NCMA Members Invited to Triangle A&WMA Lunch Seminar


Stephen De May, President, Duke Energy North Carolina

NCMA Members Invited to Triangle A&WMA Lunch Seminar

NOTE: Lunch is not provided, but available nearby at The Daily Planet.

The A&WMA RTP Chapter invites you to a special lunch seminar taking place Tuesday, February 19th from 12-1pm at the NC Department of Environmental Quality (217 West Jones Street, Raleigh) in the first floor training room (Room 1210). Michael Pjetraj,  Deputy Director for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality, will discuss Gen X.

If you google Gen X you may yield results about the label for the generation before the Millennials.  However, in the summer of 2017, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality was presented information on a chemical that the Chemours facility in southeastern North Carolina had been emitting into the air and discharging into the Cape Fear river.  GenX is the commercial name for a six carbon polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) that is the replacement compound for PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) which was produced by Dupont at the same facility.  GenX is used in the production of other fluoropolymers such as Teflon and other commercial products with non-stick or water resistant properties.  The presentation will focus on the Division of Air Quality's work on emissions fate and transport through rainwater sampling.  We will discuss the emissions estimations and requirements to test emissions sources to refine air emission rates of GenX.  We will also discuss the steps the facility has taken and will take to install control technologies including carbon adsorbers and a thermal oxidizer to reduce the emissions of GenX by over 99% .

Michael Pjetraj has been with the DAQ since 1995 and has worked in the Raleigh Regional Office and the Central Office as an environmental engineer.  He served as the Stationary Source Compliance Branch Supervisor in the Central Office for eight years.  During that time he supervised the DAQ’s work with the Clean Air Act 112r Accidental Release Prevention and Risk Management Rule implementation, source testing functions, continuous emissions monitoring requirements, and compliance data reporting ultimately presented through the DAQ’s web page and ECHO  He worked with many facilities and the public on compliance situations involving special orders by consent, notices of violation and enforcement actions.  He has helped craft DAQ compliance policies, programs and integration of EPA requirements.  Michael has been strategically involved in every aspect of the DAQ’s programs.  Prior to joining the DAQ, he worked for Entropy performing source testing. Michael earned an engineering degree from North Carolina State University.   He is a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina and is also a North Carolina Certified Public Manager.

Parking Information:

The nearest public lot (government owned parking P#77, Green Square Parking) is at the intersection of Edenton and McDowell Street.  The visitor lot entrance is on Edenton Street.  You will need to cover your own parking costs.   The DEQ building is at 217 West Jones Street, across from the above referenced parking deck. It is 5-story building with a skyway. As you enter the building from the Jones Street, you need to register at the front desk. The front desk will have the RTP Chapter member list, so please let us know if you'd like to attend and may not be on the list. You will simply need to show a photo ID and get a sticker. The training room is directly behind check-in.

If you are interested, the nearest lunch place is Daily Plant Cafe (part of Nature Research Center), which is located next to the DEQ building. The menu is found at http://rockytophospitality.com/lib/upload/menus/DPC_MenuBoard1_5_18websmall.pdf.

-RTP Chapter of A&WMA