EPA to evaluate Superfund cleanup in Suffolk City, Va.

EPA News Release:

EPA to evaluate Superfund cleanup in Suffolk City, Va.

Review will verify that the site cleanup in the community remain protective 

PHILADELPHIA (May 6, 2014) The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the site cleanup and remedy at the Suffolk City Superfund Sites in Virginia. These routine check-ups, known as ‘five-year reviews,’ will be done at Superfund sites across the Mid-Atlantic region this year.

EPA conducts evaluations every five years to determine if the remedies at each site continue to be protective of human health and the environment. Reviews include inspecting cleanup technologies; examining monitoring and operating data; reviewing maintenance records; and determining if any new regulatory requirements have been established since EPA’s original cleanup decision.  

In addition to the technical work at the sites, EPA also provides the public with the opportunity to evaluate the preliminary findings of the review and provide input on potential follow up that may be required as part of the review.   

Below is a link to the Suffolk City Superfund site that provides detailed information on the site status, past assessment and cleanup activity.

Suffolk City Landfill, Suffolk City

http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/super/sites/VAD980917983/index.htm

EPA Podcast: Environmental Matters

http://www.epa.gov/region3/multimedia/playercontents/audio/SF5year2.html 

Podcast about the Five Year Reviews = will be linked here
iTunes subscribers EPA Environment Matters podcasts on iTunes

EPA News = News and Events in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region
(http://www.epa.gov/region3/newsevents/index.html)

Follow us on Twitter = https://twitter.com/eparegion3

National Research Council Releases Report Praising EPA’s IRIS Program Enhancements

EPA News Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 6, 2014

National Research Council Releases Report Praising EPA’s IRIS Program Enhancements

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) actions to improve its Integrated Risk Information System(IRIS) program, which provides information on the health effects of environmental contaminants, were applauded in a report by the National Academies’ National Research Council (NRC).

“I’m proud of the hard work our scientists have put into improving our IRIS program, and encouraged to see their efforts result in such tremendous progress which translates to greater transparency and improved efficiency to the benefit of the American public,” said Lek Kadeli, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “EPA is grateful to the Academies for their review, their recognition of the progress that’s been made, and for their recommendations that will help us make IRIS a much more effective and efficient program.”

The NRC announced that the program has moved forward steadily in planning for and implementing changes in each element of the IRIS assessment process. The report commends EPA for its substantive new approaches, continued commitment to improving the process, and successes to date. While recognizing the IRIS program is still implementing changes, the NRC notes in its report that, “overall, the committee expects that EPA will complete its planned revisions in a timely way and that the revisions will transform the IRIS program.”

EPA’s IRIS program provides health assessments of chemicals to which the public may be exposed from releases to air, water, and land and, additionally, through the use and disposal of chemicals. IRIS assessments inform EPA rulemakings, and the release of final IRIS assessments is consistent with EPA’s ongoing efforts to improve the health of Americans and protect the environment. 

EPA has been strengthening IRIS for several years and in 2013 announced broad changes through a series of enhancements designed to help the Agency produce more high quality assessments in a timely and transparent manner. A key feature of the enhancements is increased stakeholder engagement throughout the assessment development process, which EPA is achieving by holding bimonthly public science meetings to discuss specific assessments.

In the past few years, EPA has made many changes to the IRIS program. Assessments are now written using a streamlined document structure that includes:

• A preamble describing how EPA applies guidance, methods, and criteria to develop assessments;
• An executive summary highlighting major assessment conclusions;
• A detailed literature search strategy and study evaluation process used to develop the assessment; and
• Distinct sections on hazard identification and dose-response analysis.

The NRC notes that the IRIS program has made substantial progress in a short time, and the recommendations in their most recent report should be seen as building further on the progress that EPA has already made. EPA plans to convene a workshop later this year to address some of the NRC's recommendations.

Information on IRIS: www.epa.gov/iris

Link to NRC report: http://www.nationalacademies.org/newsroom/index.html

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USDA Blog » Picture it! Conservation!

This month USDA will be highlighting the value of conservation with a different focus each week.

Sometimes the benefits of conservation can be abstract. For example, think a minute about the dollar value of a single tree. Can you come up with a number?

USDA Blog » Picture it! Conservation!

USDA Blog » Our Changing Climate – Third National Assessment Released

USDA Blog » Our Changing Climate – Third National Assessment Released

EPA Inspections Remedy Clean Water Act Violations by Poultry Operation near Green Ridge, Mo.

EPA News Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

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

EPA Inspections Remedy Clean Water Act Violations by Poultry Operation near Green Ridge, Mo. 

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

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., May 6, 2014) – Environmental Protection Agency personnel conducted a series of inspections in May and October 2013 at the H and M Farms, LLC,  a poultry operation near Green Ridge, Missouri.  As a result of the inspections, the owner of the facility has agreed to remedy Clean Water Act (CWA) violations occurring on-site.

EPA inspections and sampling documented pollutant discharges from the 384,000-bird facility to tributaries of Elk Branch and Camp Branch.  The facility’s confinement barns and mortality composting buildings were not properly maintained, and poultry litter and manure was stockpiled outside, causing discharges during wet weather.

Poultry litter and manure and wastewater discharges from concentrated animal feeding operations and their land application areas can violate water quality standards, pose risks to human health, threaten aquatic life and its habitat, and impair the use and enjoyment of waterways.

“Proper maintenance of outdoor areas by livestock and poultry producers is an important step to ensure CWA compliance and to protect our waters and human health,” Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said.  “Even though animals may be confined indoors, improper maintenance of the outdoor areas, such as manure stockpiles, may result in violations.” 

As part of the settlement agreement, H and M Farms has agreed to pay a $47,700 civil penalty and certified that it is now in compliance with the Clean Water Act. The consent agreement is subject to a 40-day public comment period before it becomes final.  Information on how to submit comments is available online:

http://www.epa.gov/region7/public_notices/CWA/civil_penalty_order_public_notices.htm

    

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USDA Blog » It’s National Wildflower Week! Get a Little Wild with Flowers on National Forests and Grasslands

Walking along the peaceful Hunter Creek Road in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness, in the Hoosier National Forest, you catch a glimpse of beautiful periwinkle flowers swaying in the warm spring air. A short hike uphill and you are immersed in the full bloom of wild hyacinth, along with other delightful wildflowers such as twinleaf and trout lily.

While getting caught up in the beauty and serenity of this colorful scene, you may observe a white-tailed deer, raccoon, fox squirrel, red-shouldered hawk or scarlet tanager. This enchanted corner of the Hoosier National Forest is its only congressionally designated wilderness. It boasts plentiful spring flora thanks to its proximity to a geologic feature known as the Mount Carmel Fault. And, this is just one of 82Wildflower Viewing Areas in the Forest Service’s Eastern Region

USDA Blog » It’s National Wildflower Week! Get a Little Wild with Flowers on National Forests and Grasslands

EPA Inspection Results in $2 Million Upgrade to Conway, Kan., Natural Gas Liquids Storage Facility to Reduce Harmful Emissions

EPA News Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

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

EPA Inspection Results in $2 Million Upgrade to Conway, Kan., Natural Gas Liquids Storage Facility to Reduce Harmful Emissions  

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

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., May 5, 2014) – Environmental Protection Agency personnel conducted an inspection of the Mid-Continent Fractionation and Storage facility in Conway, Kan., in April, 2012.  As a result of the inspection, Mid-Continent has agreed to spend approximately $2 million to construct and operate a system to reduce emissions of volatile organic compound (VOC) vapors to the atmosphere.

The EPA inspection documented that Mid-Continent uses an emergency flare to control its VOC emissions.  The flare’s operating settings resulted in decreased efficiency in controlling VOC emissions, resulting in the facility’s potential-to-emit VOCs to exceed permitted limits, in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

As a part of this settlement, Mid-Continent will install and operate a new vapor collection system and two new open flame vapor combustion units.  The installation and operation of these units will bring Mid-Continent into compliance with the CAA and reduce VOC emissions by more than 15 tons per year.

“EPA is committed to protecting the quality of the air that we all breathe every day,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks said.  “The significant upgrades to Mid-Continent’s facility as a result of this settlement will reduce air pollution and help protect the health of the Conway community.”

Volatile organic compounds are precursors to ozone, which may cause airway irritation; wheezing and breathing difficulty during exercise or outdoor activity; and aggravation of asthma and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis. 

    

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