear out my own confusion in all the studio sessions, so that's why the sheet covers only those)
that sheet I made and the table (shit, I forgot to update that one, I have to fix that) are of course free to use for anyone, and as always everyone is welcome to suggest fixes and additions.
now that Marc Canter hopefully reveals some more information about the super old era years, us all could be happy to bring some new pieces of information into our particular info collections
let me say a huge thank you for your effort!
We have a sticky thread with @zombux 's tables (with a link to his thread here) in the songs section:
https://www.a-4-d.com/f8-gn-r-song-archive
I'd like to add that, besides the about 2,500 articles (so far) in the articles/interviews database @SoulMonster mentioned, there are additional sources that are or will be consulted for the writing of the history section:
- The concert database which contains many reviews and articles related to the shows (maybe we'll create an index of it in the future so that it can be more easily browsed)
https://www.a-4-d.com/f13-gn-r-concert-archive
- Books by people involved or associated with the band: band members' autobiographies (not fully included yet), of course Marc Canter's book, the books by Raz Cue, Vicky Hamilton, Craig Duswalt etc.
- Related quotes from interviews with other bands/artists who have crossed paths with GnR or excerpts from their autobiographies (these, when not included in the interviews database are usually posted in this thread: https://www.a-4-d.com/t3130-xx-notes )
So it's really a huge amount of sources
Worths 100x more than AFD Box Set and yet it's for free.
just don't forget to do backups regularly. you never know who's lurking around and trying to get stuff taken down
Thanks guys. I wish to export it to other formats in the future, but right now my focus is just to get it completed
I just added a new section covering August 1987-August 1988: https://www.a-4-d.com/t4956-viii-1987-1988-touring-and-success
Georgina Arriaga 1,892
Georgina Arriaga
Incredible work! Congratulations!
Powderfinger 944
What Soulmonster & Blackstar have put together is truly the definitive story of the band. It’s a great read and the labour of love it is, shines through while reading.
Thank you both for all your efforts, it’s much appreciated.
It is absolutely delightful to find such a cornacopia of material on GnR, you have both obviously worked so hard. I wish you luck with your book which I greatly look forward to.
Lio 4,520
5 hours ago, Voodoochild said:
I would love it on Kindle too! I hope you can make that happen one day. Thank you for all the great work, @SoulMonster and @Blackstar
MJ23 15
I can only guess how much time has went into this.
When I did It in the past the most embarrassing thing were interviews given by the same people and yet contradicting themselves.
fantomas 179
Can't stop reading this! Excellent job, mate!
Sosso 3,797
Sosso
Location:Planet Earth
Duff badmouthing Tracii and Rob is problably my least favourite part. They are both great musicians in their own right.
Rovim 4,998
Rovim
commendable work. That site is a goldmine and very easy to navigate as well
I think it's safe to say that the setlists from March 26 and June 6 were almost identical.
5 hours ago, fantomas said:
Thank you I will soon add more sections, just doing finishing work.
smiley 41
very cool - thanks!
I just added a new chapter, LIES AND THE SPOTLIGHT. It deals with the period Aug-Dec 1988. In this rather short period the band released GN'R LIES, got increased popularity, ended extensive and successful touring. With all this success the band started to get a lot more attention from press and critics, and controversies erupted, over artwork to Appetite, lyrical content and allegations of racism and homophobia. The band members also had to deal with their rags to riches journey and coping with a new status as rock stars. Izzy was already starting to drift away.
You can read the chapter here: https://www.a-4-d.com/t4987-9-lies-and-the-spotlight#19252
And thanks to everyone for your kind words. I do this for myself, but it really motivates me when other people find some interest in my work.
I am on a roll this morning. New chapter added, this one about 1989, annus horribilis. A year with no touring and little work on new music. Anathema to Slash who considered quitting the band three times (when getting an offer from Megadeth, after his fight with Axl in Chicago, and after the Mr. Brownstone speech). Drugs were breaking the band apart despite Izzy (and Slash at the end of the year) starting their processes of getting clean. Personal relationships were falling apart. Steven started rehabs and became the odd man out. Attempts at getting things on the right keel - trip to Chicago and shows with Rolling Stones - failed. Almost strange the band survived the year intact.
Read it here: https://www.a-4-d.com/t4988-10-1989-things-unravel#19264
Shackler's 73
Shackler's
Always loved Appetite for Discussion! Was just visiting that section yesterday, I must say, it looks greater than ever. Great job @Blackstar & @SoulMonster!
I added a new chapter, this one covering 1990. After a terrible 1989 where the band was torn to pieces from drugs, separation, and fights, the band now started to put itself back together but realized that one piece didn't fit any more, Steven. Where other band members had managed to cut back on drugs, Steven was spiraling out of control. So in came Matt, and in addition Axl thrust Dizzy into the mix. The unity was broken and this would later make it easier for other members to leave. But with the changes also came more spirited work and this year would hear new music from the band (Civil War and KOHD). On the personal front, Axl had an absolutely terrible year with a divorce, miscarriage, fights and despressions. Still, at the end of the year thinks were looking much better for the band and they had started planning touring the new record(s), including two shows at Rock In Rio in January 1991.
Here's the chapter: https://www.a-4-d.com/t4989-11-1990-moving-forward-with-a-new-lineup
Sydney Fan 1,954
Sydney Fan
Didnt duff divorce mandy in 89/90?.
14 minutes ago, Sydney Fan said:
https://www.a-4-d.com/t4989-11-1990-moving-forward-with-a-new-lineup#19364
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1928
|
__label__wiki
| 0.808916
| 0.808916
|
Why fruit and veg are groovy
By Philip Ball | November 28, 2008
Markings on fruit and vegetables, such as ribs, ridges or bulges, are caused by buckling as they grow, MiNDFOOD reports.
Markings on fruit and vegetables, such as ribs, ridges or bulges, are caused by buckling as they grow.
Why doesn’t a pumpkin look like a balloon? Pumpkins and many other fruits and vegetables, such as gourds, melons and some tomatoes, aren’t simply smooth, sphere-like shells with soft or empty interiors, but are marked by ribs, ridges or bulges that divide them into segments.
A team of researchers in China and the United States think that there’s a simple, universal reason for these patterns: They are caused by buckling as the fruits grow.
The patterns formed in plants, such as the spiral arrangement of pine cones, combine mathematical regularity with complexity in ways that are hard to describe and explain; according to Charles Darwin, they could “drive the sanest man mad”.
But increasingly, botanists and mathematicians are coming to suspect that simple physical principles might underlie these shapes and structures.
Xi Chen of Columbia University in New York and his co-workers think that buckling of the outer skin could explain the appearance of fruits ranging from long, thin, ridged gourds to the pitted surface of the cantaloupe melon.
SQUASHBUCKLING
A balloon’s surface stays smooth as it inflates, because it is equally stretchy everywhere. But fruits typically consist of a soft, pulpy interior surrounded by a thin, stiffer peel or skin.
In this case, the different mechanical properties of skin and core can cause buckling, just as they induce wrinkling of a paint film stuck to wood that swells and shrinks.
These buckling patterns are not arbitrary, the researchers say. For spherical or ovoid (spheroid) objects, they depend on three key factors: The ratio of the skin thickness to the width of the spheroid; the difference in stiffness of the core and skin; and the shape of the spheroid – whether, say, it is elongated (like a melon or cucumber) or flattened (like a pumpkin).
The calculations of Chen and his colleagues predict the buckling patterns for different values of these quantities. The patterns are generally either ribbed (with grooves running from top to bottom), reticulated (divided into regular arrays of dimples) or, in rare cases, banded around the circumference.
Ribs that separate segmented bulges are particularly common in fruit, being seen in pumpkins, some melons and varieties of tomato such as the striped cavern or beefsteak. The calculations show that spheroids shaped like such fruits may have precisely the same number of ribs as the fruits themselves.
For example, the ten-rib pattern of Korean melons remains the preferred state for a range of more or less elongated spheroids comparable to the shapes seen naturally.
“The mechanical principles suggest that the fruit morphology of a given breed could be quite stable during its growth,” says Chen.
Meanwhile, differences of, say, skin thickness, would explain why different breeds of fruit with comparable spheroidal forms have different morphological features.
A WRINKLEY WRAPPER
The idea that shapes of plants might stem from buckling during growth has been mooted before. Michael Marder of the University of Texas in Austin and his co-workers have proposed that this can explain the wrinkling patterns of leaf edges and the fluted shapes of daffodils.
And Alan Newell and Patrick Shipman, working at the University of Arizona in Tucson, have shown that the ridges on some cacti and the spiral arrangements of budding stems at the head of a plant shoot might result from the buckling of the stiff film or “tunica” that covers the surface.
But this is the first extension of the idea to spheroid surfaces. It might also help to account for the shapes of some seed pods and other biological structures.
“These mechanical principles can explain the undulation patterns formed in nuts such as almonds, wrinkle patterns in the skin and trunk of elephants and wrinkles in butterfly eggs,” says Chen.
“Mechanical buckling can indeed give rise to a range of spectacular patterns, and is likely to play an important role in plant morphology,” says Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, a specialist in the deformation mechanics of thin films at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But although he finds the present study interesting, he adds that so far “it raises more questions than answers”.
For example, Mahadevan points out that the authors’ assumption that the skin is elastic doesn’t seem realistic. “If one cuts a fruit, or separates the skin from the flesh, it doesn’t recoil elastically or relax back,” he says.
Chen and his colleagues acknowledge that their study is quite preliminary. Some of the shaping, for example, might be influenced by subtle biological factors such as different growth rates in different parts of the plant, or direction-dependent stiffness of the tissues, Chen adds.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved by New York Times Syndication Sales Corp. This material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
8 healthy eating hacks for busy professionals
Keeping your health on track is easier than you think
Keeping your health on track is easier than you think more
The many health benefits of mushrooms
The humble mushroom is so much more than its fungi family...
The humble mushroom is so much more than its fungi family... more
Real Food by Mike
We review the latest cookbook by Sydney chef Mike McEnearney
We review the latest cookbook by Sydney chef Mike McEnearney more
5 Minutes With Guillaume Brahimi
Australia’s favourite French chef shares his tips on...
Australia’s favourite French chef shares his tips on... more
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1930
|
__label__wiki
| 0.759809
| 0.759809
|
Why Mintz
Meet Our Managing Member
International Law Firm Network
Industries & Practices
DOJ and the FTC Publish Vertical Merger Guidelines
By Joseph M. Miller, Bruce D. Sokler, Robert G. Kidwell, Evan Moore
On June 30, 2020, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released the final version of new joint-agency Vertical Merger Guidelines (VMGs). The final version of the VMGs follows a draft version released for public comment earlier this year, and replaces the prior guidelines that have been in place since 1984.
The new Vertical Merger Guidelines represent a much-needed update to the now-defunct prior guidance, and memorialize changes that have been occurring on a case-by-case basis over the last 30 years.
What Are the Vertical Merger Guidelines?
Vertical mergers are acquisitions involving companies at different levels of the same supply chain. The VMGs are a bit of a misnomer since they also cover mergers of complements (goods that don’t compete but where demand for one increases demand for the other) and mergers of firms in a diagonal relationship (acquiring the supplier of an input good used by a rival of the acquiring firm but not necessarily as an input good for the acquiring firm).
The purpose of joint merger guidelines (including the VMGs and the Horizontal Merger Guidelines (HMGs)) is to explain the analytical approach used by the DOJ and FTC in evaluating potential anticompetitive effects of mergers and acquisitions. Guidelines are explanations of how enforcement agencies will apply their prosecutorial discretion and do not carry the force of law, unlike regulations which are binding on the enforcer and the regulated industry. Agency merger guidelines reflect the best available insights into where enforcers may investigate and prosecute when the case law is not clear—or is silent—on an issue. Moreover, FTC/DOJ guidelines can help shape the law if they provide a coherent framework for courts to follow; the antitrust statutes delegate authority to the federal courts to develop the law on a case-by-case basis and providing judges with economically sound principles have proved to be influential in the past. For example, the HMGs (which were last updated in 2010) are frequently cited by courts, and have been well received for increasing the predictability of merger investigations.
What Do the Vertical Merger Guidelines Say?
The VMGs summarize the broad categories of harm that can result from vertical mergers. The types of harm identified that may warrant an investigation include:
Foreclosure, where a vertically integrated company refuses to supply an input to a rival if that input is critical for downstream competition and cannot reasonably be obtained elsewhere.
Raising Rivals’ Costs, which is similar to foreclosure but involves raising the price of needed inputs for a competitor, as opposed to cutting off those inputs altogether. Raising rivals’ cost can be illegal if it results in less competition and higher prices in the downstream market.
Sharing Competitively Sensitive Information could allow the merged firm to learn its rivals’ pricing or strategic plans, thereby allowing it to harm or otherwise reduce competition with the rival firm.
Coordinated effects could result from a vertical merger if the acquired firm acted as an industry maverick that disciplined market pricing, or if the vertically integrated firm could better coordinate pricing or output with downstream rivals.
The VMGs do not have bright-line predictive thresholds, such as market concentration based on the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), because unlike horizontal mergers, vertical mergers do not directly increase market concentration. Although the draft version of the VMGs included a soft safe-harbor provision for mergers where the relevant market shares were under 20%, the agencies ultimately removed this safe-harbor provision from the final version of the guidelines.
The VMGs also recognize that most vertical transactions do not cause competitive harm, and many such deals create efficiencies. Because vertical deals are not inherently anticompetitive, and traditionally have carried a strong presumption of creating efficiencies, very few vertical transactions are investigated—estimates are that only 2-3% of all merger investigations in the United States each year involve vertical transactions.
Analysis and Context
The new VMGs replace guidance from 1984, although the old Guidelines have not been an accurate statement of enforcement policy for some time. Moreover, the agencies have litigated a vertical merger case only once in the last 40 years, so it’s fair to question why the new VMGs were a priority for the FTC and DOJ.
We have seen an uptick in vertical merger enforcement over the past two years—the agencies have investigated mergers between AT&T/Time Warner, Staples/Essendant, Optum/DaVita, and CVS/Aetna—so it makes sense to explain the new thinking behind the enforcement push. More generally, antitrust theory continues to evolve; the lack of enforcement until recently was driven by late 1970s and ’80s scholarship, especially Robert Bork’s seminal 1978 book The Antitrust Paradox.
A self-described “post-Chicago” academic movement, starting in the 1990s and continuing until today, updated and sometimes undercut Bork’s theory regarding vertical merger enforcement. Antitrust enforcers have taken note. Over the last 30 years, vertical merger cases from both the DOJ and FTC evolved to reflect the concerns of the 1984 Guidelines less and less. By 2018, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim publicly stated that the DOJ no longer used the 1984 Guidelines when assessing vertical mergers, and in 2019 Commissioner Christine Wilson gave a speech declaring that the 1984 Guidelines “have been effectively withdrawn.”
Where Does Vertical Merger Policy Stand After This?
A few important issues remain outstanding after publication of the VMGs. First, the two Democratic FTC Commissioners dissented to the issuance of the guidelines. Commissioner Chopra’s dissent criticized the effort as incomplete, having left out many ways that vertical mergers suppress competition and raise barriers to entry. Chopra lamented that the VMGs support “the status-quo ideological belief that vertical mergers are presumptively benign, and even beneficial.” Commissioner Slaughter’s dissent shared the same substantive concerns, adding that the VMGs also should have received another round of public comments, as the final version differed substantially from the published draft. Slaughter also criticized the VMGs’ over-optimistic treatment of efficiencies and the failure to address buy-side concerns, remedies, or regulatory evasion.
The FTC approved the guidelines on a 3-2 vote, with the three Republican Commissioners issuing a joint statement separate from the DOJ. Given the clear Republican-Democrat divide over whether the guidelines go far enough, there is room for speculation that the new VMGs may not survive a Democratic presidential administration. But the mere fact that vertical merger guidelines have been considered and acted upon, regardless of differing opinions on substance, sends a soft signal that the agencies may be more willing to dedicate resources to vertical merger cases going forward.
The greatest issue left open by the VMGs is that of remedies. Unlike horizontal merger cases, which are often resolved before litigation if the merging parties can divest the overlapping assets, no such clean fix is available for a vertical merger. The FTC and DOJ have a long-standing policy preference for structural remedies (e.g., divestitures) because they do not require ongoing supervisory or regulatory oversight (e.g., monitors or periodic compliance reporting) to enforce. With vertical transactions, a clean divestiture settlement will rarely be possible, leaving the enforcers only one option: suing to block the entire transaction even though, as explained above, the deal may also have significant pro-competitive efficiencies associated with it. For example, in the recent AT&T/Time Warner litigation, the DOJ’s “all-or-nothing” case to enjoin the merger fell short in light of the merging parties’ voluntary efforts to adopt the same protective measures the government allowed when approving the Comcast/NBCU merger in 2011, including “baseball-style” arbitration with distributors to mitigate foreclosure concerns. See United States v. AT&T, Inc., 916 F.3d 1029, 1035 (D.C. Cir., 2019). The VMGs do not provide insight on when an enforcer will move to block a deal if it has the promise of significant pro-competitive efficiencies as well as potential anticompetitive effects.
Subscribe To Viewpoints
Viewpoint Topics
Joseph M. Miller
Bruce D. Sokler
Robert G. Kidwell
Member / Co-chair, Antitrust Practice
Joseph M. Miller is Co-chair of Mintz’s Antitrust Practice. He draws on in-house, law firm, and government experience to advise clients on transactions, government investigations, and merger reviews.
Bruce D. Sokler is a Mintz antitrust attorney. His antitrust experience includes litigation, class actions, government merger reviews and investigations, and cartel-related issues. Bruce focuses on the health care, communications, and retail industries, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.
Robert G. Kidwell is a Mintz attorney who counsels clients on business strategies, regulatory matters, policymaking and lobbying, compliance issues, privacy, and litigation. He defends clients in class action and competitor litigation, and guides transactions through merger reviews.
Evan Moore
Evan Moore is a Legal Intern with the Antitrust section at Mintz.
Sign up for Mintz Insights
Get our latest thought leadership
ML Strategies
Mintz Employee Access
Review our Cookie Management Center
© 2021 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. All Rights Reserved.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1932
|
__label__wiki
| 0.540927
| 0.540927
|
Our Sportfishery. Our Future.
Together, We Can Protect Michigan's Sportfish.
In Michigan, generations of sportsmen and sportswomen, along with conservation partners and communities have worked to restore our fishery. We must protect it.
Michigan Sportfishing Alliance
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Talking Points about House Bills 4567, 4568, and 4569
House Bills Support Fact Sheet
Facts and Myths about proposed commercial fishing legislation Part 1
Model Resolution of Support for House Bills 4567, 4568 and 4569
What is the Michigan Sportfishing Alliance?
The Michigan Sportfishing Alliance was created to promote a new model for managing Michigan's recreational fisheries and gamefish species, with a special focus on updating Michigan’s commercial fishing regulations.
This effort represents a partnership of individuals, organizations, companies, agencies and others who are concerned about current threats being posed by the commercial fishing and netting industry.
The effort to expand commercial take to include gamefish species such as lake trout, walleye and other species, as well as expand commercial netting on Saginaw Bay for perch, is unprecedented. We need to act now.
Read and learn more about the assault on Michigan's sportfishing heritage by downloading, printing and distributing the documents on the left of this page. Ask your community or organization to pass a resolution supporting sportfishing in Michigan by downloading the model resolution.
michigansportfishing@gmail.com
© 2023 by The HANDYMAN Ltd. Proudly created with Wix.com.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1933
|
__label__wiki
| 0.994898
| 0.994898
|
Bashkim Kadrii Signs With MNUFC
February 8, 201710:28AM CST
Follow@ mnufc
Minnesota United announced today that it has acquired winger Bashkim Kadrii on a year-long loan from F.C. Copenhagen, pending receipt of his ITC and P-1 Visa.
“I spoke with Manny [Lagos] and Adrian [Heath] and I had a really good feeling about coming to Minnesota,” Kadrii said. “The plan and the style of play they each spoke about really helped me understand what the club is trying to do and it made me very comfortable with my decision.”
A Danish national of Albanian descent, Kadrii came up in the youth system of B.93 in Copenhagen, for whom he made his professional debut in 2008. He grew into a formidable scorer for the club, netting 18 goals in 30 appearances.
“Bashkim is another really good attacking piece we have added to the club. He’s fit and healthy and ready for a new challenge,” said MNUFC Head Coach Adrian Heath. “He can play any of the forward positions, left, right and through the middle. He’s got an eye for goal and good pace and we are really excited to have him.”
Targeted by several European clubs, Kadrii opted to join Odense Boldklub of the Danish Superleague in 2010. At 19 he made his international debut in a Europa League qualifying match against Getafe CF and became a standout player for OB with 18 goals in league play and one in a Champions League qualification win over Panathinaikos.
After four years with OB, he joined Danish titans FC Copenhagen. He notched a pair of goals his debut year before a knee injury cut his first season short. His comeback the following year saw him largely utilized as an energizer off the bench late in games.
The 25-year-old has represented his country from the U18 to U21 level, and made his senior debut in an international friendly against Scotland.
The addition of Kadrii bolsters a Minnesota United attack that already features Miguel Ibarra, Christian Ramirez, Johan Venegas, Abu Danladi and the recently acquired Kevin Molino. He will be the fifth Scandinavian player to join the team.
Minnesota United makes its home MLS debut on March 12 at TCF Bank Stadium against fellow expansion side Atlanta United. Fans who want to be there for every home match can join the Itasca Society. Over 10,000 season tickets have already been sold, rapidly approaching the inaugural season limit of 11,842 members in this exclusive club — one for every lake in Minnesota. A portion of all proceeds from these season tickets are donated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Loon Monitoring program. Season tickets are available now at MNUFC.COM or by calling 763.4SOCCER. Single match tickets will be available Thursday, February 9 at 10:00 a.m.
TRANSACTION: Minnesota United has acquired Danish forward Bashkim Kadrii on loan from F.C. Copenhagen. Kadrii will be added to Minnesota’s roster upon receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC.
Bashkim Kadrii
Born: 7/9/1991
Last Club: FC Copenhagen
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Citizenship: Denmark
Twitter: bashkimkadrii9
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1935
|
__label__wiki
| 0.722673
| 0.722673
|
Tag: cares
New Study Analyzes Direct Primary Care’s Impact on Large School District’s Health Benefits
| Health Benefits
LONGMONT, Colo., Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Nextera Healthcare, the first provider of direct primary care (DPC) in Colorado and one of the first in the United States, was the subject of an in-depth case study report on the positive impact in health and healthcare costs for a large local school district. The case study evaluated the benefits of DPC and how DPC is used to improve employee health outcomes while decreasing cost to the employee and employer. The analysis was performed by KPI Ninja, a leading healthcare analytics and performance improvement company. KPI Ninja conducted risk score analysis using the Johns Hopkins’ ACG® research system.
The analysis looked at 23,593 claims from September 2018 – August 2019 and compared two preferred provider organization (PPO) plans: a PPO Direct plan, which included Nextera Healthcare and a PPO Choice plan. The PPO Direct plan including the Nextera Healthcare
New Study Analyzes Direct Primary Care’s Impact on Large School District’s Health Benefits | Nachricht
LONGMONT, Colo., Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Nextera Healthcare, the first provider of direct primary care (DPC) in Colorado and one of the first in the United States, was the subject of an in-depth case study report on the positive impact in health and healthcare costs for a large local school district. The case study evaluated the benefits of DPC and how DPC is used to improve employee health outcomes while decreasing cost to the employee and employer. The analysis was performed by KPI Ninja, a leading healthcare analytics and performance improvement company. KPI Ninja conducted risk score analysis using the Johns Hopkins’ ACG research system.
The Key To Health Care’s Success Post-Pandemic? Decentralization
| Community Health
Sarah is the CTO of Sight Diagnostics, a company transforming healthcare through fast, accurate and less painful blood testing.
Technology experts have long known that decentralized systems, while sometimes more unwieldy and expensive to manage, are far more adaptable and resilient to disasters. The health care industry has historically lagged behind in such reform, but the Covid-19 pandemic has entirely changed the way patients interact with their health. It’s clear to me that post-pandemic, we will see a shift toward the decentralization of care.
Transforming Traditional Care Delivery Models
A clinical model based around a centralized hospital that provides diagnosis, treatment and disease management may no longer make sense. The American Hospital Association reports that hospitals are losing more than $50 billion per month as a result of canceling procedures and redirecting focus to treat Covid-19 patients.
In order to survive these bleak financial projections, hospitals should adapt
Chris Paul Recognized For His Off-The-Court Impact With NBA Cares Community Assist Award
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 15: Chris Paul attends Stance Spades At NBA All-Star 2020 at City Hall … [+] on February 15, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Stance)
Getty Images for Stance
It was announced today that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul was named one of five recipients of the 2019-20 NBA Cares Community Assist Award. This is something earned by players due to their continued commitment to positively impacting their communities through sustained efforts over the course of the season.
In the official press release, Paul’s thoughts on winning the award were powerful.
“The community assist award is such an honor to me any year, but this year in particular. Given everything 2020 has thrown our way, it’s important that we the players continue to use our NBA platform to be the voice of the voiceless. I will continue to amplify and support
PEOPLE Magazine Names Fast Enterprises a Top 50 Company That Cares
| Health Magazine
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – October 6, 2020 – ( Newswire.com )
PEOPLE magazine has named government software and consulting services provider Fast Enterprises, LLC (FAST) a company that has “gone above and beyond” in supporting employees and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FAST and other U.S. companies were recognized in PEOPLE’s September 2020 issue for succeeding in business while also demonstrating outstanding respect, care, and concern for their employees, communities, and the environment during the pandemic.
Jennifer Tuvell, a FAST founding partner, said that philanthropy and generosity are important parts of FAST’s culture that resonate with its employees.
“FAST’s gift-matching program, fundraising efforts, and hands-on community-action initiatives provide our employees with support for giving back to their communities and charitable organizations,” Tuvell said, “but it’s the selflessness and generosity of our employees that make a difference.”
The 50 organizations on the magazine’s Companies that Care list were selected in part through
Dallas Mavericks’ Dwight Powell Named NBA Cares 2019-20 Community Assist Award Recipient
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 03: Dwight Powell #7 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts against the … [+] New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on December 03, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks was honored with the NBA Cares 2019-20 Community Assist Award by the league. The award recognizes Powell’s fund supporting cancer patients, COVID-19 relief efforts as well as his involvement with the National Basketball Players Association.
Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul also received nods for the end-of-season award. Along with Powell, the Mavericks
Hess cares about health care, energy
| Health Facts
I am supporting Kalie Hess in Senate District 15 because we need representation by someone who is smart, energetic, young, and who cares about issues like health care and renewable energy.
She has been a leader in improving access to dental care, especially for young children. She is a strong proponent of solar energy and direct metering, which has been a driving force for residential solar energy in Maine. In fact, she has been endorsed by Maine Conservation Voters, Maine Youth for Climate Justice and the Sierra Club.
She and her family are proponents of community supported agriculture, one of the best ways to provide healthy food in our communities.
Please join me in voting for Kalie Hess Nov. 3.
Denis Thoet
Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we
When VP candidates debate in Salt Lake City, they can see changes on health care’s frontlines
| Health
When the VP candidates debate in Salt Lake City, they can see changes in health care’s frontlines
© The Hill
Winston Churchill did something compelling when Nazi bombers attacked London at the start of World War II. Instead of rushing to a bomb shelter, he climbed to a rooftop so he could see what was happening. After the attacks, he visited bombed-out sites to see the impact on the communities he served.
“Churchill toured the worst-hit areas on foot,” one historian recalled. His bodyguard said, “He could no more stay out of a raid than he could sit still in a debate in Parliament.”
My point is to invite Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Vice President Mike Pence to take this same kind of close-up look at health care when they come to
Treasury Department closes CARES loans for seven major U.S. airlines
| Dept Of Health
Photo (c) Evgen Prozhyrko – Getty Images
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it has closed loans to seven major passenger airlines as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The seven carriers are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, and United Airlines.
Officials say it’s likely that the initial loan amounts the airlines applied for in its pool of $25 billion will be increased because some major airlines may opt to secure financing in the private market instead of through the Treasury Department.
“The payroll support and loan programs created by the CARES Act have saved a large number of aviation industry jobs, and kept workers employed and connected to their health care, during an unprecedented time,” said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin.
“We are pleased to conclude loans that will support this critical industry
Day cares are reopening. But they can only serve small groups and fear for their survival.
| Health Article
The industry already operates at the margins, and facilities that are open are running undercapacity to comply with strict health guidelines. Many centers have delayed paying their rent or mortgages until they can afford it. Owners say that many workers have left for babysitting gigs or other minimum-wage jobs that reopened sooner.
The demand for child care is growing but is inconsistent and unpredictable, day care owners said in interviews. They have fewer young infants in their care. But centers with accredited prekindergarten programs say the slots are in high demand, with parents opting for these in-person programs instead of the virtual public school ones. While some centers are turning parents away, others have capacity but no families registered.
And now a new challenge for some day cares: The District announced this month it would change the way it pays them subsidies — money the city pays directly to day-care
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1937
|
__label__wiki
| 0.573838
| 0.573838
|
Album review: Entombed – Clandestine Live
Entombed. The band name itself should send shivers down your spine. They are back, granted not in their entirety but to hear that Entombed are active again – and playing an album that every old school death metal fan will have in their top ten list – is jaw dropping for me. Wild horses would not keep me away from seeing this band live again, and to keep me salivating in the meantime is this live album Clandestine.
To all those in the know, Left Hand Path turned death metal on its head in 1990 with that buzzsaw guitar sound and I must admit, when their second album Clandestine came out, I was looking forward to a Left Hand Path mark two. What I heard was a band that even though some members were not even twenty years of age was mind-blowing, and was instantly labelled a genre classic. The ambition to write songs that are more atmospheric, varied and accessible than its predecessor was brave but, as stated before, was up there with the very best that death metal had to offer at the time.
Live albums are something of a gamble for me as the sound may not be right, or the band cannot re-enact the perfection that was displayed on the album. Opening with “Living Dead” my worry was soon to be dispersed as the sound was perfect and crystal clear, much akin to how the album actually sounded back in 1991.
I must admit though, I did have two major concerns as to how this would sound because I hold this album in such high regard. We all know who did the vocals for the album back in the day and I growl to the album word for word, so it was imperative for me that the vocals were right for this recording. Having the privilege yet also the unenviable task (and knowing that he would be heavily scrutinised), Robert Andersson of progressive death metallers Morbus Chron did a sterling job in re-enacting the vocals and my initially worry was soon diminished. My other worry was the complex guitar solos that Entombed were renowned for and when the intricate solos in the opening song were played, the guitar work of Uffe and Alex is pretty much note perfect.
Controversially enough, most people’s favourite and second track “Sinners Bleed” was actually my least favourite off the album but in the live environment I cannot deny its atmosphere and intensity. Each musician plays a part where each have their own spotlight and every band member can hold their head high. The drumming comes courtesy of the criminally underrated Nicke Andersson — the way he hits the snare half way through the song and the use of all his kit is mind boggling. The eerie opening sequence to “Evilyn” with its simplistic riff but the vocals again of Robert shine through here as it did back in the day. “Evilyn” was always one of the highlights for me and I will admit it got this deathster’s head moshing the most so far. It was the guitar solo at 3.55 and the ensuing drum section that was pivotal that they had to get right for me and they nailed it.
Personal highlight “Chaos Breed” just brings me back to the glory days. Growling every word, playing the drums and playing air guitar (I am a multi-instrumentalist you know) I have never enjoyed a live album so much. Such rapturous applause has never been so deserving after a song than this one. Another personal highlight for me is closing track of the Clandestine album “Through the Colonnades” where we hear the intricate and atmospheric guitar riffs. Bassist Edvin Aftonfalk, again borrowed for this recording from Morbus Chron, does a stellar job on this particular track. Everything you need in a death metal number is instilled right here.
There can only be one song that can end this live album and that is of course “Left Hand Path”. I can listen to this track a hundred times a day and it still sends shivers crawling up my neck. The guitar solos from Uffe and Alex are perfect and once again, Entombed had three guitarists who all play their parts in this intricate track. The song is played in its entirety the way it should be and I just want to jump back in time. For getting this note perfect in the live environment especially after so many years, each musician should give themselves a pat on the back. Glorious, absolutely glorious.
Each song on Clandestine Live contains supreme musicianship from musicians that understand their instrument and play it to their extreme, and have fun with it at the same time. I thank Robert and Edvin for playing their part in making this an essential purchase but most of all, I thank Nicke, Alex and Uffe for getting back and doing this for the fans. The fans yearn for you to do more music and I yearn for you to bring this on tour with you. Thank you! I give this 9 out of 10 and the only reason you lost a point was because I was not there to see it in the flesh. One day!
Clandestine Live is out now
Entombed: offical | twitter | facebook | youtube
Published by Ricky
As Trevor Peres of Obituary once said, "Anything to do with Death, Dying or being Chopped In Half, then I'm into it". Been into death metal since the late 80's and a lover of dark ambient, its simply a case of opposites attract. View all posts by Ricky
Posted on May 29, 2019 by RickyPosted in Album ReviewsTagged Entombed.
Previous Previous post: Interview: Vishal Khetia of Heart of a Coward
Next Next post: Gig Review: Katatonia / Cellar Darling / Wheel – Islington Assembly Hall, London (25th May 2019)
New Band of the Day: Franklin Zoo 7 years ago
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1943
|
__label__cc
| 0.661871
| 0.338129
|
Meta-Analysis Reveals Gait Anomalies in Autism.
Lum, Jarrad A G Shandley, Kerrie Albein-Urios, Natalia Kirkovski, Melissa Papadopoulos, Nicole Wilson, Rujuta B Enticott, Peter G Rinehart, Nicole J
Published in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research
Gait abnormalities are frequently reported in autism. The empirical literature, however, is characterized by inconsistent findings concerning which aspects of gait are affected. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize study findings that examined temporal and spatial (i.e., two-dimensional) gait parameters in pediatric and adult samples comprisin...
Maternal Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy in Association With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or Intellectual Disabilit...
Windham, Gayle C Pearl, Michelle Poon, Victor Berger, Kimberly Soriano, Jasmine W Eyles, Darryl Lyall, Kristen Kharrazi, Martin Croen, Lisa A
Increasing vitamin D deficiency and evidence for vitamin D's role in brain and immune function have recently led to studies of neurodevelopment; however, few are specific to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and vitamin D in pregnancy, a likely susceptibility period. We examined this in a case-control study of 2000-2003 Southern Californian births; AS...
Eye Movements and Behavioural Responses to Gaze-Contingent Expressive Faces in Typically Developing Infants and Infant S...
Keemink, Jolie R Jenner, Lauren Prunty, Jonathan E Wood, Nicky Kelly, David J
Studies with infant siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have attempted to identify early markers for the disorder and suggest that autistic symptoms emerge between 12 and 24 months of age. Yet, a reliable first-year marker remains elusive. We propose that in order to establish first-year manifestations of this inherently social disor...
Prolonged Auditory Brainstem Response in Universal Hearing Screening of Newborns with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Miron, Oren Delgado, Rafael E Delgado, Christine F Simpson, Elizabeth A Yu, Kun-Hsing Gutierrez, Anibal Zeng, Guangyu Gerstenberger, Jillian N Kohane, Isaac S
Previous studies report prolonged auditory brainstem response (ABR) in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite its promise as a biomarker, it is unclear whether healthy newborns who later develop ASD also show ABR abnormalities. In the current study, we extracted ABR data on 139,154 newborns from their Universal Newborn Hea...
An Association Between Serotonin 1A Receptor, Gray Matter Volume, and Sociability in Healthy Subjects and in Autism Spec...
Lefevre, Arthur Richard, Nathalie Mottolese, Raphaelle Leboyer, Marion Sirigu, Angela
Central serotonin is an important molecular pathway, involved in the regulation of social behavior and gray matter volume (GMV). In men with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the serotonergic system and the GMV have been found disrupted. Here, we investigated the relation between serotonin, GMV, and social personality in men with typical development...
Eye-Tracking Reveals Absent Repetition Learning Across the Autism Spectrum: Evidence From a Passive Viewing Task.
Gaigg, Sebastian B Krug, Marie K Solomon, Marjorie Roestorf, Amanda Derwent, Claire Anns, Sophie Bowler, Dermot M Rivera, Susan Nordahl, Christine Wu Jones, Emily J H ...
In the domain of memory, autism is characterized by difficulties in explicitly remembering the specific order of stimuli, whereas implicit serial order memory appears to be preserved. This pattern is of considerable interest because serial order memory is known to play a critical role in children's language development. Currently, however, few para...
Short-Term Memory Span and Cross-Modality Integration in Younger and Older Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disor...
Ring, Melanie Guillery-Girard, Bérengère Quinette, Peggy Gaigg, Sebastian B Bowler, Dermot M
This study tested whether adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show the same pattern of difficulties and absence of age-related differences in short-term memory (STM) as those that have been reported in episodic long-term memory (LTM). Fifty-three adults with ASD (age range: 25-65 years) were compared to 52 age-, biological sex-, and intellig...
Metacognitive Monitoring and Control of Eyewitness Memory Reports in Autism.
Maras, Katie Norris, Jade Eloise Brewer, Neil
Providing eyewitness testimony involves monitoring one's memory to provide a detailed and accurate account: reporting details likely to be accurate and withholding potentially inaccurate details. Autistic individuals reportedly experience difficulties in both retrieving episodic memories and monitoring their accuracy, which has important implicatio...
Children with ASD Show Impaired Item-Space Recollection, But Preserved Item-Color Recollection.
Mooney, Lindsey N Nordahl, Christine Wu Solomon, Marjorie Ghetti, Simona
Although individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been often shown to display similar memory performance on semantic memory tasks compared to typically developing (TD) children, there is ongoing debate about whether and how their ability to remember specific past events (i.e., episodic memory) is impaired. We assessed a sample of 62 chi...
Declarative Memory and Structural Language Impairment in Autistic Children and Adolescents.
Anns, Sophie Gaigg, Sebastian B Hampton, James A Bowler, Dermot M Boucher, Jill
Two experiments tested the hypothesis that a plausible contributory factor of structural language impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is impaired declarative memory. We hypothesized that familiarity and recollection (subserving semantic and episodic memory, respectively) are both impaired in autistic individuals with clinically significant...
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1952
|
__label__wiki
| 0.690214
| 0.690214
|
HP Launches Its Very Own Earbuds Because Really Why Not - Science/Technology - Nairaland
Nairaland Forum / Science/Technology / HP Launches Its Very Own Earbuds Because Really Why Not (101 Views)
Wema Bank Launches Its Very Own Hackathon – Hackaholics / Itel Mobile Launches Its Revolutionary First Fingerprint Entry-level Smartphone / HP Launches A Pocket Size Photo Printer Called Hp Sprocket (2) (3) (4)
(1) (Reply)
HP Launches Its Very Own Earbuds Because Really Why Not by gavinhallton: 2:46pm On Jan 13
Earbuds are the new trend in the tech industry, and more and more companies launch such products in an attempt to get a bigger share in this particular new industry.
While Apple is pretty much the king, there are others pushing the innovation level higher and higher, and HP hopes it can do the same thing with a new device announced today at CES.
Called HP Elite Wireless Earbuds, the new model is supposed to be the “world’s most advanced earbuds for collaboration,” providing a series of new features like personalized audio tuning.
Other than that, you can noise cancellation and sound situation presets, and since they use Bluetooth, they can work with pretty much any device out there, including Android phones, iPhones, and Windows 10 PCs.
No pricing info just yet
HP says the new earbuds would be sold both separately and as a bundle, and additional information would be shared closer to the April release date.
“The HP Elite Wireless Earbuds are the world’s most advanced earbuds for collaboration, with personalized audio tuning, adjustable noise cancellation, and sound situation presets. Flow through the day with earbuds that seamlessly switch from a conference call on a PC to listening to music on a phone via the simple Windows 10, iOS, or Android app. The Elite Wireless Earbuds will be offered as a bundle option with the Elite Dragonfly Max or available separately for purchase,” HP says.
For the time being, there’s a lot missing about these new earbuds, so for example, we don’t know how much they are supposed to cost.
Given they are specifically aimed at collaboration, they’re more aimed at businesses and office workers, so there’s a chance HP isn’t specifically targeting the average customer that would normally go for the AirPods with this new product.
https://issuu.com/ronin-the-last-samurai-free-money-gems
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/g1Krg/1/
https://issuu.com/citampi-stories-unlimited-money-2021
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/iSifW/1/
https://issuu.com/wcc3-unlimited-platinum-generator-2021
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7pKUV/1/
$1500 Ebay Checkout Available. Taking Order Now At 320/$ / How To Fix The Yahoo Account Login Problem? / How To Solve Norton Login Problems?
Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2021 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 30
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1953
|
__label__wiki
| 0.967091
| 0.967091
|
Trending Garland Vaccine Hub MLK Day Coronavirus Variants Vaccine Sign-Up COVID-19 Tracker Fighting Hunger Project Innovation
Dallas Black Police Association Joins Police Critics Demanding Reform
By Ken Kalthoff • Published September 23, 2016 • Updated on September 23, 2016 at 6:02 pm
The Black Police Association of Greater Dallas Friday joined Dallas Police critics demanding a series of reforms. They include civilian police review with power to demand testimony from officers under oath about alleged misconduct.
"We, as an organization of black police officers, are stepping up to the plate and we're going to do what's necessary to get this done," said Lt. Thomas Glover, president of the 600-member BPA.
Glover said Dallas had a powerful civilian review panel in the late 1980s but it was watered down over the years and has been strongly opposed by police and city leaders recently. Those defending the current arrangement have argued police and prosecutors have sufficient authority to investigate misconduct.
Garland 9 hours ago
Garland Planning to Open Drive-Thru Vaccine Hub
Glover said citizens should have a stronger role.
"The transparency comes and the trust is built when you allow groups like this here, and when you allow citizens who we serve to sit down at the table," Glover said.
Beside Glover for the announcement were protest leaders and local ministers who have questioned Dallas police policies.
"None of us are anti-police," said the Rev. Frederick Haynes, pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church. "But we are anti-police misconduct. We're anti-police brutality. And we're anti-policing system that systematically discriminates against people of color."
A civilian review panel with subpoena power is also a key reform demand of the Next Generation Action Network, which sponsored several police demonstrations in Dallas this year, including the July 7 rally that preceded the shooting deaths of five officers.
Lt. Glover said the demonstrators are not to blame for the actions of a lone gunman that night.
"There is no way the city of Dallas can repeat what happened on July the 7th. And one of the major steps in preventing that from happening again is, we've got to have everybody at the table," he said. "We've got to have trust. And in order to build trust, we've got to be open and transparent."
Other points of the BPA's seven-point plan promote community cooperation, police diversity training and identifying problem officers and potential violence against officers.
"I would like to applaud the Dallas Black Police Association for their courage and for their integrity in speaking out against police brutality," said Next Generation Action Network representative Kim Cole. "I understand it's not going to be popular, but it's right. And sometimes, that's how it is."
Glover and others at the announcement said Dallas has made more progress on reducing brutality and use of force than some other cities but they said more progress is needed.
Efforts to reach Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and leaders of other Dallas Police Officer groups for comment were unsuccessful Friday.
DallasPRESIDENTofficerDallas PoliceMAYOR
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1956
|
__label__wiki
| 0.930005
| 0.930005
|
BlackBerry finally starts rolling out BBM for iOS and Android
By John Callaham Neowin @JCalmn · Oct 21, 2013 15:41 EDT · Hot! with 14 comments
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." That old saying will likely be on the minds of many people at BlackBerry's headquarters today as the troubled company announced it is finally ready to launch its BBM online messaging service beyond its own smartphones to iOS and Android devices.
You may remember that BlackBerry was planning on launching those apps about a month ago, but a leaked early release of the Android version caused issues with the BBM services and forced the company to halt its release plans. Today, BlackBerry announced it will roll out iOS and Android BBM services today.
The Inside BlackBerry blog stated that people who have signed up before today to get the BBM service will be able to access and use the iOS and Android apps immediately. For those folks who are not on that VIP list, BlackBerry says they can go ahead and download the apps and then enter their email address. The company states, "We will email you as soon as you reach the front of the line and can start using BBM." So basically it's like trying to get into a hot downtown club.
BlackBerry needs some good news as the company's future is still in a state of flux, with different buyout rumors appearing on web sites almost every day. A few days ago, BlackBerry tried to assure its customers, and the world at large, that it plans to stick around for the long haul, but that remains to be seen.
Source: BlackBerry | Image via BlackBerry
Nokia Lumia 1320 revealed in leaked image
Microsoft can now sell Office 365 to U.S. Department of Defense
Connect to your PC remotely with Chrome Remote Desktop from any device in Front Page News
Amazon is discounting the Echo Show 5 by £30 and Echo Auto by £20 in the UK in Front Page News
Save 91% off this 2021 Mobile App Developers Bundle
Office Lens has been removed from the Microsoft Store
Jan 2, 2021 · Hot!
Microsoft Authenticator adds a new password manager to its Android and iOS apps
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1959
|
__label__wiki
| 0.582019
| 0.582019
|
Contact me at the Modculture site
About Modculture
All about Mod, Mods and the Mod scene from the 1960s, through the revival and into the present day
Features Sounds
On vinyl: The mod’s guide to Record Store Day 2019
The mod’s guide to Record Store Day 2019
The term mod does cover a lot of ground musically, but hopefully this the mod’s guide to Record Store Day 2019 ticks most of the required boxes.
In short, I’ve been through all the releases so you don’t have to, picking out the releases that might make you want to get out of bed early on 13th April 2019.
If you don’t fancy doing that, they will all be on eBay within hours of going on sales in those record stores, some will make it to Amazon and others will sit on racks for days after. It’s all about supply and demand.
As you might have guessed, it isn’t my favourite day of the year, but there are some great releases out there than you might want. This is the pick of the bunch so far – there is a chance that other releases might be confirmed late in the day.
Various artists – The Mod Scene double album (pictured at the top of the page)
This is pretty much an essential purchase as a budget CD, so the double vinyl is a no-brainer. 25 mod cult classics from the 1960s on heavyweight vinyl and with a 4-sided information sheet, replicating original album CD package notes.
Various artists – The Freakbeat Scene double album
See above really. Another essential budget CD transferred to double heavyweight vinyl and again with that info sheet. Every track a winner on here too.
Various artists – This Is Ska
In 1964, record label owner Edward Seaga organised a showcase of Jamaican music to perform at the New York World’ s Fair. Seaga also hosted this show at the Sombrero Club in Kingston – and the BBC was there to film it. This is that amazing soundtrack.
Various artists – The Northern Soul Scene double album
Yes, another of the ‘Scene’ albums getting a vinyl outing. Again, you can buy this as a budget CD or go for this heavyweight vinyl release with information sheet.
Various artists – The Psychedelic Scene double album
Yes, I am keeping going with the ‘Scene’ albums, this time with a later ‘60s selection of psych. Yes, you guessed it, you can buy the budget CD, but due to rarity value, this isn’t budget anymore. Cheaper to buy this heavyweight vinyl with that info sheet.
Various artists – The R&B Scene double album
The last of the ‘Scene’ albums and another cracker if you love British R&B from the 1960s. Cheap as a CD but available once more as a heavyweight vinyl issue with info sheet. Yeah, just buy them all.
Various artists – Soho Scene ’59 (Jazz Goes Mod)
There is a CD box taking in both the 59 and 60 albums, but this is the standalone vinyl for 1959. if you want a jazz soundtrack to the early mod scene, this is for you.
David Bowie – The World Of David Bowie
This was released as a budget album in 1970 to ride on the back of the Space Oddity success. Basically it’s a selection of Bowie’s 1960s output and if you love that, this is for you.
David Bowie – Pin Ups
I’m sticking this one in just because it follows on nicely. A picture disc version of Bowie’s covers album, which was a selection of tracks that Bowie loved in his Soho hangout days.
Booker T & The MGs – Green Onions Plus 3
Always nice to see a 10-inch release, with this one on green vinyl too. A mod classic, not a lot else to say really.
Otis Redding with Booker T & The MGs and The Mar-Keys – Just Do It One More Time!
Redding’s career-defining performance from the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, complete with the opening sets by Booker T & The MGs and the Mar-Key horns, available for the first time on vinyl. Marbled vinyl too.
Various artists – Northern Soul 7-inch box set
The 1st edition in The Selector Series features a special 7 x 7-inch box set culled from the vaults of Sony Music and containing 14 super-rare Northern Soul tracks, all presented on the original labels together with notes on the individual tracks. Limited to 500 unique hand-numbered copies.
Various artists – R&B Style 1964 – Mighty Instrumentals R&B Style 1964
A selection of lesser-known R&B gems from 1964, 16 tracks without words and without a hint of chart success between them.
Various artists – Soul Jazz Records Presents – Studio One Showcase 7-inch box set
A second 7-inch box, this time 5 x 7-inch releases featuring 10 super-rare Studio One tracks, all with original label art.
The Specials – 10 Commandments / You’re Wondering Now
Two tracks, one from The Specials current Encore album, the second a classic with a difference, when the band were joined by the late Amy Winehouse.
Various artists – Max’s SKAnsas City
Recently unearthed ‘lost recordings’ from the early New York ska scene in 1980, in limited edition milky clear vinyl LP, including sessions with legendary Skatalites founder Roland Alfonso.
The Redskins – Bring It Down! (This Insane Thing) 10-inch single
The first Redskins release for many years, it kicks off with an exclusive remix of the original single, an extended 12″ version plus You Want It? They’ve Got It! and previously unreleased ‘ live edit’ of their track Let’s Make It Work. All on red vinyl.
The Mo-dettes – The Story So Far
Limited heavyweight vinyl of the album and the first ever reissue of the 1980 release. Also comes with lyric sheets and die-cut A4 sticker.
Various artists – Texas Soul ’68
A History of Soul release and focusing on some funky soul from the late 1960s described as ‘mixing up big star artists with lesser known singers – plenty of uptempo dancers and a few delicious ballads for a change of pace’.
Various artists – Los Angeles Nuggets – Where The Action Is!
Part of Rhino’ s acclaimed Nuggets series, focusing on the different aspects of the underground rock music scene in and around Los Angeles from 1965 – 1968. If that’s your bag, check this one out.
Get Carter OST
This has been out on vinyl before (I’ve got one somewhere), but this version is a limited edition (1,500) 180-gram audiophile vinyl in a gatefold sleeve and on coloured vinyl. Dialogue from the movie interspersed with Budd’s music.
Various artists – Soul Slabs volume 2 box set
A 3-LP red vinyl box set, gold-foil numbered, housed in a heavy duty slipcase box with download card. 2000 only worldwide. Basically the pick of Colemine Records, specialising in heavy soul, funk, and R&B with old school productions.
Ronnie Lane And The Band Slim Chance – At The BBC
No Small Faces releases this year, but you can get this on vinyl for the very first time, which pulls together Peel Sessions and a BBC in concert.
Vivian Stanshall and Gargantuan Chums – Suspicion
This is an odd one. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band frontman made a single with Keith Moon and John Entwistle and it’s incredibly rare in original form. This reissue is available on yellow vinyl with a picture sleeve.
The Dream Syndicate – The Days of Wine & Roses
The debut album from the cult psych band of the Paisley Underground scene. Back on vinyl and with a bonus 7-inch single.
The Television Personalities – Some Kind Of Happening: Singles 1978-1989
The first of two releases from the cult band, this being a remastered collection of all of the Television Personalities’ ground-breaking single releases up until 1989. You’ll know if you want it or not regardless of the track listing.
The Television Personalities – Some Kind Of Trip: Singles 1990-1994
Last but not least, a limited edition of the previous one (which is also limited), taking in the band’s later years.
If you want to browse all the confirmed releases for Record Store Day 2019, do check out the official website.
1960s beat freakbeat garage LP mod mod’s guide to Record Store Day 2019 mods music psych record Record Store Day record store day 2019 single ska soul two tone vinyl
Out this week: Adidas Rom City Series trainers
Quadrophenia movie 40th anniversary event in Brighton
If you enjoy Modculture, please help to keep the site online with a one-off or regular donation.
Get the Modculture weekly newsletter
Top 20 mod labels for the 21st century
Eddie Piller presents The Mod Revival CD and vinyl set
20 of the best Mod knitwear labels
10 of the best 1960s-style trainers
The Mod Top 100 as compiled by Randy Cozens
Full Site Archive
Modculture on Facebook
Modculture on Twitter
Modculture on Instagram
Modculture on Pinterest
USEFUL SITE LINKS
Modculture is owned and run by David Walker.
FANCY CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SITE?
If you want to contribute to the site in any way or want to suggest something we should feature, please get in touch.
Modculture
Copyright © 2021 Modculture — Designed by WPZOOM
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1961
|
__label__cc
| 0.661737
| 0.338263
|
Stretching for Functional Movement
When people think of stretching, they think of stretching their muscles only. But just as important, if not more so, than stretching the muscles is stretching the often overlooked fascia that surrounds the muscle. Fascia is an innervated network of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, organ structures, and vertebrae. Like muscles, it is important for fascia to stay hydrated as it can become stiff which can then manifest in the form of inflammatory injuries all over the body. Research has shown that fascia contains even more sensory receptors than muscles making it all the more important that self-care is shown for this network.
Unfortunately, the everyday activities we engage in such as walking and working at a computer can lead to misalignment, adhesion formation and consequently, a stiffening of the connective tissue network. Compounding that, flexibility is impacted by numerous other factors such as age, hormones, rigorous exercise or lack thereof, and more. Traditionally, static stretching has focused on isolating single muscles and not on functional mobility or dynamic movements and it is often not sufficient enough for the many of us who have developed compensatory movement patterns over time as our fascia have become dehydrated or tense in certain areas of our bodies.
The concept of stretching out the myofascia, the specific term for fascia surrounding the muscles, more commonly known as fascial stretch therapy (FST) has become increasingly popular among professional athletes over the past few years as a way for them to improve their mobility and hence, their overall performance. It is now slowly creeping its way into the mainstream of physical therapy and yoga clinics across the country as the recognition of the critical importance of supple fascia in whole body alignment grows. Finding a therapist or practitioner certified in FST can be challenging due to the lack of those with the proper training or expertise in this domain and foam rollers and soft massage balls have been primary mechanisms for at-home versions of loosening up myofascia, though they do not come with guides. However, that tide is turning nationwide and also here in Waukesha County as Momentum adds LifeStretch classes, a form of self-traction FST designed by the Stretch to Win Institute based in Tempe, AZ, to its portfolio.
‘LifeStretch was developed so clients could do some of the FST to themselves without assistance from a therapist,’ stated Lisa McNeil, a LifeStretch certified instructor who has also been providing FST sessions as a level three medically trained specialist. ‘So instead of the therapist manually stretching a client on a table and sometimes using table straps, the client can be on the floor or just standing and use self-traction to stretch the fascia.’ McNeil has recently begun offering 30-minute LifeStretch classes every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. and every Saturday at 8:00 a.m.at Revolution Fitness in Pewaukee.
McNeil, who completed certification on site at the Stretch to Win Institute recently, says that after practicing LifeStretch she feels empowered as she deals with her own pain and injury issues stemming from a car accident January 2016. After two years of movement restriction and pain, I can now heal my body like I have been doing for my clients all these years,’ she added.
Because the choreography increases functional mobility, LifeStretch compliments regular yoga and Pilates practice. And much like Pilates, focusing on breath is an important component of LifeStretch. McNeil explained that participants start the workshop with a postural assessment and then move into a breathing assessment followed by a lesson on correct breathing. There are no ‘perfect poses’ and there is a focus on overall balance and movement of the myofascial system as opposed to targeting specific muscles. Self-traction is employed which means that instead of an FST therapist manually stretching someone on a table, participants learn to do this unassisted through stretching or moving, or even using the floor, an object, or wall as a means to create resistance.
According to the LifeStretch creators at the Stretch to Win Institute, ‘when traction with inhalation is followed by exhalation on the mobility-stretch sequences, range of motion increases rapidly without discomfort.’ In LifeStretch you learn how to self traction your body.
Alexandra Archibad, a client of Lisa McNeil, said that she saw the class advertisement and signed up to learn more about stretching. ‘I noticed that after the LifeStretch class my body felt more flexible and my joints felt like they received some oil,’ she said.
‘One thing I’ve learned is that everybody has “issues in their tissues”. It was surprising to learn that I was extremely hyper-mobile in some stretches and extremely hypo-mobile in others. Everybody needs work with flexibility or strength, or both …somewhere,’ added McNeil.
By Scarlett Salem
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1964
|
__label__wiki
| 0.652282
| 0.652282
|
WSB: Misano by the numbers (stats for stats sake)
By Tony Carter|2020-06-24T16:40:53+01:00June 13th, 2017|Categories: News, Sport|Tags: Carl Fogarty, Italy, Max Biaggi, Misano World Circuit, MoreBikes, Rimini, WSB|
Hey, fancy being a WSB expert? Then here’s the crib sheet that the pros use. These are the numbers that count going into this weekend’s fun and games near the beach at Rimini as Jonathan Rea heads towards his 100th podium (if he manages it in Race One then he’ll have made 100 podiums in 205 starts – that’s one more than Carl Fogarty took and it’ll be at the same track as King Carl grabbed the landmark) .
161 – At 161,783kph, last year’s was the fastest ever pole at Misano.
76 – The number of podiums for Ducati riders at Misano – an all-time record. The Italian manufacturer has 71 at Assen.
48 – Misano has hosted 48 WSB races so far, and this weekend will equal Donington at 50 – third overall. Only Phillip Island (53) and Assen (52) have hosted more races.
28 – This is the track in which a single manufacturer has won the highest number of races: Ducati won here 28 times. Next up is also Ducati, with 25 wins at Assen. The best value for another team is 15 from Kawasaki at Donington.
27 – The number of podium finishes here for the two Troys: Corser (16) and Bayliss (11) at Misano. They are the only ones in double-digit podium figures. Among the current riders, Rea leads with 6.
12 – Ruben Xaus is the only rider who won here starting outside the top-10 grid spots. In 2003 he recorded the double, starting from the 12th grid spot twice.
11 – Ducati holds only two poles less than the sum of all its rivals (13). Curiously, the last two poles at Misano for the Italian manufacturer didn’t come from the works team: in 2009 Jakub Smrz recorded pole for Guandalini Racing, while in 2004 the Ducati poleman was Steve Martin for D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda.
11 – Ducati was the sole winner here for 11 straight races: from 2001 Race 1 to 2006 Race 1. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) broke the streak, taking his only WSB win in 2006 Race 2.
8 – Eight years ago, double World Champion Jonathan Rea took his maiden WSB win at this track. 45 more and two world championships have since followed.
6 – Troy Bayliss is the most successful rider in Misano, with 6 wins spanning from 2001 to 2007, all scored with Ducati. The second place (4 wins) is shared by Max Biaggi and Jonathan Rea, the latter being in the position to equal the record this year if he secures a double victory.
6 – Another Troy leads the standings for poles at Misano – Corser – with no less than six. His last one, in 2010, was of particular significance as it was the last of his 43 poles (an all-time record) and the first one for BMW. Tom Sykes – with 5 poles under his belt – can equal Corser’s Misano record this year.
6 – Kawasaki have won the last six races here, the second best string at this track. This equals the one set by Ducati from 1994 Race 2 to 1997 Race 1, and in the six races run here from 1991 to 1993. The record run stands at 11, set by Ducati from 2001 Race 1 to 2006 Race 1.
6 – The last six wins here have been from British riders (3 Sykes, 3 Rea, in this order): the best string for any country in this track. The previous record had been set by Australia, with 4 in 2006-2007 (Bayliss/Pitt and a double by Bayliss).
1 – There is only one rider in the current field who has qualified from pole at Misano: Tom Sykes, 5 times. He has recorded pole in each of his last five race weekends here.
2010 Kawasaki 1400GTR Quick Review
Erik Buell – Comeback King
Lewis Hamilton investigated by NZ Police after Harley riding selfie
Motorcycle airbag vests save lives
Team HRC heads to Suzuka 8 hours in 2018
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1969
|
__label__cc
| 0.654036
| 0.345964
|
DevilDriver and Jinjer Heat Up Halloween Agora Crowd
While many claim the legendary Cleveland Agora to be haunted, the crowd gathered Wednesday night at the historic venue was delightfully shrieking at the bands gathered to celebrate Halloween night.
Raven Black, a California-cum-Michigan based band, warmed the crowd up with a spirited set. Diminutive frontwoman Raven, tiny in stature but not in her ability to belt out a tune, was dressed appropriately for the All Hallow's Eve occasion. Her band, billed with one-named monikers, really shone in their short time onstage. Muppet, on drums, bore a keen resemblance to Rob Zombie. The Doctor and Stitches, on lead guitar and bass, respectively, really got the crowd revved up.
Headliner DevilDriver, dressed to thrill, played to a large Theater crowd. The middle act, up-and-coming Ukrainian metalcore band Jinjer, however, may have stolen the show from the more experienced senior metal outfit.
Jinjer frontwoman Tatiana Shmailyuk, dressed as Amy Winehouse for Halloween night (and a jaw-dropping doppelganger for the late singer), brought her quartet onto the stage for a spirited thirty-five minute set. With four albums already under their belt, this is the band's second tour in the last eighteen months and their second visit to Northeast Ohio in 2018.
Starting with "Words of Wisdom" from their newest effort, King of Everything, Shmailyuk set the bar fairly high for the rest of the night. The one-two punch in her vocal/scream brought out the best in the audience, many of whom were dressed for the Halloween festivities. Or, perhaps, it was a typical Wednesday night for the metal crowd and their dripping eye liner.
Launching into one of their bigger hits, "I Speak Astronomy," the band then offered "Pisces," from the new album as well as "Perennial," and "Who Is Gonna Be The One?" from their 2014 release Cloud Factory.
Based on the crowd's reaction, this is a band to keep an eye on. Their energy and presence is a breath of fresh air. The exotic lilt to frontwoman Shmailyuk's voice doesn't hurt anything either. It gives her a classic bent on a very American art form. Plus, for Halloween, it doesn't hurt anything.
To paraphrase old Drac...the creatures of the night, what beautiful music they make.
Review and Photos by Brian M. Lumley
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1972
|
__label__wiki
| 0.936495
| 0.936495
|
Rising suicide rates and depression in US teens and young adults have prompted researchers to ask a provocative question: Could the same devices that some people blame for contributing to tech-age angst also be used to detect it?
The idea has sparked a race to develop apps that warn of impending mental health crises. Call it smartphone psychiatry or child psychology 2.0.
Studies have linked heavy smartphone use with worsening teen mental health. But as teens scroll through Instagram and Snapchat, tap out texts or watch YouTube videos, they also leave digital footprints that might offer clues to their psychological well-being.
Changes in typing speed, voice tone, word choice and how often kids stay home could signal trouble, according to preliminary studies.
There might be as many as 1 000 smartphone "biomarkers" for depression, said Thomas Insel, former head of the National Institute of Mental Illness and now a leader in the smartphone psychiatry movement.
Researchers are testing experimental apps that use artificial intelligence to try to predict depression episodes or potential self-harm.
"We are tracking the equivalent of a heartbeat for the human brain," said Dr Alex Leow, an app developer and associate professor of psychiatry and bioengineering at the University of Illinois' Chicago campus.
At least, that's the goal. There are technical and ethical kinks to work out - including privacy issues and making sure kids grant permission to be monitored so closely. Developers say proven, commercially available mood-detecting apps are likely years - but not decades - away.
"People often feel that these things are creepy," because of the tech industry's surreptitious tracking of online habits for commercial purposes, said University of Oregon psychologist Nick Allen.
"Using smartphones as mental illness detectors would require informed consent from users to install an app, "and they could withdraw permission at any time," said Allen, one of the creators of an app that is being tested on young people who have attempted suicide.
"The biggest hurdle at the moment," Allen said, "is to learn about what's the signal and what's the noise - what is in this enormous amount of data that people accumulate on their phones that is indicative of a mental health crisis."
Depression affects about 3 million US teens, and rates have climbed in the past decade. Last year, 13% of 12- to 17-year-olds had depression, up from 8 percent in 2010, US government data show. One in 10 college-aged Americans is affected.
Suicide has risen to the second leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34. Rates among teen girls doubled from 2007 to 2015, climbing to 5 per 100 000. And among boys, rates jumped 30%, to 14 in 100 000.
A recent study suggested a parallel rise in smartphone use likely contributed.
Identify early signs
People with mental illness typically get treatment "when they're in crisis and very late in the course of an illness. We want to have a method to identify the earliest signs," in an objective way, Insel said.
If smartphones prove to be accurate mood predictors, developers say the ultimate goal would be to use them to offer real-time help, perhaps with automated text messages and links to help lines, or digital alerts to parents, doctors or first responders.
Facebook is already doing just that with what it calls "proactive detection." Last year, after a live-streamed suicide, Facebook trained its AI systems to flag certain words or phrases in online posts that could indicate imminent self-harm. Friends' comments expressing concern about the user's well-being are part of the equation.
"In the last year, we've helped first responders quickly reach around 3 500 people globally who needed help," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in November. Facebook has not disclosed outcomes of those cases.
The ongoing research includes:
- A Stanford University study involving about 200 teens, including kids at risk for depression because of bullying, family circumstances or other life stresses. As part of the research, teens who have been tracked since grade school get an experimental phone app that surveys them three times daily for two weeks with questions about their mood.
Researchers are combining those answers with passive smartphone data, including how active or sedentary kids are, to identify any changes that might be linked with future depression.
Study participant Laurel Foster, 15, acknowledges feeling stress over academics and "the usual" teen friendship pressures and says depression is rampant at her San Francisco high school. She said using the smartphone app felt a bit like being spied on, but with so many online sites already tracking users' habits "one more isn't really a big difference."
"I feel like it's good to actually find out what is stressing you," Foster said, endorsing the idea of using smartphones to try to answer that question.
- At UCLA, as part of a broader effort to battle campus depression launched in 2017, researchers are offering online counseling and an experimental phone app to students who show signs of at least mild depression on a screening test. About 250 freshmen agreed to use the app in the first year. Personal sensing data collected from the app is being analysed to see how it correlates with any worsening or improvement in depression symptoms seen in internet therapy.
Sophomore Alyssa Lizarraga, who had the app on her phone for about six months, said it was "a little like the Big Brother thing. Half of me felt that way. The other half felt like I hope it will be useful."
Lizarraga, 19, has had depression since high school in Whittier, California. She has worried that she's "addicted" to her phone and spends a lot of time on social media sites. "People need to see the best side of me" there, she said, and comparing herself with others online sometimes gets her down.
But using smartphones in a positive way for mental health might help nudge people to seek early treatment, if they could see how their phone use showed signs of depression, she said.
- At the University of Illinois' Chicago campus, researchers studying depression and mania in bipolar disorder are using crowdsourcing to test their experimental phone app. Anyone can download the free app, and nearly 2 000 have so far, agreeing to let the researchers continuously track things such as typing speed, number of keystrokes and use of spellcheck. Participants include healthy people, and their data will help researchers zero in on changes in phone use that may signal onset of mood problems, said Leow, the psychiatry and bioengineering expert who helped develop it.
The study is for ages 18 and up, but if proven to work, the technology could be used in kids too, Leow said.
- Mindspring, a Palo Alto, California tech health company co-founded by Insel, the former National Institutes of Health chief, is testing a "digital phenotyping" app in several studies. Insel thinks the technology has promise to transform psychiatry, but that the most important question is whether it can be used to improve patient health.
- Verily, a tech health arm of Google parent company Alphabet, is developing a similar app but declined to elaborate beyond a written statement from its mental health leader, Menachem Fromer. He cited two key goals: making predictions about someone's mental health and their symptoms and "discovering new subtypes of disease that may inform treatment decisions."
Social media posts may hint at depression long before clinical diagnosis
Social media can leave you feeling more isolated
Facebook appoints SADAG to help prevent SA suicides
Study reveals link between anxiety, depression and dating apps
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1977
|
__label__wiki
| 0.822487
| 0.822487
|
Tags: Barack Obama | Exclusive Interviews | NSA/Surveillance | Obama | media | gloves | off
Ron Christie: Media Has Finally Taken Gloves Off on Obama
By Bill Hoffmann | Monday, 17 June 2013 06:06 PM
President Barack Obama's popularity has plunged because the mainstream media has stopped "covering" for him as scandals surround his administration, according to Ron Christie, a former senior adviser to George W. Bush.
"The bloom is off the rose and now the national media is looking at this president," Christie told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"Now that the stories have gotten out about the various scandals and the American people are actually hearing this on mainstream outlets, of course his numbers are going to drop because the press was largely covering for him for these last five years."
According to a new CNN survey, the president's approval rating is 45 percent, plummeting 8 points in the last month.
Story continues below video.
The drop comes amid revelations of the National Security Agency's collection of Americans' phone and email records, the IRS' scrutiny of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, and questions about the handling of the attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.
Christie, a top Republican strategist and founder of Christie Strategies, said the president's lower popularity may take a toll on his political swing in a few months.
"As we head into the summer months, people are out, they're on vacation. But when we come back in the fall, the president's ability to really have a significant voice on legislation in the Congress has been irreparably damaged," he said.
"Given the fact he won re-election largely on the shoulders of the independent voters — now that they've abandoned him, now that they have viewed his presidency as being somewhat of one where he's very hands-off as opposed to engaged — this, again, shows you that the Democrats are in a really, really poor position heading into the midterm election."
Christie pointed to Obama's campaign of "Hope and Change" in making peoples' lives better in the future.
"'Hope and Change' doesn't get you a job. 'Hope and Change' hasn't created the millions of new jobs that were promised," he said.
"[It] has, frankly, been a failure that a lot of younger voters who were very much in favor of the president … have now realized that his policies not only are not helping, but they're hurting the country — and they're hurting them in particular."
See the Steve Malzberg Show on Newsmax TV each weekday live by Clicking Here Now
You can listen to the Steve Malzberg Show each weekday live from 3-6 PM ET on SiriusXM 244.
Obama,media,gloves,off,ron,christie,steve,marlzberg
Monday, 17 June 2013 06:06 PM
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1978
|
__label__wiki
| 0.697906
| 0.697906
|
Broken Arrow High School's marching band in the inaugural parade in Washington DC
Thursday, January 20th 2005, 9:44 am
A dozen Tulsa Police officers were in Washington DC Thursday, part of the Presidential security detail. And a Broken Arrow band represented Oklahoma in the inaugural parade.
The Pride of Broken Arrow marched in the presidential parade Thursday, while several of the Pride's smallest fans watched from their classroom. Karen Williams' planned a patriotic curriculum for Kindergarten class, with the highlight being seeing Broken Arrow's own on television.
Williams' son is a Pride alum and she says she taught some of the band members and Oklahoma couldn't have better ambassadors. "We were so proud of the fact that the pride of Broken Arrow was able to go and represent Oklahoma, and that these young people were not just from Broken Arrow. They were representing everybody from Oklahoma as part of the presidential celebration."
News On 6 A dozen Tulsa Police officers were in Washington DC Thursday, part of the Presidential security detail. And a Broken Arrow band represented Oklahoma in the inaugural parade.
The Pride of Broken
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1979
|
__label__wiki
| 0.901962
| 0.901962
|
Polling places crowded as Oklahoma begins early voting
Saturday, October 30th 2004, 3:56 pm
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The general election is still a few days away, but long lines were reported at polling places across the state as Oklahomans took advantage of early voting.
Sheriff's deputies stood guard at the polling room and parking lot in Oklahoma County Friday to direct a flood of traffic that sometimes stretched onto a busy boulevard nearby.
In Tulsa County, an election worker described the parking lot as a ``scene of chaos'' as about 400 people cast ballots each hour.
``Everybody has huge lines,'' state Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman said.
Strong interest in this year's election has led to large numbers of Oklahomans taking advantage of traditional absentee voting and the early in-person option. In Oklahoma, elections for president, U.S. Senate, state Legislature and a number of state questions crowd the ballot.
As voters piled up in front of the Oklahoma County Election Board, surprised workers stared out the window. Some voters came alone, others came as a family _ and a bus was seen unloading seniors from a retirement community.
Even Oklahoma County Election Board Secretary Doug Sanderson was surprised by the turnout of 3,791 voters.
``We've never seen anything like this before,'' Sanderson said, looking out the front windows. ``This is unprecedented.''
Outside the Oklahoma County voting rooms, Gary Jones, executive director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, talked on his cell phone as he waited in lines that averaged about a half-hour.
Jones planned to campaign on Election Day and wanted to make sure he voted.
Martha Dannenbaum waited in line in Tulsa County on Friday because she didn't want to risk missing the opportunity on Election Day. Her motivation is the close presidential race.
More than 1,000 people had cast ballots in Cleveland County by 2 p.m. Friday, Election Board Secretary Paula Roberts said.
A line formed before 8 a.m. when the office opened, she said, and people still were arriving Friday afternoon.
``They are having to wait in line 15 to 20 minutes at times,'' Roberts said. ``But no one seems to mind. We give them copies of the state questions to look at while they are waiting so by the time they get their ballots they are ready.''
Logan County Election Board Secretary Dondee Klein said there was a record number of early voters. Just after noon on Friday, about 300 ballots had been cast.
A brisk pace of voting also occurred in Muskogee County, the election board secretary there said.
``We have been running slightly more than 100 voters an hour,'' said secretary Bill Settle. ``That kind of level of turnout for us is unusual.''
Early in-person voting resumed Saturday and will continue Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during Tuesday's general election.
News On 6 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The general election is still a few days away, but long lines were reported at polling places across the state as Oklahomans took advantage of early voting.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1980
|
__label__wiki
| 0.612704
| 0.612704
|
Home uncategorized The man who loves to serve for country : Atal Bihari Vajpayee
The man who loves to serve for country : Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (born twenty five Dec 1924 in Gwalior) is associate degree Asian nationn politician WHO was the tenth Prime Minister of India, 1st for thirteen days in 1996, and so from 1998 to 2004. A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was electoral to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s Parliament) a record ninefold, and doubly to the Rajya Sabha (upper house). He additionally served because the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, until 2009, once he retired from active politics because of health issues. Vajpayee was one in every of the founder members of erstwhile Jana Sangh and had been its president additionally. He was additionally the Minister of External Affairs within the cupboard of Morarji Desai. once Janata government folded Vajpayee united his entire party into a recent party and named it as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A poet-politician Vajpayee has been the liberal face of BJP.
गीत नया गाता हूँ, गीत नया गाता हूँ
टूटे हुए तारों से फूटे वासंती स्वर पत्थर की छाती में उग आया नव अंकुर
झरे सब पीले पात, कोयल की कुहुक रात
प्राची में, अरुणिमा की रेत देख पाता हूँ
गीत नया गाता हूँ, गीत नया गाता हूँ टूटे हुए सपने की सुने कौन सिसकी
अंतर को चीर व्यथा, पलकों पर ठिठकी हार नहीं मानूंगा, रार नहीं ठानूंगा
काल के कपाल पर, लिखता-मिटाता हूँ गीत नया गाता हूँ, गीत नया गाता हूँ
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born to Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee on twenty fifth Dec, 1924 in a very revered bourgeoisie Brahmin family. His birthplace was Shinde Ki Chhavani, atiny low city in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh (then called Central Province). His granddad, Pandit Shyam Lal Vajpayee, had migrated to Gwalior from his ancestral village of Bateshwar, Uttar Pradesh and his father, Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, was a writer and a schoolmaster in his town. Vajpayee attended Gwalior’s Victoria faculty (now Laxmi Bai College), and graduated with distinctions in Hindi, English and Indo-Aryan. He completed his Post Graduation with associate degree (M.A.) degree in social science from DAV faculty, Kanpur, securing fantabulous.Later he became a full time employee of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and served the Rashtradharma, Veer Arjun and Panchjanya newspapers as a journalist.For a moment Vajpayee studied law, however middle he selected to become a journalist. This alternative was for the most part influenced by the very fact that as a student he had been associate degree activist in India’s struggle for freedom. He emended Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and also the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun.Like different full time employees of the Sangh, Vajpayee ne’er married and set to dedicate his entire life for the service of the state.
Nayi chunauti, naya avasara (Hindi Edition). (2002). ISBN 978-81-7016-501-8
India’s Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region. (2003). ISBN 978-981-230-172-7.
New Dimensions of India`s Foreign Policy. (1979).
Decisive days. (1999).
When will atrocities on Harijans stop?: A.B. Vajpayee’s speech in Rajya Sabha. (1988).
Heal the wounds: Vajpayee’s appeal on Assam tragedy to the parliament. (1983).
National integration. (1961).
Sakti se santi. (1999).
Rajaniti ki rapatili rahem. (1997).
Vicara-bindu (Hindi Edition). (2000). ISBN 978-81-7016-475-3.
Bindu-bindu vicara. (1997).
Kucha lekha, kucha bhashana. (1996).
Back to square one. (1998).
Dynamics of an open society. (1977).
Na dainyam na palayanam (Hindi Edition). (1998).
Bindu-bindu vicara (Hindi Edition). (1997).
Kucha lekha, kucha bhashana (Hindi Edition). (1996).
Sekyularavada: Bharatiya parikalpana (Da. Rajendra Prasada Smaraka vyakhyanamala). (1996).
Atal Bihari Vaj mem tina dasaka. (1992).
Pradhanamantri Atala Bihari Vajapeyi, chune hue bhashana. (2000).
Values, vision & verses of Vajpayee: India’s man of destiny. (2001).
India’s foreign policy: New dimensions. (1977).
Assam problem: Repression no solution. (1981).
Suvasita pushpa: Atala Bihari Vajapeyi ke sreshtatama bhashana. (1997).
Twenty-One Poems. (2003). ISBN 978-0-670-04917-2.
Kya khoya kya paya: Atala Vihari Vajapeyi, vyaktitva aura kavitaem (Hindi Edition). (1999). ISBN 978-81-7028-335-5.
Meri ikyavana kavitaem. (1995).
Meri ikyavana kavitaem (Hindi Edition). (1995).
Sreshtha kabita. (1997).
Nayi Disha – an album with Jagjit Singh (1999)
Samvedna – an album with Jagjit Singh (2002)
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, selected speeches. (2000). ISBN 978-81-230-0834-9.
President’s addresses, 1980-1986. (2000).
Presidential address. (1986).
Presidential address: Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha session, Bhagalpur (Bihar), 5 6 & 7 May 1972. (1972).
Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pokhran Test.
Information source : Wikipedia
Previous articleSTILL MY PURE BLOOD SAYS I AM PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN: “JAI HIND”
Next articleCoalgate – A real scam
Police inaction leads culprits have free run in Owes Khan brutal attack incident in Jagatsinghpur.
JAGATSINGHPUR May 07. About three weeks have been passed in Owes Ahemmed Khan brutal attack incident occurred in Rasalpur village six km away...
CMO Odisha announcement on Drinking water situation.
Upon reviewing the drinking water situation, for the second time in the past two weeks, I am satisfied with the progress. Said CM Naveen Patnaik.In this...
Zilla Mahotsava Kallolo concluded in Jagatsinghpur
JAGATSINGHPUR Apr 06. The five day long yearly Zilla Mahotsava Kallolo concluded amidst the tune of drums and sounds of crackers at...
ajit vadakayil 20/08/2012 At 11:44 AM
To see the naked face of RSS–
Punch into google search —
RSS RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH VADAKAYIL
Capt ajit vadakayil
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1991
|
__label__wiki
| 0.519123
| 0.519123
|
HomeWebinarsReportsTVCareersAdvertiseAbout UsIDTechEx Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube RSS Forward To Friend
Off Grid Energy Independence
Posted on January 14, 2021 by &
Kauai Renewable Power with Solar Plus Pumped Hydro Storage
Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) has signed agreements with The AES Corporation for the development, construction, and operation of the cooperative's solar pumped storage hydro project, also known as the West Kaua'i Energy Project (WKEP). A power purchase agreement was also executed and filed with the Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission.
WKEP is an integrated renewable energy and irrigation project with several key components: renewable energy production via hydropower and solar photovoltaic generation, coupled with pumped hydropower and battery energy storage to shift most of the project's output into the nighttime peak. This project will offset the use of 8.5 million gallons of fossil fuels annually and supply irrigation water delivery to support diversified agriculture on state-owned lands. The project will also rehabilitate the existing Pu'u 'Ōpae, Pu'u Lua, and Mānā Reservoirs and the related ditch system infrastructure. In addition, historic diversion structures in Kokeʻe will be modified to restore and increase flow to the Waimea River in compliance with the instream flow standard established by the Waimea Watershed Agreement and adopted by the Commission on Water Resources in April 2017. For further information see the IDTechEx report on Distributed Generation: Off-Grid Zero-Emission kW-MW 2020-2040.
"This project's integration of pump storage hydropower with large-scale solar power is unique in the energy industry. Working with AES helps keep this important project moving forward while minimizing risk to our cooperative. Upon completion, the facility will operate at a cost that will benefit KIUC's members for decades," said KIUC's President and Chief Executive Officer David Bissell. "AES is a trusted partner with the expertise and experience to bring this complex project to successful completion."
When operational, the solar array will contribute up to 35 megawatts directly to the grid and will store up to 240 megawatt hours for dispatch during evening peak. The hydro resources are expected to produce 24 megawatts on average daily, which includes 12 hours of storage to be used overnight. KIUC has completed two solar-plus-storage renewable projects in partnership with AES: a 20- megawatt (MW) facility in Lāwa'i and a 14 MW facility at the Pacific Missile Range Facility. AES has more than 200 MW of solar, solar + storage, and wind resources in operation or under development across Hawai'i.
"AES has been a long-time provider of low-cost electricity for Hawai'i and we are honored to continue our successful partnership with KIUC to support Kaua'i and the state in transitioning to 100% renewable energy," said Woody Rubin, AES Clean Energy Chief Development Officer. "We look forward to continuing to work with the Kaua'i community and stakeholders to develop this project responsibly, and to realize the agricultural, economic, and environmental benefits the project offers."
"WKEP will deliver many benefits to KIUC's members and the community-at-large," Bissell said. "To name just a few, the project will move Kauaʻi beyond 80% renewable generation, stabilize and lower electricity rates over time for our members, open up dormant agricultural lands for production, assure adequate streamflow and increase public access and recreational opportunities associated with the Pu'u Lua Reservoir." He added that rehabilitation of the reservoirs will also assist first responders in addressing wildfires.
The project is expected to meet roughly 25% of Kaua'i's electricity needs, and will also support the grid with long-duration storage capability. The pumped hydropower will provide twelve hours of storage daily, compared to the conventional four- or five-hour storage from existing solarbattery facilities. This long-duration storage capacity will allow the island to run on 100% renewable energy for prolonged periods without sunlight and will provide additional grid stability by balancing intermittent solar with firm hydropower.
Environmental studies for WKEP have been ongoing. A draft environmental assessment is expected to be filed with the Department of Land and Natural Resources in the first quarter of 2021.
Source and top image of Pu'u 'Ōpae reservoir : AES Corporation
World's Largest Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage System now Online
Powerful Graphene Hybrid Material for Highly Efficient Supercapacitors
Costa Rica Textile Company uses Battery Storage from Rolls Royce
Flexible, Screen Printed Rechargeable Battery with 10 Times More Power
Off Grid Energy Independence Tags
Energy HarvestingOff Grid
3D Printing ProgressAdvanced Batteries & Energy Storage ResearchArtificial Intelligence ResearchElectric Vehicles ResearchGlobal Biotechnology InsightsPrinted Electronics WorldRobotics ResearchWearable Technology Insights
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1992
|
__label__cc
| 0.577817
| 0.422183
|
Norther to Double as Seaweed Farm
Wind Farm Update
July 15, 2020, by Adnan Durakovic
Belgium’s largest offshore wind farm, Norther, is taking part in a project to determine whether seaweed could be grown on a large scale in the areas between the wind farm’s turbines.
Source: Norther
The Belgian-Dutch consortium “Wier & Wind” has started the pilot project, described as the world’s first, with the production system expected to be installed at the end of this year. The first harvest is scheduled for April-May next year.
“Seaweed farms can contribute to a carbon neutral future for our planet. At Norther, we therefore consider it important to support this initiative and we are very curious about the commercial success of offshore seaweed farms because they are complementary to our activities at sea,” said Thierry Aelens, executive director of Norther NV.
Eneco, one of Norther’s shareholders, sees the complementarity and added value of the partnership.
“Multifunctional use of space is a prerequisite for the large-scale roll-out of wind energy at sea and for accelerating the energy transition. A project like this contributes to this. We’re proud to be a pacesetter in this,” said Ruben Dijkstra, Eneco’s Director of Offshore Wind.
Wier & Wind is a research project co-financed by the Interreg programme of the European Union, which will run from July 2019 to June 2022. Apart from Norther, the consortium comprises Seaweed Harvest Nordsea, AtSeaNova, Murre Technologies, and GEOxyz. The sector organisation North Sea Farm Foundation, and knowledge institutes Ugent and HZ University of Applied Science, also support the project.
In operation since the end of May, the 370 MW Norther wind farm comprises 44 8.4 MW MHI Vestas V164 turbines located in the Belgian North Sea, approximately 23 kilometres from the Port of Zeebrugge.
Norther, the owner and developer of the project, is a project company owned by Elicio NV, Eneco Wind Belgium SA, and Diamond Generating Europe BV.
View post tag: Norther
View post tag: Seaweed
View post tag: Wier & Wind
Marlinks to Monitor Norther Cables
Cable-monitoring company Marlinks has secured a contract to provide cable depth and temperature moni...
SeaMade Begins Countdown to Completion
The SeaMade offshore wind farm is nearing completion with only three wind turbines left to be instal...
Belgian Offshore Wind Farms Generate 6.7 TWh in 2020
Belgian offshore wind farms generated 6.7 TWh of electricity in 2020, which represented 8.4 per cent...
Chemical Major to Run on Offshore Wind in Belgium
International chemical company Borealis has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with E...
INEOS Buys Norther Offshore Wind Power
SeaMade in Full Array
Offshore & Floating Wind Europe 2020
Wind Energy Webinar: Power-up wind farm safety and efficiency (powered by Brady EMEA)
Belgian Offshore Days 2021
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line1993
|
__label__cc
| 0.732883
| 0.267117
|
All over Wilmington at this very moment, people are taking Spanish moss for granted. A man walks his schnauzer around Greenfield Lake and doesn’t notice the long green-gray strands drifting
City Portrait: Wilmington
Light as air and dangling from the trees, Spanish moss seems to float above Wilmington. To see the Southern soul of this port city, look skyward.
by Wendy Brenner
All over Wilmington at this very moment, people are taking Spanish moss for granted.
A man walks his schnauzer around Greenfield Lake and doesn’t notice the long green-gray strands drifting in slow motion overhead, any more than he would remark upon the beauty of his dog’s leash. Just something he sees every day. At the university, thick ribbons of moss shade dorms and Dumpsters and parking lots where students fight for a space, oblivious. At Sonic Drive-In on Market Street, a steady stream of customers grab their bags of burgers and merge back into the midday crush of traffic, no time to glance at roadside trees let alone what might be dripping from their branches. Meanwhile, across town at Airlie Gardens, a couple is getting married under an exquisitely moss-adorned hundred-year-old live oak — but still, the Spanish moss is just scenery, backdrop for the big event. In somebody’s backyard, a bored 7-year-old and her little brother make scruffy, curly wigs and beards out of it, until their mother yells out the window at them to stop; that stuff is full of “red bugs.” They play with Spanish moss all the time and have never seen a red bug or any other color bug, but they toss their clumps unceremoniously into an azalea bush and run inside for Popsicles. (Red bugs, aka chiggers, do not in fact make their home in Spanish moss, as is commonly believed, but, rather, in tall grass and weeds. Jumping spiders, rat snakes, and bats do live in Spanish moss, but the kids haven’t seen those, either.) Finally, as night falls in Wilmington, in a dark room overlooking the Cape Fear River, someone is gleefully stuffing a voodoo doll with Spanish moss, imagining the awful outcome. Whether the doll does its job remains to be seen; the moss, for its part, is innocent and invisible.
Spanish moss was literally invisible, or rather, nonexistent, to me until I was 23. Growing up in Chicago, I saw Spanish moss in real life for the first time when I moved down to Florida for graduate school. Previously, I had encountered it only in movies and textbooks about dinosaurs, and in the old Pogo comic books my father collected, which were set in the Okefenokee Swamp. I remember trying to copy the lines of Walt Kelly’s crazed, visionary cartoons in my own sketch pad, to no avail. How could I accurately recreate something that didn’t really exist, or existed only in some other artist’s head? Spanish moss was simply too weird, too beautiful, too scenic, to be real. It was only years later, as I drove through the Okefenokee — which I’d also thought fictional, a language-loving cartoonist’s wacky invention — that I finally understood. Like air, like God, like beauty itself, Spanish moss was everywhere and it was free. You either saw it or you didn’t, but it was there, ubiquitous and mysterious and not entirely of this world. All of which explains — maybe — why I cited Spanish moss on my job interview at the University of North Carolina Wilmington as the reason I wanted to live and work in this city, and why the hiring committee didn’t seem to find this statement bizarre. (Or why, even if they did, they still hired me.)
The comparison of Spanish moss to air feels inevitable, as the plant lives both in and on air, absorbing all the nutrients and water it needs from the wind that happens to blow its way. Not truly a moss or even a vine, but, rather, an epiphyte, a member of the bromeliad family, Spanish moss thus does not go around parasitically strangling trees, unlike certain other famously Southern Gothic plants I could mention (cough, kudzu). They must be one of God’s favorites, says a character in Joy Williams’s short story “Bromeliads.” One doesn’t have to do anything for them. And, as can surely also be said of God, we are all having our own private interactions with Spanish moss at any given moment. A friend of mine who substitute-teaches at New Hanover High School spots it growing on the underside of the school’s metal pedestrian sky bridge. “Sometimes, when I’m driving under the bridge,” she says, “I’ll notice little scraps hanging somewhat impossibly from beams, cement nubs, et cetera. I have no idea how they get there.” Another friend sends Ziploc bags of moss to her mother up North, to dress up her potted plants. “I run into the same bit of Spanish moss almost every time I walk to Empie Park,” a student tells me, “and I’m surprised every time. I think it’s because I watch my dog walk under it, and I just assume I’m the same height as him. In life, I assume I’m the same height as everyone.” Another Wilmington pal tells me her daughter once stuck a roll of toilet paper on a stick, drew a face on it with a Sharpie marker, topped it off with Spanish moss hair, and named it Rollanda. My friend Beau claims he once found Spanish moss in his pants, but refuses to elaborate further. (He is originally from New Orleans, where I imagine such occurrences are not uncommon.)
As for me, closing out my second decade here in Wilmington, I have not yet found a way to take Spanish moss for granted, and am not sure I ever want to. Every time I see it, I see it. On a Friday in August after a five-hour faculty meeting, I step into the late-day sun and look up at the long, nearly motionless tendrils and breathe. I think of swamps and settlers and nativity scenes and Gone With the Wind and people fanning themselves on front porches, the necessary grace of moving slowly in hot climates that maybe only Southerners truly understand. Air. Light. Beauty. What else did I ever think I needed?
This story was published on Nov 03, 2015
Wendy Brenner
Wendy Brenner is the author of two books of short fiction, and a contributing editor for The Oxford American.
1 Destination Dining Guide: The Triangle
2 Destination Dining Guide: Eastern North Carolina
3 Pumpkin Pie Pancakes
4 Destination Dining: Triad Restaurant Guide
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2000
|
__label__wiki
| 0.696918
| 0.696918
|
Cornering the Onion Market ... and Getting Away With It
By Laura Secorun Palet
SourceCorbis
Unscrupulous people will always find a way to manipulate markets, unless they are stopped.
Oil, wheat, movies, the weather — it seems there’s nothing people can’t trade on these days. Yet there is still one commodity banned from futures trading under U.S. federal law: onions. The reason for it was a man named Vincent Kosuga, who, in the 1950s, became a millionaire by making the onion futures’ market his personal playground.
A “future” is a contract to buy a commodity at a future date for a price agreed upon today. The buyer hopes the market price will go up and he’ll save money, while the seller usually wants the price to go down so he’ll make a profit. Kosuga became dangerously good at selling futures and ensuring that onion prices would consequently plummet, making a fortune in the process.
There was more money to be made selling future onions than planting present ones.
This small-built man had a larger-than-life ambition and a significant advantage over other onion traders: He was a farmer. Growing onions on his New York farm in the 1900s, he had learned everything there was to know about the stinky vegetable, including that there was more money to be made selling future onions than planting present ones. His first attempts at trading were a failure though. After nearly going bankrupt, he even promised his wife he would stop, but Kosuga just couldn’t keep himself away from the floors of Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Onions were a potentially lucrative market because, given that they are typically planted and harvested at specific times during the year, their storability was very limited and their price could change wildly from one day to another. Kosuga recruited the help of Sam Siegel, who owned cold-storage facilities outside Chicago — where he stored and distributed onions — and began buying all the onions he could find and shipping them to him. Soon both men controlled such a large portion of the local onion stock that they essentially cornered the market, enabling them to manipulate the price. And that’s what they did.
A group of traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in the 1940s.
Source Herbert/Hulton Archive/Getty
Of course, this shady move did not go unnoticed. The $1.5 million scheme led to serious governmental scrutiny and the passing, in 1958, of the Onion Futures Act, banning the trade of future contracts on onions. The investigation also found both men guilty of price rigging; Kosuga’s registration as a floor broker was revoked, and he and Siegel were banned from trading for 10 months. Even so, many people continued to perceive of Kosuga as an outstanding member of society and a philanthropist because he gave much of his money to Catholic charities and even had private audiences with three popes. Kosuga did not take the money and flee to a tropical island but instead stayed in his community of Pine Island, New York, where, in 1987, he was voted citizen of the year. The once poor farmer turned millionaire ended his career as the owner and chef of a restaurant called — naturally — The Jolly Onion Inn.
Onions suddenly were worth less than the bags they were being sold in, while carts of them were being dumped in Lake Michigan.
Despite Kosuga’s retirement from the trading floors, his strategies are still being studied today, and many ambitious and dishonest people have followed in his footsteps. Like Anthony “Tino” De Angelis, a trader who, in the ’60s, managed to make millions by cornering the soybean oil market, before the market collapsed and De Angelis landed in jail. That’s how a farmer taught America there’s nothing you can’t speculate on — except onions, that is.
This OZY encore was originally published Nov. 26, 2014.
Laura Secorun Palet Follow Laura Secorun Palet on Twitter Follow Laura Secorun Palet on Facebook Contact Laura Secorun Palet
Law and Security
Squatting Away the Housing Crisis
It’s not just for anarcho-punks.
Wisconsin Punks: Rev. Norb and the Onions
A Midwestern punk legend harkens back to the harder-edged garage punk of yore.
We’re Sick of the Bushes and the Clintons. Let’s Ban Them
Any spouse or child or sister of a former president should not be president.
Meet Ray Madoff, the Woman Saving the World From Philanthropy
Ray Madoff thinks we’re not getting our money’s worth from tax subsidies to philanthropic causes.
Take a Jaunt Through the Land of the Dead
The days of point-and-click adventure games may be gone, but remastered cult classic Grim Fandango refuses to stay dead.
'I Want It to End Now'
Dying because you’re tired of living has become remarkably acceptable in some places.
Keep It Down! We're German
You can trace Germany’s history through its relationship with noise.
The Human Trafficker
How a onetime doctor came to cram refugees into cargo ships — and then set them adrift.
A Day With ... Lifer x 2
“I’ve been in prison since 1984.
The Fight Over Protecting Retirement Savings
The White House tackles the $10 trillion question, at last.
Scott Martinez: The Prince of Pot
Denver’s city attorney opposed the legalization of weed.
Blame Dodgy Europeans for Your Tax Bill
Creative tax avoidance over the centuries helped governments hone their regulation and collection skills.
History's Most Prolific Executioner
Vasili Blokhin worked hard to gain a title nobody should want.
Hacking + Ridiculing Russia's Leaders — and Getting Away With It
Hackers are winding up Russia’s powers that be: Ever since they faked the Russian prime minister’s declaration of his resignation via Twitter, the whole country is speculating as to who they could be.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2003
|
__label__wiki
| 0.517205
| 0.517205
|
The Palaeontological Association
Reg. Charity No. 1168330
Palaeontology (Journal)
Early View Articles
Palaeontology Archive
Papers in Palaeontology
Papers in Palaeontology Archive
Special Papers in Palaeontology
Special Papers in Palaeontology Archive
Series: Behind the Scenes at the Museum
Series: Cladistics for Palaeontologists
Series: PalaeoMath 101
Series: R for Palaeontologists
Series: Spotlight on Diversity
Field Guides to Fossils
Palaeobiology: a Synthesis
ISSN 2056-2802 (online) | ISSN 2056-2799 (print)
Papers in Palaeontology is a continuation of Special Papers in Palaeontology and includes papers that document the diversity of past life and its distribution in time and space. As a sister publication to Palaeontology its focus is on descriptive research, including descriptions of new taxa, systematic revisions of higher taxa, detailed biostratigraphical and biogeographical documentation, and descriptions of floras and faunas from specific localities or regions.
Subscribers to Palaeontology will also have free online access to Papers in Palaeontology. Gold open access is an option available to authors on payment of an article processing charge (APC). Members of the Palaeontological Association have free access to all content, and also have the option of a print subscription as an additional membership fee.
Latest Volume
Volume 6 Part 3
Latest 5 Articles
Brachiopods from the Byrd Group (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) Central Transantarctic Mountains, East Antarctica: biostratigraphy, phylogeny and systematics
Invertebrate coprolites and cololites revised
Evolutionary relationships among bullhead sharks (Chondrichthyes, Heterodontiformes)
Conodont faunas across the Kasimovian–Gzhelian boundary (Late Pennsylvanian) in South China and implications for the selection of the stratotype for the base of the global Gzhelian Stage
The early Wuchiapingian (late Permian) fusuline fauna from the Penglaitan Section, South China
Latest 5 Early View Articles
Latest early view articles from Papers in Palaeontology available via the Wiley Early View service. View all early view articles
A unique hybodontiform skeleton provides novel insights into Mesozoic chondrichthyan life
A new burnetiid from the middle Permian of Zambia and a reanalysis of burnetiamorph relationships
The middle Smithian (Early Triassic) ammonoid Arctoceras blomstrandi: conch morphology and ornamentation in relation to stratigraphy
Small carbonaceous fossils (SCFs) from North Greenland: new light on metazoan diversity in early Cambrian shelf environments
Taxonomical diversity and palaeobiogeographical affinity of belemnites from the Pliensbachian–Toarcian GSSP (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal)
Papers in Palaeontology is indexed/abstracted in:
Biological Abstracts (Thomson Reuters)
BIOSIS (Thomson Reuters)
CAB Abstracts® (CABI)
Current Contents: Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences (Thomson Reuters)
GeoRef (AGI)
Science Citation Index (Thomson Reuters)
Science Citation Index Expanded (Thomson Reuters)
SCOPUS (Elsevier)
Web of Science (Thomson Reuters)
Zoological Record (Thomson Reuters) ASFA: Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts (ProQuest)
Dryad Digital Repository
Large datasets are available through Papers in Palaeontology's partnership with Dryad
Publishing with PalAss
Thinking of publishing in the journal Papers in Palaeontology? If so please read our guide to publishing within our journals (covering: how to submit a manuscript; initial assessment; editorial decision; production; copyright and open access; offprints).
A 'Publishing with PalAss' short guide is available here:
For Authors - Short Guide
Instructions for authors are available here:
For Authors - Instructions to Authors
Authors are also strongly advised to read the following:
For Authors - SEO Advice
For Authors - Figure Guidelines
For Authors - Reference Style Example
For Authors - Style Guide
Please visit our online submission site: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/pala
Note that the same submission site should be use for both Palaeontology and Papers in Palaeontology and all papers will be considered for both journals.
Handling of manuscripts after submission
An initial assessment of the manuscript is undertaken by the Editorial Board, usually within two days of submission. The Editorial Board may also recommend that the scope of the paper is more suitable for Papers in Palaeontology’s sister journal Palaeontology. In this case, the corresponding author will be contacted directly and the paper may be transferred without resubmission. Currently, the journal receives many more articles than can be published in a year. Papers that lack novelty, or are too restricted in their scope, will be rejected without review. Those dealing with one or a few new taxa belonging to well-documented groups are unlikely to succeed. Authoritative synoptic taxonomic revisions of new faunas/floras of biogeographical, stratigraphical or palaeoecological importance are welcome, as are detailed descriptive studies of new or poorly understood taxa so long as their significance is made clear. This should be stated clearly in a covering letter, be obvious from the abstract, be developed in the introduction to the paper, and explored in the Discussion.
A paper may also be returned to the author without review if it has not been prepared in accordance with the Instructions to Authors, or if there is room for linguistic improvement. A list of independent suppliers of editing services is available from Wiley Author Services. All services are paid for and arranged by the author, and do not guarantee acceptance for publication.
If the Editorial Board recommends review, the paper will be passed to a Scientific Editor who will manage the peer review process. A decision on whether or not to publish the manuscript will be made in the light of the comments of at least two referees, an assessment of the technical aspects of the paper (including style and figure formats), and the opinions of the Scientific Editor and Editor-in-Chief. The corresponding author will be notified.
Reporting and materials availability requirements
Details of palaeontological samples and specimens should include clear provenance information to ensure full transparency of the research methods. Samples should always be collected and exported in accordance with relevant permits and local laws, and in a responsible manner. Any submission detailing new material from protected sites should include information regarding the requisite permission obtained. Palaeontological and type specimens should be deposited in a recognised museum or collection to permit free access by other researchers in perpetuity.
Preprints are versions of scientific manuscripts that have not been through formal peer-review or publication in a journal. They may be posted online pre-submission or post-acceptance of a revised version (green open access). With regard to the former we do not consider papers that have been posted on preprint servers such as paleoRχiv or bioRχiv, prior to submission to our journals. This is because the Palaeontological Association aims to publish the results of important original research; we do not accept papers describing work that has been published before, as this diminishes their immediacy and impact. Prior publication is defined as follows: results are considered to have already been published if they have appeared in sufficient detail to allow replication, are publicly accessible with a DOI, and can be cited. A paper has clearly been published if it has appeared in a journal or server cited by any widely used abstracting service, whether in print or online, in English or in any other language. Conversely, an abbreviated summary of work in a conference abstract does not constitute prior publication. However, when two of the three criteria (replicability, public accessibility, citeability) are met, or only a portion of an article has appeared before, the authors must convince the Editorial Board at the time of submission that the available preprint data is essential for the submitted paper yet forms only a minor, supportive contribution to the work they now wish to be considered. A paper that has been posted on a preprint server prior to submission and which largely or completely replicates the results being presented will be considered publicly accessible and citeable and will be rejected. Authors must disclose details of preprint posting, including DOI and licensing terms, upon submission of a manuscript. When a manuscript is made available in its published state in Palaeontology or Papers in Palaeontology, it is the author’s responsibility to ensure that the preprint record is updated with a publication reference, including the DOI and a URL link to the published version of the article on the journal website.
Upload of a preprint at the same time as submission or following submission is acceptable. However, please be aware that preprints including new taxonomic names should not be uploaded before publication of the final version of record.
The Palaeontological Association asserts copyright on all articles and images in its electronic and print publications unless otherwise stated. Articles or figures in the journal Palaeontology may be reproduced in print or electronic medium for teaching, and for non-profit educational and research purposes, without fees or further permissions, providing that acknowledgements to 'The Palaeontological Association' is given, and that the source of the reproduced material is quoted in full. The Palaeontological Association reserves the right to withdraw this permission without notice. Written permission is required by the Association for all other forms of capture, reproduction and/or distribution of any of its publications or items in its publications. Permission should be sought from the Executive Officer (executive@palass.org).
Palaeontological Association at 60
Diversity Study
Council (2021)
Editorial Board (2021)
Report code of conduct violation
Unconscious Bias document
Progressive Palaeontology
Code of Conduct for Meetings
Permission Signs for Talks and Poster
Awards and Grants Reports
Past Medal and Award Winners
Search Awarded Funding
List of External Grants
Website Site Map
Copyright © 2005–2021 The Palaeontological Association | Privacy Policy | Terms of use | Contact Us | Hosted On: aws1.palass-hosting.org
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2007
|
__label__wiki
| 0.83161
| 0.83161
|
Brian R. Goodman
Gregory G. Goodman
Maureen L. Goodman
Robert G. Goodman
Construction & Workplace Accidents
CRPS / RSD Claims
Family of injured Russian boxer to file lawsuit
By Palmisano & Goodman
Those who follow boxing in New Jersey may be interested to know that while Russian heavyweight boxer Magomed Abdusalamov remains in rehabilitation following a Nov. 2 fight at Madison Square Garden, his family has reported they will file a $100 million lawsuit against New York State and its athletic commission. The family believes the commission's doctors were guilty of negligence and medical malpractice as a result of the mishandling of Abdusalamov's physical injuries suffered during the fight.
The injuries suffered by Abdusalamov included facial lacerations, a broken jaw and nose, and a broken hand. While being examined by commission doctors, he also complained of head pain. He was eventually cleared to leave by the doctors who suggested he visit an outside doctor for a more thorough examination. Within hours of being cleared, he began hemorrhaging from a brain clot that required emergency surgery and left him in a coma.
Abdusalamov was taken by taxi to a local hospital on the advice of the state athletic commission inspector who was assigned to oversee the fight. The inspector noticed blood in the urine sample and recommended immediate action on the part of Abdusalamov's handlers. A national sports channel reported there were two ambulances located at the site, but neither one was requested for Abdusalamov. New York's Secretary of State has requested an investigation related to the fight and the post-fights events that might have led to the boxer's condition.
The state athletic commission inspector has already claimed that proper procedures were followed based on what the doctors could see. The attorney hired by the family might seek to prove that normal and reasonable precautions were not followed in this case. That could help their claims of negligence due to the fact the doctors did not diagnose the blood clot in a timely manner.
Location 171 Main Street Woodbridge, NJ 07095 Map & Directions [+]
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2008
|
__label__cc
| 0.659719
| 0.340281
|
Home > Testimonials - Fellowships
Page views in 2020: 45
Page views in 2021 to date: 1
Testimonials regarding the effectiveness of the Fellowship pages:
See also: Conference Testimonials General Testimonials Job Testimonials
"Never disappointed...our ad is perfect each time! Thanks for your help as always." N. Draffen Brown, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Missouri, 14 January 2019
"Thank you, the posting looks great." R. Hone, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 14 November 2018
"The ad looks great! Thanks so much for the speedy posting!" C. Kao, M.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, 9 August 2018
"One of the most frequently visited websites when searching for fellowships." L. R. Antinarella, University of Rochester Medical Center, 19 March 2018
"The advertisement looks great." V. Ladd, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio, 13 March 2018
"The AD looks GREAT! Thanks for all of your help." N. Draffen Brown, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Missouri, 3 January 2018
"Thank you so much for such a speedy response!" D. O'Leary, Massachusetts, 20 April 2017
"This is perfect, thank you for looking our ad over and offering a better way." K. Martin, Omaha, NE, 11 July 2016
"I wanted to let you know that we have good results with advertising our fellowship programs through Pathology Outlines." Linda, Iowa, 19 February 2015
"Thanks for your quick response to my submission! I checked the post and it looks perfect." Dr. S, California, 22 September 2014
"It looks great and thanks again for doing this so fast!" Ms. E, Iowa, 18 August 2014
"Thank you for checking with us and it is great to work with you." Ms. R, Utah, 1 July 2014
"Thank you Joy for your time, and wonderful customer service." Ms. S, Oregon, 20 June 2014
"It's nice the price...includes any changes along the way." Ms. S, Oregon, 19 June 2014
"Awesome and wonderful! Joy, you are really fast, that's great!" Ms. G, Michigan, 3 June 2014
"You are awesome!" Ms. D, Connecticut, 23 May 2014
"I am happy to report that at this time our surgical pathology fellowship positions are all filled..Again, thanks so much for all your help..." Ms. D, Connecticut, 21 May 2014
"Thank you very much for posting so quickly." Ms. B, Massachusetts, 16 May 2014
"We have filled our vacant position - thankfully very quickly." Dr. M, Pennsylvania, 24 February 2014
"It's been wonderful working with you. Thank you for making my job easier." Ms. G, Alabama, 12 February 2014
"Thanks for handling this for us. The ad is perfect." Ms. D, Ohio, 23 September 2013
"You are always so efficient and helpful." Ms. D, Texas, 28 August 2013
"Thank you so much for your help...and yes we've had a great response thus far!!" Ms. C, Florida, 8 July 2013
"Thanks again for your assistance. We appreciate the wonderful work you have done for us. We have been able to fill our positions quickly." Ms. D, Texas, 1 April 2013
"Let me just say, your advertisement was very beneficial to us in selecting our candidate." Ms. D, Texas, 21 February 2013
"As usual, thanks for all the terrific help given by the staff at PathologyOutlines.com." Ms. B, Maryland, 1 February 2013
"We were very successful with the last posting." Ms. B, Illinois, 14 December 2012
"I thought you would like to know that for the 5 ads we ran on your site, we have received many responses. I started to ask where the applicants saw the ad. Out of the last 24 applicants, 19 said Pathology Outlines. Needless to say, we will be posting our future ads with you. Thanks." Ms. B, New York, 18 October 2012
"Thanks very much for your very timely posting of our new ad." Ms. K, Michigan, 13 December 2011
"We've been getting a great response to the SurgPath fellowship ad." Ms. G, Alabama, 8 December 2011
"Thank you for your excellent service." Ms. B, Colorado, 25 October 2011
"We got 20 CVs within 2 weeks." Dr. C, Indiana, 18 October 2011
"Thank you for posting the advertisement so quickly." Ms. D, New York, 23 September 2011
"We have all of our fellowship positions filled through June 2014! Thank you so much for your excellent service." Ms. M, 16 September 2011, by email
"I work with the American Society for Clinical Pathology's publicity firm. We sent out a release today about the ASCP fellowship and job market survey in which your site was mentioned (see highlighted below). We just thought you'd like to know how much of a resource your site is to future pathologists!" Ms. S, 20 July 2011
Residents ranked word-of-mouth, direct contact with employers via writing or calling, and the PathologyOutlines.com Web site as the most important resources for landing jobs after residency.
"Dear Nat, thanks for your outstanding website, we have > 10 applications in one week and our 2011 and 2012 positions have been filled." Dr. C, Indiana, 30 May 2011
"Thank you very much - we have had very good response to the initial ad for both 2011 and 2012." Dr. T, New York, 1 February 2011
"Thanks for doing it [updating our ad] so quickly." Mr. L, Florida, 19 July 2010
"Thanks for your rapid response to getting our ad listed." Ms. P, New York, 8 April 2010
"Thanks, Nat, it looks great!" Ms. J, Oregon, 24 March 2010
"It seems that your service is too efficient. Thanks in large part to your service, we currently have our fellowship position filled for 2010 and 2011." Mr. C, California, 13 February 2010
"Thanks for being so efficient. Well appreciated." Ms. D, Connecticut, 12 February 2010
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2014
|
__label__wiki
| 0.799009
| 0.799009
|
Home/News/Windows 7 to arrive on October 22nd
COMPUTEX 2009: Microsoft confirms date, new OS will ship to manufacturers next month
Windows 7 to arrive on October 22nd
3rd June 2009 News
Microsoft has confirmed that it will be launching Windows 7 on October 22nd, with the company releasing the code to manufacturers at the end of July.
Speaking at this year’s Computex event, Microsoft’s OEM corporate vice preseident Steve Guggenheimer announced the news.
"This is a very important announcement for us and marks the culmination of a huge amount of work with partners, developers and customers, who have been crucial to the development and testing of Windows 7," Microsoft said in a statement.
"The primary focus throughout the development of Windows 7 has been quality. We’ve been careful to announce milestones, such as the Beta and release candidate, only when we were confident each version would be good enough to share with customers and partners.
"The same is true of the final version, which we anticipate making available to partners such as OEMs in the second half of July," it continued.
Tags ben-furfieintentmedia-co-uk computex Microsoft oem windows Windows 7
Previous Cloud gaming
Next AMD looks to simplify graphics market
AVEVA expands Microsoft collaboration focusing on Cloud and AI
Content+Cloud named as Microsoft Cortex Preferred Partner
Rockwell Automation and Microsoft partnership to deliver edge-to-cloud-based solutions
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2018
|
__label__cc
| 0.567952
| 0.432048
|
Assessment of Communication Disorders in Adults: Resources and Protocols.
M.N. Hegde, Don Freed
Companion Website
View Sample Pages
Related Bundles
Assessment of Communication Disorders in Adults: Resources and Protocols, Second Edition offers a unique combination of scholarly information, invaluable resources, and time-saving protocols on assessment of communication disorders in adults.
Most resource books offer limited research and scholarly information, thus making them unsuitable as textbooks for academic courses on assessment and diagnosis. Similarly, most traditional textbooks do not include practical, easy-to-use, and time-saving resources and protocols that the practicing clinicians can readily use during assessment sessions. By combining the strengths of traditional textbooks with newer assessment resources and protocols, this one-of-a-kind book offers a single, comprehensive source that is suitable as a textbook and useful as a practical clinical resource.
This bestselling and trusted text
Covers the full range of communication disorders in adults, from aphasia to voice disorders
Gives a comprehensive outline of basic assessment procedures
Provides a set of protocols that are necessary to assess any communication disorder in adults
Addresses the multicultural issues in assessing communication disorders in adults and offers an integrated assessment approach that includes the most desirable features of the traditional and several alternative approaches
Contains two chapters for each disorder: one on resources that offers scholarly and research background on the disorder and one on resources that describe practical procedures and protocols that save preparation time and effort for the clinician
New to the Second Edition
A PluralPlus companion website allows clinicians to view, modify, and print the assessment protocols for their personal use
All Resources chapters reflect current research and assessment principles and procedures
Updated listings and descriptions of published, standardized tests that are commonly used in the assessment of communication disorders in adults are provided
Revisions of several assessment procedures and protocols, based on recent research, are included
Revised and expanded descriptions of many adult communication disorders are provided
Each chapter contains a summary and sample study questions
RELATED BOOK ON CHILDREN
This book is a companion volume to Assessment of Communication Disorders in Children, Third Edition. These two volumes offer a comprehensive set of resources and protocols to assess the entire range of communication disorders in all age groups.
"Named to Doody's Core Titles in the Health Sciences - Speech, Language & Hearing 2020 list."
—Doody's (May 2020)
Creating Client-Specific Assessment Packages with Protocols on the Companion Website
Part I. Foundations of Assessment
Chapter 1. Assessment of Adults: An Overview
Chapter 2. Common Assessment Protocols
Part II. Assessment of Motor Speech Disorders in Adults
Chapter 3. Assessment of Apraxia of Speech (AOS): Resources
Chapter 4. Assessment of Apraxia of Speech (AOS): Protocols
Chapter 5. Assessment of Dysarthria: Resources
Chapter 6. Assessment of Dysarthria: Protocols
Part III. Assessment of Aphasia
Chapter 7. Assessment of Aphasia: Resources
Chapter 8. Assessment of Aphasia: Protocols
Part IV. Assessment of Right-Hemisphere Syndrome
Chapter 9. Assessment of Right-Hemisphere Syndrome (RHS): Resources
Chapter 10. Assessment of Right-Hemisphere Syndrome (RHS): Protocols
Part V. Assessment of Major and Minor Neurocognitive Disorder (Dementia)
Chapter 11. Assessment of Major and Minor Neurocognitive Disorder (Dementia): Resources
Chapter 12. Assessment of Major and Minor Neurocognitive Disorder (Dementia): Protocols
Part VI. Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury
Chapter 13. Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Resources
Chapter 14. Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Protocols
Part VII. Assessment of Fluency Disorders
Chapter 15. Assessment of Fluency Disorders: Resources
Chapter 16. Assessment of Fluency Disorders: Protocols
Part VIII. Assessment of Voice
Chapter 17. Assessment of Voice: Resources
Chapter 18. Assessment of Voice: Protocols
M. N. Hegde, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Speech-Language Pathology at California State University, Freso. A specialist in fluency disorders, child language disorders, research methods, and treatment procedures in communication disorders, Dr. Hegde enjoys world renown as a researcher, presenter, contributor of original articles to leading national and international journals, and critically acclaimed author of more than two dozen highly regarded books in speech-language pathology. He has edited more than 25 books for different publishers. He is on the editorial board of several scientific journals and has been a guest editor of international journals. He is also a consulting editor of publishing houses.
Don Freed
Don Freed, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies at California State University, Fresno. He received his MS and PhD from the University of Oregon. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a speech-language pathologist in acute care and rehabilitative medical facilities. He also worked as a research speech pathologist for 3 years at the Portland VA Medical Center. His research has primarily concentrated on adult language and motor speech disorders.
Assessment of Communication Disorders (Adults and Children Bundle)
These two textbooks offer a unique combination of scholarly information, invaluable resources, and time-saving protocols on assessment of communication disorders in children and adults.
Most resource books offer limited research and scholarly information, thus making them unsuitable as textbooks for academic courses on assessment and diagnosis. Similarly, most traditional textbooks do not include practical, easy-to-use, and time-saving resources and protocols that the practicing clinicians can readily use during assessment sessions. By combining the strengths of traditional textbooks with newer assessment resources and protocols, these texts offer a single, comprehensive source that is suitable for courses on assessment and useful as practical clinical resources.
Key Features of both textbooks
Covers the full range of communication disorders across the lifespan
Addresses the multicultural issues in assessing communication disorders in children and adults and integrates multicultural assessment procedures into the assessment protocols offered for all communication disorders
Contains two chapters for each disorder: one on resources that offers scholarly and research background on the disorder and one on resources that describe practical procedures and protocols
Updated listings and descriptions of published, standardized tests that are commonly used in the assessment of communication disorders in children and adults are provided
Access to PluralPlus companion website available for both books
View Full Bundle Details
Purchasers of this book receive complimentary access to assessment protocols hosted on a PluralPlus companion website.
Protocols and report activity pages
To access the protocols, log in to the website using the URL and Access Code located inside the front cover of your copy of Assessment of Communication Disorders in Adults: Resources and Protocols, Second Edition.
Hegde's PocketGuide to Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology
Details: 562 pages, 2-Color, Softcover, 4.5" x 8"
Clinical Assessment Workbook for Communication Sciences and Disorders
Georgia Hambrecht, Tracie Rice
Details: 301 pages, B&W, Spiral Bound, 8.5" x 11"
The Right Hemisphere and Disorders of Cognition and Communication: Theory and Clinical Practice
Margaret Lehman Blake
Details: 301 pages, B&W, Softcover, 7" x 10"
Clinical Assessment of Voice
Robert T. Sataloff
Details: 752 pages, Full Color, Softcover, 8.5" x 11"
Assessment of Communication Disorders in Children: Resources and Protocols
M.N. Hegde, Frances Pomaville
Inpatient Functional Communication Interview: Screening, Assessment, and Intervention
Robyn O'Halloran, Linda Worrall, Deborah Toffolo, Chris Code
ISBN13: 978-1-63550172-8
Professional Communication in Speech-Language Pathology: How to Write, Talk, and Act Like a Clinician
A. Embry Burrus, Laura B. Willis
Georgia Hambrecht
Tracie Rice
Frances Pomaville
Robyn O'Halloran
Linda Worrall
Deborah Toffolo
Chris Code
A. Embry Burrus
Laura B. Willis
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2022
|
__label__wiki
| 0.753449
| 0.753449
|
PNAS Staff
Recommend PNAS to Your Librarian
Special Feature Articles - Most Recent
Collected Articles
PNAS Classics
This Week In PNAS
PNAS in the News
Editorial and Journal Policies
Fees and Licenses
New Research In
Featured Portals
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Applied Biological Sciences
Biophysics and Computational Biology
Genetic insights into the past, present, and future of a keystone species
View ORCID ProfileKrista B. Oke and Andrew P. Hendry
PNAS January 8, 2019 116 (2) 344-346; first published January 2, 2019; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1819789116
Krista B. Oke
aCollege of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, AK 99801;
ORCID record for Krista B. Oke
For correspondence: kristaoke@gmail.com
Andrew P. Hendry
bDepartment of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 0C4;
cRedpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 0C4
See related content:
Anthropogenic habitat alteration leads to rapid loss of adaptive variation and restoration potential in wild salmon populations
- Dec 04, 2018
Figures & SI
In a new paper in PNAS, Thompson et al. (1) examine the genetic legacy of a struggling keystone species—and the implications for a phoenix-like recovery from its genetic remnants. For thousands of years before European contact, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest of North America eagerly anticipated a critical spring event: the return migration of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) into freshwater (Fig. 1). Early-migrating Chinook travel farther upstream than typical fall-migrating Chinook and are highly valued for their superior nutritional value and for providing an influx of protein and fat during a critical period (2). The importance of these salmon is highlighted by numerous traditional celebrations and ceremonies that mark their return. Colonizing Europeans also valued these early-returning salmon, which were heavily harvested, so much so that they began to show signs of depletion as early as the 1870s in the Columbia River (3, 4). Early-migrating Chinook also played an important role in terrestrial ecosystems by providing predators with longer access to salmon resources and transporting marine-derived nutrients farther upstream—and earlier (3). It is safe to say that these early-migrating salmon, or “spring Chinook,” were a keystone species for peoples and ecosystems.
Adult Chinook salmon spawning in freshwater. Adult salmon are sensitive to freshwater temperatures and spring Chinook are impacted by changes in temperature regimes downstream of dams.
However, this is no longer the case. Human activities, including extensive dam construction, fishing, and water diversion for agriculture, have caused wide-spread population declines and the loss of an estimated 54% of spring Chinook populations from the contiguous United States (5). In US endangered species legislation, spring Chinook populations are usually not considered separately from fall Chinook populations within the same watershed (6). In some watersheds, struggling spring Chinook populations are not listed because their fall counterparts are abundant. Spring Chinook …
↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: kristaoke{at}gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on PNAS.
You are going to email the following Genetic insights into the past, present, and future of a keystone species
Message Subject (Your Name) has sent you a message from PNAS
Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see the PNAS web site.
Krista B. Oke, Andrew P. Hendry
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jan 2019, 116 (2) 344-346; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819789116
Sign up for the PNAS Highlights newsletter to get in-depth stories of science sent to your inbox twice a month:
Sign up for Article Alerts
Article Classifications
Genetic Control of Migration Timing
Conservation Controversy
Science & Culture: At the nexus of music and medicine, some see disease treatments
Although the evidence is still limited, a growing body of research suggests music may have beneficial effects for diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Image credit: Shutterstock/agsandrew.
Opinion: Standardizing gene product nomenclature—a call to action
Biomedical communities and journals need to standardize nomenclature of gene products to enhance accuracy in scientific and public communication.
Image credit: Shutterstock/greenbutterfly.
Journal Club: Study reveals evolutionary origins of fold-switching protein
Shapeshifting designs could have wide-ranging pharmaceutical and biomedical applications in coming years.
Image credit: Acacia Dishman/Medical College of Wisconsin.
Hazards of ozone pollution to birds
Amanda Rodewald, Ivan Rudik, and Catherine Kling talk about the hazards of ozone pollution to birds.
Past PodcastsSubscribe
Transplantation of sperm-producing stem cells
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can improve the effectiveness of spermatogonial stem cell transplantation in mice and livestock, a study finds.
Image credit: Jon M. Oatley.
PNAS Portals
PNAS Updates
Feedback Privacy/Legal
Copyright © 2021 National Academy of Sciences. Online ISSN 1091-6490
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2023
|
__label__cc
| 0.561554
| 0.438446
|
KEMET Customer Story
KEMET chooses Open Systems to optimize performance of cloud apps, secure cloud connectivity and reduce costs by 50%
As a leading global manufacturer of electronic components, KEMET Electronics Corporation has more than 15,000 employees operating at 60 locations across 16 countries. The company strives to meet the highly specialized needs of electronics makers in the telecommunications, medical, aerospace defense and automotive markets. More than 160 patents and state-of-the-art manufacturing and R&D facilities allow KEMET to deliver an expanding portfolio of advanced electronic solutions, including the industry’s broadest range of capacitors.
With a product line of nearly five million part configurations, meeting customer demands for the highest standards of quality, delivery and service always presents a challenge for KEMET. Achieving customer satisfaction required a digital transformation that enabled robust and resilient digital capabilities across the global enterprise.
In addition, KEMET’s IT team had made being a proactive partner to the business a top priority. This meant staying one step ahead of managers by anticipating their needs, and then providing the technology and tools required for success—rapidly and with good ROI.
These challenges drove the IT team to migrate KEMET’s core business applications first to a hybrid cloud with plans to implement multicloud. “The key to our digital transformation is a cloud-first strategy,” says Chris Hall, VP of global information technology. “Today’s cloud-based business productivity and communications applications not only help our users get their daily work done, but also allow them to efficiently connect and collaborate with customers, suppliers, and partners.”
The key hurdle to a successful cloud-first strategy is minimizing latency to ensure performance of new cloud-based applications. “You also need to maintain this performance during all stages of the journey – from the first cloud deployment on a hybrid-cloud infrastructure to the final goal of multicloud,” continues Hall. “Plus, IT needs visibility and control over applications between users and the different clouds.”
Opening up KEMET’s IT infrastructure to the cloud meant rethinking and redesigning the company’s global security posture to counter today’s growing cyberthreats that range from more malicious malware to stealthier phishing and ransomware attacks. Consequently, global security policies and standards need to be enforced in the cloud just as strongly as they are on-prem, and IT needs the capability to manage and control security policies—from edge to cloud–effectively from a central location. In addition, KEMET wanted a networking solution with deeply managed security features embedded at every network layer.
Initially, the IT team lacked the resources to build its own private cloud. So, as an interim step, they needed to ensure speed and performance for new cloud-based applications on a public cloud. This additionally required maintaining the resilience of the expanded WAN that would enable connectivity to the public cloud.
Enabling cloud
First KEMET chose Open Systems to deliver the network capabilities necessary to support its cloud-first strategy. From the outset, the IT team was impressed with how Open Systems Secure SD-WAN delivers unprecedented visibility across the network. They also appreciated the way it eliminates the need for experts to continuously monitor network health and security.
Built-in network security
The security operations center (SoC) team liked the managed and automated aspects of the Open Systems secure access service edge (SASE) platform.
KEMET can now fully focus on the cloud-first strategy for their digital transformation. The Open Systems secure networking platform provides KEMET with the required technology and at the same time delivers the expertise, monitoring and automation needed to run a global business.
KEMET can now ensure speed and performance for users and applications globally. If contention occurs on the network, the Open Systems Secure SD-WAN gives KEMET control over quality of service between sites and all of its new cloud-based platforms.
Substantial savings
Open Systems enabled KEMET to save significant upfront CAPEX costs as well as operational expenses. “It delivered the cost savings that SD-WAN promises, but many companies aren’t able to realize,” concludes Hall. With Open Systems, the company expects to achieve a 50% cost saving compared with its previous WAN expenditures.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2028
|
__label__cc
| 0.571924
| 0.428076
|
We suggest you try the following to help find what you’re looking for:
Oracle Media and Entertainment—Solutions
Solutions All
Digital Home Service
Digital Experience for Media & Entertainment
Smart Media Production Planning
Finance Transformation in the Digital Age
Talent and Workplace Agility
Oracle Solutions for Media and Entertainment
Oracle’s Digital Experience solution enables M&E companies to offer personalized engagement and a differentiated brand experience throughout the consumer lifecycle.
Digital Home Service is a built-for-purpose solution that helps pay-TV operators redefine the consumer experience and reduce the cost to serve.
Smart Media Production Planning is a cloud-based solution that helps studios and broadcasters efficiently manage studio crew resources and streamline the end-to-end production journey—from budget planning to profit optimization—of the media franchise.
Finance Transformation in the Digital Age is a solution that helps M&E companies drive finance transformations through evolving value chains to obtain greater visibility and insights into corporate and production financials.
With Oracle’s Talent and Workplace Agility solution, M&E companies can more easily attract, develop, manage, and retain talent in an increasingly digital and collaborative workplace.
OUTFRONT Media
Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse helps OUTFRONT Media provision databases in just minutes, integrating terabytes of third-party data and securely publishing interactive dashboards in Oracle Analytics to the sales force.
“Now we have a high-performance data warehouse that we can scale on demand that is self-tuning, self-repairing, and does not require us to do anything operationally. Our technical team can perform added-value services, such as data modelling and data quality.”
Derek Hayden, Vice President Data Strategy and Analytics, OUTFRONT Media
See all customer successes
New to Media and Entertainment?
Media and Entertainment Learning Library
Oracle is a great M&E business innovation partner
Find out what Oracle has to offer in the broadcast and media space and how the landscape will unfold over the coming years—particularly with regard to the battle between over-the-top and pay-TV providers
How pay-TV operators can improve their customer service
Read why it is imperative that pay-TV companies—cable, satellite, and over-the-air service providers—pay closer attention to what their customers are experiencing.
Oracle becomes a platinum member of the IABM
See how Oracle will work with the International Trade Association for the Broadcast & Media Industry (IABM) and its members to amplify its commitment to the media community.
IoT enables pay-TV providers to gain a new weapon in the OTT war
Read about how to reduce the cost to serve pay-TV consumers and how to improve their experience with Oracle.
How media CFOs can reduce investment risk
Find out why although content is a key differentiator, aggregating content is not enough to win eyeballs and subscribers. The key is getting quality content to consumers as quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible.
Java SE Downloads
US Sales: +1.800.633.0738
Privacy/Do Not Sell My Info
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2029
|
__label__wiki
| 0.58612
| 0.58612
|
Grain bins have regulatory, safety requirements
August 17, 2020 Farmit Manitoba
Seed sector merger will affect grain farmers
Bayer argues against weed killer verdict, after its investigator finds U.S. farmer still in business
Manitoba Ag Days cancelled for 2021
U.S. farm state senators in a beef over livestock bill
August 14, 2020 Livestock
Farm safety experts say farms, even small family-run operations, are workplaces and are regulated accordingly
By Geralyn Wichers
Farmit Manitoba, News
Photo: Greg Berg
Farm safety experts are reminding producers that grain bins are ‘confined spaces’ — a term that has regulatory and safety implications.
“Fatalities occur regularly across the Prairie provinces in agricultural settings specific to confined spaces,” said Marc Watt, a paramedic turned safety adviser at Elite Safety Training in Brandon.
Yet, he said, farms often operate in ways that would never fly in industries like construction or the oil and gas sector.
“Agriculture, regardless of if it’s a mom-and-pop operation or a family farm or has two employees, is a workplace,” said Watt.
Australia hopes for ‘magnificent’ wheat crop in pandemic economy
Comment: Seed growers — wake up!
A confined space means “an enclosed or partially enclosed space that, except for the purpose of performing work, is not primarily designed or intended for human occupancy and has a restricted means of access or egress,” according to Safe Work Manitoba.
Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health regulation further differentiates a “hazardous confined space” as a confined space that is, or may become, hazardous to the worker because of its design, atmosphere, the materials in the space, the work or processes done there, or other conditions.
Besides grain bins, this could include tanks, wells, trenches, manure pits and others.
In a grain bin, this could involve obvious hazards like a running auger, threat of grain entrapment or reduced air quality from dust or mould. It also includes the chance of a worker entering the space and then having a medical emergency like heat exhaustion, a heart attack or a diabetic emergency.
Because of possible hazards, provincial law requires workplaces to have safe work procedures set up for each confined space. This includes an assessment of potential hazards, procedure to isolate and disconnect power sources to the space, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used.
If a space is a hazardous confined space, there needs to be a plan to communicate with a standby worker, and a rescue plan.
Not that they encourage a worker to climb into a grain bin to rescue someone, said Robert Gobeil, agricultural safety and health specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA).
“One victim is too many, but we don’t want multiple victims,” he said.
However, if something happens, what will the person outside the bin do? This will likely mean calling 911, but in a remote area help may not arrive quickly, Gobeil said. Is there a lockout procedure? If someone is trapped in grain, can they be secured so they don’t sink lower?
Gobeil said that if people are trained, they’re more likely to respond with a level head and do the right thing, instead of acting on emotion.
The regulation also says that no worker can go into a hazardous confined space without a permit from their employer. This is a formalized reminder to do a hazard assessment of the area.
Watt said to think of this as a recipe or a pre-flight checklist.
“When you fly in an airplane, your pilot goes through a pre-flight inspection, a takeoff and landing checklist to make sure everything is covered,” he said.
A permit covers the location of the space, which worker will enter it, and any hazardous atmosphere monitoring or lockout required. It allows the worker to understand and consent to the work, and deals with what they’ll do if something goes wrong.
Another worker (standby worker) must be designated to stay outside the entrance of the confined space. The standby worker must have training in hazardous confined space procedures and be a qualified first-aider, according to the regulation.
Especially in remote areas, “phoning 911 or the local emergency number is not going to warrant a timely response, and the local emergency services might not have the specialized equipment that is needed,” Watt said.
Is this too much to ask for farmers — especially on small family farms?
“Finding that practical answer can be a challenge,” said Morag Marjerison, farm safety consultant with KAP. There’s a lot of historical practice of how people go into grain bins, she said.
Also, how hazardous a grain bin is differs depending on how it’s being used at that moment, she added.
CASA has safety plan and assessment checklists on its website. Watt said there are apps that can be used to complete and log hazard assessments.
There are multiple avenues for confined space training. Elite Safety Services provides confined space training specific for farms, and can tailor classes to an employers’ needs. CASA also provides training (including an online course on the topic). These courses train farmers how to set up confined space safety procedures, do hazard assessments and set up permitting systems if needed.
Safe Work Manitoba offers consulting services, said Watt. He also invited farmers to call Elite Safety Services for advice.
Gobeil acknowledged that setting up these procedures may sound daunting, but said producers need to remember there’s a cost to injury too.
“Why not follow some basic safety rules… it might slow you down briefly, but in the long run it’s a contingency plan,” he said. “It ensures that work is done in a safe manner. But also in addition to that it’s in a methodical manner, it’s predictable.”
Watt likened safety procedures to crop insurance.
“Everyone has to have the ‘what if’ in place. People buy crop insurance and hail insurance just in case it hails and there’s damage to the crop. And the same thing happens for workers. We want to prevent that incident or injury or fatality from happening.”
There’s also the matter of law — as workplaces, farms can be inspected. If a farm activity is deemed unsafe, improvement orders or stop-work orders may be issued, said Marjerison. In worst-case scenarios like injury or death, being out of compliance with the law could lead to prosecution.
Confined space resources:
Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) “BeGrainSafe” program
Take farm safety courses online (CASA)
Canada FarmSafe Program (CASA)
Manitoba Farm Safety Program
Safety and Health Programs
SAFE Work Manitoba
Confined space regulations
Elite Safety Services
Confined space training
Geralyn Wichers
Geralyn Wichers grew up on a hobby farm near Anola, Manitoba, where her family raised cattle, pigs and chickens. Geralyn graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2019 and was previously a reporter for The Carillon in Steinbach. Geralyn is also a published author of science fiction and fantasy novels.
Geralyn Wichers's recent articles
Swath of MARD, MASC offices slated for closure 4 days ago
People, relationships the highlight of a long career 5 days ago
News, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
Silver screen grain entrapment mirrors real-life peril for Winkler farmer
News, farm safety
STARS sees summer spike in calls
Farmit Manitoba, farm safety, grain bins
Unpacking the dangers around bin entrapment
Rollover training tractor unveiled
Farmit Manitoba, farm safety
Tiny tractor to train farmers on rollover prevention
Farm COVID safety Q-and-A
Undercooking prompts sausage recall
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2033
|
__label__cc
| 0.586586
| 0.413414
|
Mara Dettmann
Diversity in Advertising.
I could go into long philosophical discussions about what diversity actually means. Social? Economic? Geographic? Ethnic? Or why it's actually so important to us (cynically: so we can develop ads that manipulate even more people by tapping into what we understand of their desires and fears).
For me, it comes down to this: entry-level advertising jobs need to pay more. Otherwise – and this is speaking for London specifically – you're only going to get home-county-dwelling* candidates from selected social strata.
* Home counties: the counties literally surrounding London, and hence make commuting feasible. And, of course, there are those whose parents let them live in their London properties. Full disclosure: my parents supported me both through university and through my career. And I'd be very surprised if Trollkin can get through university on her own terms (and would rather have her rely on us than a sugar parent).
Reading Raj Patel’s “The Value of Nothing” in an advertising context.
The more I read about the theory of advertising (which is plenty, thanks to my upcoming IPA Eff Test), the more it seems just inextricably linked to other disciplines. Psychology and sociology are pretty much a given – the better we understand how people’s minds and social structures work, the better we can sell to them. But there’s also a huge economic dimension to advertising. Specifically, so much of advertising relates to the process of value creation. Though my Comparative Literature course included ample Marx, Engels, Veblen, and Benjamin, it’s a concept that I’m still working to fully understand. That’s why I was very happy to come across Raj Patel’s The Value of Nothing . At its core, it’s a fundamental examination of why things cost what they do – though it also goes far beyond that as the subtitle, “How to reshape market society and redefine democracy,” suggests. One of the best parts is where Patel explains why “a burger grown from beef raised on clear-cut forest should rea
Stylus talk review: "The groups that will shape the commercial landscape in 2019."
Trends and insights researcher Stylus gave a presentation on "The groups that will shape the commercial landscape in 2019" on Tuesday, February 12 – here's my roundup (with extensive commentary). TL;DR: Interesting in terms of hearing about big and small trends (and the Zeitgeist in general), but also relatively niche and very US-focused. It was definitely about the "haves" rather than "have nots" – though that makes commercial sense I suppose. Also: I'm not entirely sold on the figures cited... Still, events like these are definitely worthwhile because with the insane amounts of information out there, anything that can shed light on what some of the distinct trends are, and where we're headed, makes the infoscape a bit more navigable. The speakers' main points: Don't just focus on Millennials and consider the "new" lifestyles which people are embracing – specifically... 1) "Supercharged Kids" Basically: the rise
Digested Read: How (Not) To Plan, Section 2.
Product, Price, Place! Introduction Marketers tend to focus overly much on Promotion, ignoring other three Ps. 2.1 Brands Can(not) Live Forever "Brands don't have life cycles," a theory which the longevity of Heinz, Kellogg's, and Hovis apparently support. "If there is any 'life cycle,' it's a brand management cycle." Phase 1: Brand launch with strong marketing support and ROI. Phase 2: Sales plateau – marketing needs to maintain and depend the brand and gets less management attention; budgets are cut. Phase 3: The cuts lead to declining sales; brand owners retaliate with price promotions which deliver short-term sales but damage the brand image (further affecting sales). The Boston Matrix of Cash Cows and Stars should be applied to categories, not brands. Checklist "Aim for brand immortality" Always invest in continuous advertising [Comment: A recurrent theme ] Share and Voice and Share of Market can help you estimate how much
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2034
|
__label__cc
| 0.661839
| 0.338161
|
Infosys to Acquire GuideVision, a Leading ServiceNow Elite Partner in Europe
maandag 14 september 2020 08:13 Economie
Acquisition to augment Infosys Cobalt portfolio of cloud services and further strengthen nearshore delivery presence in Europe
BENGALURU, India and PRAGUE, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys [https://www.infosys.com/] , a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire GuideVision [http://infosys.guidevision.eu/], one of the largest ServiceNow Elite Partners in Europe. GuideVision is an award winning enterprise service management consultancy specialised in offering strategic advisory, consulting, implementations, training and support on the ServiceNow platform.
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg [https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg]
GuideVision's end-to-end offerings, including SnowMirror - a proprietary smart data replication tool for ServiceNow instances - enables over 100 enterprise clients to simplify complex business and IT processes. GuideVision's training academy and nearshore capabilities in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and presence in Germany and Finland will strengthen Infosys' ServiceNow capabilities for its clients in Europe.
ServiceNow is one of the fastest growing enterprise software companies, and is becoming an 'essential service' and workflow standard for organizations. Infosys was recognized by ServiceNow as the 2019 and 2020 ServiceNow Global Service Provider Partner of the Year.
Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys, said, "This acquisition is an important milestone in our journey to build capabilities relevant to the digital priorities of our clients. This move reaffirms our commitment to the growing ServiceNow ecosystem. The combination of scalable and agile nearshore capabilities of GuideVision in Europe, and their unmatched delivery excellence, complements our own effort to help global enterprises navigate their next. We are excited to welcome GuideVision and its leadership team into the Infosys family."
Narsimha Rao Mannepalli, EVP and Head - Cloud & Infrastructure, Infosys, said, "GuideVision's addition is another significant step towards strengthening our Infosys Cobalt offerings portfolio, bringing the combination of services, solutions and platforms, that acts as a force multiplier for cloud-powered enterprise transformation. Our recently announced Infosys Cobalt portfolio has a large repository of ServiceNow Industry Cloud solutions like ESM Café, and this will now be bolstered by GuideVision's SnowMirror suite of Industry templates."
Norbert Nagy, Co-Founder, GuideVision, said, "GuideVision's exceptionally high customer ratings are the result of our continuous effort to deliver superior consulting and implementation services. Joining Infosys brings an extended portfolio of services we can offer to our customers on their digital transformation journey. The global Infosys footprint is an exciting opportunity for both GuideVision customers and employees."
Pavel Muller, Co-Founder, GuideVision, added, "We are happy to become a part of the Infosys family and we strongly believe that the shared underlying values are a great foundation for our common goals in the future. Our combined expertise will further drive our customers' digital transformation in the European market."
The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of fiscal 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.
ServiceNow, Now Platform and others are among the trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc.
About Guidevision
GuideVision is a dynamic and progressive consultancy committed to enabling clients to reimagine and transform their enterprise service management with ServiceNow. GuideVision offers a unique combination of strategic expertise, innovative technological knowledge and agile methodology. Our mission is to make ServiceNow work for you and your goals. www.guidevision.eu [http://www.guidevision.eu/]
Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.
Visit www.infosys.com [https://www.infosys.com/en.html] to see how Infosys can help your enterprise navigate your next.
Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov [https://www.sec.gov/]. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg [https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg]
CONTACT: Media Contacts: For further information, please contact: PR_Global@infosys.com
Amazfit GTR 2e and Amazfit GTS 2e Praised in the Media Spotlight at CES 2021 maandag 18 januari 2021 12:05
New report from FDI World Dental Federation tackles oral health inequalities and outlines strategies to improve oral healthcare over the next ten maandag 18 januari 2021 12:01
20,000m2 artwork GROW by Daan Roosegaarde highlights the beauty of agriculture maandag 18 januari 2021 12:01
20.000 m2 kunstwerk GROW door Daan Roosegaarde toont de schoonheid van landbouw maandag 18 januari 2021 12:01
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2039
|
__label__cc
| 0.748701
| 0.251299
|
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Adopts Lost Baby Pangolin
Latasha Seow 3 years ago
A baby Sunda pangolin was found wandering around near Upper Thompson Road and has been adopted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
Taiwan bans the consumption of cat and dog meat
Animal activists around the world are celebrating as Taiwan becomes the first Asian country to ban the sale and consumption of cat and dog meat.
Guide Dogs Association of the Blind receives year-long sponsorship from Scoot-Tigerair
The newly announced airline sponsorship will allow more trained guide dogs to be flown from Australia into Singapore, which will hopefully benefit the visually-impaired community here.
San Francisco bans the sale of non-rescue animals in pet shops
Finally, the homeless animals of San Francisco have reason to celebrate.
Man sentenced to 18 weeks’ jail for brutally killing cat
A 25-year-old man was arrested for throwing a stray cat down 10 floors of a Tampines HDB estate and slamming the cat to its death on the pavement. He pleaded guilty to two counts of animal abuse, and has since been sentenced to 18 weeks’ jail.
A cat in Ubi found wrapped up in masking tape: A new case of animal abuse in SG
Darishini Thiyagarajan 3 years ago
A cat was found walking around Ubi wrapped in masking tape, making this a one-of-a-kind animal abuse case here in Singapore. Read on to find out more about how this cat was rescued.
AVA releases new dog licensing rules to improve traceability and discourage pet abandonment
AVA announced their plan to enhance the pet licensing regime, which aims to improve the traceability of pet canines in Singapore, discourage pet abandonment, and to help reunite lost dogs with their owners. Read on to find out about the new licensing rules that take effect in the first quarter of the year.
Cats Banned in HDB Flats: Is this unfair to cat lovers?
HDB has stated that while certain dog breeds are allowed as pets in flats, cats are not allowed at all. A recent post on social media regarding the ban on cats in flats garnered lots of attention and anger from cat lovers around the island. Should cats really be banned from our flats?
Illegal Fishing in Singapore: How is it affecting otters?
Fishing at Marina Bay is illegal, yet fishing enthusiasts are still heading down to cast their lines with complete disregard for marine life that are living in close proximity. Otters that live in the Bishan-Marina Bay area have been found with embedded fish hooks and fishing lines in their bodies. What could be done to rectify this situation?
Singapore government to build new homes for animal shelters and pet farms
Claudia Chia 4 years ago
Many of the pet farms and animal shelters–currently located in Loyang and Seletar– will need to move out by the end of 2017. But don’t worry, they’ll be going somewhere that is better for both their staff and the animals.
Reasons to adopt a dog
When you adopt a dog, not only do you give your new pooch a second chance at life; but you also help free up space in the shelter, thus allowing them to take in one more needy furkid. Read on for more on why we support adoption.
TripAdvisor stops ticket sales to inhumane wildlife attractions
The travel website, TripAdvisor, garnered flak earlier this year for promoting and profiting from inhumane wildlife attractions. Read on to find out more.
Man sentenced to six months in jail for smuggling puppies into Singapore
A man had stuffed three puppies—a Chow Chow, Siberian Husky and Miniature Schnauzer—into a speaker box located in his car boot in an attempt to smuggle them into Singapore. Read on to find out more.
Concerns arise over Singaporean pet cremation company’s “fake” ashes
Many pet owners are willing to go the distance to send their beloved furry friends off with a proper farewell. However, when one owner found that the urn returned to him did not contain the ashes of his dog, his nightmare had only just begun.
Animal shelter encourages Pokemon Go players to help walk dogs
It seems even animal shelters are not spared from the Pokemon Go fever! Thankfully, this time it’s for a good cause. Since these “trainers” are going to be out hunting for Pokemon anyway, The Muncie Animal Shelter is encouraging them to volunteer to bring the shelter dogs along, so they can get their daily doses of love and exercise.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2041
|
__label__cc
| 0.692836
| 0.307164
|
First Taste: Little O’s Is a Little Something Special
Lauren Cusimano
| First Taste |
Lauren Cusimano | December 29, 2020 | 6:00am
The initial magnetism of the place comes from the porch-like dog-patio, a wooden deck with large umbrellas in the signature O.H.S.O. orange.
When a new spot opens in town, we're eager to check it out, let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead, a peek inside restaurants that have just opened — an occasion to sample a few items and satisfy curiosities (both yours and ours).
Restaurant: Little O’s
Location: 521 West McDowell Road
Eats/drinks: Brunch and lunch, beer and bar
Open: About three months
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to midnight Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
Sometimes the spin-off can be better than the original. My first example of this is Frasier, but my second might be Little O’s.
10 Great Hangover Dishes in Metro Phoenix in 2020
21 Places to Eat and Drink on New Year's Eve and Day in Greater Phoenix
First Sip: Highball Is an Upscale Cocktail Lounge Without a Gimmick, Which Is Refreshing
Set in the Willo District’s food-court-like intersection of Seventh Avenue and McDowell Road in the former Zoe’s Kitchen spot, Little O’s is a stripped-down version of O.H.S.O. Brewery.
“Menu will be a little different, space will be a lot smaller, but the vibe will be the same neighborhood feel you get at O.H.S.O.,” is how owner and operator Summer Anesin described the then-upcoming space upon announcing it in the fall. Anesin started as a server nine years ago when the first O.H.S.O. opened in Arcadia; now she runs this joint.
And what a joint. I’ve spent a good amount of time at the original location, O.H.S.O. Eatery & nano-Brewery. It’s always been more or less fine. But I’ve already been to Little O’s twice and hope to be back again soon.
The initial magnetism of the place comes from the porch-like dog-patio, a wooden deck with large umbrellas in the signature O.H.S.O. orange. Seating isn’t abundant, but it’s open, sunny, and right against the sidewalk and street. It feels lively even when only a few patrons are hanging around. Plus, you can usually find a dog or two, who are typically spoiled with the over-attentive (in a good way) staff. Our server brought our dog both water and bacon. This is a good staff.
There are 16 beers on tap, as well as cans and bottles to-go. There’s a good mix of O.H.S.O. beers (Brite, Handlebar Hefe, and Morning Brew) as well as Arizona beers (Toole Avenue out of Tucson, Cielo Session IPA from Greenwood Brewing). Wine and signature cocktails are also available; you'll recognize those from other O.H.S.O. locations (The Arcadia, Summertime), but there is also a special-to-this-location Little O’s Bloody Mary.
The jalapeno hummus with crisp vegetables.
Eventually, it was time to put some food on top of the few beer sips we had in our stomachs. The menu at Little O’s is tight, but it’s mostly hits. There are burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and pizza, plus shareables like chips, pretzels, and Nach-O’s.
We started with meatballs and hummus, which arrived quickly and in ample serving sizes. The hummus wasn’t next-level or anything (this is just a brewery, after all, not a first-rate Mediterranean eatery) but there also wasn’t much left by the time we were done. Amid the jalapeno-flavored hummus was crisp, seemingly fresh cuts of carrots, radish, and cucumber, plus warm pita bread.
The meatballs were almost too pretty to disturb.
The meatballs were almost too well-plated to disturb — a slice of focaccia bread was delicately balanced above the three balls. The meatballs themselves were a blend of pork and spicy brisket, and even better when loaded with the house marinara sauce (which could have been less sweet) and slices of parmesan. As much as I’m curious about the garlic knots, these meatballs might be ordered again next time.
Salads hover around $12 (plus $5 to add chicken or shrimp), but, again, you get a lot. We went with the Wedger, which too came beautifully plated. Two large chunks of iceberg lettuce were absolutely loaded with gorgonzola, bacon, heirloom tomatoes, onion strings, and a pretty pink roasted red pepper ranch.
We also got the Italiano salad, a heavy bowl of chopped iceberg and romaine lettuces, olives, dates, dried tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella, pistachios, artichokes, pepperoni, and lemon oregano dressing. I ate this till I was sick and still couldn’t finish it. A good salad.
Over in the pizza section, we tried the Large Marge — a simple pie of mozzarella, basil, heirloom tomatoes, and a spicy red sauce. That sauce is no joke. They mean spicy. And though the pizza was without a protein, it was still substantial and filling as well as flavorful. We still needed a box.
The Angry Bird, my friends, is an incredible chicken sandwich, a fried chicken breast marinated in Buffalo sauce and topped with bleu cheese crumbles, shredded lettuce, and more Buffalo sauce. It’s situated between a super soft, sweet-smelling King's Hawaiian bun. Each bite was tangy, textured, and immediately followed by another.
Little O’s has inside seating as well, which is somewhat open-air as the bar is indoor/outdoor and the massive glass door is always propped open. Inside the minimalist dining room, you’ll see the usual bike décor, well-spaced tables and chairs, and an obvious check-out area for to-go orders of bottles and food.
Posted on the website is proprietor Anesin’s overall objective: “Her vision was to create a laidback neighborhood hangout with burgers, barks and beer.” As far as we're concerned, these goals have been met (though we haven't yet actually tried a burger). The place is laid-back despite the street noise and foot traffic, it’s insanely dog-friendly, and the food and drinks will induce next-day daydreams (I’m still thinking about the Italiano salad and Brite pint).
Anesin has nailed it.
Lauren Cusimano is Phoenix New Times' food and drink editor. She is a journalist and food waste writer based in Tempe. Joys include eating wings, riding bikes, knowing everyone at the bar, talking too much about The Simpsons, and falling asleep while reading.
Twitter: @Laurenski
Instagram: laurenski
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2042
|
__label__wiki
| 0.971404
| 0.971404
|
printed January 18, 2021
See this page online at:
https://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=16945
Home › News ›
Airplay Support Comes to Google Play Movies for iOS
Dec 11, 2015, 8:12 AM by Eric M. Zeman @zeman_e
Google has updated its Play Movies & TV app for iOS devices and added direct Airplay support for streaming to the Apple TV. Play Movies users have been able to push content to the Apple TV for a while, but it involved a workaround. Now, Airplay is built directly into Play Movies and can stream with the push of a button. Airplay compatibility requires the 3rd-generation Apple TV or newer running OS 7.0 and up. The app also gains the ability to stream content over cellular connections, and the ability to stream in HD. Google Play Movies & TV is free to download from the iTunes App Store, but content generally must be purchased or rented.
OnePlus 8 Pro Sports 30W Wireless Charging, Dual 48 MP Cameras, 5G
OnePlus has revealed its new lineup for 2020 — the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro — both of which have 5G. They also manage to pack larger batteries into slightly thinner bodies compared to their predecessors.
New York Launches COVID-19 Exposure Notifications
New York State has launched COVID Alert NY, its official app enabling the COVID-19 Exposure Notification system developed by Apple and Google. New York is the largest US state to date to launch an app using the system, and joins ten other states that have already launched similar apps: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Apple Releases iOS 11.4 with AirPlay 2
Apple today made iOS 11.4 available to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The most significant new feature of iOS 11.4 is AirPlay 2, a more advanced version of Apple's wireless audio technology.
Google Play Eases Pain of Finding Movies and TV Shows in Streaming Apps
Google today updated its Google Play Store and Google Play Movies & TV apps with new insight when it comes to video streaming services. People can now easily discover which streaming service includes their favorite movie or show.
Instagram Debuts Video Chat and Bully Filters
Instagram today revealed several new features meant to help connect and protect users that it will add over the next few months. First up is video chatting.
more news about:
This forum is closed.
Follow @phonescoop on Twitter
new featured article
Hands On with the TCL 10 5G UW for Verizon
In late 2020, the focus of the mobile world is still on 5G, but it's not on flagship phones; the hot race is who can offer the best $400 5G phone. Verizon's big bet in this race is on the TCL 10 5G UW, which stands out for including faster mmWave 5G, a feature that usually carries a price premium.
Motorola Updates razr with Better Specs, Refined Design
Motorola today revealed the 2020 edition of its razr foldable phone, with upgraded specs across the board and a tweaked design. The general design is largely similar to the 2019 original, including the same flexible inner display and folding mechanism.
Better Video-conferencing with the Note20
Samsung's Note series phones are pricey and aimed at road warriors. So you might think they're ill-suited for 2020. But they do have very unique capabilities that can help you up your video conferencing game as you work from home, as we demonstrate in this video using the Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
Hands On with the 2021 Moto G series and One 5G ace
Motorola has a full slate of new affordable phones for 2021, ranging from $170 to $400 for the 5G model. The company's G series has long been well-regarded for quality and value.
LG Wing Boasts Swivel Screen
The first phone in LG's "Explorer Project" series is the LG Wing, a phone with a unique swivel display design. The 6.8-inch full-HD OLED main display swivels up to reveal a 3.9-inch second screen.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2: Full Details and Photos
Samsung has revealed new details of its Galaxy Z Fold2 foldable phone, the successor to last year's pioneering Galaxy Fold. While Samsung has improved or refined most aspects of the design — including the hinge — the much larger outer display stands out, having grown from 4.6 to 6.2 inches, and now protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
Samsung Expands Galaxy S20 Series With More-Affordable Fan Edition
Samsung has a new, more affordable Galaxy S20 phone that starts at $699 while keeping the S20 specs and features that Samsung says surveyed users cared about most. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (abbreviated "FE") keeps flagship-level specs in many areas.
Samsung's Galaxy S21 Flagships are Prettier and More Affordable
Samsung today officially unveiled its Galaxy S21 series of flagship phones for 2021. All three models sport a distinctive new "Contour Cut Camera" design where the metal frame extends around one corner to surround the rear cameras.
Subscribe to news & reviews with RSS Follow @phonescoop on Twitter Phone Scoop on Facebook Subscribe to Phone Scoop on YouTube Follow on Instagram
All content Copyright 2001-2021 Phone Factor, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Content on this site may not be copied or republished without formal permission.
This is a preview. Click for full glossary page.
By registering, you agree to our Terms of Use.
We value your privacy and will never share your email address. (full privacy policy)
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2044
|
__label__cc
| 0.749052
| 0.250948
|
26723 Oak Ave.
26723 Oak Ave., Santa Clarita, CA 91351
Canyon Country's Premier Collision Shop
The Premier MINI Auto Body Specialists in Santa Clarita, CA
With cheeky personality and major British charm, the MINI is a symbol of fun and spontaneity. Since it became a cultural icon in 1960s England, its allure has taken hold of car aficionados everywhere. But MINIs aren’t all about looks. Their compact size and classic style are complemented by BMW German engineering, optimizing fuel efficiency and economy. In fact, the MINI Cooper was voted by 130 international automotive journalists as the European Car of the Century in 1999.
The MINI Cooper was designed to be efficient in every way possible. We know because we keep ourselves up-to-date with the latest changes in today’s automotive technology by undergoing constant training. A transversely mounted engine and wheels pushed out to the corners increase stability and handling, while lightweight construction and aerodynamic technology reduce fuel consumption. With the right care and attention, your MINI Cooper will last you a long time. If you need repairs, Premier Autobody & Frame can help keep it that way.
Accidents happen to the best of us. Luckily for MINI drivers, Premier Autobody & Frame in Santa Clarita is prepared to get you through the difficult situation as quickly and as pleasantly as possible. After all, we know how hard it is to get by without a car—you’ve got places to go and things to do.
At our independent, family-owned auto body and collision shop, we’ve been making MINI vehicles look and run like new for many years. We provide you with a free estimate before any repairs are done, and we promise to return your MINI to its original visual and safety specifications.
Moreover, there isn’t a Santa Clarita auto body shop more committed to excellent customer service. As soon as you enter our shop, you will be greeted with a friendly smile, and your MINI will be worked on by an experienced, well-trained auto body technician. Our paint specialists are equally knowledgeable and precise when it comes to returning your car’s finish to pre-accident condition.
In Santa Clarita, Trust Premier Autobody & Frame After an Accident!
Please don’t hesitate to bring your MINI to Premier Autobody & Frame in Santa Clarita for quality auto body repairs! To make an appointment, contact us online or give us a call. We promise to put all of our skills, resources, and experience behind getting you back in your MINI and on the road as soon as possible.
Home | About | Services | Specials | Reviews | Blog | Car Care Tips | Contact
Premier Autobody & Frame — Honesty, Integrity & Service.
Serving Santa Clarita, Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia and surrounding areas.
26723 Oak Ave. Santa Clarita, CA 91351 • (661) 298-0198
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2047
|
__label__cc
| 0.706053
| 0.293947
|
Recognizing Addiction
Check our website regularly to stay updated on our blogs! We will have blogs on recovery from prescription addiction, treatment and more.
Rescinding Affordable Care Act can be catastrophic for people battling drug addiction
on Dec 18, 2020by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin Addiction Treatment, Drug abuse, Drug Addiction
“Health is a human necessity; health is a human right”— Dr. James Lenhart Insurance is pivotal in health care and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare is just the right support for every American in need of medical care. However, the act is indanger of being repealed in the coming days. And, if that..
FDA warns about next wave of drugs to be abused
on Dec 24, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin addiction, Opioid abuse, prescription drug abuse
Few decades ago pharmaceutical companies were giving incentives to medical professionals to attend conferences on pain management, free travel, five-star hotel stays, gift hampers, toys to bring back to the kids, and much more, all the while introducing opioids and other prescriptive painkillers and encouraging them to prescribe them to pain patients. The whole strategy..
Study suggests interdisciplinary model to fight opioid use disorder
on May 10, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin Drug abuse, Opioid abuse, opioids, prescription drug abuse
In the wake of heavy losses incurred by both people and government in terms of productivity and finances due to opioid epidemic, there is an urgent need for an efficient therapy to control and curb the crisis. Scientists and medical practitioners recently highlighted the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary model of care for managing opioid use..
Opioids taking heavy toll on children’s future in Indiana
on Apr 17, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin addiction, Drug Addiction, prescription drug abuse, Treatment
From being termed an epidemic to a public health crisis, the opioid addiction problem has various names in the United States. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 11.8 million people aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year. Significantly, 66 percent of drug overdose deaths involve an..
North Carolina and Oregon join secure network of NABP PMP to combat opioid epidemic
on Apr 4, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin opioids
Among the steps taken by different states to curb opioid addiction in the United States, North Carolina and Oregon have now joined the group of 43 other states participating in the prescription monitoring program (PMP) and data sharing system of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) known as NABP PMP InterConnect. The secure..
Trump mentions making stringent laws to end opioid crisis, high schools take lead
on Mar 22, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin prescription drug abuse
The United States (U.S.) has been in the clutches of opioid addiction since many years and many lives have been lost because of this crisis, wreaking havoc on the health of the entire country. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdoses claimed 64,000 lives. Of those, two-thirds were from opioids,..
Minnesota Health Collaborative to tackle opioid misuse and mental health issues
on Mar 7, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin Opioid abuse
As the nation is struggling to come to terms with two most disturbing health issues – opioids and mental health, a new collaborative between 13 largest health systems in Minnesota seems to fight these problems on a different scale. The Minnesota Health Collaborative has been active since January 2017 and is presently focused on identifying..
New findings on opioid addiction give better insight into problem
on Feb 2, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin Opioid abuse
Undoubtedly, opioids are the most effective compounds to successfully treat moderate to severe pain and their use has substantially increased over the past decades. According to the 2017 Annual Surveillance Report of Drug-Related Risks and Outcomes published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 19.1 people out of every 100 received one..
Here’s why this Italian family is immune to pain
on Jan 8, 2018by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin opioids
Scientists have identified an enigmatic genetic mutation, which is effective in negating the sensation of pain. The gene variant was recently identified in the Marsili family from Italy, for whom stubbed toes, burns, or even broken bones are a painless experience. In fact, physical pain is something they don’t feel at all. This gives researchers..
Dependence on opioids accelerating drug withdrawal in newborns
on Dec 14, 2017by Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline Teamin opioids
One of the realities confronting today’s world is the surge in the number of opioid-addicted babies. With heartbreaking reports emerging from all over the world, the menace of opioid crisis has taken another dangerous form. The past two decades have seen an incredible escalation in opioid epidemic in the United States that has led to..
Prescription Addiction
© 2021 Prescription Drug Abuse Helpline. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2049
|
__label__cc
| 0.712622
| 0.287378
|
Tech Professional Insurance
Healthcare Professional Insurance
Food and Beverage Business Insurance
HVAC Business Insurance
Handyman Insurance
Travel Agent Insurance
Photography Business Insurance
Wedding Photographer Insurance
Business Consultant Insurance
Educational Business Insurance
Bookkeeper Insurance
Common Business Insurance Claims
Get Quotes Online Now
Why Choose Prime Insurance?
Get Quotes From Multiple Providers In A Few Minutes
No Need To Call Every Insurance Company, We Shop For You
Talk To Industry Insurance Experts Who Understand Your Business And Risks
If You Know What You Need, Get Your Quotes Online Now
If You Don't Know What You Need, Talk To An Experienced Agent Today
September 4, 2019.
Four out of 10 small businesses are likely to experience a property or general liability claim in the next 10 years, according to an analysis of The Hartford’s small business claims. Topping the list for the most common claim is burglary and theft; however, the most costly claim for a small business is reputational harm, which includes libel, slander, and violation of privacy.
“An unexpected event happens more often than many small business owners realize,” said Stephanie Bush, senior vice president of Small Commercial insurance at The Hartford.
The company identified the most common claims as well the most costly on average after analyzing five years of data from more than one million property and liability policies.
Burglary and theft affected 20 percent of small business owners in the past five years. However, burglary and theft ranked lowest out of the top 10 most costly claims, averaging $8,000, compared to reputational harm claims, which cost $50,000 on average.
MOST COSTLY CLAIMS
A claim payout on a reputational harm claim, covered through a general liability policy, can run much higher if a lawsuit is involved, according to the insurer. If a lawsuit is involved, a general liability claim can average more than $75,000 per case to defend and settle. Based on The Hartford’s claims history, 35 percent of all general liability claims result in a lawsuit.
FIRE CLAIMS are ranked in the top five of both the most common and costly claims. The average cost for a fire claim is $35,000, impacting 10 percent of small business owners in the past five years.
The top 10 costliest small business claims are: reputational harm, ($50,000); vehicle accidents ($45,000); fire ($35,000); product liability ($35,000); customer injury or damage ($30,000); wind and hail damage ($26,000); customer slip and fall ($20,000); water and freezing damage ($17,000); struck by object ($10,000) and burglary and theft ($8,000).
Top 10 PROPERTY AND LIABILITY CLAIMS
Most Common Most Costly
Burglary & Theft (20%) Reputational Harm ($50,000)
Water and Freezing Damage (15%) Vehicle Accident 3 ($45,000)
Wind and Hail Damage 6 (15%) Fire($35,000)
Fire (10%) Product Liability 4 ($35,000)
Customer Slip and Fall(10%) Customer Injury or Damage 5 ($30,000)
Customer Injury and Damage(Less than 5%) Wind and Hail Damage($26,000)
Product Liability(Less than 5 percent) Customer Slip and Fall ($20,000)
Struck by Object (Less than 5 percent) Water and Freezing Damage ($17,000)
Reputational Harm (Less than 5 percent) Struck by Object ($10,000)
Vehicle Accident (Less than 5 percent) Burglary and Theft ($8,000)
Source: The Hartford
Making sure your business has the insurance coverage necessary for the specific areas of work that you will be dealing with
has a vital part of becoming a successful business. It only takes one bad lawsuit to make it all crumble to the ground. Having the best insurance coverage possible will help lessen that blow.
At Prime Insurance Market, we understand that, and our mission is to help small businesses like you grow and build a strong and growing business without breaking the bank on insurance.
Request more information about Small Business Insurance https://www.primeinsurancemarket.com/insurance/
Location: Alpharetta, GA 30009
Quotes and Sales: (762) 208-5898
©2019 Prime Insurance Market. Do not copy. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2051
|
__label__wiki
| 0.664008
| 0.664008
|
1413 dəfə baxıldı
TECHNOM
Sənaye/Sektor Pərakəndə satış
E-poçt texnokredit@mail.ru
Əlaqə nömrəsi (077) 390-9600
İşçi sayı 60
"TECHNOM" şirkəti mərkəzi ofisi Sumqayıt şəhərində yerləşməklə Bakı,Sumqayıt və digər şəhərlərdə məişət avadanlığı və texnikası satışı üzrə ixtisaslaşmış dükanlardan ibarət şəbəkəyə malik şirkətdir.
"Xidmətlər/Servislər" haqqında məlumatlar yerləşdirilməyib.
Xahiş edirəm yerləşdirin
Bütün növ məişət texnikası
Sektor/Sənaye: Pərakəndə satış
Web səhifəsi:
Servis/Xitmət haqqında:Dünya üzrə məşhur bütün markalar
Blog and its Sausage Party, back in December? Followed by its protest about hiring a Canadian woman director for the television remake of that classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock? Those protests have borne fruit, as reported in WIFTNSW’s latest newsletter. The Sausage Party highlighted the Australian Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards(AACTAs) disproportionately low amount of nominations and pre-selected films directed and driven by female creatives. Among the twenty-eight narrative feature films pre-selected for the AACTAs Screening Tour, just two were directed by women. And, as WIFTNSW pointed out, when female content cannot reach the public voting platform in the first instance there’s no point calling for quotas in award juries. Furthermore, of the twenty-eight films selected for consideration, seven films (a full quarter of the total), violated AACTAs’ own eligibility criteria and at least two fully eligible films helmed by women were excluded. After the protest, AACTA reached out to WIFTNSW and other industry guilds to discuss the issues raised by the Sausage Party protests. WIFTNSW now looks forward to meaningful consultation to create fair and diverse AACTAs.YAY. And the Sausage costumes are now available for use so do ‘enquire within’, adds WIFTNSW. omeninfi This year, writer/director/producer Amie Batalibasi won the fellowship. I read her powerful acceptance speech, published in her blog, and asked to cross-post it. And Amie also agreed to answer some questions. Warm thanks to her. –Marian Evans My Sundance Acceptance Speech — Merata Mita Fellowship by Amie Batalibasi Firstly I’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Ute peoples. And pay my respects to elders past and present and also acknowledge other First Nations peoples in the room today. Labels: gendermatters, womeninfilm, Amanda Kernell, Array, blackbirding, distribution, indigenous women filmmakers, intersectionality, Merata Mita Fellowship, Solomon Islanders, Sundance 2017, Sydney Freeland SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2017 Solving the WomenInFilm Problem: Naomi McDougall Jones Those women's marches were amazing. And so is the womeninfilm movement, where women filmmakers' strategies for change are becoming ever more diverse and sophisticated. Writer/actor/producer Naomi McDougall Jones is one of the most thoughtful and energetic change agents around and Danielle Winston and the women of Agnès Films (named in honor of Agnès Varda) continue their own significant contributions with this excellent interview with her, copy-edited by Elena Chronick. Warm thanks to them all. Naomi McDougall Jones DW On a frosty January afternoon, I met with with writer/actress/producer, Naomi McDougall Jones. Our hangout, a little pie shop called Four Twenty Blackbirds, was quirky enough to have been the backdrop for a Gilmore Girls scene if not for being around the corner from the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Gowanus Brooklyn. As we shared slices of buttery lemon blackout pie, Naomi, a self-possessed woman with crimson hair and natural confidence, spoke passionately about the female cinematic voice that has not been discovered yet, practical solutions to Hollywood’s “women in film problem,” the hidden subculture of people who believe they are vampires, and so much more. You wrote, produced, and starred in the feature film, Imagine I’m Beautiful. How did you manage to wear so many hats and get a true perspective of your performance? NMcDJ I’m going through this process again with my second film. I also wrote, acted in, and produced that one, but I’m not directing. Both times it’s been an intense and specific process finding a director for a project that’s mine in a lot of ways. It’s like finding someone to marry. You just have to find the right person who gets what you’re doing and hopefully brings a different filter to it. I feel excited about passing my story on to someone else’s filter. I think that makes it better than it would be than if it was just all me. Imagine I'm Beautiful poster DW Imagine I’m Beautiful was done on a super low budget, received theatrical and digital distribution, and was well reviewed. How did the success of that film change your life as an actor and filmmaker? Read more » Labels: Agnes Films, Danielle Winston, Elena Chronik, Fear(ful)-less podcast, film economics, gender, Lois Scott, Sona Lang, statistics, TED Talk WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017 Director Activist Maria Giese: Update on Women Directors, the ACLU the Feds Maria Giese Photo: Reggie Burrows Hodges for the Bluestocking Series About a year ago, I interviewed American director Maria Giese about her campaign to end discrimination against women directors in the United States. It's a collective human rights-based action that’s globally unique and significant for all of us who watch and are influenced by Hollywood entertainment. Here’s the next chapter of Maria's story, in two parts: a summary for everyone, followed by the deep nitty gritty for women directors and our allies. Summary WW What have you been up to? MG It’s been quite a year. After 20 years, I left LA and moved to Connecticut with my husband and two children to write a book, Troublemaker. It tells the story of my Hollywood insurgence and my battles in the Directors Guild of America (DGA) during the past 5 years, with a bold group of other women directors. It also describes my journey getting the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to launch the campaign for women directors that led to the current Federal government’s investigation, by ‘the Feds’: the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). I’ve been working hard to support the investigation, foster independent legal actions, and keep this issue alive in the mainstream media, through speaking publicly, talking to journalists, and networking with other activist individuals and organisations. We want to trigger a paradigm shift in people’s thinking so that everyone can comprehend and agree that it is fair and just and in accordance with America’s ideals that women contribute equally to our cultural narrative. I’ve also been part of five documentaries and have developed ideas about the role of distribution. Together with Christine Walker and Caroline Heldman, I am organising the 2017 Women’s Media Summit on gender equity among women storytellers in US entertainment media. It will take place March 31 — April 2 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. WW All women directors have to draw heavily on their imaginations, their hearts, their resilience. They have to be tenacious. A few, like you, are also activists with a collective vision for all women. Who and what has influenced you? Tell me about your childhood. Read more » Labels: 2017 Women’s Media Summit, ACLU, Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, gender equity, Hollywood, indigenous women filmmakers, Maria Giese, Original Six MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017 For the Artists, the Fighters, the Dreamers: 'Or Die Trying' Seed Spark's Emily Best OR DIE TRYING (ODT) is a series about women who live and work in Los Angeles as part of the entertainment industry, now in post production for season one. The ODT creators – and their characters – have set out to progress the narrative of women in film on-screen and are committed to hiring a team that is no less than 85% female. This is how ODT describes itself. I love it. OR DIE TRYING is a testament to the countless women in film. We, the creators, are active women in the film industry not just on screen, but in our real lives as well. We don't "ask for permission," we fight for our dreams daily. The struggles that we have faced as millennials in Hollywood have inspired us to create a story that is raw, real, and relatable for all of the young women who come out to California with a dream of making it in LA. OR DIE TRYING represents all of the resilient women who are judged not only by their talent, but also by their age, race, gender, "look," and social following. We represent the women who hustle for what they want, because they don't believe in a plan b. We represent the women who collaborate and create, hoping to build something bigger than themselves. This one is for the artists, the fighters, and the dreamers. ODT successfully crowdfunded production costs for season one on SeedSpark, and has been featured as IndieWire’s Project of the Week. It's exactly the best group to interview Seed Spark's Emily Best, by ODT's EPs Sarah Hawkins and Myah Hollis. So this is a very special post, reproduced by kind permission, a fine example of the mutual support that's characteristic of the womeninfilm movement. now Pratibha Parmar’s My Name is Andrea, about the radical feminist and writer Andrea Dworkin (1946–2005), explores who Andrea was. It also exposes the ongoing violence inflicted on women’s bodies and spirits across the globe, through featuring five diverse actresses — each one evoking a different aspect, experience and decade of Andrea Dworkin’s life. Pratibha on set with actress and activist Amandla Stenberg who plays young Andrea. In the spirit of contemporary independent women’s film making, the film’s being made in parts and the first twelve minutes of the film is shot and edited. And it’s an impressive twelve minutes. This is what Gloria Steinem said after viewing it– …I can see that this is going to be a film like no other — lyrical, poetic, referential, journalistic, placed in time, deep, complicated…. And it was so moving to me to see what I assume truly is Andrea as a little girl. Nobody but you could take her on as a human being, thinker, rebel and writer and unique force in the world — and I’m proud to be there with Andrea as a raging prophet. She has now joined the project as an Executive Producer. Julie Parker Benelux (co-founder of the legendary Chicken Egg Pictures) has also joined the team as an Executive Producer. The British Film Institute — one of the project’s funders) — was ‘deeply moved’ by the 12-minute clip and also continues its support. We can contribute, too, with cheques made out to Kali8 Productions and posted to– Pratibha Parmar 1563 Solano Avenue 340 Berkeley s in that book is quite radical and complex and beautiful. It’s the first book I’ve read by an author, masculine or feminine, that has a defiance of the situation, which is deeply subversive in the holy sense — it’s other-worldly. She says that this world is stained by human misconception, that men and women have wrong ideas — even if they are ten million years old and come from the mouth of god, they are still wrong! The position in that book is so defiant and passionate that she creates another reality and just might be able to manifest it. It’s from that kind of appetite, with the way things are that new worlds arise, so I have deep admiration for Andrea Dworkin. Labels: Andrea Dworkin, British Film Institute, Chicken and Egg, Gloria Steinem, Leonard Cohen, Pratibha Parmar MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2016 WomeninFilm Activists Speak: Voices From A Revolution This year WomenInFilm ‘how-to’ talks have flourished. The speakers aren’t the first to share, nourish and inform, of course. But until this year, there was just one standout for me: Ava DuVernay’s Film Independent Forum keynote in 2013. She brilliantly argued that filmmakers should abandon despair about not having access to what we need and move on from depression about what makes our work difficult: a ‘wrong’ gender, a ‘wrong’ race or culture, no film school training, no money, no mentors, no advocates, no time. Instead, ‘Create work’, she said. ‘Look at what you have and work with that’. She’s also argued that ‘It’s not about knocking on closed doors. It’s about building our own house and having our own door’, and that has resonated for many women filmmakers. installation, National Museum of African American History Culture (Smithsonian) DuVernay, F-Rating, Female Gaze, Holly Tarquini, indigenous, Jill Soloway, Louise Hutt, Naomi McDougall Jones, Online Heroines, the 51 Fund, WARU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016 Catherine Eaton's 'The Sounding' Catherine Eaton and The Sounding illustrate all that excites me about the 'new' women's filmmaking– sophisticated and engaging concepts; the rise of the actor/writer/director; writer/director/producer associations with womeninfilm support groups; crowd-funding; a beautiful, thoughtful, confidence; principled choices; visual pleasures. Catherine has Native-American heritage, so for me her project also celebrates the rise and wonderful diversity of indigenous women’s filmmaking. Catherine has performed on Broadway and on screen and written two television projects (both finalists for the Sundance Episodic Labs), and is a 2016 Tribeca Channel Women’s Filmmaker Award winner. The Sounding's immaculate crowdfunding campaign for finishing funds gives us two days left to get behind a winner! I'm delighted to share this engaging Danielle Winston interview, with warm thanks to Agnès Films, where it was first published. Catherine Eaton and team. Photo by Asya Danilova womeninfilm, Agnes Films, Catherine Eaton, Centre for the Study of Women in television Film, crowdfunding, feminist films, Film Fatales, indigenous, micro budget, Shakespeare WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 Megan Riakos – Writer, Director and Inspiration This is Megan Riakos, writer/director/producer of Crushed (a thriller, 2015, available on iTunes and Google Play in Australia, New Zealand and North America). Megan also inspired WIFT New South Wales’ red carpet demonstration at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards in Sydney, after she had ‘a terrible experience with the AACTA Award selection process’ and approached WIFT NSW, where she’s a committee member. She got a very supportive hearing: WIFT NSW says it’s ‘fed up with the Sausage Party that is the Australian film industry and calls on AACTA to make Australia’s night of nights truly representative of our diverse screen culture’. It’s also produced a Charter for Gender Equity at the AACTAs. The demo was called the Roast the AACTAs (AACTASausageParty). Here are The Activist Sausages. The protest attracted lots of attention. You can read about it in more detail here (WIFT NSW) and here (Junkee)and here (Guardian). Labels: womeninfilm, AACTA Awards, activism, Australia, gender equity, Megan Riakos, WIFT NSW WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016 Megan Thompson: Looking for Women's Experiences When We Enter Film Fests! Megan Thompson Megan Thompson is in her final year studying Creative Events Management at Falmouth University in England and became interested in feminist film festivals because she'd like to be involved with them in the future. Inspired by the underrepresentation of women directors at general film festivals – a hot topic at the moment, as in Kate Kaminski's 'Aren't We There Yet?' the other day – Megan wanted to learn from women directors who have entered film festivals, including women's/feminist film festivals. What experiences have we had? What barriers have we faced, in the industry and at film festivals? Megan's chosen to use a feminist approach, allowing our voices to be heard without the pressure of fitting into questionnaire boxes. Our responses will help build her research into a strong narrative of multiple voices, which can be used by film festival programmers, to educate others about this issue and to help make change. Labels: womeninfilm, barriers, feminist film festivals, film festivals, women directors, women's film festivals SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2016 'Aren’t We There Yet?' I'm delighted to share Kate's illuminating article, because film festival selection is a global issue for womeninfilm, even here in New Zealand at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Many thanks, Kate! And thanks too, for Catherine's photo and Reggie's concept photos, developed for Kate's celebrated Bluestocking Film Series (Bstkg). Front: Sarah Doyle and Brittany M. Fennell, directors. Back: Yolonda Ross (director), Dawn Jones Redston (director), Tema Staig (Women in Media). Photo taken at Bluestocking 2016. Photo: Catherine Frost by Kate Kaminski As the founder and artistic director of the Bluestocking Film Series, this IndieWire headline caught my attention immediately: 'Women Directors Are Everywhere, But Film Festivals Are Still Catching Up — NYFF'. Now in its 7th season, Bluestocking Film Series’ mission is to celebrate and amplify women’s voices and stories, and is part of a long tradition of women-centered festivals, so I immediately wondered which film festivals the article was referring to. The first paragraph of the article jumps in to rightfully celebrate Ava Duvernay, (being the first Black woman director to open the NYFF) and to note that at least 2 films screening at the festival featured women characters who are not only over 25, but more than twice that age. However, once the writer of the article, aspiring critic Lauren Du Graf, brings in Lesli Klainberg of the Film Society of Lincoln Center as the authoritative spokesperson for the NYFF, the tone of the article takes a turn. Let's start with Klainberg’s thinly-veiled elitism, as she points out that the festival selects only those films that are 'the most significant of the year' without regard to any special criteria. If you’ve seen it, you know that Duvernay’s film 13th is an important film, even a seminal one, but why shouldn’t we notice (and applaud) the fact that the film’s director is both a woman and of color? Klainberg goes to great lengths to assure us that this film was chosen to open the festival based solely on its appeal to NYFF audiences as an important film: 'We didn’t choose Ava’s movie for the opening night because we wanted to make a statement about documentary film, or about people of color, or about women'. Yolonda Ross, actor-writer-director. Photo: Reggie Hodges But why not? Would that be such a terrible thing to do? Isn’t it important for the exact reasons Klainberg seems so ready to downplay? Even putting aside Klainberg’s convenient memory loss about a White male-dominated industry, Duvernay has made an important film about racial injustice in this country, and she’s a woman director of color. Why not celebrate all of that? The rest of us are. The next few paragraphs tell us that despite the lack of women directors in the Main Slate (which, don’t forget, we’ve been told use strict—albeit non-specific—curatorial standards in selection), the full program reaches about 30% parity for women directors/creators. Not bad at all, if you’re going by Hollywood standards. But then Klainberg is quoted as saying, 'I’m pleased to see that we have five of 25 of our films in the Main Slate directed by women…That’s certainly a reflection of where female filmmakers are in our industry in a certain respect. We are gaining and it’s getting better'. I don't know where she gets her statistics, but five out of 25 hardly reflects the actual state of working women directors in the U.S. film industry where, this very article points out, just 4% of the 800 most popular films in 2015 were directed by women. So clearly, it is not actually getting better. At this point, we wish we could get to 20%, but if history teaches us anything, gender parity is still generations of women filmmakers into the future. Proudly stating that five out of 25 Main Slate films at NYFF in 2016 are directed by women, when last year the number was three out of 26, certainly does prove where 'female filmmakers are in our industry'. But only if your expectations are at rock bottom, can you call adding two additional women filmmakers to your program a gain. Maria Giese, DGA member, women in film activist. Photo: Reggie Hodges But honestly, what bothers me most of all about this article is the complete erasure of the long tradition of women's film festivals which, whether you agree that they should exist at all, have nevertheless celebrated the work of women directors, brought women-centered work to the attention of audiences and the industry, and certainly also aspire to strict curatorial standards. After all, it’s in our own best interest to select high-quality films that show what women directors are capable of. When selecting for Bluestocking Film Series, I’m always aware of the industry- and media-perpetuated myth that men aren’t interested in and won’t go see female-driven films. What that knowledge instills, however, is a determination to find the widest possible range of expression from across the globe to dispel that myth. If we’re to survive as a festival that focuses exclusively on on-screen representation, it’s in our own best interest to demonstrate just what we have to offer to the culture: a well-curated, unique blend of women’s voices and stories that you won’t see together anywhere else. What role do festivals like NYFF play in repairing broader, systemic inequalities in the film industry, such as gender disparity among directors? 'I don’t know if that’s our role', said Klainberg. 'We are not a film organization that funds movies'. This is another misleading and, in my opinion, damaging statement. Very few festivals fund, yes, but that doesn’t mean your film festival isn’t still an important step on the career ladder for emerging filmmakers, or a possible conduit to distribution. Are women-focused film festivals the red-headed stepchild of the long-standing engagement between festivals and the industry? Are we best forgotten, somehow shameful? Women’s contributions to film art have systematically been erased, yet the history of women in the film industry is long and rich. To attain cultural balance, we all deserve to know about those contributions and that history. Ariel Dougherty, author-director and co-founder of Women Make Movies. Photo: Reggie Hodges And women’s film festivals with strict curatorial standards (however those may be defined) are still necessary to showcase a larger percentage of talented women working in the field than you normally would get to see at, say, the NYFF. And Klainberg seems to be saying that festivals should not actively work toward gender balance because it will happen naturally. Yet that hasn’t been the case, either in film festivals or the industry. But what’s more, we need women like Du Graf and others who gravitate to film criticism to stand with those of us actively addressing representation and, at a minimum, do diligent research and acknowledge the contributions women in film have already made (and continue to make) without sugar coating what is still, culturally speaking, a dire situation. As I’ve been writing and thinking about this article, I’ve heard from a diverse range of women filmmakers and change makers who are also troubled by the broad strokes and lack of research this article demonstrates. Evadne, actor-writer. Photo: Reggie Hodges Briony Kidd, founder and artistic director of Australia’s fine women in horror festival, Stranger With My Face, said, 'I would have hoped we could have moved on from this kind of thing by now. It is demonstrably not true (emphasis mine) that women are only interested in a certain type of ‘smaller’ film and perpetuating that idea is harmful, in my opinion'. And Kyna Morgan, founder of Her Film Project (an advocacy group for women directors) says– I get it. Who wants to admit that they, as a woman or person of color or anyone of a minority group who is non-white male-identified is effectively shut out because of implicit bias or overt prejudice to who they are? I get it! But being shut out is one of the hardest things we have to look at and own up to when it comes to festival programming, studio slated projects, and practical funding issues, and festivals and studios are still wearing blinders. No one WANTS to be part of the group(s) that the 'big guys' are shutting out. It's a 'great American myth' that anyone can make it as long as they work hard. We sell the idea that Hollywood and film festivals operate as meritocracies and that smaller films don't get made just because they are small films. I think we know better than that and that one of the ugly sides of confronting inequity and inequality is that there simply are certain groups of people (i.e. white males), who, even with smaller films (and sometimes even little to no feature directorial experience) have a better chance at securing funding, being offered directing gigs, and being programmed at film festivals. The proof is in the data. In short, no matter what kind of film you want to make, the playing field for women, minorities, and any identities other than the default is still far from level and we all know that. It’s time for the top tier festivals, whoever and wherever they may be, to step up their film inclusion game. So, once again, I call for solidarity among all of us who want to see film culture evolve and expand, to see the film industry reflect the small, and the profound, along with its wish fulfillment and larger-than-life fantasies. Let’s celebrate and amplify women’s successes in the field — especially those moments when we make history as Ava Duvernay did at this year’s NYFF — and let’s make room at the table for all the voices. estocking Film Series, Briony Kidd, film festivals, Kyna Morgan, Lauren du Graf, Lesli Klainberg, women directors SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016 Sue Clayton 'Calais Children: A Case to Answer' Sue Clayton in the Calais Jungle camp Director Sue Clayton is perhaps best known for her award-winning Hamedullah: The Road Home, about the forced removal of young people from the United Kingdom (UK) to Kabul and for her archive of interviews with young asylum seekers in the UK and her work with a team researching best outcomes for young asylum seekers. Today, she’s in the vast refugee camp called ‘the Jungle’ in Calais, northern France, which acts as a border to the UK. According to Sue, it is 'not an official camp. It’s run by about 100 young volunteers, mainly untrained, and no infrastructure at all’. In a few hours, the French will begin to demolish the camp and scatter its occupants all over France, in buses. Liz Clegg, from the Women’s and Children’s Centre, has provided a list of children to the UK's Home Office. A few of them have gone missing and she is desperately trying to track them down– We are particularly worried that this evacuation has been left so late that we will see total chaos. The youngest child we have dealt with is eight years old, and tomorrow he will be herded in with thousands of adults. We are told once they are in the hangar there will be a separate queue for children, but in between the camp and the warehouse there will be utter chaos, with thousands of stressed inhabitants of the camp and large numbers of French riot police. It is gobsmackingly inappropriate that the most vulnerable of children will be put in this situation. I am sure we could have found a better and more suitable way to do this. Amelia Diamond | SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 AND GET READY TO FIND SOME NEW BLOGGERS TO FOLLOW @BlackGirlsWhoBlog — an Instagram account with 34.k followers, 85,881 posts under the IG hashtag and an endless scroll linked to the hashtag on Twitter — is one of those happy accidents that proves the unifying power of social media. What started as an afterthought is now an inspiration-based collection of the founder’s favorite bloggers. Morgan Pitts, the woman behind the hashtag, quickly realized that Black Girls Who Blog was larger than a trending topic. It has become a place where black women who blog can support, promote and discover one another. She created a community. Ready to meet her? Tell me about how Black Girls Who Blog got started: It was tweeted into existence. I shared a post to Twitter that I’d just published — I was still blogging at the time — and I included the hashtag BlackGirlsWhoBlog. A second later, I followed up with an additional tweet expressing that I’d love to have a T-shirt that said “BlackGirlsWhoBlog.” Lindsay Adams, the eventual artist behind the BGWB logo, asked if I thought an illustration should accompany the hashtag. It was never meant to be anything more than a tweet, but in that moment, I knew that this could be a thing…that I would have to make it a thing. People were interested in purchasing the tees before they even existed! They just saw our public Twitter exchange. We took the conversation offline and Lindsay sent me the illustration of a black woman in a white top and black bottoms with a laptop in hand. The shirts launched on April 15, 2014. [I started] the Instagram to promote the shirts, [it] evolved into a place for me to highlight my favorite black female bloggers and here we are. How has Black Girls Who Blog opened up your world, and how has it shifted your perspective in terms of fashion, blogging and writing? I have discovered that SO MANY black female bloggers exist. It’s humbling to receive emails about how much these women appreciate what I’m doing. I’ve been able to make connections between women and see them form their own relationships with one another because of this hashtag. It’s really awesome. My perspective hasn’t really shifted, though: part of the reason I kept the ball rolling on BGWB was because black women are still underrepresented in fashion and blogging. I created what I saw was missing instead of just complaining about it. I would look at lists of the “best/top bloggers” or “bloggers you need to know” and see MAYBE one woman of color; she might not have even been black. But I knew many black bloggers who were just as talented and qualified. I would also see black girls who blog not getting the same kinds of endorsements, sponsored posts, brand collaborations, etc. as our counterparts. The blogosphere has improved from when I started BGWB in 2014, but we are still underrepresented. I’m hoping that by doing my part and creating something that I always wanted to see, black girls who blog will feel seen, heard, celebrated and validated. What else can be done? When “bloggers you should know”-type lists are compiled, black women should definitely be in the rankings…and not just as a “token.” When bloggers are featured in editorials, a black woman should be included. I don’t think the blogosphere has an issue with highlighting asian bloggers (think of Aimee Song, Nicole Warne, Susie Lau, Tina Craig and Kelly Cook), but black (and also latina) women don’t seem to get the same kinds of exposure and opportunities. Black women speakers from all over the world are often featured in The Eloquent Woman Index of Famous Speeches by Women. Whether African, American or from elsewhere in the world, they make up close to 20 percent of the speeches we've collected and featured so far. And every year, this expanding collection of speeches by black women is the most-read post on the blog! Check out the 46 famous speeches from the Index given by black women speakers, arranged in chronological order from 1851 to the present. At the links, you will find (where available) video, photos, transcripts or texts, along with what you can learn from these speeches to improve your own public speaking: Sojourner Truth's 1851 speech "Ain't I a Woman?" is oft-quoted, but has a disputed source, illustrating why it's often tough to find famous women's speeches. In this case, that happened because Truth could neither read nor write. That doesn't detract at all from her message about equality for all women of all races. Read Soujourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" Speech: A Primary Source Investigation for more about the many versions of this speech, only one of which contains the most-quoted phrase. Mary Ann Shadd Cary's 1858 "Break Every Yoke" defied the norms against women--and black women especially--speaking in public. This sermon demonstrates why she was such a popular antislavery speaker in the years leading up to the American Civil War. Harriet Tubman's 1859 fable about colonizing slaves tackled one of the proposals to end slavery--by sending American slaves to Africa--with a simple story anyone could remember and repeat. It brought the house down at an antislavery rally. Ida B. Wells's 1909 "This Awful Slaughter" busted the myth that women's safety was the reason lynchings were carried out, and used a mix of data and defiance to fight against the practice of mob killings of black men. Read the book To Tell the Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B. Wells to learn more about her campaign. Josephine Baker at the March on Washington shares the brief remarks of the lone woman to share the program with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and scores of other male speakers. Those who thought of her as a notorious showgirl learned more about her self-enforced exile to France as a way of seeking racial equality. Fannie Lou Hamer's 1964 convention committee testimony failed to gain her a seat at that convention, but succeeded in raising the visibility of violence against blacks attempting to register to vote. Four years later, she became an historic convention delegate. You can read more about her public speaking in The Speeches of Fannie Lou Hamer: To Tell It Like It Is. Coretta Scott King's 1968 "10 Commandments on Vietnam" -- a speech she gave in her husband's place, just weeks after his assassination -- took scribbled notes found in his pockets and made them into a powerful call to action. Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King is a recent biography. This post was our very first Famous Speech Friday entry! Shirley ate urging women to "step out of the shadows" and get more credit for their work. Gabourey Sidibe's speech at the 2014 Gloria Awards used an iconic photo of her aunt and Gloria Steinem to honor Steinem, and to talk about being confident despite how she's taunted because of her weight. Michelle Obama's eulogy for Maya Angelou in 2014 echoed words from "Phenomenal Woman" and told how the poet inspired her as a child. Kerry Washington spoke in 2014 on the risks of public speaking for women and women of color, admitting she'd turned down the chance to give a TED talk in an award acceptance speech. Rashema Melson's 2014 high school valedictory speech made headlines because the speaker overcame homelessness to graduate at the top of her class and get into Georgetown. A short, fierce, fantastic speech. Laverne Cox gave a 2014 keynote on transgender activism for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force meeting, offering inspiration and encouragement to local activists. Lupita Nyong'o used a 2014 acceptance speech at a Hollywood luncheon to talk about the conflicting views we have about black women and beauty in a revealing, resonant talk. Viola Davis's 2014 acceptance speech focused on hunger, taking a Hollywood audience to the dumpsters where she dived for food as a child, and speaking abou the importance of public speaking to shed light on so-called "unspeakable" issues. A riveting short speech. he start of a speech? Several readers of the blog have been asking about blushing at the start of their talks, with comments along these lines: "What can I do about suddenly turning red right before I start to speak? It makes me feel terrible and unprofessional, and I don't understand why it happens when I don't feel nervous otherwise! Most importantly, how can I stop blushing like this?" Blushing is one of the most mysterious things that people do, and unfortunately it is mostly out of our conscious control. Blushing is fueled by the body's autonomic or unconscious nervous system--the same one that tells your heart to pump and your stomach to digest. The mechanics of how a blush happens are straightforward. Underneath the skin of your face and neck is a lacework of tiny blood vessels called capillaries, which dilate under the influence of adrenaline to allow more blood and oxygen to flow. And a blush isn't something you can fake. Unlike most human expressions, you can't force a blush to appear on your face. (Or, sadly, demand that your capillaries shrink back to size.) But you're in good company if you don't understand why you blush, because scientists from Charles Darwin onward have been perplexed by what Darwin called "the most peculiar and most human of all expression." The research on blushing covers a wide ground, and its findings match most of what we already know from novelists. Blushing can signal embarrassment, shame, self-consciousness, pride or guilt. The good news, however, is that more recent studies about chronic blushing and blushing and social anxiety have offered some insights that may lead to less blushing, and less worry about your red face. What does a blush mean? Duke University social psychologist Mark Leary suggested in a 1992 study that there are four main types of attention that can cause blushing: some sort of "threat to public identity," which could be anything from tripping on a street curb to clapping at a performance when the rest of the theater is silent; an openness to scrutiny, or a situation that makes you the center of attention; praise or positive attention; and accusations of blushing. All of these situations seem to trigger the body's "fight or flight" response that unleashes face-flushing adrenaline. Public speaking can involve all four of these, of course. You may think of speaking as a threat to your public identity because you are fearful that your words may displease your audience. For women especially, historically taught to be silent, the very act of public speaking may make you feel as if you are violating normal behavior. Speaking does put you at the center of attention. And if you've ever had anyone comment on your blush, you may have felt yourself feeling hotter and redder by the second. But blushing isn't all about you, and your feelings. Some evolutionary biologists think that blushing has evolved like other emotions in that it serves as an important signal. For instance, a 2009 study led by University of Amsterdam clinical psychologist Corine Dijk suggests that a person who blushes after committing some sort of social blunder--knocking over a grocery display, for instance--is more likely to be forgiven for the act by observers if she blushes. Dijk says that in this case the blush makes the person appear more sympathetic, and is taken as a signal that she is genuinely sorry about the social "mistake." Other researchers have found that blushers tend to think their red faces are more noticeable than their observers do, and frequently overestimate the social consequences of blushing. Some scientists have noted an unfortunate side effect of these misperceptions: worrying about whether you blush and how obvious your blush can actually lead to further blushing that is measurably more intense. Handling the heat Get involved in more conversations on public speaking with The Eloquent Woman. Follow our Facebook page, read great quotes from eloquent woman on Pinterest, follow me as @dontgetcaught on Twitter or track when others tweet about the lack of women speakers on programs via @NoWomenSpeakers. Learn how to be a better panel moderator with The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels. Posted by Becky Ham at Thursday, February 16, 2017 0 comments Email This The Eloquent Woman's weekly speaker toolkit Savvy speakers keep up with my wide-ranging reading list on women and public speaking by following The Eloquent Woman on Facebook, where these links and articles appear first. I always collect them here for you on Mondays as well. It's a great way to expand your public speaking knowledge: May the force be with your slides: These tips on how to nail a technical presentation used Princess Leia as the presenter...love that. Hello, Captain Obvious: Finally, the explanation of mansplaining you've always wanted. Did you miss? This week, the blog looked at collections of speeches (and one memoir) to add to your speaking shelf, and Famous Speech Friday shared how Elizabeth Warren was silenced in the U.S. Senate (but gave her remarks anyway). You can learn from her persistence! Join me in London April 3 for my one-day workshop, Creating a TED-Quality Talk. It's a small-group session that will demystify how to prepare such a talk, whether you're aiming for a TEDx conference or everyday presentations. The first TED talk I ever saw was this one by the great Hans Rosling, who died last week. No one could make data more beautiful to look at, nor deliver it with more enthusiasm. About the cartoon: It's called "Zip it!" by Ann Telnaes of the Washington Post. Sums up last week for eloquent women... Get involved in more conversations on public speaking with The Eloquent Woman. Follow our Facebook page, read great quotes from eloquent woman on Pinterest, follow me as @dontgetcaught on Twitter or track when others tweet about the lack of women speakers on programs via @NoWomenSpeakers. Learn how to be a better panel moderator with The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels. Posted by Denise Graveline at Monday, February 13, 2017 0 comments Email This n's silencing in the U.S. Senate Reading a letter from someone else is a common tactic in public speaking. Often, it's a powerful tool for the public speaker, offering a compact endorsement of the points you wish to make. And that was, no doubt, among the motivations for Senator Elizabeth Warren, who sought to read a now-famous letter from Coretta Scott King during the Senate debate about the nominee for Attorney General of the United States, Warren's fellow Senator Jeff Sessions. King, the widow of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., was a powerful witness to injustice; you can find her speech on the 10 Commandments of Vietnam in The Eloquent Woman Index of Famous Speeches by Women, as just one example. The letter in question this week was sent in 1986 to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which was then considering whether to appoint Sessions to a federal judgeship. King, who could not appear live to testify, asked that her letter be entered into the Congressional Record, the official archive of what is discussed in Congress, and that was done. So Warren this week was choosing to read a well-known letter about the nominee that was already an official document of the Congress to her colleagues in the Senate, during a debate on Sessions's pending appointment. Sounds appropriate on all counts, and perhaps even slightly less risky to use the words of a famous civil rights leader as the bulk of your remarks, right? Not even. Here's how the New York Times described the scene after Warren began reading the letter in the Senate chamber: Sensing a stirring beside her a short while later, Ms. Warren stopped herself and scanned the chamber. Across the room, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, had stepped forward with an objection, setting off an extraordinary confrontation in the Capitol and silencing a colleague, procedurally, in the throes of a contentious debate over President Trump’s cabinet nominee. “The senator has impugned the motives and conduct of our colleague from Alabama, as warned by the chair,” Mr. McConnell began, alluding to Mrs. King’s letter, which accused Mr. Sessions of using “the awesome power of his office to chill the pre-exercise of the vote by black citizens." You can see video of the interruption here. Sen. McConnell used Rule XIX of the Senate to make the procedural move. When Warren asked to continue her remarks, McConnell objected again and the senator chairing the session ordered her to take her seat. Following a debate on the silencing, Warren was formally silenced until the debate on the nominee ended mid-week. “Sen. Warren was giving a lengthy speech,” McConnell explained. “She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards later called that statement, "The history of progress for women, summed up in 11 words." Republicans in the way several of them doubled down on criticizing her, even after it was clear public opinion was with her. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, spoke at length on the Senate floor to defend the silencing (note that Fox News calls Warren "Chief Running Mouth," another attempt at silencing her). Sen. Lindsay Graham said the silencing was "long overdue," because "she is clearly running for the nomination in 2020." The reality is that Warren commands a larger audience nationwide, compared to many senators, and is known as an effective and persistent critic who gets a lot of media attention. She might, as many other male senators have done, be contemplating a run for president. In other words, she was silenced for being effective in her work as a senator. “They were waiting to Rule 19 someone and they specifically targeted Elizabeth,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I think because she’s effective.” So when you are silenced in your work, remember that it happens at much higher pay grades, too. If it happens to her, it can happen to you. Warren's silencing gave her the last laugh: At this writing, Warren's livestream statement has been seen 11 million times on Facebook, with hundreds of thousands of reactions and shares. The views have been doubling each day this week. The full 10-page letter from King runs to 10 pages, and you can read it here. What can you learn from this famous speech? Stay calm if you are interrupted with a surprise: This is one of the toughest tasks for a speaker, but it's worth pausing, taking a breath, and remaining calm as Warren did. Wait to see what the interruption is before you respond, and work on responding, not reacting. If you are silenced, say so: “Tonight I wanted to read that letter, and Sen. Mitch McConnell and Republicans came to the floor to shut me down for reading that letter,” Warren said in her livestream. Name the people or organizations that silence you--it's the best way to take back your voice and your control. Thursday, February 9, 2017 King, Hamer, Ginsburg, Obama: Speech collections a memoir Women speakers often are left out of collections of "major speeches." But of the four recent finds I've made in speech collection and a memoir, three are by important women speakers. I'll be adding these to The Eloquent Woman Booklist, my collection of useful books about speeches and speaking as featured on this blog. Add these to your speaking shelf: Ruth Bader Ginsburg: My Own Words, by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, collects her speeches and writings; if you buy the audiobook, you can hear recordings of her delivery of many of the speeches. Ginsburg's humor and thoughtfulness are on display here in a way the court bench does not always permit. This is the first volume of Ginsburg's autobiography, and I'm so delighted she began by releasing her influential speeches. Fannie Lou Hamer: The Speeches of Fannie Lou Hamer: To Tell It Like It Is, edited by Maegan Parker Brooks and Davis W. Houck, is the first collection of speeches by the noted civil rights activist, including transcriptions of her extemporaneous remarks. While often called illiterate as a means of dismissing her, she was, in fact, able to read and write. And she was one of the most formidable and persuasive speakers of the America civil rights movement. This collection shows why. Barack Obama: We Are the Change We Seek: The Speeches of Barack Obama, by E.J. Dionne, Jr. and Joy Redi, collects key speeches of the most recent former U.S. president, with 26 major speeches. Sam Leith's review notes patterns in the written speeches, adding that Obama's delivery made them unique and persuasive. Coretta Scott King: My Life, My Love, My Legacy, just out this month, collects the memoir of King, who shared her thoughts before her death in 2006 with Dr. Barbara Reynolds. She recalls numerous important speeches, including her 10 Commandments on Vietnam, which we've covered here on the blog. In some cases, the text is shared as well as her recollections of the events of the day, although this is not a collection of speeches. Still a great read. Get involved in more conversations on public speaking with The Eloquent Woman. Follow our Facebook page, read great quotes from eloquent woman on Pinterest, follow me as @dontgetcaught on Twitter or track when others tweet about the lack of women speakers on programs via @NoWomenSpeakers. Learn how to be a better panel moderator with The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels. Posted by Denise Graveline at Thursday, February 09, 2017 0 comments Email we like Monday, February 6, 2017 The Eloquent Woman's weekly speaker toolkit Savvy speakers keep up with my wide-ranging reading list on women and public speaking by following The Eloquent Woman on Facebook, where these links and articles appear first. I always collect them here for you on Mondays as well. It's a great way to expand your public speaking knowledge: Last-minute insights: Why I threw out my speech for the Women's March, by a speaker in Chicago, shares how she had to expand her speech last-minute...and what she learned. Because you're a man is a stunner of a post by the first female chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy, imagining what it would be like for a male speaker to nail a panel appearance and get asked for his male perspective--just as women are often asked to do. A useful role reversal to share with male allies... Did you miss? This week, the blog asked that we please describe women's speeches as something other than 'emotional,' and Famous Speech Friday shared Viola Davis's introduction of Meryl Streep at the Golden Globe awards. Join me in London, speakers: I'm giving a workshop in London on April 3 on Creating a TED-quality talk. Join me, please, and share with interested colleagues. Seats are filling, and this is a small-group session, so sign up today! About the quote: It *is* better to speak, eloquent women! Find more quotes like this one from Audre Lord on our Pinterest board of great quotes by eloquent women. Get involved in more conversations on public speaking with The Eloquent Woman. Follow our Facebook page, read great quotes from eloquent woman on Pinterest, follow me as @dontgetcaught on Twitter or track when others tweet about the lack of women speakers on programs via @NoWomenSpeakers. Learn how to be a better panel moderator with The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels. Older Posts Home use this blog as your online speaking coach, or use it regularly for advice, tips, ideas and resources to make your public speaking, speaker coaching or speechwriting better and smarter, please consider supporting the blog with a subscription or a one-time donation. Your subscription will help expand and improve the content provided here, which takes thousands of hours to produce for you. 13 famous human rights speeches by women from The Eloquent Woman Index Meeting My Soul My personal journal and chronicles on my journey to meet my soul and discover who I am, and my purpose in this life. This blog is intended as a place for all women to find inspiration, empowerment, and support. CuckoldSpeak.com Cuckoldspeak.com is a blog and community website that focuses on all things cuckold. The blog includes an interactive cuckold forums where you can talk with others as well as headmistress Lon Michaels to learn more about the cuckold lifestyle. In Your Face Poems A collection of poems about love, hate and humor. Your sure to find something to your liking. Come and enjoy my poetry. Mama B Says Shape the future by creating value, inspiration and community, so all women may live better. Topics range from career, motherhood, sisterhood, and lessons learned, gender equality, the pitfalls of jealousy, etc. Becoming a Messenger of Love A social movement and community inspiring people to make the world a better place by responding to anger, fear and hate with love and kindness. Weekly Woman This blog is dedicated to the hectic lives of 21st-century women. Each day is dedicated to a different topic because every woman is everything, every day.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2054
|
__label__cc
| 0.629911
| 0.370089
|
The Pearl-Qatar largest artificial island in the Middle east
in News, PLACES, Qatar, Qatar Guide
admin1 August 2, 2020, 12:48 pm 143 Views
The Pearl-Qatar is one of the largest artificial island in the Middle east which spans around 4 million sqm and is located around 350 metres offshore of the capital city Doha’s West Bay district. It is also the first land which has been made available for freehold ownership any foreign national.
This integrated and sustainable commercial establishment won the 2018-2019 “Best Mixed-use Development” award at the prestigious Arabian Property Awards. It has mixed features including apartments, villas, townhouses, penthouses, diverse entertainment facilities as well as some amazing beaches to relax. Once fully completed, The Pearl will hold over 32 kilometres of coastline and will expect around 45,000 residents. This property has been developed by the United Development Company and has been designed by the firm Callision. The estimated cost of completion of this artificial island took around $2.5 billion.
Districts of ‘The Pearl-Qatar’
The Pearl has been divided into 12 districts and each of those districts have a distinct architectural style. Here they are –
Abraj Quartier – Referred to as “The Pearl Gateway Towers”, it comprises of commercial spaces and offices and has the tallest towers in The Pearl.
Beach Villas – It has residential buildings, large seafront villas, and architecture is based on French, Italian and Spanish designs.
Costa Malaz – It has seaside villas with designs of tropical islands. The center of Costa Malaz holds the the Marsa Malaz Kempinski hotel.
Floresta Gardens – It is a small community hall shaped in the form of Colosseum of Rome with large clubhouse.
Giardino Village – It is a gated residential community with houses ranging from 558 to 1168 square meters.
Isola Dana – It is a chain of islets which are separated from the main chain. They have been planned to host large mansions in future.
La Plage South – it consists of circular arrangements of high rise apartments
Media Centrale – It is a retail district which has around 600,000 square feet of retail space. It has 538 Mediterranean style residential units.
Pelita Gardens – It is known for its green gardens and man-made lakes.
Porto Arabia – It hosts the primary harbour of The Pearl. You can find a 2.5 km seafront promenade named as ‘La Croisette’ having many townhouses and restaurants.
Qanat Quartier – It has been modelled after the Italian city of Venice and all its buildings have Venetian architectural elements. Several canals run through the district.
Viva Bahriya – It has luxury villas which has been inspired by Moroccan architecture.
Pearl QatarPearl-Qatar
Previous article How to apply for Permanent residency in Qatar
Next article Rawabi EID Mubark Deals – Valid till 10th August
admin1 December 30, 2020, 7:07 am
Qatar’s currency and its evolution
admin1 December 17, 2020, 11:31 am
Al Qarma Beach Garden and Al Shu’aa Reserve: Best Guide for Family Destination in Al Khor
admin1 November 16, 2020, 10:00 am
Tips to Property Management for Landlords in Qatar
Living in a Partitioned villa or Apartment, is it Legal in Qatar?
Top 5 Places to See Around the North of Qatar
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2056
|
__label__wiki
| 0.87142
| 0.87142
|
Boy, 5, raises alarm after parents die in his home
A child, helpless and traumatised, roams his street in desperate search of help after watching both his parents die in a suspected murder-suicide.
by Shayla Bulloch
22nd Dec 2020 6:26 PM | Updated: 23rd Dec 2020 8:21 AM
The street is quiet, no people nearby or cars around, as the five-year-old boy wanders to a nearby family member's home to tell them what unfolded in his suburban street, to the complete shock of neighbours.
The boy was the only witness inside his Fulham Rd home at Gulliver when both his mother and father died, in what is believed to most likely be a murder-suicide.
His 46-year-old mother and 48-year-old father were found dead at the scene, but it is not known who inflicted the injuries.
A crime scene was established on Fulham Road, Gulliver, after two bodies were discovered inside a home. Picture: Alix Sweeney
Detective Acting Inspector Dave Miles said police will investigate all avenues, including murder-suicide and domestic violence, but said they wouldn't confine the investigation to only these possibilities.
"We will go back and look at the full history of these individuals, that which is known to police and that which is not know to police, to try and identify whether there was a pattern or presence of domestic violence in this relationship," he said.
"At this stage we haven't ruled out the involvement of another party, but all indications would appear to be, at this stage, the incident involved both parties that were present."
Police received a call from family members about 9.15am on Tuesday, after the little boy turned up at their door down the road.
He relayed little information to his family, and the incident was reported as a disturbance, but the enormity of the situation was quickly realised when family members arrived and found the bodies.
Detective Inspector Dave Miles at a crime scene on Fulham Rd, Gulliver, after two bodies were discovered inside a home. Picture: Alix Sweeney
Police quickly set up a crime scene, and up to 25 officers descended on the area while forensic crews worked into the afternoon.
Police could not confirm who lived at the home with the boy, but neighbours have said it was his mother's residence, and they had recently moved in.
Insp Miles said it was a tragedy for the young boy who had been left without both parents.
"He's been subjected to an extremely tragic, tragic set of circumstances, any investigation like this," he said.
"Any event like this is obviously quite disheartening and concerning for everyone who attends."
A crime scene has been established on Fulham Road, Gulliver, after 2 bodies were discovered inside a premise. Picture: Alix Sweeney
Insp Miles said the boy would be interviewed by Child Protection and Investigation Unit detectives in time, but that didn't mean it could make the situation any clearer.
"Whether or not that elicits any information, that remains to be seen, given his tender age, but we will see where it takes us."
The child, who is not injured, is in the care of family.
He urged people to come forward if they had heard anything at the address in the last week.
*For 24-hour domestic violence support call the national hotline 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or MensLine on 1800 600 636. The Suicide Call Back service is on 1300 659 467.
shayla.bulloch@news.com.au
Originally published as Boy, 5, raises alarm after parents die in his home
crime domestic violence editors picks murder-suicide police
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2058
|
__label__cc
| 0.568456
| 0.431544
|
Home » Gage R&R
Gage R&R
Time to improve your process capability?
Figure 1. Figures from SPC IV Excel by Quality America. Used by permission
Paul Keller
KEYWORDS Gage R&R / repeatable processes
Spending too much (time or money) on part disposition? Start with an analysis of your measurement system. Even a marginal measurement system could contribute up to 30% of the variation seen in your control chart. Reducing the measurement error to 10% could improve your capability index from a rather poor 1.0 to a more respectable 1.2 (for example). When processes have marginal capability, and measurement error is significant, you will scrap good parts and ship bad parts, even with 100% inspection.
In daily operations, we regularly use our measurement system to detect and isolate output unacceptable to our customers. If we are serious about quality, we recognize Deming’s argument that only processes in statistical control are predictable; otherwise, we are often forced into 100% inspection of the process to ensure output meets requirements. The statistical control of the process forms the basis of process capability analysis. (See also: Is your Process Performing, Quality Magazine; June 27, 2011).
Yet, too often we assume the measurements underlying product disposition and the process control charts/capability analysis are absolute. Unfortunately, they’re not! Measurement error comes in many forms. Accuracy error due to calibration issues is often readily acknowledged, as are related linearity issues (when gage accuracy varies with measurement size); however, measurement error includes many other sources of variation. We can collectively quantify these errors using Repeatability & Reproducibility (R&R) studies.
Repeatability error is sometimes called Equipment Variation, since it can be dominated by a consistent error that seems built-in to the measurement device. Reproducibility error is sometimes referred to as Appraiser Variation, since it is estimated by comparing the difference in measurements from one appraiser to another. An effectively designed R&R study will provide estimates of error within the larger measurement system, which should include measurement method, sample preparation, error due to improper fixturing (or secure holding) of the measurement piece, and variation within the units sampled (for example), in addition to error strictly limited to the earlier definitions of equipment and appraiser variation.
R&R Studies are conducted by obtaining a sample of real parts or units to be inspected, and asking representative appraisers normally tasked with measuring the parts to measure each part multiple times. (Each measurement is called a trial). A typical study involves three appraisers measuring 10 parts three times, for a total of 90 measurements. The number of parts, appraisers, and trials can vary from case to case, but we need multiple trials to estimate Repeatability and multiple appraisers to estimate Reproducibility. Use real production parts, representative of the piece-to-piece variation and within piece variation that can occur in the process. Mask the numbering of the samples, and randomize the order they’re presented to each appraiser for each trial. Insist each measurement trial include all the steps normally taken for measurement of the part, including any sample preparation or adjustments to the measurement system. (It’s not uncommon to find that appraisers regularly recalibrate their measurement equipment, which can increase the measurement error!)
The R&R data can be analyzed several ways. The X-bar/Range chart of Figure 1 provides an initial view of the data analysis. The Range chart shown in the bottom left of Figure 1 plots the Part Range: the range between the three trials for each part by each appraiser. The plotted Part Ranges are within the statistical limits shown on the Range chart, implying that the repeatability (i.e. the ability for an appraiser to obtain consistent measurements for a given part) is relatively consistent for all appraisers’ measurements for all parts.
The X-bar chart shown in the top left of Figure 1 plots the Part Average: the average of the three trials for each part by each appraiser. The variation from point to point across the X-bar chart is an estimate of the process variation. The statistical limits (i.e. red lines) on the X-bar chart are based on the average from the Range chart, providing an estimate of the repeatability error of the measurement system. We’d like the appraisers to detect the real differences between part sizes, despite measurement error, so it is desirable for “most” of the plotted points on the X-bar chart to be outside the statistical limits. In this case, 18 of the 30 part averages are beyond the limits, implying that repeatability error is sufficiently small relative to process variation. The statistics in the right pane of the figure confirms the Repeatability is only 5% of the total process variance. (Note: The statistics provided in the right pane were calculated using the ANOVA method.)
Estimates for reproducibility, the error attributed to differences between appraiser measurements for each part, are also shown in the statistics pane. In this case, reproducibility is a slightly larger issue, representing 7% of total process variance.
Repeatability and Reproducibility are shown separately and combined (labelled Repeatability & Reproducibility) in the statistics pane as a percent of the total process variation (%Variation) and percent tolerance (%Tolerance). Note that the % Variance estimates add to 100%; the % Variation and % Tolerance do not, as standard deviations are not additive. % Process Variation provides insight into how the measurement error affects your control chart and corresponding capability indices. % Tolerance indicates how much of your specifications are consumed by measurement error.
Typical recommendations for combined R&R as % Process Variation and % Tolerance, such as published by AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group), are 10% or less. Above 30% for either is unacceptable; 10-30% is considered marginal.
In this case, although true part to part variance (Part-% Variance) is 88% of the total, combined R&R measurement error is nearly unacceptable (26%) relative to tolerance and unacceptable (35%) relative to process variation.
Fortunately, further analysis may yield more insight towards an improvement path. Figure 2 shows a Reproducibility chart for the data. The bottom chart shows the Range between the appraisers’ average for each part. If one of the appraiser’s average for a given part was much different from the other appraisers’ averages, we’d expect to see that part beyond the statistical limit on the bottom chart.
The top chart of Figure 2 shows the average of all measurements for each appraiser, the basis of the reproducibility estimate. In this case, the appraiser averages are statistically different, as demonstrated by the points plotted beyond the statistical limits. Melanie’s measurements are slightly higher than expected, while Harry’s are lower.
Figure 3 shows the Repeatability chart, with separate limits calculated for each appraiser. Here, we notice Harry’s repeatability error (bottom chart) is noticeably larger than the other appraisers. Since the other appraisers used the same measurement equipment, this might suggest a general inconsistency in Harry’s measurement technique. The top chart show Harry’s average noticeably lower than the others, evidence of a potential bias in his measurements. Indeed, if we exclude Harry from the analysis, the combined R&R drops from 12% to 5% of variance, from 35% to 22% of process variation and from 26% to 17% of tolerance. These would be reasonable targets if we understood and corrected the increased variation in Harry’s trial to trial (repeatability) error and his measurement bias (reproducibility error). Many times, it’s a matter of technique, so it’s useful for the analyst to conduct the study and observe (without comment) the appraisers’ methods. The results may direct us towards new best practices that recognize requirements for sample preparation or reconcile within piece variation. For example, when measuring a diameter where an out-of-round condition may exist, is the maximum or minimum diameter reported?
The ANOVA analysis indicates the Appraiser*Part interaction is statistically significant, implying that a portion of the Reproducibility error is associated with differences specific to one or more parts. (Typically we consider a p-value of 0.05 or less for significance.) From the statistics pane, we see the Appraiser*Part interaction represents 3.7% of total variance, or about half of the Reproducibility Variance. Returning to Figure 2, we see that the range between appraiser averages for part 6 is larger than the other parts, approaching (yet within) the statistical limit. When the interaction is limited to one or a few identifiable parts, it’s useful to look for measurement challenges on those pieces. For this data, excluding part 6 from the analysis does not remove the significance of the Appraiser*Part interaction, so the interaction is not limited to part 6; however, excluding Harry from the analysis removed the statistical significance of the interaction, again confirming the significance of his measurements to the Reproducibility error. A review of Figure 3 shows a general inconsistency between Harry and the other appraisers on multiple parts. While looking for measurement challenges on part 6 is warranted given its increased Reproducibility error, a comparative review of the appraisers’ techniques, not limited to part 6, would also be appropriate.
Recent Articles by Paul Keller
An R&R Study
Prevention is the Key to Reduced Quality Costs
How to Statistically Control the Process
Quality Software & Analysis: Is Your Process Performing?
Paul Keller is president of Quality America, a publisher of software and training for Six Sigma Quality Improvement. He has written several books, including SPC Demystified (McGraw Hill, 2011) and the third, fourth and fifth editions of The Six Sigma Handbook (McGraw Hill, 2009, 2013, 2018). For more information, email pkeller@qualityamerica.com or visit www.qualityamerica.com.
Gage R&R: The Key to Reducing Measurement Variation
How Does Standard Gage R&R Measure Up?
Gage R&R (Repeatability and Reproducibility)
Pister Group Inc.
Advanced Systems Consultants
PQ Systems
AV&R
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2059
|
__label__wiki
| 0.674066
| 0.674066
|
33 LISTSThe Art of Dating
Lists about the wonderful and horrifying practice of trying to find one's soulmate.
Watchworthy
202 voters
The Best Dating TV Shows
Ranker TV
Updated November 24, 2020 1.7k votes 202 voters 50.1k views45 items
List RulesVote up your favorite shows that center their storylines on dating - whether they're game shows, reality shows, or docuseries.
The very best dating shows on television, ranked from best to worst. This list of the greatest dating shows also includes pictures from the shows when available. Popular dating TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the most entertaining dating show of all time is. Don't let your favorite dating television programs in history get to the bottom of the list- be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. The list of dating television shows below includes information like the program's cast, creator and premiere date when available.
Everything from The Bachelor to Momma's Boys is included on this list.
This list answers the questions, "What is the best dating show of all time?" and "What are the greatest dating shows?"
Try the free app
Kristin Cavallari, Amanda Byram
Premiered: 2003
Paradise Hotel (Fox, 2019) is an American reality television program created by Howard... more on Wikipedia
#93 of 112 The Best Reality Competition Series#18 of 95 The Best Dating Reality Shows
The Undateables
The Undateables is a British reality documentary show that has aired on Channel 4 since 3... more on Wikipedia
#20 of 55 The Very Best British Reality Shows, Ranked#31 of 514 The Best Channel 4 TV Shows
I Wanna Marry Harry is a television program.
Mike Richards, Sam Horrigan
Beauty and the Geek is a reality television series that is an international franchise, the U.S... more on Wikipedia
Shipmates
Shipmates is an American syndicated television show that ran for two seasons from 2001 -... more on Wikipedia
Millionaire Matchmaker
Patti Stanger, Destin Pfaff
The Millionaire Matchmaker is an American reality television series on Bravo that premiered on... more on Wikipedia
Dating in the Dark is a dating game show that has been airing on Sky Living since 9 September... more on Wikipedia
Room Raiders
Tim-Ryan O'Kane, Tom Oberdick
Room Raiders is a "dating/reality" series on MTV.
Chuck Woolery, Brad Sherwood
The Dating Game is an ABC television show. It first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the... more on Wikipedia
More The Dating Game
Celebrities You Won't Believe Were On 'The Dating Game' Before They Were Famous#40 of 95 The Greatest Game Shows of All Time
Chris Harrison
The Bachelorette (ABC, 2003) is an American reality television dating game show, and a spinoff... more on Wikipedia
More The Bachelorette
Vote on the Greatest Signature Lines from The Bachelor and The BacheloretteThe Biggest Scandals In Bachelor And Bachelorette History
Chris Harrison, Brad Womack
The Bachelor (ABC, 2002) is an American dating and relationship reality television series... more on Wikipedia
More The Bachelor
14 Things You Never Knew About The Bachelor Contestants' Contractual Obligations#1 of 277 The Most Overrated TV Shows Of All Time
Roger Lodge, Ava Cadell
Blind Date is an American dating game show. Hosted by Roger Lodge, the series was distributed... more on Wikipedia
The 5th Wheel
The 5th Wheel is an American dating reality series that aired in syndication from 2001 to... more on Wikipedia
Single women searching for love hope to find a match in this fast-paced and unpredictable... more on Wikipedia
Shawn Turner, Anant A.J. Jiemjitpolchai
Parental Control is a heavily scripted "pseudo-reality" program produced by MTV. The two... more on Wikipedia
More Parental Control
Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Set Of 'Parental Control'The Most Inappropriate Things Anyone Said On MTV's Parental Control
Lorin Eric Salm, Michael McKinley
Next is a dating game show produced by Kallissa Productions which ran on MTV from 2005–2008.
Mortifying 'Next' Contestants That Prove Love Dies With Reality TV#53 of 189 The Dumbest Reality Shows of All Time
Dale Winton
The Other Half was a dating game show on BBC One, which ran from 7 June 1997 to 2 February... more on Wikipedia
Singled Out
Singled Out is a game show that ran on MTV from 1995 to 1998. Each episode featured a group of... more on Wikipedia
More Singled Out
#17 of 57 The Best MTV Original Shows#3 of 14 Forgotten Reality Dating Shows That Give The Bachelor A Run For Its Money
After Love is a 2009 South Korean reality dating show.
Date My Mom
Date My Mom is a television dating show airing on the music channel MTV and produced by... more on Wikipedia
Momma's Boys
Momma's Boys is an American reality television series on the NBC network, executive produced... more on Wikipedia
Who Wants to Marry My Dad?
Mario Lopez, Heidi Mueller
Who Wants To Marry My Dad was a NBC-produced reality show that aired in the summer of 2003 and... more on Wikipedia
Please Marry My Boy
Please Marry My Boy is an Australian reality television series which premiered on the Seven... more on Wikipedia
Jenna Dewan, Jordan Tripp
Flirty Dancing (Fox, 2019) is an American reality television series. Strangers each learn half... more on Wikipedia
More Flirty Dancing
#44 of 44 The Best Current Fox Shows#24 of 37 The Best Dance TV Shows
Perfect Match was an American game show hosted by Bob Goen and announced by Johnny Gilbert,... more on Wikipedia
EntertainmentRelationships
Top 10 Current Queries in TV Programs: joe jackson albumswho eats at arby'snew york actresshow to find your demon nameradio newscasters oldbest romance anime 2019best opera singersmichigan quarterbacks 2017zootopia easter eggscass tech graduation 2017
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2062
|
__label__wiki
| 0.632821
| 0.632821
|
Michael Burleigh’s books include Small Wars, Faraway Places: The Genesis of the Modern World, Blood and Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism, The Third Reich: A New History, and The Best and the Worst of Times: The World As It Is (forthcoming). He is a historian and author, and CEO of the global political risk consultancy Sea Change Partners.
The Second Coming of Fascism?
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
Jan 3, 2019 Michael Burleigh thinks we are witnessing not the rise of new Mussolinis, but the decay of modern conservatism.
Brexit vs. the Irish Question
Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images
Nov 7, 2018 Michael Burleigh marvels at Conservative Brexiteers' utter failure to consider the future of the peace accord – or of the UK.
Confronting a New Era of Anti-Semitism
Mark Makela/Getty Images
Apr 6, 2017 Michael Burleigh finds hope in World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder's efforts to combat hate worldwide.
The World That Made Trump
Mar 3, 2017 Michael Burleigh reviews four new books on international affairs by Bill Emmott, James Kirchick, Michael Mandelbaum, and Richard Haass.
A Tale of Two Realities
There is new book called The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: A History of Now (Pan Macmillan November 2017).
Show replies
meta4 Apr 20, 2018
The 10x per capita GDP referenced has more to do with the utilization of fossil fuels than anything the Enlightenment might have contributed.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2064
|
__label__wiki
| 0.913926
| 0.913926
|
Series: Trump, Inc.
Follow the Money in the Ukraine Scandal
On this week’s “Trump, Inc.” podcast, we’re looking at what happened in Ukraine from a different vantage point: not the politics but the finances.
by Katie Zavadski
Nov. 13, 2019, 4 a.m. EST
Exploring the Business of Trump
This story was co-published with WNYC.
Stay up to date with email updates about WNYC and ProPublica’s investigations into the president’s business practices.
The Ukraine scandal is mostly viewed through the prism of politics — an attempt by President Donald Trump to gain an advantage over a political opponent. But, as most things are, it’s also about money — and we found lots of it flowing between key players in the scandal.
On this week’s episode of “Trump, Inc.,” we follow the money.
First, Let’s Meet Our Cast of Ukraine Players
Richest among them is Dmitry Firtash, an oligarch who has been battling to avoid an extradition flight to Chicago, where he faces federal charges of bribery. The Department of Justice has described Firtash as an “upper-echelon” associate “of Russian organized crime.” (He denies the charges and says the prosecution is politically motivated.)
Firtash made his fortune as a behind-the-scenes middleman selling heavily marked-up Russian gas to Europe. So he wasn’t happy when Vice President Joe Biden pushed Ukraine to roll back corruption. After Biden gave a speech in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2015 saying the energy sector “needs to be competitive, ruled by market principles — not sweetheart deals,” Firtash called it “repulsive.”
Firtash hired attorneys Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova, who frequently appear on TV defending Trump over Ukraine. The two also represent journalist John Solomon, whose stories ended up spreading Ukraine disinformation.
Dmitry Firtash (Herbert Neubauer/AFP via Getty Images)
And then there’s Lev Parnas, who translated for Firtash’s legal team and is an associate of Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. “I’m the best-paid interpreter in the world,” Parnas reportedly said.
Parnas and his partner Igor Fruman were indicted in October over allegedly funneling foreign money into U.S. elections. (They deny the charges.)
Firtash and the rest of the Ukraine players have all been busy with a flurry of intertwined business ventures. Let’s take a look:
Business Venture No. 1: Natural Gas and the Firing of an Ambassador
At the same time Parnas and Fruman were suddenly becoming big Republican donors, they were trying to leverage those new political connections to advance their needs in the natural gas industry in Ukraine. Their goals would have been very profitable for Firtash.
It didn’t work. But they did get something else they were pushing for, specifically, the firing of U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. “They were interested in having a different ambassador at post, I guess for — because they wanted to have business dealings in Ukraine, or additional business dealings,” Yovanovitch testified. “I didn’t understand that, because nobody at the embassy had ever met those two individuals.”
Get Our Top Investigations
Subscribe to the Big Story newsletter.
Business Venture No. 2: Submarines, Yachts, Real Estate and Other Things Rich People Like
Fruman, we’ve learned, has an interesting company, Otrada Luxury Group, that appears to be catering to those with lots of disposable income. A partial list of goods, according to the company’s brochure: jewelry and expensive watches, yachts, speedboats, private planes, high-end real estate and, of course, submarines and amphibious vehicles.
We went to the U.S. address listed on a brochure. It’s a rent-by-the-hour office. No one there seemed to know of Fruman or Otrada.
Business Venture No. 3: Cybersecurity Consulting Starring Giuliani
An intriguingly named company owned by Parnas, Fraud Guarantee, paid Giuliani $500,000 for consulting. The Wall Street Journal dug into the company and could find no actual business or customers. Giuliani said the money came from a domestic source, but he declined to say from whom.
Business Ventures No. 4 and No. 5: Giuliani’s Podcasts
Rudy Giuliani (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
As ProPublica has reported, Giuliani was also working on a podcast with The Hill, the publication that ended up passing along Ukraine disinformation. Giuliani said he was “never paid” for the work and said it was a “perfectly legitimate situation.” The Hill said it had been planning a “podcast network with a multitude of political voices from all sides.”
Although nothing came of that effort, Giuliani is still apparently looking to get into the podcast game. He was overheard during a recent lunch discussing a potential podcast focused on the impeachment. “He is considering several options,” a Giuliani spokeswoman told CNN. “Many Americans want to hear directly from Rudy Giuliani.”
And Then There Is the Jewish Refugee Charity
Fruman is also at the helm of a U.S.-based nonprofit that raises money for a Jewish refugee settlement outside Kyiv. The nonprofit, American Friends of Anatevka, sponsored a trip Giuliani was planning to take to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Trump’s opponents. Giuliani is also the settlement’s honorary mayor. American Friends of Anatevka is currently advertising a million-dollar match for donations. Its tax returns show it had less than $1,500 in income in 2017.
Listen to it all unfold here.
Giuliani Was Close to a Podcast Deal With the News Outlet That Spread His Ukraine Conspiracies
The president’s lawyer was negotiating a possible deal to co-produce a podcast with the publication — and The Hill’s John Solomon helped with the talks even as his articles were used in a disinformation campaign.
You can contact us via Signal, WhatsApp or voicemail at 347-244-2134. Here’s more about how you can contact us securely.
You can always email us at [email protected].
And finally, you can use the Postal Service:
Trump, Inc. at ProPublica
155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor
Katie Zavadski
Katie Zavadski was ProPublica’s research editor.
@KatieZavadski
Her Stepfather Admitted to Sexually Abusing Her. That Wasn’t Enough to Keep Her Safe.
How Dozens of Trump’s Political Appointees Will Stay in Government After Biden Takes Over
Bill Banning Locked Seclusion and Face-Down Restraints in Illinois Schools Stalls as Lawmakers Run Out of Time
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2067
|
__label__wiki
| 0.629799
| 0.629799
|
Chileka (Zambia) weather
Today. Maximum daytime temperature: 29 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Heavy showers. Sunrise: 05:23; Sunset: 18:18. UV: Extreme;
Heavy showers.
Tuesday 19 January. Maximum daytime temperature: 27 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Heavy showers changing to cloudy by nighttime. Sunrise: 05:23; Sunset: 18:19. UV: Very high;
Heavy showers changing to cloudy by nighttime.
Wednesday 20 January. Maximum daytime temperature: 28 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Heavy showers changing to thunder by late morning. Sunrise: 05:24; Sunset: 18:19. UV: Extreme;
Heavy showers changing to thunder by late morning.
Thursday 21 January. Maximum daytime temperature: 26 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 22 degrees Celsius. Heavy showers. Sunrise: 05:24; Sunset: 18:19. UV: High;
Friday 22 January. Maximum daytime temperature: 26 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 22 degrees Celsius. Heavy showers changing to cloudy by early evening. Sunrise: 05:25; Sunset: 18:18. UV: Very high;
Heavy showers changing to cloudy by early evening.
Saturday 23 January. Maximum daytime temperature: 28 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to light showers by late morning. Sunrise: 05:25; Sunset: 18:18. UV: Extreme;
Cloudy changing to light showers by late morning.
Sunday 24 January. Maximum daytime temperature: 27 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to thunder showers by late morning. Sunrise: 05:26; Sunset: 18:18. UV: Very high;
Cloudy changing to thunder showers by late morning.
Seven day forecast for Chileka
70% 70% 70% 60% 60% 60% 10% 10% 10% 50% 50%
31° 31° 29° 29° 29° 28° 28° 27° 27° 27° 26°
SE 3
14 13 12 10 8 7 6 5 6 7 8
G G G VG VG VG G G G VG VG
8 7 5 3 1 1 - - - - -
26° 26° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 29° 30° 28° 28° 28° 27° 27° 26° 26° 26° 26°
7 7 6 6 6 6 7 8 8 9 10 11 11 11 11 9 8 8 7 7 6 7 7 8
VG G G G M M M VG VG VG G G G G G G VG VG VG G G G G G
- - - - - - 2 3 4 6 8 10 9 7 6 4 3 1 1 - - - - -
10% 50% 50% 10% 60% 70% 70% 60% 10% 10%
26° 26° 28° 28° 27° 28° 30° 28° 26° 26°
8 7 7 6 8 13 13 11 8 9
G G G M VG G VG G VG G
- - - - 4 11 5 1 - -
28° 28° 26° 26° 27° 26° 25° 24°
M M G M G G G G
- - 5 7 7 1 - -
G G VG VG VG VG VG VG
- - 4 10 8 1 - -
NNE 4
VG VG VG VG VG G G G
G VG VG G G G G G
Blantyre 7.6 miles
Zomba 31.6 miles
Ulongue 77.6 miles
Nkopolo 94.9 miles
Tete 98.3 miles
Furancungo 107 miles
Monkey Bay 111 miles
Caia 151 miles
Lilongwe 154 miles
Lichinga 166 miles
View all locations in Zambia
What is a heatwave?
Prepare a winter kit for your car
Locations All locations in Zambia
Chileka
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2070
|
__label__cc
| 0.736904
| 0.263096
|
Meet your Beekeepers
Mill Brook Honey in the News
What are the bees doing now?
Mid-Spring
It's mid-spring in early April. The bees have made it through the winter and early spring! The queen has begun to lay eggs in earnest. The developing larvae are being fed a mixture of pollen and honey. The pollen is mostly tree pollen from the budding trees. However, there are many flowering plants that are also beginning to bloom adding a food source for the bees. The nectar is beginning to flow and the bees are bringing it back to the hive where it is dried and allowed to ripen into honey along side of the remaining honey from last season. Along with the worker bee larvae, drone cells are beginning to appear in anticipation of the swarms of late spring. Hives will typically have a few emergency queen cells set up to rear a new queen should the current one swarm, grow weak, or die.
Dylan@millbrookhoney.com
Stamford, CT, USA
©2017 by Mill Brook Honey, LLC. Proudly created with Wix.com
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2075
|
__label__wiki
| 0.733154
| 0.733154
|
The Island’s no paradise for J-Dub and SVG
Phillip Island in the sun painted a pretty picture, but the results didn’t match the view for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team at the fifth event of the Supercars season.
By Matthew Clayton for redbull.com
Sometimes, the best thing about a race weekend is when it’s over, so you can sit back, exhale, debrief and work out where things went awry. That was certainly the case for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team at Phillip Island last weekend, where seven-time Supercars champ Jamie Whincup came into the event holding the series lead, and crossed the bridge at San Remo back to the mainland as the third of the three Triple Eight entries in the championship standings.
“A tough weekend all round,” was Whincup’s succinct summation of the two races at the Island, which, when combined with the stronghold Shell V-Power Racing’s Scott McLaughlin seemingly has over the picturesque coastal circuit, made for grisly reading for anyone in the T8 camp. While McLaughlin was sailing to his sixth-straight Island pole and back-to-back wins to escape to a 60-point lead atop the standings, Whincup had a 14th-place finish on Saturday (don’t worry, we’ll get to why in a second) followed by ninth on Sunday to slip to fifth overall, 142 points off the series lead.
“Between myself and the engineers we just didn’t get it right this weekend, in particular today,” said J-Dub after his muted ninth on Sunday afternoon, four positions back from where he’d qualified that morning.
“We’re not sure why at the moment, but that’s what all the data’s for. We’ll go over that next week to try and work out what went wrong.
“We missed the mark by a fair bit, but we’ll move on and try and be stronger next time.”
READ MORE: Sunday in Phillip Island, as it happened
There wasn’t much to talk about on Sunday for Whincup, but plenty happened on Saturday despite, as he admitted, the car not quite being on the mark. While 26 drivers took the start of the 57-lap outing on Saturday afternoon, this was really only a race in two, McLaughlin harrying Whincup for 40 laps after being ambushed by the RBHRT driver in the first few corners, the Kiwi eventually finding a way past at the Southern Loop on lap 41 and taking the win by just under a second.
Second place looked to be Whincup’s seventh straight podium finish, and relinquishing the series lead – by one point – looked to be where things sat ahead of Sunday. But then came a twist: after the race, Whincup was deemed to have deactivated his pit lane speed limiter at his first stop on lap 17 before the merge cone at the exit of pit lane, and a 38-second penalty – the equivalent of a drive-through – was added to his race time. Second became 14th, and an almost non-existent championship gap became a chasm, one that only widened with Sunday’s result.
Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton said Whincup’s error was “an honest mistake”.
“Rules are rules,” Dutton told supercars.com, adding “(Jamie) saw the wrong cone, turned it (the pit-lane speed limiter) off, realised his mistake, turned it back on. You’re not allowed to, it’s as simple as that. It has to be on. He’s made a mistake, he’s human.”
While the Island was a weekend to be learned from and rapidly discarded from the memory banks for J-Dub, his Triple Eight stablemates Shane van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes had a comparatively better time of things, jumping past Whincup into third (SVG) and fourth (Lowndesy) overall in the standings without ever setting the circuit alight.
READ MORE: SVG on the new kid in town
SVG inherited a podium for third on Saturday with Whincup’s demotion, which was reward for effort after he’d battled a power steering problem for the majority of the 57-lap distance, no joke on a circuit with as many fast and flowing corners as the Island has.
Some set-up changes overnight for Sunday saw SVG take what he called “a backwards step” in qualifying, starting Race 10 from ninth on the grid. A decision to run a long second stint and pit for new tyres 20 laps from home saw him back in 11th place but with a chance to push, and the Kiwi managed to get up to sixth by the flag, running out of laps to challenge Michael Caruso (Drive Racing) for fourth after a little love-tap with stablemate Lowndes on the third-last lap prompted him to back out of the throttle to let the Autobarn entry regain its position.
“In the race my car didn’t start out very good at all, but it just got better and better as the race went on,” SVG said on Sunday.
“It still wasn’t quite perfect, but I think we played the strategy pretty good by running the second set of tyres longer and we came home with new tyres and made some passes.”
Ten races into the season, Van Gisbergen sits third overall, 98 points behind compatriot McLaughlin.
An event after his drought-breaking win at Symmons Plains, Lowndes was back at the sharper end of the grid all weekend at the Island, finishing fourth from the same spot on the grid on Saturday, and recovering to seventh on Sunday after qualifying just 13th. Championship-wise, CL is now the meat in the RBHRT sandwich, in fourth place overall, 36 points behind Van Gisbergen and eight ahead of Whincup.
What’s next? The long trip across the Nullarbor for the Perth SuperSprint at Barbagallo Raceway in a fortnight’s time (May 4-6), where there’s a chance to make amends. After that reclining, expulsion of breath and lengthy chat we mentioned off the top …
← LIVE DIARY: PHILLIP ISLAND SUNDAY → Behind The Scenes: Phillip Island
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2078
|
__label__wiki
| 0.910104
| 0.910104
|
Review: Michael Winterbottom's Trishna is magical
July 13, 2012 15:10 IST
Beautiful shots, stunning music and rich performances make Trishna a pleasant watch, writes Aseem Chhabra
Nearly half an hour into Michael Winterbottom's Trishna, its protagonist Jay (Pakistani-British actor Riz Ahmed) instructs a young and naive Trishna (Freida Pinto) in the art of the bird-whistle. Jay twists his lips, slowly blowing air through the upper part of his mouth. Trishna shapes her lips in the same fashion, but alas can produce no sound.
It is an innocent yet joyful scene: a magical cinematic sequence. Winterbottom, one of the most eclectic of British filmmakers, lovingly captures the playfulness of the moment as his leads -- Jay, the UK-educated son of a hotelier, and Trishna, the poor girl from rural Rajasthan -- she inside a birdcage and he watching her from outside, somewhat overcome their class differences. There is also an underlying sexual tension in the air as two young people from different parts of the society make a connection.
Situations like this make Trishna, Winterbottom's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles and his third film based on the British master's works (he also directed his versions of The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude) -- a pleasure to watch.
There is a lot of beauty in Trishna. The film has rich performances by the lead actors Pinto and the seductively charming Ahmed. Coupled with that, Trishna is beautifully shot -- capturing the quietude of Rajasthan and its fine hotels, as also the street energy of Jaipur and Mumbai.
And then there is the film's stunning music -- terrific compositions by the young genius Amit Trivedi, layered with a haunting score by Shigeru Umebayashi, reminiscent of his classic Yumeji's Theme from Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece In The Mood For Love. In another surprise, Winterbottom skillfully uses two of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's qawallis in the first act of the film.
For Hardy loyalists, it is important to note that in Trishna Winterbottom ably adapts the class disparities of 19th century England to modern day India. There are a couple of differences between the novel and the film, a major change being that Winterbottom's Jay is a combination of Hardy's two male characters Angel Clare and Alec d'Urberville. Winterbottom had worked with Ahmed in Road to Guantanamo and he sensed that the very talented actor (soon to be seen in Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist) could play the complexities of both the characters. It is a risk, but Winterbottom makes the right call.
Ahmed is a caring Jay who takes fancy to Pinto's Trishna, offers her a job at his father's hotel, finds
her hotel management courses to advance her career, but also seduces her and makes her pregnant. After Trishna leaves the hotel, Jay comes looking for her, once again sweeping the young woman off her feet, and then immersing her into the glittering world of Mumbai and its Bollywood industry (represented by the film's co-producer Anurag Kashyap, who in a brief and an odd performance acts as himself along with his wife Kalki Koechlin).
The Mumbai section -- while giving Pinto's Trishna a sense of freedom from the stifling world in Rajasthan, is a weak part in an otherwise fine film. Winterbottom worked without a bound script, giving his actors room to improvise their dialogues and develop their characters. Meanwhile, Winterbottom becomes fascinated by Mumbai, preoccupied with showing us the city's cool restaurants, shops, hip parties, and the workings of Bollywood industry along with the lives of the extras and the hanger-ons.
It is an interesting anthropological study with Trivedi's -- Lagan Lagi Re, sung by Kavita Seth and Shreya Ghoshal, playing in the background. That song stays with the viewer, but Trishna briefly loses its sense of narrative direction in the Mumbai section.
But Winterbottom is a seasoned filmmaker and he eventually does not fail his audience. He brings back his lovers to Rajasthan, as circumstances force Jay to take charge of his father's hotel. By now Jay is unhappy with his life, spending days drowned in alcohol and smoking marijuana, tossed with the daily ritual of afternoon sex with Trishna. A word of caution for the faint hearted: at this juncture, Trishna takes on the harshest tone of Hardy's class differences between its protagonists and becomes a devastatingly difficult film to watch -- good cinema, but rather shocking for the senses.
Trishna is Pinto's first fully realized role. The success of Slumdog Millionaire suddenly opened major doors for Pinto, but her work remained uneven. She failed to impress in Julian Schnabel's Miral -- a film troubled by its muddled and flat screenplay and was equally forgettable in Tarsem's embarrassing Immortals. In Trishna she gives her best performance in her four-years and six-films long career.
Ahmed is the rockstar of Trishna -- playing many layers of Jay's personalities, a seemingly good-hearted young expat, who by the end of the film becomes nasty, self absorbed and despicable. It is a meaty role that Ahmed plays exceptionally well.
As Trishna's end credits role, we once again hear Lagan Lagi Re -- easily one of the best Hindi songs of the year. That magical quality of the film stays with the audience after they leave the theater.
Rediff Rating:
Aseem Chhabra in New York
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2080
|
__label__wiki
| 0.890516
| 0.890516
|
Supporting 25th Season of Red Nation Celebration Institute International Film Festival
Enjoy special benefits with each level of sponsorship
Media Partners [2019]
CONTACT LINDA TENEQUER FOR OPPORTUNITIES: rncimedia@gmail.com
Help Support our Media Relations in promoting and cementing American Indian & Indigenous Voices and Image at the forefront of the entertainment industry and the world at large.
Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) continues its legacy now its 25th year 2020, being the longest standing Native Arts & Cultural organization in Los Angeles the Entertainment Capital of the World, empowering American Indian and First Nation filmmakers and native youth via its prestigious Red Nation International Film Festival & Awards The Authentic Voice of American Indian & Indigenous Cinema, Native Women in FILM Festival, and Native Youth Matter – If I Can See It I Can Be It Initiative, providing native youth direct access to the film and music industry through its program.
The Festival features the only film competition in the world that offers guaranteed distribution of American Indian & Indigenous Award winning independent films, as well as films that screen at the festival to include a broadcast television release in partnership with Red Nation Television Network™, a global provider of streaming movies and TV series and soon to be announced Festival’s native films televised on a Cable server provider.
RNCI Red Nation Awards Show is broadcast LIVE on Red Nation Television Network reaching 10 million+ viewers and in 37 countries. Before there was Netflix, or Hulu, or Own or before the networks started streaming their content, RNCI is leading the way in new media digital forum in online streaming, since 2006.
The Festival “On the Road Tour” and its Native Youth Matter Initiative and its Native Women in Film & Television is now in sister cities; Washington DC, Santa Fe NM, Paris France.
Red Nation Celebration Institute is not only in Los Angeles cementing our image and voice in the forefront of the industry, changing the narrative in media with our storytellers while transforming the audience with its media partners, RNCI founder was invited on June 14th & 15th, 2016 to Washington DC by President Obama, First Lady Michael Obama, VP Joe
Biden and Oprhy Winfrey to “The United State of Women’s Summit” there RNCI had the opportunity to present Native Women in Film & Television
Initiative to congressional members in taking first steps to changing policy.
June 29, 2016, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences invited Red Nation Celebration Institute founder Joanelle Romero to be a lifetime member. This is one of the highest honor one can receive in the Entertainment Industry.
Another highlight of 2016, The National Indian Child Welfare Association’s National Conference partnered with Red Nation Celebration Institute in bringing to its 1000 native wellness facilitators RNCI program “The Power of Film” on April 5, 2016.
Holiness Dalai Lama invited RNCI founder to say a few words on Native Women and Water at his 80th Birthday Celebration @ The Honda Center July 5, 2015. RNCI reached millions with the positive message of our Indigenous Voice.
At a time in history when as racial and ethnic minorities start to become the majorities, RNCI is at the forefront in all forums. RNCI marketing strategies have already proven to be affective with its inclusion of American Indian & Indigenous image and voice.
RNCI innovative marketing strategies are making a difference not only in the Entertainment Industry but in Indian Country and the world.
Highlights from Red Nation Film Festival & Awards Show
@NdnCinema (Photos) Stars come out in support of Native Cinema.
Celebrities, Dignitaries and Rock Stars include to name a few: Christian Bale, Scott Cooper, Rory Cochrane, Benicio Del Toro, Dan Aykroyd, Edward James Olmos, Ed Begley Jr, Jason George, Miko Brando, Dr. Jane Goodall, John Savage, Max Gail, April Webster, Sally Kirkalnd, Hawk Lopez, Ronee Blakley, Dennis Kucinich, Elizabeth Kucinich, Mitch Perry, Gary Busey, Shepard Fairey, Balthazar Getty, Alma Martinez, Lita Ford, Phil Soussan, Alan Krigger, Paul Rodriguez, Former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the late City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, the late Russell Means, the late John Trudell, the late Edward Albert Jr. and many Native Celebs like A Martinez, Joanelle Romero, Gil Birmingham, A Martinez, Zahn McClarnon, Forrest Goodluck, Duane Howard, Arthur RedCloud, Faith Keeper Oren Lyons, Eddie Spears, Michael Spears, Joe Brings Plenty, Kimberly Guerrero, Jeremiah Bitsui, Chaske Spencer, Heather Rae, Tonantzin Carmelo, Tantoo Cardinal, Saginaw Grant, Tatanka Means, Tokala Clifford, Tribal Leaders, and the late Misty Upham, and special guests Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr, Lynette TwoBulls and so many more, to many to mention all.
Partners Receive:
Full-Page Color Advertisement in the RNIFF20 Official Program
Support First Nation filmmakers, actors, and performing artists.
Website and Social Media presence
Acknowledgement in RNIFF Media Reel
Awards Show Tickets
Company Commercial on Red Nation Television Network reaching 10 million+ viewers in 37 countries
WATCH and Subscribe Today to Red Nation Television Network www.RedNationTV.com.
2020 RNCI Red Nation Awards Show, streams on Red Nation Television Network in November and a televised broadcast in select cities on Thanksgiving week-end.
Red Nation International Film Festival is a program of Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) a 501 (c)(3) federally recognized nonprofit organization. Founded in 1995. RNCI is the longest standing Native Arts & Culture nonprofit in Los Angeles.
Investing in the Native Narrative with mentorships and fellowships, we are at the forefront of educating today’s students for their careers in media, as well as providing movies, documentaries, tv series, original programming, ground-breaking initiatives of accurate, authentic, historical Indigenous content for Red Nation Television Network 🎥 Native is Here.
Support Levels $5000 to $20,000
Option 1 $5,000.00 USDOption 2 $10,000.00 USDOption 3 $20,000.00 USD
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2081
|
__label__wiki
| 0.791118
| 0.791118
|
What Makes a Replications School
Replications is a nonprofit school support organization devoted to improving educational outcomes for public school children.
Replications Statement on Racial Injustice
Replications stands against all forms of racial injustice, white supremacy, and police brutality. Our Replications family is heartbroken by the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many other citizens of color in our recent history alone.
For more than 20 years, Replications has strove to bring equity through education to students and families in under-resourced communities in New York City. Our work as a Community School provider has shown us firsthand the horrible effects of systemic racism.
In the wake of the most recent acts of violence against people of color, Replications is committed to partnering with our schools and communities to combat racial injustice, white supremacy, and police brutality. We will do this through education, activism and the intentional redistribution of resources. Replications will be a part of the change that allows people in communities of color throughout New York City to have the same opportunities as anyone else. We invite and encourage all of our partners to join us in this urgent work.
What Makes a Replications School?
Whole School Support
Whole school support is our solution to the instability in high-needs schools. Operating as a hybrid between a management consulting firm and a local superintendency, we provide a comprehensive, coherent approach to school improvement using our Essential Features of Schools (EFS) support model. Read more
In The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge describes essential characteristics that great learning organizations share. Our Seed Programs—enrichment programs aimed at improving students’ academic and social skills and modeling exemplary teaching—catalyze the development of these characteristics at the grassroots level. Read more
Replications, Inc.
360 Madison Avenue (℅ Bob Steinmetz)
E: info@replications.org
© 2021 Replications.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2083
|
__label__wiki
| 0.754294
| 0.754294
|
Fundings and Exits
Online Church Service
Selah Marley Accuses Rihanna of Stealing Ideas for Savage x Fenty Show
Friday, 16 October 2020, 22:02
Rihanna wowed fans with her stunning Savage x Fenty Vol. 2 show earlier this month, but not everyone was impressed.
Model Selah Marley said she feels “robbed” after noticing similarities between her 2019 installation “A Primordial Place” and the latest iteration of Rihanna’s dreamy fashion show.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the 20-year-old daughter of Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley expressed her frustrations. “Quite a few friends brought this up to me & I wasn’t gonna say anything about this, but I’m bothered,” wrote Selah. “For those who remember, I did ‘A Primordial Place’ in May 2019.. I put my heart & soul (& all the money I had) into this project and…. I don’t know. Is it just me?”
She went on to accuse Rihanna of stealing her concept. “As a young, independent, female black artist, I genuinely feel robbed,” said Selah, who attended Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show in 2018. “I’m not signed to any label.. I don’t have any investors. I just have myself & the people who support me. It took A LOT to pull this together & to see it replicated almost exactly with no mention of my name or the work I previously put in is just ridiculous.”
She shared photos from her installation, which she described as a “blacklight jungle circus,” and Rihanna’s plant-filled Savage show and asked her followers for their thoughts. “Looks the SAME to me that’s why as a creative I’m so afraid to share my talents online in fear that someone else will steal it and get the recognition,” said one supportive fan.
Others were quick to dismiss her claims. “multiple people have done this concept before you and rihanna,” commented an Instagram user, while another added, “Girl Rihanna copied herself from the 2018 show just calm down.”
Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Vol. 2 show premiered on Amazon Prime Video on Oct. 2 featuring a star-studded lineup of models and performers including Travis Scott, Lizzo, Big Sean, Roddy Ricch, Rosalía, Miguel, and more.
SuccessValley
Republik City News is a subsidiary of SuccessValley, an online network community for students and aspiring entrepreneurs. You can reach SuccessValley through this link: https://www.successvalley.tech/
https://www.republikcitynews.online/author/amenorhu/
THE BEST UPCOMING MOVIES 2020 & 2021 (New Trailers)
Tom & Jerry | My New Year Plan
191 COVID-19 infections push Ghana’s active cases to 1,330
Trump ban is ‘right’ but ‘dangerous’ – Twitter boss
This Game-Changing Online Business Management Platform...
Kaskade & WILL K Team Up with Monstercat for...
NBA YoungBoy and Drea Symone Welcome Baby Girl
Spotify Tests Out New Snapchat-Inspired Stories...
Travis Scott Earned Over $100 Million This Year
Niiko x SWAE Drop Groovy House Track, “Blah Blah...
NPP won 2020 elections hands down – Akufo-Addo
Tweets by city_republik
THE BEST UPCOMING MOVIES 2020 & 2021 (New...
191 COVID-19 infections push Ghana’s active cases to...
Oprah in SF to spread the word on wellness to...
7 tips that’ll make walking in heels so much...
Six pack body versus six pack mind
Dan Snyder Vows More Oversight of Washington N.F.L...
Kotoko captain Felix Annan signs contract extension
Edward Nii Odoom takes over as new Hearts of Oak...
Notable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry...
Copyright © 2021. Created by SuccessValley.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2085
|
__label__wiki
| 0.919141
| 0.919141
|
Analysis: Biden's first step on taxes may be cracking down on cheats, Democrats say
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Joe Biden will reverse Republican tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations on “day one” if he wins November’s election, his Democratic running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, vowed during Wednesday night’s vice-presidential debate.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden departs Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Other Democrats in Washington, however, say that timing looks overly ambitious. A new Biden administration, which would be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2021, would likely face a still-raging coronavirus pandemic and an economy deep in recession.
His first step on taxes could be a more straightforward one, say some Democrats, including Biden advisers: beefing up Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement to go after wealthy tax cheats who cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue every year.
Tackling major tax reform, and particularly repealing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs act, a signature Trump policy that reduced corporate taxes, depends on multiple factors, said Jared Bernstein, Biden’s chief economist as vice president, who now serves as an external adviser to his campaign.
“I don’t think there’s any way to zero in on the timing at this point,” he said in an interview days before the vice presidential debate. “There’s a lot that has to be dealt with between now and then, including winning,” said Bernstein.
He and other prominent Democrats, however, are happy to talk in detail about what they say is a need for much stronger enforcement at the IRS, which has suffered a decade of budget cuts and hiring freezes imposed by Republicans in Congress.
Bernstein said Biden would seek “significant increases in IRS enforcement and auditing, particularly for those with complex business structures” like Trump.
Senator Maggie Hassan, a senior Democrat on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, said at a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that her top fiscal priority was new coronavirus aid to households and businesses, followed by shrinking the “so-called tax gap, which comes from corporations and billionaires avoiding taxes by under-reporting income to the Treasury.”
‘STUPID’ TAXPAYERS
After a Democratic primary that featured here heated debate over a progressive wealth tax, Biden and his advisers have emphasized tax "fairness" over tax code details.
His tax plan here would repeal elements of the 2017 Republican tax act, raising rates to 39.6% for Americans with income above $400,000, and capital gains tax rates for those with income above $1 million. The corporate tax rate would rise to 28% from the current 21%.
Biden’s proposal to reduce a $11.6 million estate tax exclusion has already set off a scramble among wealthy Americans to revise their estate planning before year-end.
A New York Times report here last week that President Donald Trump paid just $750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017, and nothing for years before then, has put the spotlight back on who pays what.
Trump said during the presidential debate last week that he paid “millions of dollars” in taxes during the years in question, but also took deductions to which he was entitled as a real estate developer.
“Like every other private person, unless they’re stupid, they go through the laws and that’s what it is,” Trump said.
The Trump tax disclosures are “clarifying for our side of this debate about what the tax code should look like and how you should reform it based on fairness,” a Senate Democratic aide said. “It’s a question of wages versus wealth.”
Still, lawmakers would have to have “very complicated conversations” to sort out how to proceed, the aide said.
A $441 BILLION TAX GAP
Individual tax returns fuel here the U.S. government's $4 trillion-plus budget.
Individuals who report large business losses but no revenues pose a "significant compliance risk" that is contributing to a $441 billion annual tax gap - the difference between taxes owed and taxes collected, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said in a Sept. 28 audit report here.
It said the IRS should audit people showing $100,000 or more in business losses and no receipts, a recommendation the IRS declined, saying it would require “diversion of resources from other areas.”
An IRS spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reforming tax compliance is also complicated.
Former president Barack Obama’s creation of a ‘wealth squad’ within the IRS to audit the rich drew the ire of Republicans in Congress, who responded by slashing the IRS enforcement budget, which reduced tax agents, over the next decade.
Now, the agency’s enforcement capability is at a “crisis point” and rebuilding it would require a massive investment in technology, hiring and training thousands of new agents, said Robert Gardner, who worked for the IRS for 39 years, and left in 2013.
“More IRS agents intruding into people’s lives is never a politically popular move,” added Gardner, now a consultant on tax whistleblower cases.
However, nearly two-thirds of Americans think the wealthy should pay an extra share of taxes, a Reuters/Ipsos poll this January found here.
The IRS enforcement cuts have acted effectively as “shadow tax cuts targeted at high end avoiders and evaders,” said Bernstein. “The Democrats I speak to are not at all happy about that.”
Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rosalba O’Brien
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2089
|
__label__wiki
| 0.802169
| 0.802169
|
New book: Howul - David Shannon
People in Blanow think that books are dangerous: they fill your head with drivel, make poor firewood and cannot be eaten (even in an emergency).
This book is about Howul. He sees things differently: fires are dangerous; people are dangerous; books are just books.
Howul secretly writes down what goes on around him in Blanow. How its people treat foreigners, treat his daughter, treat him. None of it is pretty. Worse still, everything here keeps trying to kill him: rats, snakes, diseases, roof slates, the weather, the sea. That he survives must mean something. He wants to find out what. By trying to do this, he gets himself thrown out of Blanow... and so his journey begins.
Like all gripping stories, HOWUL is about the bad things people do to each other and what to do if they happen to you. Some people use sticks to stay safe. Some use guns. Words are the weapons that Howul uses most. He makes them sharp. He makes them hurt.
Of course books are dangerous.
Read more: Howul - David Shannon
Review: The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson
Written by Seregil of Rhiminee
Sean Gibson's The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True will be published by The Parliament House in December 2020.
About Sean Gibson:
Sean Gibson is not a professional mini biography writer (if he were, this would be much more compelling). Instead, he’s a marketing professional by day, hangs out with his amazing wife, son, and daughter by night, and writes somewhere in between. He holds a BA in English Literature from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, but he really wishes he had been able to matriculate at Hogwarts (he would have been in Hufflepuff for sure). Sean is a fan of sports teams from Detroit, a distressingly large number of bands that rose to prominence in the 1980s, and writing in the third person. He currently resides in Northern Virginia, and, given how much he hates moving, and given that his house has an awesome library, is likely to remain there for some time.
In addition to The Chronicle of Heloise & Grimple, Sean is the author of The Camelot Shadow and its prequel short, "The Strange Task Before Me." He has written extensively for Kirkus Reviews, and his book reviews have also appeared in Esquire.
A new book featuring Heloise, The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True, is slated for release in December 2020 from Parliament House Books.
Follow him on Twitter @Gibknight, but only if you're really bored and enjoy tomfoolery.
About The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True:
Sure, you think you know the story of the fearsome red dragon, Dragonia.
How it terrorized the village of Skendrick until a brave band of heroes answered the noble villagers' call for aid. How nothing could stop those courageous souls from facing down the dragon. How they emerged victorious and laden with treasure.
But, even in a world filled with epic adventures and tales of derring-do, where dragons, goblins, and unlicensed prestidigitators run amok, legendary heroes don't always know what they're doing. Sometimes they're clueless. Sometimes beleaguered townsfolk are more hapless than helpless. And orcs? They're not always assholes, and sometimes they don't actually want to eat your children.
Heloise the Bard, Erithea's most renowned storyteller (at least, to hear her tell it), is here to set the record straight. See, it turns out adventuring isn't easy, and true heroism is as rare as an articulate villager.
Having spent decades propagating this particular myth (which, incidentally, she wrote), she's finally able to tell the real story — for which she just so happened to have a front-row seat.
Welcome to Erithea. I hope you brought a change of undergarments — things are going to get messy.
Read more: Review: The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson
Discuss this article in the forums (0 replies).
Review: Well of Bones by Chase Walker
Chase Walker's Well of Bones was published in February 2020.
About Chase Walker:
Chase Walker was born in California and raised in Southern Nevada. He spent his childhood telling stories - stories that more often than not got him into trouble for stretching the truth. As a child, he idolized heroes like Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker, who had a knack for getting out of the trouble they inevitably found themselves in. As he grew older, his tastes expanded beyond Steven Spielberg and George Lucas films. He joined the Army and found that its hurry-up-and-wait lifestyle was perfect for whipping out a paperback and reading a little Joe Abercrombie or Michael Crichton during the short bouts of downtime. He fell deeply in love with reading and discovered a whole new way to tell his stories. Writing became a hobby quickly, and then a passion.
Today, Chase is living a self-sufficient life in rural Kansas with his wife and a small menagerie of animals. Together they raise crops, chickens, and sometimes a little cain. He divides his time between the family homestead and his full-time job as an army mechanic. You would be hard-pressed ever to find him not working with his hands. He can most often be spotted turning wrenches under the hood of an old 1977 International Harvester Scout II or pounding away at a keyboard with skinned knuckles and dirty fingernails.
Chase's stories are inspired by a lifetime of adventure, by his ten plus years of service in the Army, and by the eccentric personalities who color his own world. He tries to inject a healthy dose of reality into his stories, even as he lets his imagination run wild creating fantasy worlds. He goes about with notebook in hand, collecting from his daily life the ideas that will spark his next story. A passionate story-teller above all else, he is always striving to improve his craft on paper.
Click here to visit his official website.
About Well of Bones:
War is a bloody affair for an infantryman. The war for expansion into a new world is no different for Jake Zimmar. He would do anything to get out of combat - even join an obscure division of witch hunters and monster slayers. Jake no longer fears the tales of his youth - the monsters are long gone if they ever existed at all.
Assigned to investigate some strange happenings on a small island colony, Jake and his new allies quickly find themselves in a different kind of struggle for survival. The age-old evil that stirs under the island is an evil beyond that of the creatures of myth.
A dark cave guards even darker secrets. Inside, Jake finds more blood... and long-forgotten nightmares made flesh.
Beware the Well of Bones
Read more: Review: Well of Bones by Chase Walker
Review: Stella by Josh Dygert
Josh Dygert's Stella was published in April 2020.
About Josh Dygert:
Josh Dygert’s short stories have appeared in a number of online magazines and anthologies, including in the #1 Amazon Bestselling Horror Anthology Secret Stairs. He is also the author of a middle-grade fantasy novel called The Story Traveler, which is available from Amazon. He studied English and Theater in college and now teaches middle school English.
About Stella:
Stella knew the names of the stars before she knew her alphabet. Although Stella's mother disappeared when she was too small to remember, she grows up happy beneath bright Indiana stars in the small town of Torrance with her father, her dog, and her best friend.
When a meteor lands in her father's cornfields, Stella and her father run after the fallen star. Stella watches as her father touches the star. The moment he does, he disappears in a flash of golden starlight. Stella never sees her father again.
From that moment on, Stella is terrified of the stars she always loved. She leaves Torrance, her dog, and her best friend only to discover that the truth she needs is still in Torrance. As a total eclipse approaches, Stella must find the courage to face her stars.
Read more: Review: Stella by Josh Dygert
Review: The Lost Son by Aidan Lucid
Aidan Lucid's The Lost Son was published in October 2019.
About Aidan Lucid:
Born in July 1981 with a very rare syndrome known as Moebius Syndrome, Aidan has never let that stop him achieving his goals in life. Mr. Lucid began writing back in 2002 after a religious experience. In 2004 after plucking up the courage to send out his material, he was published seven times that year. Over the next decade, Aidan's works appeared in various local and international anthologies, magazines and e-zines. From March to December 2007, Aidan wrote film reviews for the award winning Irish newspaper, "The Kerryman".
Aidan's YA epic fantasy novel, "The Lost Son", was released in 2019. He hopes to release the sequel in 2020.
To view more about Aidan and his works, go to: http://www.thezargothiansaga.com
About The Lost Son:
A Magic Coin. A Hidden World. An Incredible Adventure!
When Henry Simmons unearths a coin with mysterious powers, it’s clear that his life is soon to change... but not how he expects. After using the charm to woo Tracey Maxwell, Henry finds himself launched to another dimension - a world in which the human race is mercilessly hunted down by creatures called Sadarkians. This hellish realm, Zargothia, could scarcely be less safe.
Transported together, Henry and Tracey meet two mysterious strangers and a garrulous cat. Pressing forward, they learn that they’ve been charged with saving the people of Zargothia, but freeing King Argoth along with his people means facing ruthless overlords and almost certain death.
Vastly outnumbered, can Henry and his fated friends surmount the odds? In such a realm of wicked magic, danger lurks at every turn... and nothing is what it seems.
“Aidan Lucid takes us into this ambitious work by carefully crafting his characters and settings. We soon find ourselves in a world where the product of his wonderful imagination is both believable and thrilling.” - Tommy Frank O’ Connor, bestselling author of, The Poacher’s Apprentice.
Pick up your copy today and join in the exciting first adventure of The Zargothian Saga trilogy
Read more: Review: The Lost Son by Aidan Lucid
An interview with Alison Levy
Risingshadow has had an opportunity to interview Alison Levy about her debut fantasy novel, Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper is the first book in the Daemon Collecting Series.
Alison Levy lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with her husband, son, and variety of pets. When she's not writing or doing mom things, she crochets, gardens, walks her collies, and works on home improvement projects.
About Gatekeeper:
Rachel Wilde comes from a dimension that exists adjacent to ours. The people there have structured their society around daemon collecting: they locate, catch, and repair malfunctioning daemons (creatures out of phase with our world that tempt people to do good or evil). Now Rachel has been given two unusual assignments: 1) find a person who has been trying to break down dimensional barriers, and 2) track down a missing line of gatekeepers, human placeholders for a daemon that was too badly damaged to repair. Authorities of Rachel’s world believe the missing gatekeepers are descended from a girl who went missing from West Africa hundreds of years ago, likely sold into slavery. With no leads to go on, Rachel seeks help from Bach, a raving homeless man who happens to be an oracle. Bach does put her in the path of both of her targets - but he also lands her in a life-threatening situation. Somehow, Rachel has to stop the criminal, reunite a gatekeeper with her stolen past, and, above all, survive.
Read more: An interview with Alison Levy
Review: Eden by Tim Lebbon
Guest post: The Final Reckoning by Gail Z. Martin
Audio story review: Dreamcoat by Matthew G. Rees
Review: Animals of the Exodus by Alexander Zelenyj
Guest post: You May Change the World by Matthew Kressel
Review: The Lighthouse by Jeremy Schliewe
Winter is Coming by Mark Howard Jones at Horla
Dwarf Story by Professor W.W. Marplot
Guest post: An article about Delphi Federation by Bob Blanton
The Elemental Trilogy Box Set by Toni Cox
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2092
|
__label__wiki
| 0.777155
| 0.777155
|
The 1955 Porsche 356: The icon before the icon
Before the 911, there was the 356. The Speedster was the most iconic of them all.
By Silodrome: Gasoline Culture
Our friends at Silodrome have so much awesome stuff that we like to share it from time to time. This is reprinted courtesy of Silodrome.
The Porsche 356 is one of the most memorable pre-911 cars from the
marque, it's the car that was tweaked for American tastes by North American importer Max Hoffman – a man who convinced Ferry Porsche that the 356 needed a
name as Americans wouldn't by a car with a number. The "Speedster" was the result, other changes to the 356 include a reworked body, interior and
instrumentation to bring the base cost of the car down to a point where it could compete with the likes of Jaguar and Austin-Healey.
As a result of these cost cutting measures, price tag on the 356 Speedster went from $4,284 USD to just $2,995 USD, suddenly making it an accessible sports
car for a much larger percentage of the population. This car is one of those early originals, the "Pre-A" designation is for 356s that were built before
the "A" model revision came into place in late-1955. The "A" cars had larger 1600cc engines and a slew of other modifications but many true marque
enthusiasts prefer the simpler, Max Hoffman originals.
This 1955 Pre-A is fitted with a period correct 70 bhp, 1500cc, SOHC, air-cooled flat four-cylinder engine with two Solex 40 carburettors. It also has the
factory spec four-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes fitted. The engine isn't the original,
it's a slightly upgraded sports variant that produces an additional 15hp at the rear wheels – this means that it won't fetch quite the same price at
auction as a number matching example, making it a solid opportunity for investment.
If you're in the mood for some air-cooled mid-50s motoring, you'll want to visit RM Auctions and register for their Villa Erba auction scheduled for the 25th of
May 2013. This car will be for sale as well as many others, it's also a great excuse to stop through Milan.
via RM Auctions, Silodrome
More From Car Culture
How Justin Lin Revolutionized the Car Movie
How to Change Your Differential Fluid
12 Ultra Rare Fast American Muscle Cars
23 Best Hot Hatches in the World
How and Why to Change Manual Transmission Fluid
20 Items To Make Car Camping Your New Thing
12 Car Care Products Used by Pro Detailers
This 20-Cyl Engine Is Two V-10s Geared Together
Ten Cars That Are Perfect Winter Beaters
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2094
|
__label__wiki
| 0.646588
| 0.646588
|
Jupiter’s Choice Slot
offered by Casumo, PlayOJO, Slingo Casino
Ratings: (0)
Back to slots
100 x your bet
Return to Player:
3 x 6 grid, Clumped Reels, Symbol Removal, Mega Hit, Jupiter’s Choice
JUPITER’S CHOICE SLOT BONUS OFFERS
30 Bonus Spins and 100% bonus up to £300
Leave a rating
Fat Santa Slot
Star Gods Slot
Sapphire Gaming has gone above, beyond and frankly back to a wonderful time of mythology with their brilliant slot title Jupiter’s Choice Slot.
It’s fair to say that Jupiter’s Choice is a rather unique slot. The theme of the game is the days of Rome, a time when sovereignty was everything and we follow the story as it develops in an exciting and encapsulating way.
It is said that the Romans of the day believed that Jupiter granted them their domination of the world because they bestowed the honour upon him over all other gods, and we are going along for the ride!
The game is a 3×6 slot, made primarily for mobile users and is available on all iOS and Android-powered devices. Jupiter’s Choice Slot has clumped reels, coin multipliers and free games within along with its feature MegaHit which we love.
Jupiter’s Choice Slot layout is 6×3. Bets can be placed from £0.15 up to £150 with the base game RTP being 59.58%. The game is considered fair, but the point of it is to get engrossed in the adventure which we’ve found is very easy to do!
All you need to do is choose your stake, spins are available from £0.15 up to £150, and then you’re off.
Jupiter’s Choice Slot Special Features
Jupiter’s Choice Slot shapes up with these features:
Clumped Reels
As you play along Jupiter can reward you with two clumped reels of symbols on any random spin. The symbols may offer you the opportunity to go for major wins along the way.
Symbol Removal
On any spin, during the game, Jupiter is able to suck away all the low symbols. When this happens, only the medium and high-paying symbols are left leading to much bigger winning opportunities for players.
Mega Hit
This is a great addition to the slot world. Mega Hit is Sapphire Gaming’s ‘reverse anticipation solution’, a feature that foresees players ahead of the next spin gaining a pending win and it’s something you’ll find on your Jupiter’s Choice Slot adventure.
Jupiter’s Choice
Mirroring the name of the game, this feature involves Jupiter throwing a second lightning strike. When he does, it activates the Jupiter’s Choice slot feature and hands out free games or free coins to players.
Bonuses can include win multipliers of up to 100 x your bet, or free games right up to a brilliant 50 spins.
Return to Player
The Return to Player percentage (RTP) hits 95.01% in Jupiter’s Choice slot. This makes the return fair, if not quite among the very highest levels available in the online slot world.
Sapphire Gaming’s Jupiter’s Choice Slot is a terrific addition to online slot gaming. The feel of adventure, the game taking us back in time to the great days of Rome, keeps us coming back but it’s not all about the story here.
The 6×3 layout, a fair RTP and some excellent features mean Jupiter’s Choice is one of the best online slots available on the market.
, PlayOJO, Slingo Casino" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who developed the game Jupiter’s Choice Slot?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Jupiter’s Choice Slot has been developed by the software provider Sapphire Gaming" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What type of game is Jupiter’s Choice Slot?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Jupiter’s Choice Slot is categorised as Slots" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What devices can I play Jupiter’s Choice Slot on?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Jupiter’s Choice Slot can be played on " } } ] }
Game FAQ
Where can I play Jupiter’s Choice Slot online?
Jupiter’s Choice Slot can be played at the following online Operators: Casumo, PlayOJO, Slingo Casino
Who developed the game Jupiter’s Choice Slot?
Jupiter’s Choice Slot has been developed by the software provider Sapphire Gaming
What type of game is Jupiter’s Choice Slot?
Jupiter’s Choice Slot is categorised as Slots
What devices can I play Jupiter’s Choice Slot on?
Jupiter’s Choice Slot can be played on
Like this game?
No reviews submitted
Write a review for
Please login to leave a review.
|
cc/2021-04/en_middle_0023.json.gz/line2099
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.