EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Winners of its Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge

Cornell University is a Winner

Contact: Tracy McIntosh, (212) 637-3633, McIntosh.Tracy@epa.gov

NEW YORK (April 27, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of its tenth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a national competition that engages college students in the design of on-campus green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater pollution. This year’s winning projects showcase the environmental, health, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure.

"I congratulate Cornell University students for winning the EPA's Campus RainWorks Challenge. Cornell students are tomorrow's designers, planners, and innovators of green infrastructure, vital to protecting water quality in Cayuga Lake for the community and wildlife," said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "Through EPA's Campus RainWorks Challenge, we encourage enthusiastic and creative students to work closely with their local communities to solve local stormwater problems and better protect water resources from harmful stormwater pollution."

 “Green infrastructure is essential to building dynamic and thriving communities. When we apply green infrastructure strategies—like those exemplified by the Campus RainWorks winners—projects can meet community needs while supporting clean water goals,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “The timing of this competition couldn’t be better, as we celebrate Water Week 2022, the 50^th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and begin to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I would like to congratulate this year’s winners and I want to thank the faculty and thousands of students, past and present, that have endeavored to improve their community through Campus RainWorks.”

EPA’s Campus RainWorks Challenge invites students and faculty members at colleges and universities to apply green infrastructure design principles, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and increase the use of green infrastructure on the nation’s college campuses. This year, 42 teams from across 24 states and 35 different academic institutions competed in the Campus RainWorks Challenge’s two design categories. The Master Plan category examines how green infrastructure can be broadly integrated across campus while the Demonstration Project category focuses on how green infrastructure can address stormwater pollution at a specific site on campus.

This year’s winners are:

Florida International University (1st Place Demonstration Project Category) – The team’s entry, titled “Resilient MAST@FIU” redesigned a local magnet high school campus to incorporate a variety of green infrastructure practices with the goal of improving water quality, reducing urban heat island effects, and mitigating the risk of coastal flooding due to climate change. The team engaged with local stakeholders and conducted sophisticated performance modeling to produce design solutions that would not only benefit the local campus and community but serve as a replicable example for other coastal educational institutions. Watch the team’s video about their design on Youtube.

University of Maryland (1st Place Master Plan Category) – In their entry titled “Future Flows,” this team emphasized the beneficial role green infrastructure can play along transportation and pedestrian corridors. By examining current and predicted fluctuations in the movement of people and water across campus, the team’s design would revitalize the campus through restoration of site hydrology and create a more resilient and adaptable campus for future generations of students. Watch the team’s video about their design on Youtube.

Cornell University (2nd Place Demonstration Project Category) – Titled “Rain Delay,” this entry took advantage of campus plans to construct new computer science facilities to illustrate the potential benefits of green infrastructure. The team consulted with campus experts in architecture, engineering, facilities management, and ecology to design green infrastructure solutions that would protect water quality in nearby Cayuga Lake, promote resilience, create new wildlife habitat, and create new recreational and educational opportunities for students and educators. Watch the team’s video about their design on Youtube.

University of Connecticut (2^nd Place Master Plan Category) – The “Ecologic L.I. Sound” entry redesigned the university’s Avery Point campus to mitigate the effects of stormwater pollution on the terrestrial and marine ecology of Long Island Sound. Selected green infrastructure practices emphasized the importance of native species that represent the distinctive character of coastal plant communities. In addition to protecting public health, water quality, and local ecology, the design would create collaborative educational spaces that invite students and the public to learn about the role green infrastructure can play in stormwater management and coastal resilience. Watch the team’s video about their design on Youtube. 

EPA is also pleased to recognize the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Maryland, the University of Illinois, and the University of Arkansas for honorable mention in the Demonstration Project category. Utah State University, the University of Portland, and Michigan State University were selected for honorable mention in the Master Plan category.

First place teams will receive a $7,000 student prize to be split among team members and a $3,000 faculty prize to support green infrastructure research and training. Second place teams will receive a $3,500 student prize and a $1,500 faculty prize.

Since 2012 nearly 800 teams have participated in the Campus RainWorks Challenge.  View previous winners and teams here: Explore 10 Years of Campus RainWorks.

Background

Green infrastructure practices include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative designs for streets and buildings, trees, habitat conservation, rain gardens, and rain harvesting systems. Utilizing these practices protects local waterways by treating rain where it falls and keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems. Communities are increasingly using innovative green infrastructure to supplement or replace “gray” infrastructure such as pipes, tunnels, and concrete channels. Green infrastructure reduces water pollution while increasing economic activity and neighborhood revitalization, job creation, energy savings, and open space.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and visit our Facebook.

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 DOJ News Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 22, 2022

Jury Convicts in Check Kiting Trial

TOPEKA, KAN. – A federal jury convicted a Kansas man of 31 counts of bank fraud, one count of making a false statement in connection with a Small Business Administration guaranteed loan, and one count of making a false statement in a loan or credit card application.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Tyler Gillum, 51, of Plainville owned and operated Plainville Livestock Commission Inc. from 2006 until 2019. Between January 2015 and August 2017, Gillum wrote checks and made wire transfers between various accounts under his control at various banks in a scheme commonly known as check kiting. This is when checks are continually written back and forth to fraudulently inflate account balances tricking banks into honoring checks written with insufficient funds. Gillum’s scheme resulted in losses of more than $10 million to the banking system.

Gillum also applied for and obtained a $1,500,000 loan, secured by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and a $500,000 line of credit from Almena State Bank, while concealing he’d previously signed an approximately $6.1 million promissory note to TBK Bank of Dallas, Texas. 

“Because of the defendant’s crimes, banks suffered millions of dollars in losses. These fraudulent acts should be of concern to everyone, because the stability our nation’s banking system is vital to the financial health of this country,” said U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard, District of Kansas. 

The FBI, U.S.D.A. Office of Inspector-General, S.B.A. Office of Inspector-General, and F.D.I.C. Office of Inspector-General investigated the case.

U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard commends the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Walton and the late Richard Hathaway in preparing and prosecuting the case.

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 EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $308 Million through WIFIA to Modernize Water Infrastructure in Joliet, Illinois

Nationally, 76 WIFIA loans are financing over $29 billion in water infrastructure upgrades, creating 88,600 jobs

WASHINGTON (April 25, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) kicked off Water Week 2022 by announcing two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $308 million to the City of Joliet, Illinois. EPA’s WIFIA loans will support the Alternative Water Source Program, which will tap into Lake Michigan as a sustainable source of drinking water to benefit the city and neighboring communities.

“Water Week 2022 is focused on elevating clean water as a national priority and EPA’s WIFIA program is a powerful investment tool that is helping achieve that goal in Joliet and communities across the country,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Clean, reliable, and affordable water is essential to everyone, and this project will help the city transition from counting on a depleted aquifer to a much more reliable and sustainable source of water.”

The City of Joliet’s two WIFIA loans will support the planning, design, and program management costs for the Alternative Water Source Program and the modernization of the city’s existing water distribution system. These projects will enable a new connection to Lake Michigan as a primary water source while also identifying and replacing lead service lines and reducing the system’s water loss from over 30% to under 10%—saving 2.5 million gallons per day. An Illinois State Water Survey projection has indicated that local aquifers will be unable to support the city’s maximum daily water demand by 2030.

“Every community deserves to have clean water running from their tap. As we kick off Water Week, these grants will bring us a step closer to that goal by funding the Alternative Water Source Program,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (IL). “This funding will go a long way in ensuring that Joliet can finally rely on their water source by transitioning residents from an outdated aquifer to using one of our region’s greatest resources, Lake Michigan.”

“Updating our crumbling water infrastructure is crucial in helping ensure families across Illinois have safer and cleaner drinking water,” U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL) said. “I’m glad to see the City of Joliet, with critical support from EPA, not only helping ensure sustainable, clean drinking water for its residents, but saving money and creating good-paying, local jobs in the process. My Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, helped reauthorize the WIFIA loan program, and I’m pleased to see this program at work for Illinoisans.”

“This is great news for Joliet and surrounding communities, and these federal water infrastructure loans will make it easier to bring clean, sustainable water from Lake Michigan to the southwest suburbs. I’m pleased this funding will also go to replacing lead service lines so we can make sure every home has access to safe drinking water,” said U.S. Representative Bill Foster (IL-11). “In addition to these loans, I was proud to announce recently that I secured $3.5 million of federal community project funds for this project. The people of Joliet, Will County, and the entire area deserve access to a clean, reliable, and sustainable water source.”

The City of Joliet will save approximately $112 million by financing with WIFIA loans. Project construction and operation for these first two loans are expected to create over 5,000 jobs. These two WIFIA loans are part of a master agreement that will commit over $340 million in WIFIA financial assistance to the City of Joliet for the Alternative Water Source Program. This arrangement with EPA provides the City of Joliet quick access to long-term, committed financing at attractive terms, enabling the City of Joliet to reduce cost impacts to customers.

“We are pleased to close on this loan. Federal financing at a low interest rate reduces cost impacts to our residents,” said Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk. “As we work to bring Lake Michigan water to Joliet and the region by 2030, this loan will finance development costs enabling continuation of this critical infrastructure project. The City of Joliet is committed to upgrading our water distribution system. These improvements will conserve water and reduce water loss, allowing us to receive Lake Michigan water and provide a sustainable, reliable and high-quality water source to our residents for generations to come.”

“Providing safe and reliable water to the residents of Joliet is my first priority,” said Joliet Director of Public Utilities, Allison Swisher. “The WIFIA program will support the City in achieving its mission of providing Lake Michigan water by 2030 to promote the public health, safety and economic interests of our community.”

With this WIFIA loan closing, EPA has announced 76 WIFIA loans that are providing $13.8 billion in credit assistance to help finance over $29 billion for water infrastructure while creating approximately 88,600 jobs and saving customers over $5 billion. 

For more information about the WIFIA program, visit: WIFIA.

Background 

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. WIFIA’s aim is to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. For more information about the WIFIA program’s accomplishments through 2021, visit: WIFIA Annual Report.

 EPA News Release:

The Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Continue Progress Cutting Super-Pollutants, Barring Illegal Imports, and Speeding Transition to Cleaner New Technologies to Fight Climate Change and Save Money

WASHINGTON (April 19, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden-Harris Administration continues with its swift implementation of the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act to phase down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are chemicals that are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2) at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Commonly used in refrigerators, air conditioners, foams, aerosols, and fire suppression, HFCs are being rapidly replaced by cleaner chemicals and more energy efficient technologies spurred by EPA’s actions, which are harnessing American manufacturers’ innovations.

EPA’s AIM Act implementation efforts are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approachEXITEXIT EPA WEBSITE to reduce climate pollution from HFCs while bolstering the competitiveness of American industries and creating good-paying union jobs. The Administration is taking coordinated steps to support American manufacturing of HFC alternatives, including by leveraging federal procurement power and investing in innovation and testing.

 “Congress provided clear, bipartisan direction to aggressively phase down super-polluting HFCs, and the Biden-Harris Administration has stepped up to deliver a program that will ramp up more climate-friendly and energy efficient alternatives, save money, and stop illegal imports,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This will help the United States to meet our ambitious climate goals while allowing American companies to lead the way with innovative technologies.”

The AIM Act is among the most significant environmental laws enacted by the U.S. Congress in recent years – co-sponsored and passed with strong, bipartisan support and backed by a broad coalition of industry and environmental groups. The law ushers in the use of more climate friendly and energy efficient alternatives that will save money while protecting the environment. American companies are at the forefront of developing HFC alternatives and the technologies that use them, and the AIM Act provides these companies additional opportunities to continue to innovate.

Under the AIM Act, EPA in January established the HFC Allowance Allocation and Trading Program that sets a comprehensive cap on HFCs and phases them down. The phasedown will reduce the consumption and production of HFCs by 85% by 2036, resulting in total emission reductions from 2022 to 2050 that are projected to be the equivalent of 4.6 billion metric tons of CO2 – nearly equal to three years of U.S. power sector emissions at 2019 levels. EPA is also developing a proposed rulemaking to address the methodology for how allowances are distributed in 2024 and later years, and held a stakeholder meeting last month with over 350 participants. In 2024, the HFC phasedown will take its next step and move to a 40% reduction below baseline levels. A global phasedown of HFCs is expected to avoid up to 0.5 °C of global warming by 2100.

Recent AIM Act Implementation Milestones:

EPA recently held a public meeting for its upcoming Technology Transitions rulemaking, which will address opportunities to support sector-based transitions to next-generation technologies, that attracted over 350 participants. The rulemaking under development will address 11 petitions, granted in October 2021, to restrict the use of HFCs in the refrigeration and air conditioning, aerosols, and foam sectors, leading to their replacement by cleaner alternatives. A proposal will be issued for public comment later this year.

On March 31, EPA distributed HFC allowances that had been set aside from the general pool allocated in October last year. Fifty entities received allowances, many of whom were new market entrants and were not eligible in the initial allocation process. EPA also provided notice to three companies of the Agency's intent to retire some of their allowances, due to misreporting data and improperly importing without allowances. The Agency’s administrative consequences authority, which allows EPA to retire, revoke, or withhold the allocation of allowances, or ban a company from receiving, transferring, or conferring allowances, is an important tool to deter illegal HFC production and import.

To ensure that the program achieves its environmental objectives and that American businesses fully reap the return on their investments in new, cleaner HFC alternatives, the Biden-Harris Administration is marshalling a whole-of-government approach to prevent the illegal trade, production, use or sale of HFCs; support the transition to HFC alternatives through research and purchasing; and encourage the reclamation and recycling of HFCs from retired equipment, thus reducing further HFC production.

Since January of this year the Interagency Task Force on Illegal HFC Trade, co-chaired by EPA and the Department of Homeland Security, with participation from Customs and Border Protection and the Departments of Defense, Justice, and State, has been working diligently to stop illegal HFC shipments at the U.S. border. In March the Task Force announced that it had already prevented the equivalent of approximately 530,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the same amount as the emissions from nearly 100,000 homes’ electricity use in one year. Over the last few weeks, shipments coming to U.S. ports without proper allowances have continued to be identified, stopped, and re-exported.

More information on phasing down HFCs is available here.

 EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Request for Applications for $68M in Grant Funding to Support Environmental Finance Centers

Selected Grantees will Provide Technical Assistance to Communities Across America

WASHINGTON (April 19, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Request for Applications for $68 million in federal funding through the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) Grant Program. EPA encourages non-profit organizations, universities, and other eligible entities to apply to receive funding as a designated EFC in an EPA Region or as a national EFC for EPA Headquarters. A major priority for this program over the next five years is to provide technical support to disadvantaged communities across the country. Selected technical assistance providers will help communities develop and submit project proposals, including State Revolving Fund (SRF) applications for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Additionally, the EFCs will support a range of projects focused on solid waste, clean air, toxic substances, drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater.

“Underserved communities across the country—rural, suburban, urban, small and large—struggle to access the water infrastructure investments they need,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “The EFCs will play an important role by helping bridge the gap between community needs and federal funding. This commitment of new technical assistance resources represents yet another step by EPA to fulfil the Biden Administration’s commitment to help all communities benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.” 

EPA is seeking applications from organizations with a demonstrable history of providing effective, results-oriented technical assistance to disadvantaged communities of all sizes in rural, suburban, and urban settings. These entities will provide local governments, states, Tribes, and non-governmental organizations with technical assistance services, which may include: developing SRF and other funding applications for locally-driven projects, engineering and project management services, community outreach and engagement services, administering funds, capacity building, training, reports/studies, and tools to protect human health and the environment.

EPA is inviting applications for three types of Environmental Finance Centers:

• Regionally-focused EFCs that will provide technical support to communities to obtain water infrastructure funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with a priority on disadvantaged communities;
• Nationally focused EFCs to support the Regional EFCs and EPA Headquarters; and
• Regional Multi-Environmental Media EFCs that provide technical, managerial, and financial capacity building services to local, state, and Tribal governments, and non-governmental organizations to make improvements related to clean water, drinking water, solid waste, clean air, and toxic substances.

The EFC grant program request for applications is available on Grants.govEXITEXIT EPA WEBSITE, under Funding Opportunity number EPA-I-OW-OWM-22-01. Application packages must be submitted electronically no later than Friday, June 17, 2022, at 11:59 PM (EDT) to be considered for funding.

 EPA News Release:

EPA Begins Third Five-Year Review of Upper Hudson River PCB Cleanup

Contact: Larisa Romanowski, (518) 407-0400, romanowski.larisa@epa.gov

ALBANY, NY (April 19, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has initiated its third five-year review of the cleanup of the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site, which extends from Hudson Falls, New York, to New York City. Dredging to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from a 40-mile stretch of the upper Hudson River between Fort Edward and Troy, New York, was completed in 2015. The cleanup was conducted by General Electric (GE) Company under the oversight of and a legal agreement with EPA.

The purpose of this five-year review, which is legally required under the Superfund law every five years after the start of on-site construction at a site, is to ensure that the cleanup is working as intended and protective of people’s health and the environment.

“As we continue our work to monitor and assess the upper Hudson, move forward with the Hudson River floodplain investigation and evaluate how best to assess the lower Hudson, EPA is committed to continuing to fully engage our state and federal partners and the site’s Community Advisory Group during the five-year review process,” said EPA Regional Administrator, Lisa F. Garcia. “It has been EPA’s long-standing experience on this iconic site that engagement from the public has strengthened our work and served well communities up and down the Hudson.”

EPA will, in part, be evaluating new data collected since the second five-year review was conducted in 2017. As part of the upcoming five-year review, EPA will review the fish, water and sediment data collected between 2017 and 2021. This five-year review will be one of many future reviews and will not serve as the final assessment of the cleanup, rather, it will evaluate whether the stated goals of the cleanup are being met, or are expected to be met, based on the available data.

In the second five-year review report, issued in 2019, EPA deferred a determination about the protectiveness of the cleanup remedy in the Upper Hudson River until additional Hudson River fish tissue data could be gathered. As described in the second five-year review, it is anticipated that additional years of data may be needed to determine the rate of fish recovery with statistical confidence. Lowering PCB levels in fish tissue is the key objective of the cleanup remedy selected in 2002 by EPA.

The Operation, Maintenance & Monitoring phase of the upper Hudson cleanup will continue. During this phase, there is ongoing monitoring to track the ongoing recovery of the river. EPA will also continue to conduct periodic five-year reviews.

The upcoming five-year review will also include a review of actions taken as a result of a 1984 cleanup plan for the areas of PCB-contaminated sediment upstream of the areas targeted for dredging. These areas, known as the remnant deposits, became exposed after the river water level dropped following removal of the Fort Edward Dam in 1973. These areas are now capped, maintained, and monitored.

EPA’s other activities to address contamination in the Upper Hudson include an ongoing comprehensive floodplain investigation to evaluate and address PCB contamination that may be present in sediment carried onto low-lying shoreline areas in the Upper Hudson River. EPA is also continuing its plans for supplemental studies in the Lower Hudson River.

EPA expects to release the third five-year review report in fall 2022 and will make it available for public input. Prior to issuing the report, EPA also will present on the progress of the review to the site’s Community Advisory Group (CAG). CAG meetings are open to the public and information about the meetings will be announced in advance. EPA anticipates the third five-year review report will be completed by spring 2023. The five-year review report will be available on EPA’s Hudson River webpage.

Between the 1940’s and 1970’s, GE discharged PCBs into the Hudson River from its two former capacitor manufacturing plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York. In 2002, EPA issued a Record of Decision calling for the targeted environmental dredging of approximately 2.65 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment from a 40-mile stretch of the Upper Hudson River between Fort Edward and Troy, NY, followed by a period of monitored natural recovery predicted to extend more than five decades. The dredging and capping work in the Upper Hudson River was conducted between 2009 and 2015. 

For more information about the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site, visit the EPA Hudson River webpage.

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 EPA News Release:

EPA approves the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Water Quality Standards

DENVER (April 15, 2022) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 (EPA) announced its approval of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s water quality standards under the federal Clean Water Act. This milestone approval culminates a 20-year effort by the Tribe’s Environmental Programs Division. With EPA’s action, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe becomes only the 47th federally recognized tribe, out of 574 nationally, to have tribal water quality standards approved by EPA under the Clean Water Act. The approval allows the Tribe to protect the water quality of the lakes and rivers they use for swimming, boating and fishing. The Southern Ute Indian Reservation is located in southwest Colorado and is comprised of lands within La Plata, Archuleta and Montezuma counties.  

  

Water quality standards are state, territorial, tribal or federal law that determine the water quality goals for rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. Water quality standards serve as the basis for several Clean Water Act programs, including issuing permits for discharges and assessing water quality.  

 

“EPA congratulates the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Tribal Council, and Environmental Programs Division for their determination in building programs and expertise to protect valuable Tribal water resources,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “We look forward to working together with the Tribe as a partner in ensuring clean rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands for tribal members.” 

 

“EPA’s approval of the Tribe’s water quality standards is the culmination of years of work by the Tribe and its staff,” said Chairman Melvin J. Baker. “The tribal approval process included consulting with EPA and the State of Colorado and an outreach and engagement process with tribal members and stakeholders. The Tribe appreciates the EPA’s approval and looks forward to implementing the standards and issuing water quality certifications to protect water resources on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.” 

 

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s water quality standards apply to many waters within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation including portions of the La Plata, Animas, Florida, Los Pinos (or Pine), Piedra, San Juan and Navajo Rivers and portions of the Navajo Reservoir. With the approval of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s water quality standards, combined with the prior and separate EPA approval of Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe’s water quality standards, all federally recognized Indian tribes with reservation lands in Colorado now have EPA-approved water quality standards.  

  

The Clean Water Act has a two-step process to establish Tribal water quality standards: 1) Tribes acquire Clean Water Act water quality standards program authority from EPA; and 2) Tribes submit specific water quality standards to EPA for Clean Water Act review and approval. In 2018, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe received Clean Water Act water quality standards program authority from EPA for waters on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation located on tribal trust lands (as well as one parcel of tribal trust land contiguous to the Reservation).   

 

In developing its water quality standards, the Tribe collaborated with the State of Colorado and surrounding county and municipal governments, as well as other interested parties, to gather input on their proposed water quality standards. The Tribe held a water quality standards public comment period from August 23 to October 22, 2021, including an October 7, 2021, public hearing. Based on comments received through this public participation process, the Tribe revised its water quality standards, adopted the revised water quality standards on February 8, 2022, and submitted them to EPA on February 15, 2022. EPA approved the Tribe’s water quality standards after determining they are consistent with the requirements of the Clean Water Act and EPA’s Water Quality Standards Regulation. 

  

The Tribe’s water quality standards and supporting documents will be available on the SUIT Environmental Programs Division website. For more information contact Lindsay J. Box, SUIT Communications Specialist at 970.553.0287 or lbox@southernute-nsn.gov.  

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Publishes 29th Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory

WASHINGTON (April 14, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 29th annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (GHG Inventory), which presents a national-level overview of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2020. Net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 5,222.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020, a nearly 11% decrease in emissions from 2019. The sharp decline in emissions from 2019 to 2020 is largely due to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on travel and economic activity. However, the decline also reflects the combined impacts of several factors, including population trends, energy market trends, technological changes including energy efficiency improvements, and the carbon intensity of energy fuel choices. 

“The annual Inventory reflects EPA’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the data that inform all of our actions on climate change” said Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “Each year, EPA follows a rigorous and open process to engage with researchers, federal partners and stakeholders and incorporate new information, resulting in a national Inventory that is unsurpassed in scope and quality.”  

For this latest release, EPA has made several important improvements. For example, EPA has added estimates for two important sources of methane: emissions from post-meter uses of natural gas, which includes leak emissions from residential and commercial appliances, industrial facilities and power plants, and natural gas fueled vehicles; and emissions from flooded lands such as hydroelectric and agricultural reservoirs. Additionally, the EPA worked with researchers to include estimates of methane emissions from large anomalous leak events, such as well blow-outs.  

The GHG Inventory covers seven key greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride. In addition to tracking U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the Inventory also calculates carbon dioxide that is removed from the atmosphere through the uptake of carbon in forests and other vegetation. 

This impartial, policy neutral report has been compiled annually since 1993 and submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report is prepared by EPA in collaboration with numerous experts from other federal agencies, state government authorities, research and academic institutions, and industry associations. Under the UNFCCC, national inventories for UNFCCC Annex I parties should be provided to the UNFCCC Secretariat each year by April 15. 

In an effort to engage the public and researchers across the country, EPA conducts an annual public review and comment process for this document. The document was made available on the EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions website and announced via Federal Register Notice for 30 days. Comments received after the closure of the public comment period are accepted and considered for the next edition of this annual report. Public review of this year’s report occurred from February 15 to March 17, 2022, and comments received are posted to the docket EPAHQ-OAR-2022-0001. Responses to comments will be posted to EPA’s website within 2-4 weeks following publication of this report. 

 EPA News Release:

Joint Statement by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the United States-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

WASHINGTON (April 14, 2022) — United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan and Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, issued the following statement:

Canada and the United States have a long history of collaboration on issues that significantly affect the health and prosperity, and well-being of people living on both sides of the border. Shared management of the Great Lakes ecosystem, one of the largest freshwater systems on earth, is a primary example of our united action.

Fifty years ago on April 15, 1972, in response to the significant deterioration of water quality, our two countries affirmed our commitment to work closely together to restore and protect the Great Lakes through a new framework for binational cooperation, the United States-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Canada and the United States have engaged state and provincial governments, municipalities and local authorities, First Nations, Métis and Tribal governments, industry, nongovernment organizations and the public in working together to achieve a healthy and sustainable Great Lakes ecosystem for the benefit of present and future generations.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, in concert with other complimentary U.S. and Canadian environmental programs, has been tremendously effective in improving and protecting the water quality of the Great Lakes. For example, we have achieved dramatic reductions in toxic substances in the environment that are harmful to fish and wildlife, some by more than 90 percent. We have restored and continue to restore especially degraded areas on both sides of the border, and we have implemented measures that have resulted in the return to the Great Lakes region of important species including Bald Eagle and Lake Trout. Our shared environmental progress is a testament to the strength of Canada-United States relations. 

As we celebrate 50 years of collaborative efforts, we recognize that our job is far from finished and that continued action by both countries is needed to protect this invaluable resource. We are proud to reflect on the accomplishments made under the Agreement thus far, and we reaffirm our shared and deep commitment to continue to work together to restore and protect the Great Lakes into the future.

The United States and Canada will further recognize and celebrate this important milestone as well as discuss opportunities for the protection of the Great Lakes over the next 50 years at the Great Lakes Public Forum in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the week of September 26, 2022.

 EPA News Release:

EPA Awards $100,000 to UC Berkeley for creating technology to remove high levels of arsenic from groundwater

Close to $300,000 awarded nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO (April 11, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced it awarded $99,998 in funding to an interdisciplinary student team at UC Berkeley for creating a new technology that removes arsenic from groundwater as part of the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Program. 

“Congratulations to these students for their hard work and innovative ideas to solve urgent environmental challenges,” said Maureen Gwinn, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “These students are leading the way with their environmental solutions to move us toward a more sustainable future.”

“Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral found in groundwater throughout the Western United States,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “I applaud the students at UC Berkeley for finding an innovative solution for removing high levels of arsenic from groundwater. Everyone should have access to safe and clean drinking water.”

A group of students at the University of California - Berkeley created a novel technology to remove high levels of arsenic from contaminated groundwater and is partnering with a local community in the Central Valley to field test this arsenic remediation technology. In the long-term, this technology can reduce the number of arsenic-related diseases and increase economic prosperity in communities that currently rely on arsenic-contaminated groundwater. Arsenic is a known carcinogen and drinking high levels over many years can increase the chance of lung, bladder, and skin cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and neurological damage. The regulatory Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb).

EPA’s P3 program is a two-phase research grant competition for college students that offers hands-on experience that brings their classroom learning to life, while also allowing them to create tangible changes in their communities. Today’s awardee has already completed Phase I, which served as a “proof of concept,” with a one-year grant of up to $25,000 awarded to develop their idea. This team was then eligible to compete for a Phase II grant of up to $100,000 to implement their design in a real-world setting.

The other teams receiving P3 Phase II awards include:

• Michigan State University - East Lansing, Mich., to make 100% recyclable water and oil-resistant paper coatings, which will eliminate the flow of PFAS from paper coating applications and remove microplastics from the waste stream.
• University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, Ohio, to develop a practical and cost-effective approach to treat PFAS in drinking water using chemically modified sawdust. The team will partner with community groups in Cincinnati for pilot-scale testing of their technology.

Learn more about the winners.

Learn more about EPA’s P3 Program.                                                   

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

 EPA News Release:

District Court Upholds EPA Right to Enforce Against Illegal Imports from Chinese Vehicle Makers

Case Demonstrates Agency Commitment to Enforcing Requirements for Vehicles Under the Clean Air Act

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2022) - On Thursday, March 31, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied a challengeEXITEXIT EPA WEBSITE to EPA’s successful litigation of significant Clean Air Act vehicle importation violations, upholding the agency’s right to enforce the law and protect the public from dangerous air pollution. The challenge was brought by Taotao USA, Inc, Taotao Group Co., Ltd., and Jinyun County Xiangyuan Industry Co., Ltd. (plaintiffs).

“This case and the District Court’s decision sends a clear signal that EPA will hold companies accountable for failure to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act, requirements designed to protect human health and reduce harmful air pollution,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

Specifically, plaintiffs challenged an Environmental Appeals Board decision that affirmed plaintiffs violated Clean Air Act sections 203(a) and 213 by importing for sale 109,964 motorcycles and recreational vehicles with catalytic converters that did not comply with certification requirements. In addition to affirming plaintiffs’ liability, the District Court also affirmed the $1,601,150 civil penalty assessed by the Administrative Law Judge. 

Certification requirements ensure that vehicles brought into commerce conform to design specifications for pollution control equipment.

Producing vehicles for sale that do not match such specifications, such as nonconforming catalytic converters, undermines the integrity of the Clean Air Act certification scheme, designed to protect human health and air quality. Catalytic converters convert toxins into less harmful byproducts, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide, and in so doing reduce harmful emissions that include hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide.

To report a violation, please visit: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA to Host Question and Answer Sessions on Proposed Addition of Georgetown North Groundwater Site to EPA’s Superfund Clean-up List

PHILADELPHIA (April 7, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a conference call on Thursday, April 14, and an in-person session on Wednesday, April 20, to provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions about the March 18 proposed listing of the Georgetown North Groundwater Site in Kent County, Delaware, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).

The NPL is EPA’s list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for investigation and potential cleanup financed under the federal Superfund program.

These “open house” Q&A sessions will provide an opportunity for the Georgetown community to have their questions answered by EPA staff, and will take place:

Phone-In

Thursday, April 14: 6:00PM – 7:00PM
Phone Number: (484) 352-3221
Conference ID: 307589259#

In-Person

Wednesday, April 20: 5:30PM – 7:00 PM
Georgetown Public Library123 W. Pine Street
Georgetown DE 19947
Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing them to: 

Angela Ithier, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, 215-814-5248, ithier.angela@epa.gov

The Site is a groundwater plume that has been polluted by a contaminant release and encompasses approximately one square-mile underlying commercial and residential areas within the town of Georgetown, in southern Delaware.  While the public drinking water in Georgetown meets state and federal standards, the groundwater is contaminated with the solvent tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and its breakdown products. PCE, sometimes referred to as perc, is an organic chemical introduced in the environment by commercial and industrial operations such as dry-cleaning facilities.  EPA considers PCE as likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

When EPA proposes to add a site to the NPL, the Agency publishes the proposed rule in the Federal Register and notifies the community through the local media so interested members of the community can comment on the proposal.  The comment period runs from March 18 until May 17, and EPA will consider those comments in the final decision on listing the Site on the NPL.

If after the formal comment period, EPA determines that the Site still qualifies for cleanup under Superfund, the Agency will publish a final rule in the Federal Register and Georgetown North Groundwater will become a Superfund Site.  EPA would then conduct a more comprehensive investigation of the Site, to determine the full nature and extent of contamination and to examine potential remedies. 

More information about the proposal can be found at: www.epa.gov/superfund/georgetowngroundwater

All comments received will be treated equally. During the comment period, comments may be submitted in one of two ways:

Online:  http://www.regulations.gov   Search for EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0190 

Mail:  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  

           EPA Docket Center  

            Docket # EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0190 

           Mailcode 28221T  

           1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW  

           Washington, DC 20460   

 

For information about Superfund and the NPL: http://www.epa.gov/superfund