Are you required to report? New York City (NYC) Local Law 84 of 2009 (LL84) enacted requirements to benchmark the energy and water use of city buildings. LL84 applies only to covered buildings, defined by NYC as “… (i) a building that exceeds 50,000 gross square feet, (ii) two or more buildings on the same… Read More

The State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit program was authorized by Article 17 of the Environmental Conservation Law, with the intent of protecting New York State’s water resources from contamination. The SPDES program intends to protect humans, fish, and other wildlife by preventing unwanted discharges to both groundwater and surface water. Who is subject… Read More

Now that Spring is here and your winterization measures can be removed, it’s the time to make sure all of your Legionella-prevention items are in order. According to the CDC, Legionella grows best between 77°F and 113°F, which means summertime temperatures pose the biggest risk with respect to transmission. As a reminder, all owners of cooling towers… Read More

Benchmarking and Energy Efficiency Grading (Benchmarking) is a tool that The City of New York (City) introduced as part of an initiative to make buildings operate more efficiently.  The City standardizes this process by utilizing the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) online benchmarking tool, known as the Energy Star Portfolio Manager® (Portfolio Manager).  Building… Read More

Facilities that are classified as “major facilities” per 6 NYCRR 201-2.1 (Subpart 201-2) are subject to Title V permit requirements. Under 6 NYCRR 202-2 (Subpart 202-2), all facilities must provide an annual emissions statement, which is a quantitative summary of air contaminants emitted. Some examples of characteristics that require facilities to acquire a Title V… Read More

Recently, there has been considerable conversation across New York State regarding private utility ownership within the various Towns and Villages.  Currently, New York American Water (NYAW), a privately-held company, provides service to 120,000 customers in New York, primarily in Nassau County and the Hudson Valley region. NYAW has made a deal to be acquired by… Read More

Walden Engineer, Lou Goldstein, gets published by Civil and Structural Engineer Media! Throughout the United States and beyond, improper HVAC system maintenance may pose a health risk not only to immediate workers, but the surrounding community as a whole. Legionella bacteria (Legionella) were first discovered by public health officials in 1976, with their name stemming from… Read More

Now that Spring is here and your winterization measurres can be removed, it’s the time to make sure all of your Legionella-prevention items are in order.  As a reminder, all owners of cooling towers (including evaporative coolers) must prepare a Legionella Preventive Maintenance Plan (Plan) per New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Protection against… Read More

Now that winter weather is upon us, Long Island regulatory agencies are keeping an eye on bulk road deicing material storage facilities that contain and manage salt and brine. Although use of salt-containing materials is widespread, there are environmental concerns associated with such materials, which are considered in Nassau County and Suffolk County regulations in… Read More

Chemical safety is a crucial aspect in general industry, where worker safety is paramount to successful production.  Depending on which industry you work in, chemical hazards may be encountered on a daily basis; chemical manufacturers and general employers have a responsibility to inform and protect their workers of such hazards.  How Do OSHA Regulations Come… Read More