Merion Golf Club’s new “green” maintenance facility key to hosting of 2013 U.S. Open

Philadelphia Inquirer
Joe Juliano, Staff Writer

AUGUST 14, 2011

Officials at Merion Golf Club discovered two things during the 2005 U.S. Amateur, the more gratifying one being that the refurbished East course could indeed stand up to the long hitters of the modern game for a U.S. Open in 2013.

The other item, not as publicized but nearly as significant, was that Merion’s old maintenance facility was sadly outdated and needed to be replaced as soon as possible.
Certainly, cost was a factor. But club officials were determined to design and construct a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly area where workers at every level could be together and take part in a coordinated effort to keep the golf course thriving.

So, last August, or about 10 months after construction began, the entire golf course operational staff moved into the new facility located at the end of the parking lot opposite the clubhouse and near the 18th tee.

Nearly a year later, the structure has served the golf course well.

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Reducing Your Environmental Exposure

Harriton & Furrer, LLP
Urs Broderick Furrer, Esq. & Kimberly A. Sanford, Esq.

June 25, 2013

As major oil companies have shed stations, distributors and independent and small-chain owners/operators have greatly expanded their portfolios. According to API, major oil companies now own only about 10% of the total number of U.S. retail stations. In addition, owners of the approximately 146,000 U.S. convenience stores spend more than $600 million to address environment-related issues at those stations, including pollution prevention, control and abatement. Many of these expenses are spent on outside consultants evaluating conditions and remediating contamination.

In my more than twenty-two years of experience in working with numerous companies and technical professionals, several key factors, if implemented, can act to proactively mitigate litigation exposure thereby saving thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Most importantly is to expect and plan for environmental litigation. Starting with this simple understanding will result in a more effective defense. Whether petroleum retailers can minimize that environmental liability depends on whether they are prepared.

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LSRP Corner: Public Notification

Synergy Environmental, Inc.
David Robinson
drobinson@synergyenvinc.com

June 25, 2013

The NJDEP Office of Community Relations should no l
longer be listed as a contact on Public Notification signs, letters,
Fact Sheets and newspaper ads. All signs should be updated to
Reflect this change. All letters and factsheets should also be updated and resubmitted.

Remember, all notification letters, factsheets and newspaper ads must be
updated and resubmitted every two years. Sings do not have to be updated unless there are changes such as a new LSRP or discovery of off-site contamination. Signs should be checked periodically to make sure they haven’t been removed or become illegible.

Surprise– USEPA Misses Another Deadline for Issuing Draft Stormwater Regulations

Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Hamilton Hackney III

June 19, 2013

If you have been following this issue closely, it will come as little surprise that USEPA has missed yet another deadline for issuing a draft rule regulating stormwater discharges from developed and redeveloped sites across the country. This proposed stormwater rule is another example of the increasingly criticized “sue and settle” practice employed by citizens groups and USEPA. Following litigation filed in 2010 over water quality impacts to the Chesapeake Bay, USEPA entered into a settlement agreement with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). Under that agreement, USEPA agreed to issue national stormwater regulations by September 2011 that regulated post- construction stormwater discharges from developed and redeveloped sites. That deadline was missed, as was the subsequent April 27, 2012 deadline, as was the subsequent June 18, 2013 deadline.

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