The South Phoenix Industry Challenge Good Neighbor Partnership
2005-2008: Final Project Report
Executive Summary
The Industry Challenge/Good Neighbor Partnership (IC/GN) is a voluntary partnership between U.S. EPA Region 9, Maricopa County
Air Quality Department (MCAQD), community leaders, and industries located in South Phoenix , Arizona . The IC/GN was launched
in March 2005 and concluded July 2008. The IC/GN goals are to reduce routine air emissions of priority pollutants by 20 percent
between 2002 and 2007, adjusted to production, and to reduce the number and severity of accidental releases.
From 2005-2008, participating companies collectively reduced toxic air emissions by over 85,000 pounds, electricity use by 60
million kWh, hazardous waste by 373,000 pounds, and water use by 827,000 gallons, adjusted to production. That means they
avoided generating this much pollution and conserved this many resources, compared to what they would have emitted or
consumed had they not joined the partnership and made positive improvements at their manufacturing facilities.
The following nine companies achieved the air emission reduction results for 15 high priority, high toxicity chemicals, as well as
energy, hazardous waste and water reduction goals:
• Super Radiator Coils - 2610 S. 21st., Phoenix , AZ 85034
• Schuff Steel Company - 420 S. 19th Ave , Phoenix , AZ 85009
• ON Semiconductor - 5005 east McDowell Road , Phoenix , AZ 85008
• UCSC LTD Co. - 3010 W. Lincoln St. , Phoenix , AZ 85009
• Earl's Fiberglass, Inc. - 128 W. Maricopa Freeway, 85003
• MarLam Industries - 834 E. Hammond Lane , Phoenix , AZ 85034
• Able Engineering and Component Services - 2920 E. Chambers St. , Phoenix , AZ 85040
• National Gypsum Company - 1414 E. Hadley St. , Phoenix , AZ 85034
• ChemResearch Co., Inc. - 1130 W. Hilton Ave , Phoenix , AZ 85007
To help these companies reach their goals, EPA and MCAQD provided Environmental Management Systems (EMS) training and
technical and data collection assistance.
Also as part of the IC/GN, EPA performed six free, non-regulatory safety audits of participating South Phoenix companies to improve
their site safety and prevent accidental releases; the six companies were:
• Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. - 2248 W Lower Buckeye Rd , Phoenix , AZ 85009
• Schuff Steel Company - 420 S. 19th Ave , Phoenix , AZ 85009
• Praxair Distribution Inc. – 1021 N. 22 nd Ave , Phoenix , AZ 85009
• GQ Enterprises, Inc. dba Poolman – 3242 S. Central St. , Phoenix , AZ 85040
• Chem Research Co., Inc. - 1130 W. Hilton Ave , Phoenix , AZ 85007
• Flex Foam, a Division of Western Bonded Products – 2016 W. Filmore, Phoenix , AZ 85009
The IC/GN annual reports, company profiles, and other information are available at: http://www.phoenixindustrychallenge.com/
How the South Phoenix IC/GN Started
In 2002, U.S. EPA Region 9 awarded funds to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to develop a multi-media toxics
reduction (MMTR) project, bringing together community representatives, environmental experts, and state and local officials. The
project goal was to develop cost effective actions to reduce toxic pollution in targeted areas of South Phoenix and to protect the
health of community members.
In June 2003, ADEQ formed a citizen advisory committee, the South Phoenix Community Action Council (CAC) to identify
environmental issues of concern in their communities. A group comprised of EPA, ADEQ, Arizona Department of Health Services,
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, and the City of Phoenix , provided the CAC with an environmental profile of the
South Phoenix area. The CAC then identified the geographic area for the project (see Figure 1) and determined the highest priorities
for reducing toxic pollution.
Figure 1. Project Area - Multimedia Toxics Reduction Project (MMTRP) and IC/GN
While a long-term plan was being developed to more systematically address permanent reductions of toxic emissions in the South
Phoenix area*, the CAC expressed a desire to initiate more immediate efforts that would result in “early reductions” of toxic
emissions. To address this community request, EPA proposed a voluntary pollution reduction “challenge” program to immediately
engage industry leaders in voluntarily reducing emissions beyond what is required by permit or regulations. EPA also proposed that
the challenge could include voluntary efforts by facilities to improve site safety that would help prevent future accidental releases of
chemicals similar to what had occurred several times in the South Phoenix area in the past. By 2004, these proposals developed into
the South Phoenix IC/GN Partnership.
Establishing the South Phoenix IC/GN
“The members of the Industry Challenge/Good Neighbor Partnership are committed to reducing emissions of hazardous air
pollutants and decreasing accidental releases in the South Phoenix community. We will accomplish this by fostering communication
and an exchange of ideas and technology between the community, industry and government.”
- IC/GN Partnership Mission Statement
Between July 2003 and January 2005, community members, businesses, and government officials held a series of six meetings to
design and launch the IC/GN Partnership. The meetings were held in various locations in South Phoenix, primarily at the South
Mountain Community Center on Alta Vista Road with 25-40 people attending each meeting. Through that process, attendees
developed its mission statement and established the following goals:
• Reduce routine air emissions of priority pollutants by 20% 2002-2007, adjusted to production.
• Reduce the number and severity of accidental releases.
Three committees were formed with the following charges:
1. The Emissions Reduction Committee
• Select a list of priority chemicals for reduction.
• Set a cumulative reduction goal for the partnership.
• Design and initiate technical assistance to assist in meeting the goals.
• Track and report progress.
2. Accident Prevention Committee
• Select list of priority chemicals.
• Select accident prevention goals.
• Design and initiate technical assistance to assist in meeting the goals.
3. The Outreach Committee
• Recruit new companies into the project.
• Establish a website and develop website content.
• Organize project kick-off/press event.
• Write and disseminate press releases.
Co-chairpersons organized ran the committee meetings, managed the email communications, and made sure that their committee
tasks were completed satisfactorily.
Kicking-Off the South Phoenix IC/GN Partnership
On March 8, 2005, the IC/GN Partnership was officially launched with a kick-off Press Event at the Goodrich Aircraft Interior Parts
facility in Phoenix .
Figure 2. IC/GN Partnership Kick-Off Event at Goodrich Aircraft Interior Parts, Phoenix , March 8, 2005. (l. to r.) Maricopa County
Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, former Arizona State Representative Leah- Landrum Taylor, EPA Region IX Regional Administrator
Wayne Nastri and Lyn Smith from Earl's Fiberglass (kneeling)
The IC/GN Partnership Agreement was signed by 21 companies:
• Able Engineering and Component Services
• Arizona Public Service
• ChemResearch Co., Inc.
• Clean Harbors
• Earl's Fiberglass
• Flex Foam, a Division of Western Bonded Products
• Goodrich Aircraft Interior Products
• FlipChip Technologies
• National Gypsum Company
• ON Semiconductor
• Pool Chem
• Poolman 2000 Inc.
• Phoenix Brick
• Rinker Materials
• Sanmina-SCI Corporation – Phoenix Division
• Schuff Steel Company
• Southwest Gas
• Super Radiator Coils
• Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc.
• UCSC LTD Co.
• Western States Petroleum
On March 8, 2005 the Arizona Republic newspaper published an article and an editorial on the Partnership (see Attachments 1A and
IB).
In response to criticism of the Partnership by citizens interviewed in the March 8 article, former Maricopa County Air Quality
Department Director Bob Kard wrote an Opinion that the AZ Republic published on March 25, 2008 (see Attachment IC).
IC/GN Partnership Technical Assistance Activities 2005-2008
Environmental Management System Training : To help companies improve their environmental performance, EPA and MCAQD
sponsored a series of Environmental Management Series workshops in 2006, with help from ADEQ staff. Five, 4-hour workshops
were conducted over an 8 month period. Attendance was initially high with 18 companies attending the first workshop, but tapered
off over time with seven companies completing the entire series. The EMS series was designed to help the companies build an EMS
one component at a time. At each workshop, EMS topics were introduced (e.g. getting top management support, identifying aspects
and impacts, setting goals and objectives, etc.), and homework was assigned (identify your company's environmental aspects and
impacts). At the beginning of each workshop, the participants shared their experiences implementing the EMS homework
assignment from the previous workshop. In this way, the companies built an EMS step-by-step as a group, sharing lessons learned
and providing each other with valuable advice and support. The seven companies that completed the training developed a complete
EMS for their company. The workshops were conducted by EPA's contractor Tetra Tech, EM Inc who also provided on-site technical
assistance, as well as assistance via multiple conference calls between workshops.
Site Safety Audits: EPA Emergency Planning and Preparedness Program provided five companies with free, non-regulatory site
safety audits in December 2005 and June 2006:
• Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc.
• Schuff Steel Co.
• Praxair Distribution Inc.
• GQ Enterprises, Inc., dba Poolman
• Chem Research Inc.
• Flex Foam, a Division of Western Bonded Products
Reports were provided to each company outlining specific changes for improving site safety and prevent accidental releases.
Safety Training: On May 15 and 16, 2006, EPA and The Phoenix Fire Department cosponsored “Anhydrous Ammonia Refrigeration
Safety Seminar” with trainers from the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration for 26 Phoenix businesses.
Data Collection Site Visits and Technical Assistance: In May of 2006, 2007 and 2008, staff from EPA, MCAQD and EPA's contractor
Tetra Tech, EM Inc. visited 8-12 IC/GN Partnership companies that were reducing their air emissions, hazardous waste generation,
energy use and water use (emissions reduction companies) to help them collect, analyze, and normalize their environmental data.
Many conference calls were also held with companies to assist them during the spring reporting period.
Achieving and Reporting Results
Annual Reporting Forms: The IC/GN partners developed annual reporting forms to facilitate data collection. A sample form is available
on the IC/GN Partnership website: http://www.phoenixindustrychallenge.com/
Results: Results from each year were collected and published on the IC/GN partnership website in the summers of 2006, 2007 and
2008 for reporting years 2005, 2006 and 2007. The results for the 3-year project are summarized below:
Normalizing Data for Production: All data were adjusted to production so that a company's numeric reductions/increases are
reported relative to how much their manufacturing activity changed. The following example illustrates how reduction data was reported:
• Company X produced 1000 lbs. of pollution last year.
• This year, the company manufactures twice as much product as last year and without changes would be expected to generate twice as much pollution this year - 2,000 lbs.
• If however, the company produced only 1,200 lbs. of pollution this year due to process efficiency improvements, they would have
avoided 800 pounds of pollution, adjusted to production, even though their actual emissions went up by 200 lbs.
Another way of stating that these reductions are “adjusted to production” is they are “emissions avoided because positive process
efficiency changes were made at the manufacturing facility.” The goal of the IC/GN Partnership was to reduce emissions relative to
what they would have been had the partnership not been established. The reductions reflect the positive environmental benefits
resulting from the IC/GN Partnership. None of the reductions were mandated by law or regulation and all were achieved because the
companies chose to make changes to save money and/or benefit the environment and the South Phoenix community.
Putting the Reduction Data in Perspective:
Air Emissions avoided
The reduction of 85,318 pounds (42.6 tons) of hazardous air pollutants is 7% of the 605 tons of point source and fugitive air emissions
of hazardous air pollutants from all large companies in Maricopa County reporting air emissions to the Toxics Reduction Inventory
(TRI) in 2006 (source: http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/ ).
The reduction is the same as the annual amount of HAPs emitted by a medium-to-large semiconductor, printed circuit board mfg. or
plastics mfg, company (source: www.epa.gov/air/data ).
Air emissions data was summarized for each of the 3 years of the IC/GN. Figure 4 summarizes the data for 2007:
Figure 4. 2007 IC/GN Partnership Air Emission Reductions
Hazardous Waste/Hazardous Materials Avoided
The reduction of 373,716 pounds (187 tons) of hazardous waste is 3.4% of the 5,454 tons of hazardous waste generated by all large
quantity hazardous waste generators in Phoenix reporting hazardous waste generation to the RCRA Biennial Reporting System
(BRS) in 2005 (source: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/data/br05/state05.pdf )
Electricity Conserved
The electricity conserved was the equivalent of 66,861 metric tons of CO 2 , the same as the annual greenhouse gas emissions from
12,246 passenger vehicles or from the annual electricity used by 8,856 homes. (Equivalencies derived from the EPA calculator
available at: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html .)
Water conserved
The reduction of 827,268 gallons of water is the equivalent amount used by 10 households annually (source:
http://www.oikos.com/esb/42/wateruse.html ).
Conclusion
The South Phoenix IC/GN Partnership was a success. It achieved real environmental benefits. The technical training and on-site
assistance provided to companies helped them improve their operations, reduce emissions, conserve resources and prevent
releases. The IC/GN Partnership forged a new relationship between regulatory agencies and companies that was one of mutual
assistance in achieving environmental goals and community health protection in a cooperative, non-regulatory manner.
Pollution Avoided/Resources Conserved 2005-2008 (adjusted to production):
Air Emissions: 85,318 lbs.
Hazardous waste/Hazardous Materials generation: 373,716 lbs.
Electricity: 86,458,041 kWh
Water: 827,268 gallons
For the benefit of others who may wish to repeat this partnership approach, several “lessons learned” are discussed in Attachment
2.
On July 23, 2008 the partnership concluded with a recognition ceremony at the Maricopa County Supervisors' auditorium in
downtown Phoenix ; six of the IC/GN companies attended. The companies were recognized by EPA, MCAQD and the Maricopa County
Supervisors and awarded a plaque reading, “South Phoenix Industry Challenge Good Neighbor Partnership 2005-2008, COMPANY
NAME, In Recognition of your Pollution Reduction Achievements.”
Figure 5. South Phoenix IC/GN Recognition Ceremony, July 23, 2008. Chairman Andy Kunasek, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors,
presents a plaque to Bob Atkinson and Ajay Shah of ON Semiconductor.
Attachment I – IC/GN Press Coverage
Attachment IA – AZ Republic March 11, 2005 Article
17 firms sign pact to slash emissions
Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 11, 2005 12:00 AM
Hoping to slow the growth of air pollution, 17 south Phoenix companies are pledging to cut their emissions of hazardous pollutants by
20 percent in the next two years.
But the leader of a citizens group working to reduce toxic pollution says the move could undermine its efforts...
Attachment IB – AZ Republic March 11, 2008 Editorial
Strategy can clear air over S. Phoenix
AZ Republic Editorial - Pollution woes can be fixed
The welcome, hopeful commitment: to reduce hazardous air pollution emissions in south Phoenix...
Attachment IC – AZ Republic March 25, 2005 Opinion Article by Bob Kard, MCAQD Director
Industry Challenge/Good Neighbor not a 'turf war'
Opinions Bob Kard, Director, Maricopa County Air Quality Department
Regarding the March 11 article "17 firms sign pact to slash emissions"
I was pleased The Arizona Republic covered the launch of the Industry Challenge/Good Neighbor (IC/GN) Partnership in south Phoenix . Yet I was surprised
by the...
Attachment ID – AZ Republic August 5, 2006 Article
6 companies reduce emissions as part of Industry Challenge
Partnership with EPA and county designed to cut down pollution
Michael Clancy
Six south Phoenix companies have reduced air-pollution emissions by more than...
Attachment II
Lessons Learned for Future Partnerships
Enforcement programs can get too busy with enforcement cases to conduct adequate follow-up:
EPA provided on–site audits to six companies during 2005 and 2006. The audit reports were sent to the companies in 2006 with recommendations for specific
improvements...
