$2.5 Million Plant to Treat Contaminated Ground Water at the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund Site in Nassau, New York Nears Completion

EPA Press Release:

$2.5 Million Plant to Treat Contaminated Ground Water at the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund Site in Nassau, New York Nears Completion

EPA Announces Agreements with Companies to Conduct Studies of

Contamination at the Site

Total Actions Expected to Cost at Least $4.5 Million

Contact: Larisa Romanowski, (518) 747-4389 or (518) 703-0101; romanowski.larisa@epa.gov, Jennifer May, may.jennifer@epa.gov, (212) 637-3658

(New York, N.Y. – Nov. 26, 2013) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck today visited the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund site in Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York to announce that General Electric Company and SI Group, Inc. (formerly Schenectady Chemical) have agreed to conduct comprehensive studies of the contamination at the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund site. The site, which is located four miles northeast of the village of Nassau in southern Rensselaer County, is contaminated with volatile organic compounds and other hazardous substances that have seeped out of the landfill and contaminated the ground water. In addition, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have also moved downstream, contaminating sediment and several species of fish in and near Nassau Lake. The EPA also announced that the construction of a new water treatment system for collecting and treating liquid seeping from the landfill and ground water is nearly complete and is expected to begin operations in January 2014.

Many volatile organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals and can cause cancer in people. PCBs are chemicals that persist in the environment and can affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and can cause cancer.

“Since the Dewey Loeffel site was added to the federal Superfund List in 2011, the EPA has taken action to protect people and the environment from exposure to an array of toxins,” said Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “The newly constructed water treatment plant will eliminate 6-8 truck trips per week to transport contaminated water through the surrounding community for disposal. The treatment system and the agreements announced today are important environmental accomplishments.”

One of two agreements announced today is between EPA, GE and the SI Group for an investigation and assessment of long-term cleanup options for the landfill and the ground water underlying it. The estimated value of this investigation is $1.5 million. Under a separate agreement, GE will investigate and assess long-term cleanup options for the ponds, streams and other water bodies that have been impacted by contamination from the site, including Nassau Lake. The cost for the first phase of this investigation is estimated between $500,000 and $1 million. Under both agreements, the companies will pay for the EPA’s costs in overseeing the work.

The treatment plant that is nearing completion replaces an old system that is pumping and collecting the contaminated liquid, called leachate, seeping from the landfill and contaminated ground water at the site. The liquid waste is then trucked away from the site for disposal. The new system will treat the liquid waste at the site. GE and SI Group are constructing the plant under a 2012 agreement with the EPA.

Between 1952 until 1968, an estimated 46,000 tons of industrial waste material generated by several Capital District companies was sent to the site. The waste included industrial solvents, waste oil, PCBs, scrap materials, sludge and solids. From 1980 until the site was added to the federal Superfund list in 2011, numerous investigations and cleanup actions were performed at the site by GE and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

In March 2011, the EPA began gathering landfill and ground water data. In fall 2011, the EPA began operating the ground water and leachate collection systems that had been installed by the state. In April 2012, the EPA reached an agreement with GE and SI Group for the companies to take over the operation of the collection system and construct a new plant capable of treating the contaminated ground water and leachate at the site, which will eliminate the need to truck it away. GE and SI Group took over the operation of the old system in August 2012 and began constructing the new system in May 2013. Between August 2012 and October 2013, more than 2.5 million gallons of extracted ground water and leachate have been collected and disposed of out of the area.

Treated water from the new system will be discharged to surface water only after the EPA verifies that sampling data shows that the treatment system is working effectively and is capable of meeting stringent discharge limits set by the NYSDEC. GE and SI Group will continue to send the wastewater off-site by truck until the plant has shown that it can effectively treat the liquid waste. All work being performed by GE and the SI Group is being conducted under EPA oversight.

The Superfund program operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. After sites are placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated waste sites, the EPA searches for parties responsible for the contamination and holds them accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups.

The EPA has a webpage about the site at: http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/dewey.

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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Crafting a Regional Vision - New River Valley, Virginia is Developing Long Range Strategic Plan to Shape its Future

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Chris Beck, Senior Projects Advisor, USDA Rural Development Office of the Under Secretary, on November 26, 2013 at 9:15 AM

Jessica Wirgau, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley and Kevin Byrd, Executive Director of the New River Valley Planning District Commission, celebrate the near completion of a successful three-year federally-funded community planning process.

One of the challenges with implementing USDA Rural Development programs is that many of the communities we serve have not had the opportunity to develop strategic plans to guide federal infrastructure investments effectively. Fortunately, a 2010 grant from HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities enabled the New River Valley Planning District Commission to engage the public in the rural Southwest Virginia counties of Pulaski, Montgomery, Giles, and Floyd and all the major towns to develop a blueprint for future economic activity.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend a meeting where over 100 rural citizens in the New River Valley gathered to put some of the finishing touches on the 3-year regional planning process, known locally as their Livability Initiative. I came away inspired by the dialogue that has evolved over the past three years and am looking forward to seeing how the communities in this economically diverse rural region look for ways to implement some of the ideas they have generated to improve their communities and enhance long-term economic opportunities.

Some of the ideas in the plan are regional in nature and some, of course, focus on locally-based strategies.  Over the coming years these communities will now be able to benefit from the multi-county relationships they have built and guidance by the goals identified in the plan.  The HUD planning grant is part of the federal agency Partnership for Sustainable Communities aimed at promoting more efficient use of federal infrastructure investments.

One of the more impressive aspects of the New River Valley Livability Initiative is how it is moving forward.  Once the plan is finalized this spring the Community Foundation of the New River Valley has volunteered to keep the community involved as it moves toward refining some of the goals and implementing the ideas outlined in the plan.  Having spent the past couple of years exploring ways that philanthropy can be more engaged in rural America, this struck me as a superb example of a foundation leveraging federal resources and stepping up to the plate to provide capacity in a rural area.   It’s the sort of activity we envisioned when USDA signed partnership agreement with the Council on Foundations in 2011.

A complementary initiative in Southwest Virginia was announced in 2012–the Rural Jobs Accelerator, a one-time program funded by USDA, the Economic Development Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission.  The SW Virginia project–Appalachian Spring—Connecting Communities in SW Virginia.– provides a national example for a regional strategy focused on culture-based economic opportunities as well as developing strategies to support the outdoor recreation economy.  The effort includes the combined initiatives of two organizations, the Crooked Road, aimed at fostering the region’s bluegrass music tradition and Round the Mountain, dedicated to elevating the artisan crafts of the region.

During my tour of this rural region, I was able to visit the rural hamlet of Floyd situated on a hilltop ridge, near an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Floyd offers a model of a rural community that is already embracing innovative ways of supporting local livability and embracing the cultural economy.  The pedestrian-friendly main street environs are surrounded with local businesses coupled with Bluegrass music stages in several local establishments. Moreover, the town’s proximity to outdoor recreation, and its abundance of working farms, from which a vibrant local food economy can be nurtured.

USDA Rural Development has recently provided grant support for the development of food processing facility in partnership with Sustain Floyd, a local leader in helping shape the economy of Floyd County.   Sustain Floyd’s efforts around developing a viable Farm to School effort also demonstrate strong partnership with USDA.

SW Virginians are doing everything they can to chart an innovative economic strategy for the future, and I look forward to seeing the results of their work.

The main street in Floyd, Virginia, one of the rural Southwest Virginia communities building their future around cultural economic strategies involving local food systems and Bluegrass music.

EPA Finalizes Approval of Public Participation Rules in Texas’ Clean-Air Plan

EPA Press Release:


EPA Finalizes Approval of Public Participation Rules in Texas’ Clean-Air Plan

DALLAS – (Nov. 25, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Texas’ clean-air plan that covers public notification requirements for facilities applying for air permits. The revised plan gives citizens additional opportunities to comment on applications for air permits for new facilities and modifications to existing facilities.

Citizens will be notified when a facility applies for a permit and after Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) proposes a draft permit. Facilities will also have to provide expanded technical documents to ensure citizens and interested groups have as much information as possible on proposed permits.

“Public review and input during the permitting process is important to making good decisions,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “The state's revised rule improves transparency in the air permitting process and allows for more public input.”

After extensive collaboration between the TCEQ and the EPA, the state revised the public participation rules for air permit applications to apply to new and existing facilities classified as major or minor sources of pollution. TCEQ incorporated these revisions into the State Implementation Plan submitted to EPA. The revised plan clarified procedures for citizens to submit comments on permit applications, as well as how TCEQ is to respond to comments.

More information about the Clean Air Act is available at: http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/peg/

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

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EPA Appoints New Scientific Integrity Official

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 25, 2013

EPA Appoints New Scientific Integrity Official

Washington, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has appointed Dr. Francesca Grifo as the agency’s new scientific integrity official. Dr. Grifo’s responsibilities in her new role include coordinating and carrying out EPA’s scientific integrity policy and chairing a standing EPA scientific integrity committee.

“Science is, and continues, to be the backbone of this agency and the integrity of our science is central to the identity and credibility of our work,” said Gina McCarthy, administrator for EPA. “Dr. Grifo brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to EPA that will help continue our work to implement the agency’s scientific integrity policy.”

Dr. Francesca Grifo has many years of experience in scientific research, academia, and science policy. She comes to EPA from the Union of Concerned Scientists and has devoted her career to strengthening scientific integrity in the government.

EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment depends upon the integrity of science. It is the agency’s key responsibility to conduct, utilize, and communicate scientific information with the highest degree of integrity, and transparency to the American public.

For more information: http://www.epa.gov/research/htm/scientific-integrity.htm

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Conservation Innovation Grant Helps Cranberry Farmers Conserve Water, Shield Fruit from Cold

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Justin Fritscher, Natural Resources Conservation Service, on November 25, 2013 at 5:30 PM

Growers load cranberries after a harvest at Mayflower Cranberries in Plympton, Mass. Photo by Jeff LaFleur of Mayflower Cranberries used with permission.

It’s tough to imagine the Thanksgiving celebration without turkey, dressing, and most importantly, the cranberry sauce. To keep this holiday staple safe from the cold and ready for harvest, farmers apply water to cranberries on frosty nights.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association worked with growers to install automated sprinkler systems that conserve water and trim costs.

With the automated system, cranberry growers can control sprinklers from a computer and turn on and off sprinklers with a simple button. Traditionally, the different systems had to be turned on and off manually, wasting time, money and water.

A Conservation Innovation Grant from NRCS has enabled the association to work with 11 growers and implement these sprinkler systems, which are a relatively new technology to the industry.

These systems have sensors among the cranberry vines that monitor temperature and other weather conditions. A grower can monitor and control the systems from the Internet. Growers using these systems can save more than 9,000 gallons of water per acre on a frost night.

“The use of computerized irrigation systems had a huge impact on growers’ lives,” said Jeff LaFleur, the association’s former director. “The system has simplified how we monitor bog temperatures, and it provides accurate data on when irrigations systems should be turned on to protect from frost.”

Sprinklers spray water on cranberries during a frosty morning. Photo by Jeff LaFleur of Mayflower Cranberries used with permission.

During the study period, the systems kept water running about two hours less. For a typical growing season, 280,000 gallons of water per acre can be conserved.

Water protects the plants because as it turns to ice, heat is released, warming the berries. If the berries get too cold, they’re difficult to market.

“Water is our life blood in cranberries,” said LaFleur, who now heads the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts and owns his own cranberry farm. “Even though cranberry bogs are dry most of the growing season, proper water management is critical to yields and fruit quality.”

This grant, awarded in 2007, has changed the way cranberry growers do business. The grant shows how technology can make farming easier and cheaper, LaFleur said. Most of the participating growers plan to invest in more automated systems for their bogs.

Cranberries are floated after they are picked. Photo by Jeff LaFleur of Mayflower Cranberries used with permission.

“It was risky for growers to participate in this project,” he said. “We asked them to trust computers and make management decisions based upon what the computers were telling them. The end result is that growers have come not only to trust the systems but rely heavily on them on a regular basis to better manage the resources on their farms.”

Most cranberries are grown in southeastern Massachusetts, where 400 cranberry growing families farm more than 14,000 acres.

Cranberries grow in low-lying beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. Commonly called bogs, they were originally created by glacial deposits. Now, growers create commercial bogs through a network of wetlands, ditches and ponds.

Almost 20 percent of cranberries produced each year are eaten during Thanksgiving week, what LaFleur calls “an iconic part of the Thanksgiving celebration.”

Ripe berries on the vine ready to be picked at Mayflower Cranberries in Plympton, Mass. Photo by Jeff LaFleur of Mayflower Cranberries used with permission.

Forest Kindergartens Could Be the Next Big Export from Germany - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Radical back-to-nature forest kindergartens where children are allowed to climb trees and play with fire have spread across the country. Will the concept of the Waldkindergarten become Germany's next export success?

Forest Kindergartens Could Be the Next Big Export from Germany - SPIEGEL ONLINE

U.S. EPA honors graduates of environmental job training program at ceremony

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 21, 2013

MEDIA CONTACT: David Yogi, yogi.david@epa.gov, (415) 972-3350

U.S. EPA honors graduates of environmental job training program at ceremony

Students prepared for employment within communities for environmental projects

(SAN FRANCISCO) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today will recognize 37 graduates from the Cypress Mandela Training Center for completing professional environmental remediation training at an award ceremony held at the State of California Transportation auditorium in Oakland, Calif.

Funded in part by a $200,000 grant from the EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWD/JT) program, students at the Cypress Mandela Training Center gained the training and expertise necessary to secure skilled jobs in environmental remediation, construction, and utility professions.

“These graduates will play a critical role in Bay Area environmental restoration efforts,” said Clancy Tenley, Assistant Director of EPA’s Superfund program for the Pacific Southwest.  “As catalysts for change, they are a great example of community members who work for the betterment of their neighborhoods.”

Cypress Mandela provides training to low-income, unemployed and underemployed students. In addition to funding from EPA, Cypress Mandela leverages the support of many other organizations, including the Alameda County Justice and Sheriff Departments, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties Building Trades Associations, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

“The Cypress Mandela Training Center has had a long standing relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency, which has proven to be one of the most beneficial partnerships that directly impacts the community,” said Art Shanks, Cypress Mandela Executive Director. “The funding that EPA has provided has served the community with effective training and education in the environmental sector. Post training, students are placed directly into employment, which reduces poverty and crime in our communities. I would like to say that it has truly been an honor and a pleasure to work with the EPA for the betterment of our communities.”

As part of the program, graduates earned professional certifications and completed multiple training sessions focused on environmental topics such as emergency preparedness, mold remediation, health hazard awareness, asbestos awareness, and hazardous material training.

Further, graduates completed two-weeks of “Life Skills” training to hone skills related to work readiness, job search and job retention, and confronting potential barriers to employment. Throughout the training, graduates also participated in weekly sessions to update resumes, engage in mock interviews, and conduct online job searches. As part of these sessions, some graduates also had the opportunity to interview with Bay Area environmental contractors in advance of the graduation.

“The graduates are putting their training to use and are currently working in the communities that they live in.  There is nothing better than having a career and giving back to your neighborhood.  That’s community and workforce development!” said Justin Real of PG&E.

Bay Area organizations have received more than $4.8 million in EPA job training funds since 1999 and, in 2013 alone, more than 165 people in the Bay Area have been trained to work in the environmental cleanup industry. As of May 2013, more than 11,000 Americans have completed training through the support of this program, of which, more than 8,000 have obtained employment in the environmental field. 

For more information about EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program, visit:http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm#bro

For more information about EPA’s Brownfields program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/index.html

For more information about the Cypress Mandela Training Center, visit:

http://www.cypressmandela.org/

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