U.S. EPA awards Hawaii over $20 million to improve water quality, protect public health

Press release:

For Immediate Release:  September 17, 2012
Contact:  Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, higuchi.dean@epa.gov   

                      

U.S. EPA awards Hawaii over $20 million to improve water quality, protect public health
Hundreds of millions in funding provided to Department of Health since 1990

HONOLULU – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Hawaii Department of Health a $10,946,000 million grant for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and a $9,125,000 million grant for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for water pollution control and drinking water infrastructure projects.

The Department of Health will use the funds to provide low-cost loans to the state’s counties for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades.  In Hawaii, most of the infrastructure for wastewater treatment is along the coast and funding will assist in making improvements and adaptations to aging systems and those potentially impacted by rising sea levels from climate change.  

 “EPA is continuing its investment in Hawaii’s water infrastructure,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Our goal, along with the Department of Health, is ensure that Hawaii has safe, reliable drinking water and proper wastewater treatment.”

The EPA has awarded $282 million in federal funding for Hawaii’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program from 1990 to the present.  Every year, more funds become available as the principle, interest and fees are repaid to the program. Hawaii’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund reached $611 million last year, with a total of 74 wastewater treatment projects funded statewide totaling $509 million. The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects, including nonpoint source pollution control, watershed protection or restoration, improving water and energy efficiency, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment projects.

The Hawaii Drinking Water State Revolving Fund totals $192 million and the Hawaii Department of Health has issued 45 loans totaling $124 million.  Funds to the program also support projects such as capacity development, sanitary surveys, drinking water operator training and technical assistance. 
               
Forty years ago, when the federal Clean Water Act was made law, Congress charged a fledgling EPA with the goal of making the nation’s waters “fishable and swimmable.” Achieving this goal requires communities to make large investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The state revolving funds are EPA’s primary tools for helping communities meet their continuing and significant water infrastructure needs. Each state maintains revolving loan fund programs, capitalized by the EPA, to provide low-cost financing for water quality infrastructure projects.   

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EPA Awards $110,000 to the Mescalero Apache Tribe to Support Its Water Quality Program

Press release:

EPA Awards $110,000 to the Mescalero Apache Tribe

to Support Its Water Quality Program

(DALLAS –September 17, 2012) The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico $110,000 to provide continued support for the tribe’s water pollution control program. The funds will be used to take water samples on tribal lands and compile data which may show changes over time to determine if a more thorough watershed management program is needed. Sampling data will determine whether water quality standards are being met, note any changes in the quality or condition of the tribe’s water and provide planning tools to improve the function and health of stream ecosystems.

The mission of the EPA is to protect public health and the environment. The EPA supports tribes in all aspects of the work needed to improve water quality. This cooperative spirit supports work to protect water quality that ensures the health of watersheds that cross state and tribal boundaries.

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 Provides Syracuse University Funding to Support Environmental Education

Press release:

EPA Provides Syracuse University Funding to

Support Environmental Education

$131,050 Environmental Education Grant To Support At Least 30 Projects

Contact: Terry Ippolito, 212-637-3671, ippolito.teresa@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. – Sept. 13, 2012) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck announced today that EPA has provided more than $130,000 to Syracuse University to fund educational projects in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the eight federally recognized Tribal Nations within New York State. The university will use the funding to award approximately 30 grants of $5,000 or less to schools and community organizations to support projects to reduce the run-off of polluted rain-water and promote municipal waste reduction, recycling and composting. The Syracuse Center of Excellence (SyracuseCoE) Center for Sustainable Community Solutions is seeking proposals for projects that promote partnerships between community groups and school districts serving students from kindergarten to grade 12 in urban and rural communities. Information is available at http://www.syracusecoe.org/coe/sub1.html?skuvar=223.

“Educating students about the importance of environmental protection is one of the most important things we can do to create a generation of students with the tools to improve the health of their communities,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator.

The SyracuseCoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions will be collaborating on the grant project with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Materials Management, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University, the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency, Reuse Alliance and the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board. The university will provide expertise and technical assistance to the grant recipients and monitor the projects. Webinars and /or podcasts will bring the grantees together to share lessons learned when their projects are completed.

The Syracuse program is designed to improve connections between organizations and school districts, encourage development of community based projects and provide career development for students. The grants program will support EPA priorities related to strengthening communities and improving water quality.

EPA’s local and nationwide educational programs promote environmental stewardship and support excellence in environmental education. Since 1992, EPA has funded over $55 million in environmental education grants to support more than three thousand projects across the country. Agency partnerships, including those with the National Environmental Education Foundation, the Environmental Education Training Partnership, and the current EPA supported EECapacity Program, have given thousands of formal and non-formal educators the skills and knowledge needed to teach students of all ages about safeguarding the environment.

More information about EPA’s environmental education programs and a link to sign up for future environmental education grant announcements can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/education/

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

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EPA Takes Action to Stop Spread of Asbestos at Liberty Plant Maintenance Site in Lockport, N.Y.

EPA Takes Action to Stop Spread of Asbestos

at Liberty Plant Maintenance Site in Lockport, N.Y.

Contact: Michael Basile (716) 551-4410; basile.michael@epa.gov

(New York. N.Y. – Sept. 13, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has conducted emergency work to stop the spread of asbestos at the Liberty Plant Maintenance Inc. facility in Lockport, New York. The EPA took samples of soil to determine if asbestos from a badly deteriorating boiler house on the site has spread into the surrounding area. The EPA is awaiting results of the sampling and will use that information to determine the appropriate next steps in the cleanup. Asbestos is known to cause a form of lung cancer, especially when inhaled over long periods of time.

“The EPA’s first priority is protecting people’s health,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “The EPA immediately restricted access to asbestos contaminated areas of the facility and is taking steps to stop the spread of asbestos into the community.”

The site is approximately1.5 acres and contains a 13,000 square foot former boiler house. This three-story masonry structure is falling apart and the asbestos within the building has deteriorated to a point at which it can easily be spread to various areas of the site. The current owner purchased the site in September 2010 and began to dismantle parts of the structure, which further disturbed contaminated areas of the building and is believed to have contributed to the spread of asbestos. Approximately 40 residences and a school building are located within 600 feet of the site. The New York State Department of Labor and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have overseen work at the site since 2010 and requested EPA involvement in March 2012.

The EPA conducted an initial assessment in spring 2012 and immediately began negotiating with the property owner to either restrict access to the site or consent to allow EPA to do so. The EPA obtained legal access to the property on August 23, 2012 and began securing the site on August 27. Due to the threat posed by the asbestos and evidence that people were trespassing on the site, the EPA restricted access by installing a fence around the asbestos contaminated areas of the site. Areas of the building have been sprayed with a substance that hardens and traps the asbestos fibers in place. The EPA has also decontaminated a parking area, collected some sediment and soil from the parking area and placed it inside the boiler house. The building was examined by a structural engineer on September 6, 2012 to determine whether it is safe to allow workers to go inside the boiler house to clean up the asbestos.

Throughout the EPA’s work, the community will be kept informed and any member of the public that has questions or concerns may contact the EPA’s Community Involvement Coordinator, Michael Basile at 716-551-4410.

For more information about asbestos, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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U.S. EPA Fines Kettleman City Landfill for Improper Analysis of PCBs Waste

Press release:

For Immediate Release: September 7, 2012
Media Contact: Nahal Mogharabi, mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov

U.S. EPA Fines Kettleman City Landfill for Improper Analysis of PCBs Waste

LOS ANGELES—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today fined Chemical Waste Management, Inc. (CWM) $9,375 for a single instance in which it failed to analyze leachate for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) before disposal at its Kettleman Hills Facility located in Kings County, Calif.

On May 9, 2012, CWM voluntarily disclosed to EPA that leachate, or liquid that drains from a landfill, was disposed in a hazardous waste surface impoundment without being sampled or analyzed for PCBs. The leachate remaining in the tank was later tested for PCBs and found to be below the regulatory limit 50 milligrams per liter, allowing it to be placed into the surface impoundment.

In addition to paying the fine, CWM will implement new safety protocols for its leachate collection tanks to ensure that the leachate is properly sampled for PCBs before removal from the tanks —preventing the mismanagement of this liquid in the future. The new protocols consist of additional equipment tagging and a detailed documentation process.
There is no evidence to suggest that the landfill’s violation posed any danger to nearby communities or workers at the facility.
Prior to 1976, PCBs were commonly added to liquids used in electrical transformers, capacitors, circuit breakers, voltage regulators/switches, plasticizers, and other additives in lubricating and cutting oils. EPA regulates PCBs under the Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA will continue to monitor this facility and other PCB storage and disposal facilities.
For more information on EPA Activities in the Kettleman City area, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/kettleman

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Scotts Miracle-Gro Will Pay $12.5 Million in Criminal Fines and Civil Penalties for Violations of Federal Pesticide Laws

Press release:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 7, 2012 

Scotts Miracle-Gro Will Pay $12.5 Million in Criminal Fines and Civil Penalties for Violations of Federal Pesticide Laws

WASHINGTON – The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced today in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides. Scotts pleaded guilty in February 2012 to illegally applying insecticides to its wild bird food products that are toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to date.
 In a separate civil agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scotts agreed to pay more than $6 million in penalties and spend $2 million on environmental projects to resolves additional civil pesticide violations. The violations include distributing or selling unregistered, canceled, or misbranded pesticides, including products with inadequate warnings or cautions. This is the largest civil settlement under FIFRA to date.
“The misuse or mislabeling of pesticide products can cause serious illness in humans and be toxic to wildlife,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s sentence and unprecedented civil settlement hold Scotts accountable for widespread company noncompliance with pesticide laws, which put products into the hands of consumers without the proper authorization or warning labels.”
“As the world’s largest marketer of residential use pesticides, Scotts has a special obligation to make certain that it observes the laws governing the sale and use of its products. For having failed to do so, Scotts has been sentenced to pay the largest fine in the history of FIFRA enforcement," said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with EPA to assure that pesticides applied in homes and on lawns and food are sold and used in compliance with the laws intended to assure their safety.”
In the plea agreement, Scotts admitted that it applied the pesticides Actellic 5E and Storcide II to its bird food products even though EPA had prohibited this use. Scotts had done so to protect its bird foods from insect infestation during storage. Scotts admitted that it used these pesticides contrary to EPA directives and in spite of the warning label appearing on all Storicide II containers stating, “Storcide II is extremely toxic to fish and toxic to birds and other wildlife.” Scotts sold this illegally treated bird food for two years after it began marketing its bird food line and for six months after employees specifically warned Scotts management of the dangers of these pesticides. By the time it voluntarily recalled these products in March 2008, Scotts had sold more than 70 million units of bird food illegally treated with pesticide that is toxic to birds.
Scotts also pleaded guilty to submitting false documents to EPA and to state regulatory agencies in an effort to deceive them into believing that numerous pesticides were registered with EPA when in fact they were not. The company also pleaded guilty to having illegally sold the unregistered pesticides and to marketing pesticides bearing labels containing false and misleading claims not approved by EPA. The falsified documents submitted to EPA and states were attributed to a federal product manager at Scotts.
In addition to the $4 million criminal fine, Scotts will contribute $500,000 to organizations that protect bird habitat, including $100,000 each to the Ohio Audubon’s Important Bird Area Program, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Urban Forestry Program, the Columbus Metro-Parks Bird Habitat Enhancement Program, the Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory, and The Nature Conservancy of Ohio to support the protection of bird populations and habitats through conservation, research, and education.
At the time the criminal violations were discovered, EPA also began a civil investigation that uncovered numerous civil violations spanning five years. Scotts’ FIFRA civil violations included the nationwide distribution or sale of unregistered, canceled, or misbranded pesticides, including products with inadequate warnings or cautions. As a result, EPA issued more than 40 Stop Sale, Use or Removal Orders to Scotts to address more than 100 pesticide products.
In addition to the $6 million civil penalty, Scotts will complete environmental projects, valued at $2 million, to acquire, restore and protect 300 acres of land to prevent runoff of agricultural chemicals into nearby waterways.
The criminal case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Environmental Enforcement Unit of the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation. It was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Jeremy F. Korzenik of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, by Michael J. McClary, EPA Criminal Enforcement Counsel and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous.
The civil case was investigated by U.S. EPA Region 5’s Land and Chemicals Division and Office of Regional Counsel, and the U.S. EPA Headquarters Office of Civil Enforcement, assisted by the Office of Pesticides Program.
More information about the civil settlement and recalled products: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/fifra/scottsmiraclegro.html
More information about EPA’s criminal enforcement program: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal/index.html

More information about EPA’s pesticide program: http://epa.gov/pesticides/


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United States and Canada Sign Amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 7, 2012
 

United States and Canada Sign Amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Agreement will protect the health of the largest freshwater system in the world
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Canada’s Minister of the Environment Peter Kent today signed the newly amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement at a formal ceremony in Washington, D.C. First signed in 1972 and last amended in 1987, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a model of binational cooperation to protect the world’s largest surface freshwater system and the health of the surrounding communities.

“Protecting cherished water bodies like the Great Lakes is not only about environmental conservation. It’s also about protecting the health of the families—and the economies—of the local communities that depend on those water bodies for so much, every day,” said Administrator Jackson. “The amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement we signed today outlines the strong commitment the U.S. and Canada share to safeguard the largest freshwater system in the world. Our collaborative efforts stand to benefit millions of families on both sides of the border.”

“Joint stewardship of the Great Lakes—a treasured natural resource, a critical source of drinking water, essential to transportation, and the foundation for billions of dollars in trade, agriculture, recreation and other sectors—is a cornerstone of the Canada-United States relationship,” said Minister Kent. “The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement supports our shared responsibility to restore and protect this critical resource, and builds on 40 years of binational success.”

The revised agreement will facilitate United States and Canadian action on threats to Great Lakes water quality and includes strengthened measures to anticipate and prevent ecological harm. New provisions address aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation and the effects of climate change, and support continued work on existing threats to people’s health and the environment in the Great Lakes Basin such as harmful algae, toxic chemicals, and discharges from vessels.

The overall purpose of the Agreement is “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters” of the Great Lakes and the portion of the St. Lawrence River that includes the Canada-United States border. Both governments sought extensive input from stakeholders before and throughout the negotiations to amend the Agreement. Additionally, the amended Agreement expands opportunities for public participation on Great Lakes issues.

The amended agreement sets out a shared vision for a healthy and prosperous Great Lakes region, in which the waters of the Great Lakes enhance the livelihoods of present and future generations of Americans and Canadians.

To view the text of the agreement: http://www.binational.net/home_e.html
 

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EPA Boosts Efforts to Revitalize Richmond’s Bellemeade Community

Press release:

EPA Boosts Efforts to Revitalize Richmond’s Bellemeade Community

(RICHMOND, Va. - September 7, 2012) Funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will support the City of Richmond’s efforts to transform the southside community of Bellemeade into a greener, healthier neighborhood. The City will use the nearly $60,000 EPA urban waters grant to create the Bellemeade Watershed Coalition and assist the group in restoring Bellemeade Creek.

“Restoring urban waters is essential to revitalizing the health, livability and economic future of communities, especially historically underserved neighborhoods like Bellemeade,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “EPA’s funding is helping empower local stakeholders to play an active role in cleaning up their communities and creating neighborhood places that offer recreational and economic value for years to come.”

Bellemeade community members have been working with the City in developing a Watershed Concept Plan for restoring the water quality and health of Bellemeade Creek, making it a key educational resource for a new community school and recreational asset for use by residents.

EPA’s funding will also help build the coalition’s capacity by providing workshops on preventing pollution, creating a web-based interactive watershed map and other activities.

Ellen Gilinsky, a senior advisor in EPA’s national Office of Water, and Jon Capacasa, director of EPA’s regional water protection division, toured the Bellemeade watershed today with Richmond officials and stakeholders who will be part of the new coalition.

EPA’s Urban Waters program helps cities unlock the potential of their waterways and the land around them to better serve the needs of their communities. For more information on EPA’s Urban Waters program visit http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/index.html   

EPA Awards $1.5 Million to Universities for Sustainable Drinking Water Treatment Methods; University of Gainesville Among Recipients

Press release:

EPA Awards $1.5 Million to Universities for Sustainable Drinking Water Treatment Methods; University of Gainesville Among Recipients

Contact Information: Davina Marraccini, (404) 562-8293, marraccini.davina@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – Sept. 6, 2012) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced almost $1.5 million in funding to three universities to develop sustainable drinking water treatment methods. The research grants are funded through EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. These grants, which supplement last year’s grants to eight other universities, are intended to provide innovative treatment methods to protect people’s health by keeping harmful contaminants out of drinking water.

In 2010, EPA announced a new drinking water strategy to strengthen protections against contaminants in drinking water and promote cost-effective new technologies to meet the needs of communities across the country struggling with water challenges. The research sponsored by these grants will help satisfy the key goals of this strategy.

The grantees are:

•           University of Florida, Gainesville and University of South Florida, Tampa – identifying, testing, and evaluating the sustainability of ion exchange processes that can treat entire groups of chemical contaminants.

•           Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y. – engineering, developing, and demonstrating an integrated process comprised of membrane technology and electrical discharge plasma generated via a novel reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrode material.

•           University of Nevada, Reno – quantifying the range of drinking water contaminants and contaminant classes that can be removed by membrane distillation, and developing and testing a small-scale pilot system that operates using waste heat

There are approximately 157,000 public drinking water systems in the U.S. regulated by EPA, states, or tribes that provide drinking water to 90 percent of Americans. More than 290 million people living in the U.S. rely on the safety of tap water provided by public water systems that are subject to national drinking water standards.

EPA’s STAR grant program supports human health, ecology, economics and engineering sciences through grants, centers, and fellowships.

More information on the grants: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/dwtreatment

More information on EPA’s new Drinking Water Strategy:   http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/dwstrategy/index.cfm

More information on STAR grants: http://epa.gov/ncer/

EPA, Illinois and Local Officials Announce Major Dredging Project at Waukegan Harbor

Press release:

For Immediate Release                                                                          No. 12-OPA077

EPA, Illinois and Local Officials Announce Major Dredging Project at Waukegan Harbor

CHICAGO – (Sept. 6, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Illinois and Waukegan officials joined forces today to kick off a Superfund dredging project needed to remove the Waukegan Harbor "Area of Concern" (AOC) from a list of toxic hot spots identified in the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

"Today, Waukegan Harbor is going from what was once called 'the world's worst PCB mess' to one of our best coastal turnaround stories," said Cameron Davis, senior advisor to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and founding co-chair of the Waukegan Citizens' Advisory Group in the early 1990s. "Last year, federal agencies announced they were prioritizing the Waukegan Harbor cleanup and this year we are making good on that commitment.”

Enacted by Congress in 1980, Superfund is a federal law that was designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances. EPA's $48 million Superfund dredging project is an important step toward the cleanup of the Waukegan Harbor, one of four cleanup projects associated with the Outboard Marine Corp. (OMC) Superfund site.

EPA will remove approximately 175,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment from the harbor. Dredging will begin later this month and is expected to be finished by next summer, a total of about 120 days.

Waukegan Harbor, the only AOC in Illinois, is one of 30 remaining AOCs in the U.S. In 2011, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson targeted Waukegan as one of nine priority AOCs under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Administrator committed to finishing the cleanup of Waukegan Harbor by 2014. Since the United States and Canada identified the list of AOCs in 1987, only one on the U.S. side has been delisted.

“Illinois EPA is pleased to partner with U.S. EPA and the City of Waukegan in moving forward on this project that is a key step toward reaching the goal of Waukegan Harbor no longer being Illinois’ only designated Area of Concern on Lake Michigan,” said Interim Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim.

“Waukegan Harbor has come a long way since contaminated sediment was first discovered here in 1975,” said Senator Dick Durbin. “Upon this project’s completion, Waukegan’s fish will be healthier and its water cleaner, ramping up the community’s attractiveness as a place to live. The Great Lakes are one our nation’s greatest natural treasures and I am proud to have supported this effort to clean up Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Thanks to the State of Illinois and the Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts to ensure the waters around the harbor can support fish and wildlife for years to come.”

“Today we mark the beginning of the end of a cleanup decades in the making," said Senator Mark Kirk. "Cleaning up Waukegan Harbor has been one of my top priorities since before I came to Congress in 2001, and we could not be here without the leadership of Cameron Davis and the members of the Waukegan Citizens Advisory Group. As co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, I am fully committed to seeing this effort through its completion to ensure that Waukegan can transform the harbor into a powerful economic engine in northern Illinois.”

“As Lake County’s gateway to Lake Michigan, a clean Waukegan Harbor is critical for our region’s commerce, environmental quality and recreation.” said U.S. Representative Robert J. Dold. “The cleanup will save jobs, increase local property values, and leave a cleaner environment for future generations. I am proud to have been part of making this happen.”

“When all is said and done the future of this community is greatly enhanced by the cleanup of the harbor and surrounding industrial facilities,” said Waukegan Mayor Robert Sobanjian, Jr. “Once the process is completed, potential investors will be able to see past the old misperceptions of this community as a distressed blue collar community and see the great potential that the City of Waukegan has always held.”

EPA placed the OMC site on its National Priorities List of Superfund sites in 1983 and has previously conducted cleanup work at this site. The OMC outboard-boat-motor manufacturing plant polluted Waukegan Harbor with PCBs. For more information on the OMC Superfund cleanup, visit http://www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/outboardmarine/index.htm.  

In February 2009, President Obama proposed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. Since then, EPA has provided approximately $2 million in GRLI funding for habitat restoration projects and fish monitoring at the Waukegan Harbor AOC. For more information on the GLRI, visit www.glri.us.

Documerica Tour Stops in Atlanta

Press release:


Documerica Tour Stops in AtlantaContact Information:  Jason McDonald, (404) 562-9203, mcdonald.jason@epa.gov

ATLANTA – The Environmental Protection Agency’s traveling exhibit, Documerica, made its first stop in the Southeast at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center on Tuesday. The exhibit displays photographs depicting environmental conditions of the past and present. The exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Federal Center through Friday, September 7, before continuing on to other stops on the tour.

From its development in 1971, “Documerica” became the United States’ first serious pictorial examination of the environment. The project collected more than 15,000 images, documenting the environmental and human conditions of this country when EPA was starting its mission. The idea was to visually record the difference in conditions in later years, providing the public with a measurement of progress made to accomplish goals set by Congress.
Forty years later the project was rediscovered with the help of National Archives. “State of the Environment” launched Earth Day 2011 as an opportunity for the public to participate and engage in a modern revitalization of Documerica. There are more than 1,900 new images that have been submitted to EPA through Flickr.
The EPA photo project will continue accepting submissions through the end of 2013. Public entries will be considered for a larger exhibit of both projects set for March-September 2013 at the U.S. National Archives’ Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in Washington, D.C.

To follow the tour in the Southeast view the calendar by visiting: http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/2012/09/scenes-from-georgia-then-and-now/
To learn more about the project, visit: www.epa.gov/stateoftheenvironment
To match images near you, a selection of the full record is available on the National Archives Flickr photostream
More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

For more information about the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, visit: http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/.

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EPA, North Carolina A&T State University, Bennett College, and the United Negro College Fund Host Third Symposium on Sustainable Environmental Practices at Colleges and Universities

Press release:

EPA, North Carolina A&T State University, Bennett College, and the United Negro College Fund Host Third Symposium on Sustainable Environmental Practices at Colleges and Universities

Contact Information: Jason McDonald, (404) 562-9203, mcdonald.jason@epa.gov

ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming, North Carolina A&T State University Chancellor Dr. Harold Martin, Bennett College Interim President Dr. Esther M. Terry, and United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Hester will co-host the 3^rd Annual Symposium on Sustainable Environmental Practices at Colleges and Universities on September 13-14, 2012. The event will be held on the campuses of North Carolina A&T State University and Bennett College.

Who:    Gwen Keyes Fleming, EPA Regional Administrator
            Dr. Gilbert Rochon, President, Tuskegee University and Chair, Council of 1890 Universities

            Dr. Harold Martin, Chancellor, North Carolina A&T State University

            Dr. Esther M. Terry, Interim President- Bennett College

James Colon, Vice President for Product Sales, Toyota Motor Sales, NA

What:   Third Annual Symposium on Sustainable Environmental Practices at Colleges and Universities

When: September 13-14, 2012

Where: North Carolina A&T State University

1601 East Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27411

Bennett College
900 East Washington Street
Greensboro, NC 27401

The agenda will include sessions and presentations on greening campuses and curricula at collegiate institutions mostly in the Southeast. The conference will provide opportunities for students, faculty members, administrators, and other environmental and sustainability stakeholders to network, develop partnerships and collaborate on sustainable environmental practices. Students in attendance will have an opportunity to participate in seminars on federal employment as part of the concurrently held Youth Environmental Summit.

Please see symposium agenda for a complete list of experts and presentations.
For more conference information, agenda, hotel, and registration go to:

http://www.ncat.edu/research/events/epa-symposium.html

• sustainableenvprac3rd.docx

Recreational Vehicle Manufacturer to Pay $885,000 Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Clean Air Act

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2012

Recreational Vehicle Manufacturer to Pay $885,000 Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Clean Air Act

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with recreational vehicle manufacturer, American Suzuki Motor Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation, to pay an $885,000 penalty for allegedly importing and selling 25,458 uncertified all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and off-road motorcycles in the United States. ATVs and motorcycles that are not certified may be operating without proper emissions controls and can emit excess hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that can cause respiratory illnesses, aggravate asthma and contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, or smog.

“EPA’s vehicle emission standards are vital safeguards that protect our nation’s air quality,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By taking action to deter the importation and sale of non-compliant engines, EPA is not only protecting people’s health, but is also ensuring a level playing field for manufacturers that play by the rules.”

The Suzuki ATVs and off-road motorcycles were uncertified because they were manufactured with an undisclosed electronic emission control configuration that would allow the vehicles to be modified for increased horsepower through the installation of an aftermarket part. This type of modification could lead to increased emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Design features that may effect emissions must be disclosed in certificate applications. Vehicles that do not conform to the design specifications in their certificate applications are not covered by a certificate. The violations were identified and self-disclosed by Suzuki.

The Clean Air Act (CAA) prohibits any vehicle or engine from being imported into or sold in the United States unless it is covered by a valid, EPA-issued certificate of conformity indicating that the vehicle or engine meets applicable federal emission standards. The certificate of conformity is the primary way EPA ensures that vehicles and engines meet emission standards. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing effort by EPA to ensure that all imported vehicles and engines comply with the CAA’s requirements.

The settlement requires Suzuki to implement three emission mitigation projects to reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 210 tons or more. The projects include replacing older unregulated gas cans with gas cans that meet current evaporative emission requirements, discontinuing the sale of high-permeability fuel line hoses, and installing evaporative emission control devices on certain models of highway motorcycles sold throughout the United States.

Suzuki also will modify its warranty policy and owner’s manual for ATVs and off-road motorcycles to increase awareness of modifications to emissions control systems, environmental regulations, prohibited modifications, and acts that could result in loss of warranty coverage.

More information on the settlement: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/suzuki.html

More information on EPA’s Clean Air Act mobile source enforcement programs: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air/index.html#mobile


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EPA & Mass National Guard Reach Agreement on 2011 Firing Range Training Violation Allegations at Camp Edwards

Press release:


News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
September 6, 2012
Contact: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

EPA & Mass National Guard Reach Agreement on 2011 Firing Range Training Violation Allegations at Camp Edwards

(Boston, Mass. – Sept. 6, 2012) – On Aug. 30, 2012, EPA issued a Consent Agreement and Final Order with the Massachusetts National Guard to resolve EPA allegations of violations of operations and maintenance requirements by the Guard in managing three firing ranges at Camp Edwards.

Camp Edwards is located on the northern portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) a 22,000-acre property that has been used for military training activities since 1935. The base is located over an aquifer that is the sole source of drinking water for residents of Cape Cod.
Two environmental cleanup programs (one implemented by the Army, the other by the Air Force) are addressing the areas of soil and groundwater contamination that have resulted from activities on site. The U.S. Air Force is addressing contamination from the Otis Air Force Base primarily in the southern portion of MMR under the Federal Superfund Program. The U.S. Army is addressing contamination at Camp Edwards in the northern portion of MMR as required by EPA under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
In 1997 and 2000, EPA issued to the Guard a series of administrative orders under SDWA to protect the sole source groundwater aquifer underlying MMR.  One of those orders prohibited Guard training with live ammunition to protect the sole source Cape Cod Aquifer.  The Guard had since petitioned EPA to resume small arms training with lead ammunition at three firing ranges, known as J, K and T Ranges.  Following the petitions, EPA consented to the training with particular safeguards, including use of bullet capture systems and compliance with Operation, Maintenance and Monitoring Plans (“OMMPs”) developed for each of the three ranges. 

In 2011, EPA identified that the Guard had not complied with OMMP requirements related to the bullet capture systems at the three firing ranges.  Specifically, the Guard failed to pump and dispose of water that was collecting in the bullet capture systems and also failed to notify EPA of issues associated with water collection and disposal.

Following EPA’s identification of the alleged violations, EPA and the Guard conducted pre-enforcement negotiations and settled on a Safe Drinking Water Act Consent Agreement and Final Order.  The agreement includes a $27,500 cash penalty and the performance of a Supplemental Environmental Project by the Guard that will remove 14 acres of impervious surface at MMR.  The estimated value of the project is just over $100,000.
“This demonstrates EPA’s continuing vigilance to ensure that the environment at the Upper Cape is protected,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.  “We are proud of the cleanup successes that EPA, in partnership with Mass DEP, has achieved with the Guard on many projects at MMR.  At the same time, we will not hesitate to take action when necessary to deter future violations that could impact the environment.”

The Supplemental Environmental Project will assist the groundwater underlying MMR, and will enhance protection of state-listed threatened and endangered species.
“EPA’s action  will result in the restoration of 14 acres of sandplain grassland habitat, which is critical for rare plants, moths, butterflies, and birds such as the upland sandpiper, grasshopper sparrow, vesper sparrow, and northern harrier,” said Mary Griffin, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. “We are pleased that the EPA and Massachusetts National Guard have agreed to this important habitat restoration project under the Consent Agreement.”
EPA and the Guard continue to work together on a large number of cleanup actions pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act on MMR.
More information:
Additional information on EPA cleanup work at MMR can also be found at (http://www.epa.gov/region1/mmr/index.html)
Regular public meetings are held on or near the MMR with representatives from the EPA, Massachusetts DEP, and the Army and Air Force cleanup programs.  (http://states.ng.mil/sites/ma/resources/erc/calendar.htm)

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EPA Awards $15 Million to Assist U.S. Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 6, 2012
EPA Awards $15 Million to Assist U.S. Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $15 million in funding to provide training and technical assistance to small drinking and wastewater systems – those serving fewer than 10,000 people – and to private well owners. The funding will help provide training and tools to improve small system operations and management practices, promoting sustainability and supporting EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment.

“Small systems form the backbone of our nation’s public water system and it is a priority for EPA to help them to meet water quality standards and provide clean water to communities,” said Nancy Stoner, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. “This funding and technical assistance is part of EPA’s continuing efforts to promote sustainability and public health protection for communities served by small systems.”

EPA awards include:

• Nearly $7 million to the National Rural Water Association and nearly $3 million to the Texas Engineering Extension Service, which together will provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems across the country to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act;

• $2.5 million to New Mexico Environmental Finance Center to help small systems improve their financial and managerial   capabilities that will enable these systems to effectively provide safe drinking water over the long-term;

•  $2 million to the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to work with small publicly-owned wastewater systems on treatment and operations issues and to help private well owners;

•  $500,000 to the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to provide training and technical assistance to tribally-owned and operated public water systems.

More than 97 percent of the nation’s 157,000 public water systems serve fewer than 10,000 people, and more than 80 percent of these systems serve fewer than 500 people. Many small systems face unique challenges in providing reliable drinking water and wastewater services that meet federal and state regulations. These challenges can include a lack of financial resources, aging infrastructure, management limitations and high staff turnover.

For more information on EPA’s programs and tools to help small water systems, visit:
http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/sdwa/smallsystemsrfa.cfm

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JPMorgan Chase Bank to Reimburse Government $1.28 Million for Cleanup of Boone County, W.Va. Superfund Site

Press release:

JPMorgan Chase Bank to Reimburse Government $1.28 Million

for Cleanup of Boone County, W.Va. Superfund Site

PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 5, 2012) - In a settlement announced today by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, JPMorgan Chase Bank has reimbursed the federal government $1.28 million for costs incurred by EPA in cleaning up the Browning Lumber Company Superfund Site in rural Bald Knob, Boone County, W.Va. Under the Superfund law, past and current owners and operators of a Superfund site are responsible for the cleanup costs.   

Cleanup of the Browning Lumber Co. site was completed earlier this year and included extensive cleanup by EPA prior to cleanup work performed by JPMorgan Chase -- the corporate successor to a former site owner. The site will be eligible for appropriate re-use as part of West Virginia’s voluntary cleanup program, which encourages voluntary clean-ups of contaminated sites as well as redevelopments of abandoned and under-utilized properties.

Starting in 1976, Charleston National Bank, owner of the site as trustee of the Shepard Trust, leased the property to the Browning Lumber Co., which harvested timber and used part of the property for wood-treatment. Charleston National is now merged with JPMorgan Chase.

The site became contaminated after decades-long wood-treating activities using chromated copper arsenate (CCA). CCA contains the hazardous substances chromium, copper and arsenic.  Although the facility ceased operations by 1998, hazardous substances, primarily arsenic in soil, continued to pose a threat to human health and the environment.

Following a fire, EPA first investigated the site in late 2005 and later conducted a cleanup in 2006 and 2007 that included decontamination of the old wood-treatment facility, stabilization of a large area of contaminated soil, and proper disposal of 100 cubic yard of soil contaminated with arsenic and chromium and 43 drums of liquid and solid hazardous wastes.

For more information on this site, visit http://www.epaosc.org/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=1961

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EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Press release:

EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Contact Information: Davina Marraccini (News Media Only), (404) 562-8293, marraccini.davina@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – Sept. 6, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened registration for student teams from colleges and universities across the country to participate in its new design competition, the Campus RainWorks Challenge, through which teams will compete to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. This first annual competition, will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Stormwater is a major cause of harmful water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds.

Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge is open from September 4 through October 5, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 - $2,500, as well as $8,000 - $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.

EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.

More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge:

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm

JPMorgan Chase Bank top Reimburse Government $1.28 Million for Cleanup of Boone County, W.Va. Superfund Site

Press release:

JPMorgan Chase Bank top Reimburse Government $1.28 Million for Cleanup of Boone County, W.Va. Superfund Site

Cleanup of the Browning Lumber Co. site was completed earlier this year and included extensive cleanup by EPA prior to cleanup work performed by JPMorgan Chase -- the corporate successor to a former site owner. The site will be eligible for appropriate re-use as part of West Virginia’s voluntary cleanup program, which encourages voluntary clean-ups of contaminated sites as well as redevelopments of abandoned and under-utilized properties.

Starting in 1976, Charleston National Bank, owner of the site as trustee of the Shepard Trust, leased the property to the Browning Lumber Co., which harvested timber and used part of the property for wood-treatment. Charleston National is now merged with JPMorgan Chase.

The site became contaminated after decades-long wood-treating activities using chromated copper arsenate (CCA). CCA contains the hazardous substances chromium, copper and arsenic.  Although the facility ceased operations by 1998, hazardous substances, primarily arsenic in soil, continued to pose a threat to human health and the environment.

Following a fire, EPA first investigated the site in late 2005 and later conducted a cleanup in 2006 and 2007 that included decontamination of the old wood-treatment facility, stabilization of a large area of contaminated soil, and proper disposal of 100 cubic yard of soil contaminated with arsenic and chromium and 43 drums of liquid and solid hazardous wastes.

For more information on this site, visit http://www.epaosc.org/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=1961

PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 5, 2012) - In a settlement announced today by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, JPMorgan Chase Bank has reimbursed the federal government $1.28 million for costs incurred by EPA in cleaning up the Browning Lumber Company Superfund Site in rural Bald Knob, Boone County, W.Va. Under the Superfund law, past and current owners and operators of a Superfund site are responsible for the cleanup costs.  

FRIDAY: United States and Canada to Announce Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 5, 2012
FRIDAY: United States and Canada to Announce Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent will sign an updated Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement on Friday, September 7th. Administrator Jackson and Minister Kent will hold a short press availability following the signing ceremony.

The agreement, last updated in 1987, addresses critical health issues in the Great Lakes region and is a model of binational cooperation to protect water quality. The two governments began negotiations in 2009 to strengthen the agreement.

WHO:               U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
                        Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent

WHAT:              Signing ceremony and press availability

WHEN:             2 p.m. EDT, Friday, September 7, 2012

WHERE:           Embassy of Canada, 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

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