Great Lakes Coal Tar Sealcoat PAH Reduction Project
This project supports phase out of the use of coal tar-based sealcoats for asphalt pavement surfaces.
Click on this bar to see who's phased out coal tar sealcoats.
Companies
Actions reducing coal tar sealcoats in the U.S. as of January 4, 2013.
Lowe’s and Do It Best were recently removed from this list since coal tar sealcoats are still on their shelves in some states (EPA communication, 1/4/13)
|
Action |
Area |
Company |
|---|---|---|
|
Home Improvement Stores that have Stopped Selling |
Nationwide Distribution |
Ace Hardware, The Home Depot, True Value |
|
Regional Distribution |
Agway, Menards, United Hardware (Hardware Hank and Trustworthy) |
|
|
Applicators Committed to |
Minnesota |
See listing on the Moving to safer alternatives to coal tar sealcoats page. |
Governments
|
Action |
State/District |
Jurisdiction(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Ban or Ordinance |
District of Columbia |
Washington |
|
Illinois |
South Barrington |
|
|
Maryland |
Montgomery County |
|
|
Minnesota |
28 cities |
|
|
New York |
Suffolk County |
|
|
Texas |
Austin, Bee Cave, Edwards Aquifer (Comal/Hays counties) |
|
|
Washington |
Statewide |
|
|
Wisconsin |
Dane County |
|
|
Restricted Use Jurisdictions |
Massachusetts |
Andover and Commonwealth Wetlands, Sudbury |
|
North Carolina |
Boone |
|
|
Government Use Restrictions |
Illinois |
Lake in the Hills, Spring Grove, McHenry County, DuPage County/Salt Creek Watershed |
|
Minnesota |
All State Agencies |
|
|
Missouri |
City of Springfield |
|
|
California |
California Department of Transportation |
|
|
Multiple states |
Most state Departments of Transportation no longer use coal tar-based sealants ( |
)Due to the difficulty of tracking all public and private actions nationally, this information may not fully complete. If there are questions or readers would like to pass along new information, contact Al Innes in MPCA’s Pollution Prevention Program.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) leads the project, and is collaborating with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the University of Wisconsin-Extension Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center, the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Links to efforts to date are available below.
- Interactive map of companies certifying they will not apply coal tar sealcoat.
- Company pledge/certification form
- More Minnesota information
- Wisconsin information
Originated in the Great Lakes area by a U.S. EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant, the project and its materials are open to anyone interested. (Map credit: Nations Online Project)
This web page is the portal to a variety of materials useful as background and for outreach to audiences in your community. These materials are currently specific to Minnesota but are available to other interested state, provincial, or local organizations to adapt to their own needs. You get to them through the following pages, which are grouped by target audience or supporting topics, and are also linked from the Minnesota page above.
- Bans and Phase-Outs
- In The News
- Project and Metrics
- To Contractors and Consultants
- To Local Governments and Groups
- To Sealcoat Purchasers
- To Suppliers
- Why Move Away From Coal Tar?
- MPCA Restriction on Coal Tar-Based Sealants
Phase-out and replacement of coal tar-based sealcoats with safer alternatives and practices will reduce loading of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to surface waters and sediments in Great Lakes states and provinces, and reduce hazards to children and vulnerable adults playing, living or working near coal tar-sealed surfaces like drives, parking lots, and playgrounds.
Contact
For information about this project, contact Al Innes, MPCA, alister.innes@state.mn.us, 651-757-2457.
