EPA Awards Over $139,000 to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for Groundwater Protection

Press release from EPA:

EPA Awards Over $139,000 to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

for Groundwater Protection

(DALLAS – July 10, 2012) The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) $139,217 to ensure continued protection of groundwater in Oklahoma. The EPA has delegated authority to the OCC to administer and enforce the underground injection control (UIC) program in Oklahoma. The funds will be used to issue permits for injection wells that meet program requirements and for shutting down wells when pollution has occurred. The funds will also be used to inventory injection wells, perform technical reviews of all permit applications, perform on-site field investigations and conduct interviews and visual observations for compliance assurance.

The mission of the EPA is to protect public health. This ensures American citizens have safe sources of drinking water through a cooperative effort between the EPA, state and tribal governments. The UIC program works toward protecting underground sources of drinking water from contamination by regulating the construction and operation of injection wells.

More information on the EPA Region 6 UIC program is available at http://www.epa.gov/region6/water/swp/uic/

Additional Information on EPA grants is available at http://www.epa.gov/region6/gandf/index.htm

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

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EPA Chief Hosts Mexico and Canada Leaders at Commission for Environmental Cooperation Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 10, 2012

EPA Chief Hosts Mexico and Canada Leaders at Commission for Environmental Cooperation Meeting

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will join Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent and Mexican Environment Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada in New Orleans, La. for the 19^th Annual Council at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) session.

Administrator Jackson will lead discussions on major challenges facing North America’s environment and the CEC’s ongoing efforts to address these challenges. The meetings will also focus on efforts to establish a more efficient process for citizen submissions on enforcement matters, supporting the development of healthier communities and strengthening community and ecosystem resilience.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

1:45-4:45 p.m. CDT        CEC Council Session Public Meeting

                                     Intercontinental Hotel, La Salle Ballroom A, 444 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, La.

Media wishing to attend should RSVP to EPA at press@epa.gov and Megan Ainscow at the CEC (Mainscow@cec.org).

Participate in the conversation with hashtag: #CEC12

The CEC is an international organization established by the United States, Canada, and Mexico under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), an additional agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since its creation in 1994, the CEC has advanced our understanding of trade-environment linkages, successfully promoted citizen engagement and increased government accountability regarding enforcement, achieved substantial results on key North American issues such as chemicals management and the conservation of North American biodiversity, and built substantial environmental capacities, particularly in Mexico, but also in the United States and Canada.

More information on the CEC and to view the event live: http://www.cec.org/webcast/

More information about EPA’s work in North America: http://www.epa.gov/international

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