Remembering those who died and lost loved ones in the 9-11 tragedy INSIDE THIS ISSUE WHO ARE WE? CAP MEMBER PROFILES ...... 2 CAP MEMBERS/ CONTACT INFORMATION ...... 3 GENON AT A GLANCE....................... 4 HAPPENINGS AT EASTMAN .................... 5, 7 MARCELLUS SHALE................................... 6 CLIP & SAVE IMPORTANT INFO .................. 8 Community Advisory Panel Fostering Communication Between Industry & Community Fall 2011 GenOn Provides Support to Elrama Community Day GenOn Energy recently contributed to the success of the Elrama Community Day by providing funding to purchase the food that was sold to the community residents. This enabled the entire proceeds from the sale of food to go to the fire department for necessary safety apparatus. “We were pleased to be able to assist the fire department in this wonderful event and are hopeful they raised plenty of money for safety gear,” said Ken Sanders, General Manager of GenOn’s Elrama Generating Station. GenOn takes an active approach towards community involvement, especially for an event that touches so many of the community’s residents. We look forward to continued involvement in the community through local leaders and the Eastman-GenOn CAP. Should anyone have any questions about GenOn’s community involve- ment, please contact Ken Varhola, Director of External Affairs for Elrama Generating Station. Phone: (724) 597-8684 Email: [email protected]Hacking Is Everywhere! Are We Safe? Recently, I found out by chance that my home email account had been hacked into and because it was almost immediately, I dealt with the situation as quickly as I could. I notified my service provider and was told that “it’s an everyday occurrence – happening all the time.” Well, not to me it doesn’t! So, learn from my mistake. When I didn’t get a response that I was happy with, I kept calling my service provider to complain about the situation and ask what they were doing about it. I was transferred to a number of people and then finally on the third day, I was asked if anyone had told me about the “Customer Security Department’. Dah, wouldn’t you think the provider would have told me when I called the first time. When I did speak with someone in that Customer Security Department, my email address (which I had for quite a number of years without incident) was able to be restored to me and I was asked to change my password so that hackers couldn’t get to it again. So, here is what I was told; keep reading: your password should be a combination of letters, symbols and numbers in random order; and never, never answer those personal questions properly – answer them with a wrong answer - something only you will remember. BEWARE – TODAY’S HACKERS ARE GETTING MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED. Just think, if they put that energy to a good use, what they could accomplish! P1ayIt$af3 A $tR0n9Er password is minimum 8 characters long and contains at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one numeric character (0-9) and at least one special character: ~.#$%*_+|{}[]:,.
Transcript
Remembering those who died and lost loved ones in the 9-11 tragedy
INSIDE THIS ISSUE WHO ARE WE? CAP MEMBER PROFILES ...... 2 CAP MEMBERS/ CONTACT INFORMATION ...... 3 GENON AT A GLANCE ....................... 4 HAPPENINGS AT EASTMAN .................... 5, 7
GenOn Provides Support to Elrama Community Day GenOn Energy recently contributed to the success of the Elrama Community Day by providing funding to purchase the food that was sold to the community residents. This enabled the entire proceeds from the sale of food to go to the fire department for necessary safety apparatus. “We were pleased to be able to assist the fire department in this wonderful
event and are hopeful they raised plenty of money for safety gear,” said Ken Sanders, General Manager of GenOn’s Elrama Generating Station. GenOn takes an active approach towards community involvement, especially for an event that touches so many of the community’s residents. We look forward to
continued involvement in the community through local leaders and the Eastman-GenOn CAP. Should anyone have any questions about GenOn’s community involve-ment, please contact Ken Varhola, Director of External Affairs for Elrama Generating Station. Phone: (724) 597-8684 Email: [email protected]
Hacking Is Everywhere! Are We Safe?
Recently, I found out by chance that my home email account had been hacked into and because it was almost immediately, I dealt with the situation as quickly as I could. I notified my service provider and was told that “it’s an everyday occurrence – happening all the time.” Well, not to me it doesn’t! So, learn from my mistake. When I didn’t get a response that I was happy with, I kept calling my service provider to complain about the situation and ask what they were doing about it. I was transferred to a number of people and then finally on the third day, I was asked if anyone had told me about the “Customer Security Department’. Dah, wouldn’t you think the provider would have told me when I called the first time.
When I did speak with someone in that Customer Security Department, my email address (which I had for quite a number of years without incident) was able to be restored to me and I was asked to change my password so that hackers couldn’t get to it again. So, here is what I was told; keep reading: your password should be a combination of letters, symbols and numbers in random order; and never, never answer those personal questions properly – answer them with a wrong answer - something only you will remember. BEWARE – TODAY’S HACKERS ARE GETTING MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED. Just think, if they put that energy to a good use, what they could accomplish!
P1ayIt$af3
A $tR0n9Er password is minimum 8 characters long and contains at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one numeric character (0-9) and at least one special character: ~.#$%*_+|{}[]:,.
Remembering those who died and lost loved ones in the 9-11 tragedy
Public service has been more an avocation than a hobby, but seems to fit here. Dave held a Council seat in Elizabeth Boro for two terms in the 90s and was elected Mayor in 2009. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Borough Municipal Authority since the early 90s and is now Chairman. Dave is also active as President of the Elizabeth Cemetery Assoc. and a member of the Elizabeth Township Area EMS Board, as well as a board member of the Mon Valley Arts (live theater) in the area. His hobbies include auto racing, movies, good food and the grand kids!
Who are we? Profiles of Your Local CAP Members Bob Winters is the United States Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Advisor assigned to the Pittsburgh District where he helps coordinate and facilitate critical infrastructure protection in Western Pennsylvania.
Originally from Pittsburgh; Bob enlisted in the Air Force out of high school and after 8 years of enlisted service earned a regular commission through Air Force ROTC at the University of Colo-
rado graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He served as a security, law enforcement, and training officer and retired after 23 years of active duty service which culminated with three
command assignments. Bob has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University, graduated from the 205th session of the FBIs' National Academy, and is an ASIS Certified Protection Professional. Bob has been the Pittsburgh District’s Protective Security Advisor since the inception of the position in May, 2005. Since then, he has conducted dozens of assessments, provided security training to hundreds, and accumulated nearly two thousand contacts.
EASTMAN---GenOn ENERGY CAP NEWSLETTER
Dave Householder has been retired since April 2009. He has worked for US Steel in Southside operating mainframe computers and managed the Boron Station in Elizabeth before beginning a career as a Laborer in the Maintenance department at PICCO/Hercules/ Eastman in ’73, and retired 36 years later as a Maintenance Supervisor. Dave also worked part time as a Police Officer in Elizabeth during the early-mid 70s and briefly worked for the Elizabeth Boro Street Dept.
As a lifelong resident of Elizabeth Boro Dave has seen how the power, resin, and steel plants across the river have impacted life in this part of the Mon Valley. He remembers seeing the occasional morning deposit of fly ash on just about everything and wondering about the occasional funny smells wafting on the wind. “It’s only my opinion, but when the wind would shift and the odors came from Clairton mill that smelled the worst.”
Dr. Rick Saccone was elected to serve the people of Washington and Allegheny counties in November 2010. During the 2011-12 session, Rick has been appointed to serve on the Environmental Resources House committee, as well as several others.
He served our country for more than a decade as a United States Air Force Counterintelligence and Special Agent conducting felony, criminal, fraud and counterintelligence investigations and operations worldwide. He has also worked as a full-time professor at Saint Vincent College, teaching Political Science, Government, International Business and other international courses. Also, Rick has traveled to 69 countries; contributed
numerous articles on international politics, business and culture to top national and international newspapers and magazines. Rick’s home town is Elizabeth, PA. He resides there with his wife, Yong. They have been married for 32 years. They are the proud parents of two sons, Nick and Matthew.
Representative Saccone feels that the CAP meetings are very important to our communities. He feels that it is always important for people to stay informed and involved. Furthermore, these meetings also show that Eastman Chemical and GenOn value there standings as businesses within our area.
2
COMPANY CONTACTS
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
EASTMAN CHEMICAL CO. JEFFERSON SITE (412) 384-2520 ext. 2454 (24 hr. number)
Nancy Sue Swoger Responsible Care Coord. (412) 384-2520 Ext. 2225
GENON ENERGY ELRAMA POWER PLANT (412) 382-6910 (24 hr. number)
Ken Sanders Plant Manager (412) 382-6982
Zane Snyder EHS Coordinator (412) 382-6945
Ken Varhola Dir. External Affairs (724) 597-8684
Russ Behary Clairton Resident Louise A. Biddle President West Elizabeth Council Rev. W.C. Callaway Clairton Resident Karen Cassel Jefferson Hills Resident Daryl Celestino West Elizabeth Council Janice R. Cmar Jefferson Hills Council Bobby Hough Safety Specialist – Eastman Liberty Borough Resident Dave Householder Mayor Elizabeth Borough Bob Hyslop Operator – Eastman Dravosburg Resident
Lee Lasich Clairton Resident Sue Mackulin Jefferson Hills Resident Kelly Magill Herron Engineering Pleasant Hills Bob Macey County Council – Dist. 9 Brian Militzer Jefferson Hills Resident
Deb Miller Jefferson Hills Resident Kurt Miller Jefferson Hills Resident John Palmiere County Council – Dist. 6 Richard Price Clairton Resident Kathleen Reynolds Jefferson Hills Council
Rick Saccone State Legislator – 39th District Officer John Snelson Officer in Charge Elizabeth Borough Police Dept. Mike Sowko Instrument & Elec. Tech. – RRI Elrama Plant, Forward Township Resident Bob Winters US Dept. of Homeland Security Bill Wolfgang Emergency Management Coord. West Elizabeth Borough Alternate: Susan Pershing, West Elizabeth Resident
Carla Rizzi Exec. Secretary – Eastman CAP Administrative Support
= Newsletter Committee
EASTMAN---GenOn ENERGY CAP NEWSLETTER
If you have any questions regarding the Eastman–GenOn CAP, or if you would like to receive an electronic version of this newsletter, you may contact CAP facilitator, Nancy Sue Swoger
GenOn’s mission statement is “we create value for our owners through the generation and marketing of electricity in a safe, reliable and environmentally responsible manner.” What does that mean? The energy we produce literally powers Pennsylvania. GenOn’s Pennsylvania facilities have the capacity to produce enough electricity to power nearly seven million homes. The region consists of 23 generating stations and more than 1,200 employees. Each year the generating stations in Pennsylvania that GenOn owns and/or operates produce about 38.3 million megawatt hours to keep house lights on, furnaces going, air conditioners running, schools and hospitals in operation, businesses open for customers and for every power use in between. In fact, GenOn’s Pennsylvania coal stations produce the equivalent of 15 percent of Pennsylvania’s total annual power consumption. This energy is vital to Pennsylvania’s economy and we are proud to be a part of the energy backbone of the state. Besides powering Pennsylvania, GenOn is also a huge economic driver in this region and in Pennsylvania as a whole. Annually, GenOn spends the following in Pennsylvania:
$115 million in payroll for employees (1100 employees in Pennsylvania); $235 million in non-payroll operations and maintenance; $15 million in state taxes; $450 million in fuel purchases
This economic activity gives a big boost to the state economy. In addition to direct employment, GenOn operations support thousands of indirect jobs through the vendors who sell us materials and provide the other services we need. At GenOn, one of our core values is caring for the environment and
communities where we do business while ensuring a safe and healthy workplace. The company recog-nizes its responsibility to produce reliable, affordable electricity, while serving as outstanding environ-mental stewards. By developing innovative, market-based answers, the company aspires to solve the nation’s energy and environmental challenges. With that in mind, GenOn has invested significantly in environmental control expenditures as part of our commitment to reducing emissions. Since 2002, those investments have totaled $530 million. GenOn plants have achieved solid environmental performance over the past five years. On the critical items of opacity, SOx and NOx, the company has seen compliance rates never dip below 99% - a remarkable record. Since 2001, GenOn has reduced SO2 emissions by 50% and NOx emissions by 33% across our fleet. Many plants recorded no violations for SOx and NOx during the past five years and the number of opacity incidents has been dramatically reduced. While it is impossible to improve on 100% compliance rates with no incidents, the challenge will be to continue this strong environmental record. We here at GenOn are committed to being good corporate citizens. We strive to be a valued and respected member of every community in which we operate. We make charitable donations to organi-zations that share our values: education, the environment and community development. Our charitable contributions across those communities totaled nearly $200,000 so far in 2011. In addition, in 2010, GenOn con-tributed more than $136,000 in Education Improvement Tax Credit funding. In 2011, we expect to contribute more than $300,000, including EITC funding. We also
volunteer our time to help com-munities and the organizations that share our vision. Lastly, let us take the opportunity to address a situation that you may have read about at one of our other facilities, Conemaugh. In 1994-95, we installed a FGD “Scrubber” and have been working closely with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP) to establish appropriate discharge permit limits and to select and install treatment systems capable of meeting those limits. Over the years, there have been numerous evaluations and studies related to potential receiving stream impacts and to the performance of treatment system technology options. In 1994 and 2004, GenOn predecessor com-panies and the PaDEP entered into Consent Orders to establish goals and timetables to complete treatment technology evaluations and system installation, and to achieve compliance with applicable permit limits. Despite this progress, in 2007, a group of plaintiffs filed a suit against GenOn related to alleged violations of the NPDES permit limits. In 2010, GenOn completed the technology feasibility studies and selected an optimum treatment system alternative. And we are committed to compliance with applicable permit limits by February 1, 2012. We are confident that we have proceeded and operated the station in a manner that is consistent with state and federal rules and regulations since the onset of the FGD wastewater treatment system permitting effort. To learn more about GenOn, please visit us at www.genon.com.
Eastman Supports Olivet Church/West Elizabeth Food Bank
EASTMAN---GenOn ENERGY CAP NEWSLETTER
In the quiet river communities of the Mon, the populations are not so large, but the needs in these difficult economic times are. Fortunately for West Elizabeth and Floreffe residents, a Food Bank housed at the Olivet Presbyterian Church on State Rt. 837 provides a little relief from the expense of feeding families
out of work or with low incomes. There is no shortage of families in need of food and paper products, personal hygiene items, and companion pet products along this side of the Mon. Under the direction of Dorothy Shenkle, the Food Bank assists 60-70 families with the necessities of everyday living on a regular basis the.
The Eastman Jefferson site has committed to helping the Food Bank with quarterly food drives, and a recent Eastman Foundation grant of $5,000. “By adopting the Olivet Food Bank, Eastman and its employees are hoping to make a positive impact in the communities in which we work and live,” said Jerry Kuhn, Site Manager.
Food Bank Volunteers Receive $5,000 Grant from Eastman Foundation Pictured Left to Right: Volunteers Al Long, Sally Melonja, Shirley Sonccini, Dorothy Shenkle, Jack Sonccini, Louise Biddle, and Eastman Site Manager, Jerry Kuhn
On one very hot Friday in August a tractor-trailer arrived at the Eastman Site warehouse to pick up a customer order. While stopped, an alert employee realized that the tractor’s diesel tank was leaking profusely and that the spill was headed for a catch basin that could have let the spill reach the river. The fire alarm was sounded and the site’s Emergency Response Team jumped into action. In short order, the leak was contained to the lot, the line to the river was plugged, and maintenance workers pumped both diesel tanks to drums until the driver arranged for assistance to bypass his rig’s fuel lines from the leaking tank. A contractor was brought in to complete the cleanup.
It turns out that the leaking fuel tank resulted when the driver tried to force his 53 foot long rig through the tight turn-around that takes traffic from South to North State Rt. 51 just before the bridge. That turn-around is limited to 40 foot long vehicles. The Eastman Emergency Response Team (ERT) drills regularly, and believe it or not, had just run a mini table-top drill on this very scenario just a few weeks before the incident. A table-top drill is where a simulated emergency is reviewed with responders in a meeting room. ERT members say they’ll be careful when choosing the subject of their next drill. How about an ice cream truck emergency??
This is NOT a Drill!
5
Marcellus Shale
EASTMAN---GenOn ENERGY CAP NEWSLETTER
On September 28, 2011, Dr. Bernard D. Goldstein made a presentation to the CAP titled Health and Safety Considerations in the Extraction of Marcellus Shale. Dr. Goldstein is with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health. The theme of the presentation was that “Far too little is known about the potential health consequences of the rapid expansion in activities related to extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. Over time it is
virtually certain that all the nation’s oil and gas sources will be tapped. So what’s the rush? It is in everyone’s best interest, including industry’s, to determine the potential environmental and human health impacts of energy extraction prospectively, rather than retrospectively.” Dr. Goldstein shared that while most well operators have a good safety record, information exists regarding several that stand out from the rest as having a much higher than normal level of violations/well. He further suggests that consideration be given to aggregating sources rather than follow current DEP recom-mendations that prevent pooling chemicals used by drillers at many individual wells. “Allowable emissions from the thousands or tens of thousands of Marcellus Shale sources may easily exceed that of a major new point source (e.g., an oil refinery). Classically, non-point sources do not pose immediate risks in their neighborhood (e.g., nitrogen runoff from individual farms), but do so in aggregate (e.g., the dead zones of Chesapeake Bay or Gulf of Mexico). Marcellus Shale activities pose both local and aggregate risk. They are being regulated solely as individual local point sources.” Indeed, the DEP has recently recommended well sites be regulated as individual sources.
Dr. Goldstein suggests “[even] if it were true that Marcellus Shale activities present no health risk, and we do not believe it is true, it is unreasonable to expect that communities will be reassured by statements from industry asserting that their activities are safe. Safety statements from industry or govern-ment are particularly problematic given well-publicized Marcellus Shale incidents indicating an inability to fully contain the processes at all times.” Lastly, Dr. Goldstein shares that “[in] size of public health workforce per capita, [Pennsylvania] ranked lowest, 51st among the 50 states and District of Columbia (Gebbie et al, HRSA, 2000). If we quadrupled the size of our public health workforce (37/100,000) we would still be below the regional average (158/100,000). Only 6/67 counties and four additional cities have local health departments. We have two of the nation’s 42 accredited schools of public health (Pitt; Drexel). We are headquarters for two major national public health accrediting bodies: the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (Allentown) and the National Board of Public Health Examiners (Pittsburgh).1 1M.A. Potter: Public Health in Pennsylvania: Where do we go from here? Commonwealth 14: 1, 2008
In May, the CAP joined the West Jefferson Hills Chamber of Commerce in a tour of Eastman’s Site.
6
Homing Pigeon Takes Up Residence at Eastman Site
EASTMAN---GenOn ENERGY CAP NEWSLETTER
For three weeks this past June, Eastman’s Jefferson Site was home to homing pigeon 3701. Possibly spooked by a hawk, the pigeon flew into the plant and took up residence at a process unit by the railroad tracks. Plant operators fed him while they tried to get close enough to read the numbers on his banded leg. By then, pigeon 3701 had been nicknamed Jerry. After getting close enough to find his band numbers, it took a bit of detective work to break its code. It turns out that part of the code included the name of the shop where the pigeon was purchased. After calling the shop and sharing the other numbers, employees found the owner to be Mr. Orie from Pleasant Hills.
Mr. Orie was very pleased to find that his young pigeon was safe and made arrangements to pick him up. Once he arrived, he shared these details. Pigeon 3701 was 3 months old, being trained to race professionally, was one of his best birds and was very healthy despite being away from home for 3 weeks. His parents from Belgium and Holland cost $500 and he cost $400. He has already found a mate in West Mifflin and if he rises to the top of his profession, “Jerry” could potentially win $40,000 in a national competition. Pigeons are trained to fly home to their coop, and when racing, a chip is affixed to their foot. When the bird returns to his or her home coop, stepping across a pad records an official race time. Mr. Orie shared that he once had a bird fly from California to West Mifflin in 9 days – a trip of over two thousand miles. Mr. Orie also says
that from now on, he’s planning to refer to pigeon 3701 as ‘Jerry’. Thanks go to Dave Adamo, Don Bernardi, and Frank Shenkle for feeding Jerry, getting his band number, and figuring out how to locate his owner (shown below).
Eastman Site Outlook Remains Bright The outlook for the Eastman Site remains very positive. The new LTC #4 unit is under construction with a planned start up in the first half of 2012. This unit manufactures Pure Monomer Resins that are used in many applications, including high performance films and tapes. The second Pastillator belt for C5 resins is being installed and will also be started up in the first half of 2012. Some uses of C5 Resins include duct tape and road markings. Just in time for cold weather, two
steam-generating boilers have been removed and are being replaced with new units sporting Ultra Low NOx burners. In the spring, two more boilers will be replaced. Each boiler will be limited to burning natural gas and will be much more efficient than the originals. The Sanyo business is also constructing a new process unit. Its product is an important additive for engine transmission fluid. Also, Eastman has been doing a lot
of hiring. Since the last meeting we have hired 10 new employees, bringing the total to 26 since this time last year. We are finalizing several more hires including a Site nurse, an electrician, a pipefitter, and a Production Engineer. There is a current opening for a Storeroom Clerk which is an entry level job. As the site experiences continued retirements of its Baby Boomers, another group of candidates for Production Operator jobs will be sought sometime in November. Applications will be accepted online at eastman.com.
PA One Call Poison Control Center Jefferson Regional Medical Ctr. UPMC McKeesport Hospital Monongahela Valley Hospital Salvation Army Disaster Emergency American Red Cross
Steps for sheltering-in-place If there’s an emergency and your community is ordered to shelter-in-place, seek shelter, and follow these easy steps: Move indoors immediately. Listen to KDKA 1020 AM radio. Do not evacuate unless instructed to do so. Close and lock all windows and doors.
(Locking provides a tighter seal.) Turn off all heating, cooling and ventilation systems
including all window and attic fans. Go into one room of your school, office, or home. This
room should have a telephone and either a television or radio.
Place plastic and duct tape around all doors and windows in the room. Use heavy plastic that is large enough to cover the entire window or door. Plastic drop cloths that are used when painting are good to use for sheltering-in-place emergencies.
Place wet towels at the bottom of the door. Keep extra towels available. If you smell a chemical odor, cover your nose and mouth with a wet towel.
Stay inside your closed room until you receive an all-clear signal. When you receive that signal, open all doors and windows, and go outside until your house or work place is well ventilated.
Use the telephone only for emergencies. Unnecessary calls may prevent essential and official calls from getting through to you.
Do not go to school to pick up your children.
What should a Shelter-in-Place kit contain?
Shelter-in-place is the first best action to take in the event of a chemical emergency. Below is a list of items to place in a kit to ensure emergency preparedness. heavy plastic and battery-powered duct tape for radio covering windows flashlight with and doors in your extra batteries shelter-in-place towels room first-aid kit scissors bottled water snacks essential medicines
If any group, employer or organization would like a demonstration from the Eastman-RRI
CAP on how to properly shelter-in-place, please contact
