FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2012
Kansas Refinery to Pay Nearly $1 Million Penalty for Environmental Violations Related to Air Emissions
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing (CRRM) has agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $970,000 and invest more than $4.25 million on new pollution controls and $6.5 million in operating costs to resolve alleged violations of air, superfund and community right-to-know laws at its Coffeyville, Kan. refinery. The settlement will benefit the environment and human health by requiring new and upgraded pollution controls, more stringent emission limits, and more aggressive leak-detection and repair practices to reduce emissions from refinery equipment and process units. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), two pollutants emitted from refineries, can cause respiratory problems like asthma and are significant contributors to acid rain, smog and haze.
“The Clean Air Act is designed to protect people’s health from emissions of harmful pollutants,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s settlement will protect residents living near the facility and ensure that the necessary pollution controls are installed to protect the residents of southeastern Kansas in the future.”
“This settlement puts CRRM on a level playing field with the more than 100 petroleum refineries that have agreed to implement aggressive pollution control measures, thereby reducing the threats posed by harmful emissions to area residents,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The agreement reaffirms our commitment to ensure that the petroleum refining industry complies with the nation’s Clean Air Act.”
The settlement resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Coffeyville allegedly made modifications to its refinery that increased emissions without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing required pollution control equipment. The CAA requires major sources of air pollution to obtain such permits before making changes that would result in a significant emissions increase of any pollutant. The settlement also resolves violations in which CRRM failed to timely notify state and local emergency responders of releases of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide from the refinery, as required by the CERCLA and EPCRA.
Once fully implemented, the pollution controls required by the settlement will annually reduce an estimated 200 tons of NOx emissions and more than 110 tons of SO2 emissions. The settlement will also reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and other pollutants that affect air quality. CRRM has also agreed to perform a voluntary environmental project at the refinery valued at more than $1.2 million. The project will benefit the environment and surrounding communities by reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide, reducing the frequency of future acid gas flaring incidents, and conserve 15 million gallons of water each year that would previously have come from the Verdigris River.
The settlement with CRRM is the 30th under an EPA initiative to improve compliance among petroleum refiners and to reduce significant amounts of air pollution from refineries nationwide through comprehensive, company-wide settlements. The first of EPA’s settlements was reached in 2000, and with today’s settlement, 107 refineries operating in 32 states and territories – more than 90 percent of the total refining capacity in the United States – are under judicially enforceable agreements to significantly reduce emissions of pollutants. As a result of the settlement agreements, refiners have agreed to invest more than $6 billion in new pollution controls designed to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants by more than 360,000 tons per year.
CRRM’s refinery has the capacity to refine more than 115,000 barrels of crude oil per day, producing gasoline, diesel fuels, and propane.
The State of Kansas has joined in the settlement and will receive a portion of the civil penalty.
The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval.
More information on the CRRM settlement:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/coffeyville.html
More information on other petroleum refinery settlements:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/oil/index.html
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
EPA Approves Southern Ute Air Permitting Program
EPA approves Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s air permitting program
Southwest Colorado Tribe is first in nation to operate Clean Air Act program for large sources of air emissions
Contact Information:
U.S. EPA: Carl Daly, 303-312-6416; Richard Mylott, 303-312-6654
Southern Ute Indian Tribe: Andrea Taylor, 970-563-0100 x 2250
(Denver, Colo. - March 5, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced its approval of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s air permitting program, making the Tribe the first in the nation to operate an EPA-approved Clean Air Act program for large sources of air emissions. The Tribe’s headquarters are located near Ignacio, Colorado.
The Clean Air Act operating permits program allows the Tribe to issue permits and perform inspections at large stationary sources of air emissions on the Reservation, the majority of which are associated with oil and gas production. EPA will continue to work with the Tribe in an oversight capacity, as it does for State permitting programs.
“The assumption of this program is a significant step forward for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the environment,” said Jim Martin, EPA’s Regional Administrator in Denver. “EPA’s approval reflects the Tribe’s exceptional effort to build the expertise and capacity to manage air quality on the Reservation.”
The Tribe’s effort to obtain authority to implement the program has been underway for nearly a decade and has involved extensive communication and outreach with industry, the State of Colorado and surrounding communities. Previously, EPA had served as the permitting authority on behalf of the Tribe.
In commenting on the approval, Tribal Chairman Jimmy R. Newton, Jr. stated that, “EPA approval of this program is an achievement that was envisioned by many past tribal leaders and is the culmination of extensive cooperation among the Tribe, EPA, State of Colorado, La Plata County, and oil and gas industry operators. The Tribe looks forward to administering the program in a manner that ensures protection of the Reservation air shed and contributes positively to regional air quality.”
Clean Air Act operating permits are legally enforceable documents that authorities issue to air pollution sources after the source has begun to operate. This requirement comes from Title V of the Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado. The Reservation land area includes more than a thousand square miles in La Plata, Archuleta and Montezuma counties.
More on the Clean Air Act operating permits program: http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/permits/
Southern Ute Indian Tribe: http://www.southern-ute.nsn.us/
News Release from EPA Region 2 - Grant to CACWNY
EPA Provides Major Grant to CACWNY
Contact: Michael Basile (646) 369-0055, (716) 551-4410, basile.michael@epa.gov
(Buffalo, N.Y – March 5, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $100,000 federal Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant to the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York for a community project in Tonawanda, New York. The EPA grant will assist the Tonawanda community in prioritizing the environmental and health risks posed by a range of polluting facilities in this industrial area outside of Buffalo, New York. Tonawanda has 53 industrial facilities, including a coke plant, two petroleum distribution terminals, multiple chemical bulk storage terminals, a coal-burning power plant, a tire manufacturing plant and two interstate highways within its borders.
“The EPA is supporting communities like Tonawanda, N.Y., that face varied and often serious environmental and public health challenges,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “By bringing together business leaders, community members, elected officials and businesses, we can work together to protect the environment and people’s health. Tonawanda is a wonderful community where people have joined together to tackle a range of pollution problems. The EPA is delighted to provide a grant to the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York to ensure that continued progress is made in reducing pollution, protecting public health and encouraging businesses to embrace more sustainable practices.”
“The CARE grant has allowed the coalition to reach out to a diverse group of stakeholders in Tonawanda,” said Erin Heaney, the Coalition’s Executive Director. “We have built new, powerful relationships with local business, parent organizations, local government agencies, faith based organizations, and individual residents. This summer the coalition will engage residents in air testing, photographic research, and tabulating information about dangerous toxins in the air, water and soil. The CARE partnership will develop a list of environmental threats to the community and rank the imminent threats. Together we will make Tonawanda a better place to work, live and play.”
In addition to the EPA and the Clean Air Coalition, other key partners in the effort include the Town of Tonawanda, Buffalo First!, Ken-Ton Chamber of Commerce, members of Tonawanda’s PTA and local faith-based leaders. The group expects the partnership to grow throughout the year.
The EPA provided the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York with a CARE grant to fund this effort in July 2012. The coalition is using this grant to lead a public process to identify and prioritize pollution problems in the Tonawanda community and find ways to reduce the health and environmental risks they may pose. The coalition is convening and facilitating meetings with community groups, businesses and elected officials and engaging experts in the compilation of a list of local environmental hazards, potentially including air pollution and land contamination from industrial facilities in the area, nuclear waste in the town landfill, housing, climate change and other pressing issues. The community group will also sponsor capacity building workshops and make innovative use of photography to document environmental problems.
For more information on the CARE grant program or this project, visit:
Follow 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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Monday, March 5, 2012
News Release from EPA - Help for Water & Wastewater
FOR IMMEDIATE RELASEMarch 2, 2012
EPA Provides $15 Million to Help Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems Across the Country
Funding will help small systems better serve local communities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it will provide up to $15 million in funding for training and technical assistance to small drinking and wastewater systems, defined as systems that serve fewer than 10,000 people, and private well owners. The funding will help provide water system staff with training and tools to enhance system operations and management practices, and supports EPA’s continuing efforts to protect public health, restore watersheds and promote sustainability in small communities.
Most of the funding, up to $14.5 million, will provide training and technical assistance to small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and to small publicly-owned wastewater systems, communities served by on-site systems, and private well owners to improve water quality.
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.
EPA expects to make available up to $500,000 to provide training and technical assistance to tribally-owned and operated public water systems.
Applications must be received by EPA by April 9, 2012. EPA expects to award these cooperative agreements by Summer 2012. For more information about these competitive announcements, visit:
For more information on EPA’s programs and tools to help small water systems, visit:
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Oak Ridge's K-25 Demolition Work
New EM Project of the Month Spotlights Oak Ridge's K-25
Demolition Work
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — EM focuses on the K-25 demolition project at Oak Ridge in its latest Project of the Month.
Once the world’s largest building under one roof, K-25 reflects less of its former title every day. Due to the partnership between the EM cleanup team and Oak Ridge’s prime environmental management contractor, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR), the 44-acre, multi-level uranium-enrichment superstructure is in the advanced stages of demolition.
Read other news about EM's nuclear cleanup mission here.
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