EPA Enforcement in 2012 Protects Communities From Harmful Pollution

EPA Press Release:

EPA Enforcement in 2012 Protects Communities From Harmful Pollution
CONTACT: Jason McDonald, 404-562-9203, mcdonald.jason@epa.gov

ATLANTA –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its fiscal year (FY) 2012 enforcement results. The results highlight EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement efforts to address pollution problems that have the greatest impact on communities and public health, including a reduction of 1.7 billion pounds of pollution to the nation’s air, water and land, 191,645 pounds of hazardous waste, and $34,876,733 million in civil/judicial and criminal penalties to deter violations of the law. In addition to achieving progress seen by such traditional measures, EPA has also made gains to reduce relatively smaller amounts of pollution that have substantial health impacts on communities, such as improvements in compliance with drinking water standards and efforts to reduce high toxic sources of air pollution.

“We are committed in Region 4 to ensuring that pollution problems that impact our communities and neighborhoods are addressed through vigorous civil and criminal enforcement,” said Gwen Keyes-Fleming, EPA Region 4 Administrator.
Respondents in the Region 4 states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, and on tribal lands will invest more than $1.11 billion in pollution control and cleanup and will implement more than $10,872,264 million in Supplemental Environmental Projects.  States received $16,196,392 million settlement paid out to the states as co-plaintiffs.
“Enforcement plays a vital role in protecting communities from harmful pollution,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “We are using vigorous enforcement, as well as innovations in monitoring and transparency, to reduce pollution violations, protect and empower communities and focus on the environmental problems that matter most.”

FY 2012 results include:

• Sustained and focused enforcement attention on serious violators of clean drinking water standards has resulted in improvements in compliance. The number of systems with serious violations has declined by more than 60 percent nationwide in the past three years as a result of combined federal and state enforcement work, protecting people’s health through safer drinking water.

• More than 67 percent of large combined sewer systems serving people across the country are implementing clean water solutions to reduce raw sewage and contaminated stormwater and more are underway. EPA is working with communities to design integrated solutions to these water quality problems, and incorporating innovative and cost effective green infrastructure to save money and achieve multiple community benefits.

• EPA is bringing criminal prosecutions where criminal activity threatens public health, like sending untreated and contaminated wastewater to municipal wastewater treatment plants.  In the region, there were 54 cases initiated, 40 defendants charged, 178 months and 62 days of incarceration, 576 months of probation, $1,370,162 paid in restitution, and $2,901,500 paid in fines.  See Criminal Crimes Cases in the Southeast for information on this case and others.

• EPA is taking enforcement actions against violators of environmental regulations in environmental justice communities.  See utility case example. Additionally, EPA is incorporating fenceline monitoring, which requires companies to monitor their air emissions and make that data available public, into settlements, ensuring that local residents have access to critical information about pollution that may be affecting their community. See an oil refinery case example.

• EPA is increasing transparency to use the power of public accountability to help improve environmental compliance. EPA’s 2012 enforcement actions map provides information about violators in communities. EPA’s state dashboards and Clean Water Act pollutant loading tool provides the public with information about local pollution that may affect them and allows the public to take a closer look at how government is responding to pollution problems.

• EPA continues its efforts to protect the environment by redeveloping, revitalizing, and reusing areas that were previously complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Over $8 million was spent in 2012 to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse Brownsfields in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Kentucky.

U.S. EPA Honors Dr. Jeanne Conry as Children’s Environmental Health Champion 2012

EPA Press Release:


For Immediate Release:  January 8, 2013

Contact:          Michael Ardito, 415-972-3081, ardito.michael@epa.gov                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

U.S. EPA Honors Dr. Jeanne Conry as Children’s Environmental Health Champion 2012


SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld today recognized Jeanne Conry, M.D., Ph.D., of Roseville, Calif. at an environmental award ceremony held at the University of California, San Francisco Parnassus Campus.  The Pacific Southwest Region's 2012 Children's Environmental Health Champion Award was presented to Dr. Conry, elected as president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), beginning May 2013.



“EPA applauds Dr. Jeanne Conry for her national leadership to promote better health for babies and women by preventing harmful chemical exposures during pregnancy,” Blumenfeld said. “She has made reproductive environmental health a key new emphasis for the obstetrics community.”



Dr. Conry emphasizes a healthy approach to life with exercise, healthy diet and preventive care. Before the award ceremony today, Dr. Conry spoke to a group of medical students and health professionals on “Reproductive Health and the Environment: Well Women Care and Preconception Health on the National Agenda.”



Dr. Conry is assistant physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Roseville, and associate clinical professor of ob-gyn at the University of California, Davis. She also currently serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Select Panel on Preconception, a coalition of government and health care providers seeking to improve pregnancy outcomes by emphasizing the need for healthy choices across the reproductive life span of women.



“Our studies have found that virtually all pregnant women in the U.S. are exposed to multiple chemicals and our recent survey of ACOG fellows found that OB/Gyn’s often feel underprepared to address this issue with their patients,” said Dr. Tracey Woodruff, Professor and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at UCSF. “We nominated Dr. Conry because of her commitment to teaching her patients and colleagues of the importance of avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals during pregnancy. “



Research indicates that most pregnant women have measurable levels of chemicals (such as lead, mercury, pesticides, bisphenol A, flame retardants, etc.) in their bodies that may impact fetal development. Fetuses can be exposed to chemicals because some metals and chemicals pass through the placenta. Researchers have found that prenatal exposures to chemicals may impact birth size, neurodevelopment and may increase the risk of birth defects and adverse health outcomes later in life. People can consult their health care providers to discuss ways to prevent or reduce harmful exposures, especially during the perinatal and prenatal periods.



Children and fetuses are more vulnerable to environmental exposures than adults because their systems are still developing, which makes them less able than adults to metabolize, detoxify, and excrete toxins. Children born to mothers in minority, low-income, and indigenous communities are at a greater risk of experiencing adverse effects from environmental pollution and hazards because of factors such as poverty, poor nutrition, pre-existing health conditions, lack of access to health care and information.



The EPA Pacific Southwest Region's Environmental Awards program acknowledges commitments and significant contributions to protecting the environment in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Pacific Islands and tribal lands.  Groups and individuals were selected from nominees received this year from businesses, government officials, tribes, media, academia, environmental organizations and community activists.  For more information on the other 2012 award winners please visit:  http://epa.gov/region9/awards .

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ###

Albracht Perma-Siding and Window Company of Omaha to Pay Penalty for Failure to Notify Homeowner of Lead Risks and to Keep Records of Lead Safe Work Practices

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

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

Albracht Perma-Siding and Window Company of Omaha to Pay Penalty for Failure to Notify Homeowner of Lead Risks and to Keep Records of Lead Safe Work Practices

Contact Information: Ben Washburn, 913-551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Jan. 8, 2012) - Albracht Perma-Siding and Window Co., of Omaha, Neb., has agreed to pay a $6,188 civil penalty to the United States to settle allegations that it failed to notify an Omaha couple about lead-based paint risks before the company or its subcontractors performed renovation work at their pre-1978 home. It also failed to keep records of lead safe work practices it stated it performed at 10 pre-1978 homes in Lincoln, Bellevue, and Omaha, Neb.

According to an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Lenexa, Kan., Albracht or its subcontractors were legally required to provide owners and occupants of the properties with an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet before starting renovations at the properties. It is also required to maintain records of required lead safe work practices performed at the properties.

Provision of the lead hazard information pamphlet to property owners and occupants is one requirement of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, which Congress passed in 1992 as an amendment of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The regulation is intended to protect owners and occupants of residential properties, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 from health risks associated with lead-based paint. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Most homes built before 1978 contain some amount of lead-based paint, and subsequent renovation activity of such properties can cause occupants to be exposed to dust, chips and debris that contain lead.

The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act requires renovators of such properties to obtain certified training, follow safe work practices and record-keeping requirements, and take specific steps to make owners and occupants aware of health risks associated with lead exposure before renovation work occurs.

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EPA Launches Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Group

EPA Press Release:

EPA Launches Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Group

Inter-Agency Group to Host Public Listening Session on St. Thomas on February 25 at 1:00pm

Contact: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov 

(New York, N.Y. – January 8, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has formed an inter-agency effort to protect coral reefs off the shores of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Group, which will consist of the EPA and other government agencies, will coordinate efforts to protect coral reefs. This will ensure that resources are used wisely and work from one agency complements the work of another.

“The coral reefs of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are renowned for their beauty, and their ecological and economic value,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Unfortunately, these treasures are being destroyed. By working with our fellow governmental agencies, the EPA will help make sure coral reefs continue to contribute to the region’s economy and ecology for generations to come.”

Coral reef ecosystems throughout the Caribbean are being damaged by a growing number of problems such as overfishing, sediment runoff, pollution, disease and climate change, which causes the water to become warmer and more acidic. By implementing measures to reduce those stresses that can be controlled locally, coral health can be improved and reefs can become more resilient.

The Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Group, led by EPA Region 2, will facilitate a closer working relationship among its member agencies to coordinate more effective government strategies in protecting coral reefs.

On February 25th, the Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Group will be hosting a public “listening session” in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Representatives from the EPA and the Coral Reef Protection Group’s other member agencies will be in attendance to hear the discussions and concerns of community groups and citizens regarding the state of coral reefs throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Details of the meeting, which is open to the public, will be announced in February.

In addition to the EPA, the Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Group includes the following governmental agencies: The Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Conservation Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

To sign up to speak at the February 25 listening session, or for more info, contact Charles LoBue at (212) 637-3798 or lobue.charles@epa.gov.

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 recommends radon testing in January

EPA Press Release:

EPA recommends radon testing in January

Protect your family from the second leading cause

of lung cancer in the U.S.

PHILADELPHIA (January 8, 2013) - January is national Radon Action Month and the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages everyone to test their homes for radon. January is an especially good time to test homes and schools because windows and doors are closed tightly and people spend more time indoors.

Unsafe levels of radon can lead to serious illness. The Surgeon General has warned that
radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States with an estimated 21,000 deaths a year. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. By making simple fixes in a home or building people can lower their health risks from radon.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas; so testing is the only way to know if radon is present in your home or school. Test kits are available in home improvement centers and hardware stores and costs approximately $20. The kits are simple to use with easy testing and mailing instructions.

Make the commitment to protect your family. Test for radon. Fix the problem if you find elevated radon levels. Save a life! 

Settlement with New Cingular Wireless to Resolve Violations at Hundreds of Legacy AT&T Wireless Sites

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2013

Settlement with New Cingular Wireless to Resolve Violations at Hundreds of Legacy AT&T Wireless Sites

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New Cingular Wireless (NCW) have reached an administrative settlement requiring the company to pay a civil penalty of $750,000 and spend $625,000 on environmental projects to resolve alleged reporting, planning and permitting violations at 332 legacy AT&T Wireless (AWS) sites now owned by NCW.
The violations, which occurred at AWS sites in 43 states, such as cellular towers, transmitter sites, switching stations and warehouses, included failure to comply with Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) reporting requirements related to the presence of sulfuric acid and diesel fuel at sites, inadequate or no Clean Water Act (CWA) Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans, and Clean Air Act (CAA) minor source permitting requirements.
The EPCRA requirements help communities plan for emergencies involving hazardous substances, the CWA’s SPCC rule requires facilities to have oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response plans to help prevent oil discharges to navigable waters and adjoining shorelines, and the minor source permitting requirements under the CAA ensure that air emissions limits are met.
Under the settlement, NCW will provide a certification of EPCRA compliance at 1,356 sites and conduct comprehensive compliance audits of CAA and CWA/SPCC requirements at 1,361 and 41 legacy-AWS facilities, respectively. NCW has also agreed to pay stipulated penalties for all disclosed and corrected violations discovered through these audits.

NCW has also agreed to conduct environmental projects, which will provide hazardous materials awareness and health/safety training to building inspectors and fire fighters. The projects will also support the procurement of emergency response equipment such as fire-fighting equipment, gas meters, hazmat identification equipment, satellite phones and other emergency communications equipment. The seven entities, located in four states that will benefit from the projects are: Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and Georges Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Putnam County, Fla., New York City Fire Department, N.Y., Yancey, Texas Volunteer Fire Department, Texas, and San Diego, County California Office of Emergency Services, Bodega Bay, California Fire Protection District, and Los Angeles, California Police Department Calif.
Since 1998, nearly 6,000 telecommunications facilities have been brought into compliance through more than 30 settlements as part of EPA’s effort to improve compliance in the telecommunications sector.
More information on the New Cingular Wireless settlement: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/waste/cases/att.html


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Interior, Energy, EPA Commit to Cooperative Working Group to Achieve Shared Goals on Navajo Generating Station in Arizona

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2013

Interior, Energy, EPA Commit to Cooperative Working Group to Achieve Shared Goals on Navajo Generating Station in Arizona

WASHINGTON - Today the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency released a joint statement that lays out the agencies’ shared goals for Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and energy production in the region served by NGS.
In the statement, the three agencies agree they will work together to support Arizona and tribal stakeholders in finding ways to produce “clean, affordable and reliable power, affordable and sustainable water supplies, and sustainable economic development, while minimizing negative impacts on those who currently obtain significant benefits from NGS, including tribal nations.”
In addition to identifying shared goals, the statement announces specific activities the agencies intend to take jointly to help achieve those goals. These actions include: 1) creating a long-term DOI-EPA-DOE NGS working group; 2) working with stakeholders to develop an NGS roadmap; 3) committing to complete the second phase of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s report on clean, affordable, and sustainable energy options for NGS; and 4) supporting near-term investments that align with long-term clean energy goals.
A copy of the Joint Statement is available at http://epa.gov/air/tribal/pdfs/130103_statement_ngs.pdf.
NGS is a coal-fired power plant located on the Navajo Indian reservation approximately 15 miles from the Grand Canyon and owned partially by the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). Power from the facility is distributed to customers in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Reclamation’s share of the power is used to move water to tribal, agricultural, and municipal water users in central Arizona.

The Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency oversee other federal responsibilities or interests that relate to NGS. These include tribal trust responsibilities, protection of national parks and wilderness areas, visibility and public health protection, and clean energy development.