Atmos Energy Corporation Honored For 'Eye That Never Sleeps' Technology

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Atmos Energy Corporation Honored For 'Eye That Never Sleeps' Technology

DALLAS, TEXAS, Jun. 29 -/E-Wire/Business Wire/-- Atmos Energy Corporation today was honored by its natural gas industry peers for utilizing the "eye that never sleeps" technology to monitor air emissions in Bristol, Tenn., during an environmental cleanup project.

Atmos Energy used Open-path Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy -- dubbed the eye that never sleeps -- to monitor air quality during a month-long remediation of a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site.

An invisible infrared beam constantly measured compounds in the air to help preserve safe air quality while a former coal tar site was remediated. It's the first time Open-path FTIR technology has ever been used to monitor air quality during an MGP site cleanup.

At a ceremony held in Nashville, the Southern Gas Association awarded Atmos Energy the "2005 Environmental Excellence New Technology Award" for its use of the new technology.

"Thanks to the technology, acceptable air emission levels were maintained at all times, and Atmos Energy was able to ensure safe air quality standards for employees and the public," said Stuart Schulz, Atmos Energy environmental specialist. "With the use of a flat mirror to 'bend' the beam around the site perimeter, we were able to measure and maintain acceptable levels."

Open-path FTIR spectroscopy was able to provide real-time, simultaneous analysis of 14 compounds often encountered during such cleanups. During the November work to excavate and remediate the site, no odor complaints or health concerns were received.

The project site was the Shelby Street manufactured gas plant site in downtown Bristol. The Shelby Street MGP operated from 1892 until 1940 as a coal-gas plant, with some byproducts remaining at the site after it was decommissioned. Coal gas was commonly used for street illumination and for home lighting until it was replaced by natural gas and electricity.

Atmos Energy acquired the MGP site in 1997 through its merger with United Cities Gas Company, which had purchased the property from Bristol Gas Corporation in 1966. In 1995, the City of Bristol leased the property from Atmos Energy for use as a paved parking lot for city officials and visitors to the Bristol/Sullivan County Justice Center.

"While we didn't cause the problem, Atmos Energy felt it was important to do the right thing by cleaning up the site," said John Paris, president of Atmos Energy's Mid-States Division. "The industry's environmental award underscores that decision. Atmos Energy advanced the cause of environmental science while cleaning up the site faster than with typical procedures and at an economical cost."

As part of their preliminary work, Atmos Energy officials met with Bristol city leaders and adjacent property owners to discuss the process and answer questions. "We believe the additional level of open communication was another reason there were no complaints during the project," added Schulz.

Schulz estimated that more than 3,000 similar MGP sites remain in the United States. He said that the infrared air monitoring technology used in the Atmos Energy project could speed up the remediation at many of these sites by providing effective air monitoring.

Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is the largest natural-gas-only distributor in the United States, serving about 3.2 million utility customers. Atmos Energy's utility operations serve more than 1,500 communities in 12 states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West. Atmos Energy's nonutility operations, organized under Atmos Energy Holdings, Inc., operate in 18 states. They provide natural gas marketing and procurement services to industrial, commercial and municipal customers and manage company-owned natural gas storage and pipeline assets, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipelines in Texas. For more information, visit www.atmosenergy.com.

Note to editors: Photos and a diagram of the Bristol, Tenn., site are available at http://atmosenergy-dev8.atmosenergy.com/newbrand/downloads.html.

Atmos Energy Corporation, Dallas

Judy Moss, [REDACTED-PHONE] x 224

http://atmosenergy-dev8.atmosenergy.com/newbrand/downloads.html

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