JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND EPA ANNOUNCE SETTLEMENT WITH STERICYCLE INC. TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS AT MEDICAL WASTE INCINERATOR

 U.S. EPA News Release:

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND EPA ANNOUNCE SETTLEMENT WITH STERICYCLE INC. TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS AT MEDICAL WASTE INCINERATOR

Agreement Includes Supplemental Environmental Project to Provide Low-Emitting School Buses to Local School District

WASHINGTON (January 29, 2021) — The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with Illinois-based Stericycle, Inc. resolving alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act and Utah air quality regulations at its medical waste incinerator in North Salt Lake, Utah.

The settlement, set forth in a consent decree lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, requires Stericycle to comply with EPA regulations applicable to medical waste incinerators, pay a $600,000 civil penalty, and conduct a Supplemental Environmental Project requiring the company to spend at least $2 million to purchase low- emitting school buses for a local school district.

Today’s settlement resolves violations alleged in the United States’ complaint, which was also filed today. The complaint alleges that Stericycle operated its waste incinerator in a manner that exceeded regulatory limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx), failed to properly conduct stack tests, and failed to comply with reporting requirements. EPA investigated the alleged violations in cooperation with the Utah Division of Air Quality, which concluded its own action for related violations several years ago.

“This settlement will benefit all who live in and visit North Salt Lake,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator Debra H. Thomas. “In addition to NOx reductions at the facility, the settlement requires Stericycle to replace old, high-emitting school buses for a local school district, providing cleaner air for school children and nearby neighborhoods.” 

“Medical waste incinerators must operate in strict compliance with our nation’s clean air laws,” said Jean E. Williams, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Stericycle has installed new pollution controls and made operational changes to remedy the violations alleged in the complaint.”

The school bus replacement is a Supplemental Environmental Project, or SEP, which is an environmentally beneficial project required in a settlement that is not otherwise required by law.  Diesel emissions reduction SEPs have been expressly authorized by Congress. EPA expects the SEP in this case will replace as many as 20 buses, leading to significant reductions in NOx, carbon monoxide, and diesel particulate matter and substantial fuel savings.

NOx is a key component in the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that irritates lungs, exacerbates diseases such as asthma, and can increase susceptibility to respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. To view a copy of the consent decree and for information on how to submit a comment, visit www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

Dow Chemical Company and Two Subsidiaries Will Reduce Harmful Air Pollution at Four Chemical Plants

 U.S. EPA News Release:

Dow Chemical Company and Two Subsidiaries Will Reduce Harmful Air Pollution at Four Chemical Plants

Media contacts: Joe Hubbard or Jennah Durant at r6press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

DALLAS (Jan. 27, 2021) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) announced a settlement with Dow Chemical Company and two subsidiaries, Performance Materials NA Inc. and Union Carbide Corporation, that will eliminate thousands of tons of air pollution from four of Dow’s petrochemical manufacturing facilities in Texas and Louisiana.

 The settlement resolves allegations that Dow and its subsidiaries violated the Clean Air Act by failing to properly operate and monitor industrial flares at their petrochemical facilities, which resulted in excess emissions of harmful air pollution. Under the settlement, the companies will spend approximately $294 million to install and operate air pollution control and monitoring technology to reduce flaring and the resulting harmful air pollution from 26 industrial flares at the companies’ facilities in Hahnville, La.; Plaquemine, La.; Freeport, Texas; and Orange, Texas; pay $3 million in civil penalties; and perform three state-authorized beneficial environmental projects in Louisiana.

“By requiring a reduction in the quantity of waste gases that are flared and an improvement in combustion efficiency at four Dow facilities, this settlement will prevent the annual discharge of thousands of tons of harmful air pollutants,” said Larry Starfield, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Those controls, plus a requirement for fence line monitoring of benzene emissions, will result in significant benefits for the local EJ communities in Texas and Louisiana.”

The complaint, filed Tuesday along with the settlement, alleges that Dow and its subsidiaries “oversteamed” their flares and failed to comply with other key operating parameters that ensure the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants contained in the gases routed to the flares are effectively combusted.

Once fully implemented, the pollution controls required by the settlement are estimated to reduce harmful air emissions of VOCs by more than 5,600 tons per year. The settlement is also expected to reduce toxic air pollutants, including benzene, by nearly 500 tons per year.

The pollutants addressed by the settlement can cause significant harm to public health. VOCs are a key component in the formation of smog or ground-level ozone, a pollutant that irritates the lungs, exacerbates diseases such as asthma, and can increase susceptibility to respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Chronic exposure to benzene, which EPA classifies as a carcinogen, can cause numerous health impacts, including leukemia and adverse reproductive effects in women.

Flares are devices used to combust waste gases that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere during certain industrial operations. Well-operated flares should have high “combustions efficiency,” meaning they combust nearly all harmful waste gas constituents, like VOCs and hazardous air pollutants, and turn them into water and carbon dioxide. The agreement is designed to improve Dow’s flaring practices. First, it requires Dow to minimize the amount of waste gas that is sent to the flares, which reduces the amount of flaring. Second, Dow must improve the combustion efficiency of its flares when flaring is necessary. 

In order to minimize the waste gas sent to the flares at each facility, Dow will operate flare gas recovery systems that recover and “recycle” the gases instead of sending them to be combusted in a flare. The flare gas recovery systems will allow Dow to reuse these gases as a fuel at its facilities or a product for sale. Dow will also create waste minimization plans for each facility to further reduce flaring. For flaring that must occur, the agreement requires that Dow install and operate instruments and monitoring systems to ensure that the gases sent to its flares are efficiently combusted. Dow will also perform air quality monitoring that is designed to detect the presence of benzene at the fence lines of the four covered plants and pay a civil penalty of $3 million. The LDEQ will receive $675,000 of the $3 million total civil penalty, in addition to the beneficial environmental projects.

More information about this settlement can be found at https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/dow-chemical-company-performance-materials-na-inc-and-union-carbide-corporation-clean

 The consent decree, lodged in the Eastern District Court of Louisiana, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing at https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees

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U.S. EPA settles with Keehi Marine Center over stormwater pollution violations

 U.S. EPA News Release:

For Immediate Release: January 27, 2021

Media Contact: Alejandro Diaz, 808-541-1721, diaz.alejandro@epa.gov

U.S. EPA settles with Keehi Marine Center over stormwater pollution violations

HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a settlement with Keehi Marine, Inc. to resolve Clean Water Act (CWA) violations for discharge of contaminants into Honolulu’s Ke‘ehi Lagoon. Under the settlement, Keehi Marine will pay a $127,821 penalty and will maintain preventative measures to reduce the discharge of pollutants like lead, zinc, and copper through stormwater runoff. Such discharges harm aquatic life and sensitive coral reef ecosystems.

“Boatyard facilities that conduct maintenance and repair must have adequate stormwater pollution controls,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, Amy Miller. “This order will help prevent pollution from reaching Ke‘ehi Lagoon and Māmala Bay, protecting fragile coastal ecosystems.”

Keehi Marine completed the terms of an Administrative Order EPA issued to the facility on November 3, 2020, after EPA identified CWA violations at the facility. Under the Order, Keehi Marine has:

• Developed a Stormwater Pollution Control Plan to control pollutants.
• Resurfaced the 1.3-acre boatyard area to prevent discharges from work areas.
• Implemented a plan to monitor for copper, lead, zinc and other pollutants.
• Conducted employee training and daily inspections.
• Installed a stormwater treatment system to remove pollutants from their stormwater discharge.
• Implemented sample analysis policies and practices.

EPA's settlement with Keehi Marine resolves CWA violations found at the facility and is subject to a 30-day public comment period prior to final approval. The public notice and proposed settlement are available at https://www.epa.gov/hi/proposed-settlement-cwa-class-ii-administrative-penalty-matter-keehi-marine-inc-honolulu-hi.

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

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GWU Hospital in D.C. to pay $108,304 penalty for hazardous waste violations

 U.S. EPA News Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: R3press@epa.gov

GWU Hospital in D.C. to pay $108,304 penalty
for hazardous waste violations

PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 27, 2021) – The George Washington University Hospital has agreed to pay a $108,304 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at the general medical and surgical hospital in Washington, D.C.

EPA cited the GWU Hospital for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment and avoid long and extensive cleanups by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

Alleged violations include failure to label and date hazardous waste containers, storage of hazardous waste for greater than 90 days without a storage permit, failure to maintain aisle space necessary for emergency response, failure to minimize the risk of release of hazardous waste, and failure to conduct weekly inspections of the hazardous waste accumulation area.

The settlement reflects the hospital’s compliance efforts, and its cooperation with EPA in the investigation. As part of the settlement, GWU Hospital has not admitted liability for the alleged violations but has certified its compliance with applicable RCRA requirements.

For more information about EPA’s hazardous waste program, visit https://www.epa.gov/hw.

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U.S. EPA settles with Guam Shipyard to control stormwater pollution

 U.S. EPA News Release:

U.S. EPA settles with Guam Shipyard to control stormwater pollution

PITI, Guam – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a settlement with Guam Industrial Services, Inc., doing business as Guam Shipyard, over Clean Water Act (CWA) violations for discharge of contaminants into Apra Harbor. Under the settlement, Guam Shipyard will pay a $68,388 penalty and will install preventative measures in to reduce the discharge of pollutants like sandblast and paint debris in stormwater to the harbor. Sandblast and paint debris contain metals that harm aquatic life and sensitive coral reef ecosystems.

“Ship repair facilities must maintain effective stormwater pollution controls  to protect coastal ecosystems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, Amy Miller. “This order will help prevent pollution from reaching Apra Harbor.”

Guam Shipyard has completed the terms of an Administrative Order EPA issued to the facility on September 5, 2019, after EPA identified numerous violations at the facility. In response, Guam Shipyard has:

• Obtained the appropriate discharge permit.
• Developed a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan to control pollutants.
• Installed controls to contain sandblast and paint debris.
• Developed a plan to prevent non-stormwater discharges from entering Apra Harbor.
• Ensured that spill response equipment is available on site.

EPA's proposed settlement with Guam Shipyard resolves the violations found at the facility. The settlement is available at: https://www.epa.gov/pi/guam-industrial-services-inc-tamuning-guam-proposed-settlement-cwa-class-ii-administrative.

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

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EPA Announces Over $72 Million for Clean Water Projects in Texas

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Over $72 Million for Clean Water Projects in Texas

 

Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, R6Press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

 

DALLAS – (Jan. 26, 2021) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) $72,632,000 to provide low-interest loans to fund clean water projects in Texas. EPA provides the grant under the Clean Water Act’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), a federal-state partnership that provides communities low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects.

 

“Ensuring that everyone has reliable access to clean water is one of EPA’s fundamental priorities,” said Acting Regional Administrator David Gray. “We could not attain this goal without partners like the Texas Water Development Board, who work directly with communities to finance infrastructure projects.”

 

EPA’s funding provides a capitalization grant to TWDB’s CWSRF program to provide low-interest financing to eligible recipients, including municipalities or nonprofit groups that manage wastewater systems, nonpoint source pollution, or projects to improve water reuse or efficiency. The loans can finance costs associated with the planning, design, and construction of eligible water quality improvement and protection projects. As money is paid back into the CWSRF, TWDB makes new loans to other recipients for high-priority projects. Repayments of loan principal and interest earnings are recycled back into CWSRF programs to finance new projects that allow the funds to "revolve" at the state level over time to continue improving and protecting water quality and public health.

 

Under the CWSRF, EPA provides grants to all 50 states plus Puerto Rico to capitalize state CWSRF loan programs, and states contribute an additional 20 percent to match the federal grants. Under the CWSRF, states may provide various types of assistance, including loans, refinancing, purchasing, or guaranteeing local debt and purchasing bond insurance. States may also set specific loan terms, including interest rates from zero percent to market rate and repayment periods of up to 30 years. States have the flexibility to target financial resources to their specific community and environmental needs. Building on a federal investment of $45.2 billion, the state CWSRFs have provided $138 billion to communities through 2019. States have provided 41,234 low-interest loans to protect public health, protect valuable aquatic resources, and meet environmental standards benefiting hundreds of millions of people.

 

For more information, visit:  https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf

 

For more about EPA’s work in Texas: https://www.epa.gov/tx

 

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6 

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6

About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central  

 

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EPA Extends Public Review of Proposed Cleanup Plan to Address Soil and Groundwater Contamination at the Riverside Industrial Park Superfund Site in Newark, New Jersey

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Extends Public Review of Proposed Cleanup Plan to Address Soil and Groundwater Contamination at the Riverside Industrial Park Superfund Site in Newark, New Jersey

 

NEW JERSEY (January 25, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the public comment period to February 19, 2021 on its proposed cleanup plan for the Riverside Industrial Park Superfund site on the bank of the Passaic River in Newark. The proposed plan includes a combination of technologies and methods to address the cleanup of contaminated soil, soil gas (gas trapped in the soil), groundwater, sewer water and waste at the site.

The Riverside Industrial Park Superfund site is located on a 7.6-acre active industrial property that includes both current and former manufacturing and packaging facilities. Beginning in 1903, industrial operations started at the site that included the manufacturing of paint, varnish, linseed oil and resins. After 1971, the site was subdivided into 15 lots, some of which have ongoing business operations. The sources of soil and groundwater contamination include historic site operations, accidental spills, illegal dumping, improper handling of raw materials and/or improper waste disposal.

In 2009, at the request of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, EPA responded to an oil spill into the Passaic River that was eventually traced to two basement storage tanks in a vacant building on the site. The state and the City of Newark requested EPA’s help in assessing the contamination at the site and performing emergency actions to identify and stop the source of the spill. EPA investigated and discovered that chemicals including benzene, mercury, chromium and arsenic were improperly stored at the site. EPA took immediate actions to prevent further release of these chemicals into the river in the short-term. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List of the country’s most hazardous waste sites in 2013, and in 2014 an agreement was signed with PPG Industries, Inc., to perform the study of the site.

EPA held a virtual public meeting to explain and receive comments on the proposed plan on August 5, 2020 at 7:00 pm.

Written comments on EPA’s proposed plan may be mailed or emailed until February 19, 2021 to: Josh Smeraldi, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10007-1866 or smeraldi.josh@epa.gov.

To view EPA’s proposed plan for the site or for more information, please visit www.epa.gov/superfund/riverside-industrial

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at https://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2

 

21-006 

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EPA Awards Grant to University of California, Riverside Student Team for Technology Project

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Grant to University of California, Riverside Student Team for Technology Project

RIVERSIDE (January 22, 2021) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a University of California, Riverside (UCR) research team as a recipient of its People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant program, alongside 31 other student teams from across the country. The P3 program is a two-phase research grants program that helps support the next generation of scientists and engineers working to tackle some of today’s most pressing environmental issues.

“We want to congratulate the UCR team for its exemplary work on an innovative solution to a pressing water quality challenge,” said Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. “EPA is proud to support the next generation of scientists and engineers – including these bright students right here in California – in creating solutions that move us toward a sustainable future.”

As a Phase I P3 winner, the UCR team will receive funding to develop and demonstrate its Small-Scale Solar Desalination for Drinking Water unit, which combines solar energy with flash distillation and latent heat to remove salt from water. This system can convert brackish groundwater, seawater or used water into potable water for indoor use in single family homes.

“Clean water for all communities continues to be a hurdle in our modern society and we’re grateful the EPA is helping support these important efforts,” said Sundararajan Venkatadriagaram, Associate Professor of Teaching and faculty lead for the student project. “With the help of this grant, our engineering students can change lives – and might be inspired to build a life-long career that gives back.”

Alongside UCR, this year’s P3 Phase I winners are advancing a variety of environmental solutions including efforts to reduce microplastics waste and food waste, creation of innovative and solar-driven nanomaterials, and removal of PFAS from water using liquid extraction.

To learn more about the P3 Phase I winners, visit: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/655/records_per_page/ALL

For more information on the P3 Program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/P3

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

EPA Awards Grant to Stanford Student Team for Innovative Technology Projects

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Grant to Stanford Student Team for Innovative Technology Projects

 

WASHINGTON (January 22, 2021) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a Stanford University student research team as a recipient of its People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant program, alongside 31 other student teams from across the country. The P3 program is a two-phase research grants program that helps support the next generation of scientists and engineers working to tackle some of today’s most pressing environmental issues.

“We want to congratulate the Stanford team on its innovative development and design of a project that addresses a pressing water quality challenge,” said Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. “EPA is proud to support the next generation of environmental leaders, including those working on issues critical to California’s future.”

As a Phase I P3 winner, the Stanford team will receive funding to develop and demonstrate their Electro-Assisted Wastewater Nutrient Recovery unit. The project aims to create a cost-effective, self-contained unit that targets and captures nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater and converts them for use in pure fertilizer with little chemical or energy input. Currently, up to 80 percent of wastewater is discharged without treatment. Capturing the flow stops a common source of toxic algal blooms from polluting water sources, and also provides a reliable and efficient supply of nutrients essential for agricultural fertilizer production.

“We are thrilled to benefit from EPA support in our efforts to close the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles by transforming wastewater into new commodities. We focus on combining adsorption and electrochemistry to achieve the best of both techniques: low energy, low cost and low environmental impacts,” said Will Tarpeh, an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford and faculty lead for the team. “Along the way we look forward to engaging students, community members and the broader public in our efforts to reduce the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus discharges to the environment.”

Tarpeh and an interdisciplinary team of Stanford students will be working with the William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center – a wastewater treatment plant at Stanford – to install and operate the pilot reactors for the project. Anna Kogler (PhD student, civil and environmental engineering), Hang Dong (postdoctoral fellow, Tarpeh Lab), Brandon Clark (PhD student, chemical engineering) and Will Chow (undergraduate, chemistry) lead the charge with Tarpeh.

Alongside Stanford, this year’s P3 Phase I winners are addressing a variety of research topics including efforts to reduce microplastics waste and food waste, creating innovative and solar-driven nanomaterials, building a stand-alone water treatment system that can provide potable water in homes, and removing PFAS from water using liquid extraction.

To learn more about Stanford’s project, visit: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/11129/report/0 .

To learn more about all the P3 Phase I winners across the U.S., visit: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/655/records_per_page/ALL.

For more information on the P3 Program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/P3. 

 

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

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 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA settles with Anchorage military base for hazardous waste violations

Action prompts resumption of recycling “mountains” of expended small arms brass cartridges

 

(Seattle) January 19, 2021 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, today announced a settlement for violations of federal laws governing the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes.

On October 9, 2019, JBER self-disclosed that approximately 200,000 pounds of expended small-arms cartridge casings (ESACCs) had been stockpiled and were determined to be toxic from lead contamination.  The Base had successfully recycled all its brass casings until 2017, when the recycling was discontinued.  The resolution of this case sets the stage for a resumption of the ESACC recycling program, and the proceeds will fund other base-wide recycling efforts at JBER.

“The military is obligated to properly manage solid and hazardous waste, just like other regulated entities,“ said Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division in Seattle.  “This settlement at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson holds the U.S. Air Force accountable, paves the way for the recycling program restart and protects public health and the environment.”

Under the terms of the settlement, EPA is allowing JBER to recycle the brass ESACCs rather than dispose of them in a permitted RCRA treatment, storage, and disposal facility. In accordance with a structured timeline, JBER must decontaminate the building where the scrap brass cartridges are stored, report to EPA on its progress recycling the ESACCs, and notify EPA when the recycling is completed. This settlement also resolves universal waste management violations identified during an October 7-9, 2019, EPA Base inspection.

JBER demonstrated a cooperative attitude during the course of settlement negotiations and is in the process of correcting the violations and instituting new measures to prevent their recurrence. The Base has paid a $61,554 penalty as part of the settlement. 

                                                                                    

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 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Announces $96 Million WIFIA Loan to King County, Washington to Improve Water Quality in Puget Sound

 

Nationally, 43 WIFIA loans are helping finance more than $17.1 billion in water infrastructure projects. Since 2017, EPA has invested  $424.7 million in WIFIA funding for King County and Seattle Public Utilities water quality projects.

 

SEATTLE (January 19, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $96.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to King County Washington that will reduce sewer overflows to protect water quality in the Puget Sound and a key local tributary, the Lake Washington Ship Canal. 

“EPA built a great financing tool for investing in America’s water infrastructure when it stood up the WIFIA program,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This WIFIA loan will help King County better manage stormwater during heavy rain events—meaning fewer sewer overflows and less pollution entering the Puget Sound.” 

EPA’s WIFIA loan will help finance the design and construction of a massive underground storage tank that will capture and store untreated stormwater and sewage from heavy storms until it can be treated at the West Point Treatment Plant. This project will substantially improve water quality in the Ship Canal by reducing sewer overflows at six locations and preventing reducing stormwater discharges.

“We’re proud to help King County realize its dream to protect the Sound by making this  investment in the future,” said Chris Hladick, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “Without adequate wastewater treatment capacity, no county or municipality can hope to meet the needs of growing communities and a thriving business and industrial base. WIFIA loans are crucially important to big local projects that protect our natural resources, deliver good-paying jobs and build stronger, more resilient economies.”

“The Ship Canal Water Quality project is not only an important infrastructure investment to help protect the environment and improve water quality in Puget Sound, it will also bolster the regional economy by creating over 630 new construction jobs,” said King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True. “WIFIA financing helps make the most of ratepayer investments by saving over $15.5 million.”

This is King County’s second WIFIA loan. In 2017, EPA issued a $134.5 million WIFIA loan to King County for the Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station, which treats up to 70 million gallons of combined rain and wastewater a day that would otherwise have discharged directly to the Duwamish during storm events.

WIFIA is providing financial support at a critical time as the federal government, EPA, and the water sector work together to help mitigate the public health and financial impacts of COVID-19. This project will cost $197.6 million and EPA’s WIFIA loan will finance nearly half of that figure. The remaining project funds will come from a Washington Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan, revenue bonds, and system funds. This WIFIA loan will save King County an estimated $34 million. Project construction and operation are expected to create more than 600 jobs. Since the beginning of March 2020, WIFIA has announced 27 loans and updated seven existing loans with lower interest rates. These recent announcements will save ratepayers over $1.5 billion. Since the first WIFIA loan was closed in 2018, EPA has announced 43 WIFIA loans that are providing $7.9 billion in credit assistance to help finance $17.1 billion for water infrastructure while creating more than 39,900 jobs and saving ratepayers $3.7 billion. 

Background on WIFIA

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. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

 

For more information about the WIFIA program, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA announces $81 million WIFIA loan to Beaverton, Oregon to improve water supply

Nationally, 43 WIFIA loans are helping finance more than $17.1 billion in water infrastructure projects. EPA WIFIA investment in Oregon water quality projects since 2018: $1.25 billion

 

PORTLAND (January 19, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an $81 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the City of Beaverton, Oregon that will help enhance the reliability and resiliency of the city’s water system to continue meeting the needs of this growing urban area.

“Through WIFIA, EPA is delivering on its commitment to modernize the nation’s water infrastructure to improve public health and environmental protection while supporting local economies,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Since 2018, the agency has announced 43 WIFIA loans that are providing $7.9 billion to help finance $17.1 billion for water infrastructure while creating more than 39,900 jobs and saving ratepayers $3.7 billion.”

EPA’s WIFIA loan will help finance the Beaverton Water Supply Improvement Program, a series of projects that will improve the reliability of the city’s water system, increase its resiliency to seismic events, and implement a new stormwater reuse system. The program will construct major transmission mains, new connections to neighboring water systems, and additional seismically resilient drinking water storage. It will also expand service to a new area, install a system-wide Advance Metering Infrastructure system, and build a new stormwater reuse system.

“By investing in Beaverton, we’re betting on the city’s vision of a thriving future,” said Chris Hladick, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “Without robust and safe water supplies, no city can hope to meet the needs of their growing communities, a thriving business landscape or industrial base. WIFIA loans are crucially important to local projects that deliver safe drinking water, protect our natural resources and build stronger, more resilient local economies.”

“Beaverton’s Water Supply Improvement Program is a critical regional water project that will save ratepayers money and help ensure that residents have access to clean, safe, and reliable water for generations to come,” said Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and WIFIA financing architect.  “In a time when we’re grappling with an economic implosion caused by a global pandemic, the fact that it creates thousands of jobs in the process is a much-needed benefit. I created the WIFIA program to invest in exactly these kinds of projects, after hearing from Oregonians that safe, reliable water infrastructure is one of the top challenges facing their communities. This program continues to be a great model for delivering results through local and federal collaboration that can save ratepayers millions.”

"I'm very excited to see the work with EPA come together,” said Beaverton City Councilor Mark Fagin. “The projects Beaverton will be able to complete with this funding source will provide our community with the resiliency and redundancy we need from our water system."

WIFIA is providing financial support at a critical time as the federal government, EPA, and the water sector work together to help mitigate the public health and financial impacts of COVID-19. This project will cost $165.5 million and EPA’s WIFIA loan will finance nearly half of that figure. The remaining project funds will come from an Oregon Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan, revenue bonds, and system funds. This WIFIA loan will save the City of Beaverton an estimated $31.3 million. Project construction and operation are expected to create more than 500 jobs. Since the beginning of March 2020, WIFIA has announced 27 loans and updated seven existing loans with lower interest rates. These recent announcements will save ratepayers over $1.5 billion.

Background on WIFIA

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. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

 

For more information about the WIFIA program, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

EPA Region 6 Releases 2020 Year in Review

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Region 6 Releases 2020 Year in Review

Media contacts: Joe Hubbard or Jennah Durant at r6press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

DALLAS – (Jan. 19, 2021) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 released the 2020 Year in Review outlining major accomplishments and environmental progress over the past fiscal year (FY).

“In the face of unprecedented challenges, the staff and management team of Region 6 showed ingenuity and dedication to produce impressive environmental benefits for communities across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “I am proud to have worked with these public servants as they found ways to adjust their processes, and in many cases improve their results, during 2020.”

2020 EPA accomplishments include:

• Received the National Excellence in Performance Management Award for developing and directing a voluntary drinking water sampling initiative under the EPA 3T’s Guidance (Train, Tell and Take Action) to address lead exposure in Native American children, protecting more than 4,000 children from the harmful effects of lead exposure in drinking water.
• Negotiated a judicial settlement in the largest Clean Water Act case in the country, with the City of Houston, Texas, regarding violations of its National/Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, involving 40 wastewater treatment plants and providing for a $4.4 million civil penalty and injunctive relief extending over the next 20 years. 
• Led the nation for the seventh year in RCRA enforcement actions and penalties with 38 percent of the nation’s actions, despite the inability to conduct onsite inspections for half of the year. 
• Lodged one of the largest sanitary sewer overflows settlement in the nation with the City of Corpus Christi, with an agreement from the city to pay a civil penalty of $1.14 million and implement injunctive relief costing $725 million over 15 years.  
• Lodged a settlement with Churchill Downs, the largest EPA assessed penalty to a concentrated animal feeding operation facility with a $2.79 million penalty and $5.6 million innovative injunctive relief measures. 
• Concluded 24% of all enforcement actions in the nation, with 348 administrative enforcement actions and three judicial enforcement actions in FY20. 
• Reduced the backlog of new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to be issued by 66% and permits to be renewed by 50% and reviewed all NPDES permits for delegated states in a timely manner.
• Accomplished 96 Brownfields assessments in FY20, exceeding the Government Performance and Results Act goal by 33 percent.
• Awarded the New Mexico Environment Department’s first-ever Performance Partnership Grant including more than $1.6 million in federal funds for its Air, Public Water System Supervision, and Radon programs. 
• Led development of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group restoration plan, including three projects which will restore more than 1,300 acres of wetlands and incorporate more than 25 miles of linear protection measures, 12.5 miles of which will be oyster barrier reef.
• Coordinated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and New Mexico Environment Department to identify significant emissions from oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin through 153 off-site Partial Compliance Evaluations, reducing VOCs by 9.5 million pounds.
• Completed a multi-year ambient air monitoring project in LaPlace, La., in the neighborhoods surrounding the Denka Performance Elastomer Facility, LLC, collecting over 2,500 air samples from six locations and reducing emissions of chloroprene from the facility by 85 percent.  

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region-6-2020-accomplishments

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6 

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6

Activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

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U.S. settles with U.S. Magnesium, the largest producer of magnesium metal in the Northern Hemisphere, for alleged illegal disposal of hazardous waste at Rowley, Utah facility

 U.S. EPA News Release:

U.S. settles with U.S. Magnesium, the largest producer of magnesium metal in the Northern Hemisphere, for alleged illegal disposal of hazardous waste at Rowley, Utah facility

Magnesium metal producer commits to process changes to treat its waste streams to remove dioxins, furans, hexachlorobenzene and PCBs to reduce environmental impacts from its operations

SALT LAKE CITY (January 19, 2021) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced a settlement with U.S Magnesium (USM) to resolve violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and require response actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) at its Rowley, Utah facility.  The settlement includes extensive process modifications at the facility that will reduce the environmental impacts from its production operations and will ensure greater protection for its workers. 

 “This settlement advances EPA’s mission of achieving  environmentally beneficial management of hazardous  waste by reducing  the volume and toxicity of waste generated on site and ensuring that the U.S. taxpayer will not be responsible for future costs associated with cleanup and closure of this facility,” said Susan Bodine, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

This settlement includes construction of a  barrier wall around 1,700 acres of the operating portions of the facility to prevent leaks or breaches of hazardous materials to the Great Salt Lake; construction of a filtration plant to treat all wastewater; and provides for financial assurance to ensure cleanup and closure of the facility.

The company will also spend at least $37 million to implement the terms of the settlement and will pay a civil penalty of $250,000.

“This agreement will secure the long-term protection human health and the environment at the U.S. Magnesium facility,” said acting EPA Regional Administrator, Debra Thomas. “EPA, DOJ, and the State of Utah have worked with the facility to address environmental impacts through litigation, EPA cleanup authorities, state permitting activities, and, ultimately, this mutually agreed upon settlement for the long-term management of hazardous waste.”

A consent decree formalizing the settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court Central Division Utah and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.