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MnTAP's Pollution Prevention Time Line
In 2005, MnTAP celebrated 20 years of providing pollution prevention assistance to Minnesota businesses. MnTAP is pleased to have worked with so many Minnesota companies over the years and applaud these businesses for their pollution prevention efforts.
The time line below provides a lists of past environmental disasters—and the environmental organizations and regulations that were spawned as a result of the desire to prevent these disasters in the future. The time line reflects the growing awareness of the need for proper environmental practices to ensure a healthy and safe environment—and notes MnTAP's role in providing pollution prevention assistance to Minnesota businesses.
1959
Researchers conclude that organic mercury discharges into Minamata Bay, Japan, cause Minamata Disease
1967
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) established
Cuyahoga River, OH, catches fire due to industrial waste
1970
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established by President Nixon
Federal Clean Air Act (CAA) passes
Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act passes
20 million people celebrate first Earth Day
1976
Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) passes
1977
Federal Clean Water Act passes
1978
President Carter declared a federal emergency at Love Canal, a former chemical landfill in the City of Niagara Falls, NY
1979
EPA finds Valley of the Drums, an open-air dump in KY, drums leaking chemical waste
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident in PA
1980
Federal Superfund Act passes
Minnesota Waste Management Act passes, creating the Minnesota Waste Management Board (WMB)
First hazardous waste regulatory information submitted to MPCA
1981
Sewer explodes in Louisville, KY, due to illegal discharge of the solvent hexane
1983
Minnesota Superfund program to help expedite cleanup of contaminated sites begins
1984
MnTAP begins offering technical assistance for hazardous waste management and reduction
Hazardous Waste Management Plan identifies waste reduction as best management option for hazardous waste, WMB
Minnesota Legislature authorizes WMB to create a hazardous waste technical assistance and reduction grant program
Federal Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to RCRA phase out land disposal of hazardous waste
Gas explosion at Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhophal, India
1985
Student intern program begins
Cindy McComas named MnTAP director
1986
Source newsletter begins
Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) passes, including Emergency Planning & Community Right- to-Know Act amendments to RCRA. Increases public access to information on chemicals at individual facilities, their use, and releases into the environment
Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in USSR (now Ukraine)
1987
Non-hazardous industrial waste assistance begins
1988
Solvent waste reduction project to assist 9 companies with various solvent waste begins
1989
Multimedia assistance to businesses of all sizes begins
Waste exchange listings printed in newsletter
Toxic chemical release inventory (TRI) form submission to EPA and state begins
Minnesota Office of Waste Management (OWM) established to coordinate pollution prevention and planning for managing hazardous and solid waste, and to develop markets for recycled materials
Hazardous Waste Capacity Assurance Plan emphasizes increased pollution prevention to eliminate need for new hazardous waste management facilities
Exxon Valdez spills 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound becoming the largest oil spill in U.S. history
1990
Program expands to provide technical assistance to help companies prevent toxic pollution
Clean Air Act amendment sets stage for new National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards
Minnesota Toxic Pollution Prevention Act (TPPA) passes, establishing state policy encouraging the prevention of toxic pollution
Federal Pollution Prevention Act passes, establishing pollution prevention as a national objective
1991
Partner with MPCA to provide technical assistance and outreach to develop and evaluate a risk screening and priority ranking method for hazardous air emissions as part of the Pollution Prevention Incentives to States program
Governor’s Awards Program for Excellence in Waste & Pollution Prevention begins (OWM)
1992
Research project to assess and rank high-risk nonhazardous industrial waste in Minnesota identifies waste such as foundry sands and machining waste
Pollution prevention plans developed and progress reports submitted by Minnesota industry
Reuse law passes allowing feeding of nonmeat food waste to livestock
1993
Solid waste source reduction assistance begins
Technical assistance to facilities affected by MACT standards begins
Pollution prevention information submitted by industry to EPA and state as part of TRI begins
Minnesota TPPA requirements extended to non-manufacturing industries
1994
Technical assistance targeted to facilities affected by CAA begins: dry cleaners/perchloroethylene use, chrome platers/chromium emissions, wood finishers/VOCs and auto body/vehicle-related waste and emissions
First Minnesota Paint and Powder Coating Expo. Partner with Twin Cities Chemical Coaters Association and MOEA
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (MOEA) established
1995
Metro Area Exchange (MAX) operated by MnTAP begins
Minnesota Materials Exchange Alliance with sites in the Twin Cities (MAX), Rochester and Duluth begins
1996
Great Printers Project begins, technical assistance targeted to reduce solid and hazardous waste and VOCs
www.mntap.umn.edu Web site established
Dry cleaning target results in reducing perchloroethylene 16% and saving $140,000. Partner with MPCA Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP) and Minnesota Cleaners Association
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lowers exposure standard for styrene
Manufacturing ban of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a result of the Montreal Protocol
1997
Wood finishers target results in reducing VOC releases by 24,100 pounds through technical assistance and demonstration projects. Partner with Small Business Assistance Compliance Program
Vapor degreasing target to reduce CFCs, trichloroethane and trichloroethylene complete resulting in a savings of over $60 million over 7 years. Partner with Minnesota Association of Metal Finishers
-OSHA lowers personal exposure limit (PEL) for methylene chloride
1998
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) tool development begins. Partner with EPA and American Hospital Association (AHA)
Technical assistance targeted to 600 publicly-owned treatment works to help meet discharge limits by working with their industrial users to reduce phosphorus, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS) and water use
AHA and EPA sign a Memorandum of Understanding to encourage health care facilities to eliminate the use of mercury-containing products and reduce waste
1999
Technical assistance targeted to fiber reinforced plastics and boat manufacturing industries begins. Partner with SBAP
www.mnexchange.org Minnesota Materials Exchange Web site established
Minnesota Materials Exchange Alliance grows to 8 sites providing statewide service
2000
Technical assistance targeted to 300 Grand Rapids businesses to evaluate waste reduction. Partner with Wenck Associates
Great Printers Project completed.Of participating printers, 65% reduce need for rework and 60% change to a press cleanup solvent which has lower VOC emissions
Technical assistance for reducing phosphorus and wastewater in Lower Mississippi and Minnesota River Basins begins
Recession begins. Manufacturing output fell 6%
2001
Corporate Reuse project to establish internal materials exchange programs begins. Partner with several businesses
Technical assistance to 600 publicly-owned treatment works completed. Participants reduce 30,796 pounds of phosphorus, 3,025,872 pounds of BOD and TSS, 66.5 million gallons of water and savings of $2,831,490
Demonstrating pollution prevention health care facilities using H2E products project begins
Fiber reinforced plastics project completed. Shops reduce 108,400 pounds of styrene emissions and 17.7 tons of landfill waste, saving $119,150
As a result of a 1997 intern project, Minnesota Department of Agriculture helps dairy farms replace mercury manometers with non-mercury gauges, removing 1,134 pounds of mercury from farms
2002
Technology diffusion project to increase the industry adoption of pollution preventing technologies for fiberglass and wood finishing begins
Lower Mississippi and Minnesota River Basins project completed. Companies reduce 30,796 pounds of phosphorus, 3,025,272 pounds of organic and solids loading, 66.5 million gallons of water, saving $2.8 million
A Canadian Pacific Railway train derails near Minot, North Dakota, spilling more than 200,000 gallons of toxic anhydrous ammonia fertilizer
2003
Energy efficiency assistance as part of intern projects begins
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs (DMA) project to prepare pollution prevention opportunity assessments and a pollution prevention plan begins
Pollution Prevention in the Upper Mississippi River Basin project to reduce loading of phosphorus and other pollutants from industrial point sources begins
Phosphorus Management Plan developed with MPCA to provide pollution prevention technical assistance to cities and industrial users to reduce phosphorus
2004
Work with Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to improve health care compliance and environmental performance begins
Demonstrating pollution prevention health care facilities using H2E products project completed. Facilities eliminated 394 pounds of mercury, 751 gallons of hazardous chemicals and 250,000 pounds of solid waste, saving $152,600
2005
MnTAP celebrates 20 years of intern projects. 114 interns have reduced a total of 107.5 million pounds of waste and almost 82 million gallons of water, saving businesses over $5 million
Materials Exchange program celebrates ten years of reuse. Over 16 million pounds of materials have been reused saving businesses over $6 million in avoided costs
Pollution Prevention in the Upper Mississippi River Basin project completed. Companies reduced 35,100 pounds of phosphorus, 4.5 million pounds of organic and solids loading, 37 million gallons of water, saving $348,000
Minnesota DMA project completed
Technical assistance targeted to incorporate pollution prevention into MPCA multimedia inspections for health care begins
Technical assistance project integrating energy efficiency with pollution prevention for metal casters begins
European Union requires manufacturers to finance the collection, recycling and recovery of waste electronics and electrical equipment
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