EPA Press Office:

California Trucking Company to Pay $71K Penalty for Three Spills into Lake County Waterways

California Trucking Company to Pay $71K Penalty for Three Spills into Lake County Waterways

 

Contact Information: John Senn, 415-972-3999, senn.john@epa.gov

SAN FRANCISCO (November 21, 2022) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with the owner and operator of Steve Wills Trucking and Logging LLC to resolve claims of violations of the Clean Water Act. Tanker trucks transporting milk from the Steve Wills facility near Fortuna, California, were involved in three separate driving incidents, all of which resulted in discharges of raw milk into waterways. One of the three incidents resulted in the death of a driver.

“Improper transport of goods can negatively impact waterways and compromise the safety of workers,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “When companies fail to manage substances that have the potential to impact waterways the local community, environment, and worker safety is put in danger.”

On January 19, 2020, a tanker truck carrying raw milk on Highway 20 near Glenhaven, CA overturned down an embankment and released raw milk into Clear Lake. On April 12, 2020, a second incident took place when a truck on Highway 20 near Clearlake Oaks, CA overturned down an embankment and released raw milk into Clear Lake. Finally, on December 11, 2021, a truck on Highway 20 east of Lance Road in Lake County overturned down an embankment into Grizzly Creek, a tributary of Cache Creek.

Drivers were cited for the January 19 and April 12, 2020, incidents. The third incident is still pending the results of an ongoing investigation.

Steve Wills Trucking and Logging agreed to a penalty in the amount of $71,967 to resolve claims that the company discharged to Waters of the United States without a permit, which is a violation of the Clean Water Act.

U.S. law requires the safe management of materials to protect public health, the environment, and limit the need for costly and extensive cleanups. It is unlawful to discharge pollutants into Waters of the United States, except as authorized by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued under the Clean Water Act.

For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations visit EPA’s enforcement reporting website.

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

 EPA Press Office:

Six California Entities Receive EPA Safer Choice Awards for Chemical Safety

Products with safer chemicals protect human health and advance environmental justice

Six California Entities Receive EPA Safer Choice Awards for Chemical Safety

Products with safer chemicals protect human health and advance environmental justice

 

Contact Information: John Senn, 415-972-3999, senn.john@epa.gov

SAN FRANCISCO (November 17, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected six entities based in California as Partners of the Year for the agency’s Safer Choice program, recognizing their achievements in the design, manufacture, selection, and use of products with safer chemicals. The Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers for facilities, such as schools and office buildings, find products containing chemical ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment.

“Safer Choice products, including the ones made by our Partners of the Year in California, help protect workers, families, communities, and the planet,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA is pleased to recognize these six California partners for their support of safer chemistry and sustainability, advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equity and environmental justice.”

The California-based awardees are:

ECOS (Cypress): A partner since 2008, ECOS increased its Safer Choice certified products by 7 percent to total 86 percent of its products and amplified the certification program through increased labeling and conferences in 2021. ECOS also diverted 740 tons of trash in 2021, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions. 

“We’re truly honored that the EPA has recognized us again for our commitment to safer formulations, environmental justice, and climate action,” said ECOS President & CEO Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks. “We believe everyone has the right to a healthy home, and we’re working hard to make sure every shopper has access to safer, affordable cleaning products, no matter where they live.”

Grove Collaborative (San Francisco): In 2021, Grove added four new Safer Choice-certified products, all of which are cleaning concentrates sold in glass bottles. The company displays the Safer Choice label on its products and on product description pages on their website in a Safer Choice Spotlight Store created in 2021.

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired (San Francisco): In 2021, LightHouse was awarded a private label contract to produce eight Safer Choice-certified products to be sold nationwide. The organization also partners with the National Institute for the Blind to sell Safer Choice-certified products, with 10 of their 14 products carrying the Safer Choice label.

“We are thrilled to yet again be one of the EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year recipients,” said San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Chief Operations Officer Brandon Cox: “It is a partnership that helps us to promote our mission of providing employment opportunities and career progression to people who are blind or have low vision living in The Bay Area. To be recognized and to know we have the EPA Safer Choice label gives further weight and credibility to this mission.”

Sensitive Home (Greenbrae): In 2021, Sensitive Home initiated 19 Safer Choice applications, including six concentrated spray products that would significantly reduce plastic distribution, and launched its own online store that displays the Safer Choice label in its marketing insert and media outreach efforts.

“Sensitive Home is thankful and humbled to be chosen as an EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year for the second year in our two-year existence,” said Gregory van Buskirk, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer for Sensitive Home. “Our mission has been to bring effective cleaning products to the most sensitive of users, and those aspirations align superbly with Safer Choice. We decided on day-one that we would not bring any of our products to the market without Safer Choice certification. As we continue to grow our fledgling brand, we look forward to many more years in partnership with EPA Safer Choice.”

The Ashkin Group, LLC (Channel Islands Harbor): In 2021, the Ashkin Group included Safer Choice in trainings for 15,000 frontline cleaning workers on using safer ingredients and reducing resource use and greenhouse gas emissions. The company recommended Safer Choice in dozens of articles and webinars throughout the year, as well as in key building certification programs to encourage procurement of certified cleaning products.

The Clorox Company (Oakland): In 2021, Clorox had 14 retail and two industrial and institutional Safer Choice products, increased its Safer Choice labeling by 150 percent, and reached 100 percent use of renewable energy in the United States and Canada. Clorox has been a Safer Choice partner since 2007 and helped EPA develop the new Design for the Environment logo while expanding its antimicrobial products with DfE logos from one to four registrations. 

 

The six California-based awardees are among 26 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners across 14 states and the District of Columbia for 2022. Applicants for this year’s awards were encouraged to show how their work advances environmental justice, bolsters resilience to the impacts of climate change, results in cleaner air or water, or improves drinking water quality.

In early 2023, EPA will build on this work by announcing a grant opportunity as part of the $100 million Pollution Prevention grant program funded though the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  The grants can support increasing supply and demand for safer, environmentally preferable products such as those certified by the Safer Choice program or identified by EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program.

Learn more about the 2022 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners and summaries of their accomplishments.

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

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Celebrates Year One Accomplishments Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

$5.5 billion awarded through the law so far to modernize the nation’s infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, combat the climate crisis, and advance environmental justice

Contact: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON (Nov. 15, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) marked one year of progress in implementing President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with the release of a new report detailing the Agency’s investments in the Nation’s infrastructure and communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure law provides EPA with more than $60 billion over five years for a wide range of environmental programs that will bring much-needed funding to America’s water infrastructure, environmental cleanups, and clean air protections, while also advancing environmental justice and combatting climate change.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Year One Anniversary Report highlights how EPA is working with state, local, and Tribal partners to transform communities through the largest appropriation the Agency has ever received. EPA has already awarded $5.5 billion of the $14.1 billion available in FY 2022 through grants, contracts, and interagency agreements, and program implementation efforts and will continue to build on this progress in the coming year.

“EPA is committed to leveraging this once-in-a-generation investment to secure a future that is healthier, safer, and more just for all,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Over the last year, EPA has put a down payment on projects across the country that will create millions of good-paying jobs, modernize our Nation’s infrastructure, combat the climate crisis, and put us on a path to winning the 21^st century. While we have our work cut out for us, the future ahead is bright and President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is allowing us to progress further and faster than ever before.”

Highlights from the EPA’s first year of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) investments include:

• EPA awarded $4 billion in water infrastructure funds to states, Tribes, territories, and the District of Columbia in capitalization grants under State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. These programs provide low-cost financing for a wide range of water infrastructure projects from sewage systems to drinking water with nearly half of the funding flowing to disadvantaged communities.
• EPA awarded 20 state capitalization grants for lead service line identification and replacement. This is expected to fund approximately 300 projects in communities across the country, with nearly half of the funding flowing to disadvantaged communities.
• EPA created a $5 billion non-competitive grant program for small or disadvantaged communities to address emerging contaminants, including per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in drinking water systems.
• Deployed $115 million to accelerate the cleanup of Congressionally designated Areas of Concern throughout the Great Lakes region.
• Deployed $8 million through the Puget Sound Program to support tribal environmental restoration and protection projects with 19 Federally recognized Tribes.
• Deployed $40 million through the Chesapeake Bay Program to states and local stakeholders to reduce nutrients, protect small watersheds, and increase ecosystem and community resilience to climate change.
• Awarded nearly $1 billion to purchase over 2,400 electric and clean school buses in nearly 400 school districts spanning 50 states, Washington, DC, and several Tribes and U.S. territories. EPA’s Clean School Bus Program rebates help replace existing older, dirtier school buses with electric, propane, and natural gas alternatives. This will accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities.
• Deployed more than $1 billion for cleanup activities at more than 100 Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites—some of the most polluted sites in the country.
• Awarded $190 million for Brownfield projects that are projected to result in over 880 site assessments, 78 sites cleaned-up, and 20,000 jobs leveraged in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment.
• Every financial assistance program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is developing a strategy to ensure at least 40 percent of the funding flows to disadvantaged communities.

As part of the Build America, Buy America Act that was passed concurrently with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is working to ensure that domestically sourced iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials are used in EPA’s infrastructure projects. Through this transformational opportunity, EPA will work to build a resilient supply chain and manufacturing base for critical products in the United States that will catalyze new and long-term investments in good-paying American jobs and businesses. As a policy priority, investing in Made in America products will position the United States to compete and lead in global markets in the 21st century.

These and other first year Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding highlights, as well as expected results for future investments, can be found in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Year One Anniversary Report.

Additional Background:

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides EPA over $60 billion for a wide range of programs to be made available over five fiscal years from FY 2022 through 2026:

$14.1 billion in FY 2022

$11.2 billion in FY 2023

$11.6 billion in FY 2024

$12.0 billion in FY 2025

$12.0 billion in FY 2026

Of the $60 billion investment:

More than $50 billion are for clean water and drinking water projects along with other water protection programs, the single largest federal investment in clean water ever made. With these funds, EPA will make progress on President Biden’s pledge to replace within the decade the 6 to 10 million lead service lines still in the ground across the country, address the threat of PFAS pollution facing communities, and broaden efforts to protect critical water bodies that are important to communities and the economy.

More than $5 billion are for cleaning up longstanding pollution at Superfund and brownfields sites, and for improving waste management and recycling systems managed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to restore the economic vitality of communities that have been exposed to pollution for far too long. Additionally, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reinstated and modified the Superfund chemical excise taxes. Funds collected through this tax will be available for EPA to use during the fiscal year after they are collected. As of September 30, 2022, the U.S. Treasury collected $413 million of these taxes, which EPA can apply towards Superfund cleanups in FY 2023. These funds are in addition to the $3.5 billion appropriated for Superfund cleanups in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

$5 billion are for decarbonizing the nation’s school bus fleet, improving air quality for more than 25 million children who ride the bus to school each day.

$100 million are for the Pollution Prevention Program to increase access to safer and more sustainable products and services. A new grant opportunity will focus on delivering environmental justice by leveraging Safer Choice and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing as tools to increase assistance to businesses serving the needs of institutions and consumers in disadvantaged communities.

Visit EPA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law page for more information

Construction Begins for Southern Impoundment Cleanup at San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site

 EPA News Release:

Construction Begins for Southern Impoundment Cleanup at

San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site
 

DALLAS, TEXAS (Nov. 14th, 2022) — Construction for the final remedy has begun for part of the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund site in Harris County, Texas, just east of Houston. The work involves excavation and off-site disposal of dioxin-containing wastes from the portion of the site known as the Southern Impoundment, an area of about 20 acres on a small peninsula extending just south of Interstate 10.

“The San Jacinto River Waste Pits has proven to be one of the most complex Superfund sites in the nation, with the Highlands and Channelview areas living with the burden of dioxin contamination for too long,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “By starting construction on the remedy for the Southern Impoundment, we are taking the first steps to ensuring these wastes are no longer a threat to the surrounding communities.”

The overall site consists of two large pits, or impoundments, built into the banks of the San Jacinto River in the mid-1960s for disposal of pulp wastes containing dioxin from nearby paper-manufacturing facilities. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 2008. EPA issued an order for the site investigation in 2009 to International Paper and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation, the responsible companies. In 2017, EPA issued a Record of Decision for the site that included removal of waste from the impoundments and off-site disposal.

EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order to International Paper in 2021 to address the contamination in the Southern Impoundment. IP contractors will conduct the work under EPA oversight. The first few weeks of work will include personnel and equipment mobilization and site prep prior to the start of excavation.  The work is expected to take two years to complete.

Members of the public are reminded to follow posted warning signs and stay out of the fenced areas of the site. A fish consumption advisory remains in place for the San Jacinto River.

 

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our homepage.

EPA Penalizes Ampac Fine Chemicals, Resolving Claims of Hazardous Waste Law Violations

 EPA News Release:

EPA Penalizes Ampac Fine Chemicals, Resolving Claims of Hazardous Waste Law Violations

Contact Information: Joshua Alexander (alexander.joshua@epa.gov)

415-214-5940

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a settlement with Ampac Fine Chemicals, LLC to resolve violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and related state laws at its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Rancho Cordova, California. EPA determined that Ampac failed to comply with legal requirements that govern hazardous waste management and will pay a fine of $69,879.

In February 2020 EPA performed an inspection of the Rancho Cordova facility, which manufactures pharmaceutical ingredients and generates large quantities of hazardous waste. EPA determined that Ampac did not: perform required calibration testing; mark equipment subject to air emission standards for equipment leaks; develop a monitoring plan for valves that are difficult or unsafe to monitor; separate incompatible hazardous waste during accumulation; have a qualified professional engineer assess the integrity of an existing tank; list emergency equipment capabilities in a contingency plan; and properly label hazardous waste containers.

“Failure to properly manage hazardous waste and air emissions can pose a serious health risk to nearby communities, ” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “This settlement will help protect workers, the community, and the environment in Rancho Cordova.”

For more information on inspections, visit EPA’s How We Monitor Compliance webpage.

For more information on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, visit EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Laws and Regulations webpage.

For more information on hazardous waste, visit EPA’s Learn the Basics of Hazardous Waste webpage.

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

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Responds to Petitions to Address Harmful Emissions from Locomotives

WASHINGTON (November 9, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is responding to petitions from the California Air Resources Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association to address harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from locomotives. As part of EPA’s response to these petitions, the Agency is taking immediate steps to develop options and recommendations to address pollution from new locomotives as well as those already operating in communities nationwide.

 

“Locomotives remain a significant source of emissions, often disproportionately impacting the health of communities that are located near railyards and ports,” said Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “EPA’s response reflects a commitment to deliver significant and needed public health benefits for underserved communities across the country that are overburdened by higher levels of diesel exhaust.”

 

“I’m proud to help lead the charge in California to defend our nationally leading clean air protections and reduce vehicle emissions,” Senator Alex Padilla said. “But EPA must also do their part by regulating emissions from locomotives nationwide. That’s why I’m grateful to EPA for heeding my calls and those from California’s air pollution agencies. Workers and neighborhoods near ports and industrial rail yards have been subject to increased air pollution from locomotives for decades, facing higher instances of respiratory illnesses and premature death. Thanks to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the time to make a generational investment in transitioning to cleaner locomotives is now.”

 

Additionally, EPA plans to propose revisions to existing locomotive preemption regulations to ensure they don’t inappropriately limit California’s and other states’ authorities under the Clean Air Act to address their air quality issues.

 

Further, EPA has formed a rail study team to evaluate how best to address air pollutant emissions from the locomotive sector.

 

In the coming months, this team will collect information and evaluate the following: 

 

• a range of technologies that may be available to further reduce locomotive emissions;
• policy options to accelerate locomotive fleet turnover to newer, cleaner technology;
• policy options to ensure that remanufactured locomotives are as clean as possible; 
• engagement with partners, such as state, non-governmental organizations, environmental justice organizations, and industry stakeholders, to gather input as needed to inform the required evaluations.

 

Additionally, the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides an enormous opportunity in the locomotive space. This funding accelerates the transition to a zero emissions future by providing funding opportunities in so many subsectors of transportation. EPA will explore opportunities to leverage these historic resources moving forward.

 

Diesel emissions contribute to concentrations of ozone and PM2.5 and their resulting health effects, which include premature death, respiratory illness (including childhood asthma), and cardiovascular problems. Diesel emission reductions from locomotives would improve health and air quality for communities across the country, including those already overburdened by pollution from freight transportation.

 

Learn more and view EPA’s official petition response.

Oklahoma City Used Oil Recyclers Pay Nearly $2 Million for Processing, Transportation, and Storage Violations

 EPA News Release:

Oklahoma City Used Oil Recyclers Pay Nearly $2 Million for Processing, Transportation, and Storage Violations

DALLAS, TEXAS (November 9, 2022)- January Environmental Services, Inc., January Transport, Inc., and company-owner Cris January will pay civil penalties of $1.9 million and perform comprehensive corrective measures to resolve allegations that they violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) through their used oil transportation and processing operations in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In a complaint filed on November 30, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice, and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) alleged that the companies and Cris January committed multiple violations of RCRA’s used oil and hazardous waste regulations.

“Federal hazardous waste laws are vital to preventing pollution from entering the environment and causing costly damage to natural resources and potential harm to people’s health,” said EPA Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Companies are required to take responsibility for these materials for their entire lifespan, and must be held accountable for failing to do so.”

JTI owns and operates a used oil transportation service, and JES owns and operates a used oil storage/processing facility in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Cris January is the president of both corporate entities. Prior inspections of the facility by ODEQ found alleged violations of RCRA regulations regarding used oil and hazardous waste transport and storage. In November 2017 and March 2019, joint EPA and ODEQ inspections found these types of violations had continued.  

Companies that receive, store, handle, generate or transport hazardous waste must follow RCRA regulations, including properly determining whether the waste is hazardous and properly tracking the hazardous wastes through a manifest system. Alleged violations at JTI and JES included failure to perform hazardous waste determinations for solid wastes found onsite, storing hazardous waste without a RCRA permit, and accepting hazardous waste for transport without a hazardous waste manifest. Additionally, companies that receive, transport, store, and/or process used oil for recycling must comply with RCRA’s used oil program. The alleged violations by JTI and JES also included transporting used oil and accepting used oil for processing without determining its halogen content,  and failing to comply with the General Facility Standards and recordkeeping for used oil processors.

This settlement, approved [today] by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, requires JES and JTI to institute a number of company-wide changes to come into compliance with RCRA used oil and hazardous waste regulations, many of which the companies have already undertaken. Compliance requirements include training staff on using proper manifest forms to track the handling of hazardous waste, develop a written waste management plan, and update emergency preparations such as coordinating with local emergency responders and hiring an independent engineer to review the facilities’ spill-containment and contingency plans.

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our homepage.

 EPA Press Office:

City of Elyria, Ohio Agrees to Federal/State Plan to Eliminate Sewage Discharges into the Black River

Investments In Municipal Wastewater System Will Improve Water Quality

The city of Elyria, Ohio, has entered into a consent decree with the United States and the State of Ohio to complete a series of capital projects designed to eliminate discharges of untreated sewage from its sewer system into the Black River, 10 miles upstream from Lake Erie.

 

The construction projects that Elyria has designed and agreed to implement will significantly increase the amount of wastewater that receives treatment and prevent overflows from sanitary and combined sewer outfalls when the system becomes overloaded. When completed, the Black River’s water quality, around which the City of Elyria is situated, will be greatly improved. Elyria is expected to spend nearly $250 million to improve its sewer system. It will also pay a civil penalty of $100,000 to the United States and pay $100,000 to Ohio’s Surface Water Improvement Fund.

 

The consent decree would resolve the violations alleged in the underlying complaint filed by the United States and the state of Ohio. The complaint alleges that Elyria’s sanitary sewers overflowed on more than 1,100 occasions since 2011, resulting in discharges of untreated sewage into the Black River or a tributary to the river. The complaint also alleges that Elyria failed to comply with a previous court order to stop these illegal discharges.

 

“The City of Elyria’s infrastructure investment will not only reduce untreated sewage from entering the Black River, but also improve water quality for residents,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA and the State of Ohio worked with the City of Elyria to develop a comprehensive solution to protect water quality.”

 

“The Clean Water Act requires adequate infrastructure to limit discharges of untreated sewage,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “These settlements require meaningful investments that will improve the health of the Black River and Lake Erie.”

 

Under the proposed consent decree, Elyria will construct various projects within its sewer system to be completed by Dec. 31, 2044. The most environmentally-significant of these projects will be completed within the first 15 years. This includes completion of the city’s East Side Relief Sewer, increasing capacity at Elyria’s wastewater treatment plant, and adding processes to mitigate the harm from any bypasses around the wastewater treatment plant, and twelve other projects that will control waste overflows or the flow of non-wastewater into the sewer system. Elyria will submit semi-annual progress reports to the United States and the State until all work has been completed.

 

The proposed agreements are subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval after publication in the Federal Register.

 

More information about this settlement can be found at The Elyria, Ohio Clean Water Act Settlement Information Sheet | US EPA.

 

The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing on the Justice Department website. 

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Awards $7.7 Million for Research Grants to Improve Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures in the Environment

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $7,770,044 in research grant funding to 11 institutions to develop and evaluate innovative methods and approaches to inform our understanding of the human health risks that may result from exposure to chemical mixtures in the environment.

 

“Protecting public health is an essential part of EPA’s mission,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The research announced today will advance the science for evaluating mixtures of chemicals and their toxicity so we can better understand the human health impacts, and ultimately, better protect public health.”

 

Toxicology studies have traditionally focused on the effects of single chemicals on human health. However, chemicals in the environment are often present as mixtures in the air, water, soil, food, and products in commerce. These chemical mixtures include PFAS, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), disinfection by-products (DBPs) and other well-characterized mixtures. There is a need to assess the toxicity of chemical mixtures to understand how their combined effects on our health and the environment differ from what we know about individual chemicals. Due to their lower cost and higher throughput, new approach methods (NAMs) and use of alternative animal models have emerged as potential approaches to advance the risk assessment of mixtures.

 

To help address this research need, the institutions receiving these grants will conduct research focused on the development and improvement, evaluation, and integration of predictive toxicology methods to evaluate environmental chemical mixtures.

 

Below are today’s grantees and their project titles:

 

• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga. – High-Throughput Lung Damage and Inflammation Assessment of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Mixtures
• Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C. – Developing an Integrated Framework for Evaluating Toxicity of Real-life Chemical Mixtures
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. – Protein Binding Affinity as the Driver for Studying PFAS Mixture Toxicity
• The Research Foundation of CUNY, New York, N.Y. – Innovative Approach to Assess the Effect of Metal Mixtures from Infant Meconium Associated with Adverse Infant Outcomes by Identifying Methylation Loci in Mothers and Infants
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas – A Tiered Hybrid Experimental-Computational Strategy for Rapid Risk Assessment of Complex Environmental Mixtures Using Novel Analytical and Toxicological Methods
• University at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. – Assessment of Neurotoxicity of Mixtures of PFAS and Other Neuroactive Organic Pollutants Through Integrated in silico, in vitro Cellular, and in vivo Models
• University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc., Athens, Ga. – Development of a Quantitative Adverse Outcome Pathway Network to Assess Neurodevelopmental Toxicity of PFAS Mixture in C. Elegans
• University of Houston, Houston, Texas – Oral Toxicity Assessment of PAH Mixtures Using an in vitro 3D Cell Culture Bioreactor Mimicking the in vivo Intestinal Tract Environment
• University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Mass. – Whole Animal New Approach Methodologies for Predicting Developmental Effects of Air Pollutant Mixtures
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C. – Wildfire Smoke Mixtures Toxicity Testing
• Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich. – Assessment of Underlying Molecular Mechanisms Promoting Adipogenic Outcomes in Complex Mixtures

 

Learn more about the grant recipients.

Learn more about EPA Research Grants.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Reaches Settlement with Evergy Kansas Central Inc. on Actions to Address Compliance with Coal Combustion Residuals Regulations

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement under the Agency’s Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) program with Evergy Kansas Central Inc. at the company’s retired Tecumseh Energy Center coal-fired power plant in Tecumseh, Kansas.

 

In the settlement, Evergy will take certain actions to address potential groundwater contamination from a CCR impoundment at the Tecumseh site, under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

 

“The EPA is committed to ensuring that coal ash surface impoundments and landfills operate and close in a manner that protects public health and the environment,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The action will require Evergy to investigate and determine the extent of contamination from their operations.”

 

“EPA is encouraged by Evergy’s willingness to work cooperatively with EPA on this coal ash matter and its commitment to protecting Kansas waters,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “This settlement is an important step forward in the federal government’s nationwide effort to ensure energy providers clean up the harmful effects of CCR pollution.”

 

The settlement requires Evergy to assess the nature and extent of CCR contamination at a CCR impoundment at the Tecumseh site. Evergy will install additional monitoring wells, conduct groundwater sampling and analysis, and update closure plans for the facility’s CCR impoundment. If Evergy determines that remediation is necessary, then it will meet with EPA to discuss next steps. The company will also pay a civil penalty of $120,000.

 

Produced primarily from the burning of coal in coal-fired power plants, CCR is a large industrial waste stream by volume and can contain harmful levels of contaminants such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and cobalt. Without proper management, contaminants from CCR can pollute waterways, groundwater, drinking water, and the air.

 

The administrative settlement was finalized on November 7. In the agreement, EPA alleges that Evergy did not meet certain requirements under the CCR program, including:

• Failure to adequately prepare annual groundwater monitoring and corrective action reports.
• Failure to comply with groundwater monitoring system requirements.
• Failure to comply with groundwater sampling and analysis requirements.
• Failure to complete an assessment monitoring program.
• Failure to comply with CCR impoundment closure and post-closure reporting requirements.

 

Evergy is a utility company engaged in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Kansas and is headquartered in Topeka and Kansas City. The Tecumseh coal-fired power plant began operations in 1925 and was retired from operations in 2018. According to EPA, Evergy identified CCR contaminants leaching into groundwater from an impoundment at the Tecumseh facility in 2018, and did not fully comply with the CCR program to adequately address the contamination.

 

To address the risks from disposal and discharge of coal ash, including leaking of contaminants into groundwater, blowing of contaminants into the air as dust, and the catastrophic failure of coal ash surface impoundments, EPA established national rules for coal ash management and disposal. In April 2015, EPA promulgated a comprehensive set of requirements for the safe handling and disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants, which established technical requirements for CCR landfills and surface impoundments.

 

EPA is increasing its efforts and working with its state partners to investigate compliance concerns at coal ash facilities around the nation to ensure compliance and protect the health of communities overburdened by pollution such as coal ash residuals.

 

For more information on coal ash and the Agency’s CCR program activities, please visit EPA’s Coal Ash (CCR) website.

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Selection of 29 EPA Environmental Finance Centers to Help Communities Access Funds for Infrastructure Projects

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 29 Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) that will help communities across the country access federal funding for infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction projects that improve public health and environmental protection. The EFCs will deliver targeted technical assistance to local governments, states, Tribes, and non-governmental organizations to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and advance environmental justice. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the selected EFCs will help underserved communities that have historically struggled to access federal funding receive the support they need to access resources for water infrastructure improvements.

“The Biden Administration is committed to ensuring that all people have access to clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and clean land to live on,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “To achieve this goal and protect public health, we must uplift and support underserved and overburdened communities across rural, suburban, and urban areas. The new Environmental Finance Centers EPA is announcing today will help connect communities in need with federal funding opportunities, including historic water infrastructure investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and investments in greenhouse gas and air pollution projects through the Inflation Reduction Act.” 

EPA will award up to $150 million in grants to EFCs over the next five years, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $98 million of the total investment through EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), with the remainder of funds coming from EPA appropriations.

The newly selected EFCs will work to strengthen communities through projects focused on drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, clean air, greenhouse gas reduction, and toxic substances—and a focus of their work will be supporting overburdened and underserved communities. EPA will be engaging with the selected grantees to ensure communities in need receive this critical technical assistance

About the Environmental Finance Centers Grant Program

Many communities with significant pollution challenges and infrastructure needs have not been able to access federal funding and financing programs to address these concerns. EPA recognizes that existing environmental gains cannot be preserved, nor further progress achieved, unless states, Tribes, and local governments, and non-governmental organizations have the resources to develop and sustain environmental projects.

Through the EFC grant program, technical assistance providers will help communities develop and submit project proposals, including State Revolving Fund (SRF) applications for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding and greenhouse gas reduction projects through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. EFCs will support underserved communities with technical assistance to identify sustainable infrastructure solutions. These entities will provide states, Tribes, and local governments or water systems with technical assistance services to advance equitable health and environmental protections.

The 2022 selected recipients for the Environmental Finance Center Grant Program are:

Category 1 – Regional Multi-Environmental Media EFCs:

• Low Impact Development Center Inc.
• Michigan Technological University
• National Rural Water Association
• Rural Community Assistance Corporation, West Sacramento
• Syracuse University
• University Enterprises, Inc. dba Sac State Sponsored
• University of Maine System
• University of Maryland
• University of New Mexico
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network
• Wichita State University

Category 2 – Regional Water Infrastructure EFCs:

• Delta Institute
• Hawaii Community Foundation
• National Rural Water Association
• Rural Community Assistance Corporation, West Sacramento covering EPA Region 9
• Rural Community Assistance Corporation, West Sacramento covering EPA Region 10
• Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc.
• Syracuse University
• University of Maine System
• University of Maryland
• University of New Mexico
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Wichita State University
• WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc.

Category 3 – National Water Infrastructure EFCs:

• Moonshot Missions
• Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Washington, DC
• Sand County Foundation
• U.S. Water Alliance

EPA announced the Request for Applications in April, and the period for submitting applications ended on July 1, 2022.

Learn more about the Environmental Finance Centers.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Seeks Public Input on Inflation Reduction Act Programs to Fight Climate Change, Protect Health, and Advance Environmental Justice

WASHINGTON (November 4, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced initial public engagement and input opportunities for a subset of new and existing programs funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. These programs, which include funding for air quality projects and climate projects addressing clean energy, transportation, methane emissions, and climate super-pollutants, will advance the President’s bold agenda to combat the climate crisis, protect public health and advance environmental justice. 

“The Inflation Reduction Act provides states, tribes, communities and organizations with the unprecedented opportunity to make lasting progress to equitably protect people and the planet from air pollution and climate change,” said Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “We are eager to engage with all who have a stake in the success of these efforts, and our next steps will be guided by the wisdom and experience from the conversations we have and the feedback we receive over the next several months.”

EPA’s engagement strategy for these programs includes:

• Request for Information (RFI): Issuing a request for public input to inform program design;
• Expert Input: Soliciting expert input on key program design questions from EPA’s Federal Advisory Committees including the Local Government Advisory Committee, Clean Air Act Advisory Committee and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee;
• Listening Sessions: Launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders including environmental justice communities, state and local governments, clean energy advocates, labor, and others to provide input directly to EPA staff; and
• New Webpage: Creating a one-stop shop for information on the implementation of Inflation Reduction Act programs managed by EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

Today, EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of multiple Inflation Reduction Act programs, a crucial first step as the Agency works to implement historic levels of funding from this legislation. These initial engagements will help ensure the design and implementation of the programs reflect input from a broad coalition of stakeholders to ensure the full economic and environmental benefits of this historic investment are realized by all people, particularly those who have been most burdened by environmental, social, and economic injustice.

The RFI provides background information and questions for the public to consider as they provide their input. EPA will gather and organize information received on the RFI in six public dockets that correspond to Inflation Reduction Act provisions in the law. In addition, the agency will continue to conduct extensive public engagement as it works to implement the law.

Public Encouraged to Review and Comment in Six Public Dockets

DOCKET 1: Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

EPA received $5 billion to assist states, air pollution control agencies, Tribes and local governments to develop and implement strong climate pollution reduction strategies. These eligible entities can apply for planning grants and then apply for grants to implement those plans.

DOCKET 2: Transportation Programs  

EPA received $4 billion for two new programs to reduce emissions from the transportations sector. The first program is the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle program that will invest $1 billion to help cover the costs of replacing dirty heavy-duty vehicles with clean alternatives, deploy supporting infrastructure, and/or train and develop the necessary workforce. At least $400 million must go to areas not meeting national air quality health standards. The application is open to states, municipalities, Indian tribes, nonprofit school transportation associations, and eligible contractors.

The second program will provide $3 billion in grants to reduce air pollution at ports with at least $750 million going to areas not meeting air quality standards. These funds can be used for a range of activities including purchasing and installing zero-emission port equipment and technology, covering the associated costs of planning and permitting, and developing qualified climate action plans. Eligible entities include port authorities; any state, regional, local, or tribal agency with jurisdiction over a port authority; air pollution control agencies; and non-profits and private entities partnering with the above and own, operate, or use port facilities. 

DOCKET 3: Methane Emissions Reduction Program

EPA received $1.55 billion to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by providing financial assistance (grants, rebates, contracts, loans, and other activities) and technical assistance as well as implementing a statutorily required waste emissions charge. Eligible recipients for these funds include, but are not limited to, air pollution control agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals. The program specifies that at least $700 million must be used for activities at marginal conventional wells. Section 60113 also requires EPA to implement a waste emission charge on methane emitted from applicable oil and gas facilities that emit over 25,000 metric tons of CO2e and that exceed statutorily specified waste emissions thresholds beginning in 2024. The waste emissions charge will start at $900 and increase to $1,500 per metric ton.

Docket 4: Funding to Address Air Pollution

EPA received over $300 million in funding to support the agency’s air quality mission by investing in a range of activities that will increase monitoring in and by communities, expand and strengthen national monitoring methods, improve monitoring methods and capacity, make monitoring data more available and useful for communities, and improve air quality in our nation’s schools. Six of these programs are authorized under Section 60105. This section establishes a wide range of eligible applicants that includes individuals, state, local and Tribal Air pollution control agencies, and other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations EPA also received $50 million in Section 60106 to address air pollution at schools with $12.5 million dedicated to providing technical assistance and the remainder for grants and other activities to monitor and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions  at schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Eligible applicants for this funding include individuals, air pollution control agencies, and other public nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations. 

Docket 5: Funding for Implementation of American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act

Funding includes $38.5 million for implementation of the AIM Act to implement the Kigali Agreement on hydrofluorocarbons. Of this funding, $15 million is dedicated towards new competitive grants for reclaim and innovative destruction technologies, $20 million is dedicated to EPA to carry out the AIM Act, and $3.5 million is dedicated to EPA to deploy new implementation and compliance tools for the AIM Act.  

Docket 6: Low Emissions Electricity Program & GHG Corporate Reporting

Low Emissions Electricity Program

Funding includes $87 million to fund a wide range of activities to encourage low emissions electricity generation through education, technical assistance, and partnerships with consumers, low income and disadvantaged communities, industry, and state, local, and Tribal governments.  

GHG Corporate Reporting

Funding includes $5 million to enhance standardization and transparency of corporate climate action commitments and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance transparency regarding progress toward meeting such commitments and implementing such plans, and make progress toward meeting such commitments and implementing such plans. 

The RFI and more information on how to comment is available at this website.

Background

In August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment to combat the climate crisis in U.S. history. The Inflation Reduction Act will bolster U.S. energy security, help families save money on energy costs and prescription drugs, reduce the deficit, and create good-paying jobs. EPA received $41.5 billion in appropriations to develop and support 24 new and existing programs that monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, protect health and advance environmental justice. Today’s RFI seeks public input on a significant portion of this total, and the agency will use the information received to guide the next steps to deliver these historic resources to where they can do the most good for communities across the country.