EPA Proposes Rule to Modernize Clean Water Act Reporting

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2013


EPA Proposes Rule to Modernize Clean Water Act Reporting

E-reporting initiative will increase efficiency, ease burden for states and improve public access to data

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule that would modernize Clean Water Act (CWA) reporting processes for hundreds of thousands of municipalities, industries, and other facilities by converting to an electronic data reporting system. The proposed e-reporting rule would make facility-specific information, such as inspection and enforcement history, pollutant monitoring results, and other data required by permits accessible to the public through EPA’s website.

EPA estimates that, once the rule is fully implemented, the 46 states and the Virgin Island Territory that are authorized to administer the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program will collectively save approximately $29 million each year as a result of switching from paper to electronic reporting. 

“In addition to dramatically cutting costs for states and other regulatory authorities, the e-reporting rule will substantially expand transparency by making it easier for everyone to quickly access critical data on pollution that may be affecting communities,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The e-reporting rule will also allow states and other regulatory authorities to focus limited resources on the most serious water quality problems, which will lead to increased compliance, improved water quality, and a level playing field for the regulated community.”
Currently, facilities subject to reporting requirements submit data in paper form to states and other regulatory authorities, where the information must be manually entered into data systems. Through the e-reporting rule, these facilities will electronically report their data directly to the appropriate regulatory authority. EPA expects that the e-reporting rule will lead to more comprehensive and complete data on pollution sources, quicker availability of the data for use, and increased accessibility and transparency of the data to the public. 

The CWA requires that municipal, industrial or commercial facilities that discharge wastewater directly into waters of the United States obtain a permit. The NPDES program requires that permitted facilities monitor and report data on pollutant discharges and take other actions to ensure discharges do not affect human health or the environment. 

Most facilities subject to reporting requirements will be required to start submitting data electronically one year following the effective date of the final rule. Facilities with limited access to the Internet will have the option of one additional year to come into compliance with the new rule. EPA will work closely with states to provide support to develop or enhance state electronic reporting capabilities. 

EPA has already scheduled several webinars in an effort to help states, trade organizations, and other interested parties better understand the details and requirements of the proposed rule. Over the next few months, EPA expects to schedule additional webinar sessions.

The proposed rule will be available for review and public comment for 90 days following the publication date in the Federal Register. 

View the proposed rule in the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/07/30/2013-17551/npdes-electronic-reporting-rule

More information on webinars: http://www2.epa.gov/compliance/proposed-npdes-electronic-reporting-rule

USDA Blog » Black Bear Cubs Find Temporary Home at APHIS Wildlife Research Facility

USDA Blog » Black Bear Cubs Find Temporary Home at APHIS Wildlife Research Facility

How Millennials are Reducing Food Waste

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Emma Wabaunsee-Kelly, OCE Intern, on July 30, 2013 at 3:29 PM

Today’s college students and young professionals are particularly attuned to the environmental issues that face our nation. Universities across the United States are often stuck with excess food left over from dining halls, sporting events, and other social gatherings that more often than not goes directly into the dumpsters.  While many young adults across the country are working their way through school and loan payments, they are also becoming increasingly cognizant of the efforts underway at their Universities to reduce food waste.

In a recent study conducted by The Princeton Review, 69 percent of college applicants claim that a University’s environmental commitment would contribute to their decision to apply or attend the school. Fortunately for college students, there are several innovative and environmentally friendly ways to deal with excess food waste on-campus.

In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency to lead a fundamental shift in how we think about and manage food and food waste in this country as it relates to climate change. With over 94 Universities and colleges currently signed up under the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge, students across the U.S. are actively participating in the food waste conversation.

Some of my favorite on-campus groups that are working to address the challenges of food waste are The Campus Kitchen Project and The Food Recovery Network. Both organizations enlist students to coordinate with University dining facilities and neighboring soup kitchens to pick up uneaten prepared foods to bring to nearby agencies on a daily or weekly basis.

Another one of my favorite programs is at the University of California – Merced. The University’s dining program has installed OZZI machines that distribute and collect reusable takeout containers based on a token system. A survey at UC- Merced found that out of the 694 students who were surveyed, 427 regularly eat lunch on the go due to their busy schedules. With the OZZI machines students can therefore enjoy their food on the go while feeling good about putting less garbage into landfills.

The U.S. Food Waste Challenge highlights the intuitive efforts that young people are making to reduce and recover food waste every day. As a college student myself, I hope more educational institutions will join the challenge and work to make positive environmental changes on their campuses.

Bipartisan Nuclear Waste Bill Moves Forward in Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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Senator Lamar Alexander Press Release:

July 30 2013

 -

Senators Urge Swift Action to Secure and Permanently Dispose of Radioactive Nuclear Waste

Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan bill to break the gridlock and establish a comprehensive policy for safely disposing of spent nuclear fuel took a step forward today, in a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., collaborated on the proposal.

At the hearing, Wyden, Murkowski, Alexander and other senators underscored the urgency of finally adopting a lasting policy on nuclear waste – more than 30 years since the Nuclear Waste Policy Act became law.

“Simply continuing to pass the burden of safely disposing of nuclear waste to future generations is not an option – whether it is at a shuttered nuclear power plant or in tanks along the Columbia River,” Wyden said. “Our goal with this legislation is to get the permanent repository program back on track and to make sure spent fuel and nuclear defense waste is handled safely until it is.”      

“The legislation that we have put forward is an attempt to jump-start the government’s responsibilities on the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle and achieve real progress. It sets an aggressive time frame to get a waste facility up and operating to assure stakeholders and the American taxpayer that the federal government is serious about meeting its obligations,” Murkowskisaid. “The federal government’s breach of contract has cost nearly $3 billion so far and is likely to grow upward of $20 billion if it fails to accept used fuel by 2020.”

“The byproducts of nuclear energy represent some of the nation’s most hazardous materials, but for decades we have failed to find a solution for their safe storage and permanent disposal,” Feinsteinsaid. The Nuclear Waste Administration Act would finally establish a comprehensive nuclear waste policy to address the highly radioactive waste being stored in communities across the country. This issue is too important for politics as usual, which is why I’m proud to join Senators Wyden, Alexander and Murkowski in introducing this bill.”

“Our legislation makes local, state and federal governments equal partners in the process of finding temporary and permanent storage for nuclear waste, which is critical since nuclear power provides 60 percent of our reliable, clean electricity,” Alexander said. “This idea of giving local governments a voice served Tennessee well when I was governor and I was trying to figure out where to build prisons. Now, instead of the federal government telling local and state governments where to locate nuclear waste facilities, we’re giving them a chance to compete for these facilities and the jobs that come with them – and breaking 25 years of stalemate in the process.”

Currently fuel rods are stored on-site at dozens of commercial nuclear facilities around the country, including areas that are at risk of earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters. Millions of gallons of high-level radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear weapons programs are also being stored at Department of Energy sites around the country.

The bill implements the recommendations of the president’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. It establishes a new nuclear waste administration and creates a consent-based process for siting nuclear waste facilities. It also enables the federal government to fulfill its commitment to managing commercial nuclear waste, limiting the costly government liability for failing to dispose of commercial spent fuel. The storage and repository system established by this legislation will expand opportunities for nuclear power to supply low-carbon energy and provide long-term protection of public health and safety for both commercial and defense high-level waste. 

The bill, a one-page summary and section-by-section analysis are attached, or available online here.

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ENBRIDGE BEGINS NEW DREDGING PROJECT ON KALAMAZOO RIVER TO COMPLY WITH EPA ORDER

EPA Press Release:

For Immediate Release            No. 13-OPA32

ENBRIDGE BEGINS NEW DREDGING PROJECT ON KALAMAZOO RIVER TO COMPLY WITH EPA ORDER

(Chicago, July 30, 2013)—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that Enbridge has begun a new round of dredging in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River to clean up oil from the company’s July 2010 pipeline spill.  The cleanup work is required by EPA’s March 2013 administrative order, which requires Enbridge to complete additional dredging by the end of the year above the Ceresco Dam, upstream of Battle Creek and in the Morrow Lake Delta.   

While dredging is underway, 12 miles of the river will be temporarily closed.  Enbridge will dredge approximately 350,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment during this phase of the cleanup.  During the past three years, nearly 190,000 cubic yards of oil-contaminated material and 1.15 million gallons of oil have been recovered from the river. 

On July 26, 2010, Enbridge reported that a 30-inch pipeline ruptured near Marshall, Michigan – contaminating Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. 

For more information: epa.gov/enbridgespill

Forest Service Partners with Shedd Aquarium on Great Lakes Exhibit

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Leah Anderson, Eastern Region, U.S. Forest Service, on July 29, 2013 at 4:00 PM

You can actually feel the wonder while discovering a new side of the U.S. Forest Service at Shedd Aquarium’s new Great Lakes Exhibit At Home on the Great Lakes.

The Shedd Aquarium, on famous Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, unveiled the exhibit as part of its renovation of the facility’s historic Local Waters Gallery. The exhibit features exciting new interactive components. Visitors experience a connection to the Great Lakes through hands-on learning and up-close encounters with native Great Lakes species.

“There is a strong connection between the health of national forests and the health of the Great Lakes,” said Regional Forester Kathleen Forester. “The Forest Service is thrilled to collaborate with the Shedd Aquarium to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of these resources.”

After strolling through Shedd’s impressive views of aquatic species from around the world, visitors come “home” to the Great Lakes. Upon entering At Home on the Great Lakes, visitors are greeted by a very special welcoming committee of three lake sturgeons in a “touch pool.” Visitors have the opportunity to touch the “freshwater giant” that is sometimes referred to as a “living fossil.” Found in all five Great Lakes, lake sturgeon are the longest and largest living fish in the Great Lakes, growing up to 9 feet long and weighing as much as 200 pounds.

The Forest Service Eastern Region is a proud partner of this exhibit, providing funding to Shedd Aquarium through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. One of the emphasis areas of this initiative is education and outreach to the general public on aquatic and terrestrial invasive species.

Making this partnership even more significant is the fact that six Eastern Region national forests are within the Great Lakes basin – Chequamegon-Nicolet, Ottawa, Hiawatha, Superior, Huron-Manistee, and Finger Lakes national forests.

Shedd Aquarium focuses on four key Great Lakes issues:

• building awareness of ecological separation;
• contributing to solution oriented research to address invasive species;
• accelerating habitat restoration; and
• protecting and promoting native wildlife.

Visitors to the aquarium will also see Asian carp, sea lampreys and the small but destructive round gobies, all invasive species threatening the health of U.S. waterways. The exhibit helps visitors understand what they can do to help prevent the spread of these invasive species.

Digital technology enhances the visitor experience, allowing guests to learn more about the species they see, as well as get breaking news from monitors providing real-time updates on basin-wide conservation news and events.

The Forest Service has long been a partner with Shedd, who provides an outlet for education and outreach at an extremely large scale – 2 million people visit the aquarium each year.

Pair of Settlement Agreements with Responsible Parties to Clear Way for $30M Cleanup of Carter Carburetor Site in St. Louis, Mo.

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Pair of Settlement Agreements with Responsible Parties to Clear Way for $30M Cleanup of Carter Carburetor Site in St. Louis, Mo.

Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394 (office), 816-518-2794 (cell), whitley.christopher@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., July 29, 2013) - EPA Region 7 has reached settlement agreements with two corporations, enabling work to begin before the end of summer 2013 on a long-awaited $30 million environmental cleanup of the Carter Carburetor Superfund Site in North St. Louis, Mo.

News of the separate settlements with ACF Industries, Inc.; and Carter Building Incorporated (CBI), was announced today by EPA officials and U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr., at a community celebration event at the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club, 2901 North Grand Avenue, adjacent to the Superfund site.

“A new day has dawned for North St. Louis,” EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said. “Today marks the beginning of the end for a longtime hazard and community eyesore, and an exciting milestone for EPA, elected officials and community members who have worked together to clean up and revitalize an historic part of this great city.”

The Carter Carburetor Site, a 10-acre complex of buildings and structures covering parts of two city blocks at 2800 to 2840 North Spring Avenue, is a former gasoline and diesel carburetor manufacturing plant that operated from 1915 until 1984. Investigations have found unacceptable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trichloroethylene (TCE), and asbestos at the site.

With ultimate goals of protecting human health, eliminating a hazardous neighborhood eyesore, and making the property available for productive reuse, EPA Region 7 engaged in long-term legal negotiations with Carter Building Incorporated (CBI), which previously owned the main manufacturing building and currently owns the Willco Building at the site; and ACF Industries, Inc., whose subsidiaries Carter Carburetor Corporation and Carter Automotive Products manufactured carburetors for gasoline- and diesel-powered engines at the site.

This month, EPA’s negotiations resulted in a pair of legal settlements. An agreement with ACF Industries, Inc., of St. Charles, Mo., will result in the removal of asbestos materials from the four-story CBI Building, the demolition and removal of that same building, excavation and removal of PCB-contaminated soil from the Die Cast Area portion of the site, on-site treatment of TCE-contaminated soils at a former above-ground storage tank area, and follow-up environmental sampling to confirm the effectiveness of the cleanup activities.

The ACF settlement was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, and on July 18, 2013, a Federal Register notice was published. Through August 18, 2013, the public may submit comments on the costs associated with the cleanup and demolition of the Carter building. Comments can be submitted online athttps://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/07/18/2013-17304/proposed-administrative-cost-recovery-settlement-under-the-comprehensive-environmental-response.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice approved a separate settlement with Carter Building Incorporated, and a similar Federal Register notice of that agreement is expected to be published soon. The CBI agreement provides for the removal of asbestos materials from the Willco Building, and either the subsequent demolition and removal of the same building or a cleanup of PCBs from the building.

Copies of the proposed settlements with ACF Industries, Inc., and Carter Building Incorporated are available online at:www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/carter_carburetor.

A target date for full completion of the cleanup work at the Carter Carburetor Site cannot be determined immediately, but initial work to clear debris from buildings at the site is expected to begin within the next month. ACF Industries, Inc., and Carter Building Incorporated must submit work plans and designs to EPA for review and approval, which could take four to six months. Other steps of the cleanup, including building preparation, asbestos abatement, building demolition, and soil cleanup or removal, will occur over a period of several months after the work plans and designs are approved.

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Prudent Technologies to Pay $65,450 Penalty for Violations of Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule at Omaha Lead Site

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Prudent Technologies to Pay $65,450 Penalty for Violations of Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule at Omaha Lead Site

Contact Information: Ben Washburn, 913-551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., July 25, 2013) - Prudent Technologies, of Kansas City, Mo., has agreed to pay a $65,450 civil penalty to resolve violations of the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule at two properties within the Omaha Lead Superfund Site.

Prudent Technologies, working under a contract with EPA’s Superfund program, was performing renovation activities designed to stabilize paint at each location. Paint stabilization includes scraping and painting the exteriors of houses to protect EPA’s remedy at the site, which consists of removing lead-contaminated soil from contaminated properties.

At the first location, Prudent failed to follow lead-safe work practices as required by the RRP rule. The violations included failure to post signs clearly defining the work area and warning occupants and other persons not involved in renovation activities to remain outside of the work area; failure to close all doors and windows within 20 feet of the renovation before commencing work; failure to cover the ground with plastic sheeting or other disposable impermeable material extending 10 feet beyond the perimeter of surfaces undergoing renovation before the renovation; and failure to clean the work area upon completion of the work.

Violations at the second location included failure to follow lead-safe work practices as required by the RRP rule; failure to post signs clearly defining the work area and warning occupants and other persons not involved in renovation activities to remain outside of the work area; and failure to cover the ground with plastic sheeting or other disposable impermeable material extending 10 feet beyond the perimeter of surfaces undergoing renovation.

Since 1999, EPA has been working cooperatively with contractors, local officials, agencies, institutions, community organizations, residents and property owners to sample and remediate lead-contaminated soils from Omaha’s residential yards, schools, day care facilities, parks and playgrounds. Addressed under EPA’s Superfund program, the Omaha Lead Site, consisting of approximately 27 square miles of eastern Omaha, has been on the National Priorities List since 2003.

The RRP rule is a part of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The rule requires each person or firm hired to perform a renovation to be certified and to use specific work practices to minimize lead-based paint hazards for workers and occupants. Under the RRP rule, general contractors can be held liable for regulated renovation work that subcontractors perform for the company. This includes record-keeping requirements (e.g., handing out the Renovate Right pamphlet, keeping Lead-Safe Work Practices checklists, etc.) and work practices requirements (e.g., training workers, putting up appropriate signs, using disposable impermeable material to contain dust and debris, etc.).

Today at least 4 million households have children living in them that are being exposed to lead. There are approximately half a million U.S. children ages 1-5 with blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter, the reference level at which the Centers for Disease Control recommends public health actions be initiated. Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead exposure often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized.

As part of its settlement with EPA, Prudent Technologies has certified that it is presently in compliance with TSCA and its regulations.

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Spreading Sustainable Seafood Practices Overseas

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Mary Ellen Smith, Agricultural Counselor, Foreign Agricultural Service, The Hague, Netherlands, on July 26, 2013 at 2:00 PM

Last month, the Foreign Agricultural Service office in The Hague, Netherlands, partnered with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to highlight the institute’s commitment to sustainable fishing and introduce its new sustainability certification.

There is a growing interest among European consumers in sustainable seafood. Many European retailers require their suppliers to demonstrate that their products don’t deplete ocean fisheries.

On June 11, about 40 leading Dutch seafood industry and government representatives attended a seminar to learn about Alaskan seafood industry practices, including a new certification process. The new process is based on a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization model that is less expensive compared to others and meets the highest UN benchmarks for credible certification.

Currently, many European retailers require a different sustainability certification that is widely accepted throughout Europe. However, Dutch retailers are open to other certifications that are equivalent or better than existing methods. Since the Netherlands is the gateway to Europe for U.S. seafood exports, this could help keep Alaskan seafood on retail shelves in Europe and prevent retailers from sourcing seafood from other places.

The Netherlands is the sixth largest market for U.S. seafood products, purchasing more than $180 million in 2012. Alaska is responsible for roughly half of total U.S. seafood exports to the Netherlands. A popular Alaskan seafood export to the region is frozen fillets of Alaska Pollock, which is used in the Netherlands to make a local delicacy called “kibbeling.” Other top exports include salmon, cod, black cod and halibut.

ASMI, a USDA industry partner, received funding for the seminar through the Market Access Program. The event is just one example of how FAS helps farmers, ranchers and fishermen build and maintain commercial markets for U.S. food and agricultural products around the world.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory News Release:

Field test could lead to reducing CO2 emissions worldwide

July 26, 2013 

• Geoffrey Harvey, PNNL, (509) 372-6083
• Destry Henderson, Boise Inc., (509) 545-3260
• Lindsey Tollefson, MSU, (409) 994-3755

Wallula carbon dioxide injection into deep basalt formation underway

• Contact PNNL for Image Release
  Technicians align a downhole packer and pressure/temperature monitoring system into the CO2injection well.
  Photo courtesy of Energy Solutions Inc.

 1 of 2 

WALLULA, Wash. – An injection of carbon dioxide, or CO2, has begun at a site in southeastern Washington to test deep geologic storage. Battelle researchers based at Pacific Northwest National Laboratoryare injecting 1,000 tons of CO2 one-half mile underground to see if the greenhouse gas can be stored safely and permanently in ancient basalt flows.

Boise Inc. teamed with Battelle, which operates PNNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, and Praxair, Inc. to conduct the CO2 injection phase of the pilot project. Injection is occurring on Boise property in deep basalt — the same massive ancient lava flows that underlie major portions of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The joint research is conducted under the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership, which is led by Montana State University and funded by DOE and a consortium of industrial partners. It is one of seven regional partnerships throughout the United States aimed at finding safe and economical ways to permanently store the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

"We have been conducting laboratory tests on basalts from the region for several years that have conclusively demonstrated the unique geochemical nature of basalts to quickly react with CO2 and form carbonate minerals or solid rock, the safest and most permanent form for storage in the subsurface," said Battelle project manager Pete McGrail. "However convincing the laboratory data may be, proving the same processes operate deep underground can only be done by conducting a successful field demonstration. We have taken the very first steps to do that here in Wallula."

During the next two to three weeks, Battelle scientists will work with Praxair technicians to inject into porous layers of basalt CO2that has been compressed into a liquid-like state. Thick and impermeable layers of rock above these porous layers will act as barriers or seals to prevent the CO2 from travelling vertically upward.

Over the next 14 months, fluid samples will be extracted from the injection well. Scientists will look for changes in chemical composition in comparison to baseline data compiled prior to injection. Scientists will also compare results to predictions made using PNNL's supercomputer. At the end of the monitoring period, rock samples will be taken from the well. They are expected to exhibit the formation of limestone crystals as a result of CO2 reacting with minerals in the basalt.

The Boise pulp and paper mill, located in the Columbia Basin between the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, Wash., sits atop dozens of volcanic lava flows, extending down 8,000 feet or more. Like a stack of pancakes, these geologic layers were formed as volcanic lava flowed and cooled, one on top of the other.

In 2009, an injection well was drilled at the site confirming that basalt flows located immediately above and below the injection zone were nearly impermeable. Additional research conducted at the site in late 2012 indicated that the location is well suited for the pilot test.

"Boise is pleased to have worked with Battelle in recent years and to be a partner for this research that advances the science of geologic carbon sequestration," said Rich Garber, Boise environmental director. "At Boise Inc. we believe wisely using energy and resources is good for business and for our environment. Through various other means, we've reduced our greenhouse gas emissions 27 percent since 2004 at our manufacturing facilities. This collaborative effort with Battelle is an additional opportunity for us to build on that progress and demonstrate our commitment toward continuous environmental improvement."

According to recent DOE estimates, the United States and portions of Canada have enough potential capacity in geologic formations to store as much as 900 years of CO2 emissions. If the Wallula demonstration is successful, basalt flows in many parts of the world may serve as storage locations to store CO2 emissions from a variety of industrial facilities.

"Boise has been a fantastic partner and there is no question that this field research could not have been done without their unwavering support," said McGrail.

The demonstration is approximately 80 percent funded through DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory. To date, approximately, $12 million has been committed to the pilot project. Other contributors include Schlumberger, Royal Dutch Shell, Boise Inc., and Portland General Electric.

Click here for more information on PNNL's carbon storage research, field projects and capabilities.

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Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Boise Inc. manufactures a wide variety of packaging and paper products. Boise's range of packaging products includes linerboard and corrugating medium, corrugated containers and sheets, and protective packaging products. Boise's paper products include imaging papers for the office and home, printing and converting papers, and papers used in packaging, such as label and release papers. Our employees are committed to delivering excellent value while managing our businesses to sustain environmental resources for future generations. Boise Inc. has set voluntary goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water use and energy use and uses the ISO 14001 international standard to establish targets for continuous improvement of environmental performance at its paper mills.

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Led by Montana State University, the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership (BSCSP) is one of seven partnerships involved in the US Department of Energy's Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program. The BSCSP relies on existing technologies from the fields of engineering, geology, chemistry, biology, geographic information systems and economics to develop novel approaches for both geologic and terrestrial carbon storage in our region. The BSCSP region encompasses Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, South Dakota, eastern Washington and Oregon.

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Praxair, Inc. is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2012 sales of $11 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others.

Tags: Energy, Environment, Fundamental Science, Emissions, Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Climate Change,Atmospheric Science

Battelle is the world's largest independent research and development organization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 22,000 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide. Battelle has managed the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., since the laboratory's inception in 1965.

TUESDAY: Newly Confirmed EPA Chief Gina McCarthy to Deliver Remarks at Harvard Law School

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EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 26, 2013
TUESDAY: Newly Confirmed EPA Chief Gina McCarthy to Deliver Remarks at Harvard Law School  

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, newly-confirmed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy will be in Cambridge, MA to deliver remarks at Harvard Law School. This will be her first public speech since being confirmed as EPA Administrator by the U.S. Senate. McCarthy will discuss her vision for the EPA and challenges the Agency will face going forward. She will also highlight her commitment to carrying out President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon pollution and address the impacts of climate change.

Prior to being named Administrator, McCarthy served as the Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. She has been a leading advocate for common-sense strategies to protect public health and the environment. Previously, McCarthy served as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. During her career, which spans nearly 30 years, McCarthy has worked at both the state and local levels on critical environmental issues and helped coordinate policies on economic growth, energy, transportation and the environment.

This event is co-hosted by Harvard Law School's Environmental Law Program (ELP).

Live WebCast: Administrator McCarthy’s speech will be live simulcast, and can be viewed on Tuesday at the following URL: http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2013/07/25_new-epa-administrator-mccarthy-to-speak-at-hls.html.

Social Media: EPA will “Live Tweet” from Administrator McCarthy’s speech. Twitter users can follow along with #GinaBoston.For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/evite.html.

WHO:              EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

WHAT:              Address at Harvard Law School

WHEN:             Tuesday, July 30, 2012 at 11 a.m.

WHERE:                       Harvard Law School

2036 Milstein East
Wasserstein Hall
1585 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

This event is open to the press. Media wishing to attend can RSVP to Deegan.dave@epa.gov

R131