POWER July 2010 - 63

ELECTRIC POWER 2010: WHERE THE GENCOS MEET
PRBCUG's way of attracting some of the top
students in the country to the coal-fired utility
industry. Bob Taylor, PRBCUG secretary, coordinates
the student sponsorship program.
The students pictured in Figure 2 received
an Achievement Recognition Certificate from
the PRBCUG for their outstanding academic
performance, commitment, leadership, and
dedication to continual improvement supporting
the safe and efficient use of PRB coal.
Guest Speaker's Philosophy
Aims High
The banquet's guest speaker, retired Colonel
Mark W. Tillman was selected by the White
House as the nation's 12th presidential pilot
(Figure 3). He served President George W.
Bush as commander of Air Force One from
2001 to 2009. His tenure as the leader of a
large organization was marked by excellence
and adherence to a " zero fail " philosophy.
Tillman commanded Air Force One
through multiple national events. Most notably,
he protected the president and his staff on
September 11, 2001, by escaping and evading
many potential threats. Through careful planning
and flawless decision-making, Tillman
and his crew provided two urgent needs for
the president: complete safety and constant
connection to the nation's first responders.
Attendees were captivated by Tillman's
recounting of the events that occurred during
his last assignment as commander of Air
Force One. Tillman left us with a message
that is applicable to the mission of the PRBCUG,
its members, and the utility industry in
general: " Zero failure doesn't just happen . . .
successful leaders make it happen. "
Chemical Safety Board Focuses on
Combustible Dust
John Bresland, chairman and CEO of the
Chemical Safety Board (CSB), was one
of the many notable speakers at the annual
meeting (Figure 4) that began the next morning.
Bresland spent the majority of his career
in the chemical industry before joining the
CSB, which is an independent federal agency
charged with investigating industrial chemical
accidents, including explosions or fires
caused by combustible coal dust. The CSB
has a budget of $11.1 million in FY 2010.
There are five board members (three at present)
and a staff of 40, which is not nearly
enough to cover the incidents, according to
Bresland.
The CSB finds out about incidents through
Internet news feeds by using specific search
terms, TV news reports, and the National Response
Center, according to Bresland. How
does the agency decide which accidents to
investigate? It considers a number of factors,
such as whether there was an injury or
July 2010 | POWER
death involving a member of the public or
employees of the involved industrial facility,
or property loss inside or outside of the facility's
fence line.
Bresland also discussed the CSB's Combustible
Dust Study. This report was published
in November 2006 and identified 281
incidents between 1980 and 2005 that included
119 fatalities. As a result of its findings,
the CSB recommended that the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
publish a combustible dust standard.
There has also been legislative action,
with bills being introduced by Rep. George
Miller (D-Calif.) requiring interim OSHA
action, according to Bresland. HR 5522,
" Worker Protection Against Combustible
Dust Explosions and Fires Act of 2008, "
passed the House but not the Senate, and HR
849, " Worker Protection Against Combustible
Dust Explosions and Fires Act of 2009, "
is still in committee.
OSHA's Combustible
Dust Rulemaking
Another session that dealt with the issue of
regulating combustible dust featured Amanda
Edens, OSHA deputy director, director of
standards and guidance (Figure 5), and Bill
Hamilton, OSHA fire protection engineer.
These two speakers provided delegates with
updates on recent rulemaking activities, ongoing
efforts, National Emphasis Program
inspections, and the next steps pertaining to
OSHA's combustible dust rulemaking. Edens
reviewed recent activities:
■ April 2009: Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
announced that the U.S. Department of
Labor would pursue rulemaking for combustible
dust hazards.
■ May 2009: Combustible dust was added to
the regulatory agenda.
■ October 2009: The advanced notice of
proposed rulemaking (ANPR) was published,
soliciting input from the public.
So far there have been more than 110 submittals,
according to Edens. The PRBCUG
was one of the entities that submitted comments.
All comments submitted in response
to the ANPR can be viewed by visiting www.
regulations.gov.
PRB Coal Conversion Case Study:
C.P. Crane Power Plant
In his session, Paul Cain, project director
at Constellation Energy, outlined the
process of converting the fuel used by
the C.P. Crane Power Plant located in
Baltimore County, Md., to PRB coal. He
began by focusing on the air quality requirements
under Maryland's Healthy Air
www.powermag.com
63
5. Putting the heat on. Amanda Edens,
OSHA's deputy director, directorate of standards
and guidance, updated PRBCUG members
on OSHA's combustible dust rulemaking,
which OSHA is strongly pursuing. If not properly
controlled, coal and coal dust can cause
fires, explosions, and implosions at power
plants. Source: POWER
4. Scoping out chemical accidents.
John Bresland, chairman and CEO of the
Chemical Safety Board, was a featured speaker
at the PRBCUG Annual Meeting. Source:
POWER
3. Top gun. Retired Colonel Mark W. Tillman
served President George W. Bush as his presidential
pilot and commander of Air Force One
from 2001 to 2009. Source: POWER
http://www.regulations.gov http://www.powermag.com
POWER July 2010

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