Public Comments Sought on Proposed Coal Ash Cleanup Settlement with Rotary Drilling Supply in Jefferson County, Mo.

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

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

Public Comments Sought on Proposed Coal Ash Cleanup Settlement with Rotary Drilling Supply in Jefferson County, Mo.

Contact Information: David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., May 30, 2013) - EPA Region 7 and Rotary Drilling have reached a proposed agreement to address environmental impacts from the unauthorized disposal of approximately 140,000 tons of coal ash from the Rush Island Power Plant owned and operated by Union Electric Company (d/b/a Ameren Missouri). EPA is accepting public comment on the settlement pursuant to the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

In an administrative order on consent (AOC), EPA alleges that the dumping of the coal ash on property owned by Rotary Drilling Supply, Inc., located in Jefferson County, Mo., impacted wetlands, an unnamed tributary to Plattin Creek, and a portion of Willers Lake. The coal ash contains environmentally harmful metals that migrate into adjacent surface waters.

Between October 2004 and September 2008, Rotary Drilling and another company, Mineral Resource Technologies, Inc., contracted with Kleinschmidt Trucking, Inc., to haul and dispose of approximately 95,000 tons of coal ash to the Rotary Drilling site. During that time period, Mineral Resource Technologies, Inc., contracted with Union Electric Company to find and secure locations for coal ash disposal. In 2007, Union Electric contracted directly with Kleinschmidt Trucking, Inc., to haul and dispose of approximately 45,000 tons of coal ash from the Rush Island Power Plant at Rotary Drilling’s property.

EPA’s proposed settlement, issued pursuant to federal RCRA authority, requires Rotary Drilling to abate impacts of the coal ash disposal by placing a protective cap over the coal ash piles and installing controls to prevent the continued migration of coal ash constituents into wetlands and other surface waters.

Additionally, Rotary Drilling must mitigate for lost wetland functions by purchasing wetland mitigation bank credits. Wetland mitigation bank credits involve the restoration, creation, enhancement, or preservation of a wetland, stream, or habitat conservation area to offset adverse impacts to similar nearby ecosystems. The goal is to replace the function and value of the specific wetland habitats that have been adversely impacted.

A copy of the Administrative Record is located at the Crystal City Public Library, 736 Mississippi Ave., Crystal City, MO 63019. EPA invites the public to comment on the AOC. The 30-day public comment period opens on May 30, 2013, and runs through June 28, 2013.

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EPA Public Hearing on Wetland Fill Permit Application for County Road 595 in Marquette, Michigan

Press release:

For Immediate Release              No. 12-OPA 058

EPA Public Hearing on Wetland Fill Permit Application for County Road 595 in Marquette, Michigan

CHICAGO (July 30, 2012) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing on August 28th to take comments on the Marquette County Road Commission’s application for a wetland fill permit for the construction of County Road 595. EPA scheduled the hearing at the request of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The Road Commission has proposed a new 21.5-mile primary county road, running north-south between U.S. Highway 41 and County Road Triple A, through Champion, Ely, Humbolt and Michigamme Townships. According to the application, construction would affect 25.81 acres of wetlands and would require the building of 22 stream crossings.

MDEQ has the authority to issue permits for projects under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for wetlands, lakes and streams. EPA’s role is to ensure that proposed projects comply with federal guidelines. At the hearing, EPA will take comments on two issues: (1) whether there are practical, alternate routes for the road which would have less impact on aquatic resources; and (2) proposals to mitigate damage to wetlands and streams.

Oral and written comments will be taken at the public hearing. EPA will hold an informational question-and-answer session immediately before the public hearing -- at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28. The public hearing begins at 7 p.m. Both will be held at Northern Michigan University, Don H. Bottums University Center, Ontario/Michigan/Huron Rooms, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette.

The public comment period started on July 27 and concludes on Sept. 4, 2012. Comments should be addressed to Melanie Haveman, U.S. EPA (WW-16J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604-3590 or r5_cr595_comments@epa.gov. For questions or additional information, call EPA toll-free at 800-621-8431, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,week days. Related documents and information about the public hearing are available on EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/region5/water/cr595.

The official records are also available at the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St., Ishpeming.

News Release from EPA - Restore Forest Ecosystems

Contact: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 / heron.donna@epa.gov

EPA Celebrates 20^th Year as Exhibitor in the Philadelphia Flower Show with Best of Show Award in the Non-Academic Education Category

EPA's 2012 Exhibit Demonstrates how to Restore Forest Ecosystems and Manage Pests Naturally

PHILADELPHIA (March 8, 2012) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2012 exhibit entitled "Palekaiko Nalowale" (Paradise Lost) demonstrates the importance of wetlands and how water provides the basic building block of life as it flows from a cascading brook and emerges from the forest to form a bog wetland.

Bogs are wet, spongy areas and visitors to the exhibit will learn about their important ecological function in preventing downstream flooding. Visitors will also be inspired by splashes of color and textures of pitcher plants, blueberries, larch and a host of other species that grow naturally on bogs, while dogwood, rhododendron, azalea and other native woodland plants form a buffer for the aquatic system.

"We want to show people that it's possible to have a beautiful garden without a lot of fuss, and also have it do good for the environment. We hope people will come to our exhibit and find out how," said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin.

This is the 20^th year that EPA has been bringing its message of beneficial landscaping to the Philadelphia Flower Show. That first show in 1992 was a simple table with employee volunteers handing out literature. Somewhere along the way, the agency decided to bring the literature to life, creating exhibits that feature wetlands, natural pest control and the importance of native plants. This year EPA was honored with its fourth Best of Show in the non-academic educational category.

For more information on EPA's Philadelphia Flower Show exhibit and green landscaping, go to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/flower_show.htm.

For EPA's blog post, go to: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2012/02/29/rediscovering-paradise-lost-in-your-backyard/.

For EPA's podcast, go to: http://www.epa.gov/region03/multimedia/playercontents/audio/FlowerShow20122.html.

Cleanup Complete at Superfund Site

News release from EPA Region 2:

Cleanup Complete at Hiteman Leather Superfund Site

In West Winfield, New York

Site Ready for Redevelopment

Contact: Larisa Romanowski, (518) 747-4389, romanowski.larisa@epa.gov  

(New York, N.Y. – Feb. 13, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed the cleanup of the Hiteman Leather Superfund site, a former tannery in West Winfield, New York, and deleted it from the Superfund National Priorities List of the county’s most hazardous waste sites. Soil and sediment on the site was contaminated with chromium, a dangerous metal that can cause serious health effects. After a review of conditions at the site, the EPA has determined that the cleanup continues to protect people’s health and the environment.

The Hiteman Leather Company operated as a tannery on the 12-acre site from 1820 to 1968. By 1964, approximately 180,000 gallons of treated industrial wastewater was being dumped each day from the tannery into three unlined lagoons. The lagoons discharged into the Unadilla River and a nearby wetland. The company was closed in 1968 because it could not meet requirements for the proper management of wastewater. The EPA added the Hiteman Leather site to the Superfund list in 1999 after finding high levels of chromium in the soil on the site and in sediments in the adjacent wetland and river.

The EPA first demolished the contaminated, structurally unsound buildings on the site and fenced the property to restrict access. The contaminated soil from the site and contaminated sediment from the wetland and the river were excavated and consolidated on-site. A soil cover was then installed over the entire site.  

The EPA finished the cleanup work in 2008 and has continued to monitor the site. Based on the monitoring results, EPA proposed to remove the site from the NPL in December 2011 and received no comments on its proposal. The EPA will continue to assess conditions at the site every five years to ensure that the cleanup continues to be protective of human health and the environment.

In 2003, the EPA awarded a $100,000 grant to the Village of West Winfield to develop a Reuse Assessment and Redevelopment Plan for the Hiteman Leather site as part of the EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative.  The plan calls for the construction of a community center, development of recreational facilities, consolidation and modernization of the existing Department of Public Works facility, and commercial development.  With the deletion of the site from the Superfund list, West Winfield can now redevelop the site consistent with the Reuse Assessment and Redevelopment Plan.

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

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