Rhode Island Property Owner Faces Fine for Failing to Notify Tenants about Potential Lead Hazards

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
July 20, 2012

Contact:  David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

Rhode Island Property Owner Faces Fine for Failing to Notify Tenants about Potential Lead Hazards

(Boston, Mass. – July 20, 2012) – A Rhode Island company faces a penalty of up to $421,900 for repeatedly violating federal lead-based paint disclosure laws and regulations when leasing residential property in Providence.

A recent EPA complaint alleges that Private Reserve Properties, LLC failed to notify prospective tenants, including families with young children, about potential lead-paint hazards in housing owned by the company, as required by the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 and the Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule. 

Private Reserve Properties owns about 50 properties, with about 130 rental units, throughout Providence.  Many of the company’s holdings, including several subject to the complaint, are in environmental justice areas, which have higher than average rates of poverty. 

The complaint asserts 61 violations of the federal disclosure requirements associated with 16 leases signed between 2009 and 2011.  According to the complaint, Private Reserve Properties failed to disclose the presence of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards in its housing, provide tenants with available reports and records regarding lead-based paint, and supply educational information regarding lead-based paint hazards.  Eight of the leases include families with children who are more vulnerable to the adverse affects of lead exposure.

Exposure to lead paint is a serious health concern in New England due to the age of the housing stock.  Infants and young children are especially vulnerable to lead paint exposure, which can cause lowered intelligence, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and behavior problems.  Adults with high lead levels can suffer difficulties during pregnancy, high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory problems and muscle and joint pain.

The purpose of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act and the Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule is to ensure that prospective tenants have enough information about lead-based paint in general and known lead-based paint hazards in specific housing to make an informed decision about whether to lease a particular property.  Among other things, the Disclosure Rule requires landlords to provide prospective tenants with an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet and lead warning statement; disclose the presence of known lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards; and provide prospective tenants with available records and reports pertaining to lead-based paint in the housing to be leased.  Property managers and owners therefore play an important role in helping to prevent lead poisoning.  Violations of the federal disclosure requirements are subject to the penalty provisions set forth in the Toxic Substances Control Act. 

More information: Lead disclosure rules and health concerns (http://www.epa.gov/lead/)

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GE Spotlights Wuhan Iron & Steel Success Story at AISTech 2012

News release:

07 May 2012

GE Spotlights Wuhan Iron & Steel Success Story at AISTech 2012

 

• GE Showcases Wuhan Iron & Steel Waste-to-Value Solution That Has Saved $32 Million in Annual Savings
• GE Metals Solutions Features Solutions for Power Efficiency Improvements and Water Usage Reduction at Major Steel Conference

ATLANTA, GA.—May 7, 2012—Today at AISTech 2012—one of the largest conferences of the year for the iron and steel industry—GE (NYSE: GE) showcased the waste-to-value success story of China’s Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Company (WISCO). Wuhan’s challenge began shortly after the Chinese government passed stringent legislation to reduce the emissions of steel mill operations.

Collaborating with WISCO, GE was able to turn their challenge into a strategic opportunity by devising an advanced technology solution that captures waste gases from the blast furnace and converts them into usable energy. Sequestering and burning the gases reduces the emissions from the steel-making process, improves reliability and provides a zero-cost fuel source for generating the electricity necessary to operate the mill. In a rapidly growing region bursting with industrial opportunity, Wuhan’s goal is to produce more products while simultaneously lowering its power generation costs and reducing greenhouse gases. Thus far, the waste-to-value solution has been so successful that WISCO has saved $32 million in annual operational savings and reduced CO₂ emissions by 2 million tons per year—equal to removing more than 391,000 cars off the road.

The World Steel Association reports that 1.3 billion tons of steel were produced in 2007, and production levels are expected to double by 2050 to meet the growing demand for steel around the world. Since energy constitutes a significant portion of the cost of steel production—from 20 to 40 percent in some countries—improvements in energy efficiency result in reduced production costs and in turn, improved competitiveness.

During this week’s AISTech steel conference at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center, GE Metals Solutions is showcasing this waste-to-value and other solutions including:

• Power efficiency improvements to save more than 10 percent of facility costs.
• Water consumption solutions with 20 to 40 percent usage reduction and 25 to 40 percent in cost-out savings.

GE connects with steel producers everywhere to create viable solutions with the potential benefit to those steel mill customers looking to fulfill this staggering rise in demand.

Focusing on serving the metals industry, GE’s dedicated Metals Solutions organization is working with metals manufacturers to develop innovative solutions in the areas of power, water, automation and electrical distribution.

“The advances made in collaboration with Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Company serve as examples of our dedicated approach to the metals industry,” said Keiran Coulton, president of GE Global Industries and general manager of GE Metals Solutions. “We’re bringing the diverse GE product and service portfolio together, creating synergies specific to the metals industry and working with global manufacturers to take advantage of our vast research and development capabilities to help evolve the industry.”

GE Metals Solutions is a sponsor of AISTech 2012 and will spotlight the addition of Power Conversion—formerly known as Converteam—to the portfolio.

For more on the Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Company story, please visitwww.ge-spark.com/wuhan. Or, stop by the GE Metals Solutions booth at the Georgia World Congress Center (#1035).

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

Follow GE Energy on Twitter @GE_Energy.

EPA and LA Water Board Set Strict New Pollution Reduction Plans for 175 Waterways in Los Angeles Area

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2012Media Contacts:
Nahal Mogharabi, EPA, mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov
Deborah Smith, LA Water Quality Board, 213-576-6609, Dsmith@waterboards.ca.gov  

EPA and LA Water Board Set Strict New Pollution Reduction Plans for 175 Waterways in Los Angeles Area
Action Culminates 13 Year Effort, Eliminating Beach Closures, Reducing Trash and Toxic Chemicals in Waters

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board today announced the latest in a series of pollution reduction plans designed to restore 175 water bodies in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The pollution targets set by these plans will improve water quality, restore ecosystems, and protect the public by eliminating beach closures due to bacteria and improving the health of fish used for consumption.

“EPA and our partners have achieved a breakthrough on the path toward restoring the health of Los Angeles’ creeks, streams, and beaches,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “These precious natural resources lay at the heart of what makes the Golden State shine.”

The Los Angeles region is home to a vast network of streams, lakes, rivers, and beaches used for fishing and recreation. The pollution plans call for reductions in the amount of bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus, mercury, pesticides and other toxic chemicals that affect these waterways.  More than 95% of the impaired waters will meet applicable water quality standards once the pollution reduction plans are fully implemented.

“I am proud to acknowledge achievements that are leading to healthier watersheds for the benefit of the people and wildlife who call the Los Angeles area home.” said Maria Mehranian, Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.  “This wave of water quality improvement is the result of tremendous efforts by this Board, past Boards, and EPA in collaboration with local municipalities and environmental organizations.”

Under the federal Clean Water Act, states are required to develop pollution reduction plans for waters that are impaired by pollutants.  These plans are called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), and must be approved by the EPA. 

 “Los Angeles’ relationship to water is a historic one. We are known for our beaches and were founded because of the LA River,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “The U.S. EPA and the Regional Water Board have been strong partners as we work to protect our rivers, streams, and waterways. We applaud the U.S. EPA and the Regional Water Board for continuing to prioritize water quality and safety in Los Angeles.”

Today’s announcement is a  part of a 1999 legal settlement between EPA and local environmental groups  in which EPA committed to approve LA Water Board-developed TMDLs or independently establish TMDLs for a list of water bodies in the Los Angeles Region.  As a result of the consent decree, 47 TMDLs have been established for 175 water bodies that address numerous pollutant impairments including elevated bacteria, metals, pesticides, PCBs and trash.  Additional TMDLs will be approved or established within the next year.

 “The consent decree put Los Angeles and Ventura counties on track for having oceans and rivers that are safe for swimming and fishing year round,” said Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s Water Quality Director.  “The implementation of these requirements has already led to less trash in local rivers and bays and cleaner beaches.”

EPA established four TMDLs to address pollutants and impairments for the following water bodies:

• Long Beach City beaches and Los Angeles River estuary for bacteria: will help protect the health of the tens of thousands of people visiting the beaches during summer months. Once implemented, the average number of days during the swimming season exceeding bacteria standards will be reduced from 34 days to 0.
  
• Santa Monica Bay waters for DDTs and PCBs: will increase the health of the fish and other aquatic life and protect the public who use the Bay for recreational fishing and boating. Once implemented, DDT and PCB levels in the Bay will be reduced up to 50% and 75%, respectively.
  
• Ballona Creek wetlands for sediment and exotic vegetation: will help restore the last remaining critical coastal wetlands in Southern California.  Once implemented, 600 acres of habitats adjacent to Marina del Rey will support the hundreds of migratory birds species and the dozens of native birds that use these wetlands.
  
• Nine Los Angeles area urban lakes for toxics, trash, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution: will support recreation and wildlife for nine lakes in the Los Angeles area, including Echo Park Lake, Lake Calabasas, Puddingstone Reservoir and El Dorado Park Lakes.
  

In addition, the EPA has approved four LA Water Board-adopted TMDLs to address pollutants and impairments for the following water bodies:

• Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors for toxic pollutants: will reduce toxic levels of metals and organic pollutants to protect sensitive habitat, fishing, recreation, and navigation in the harbors.
  
• Machado Lake for toxic pollutants: will remediate contaminated water and sediments in the lake so that fish are safe to eat.
  
• Los Angeles River for bacteria: will protect the health of swimmers, waders, and boaters in the river and at downstream beaches in the City of Long Beach.
  
• Santa Monica Bay for trash: will prohibit trash and plastic pellets (“nurdles”) from entering the bay to protect beachgoers and marine life.

Pollution reduction plans adopted over the years have led to innovative solutions by municipalities and pollution equipment industries to address some of the most deep-rooted pollution problems in the region.  These plans have led to the installation of trash capture devices by 42 cities resulting in a 65% reduction in total tons of trash entering the Los Angeles River. The landmark Santa Monica Bay Beaches Bacteria TMDL has, since its adoption, reduced exceedances of bacteria standards at local beaches by half for the benefit of the 55 million people who visit Santa Monica Bay Beaches annually.

For more information on the pollution plans approved today, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/tmdl/final.html 

For more information on all of the TMDLs in the Los Angeles Region, please visit: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losangeles/water_issues/programs/tmdl/  
For more information about the Clean Water Act, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/cwa.html  

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Hinkson Creek Meeting Scheduled March 28 in Columbia, MO

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

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

Hinkson Creek Meeting Scheduled March 28 in Columbia, Mo.

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, 913-551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov

Environmental News

NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY

(Kansas City, Kan., March 20, 2012) - Representatives of EPA; Missouri Department of Natural Resources; Boone County, Mo., Commission; City of Columbia, Mo.; and University of Missouri will host a public informational meeting on March 28 in Columbia, Mo., about an innovative partnership to carry out a pollutant reduction plan to restore Hinkson Creek’s water quality.

A cooperative agreement will be announced which lays out goals and objectives to improve the creek’s water quality. The agreement aims to use each entity’s specific authority to produce a healthy stream attaining all of its designated beneficial uses.

WHAT: Public informational meeting on Hinkson Creek pollutant reduction plan

WHEN: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 28, 2012; and remarks at 5:15 p.m.

WHERE: Activity and Recreation Center, Room A, 1701 West Ash Street, Columbia, Mo. 65203

WHO: Remarks by EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks; Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Sarah Parker Pauley; Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill; Boone County Commissioner Karen Miller; and Mayor of Columbia Bob McDavid.

EPA established a Total Maximum Daily Load, or pollutant reduction plan, for Hinkson Creek on January 28, 2011. The plan calls for significant pollutant reductions to improve the stream’s water quality, as required by the Clean Water Act.

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Titan Environmental Services to Pay $10,878 Penalty

News release from EPA Region 7:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

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

Titan Environmental Services to Pay $10,878 for Violations of Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act

Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 6, 2012) - Titan Environmental Services, Inc., of Kansas City, Mo., has agreed to pay a $10,878 civil penalty to the United States to settle a series of violations of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, including failures to provide required hands-on training to contractors and other renovation professionals who enrolled in some of its training courses.

As part of its settlement with EPA Region 7, and in addition to paying the $10,878 civil penalty, Titan Environmental Services has agreed to offer the federally-required hands-on training at no cost to trainees who were enrolled in the company’s classes where EPA found violations.

The company has also agreed to perform a supplemental environmental project, through which it will spend at least $97,902 to fund lead abatement activities at five residential properties in St. Joseph, Mo. The project will cover window replacement and lead-based paint abatement, to be performed by entities licensed and/or certified by the State of Missouri. Titan Environmental Services must submit detailed work plans to EPA for approval before the abatement activities begin, and follow-up reports to the Agency when those activities are completed, under terms of the settlement.

According to an administrative consent agreement and final order filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan., Titan Environmental Services’ violations of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act were based on findings from three EPA inspections: a May 2010 recordkeeping inspection at the company’s Kansas City business office, an October 2010 inspection at a lead-based paint training course given by the company at a hotel in Osage Beach, Mo.; and an October 2010 follow-up recordkeeping inspection at the company’s business office.

The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, which amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), was designed to address the need to control exposure to lead-based paint hazards. The law directs EPA to regulate the accreditation of training programs offered to renovation professionals, including minimum requirements for training providers, training curriculum, training hours, hands-on training, trainee competency and proficiency, and requirements for training program quality control.

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting and demolition can produce hazardous lead dust that can be harmful to adults and children.

EPA’s inspections found that, despite being accredited in August 2009 to offer training in the Renovator Initial Course – English, Titan Environmental Services: 

• Failed to properly notify EPA at least seven days in advance of offering training on at least six occasions during 2010.
• Failed to properly notify EPA within 10 days after completions of training on at least 35 occasions during 2010.
• Failed to maintain and make available to EPA necessary documents showing the education, work experience, training requirements or demonstrated experience for the principal instructor of a course offered in April 2010.
• Failed to cover all required portions of hands-on training activities during training courses provided on at least four occasions in April 2010 and October 2010.
• Failed to maintain and make available to EPA the necessary student assessment forms for training courses provided on at least two occasions in April 2010. 

By agreeing to the settlement with EPA, Titan Environmental Services has certified that it is presently in compliance with the applicable federal regulations.

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