EPA Provides Tool to Help Communities Become More Flood Resilient

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 8, 2014

EPA Provides Tool to Help Communities Become More Flood Resilient 

Smart growth approaches can help communities prepare for and recover from disaster

 
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new tool today to help communities prepare for, deal with and recover from floods. The Flood Resilience Checklist offers strategies that communities can consider, such as conserving land in flood-prone areas; directing new development to safer areas; and using green infrastructure approaches, such as installing rain gardens, to manage stormwater.

“Flooding from major storms has cost lives and caused billions of dollars in damage,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “With climate change, storms are likely to become even more powerful in many regions of the country. Where and how communities build will have long-term impacts on their flood resilience, and on air and water quality and health and safety. This checklist will help flood-prone communities think through these issues and come up with the solutions that work best for them.”

The checklist is part of a new report, Planning for Flood Recovery and Long-Term Resilience in Vermont: Smart Growth Approaches for Disaster-Resilient Communities. The report is a product of EPA’s year-long Smart Growth Implementation Assistance project in Vermont where EPA worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state agencies, including the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, to help communities recover from Tropical Storm Irene. Although the project focused on Vermont, the policy options and checklist in the report can help any community seeking to become more flood resilient.

As part of the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance project, FEMA and EPA also supported the development ofVermont State Agency Policy Options, a report that provides more detailed suggestions for how Vermont state agencies can coordinate their efforts to plan for, respond to, and recover from floods.

EPA will host a webinar on lessons learned from the Vermont project on Wednesday, August 13. The webinar will feature speakers from FEMA, the state of Vermont, and the Mad River Valley Planning District.

View the tool and the report: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sgia_communities.htm#rec1

Learn about the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sgia.htm

Learn about the webinar: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/webinars/index.html

View images on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usepagov/sets/72157633206541248/

Download Vermont State Agency Policy Options:http://accd.vermont.gov/sites/accd/files/Documents/strongcommunities/cpr/VT-StateAgencyPolicyOptionsFINAL_web.pdf

Find more resources on EPA’s new Disaster Recovery and Resilience page: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/disaster-recovery-resilience.htm

and on the State of Vermont’s Plan Today for Tomorrow’s Flood page:http://accd.vermont.gov/strong_communities/opportunities/planning/resiliency

and Vermont Strong website: http://vtstrong.vermont.gov/

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Court Approves EPA Agreement with IBM for Cleanup of Shenandoah Road Superfund Site in East Fishkill, NY

EPA Press Release:

Court Approves EPA Agreement with IBM for Cleanup of

Shenandoah Road Superfund Site in East Fishkill, NY

Agreement Also Provides Reimbursement of EPA Costs

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. – July 8, 2014) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that a legal agreement with International Business Machines Corp. was approved on July 7, 2014 by the District Court for the Southern District of New York, under which IBM will perform a cleanup and reimburse EPA for past costs at the Shenandoah Road Groundwater Contamination Superfund site in East Fishkill, New York. The site was previously used as an industrial cleaning operation involving IBM equipment. Chemicals used at the site were disposed of in a septic tank and pit on the property. Tests showed that 60 residential drinking water wells in the area exceeded acceptable levels for tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene, which are volatile organic chemicals used in industrial solvents. Exposure to these chemicals can have serious health impacts, including an increased risk of cancer.

“Ensuring that people have safe drinking water is essential to protecting public health and is an EPA priority,” EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “This agreement ensures that the remaining cleanup work at the Shenandoah site will proceed and continue to protect this community.”

Between 1965 and 1975, J. Manne, Inc. rented a property at 7 East Hook Cross Road in East Fishkill and operated a facility there to clean and repair computer chip racks supplied to it under a contract with IBM. As part of this process, solvents, including PCE, were disposed of in a septic tank and an in-ground pit located at the property. Shortly after the discovery of PCE in residential drinking water wells, the Shenandoah site was placed on EPA's Superfund list of the nation's most hazardous waste sites in 2001.

Most of the cleanup work at this site has been performed by IBM with EPA oversight. Between 2001 and 2002, IBM entered into several agreements with EPA to investigate and partially clean up the site, including excavating soil, installing a water line for affected residents and constructing a groundwater treatment system.

In 2012, the EPA finalized a cleanup plan for the site that requires the continued operation of a system that extracts and treats the groundwater, coupled with natural processes to reduce the contaminants in groundwater. The groundwater will continue to be periodically sampled to measure the effectiveness of both the groundwater extraction and treatment system and the natural processes. Restrictions will be placed on the use of the property to ensure that the extraction and treatment system is not impacted. EPA's tests of indoor air quality in homes in the Shenandoah Road community continue to show no indoor air contamination.

The Superfund program operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. The EPA searches for parties legally responsible for the contamination at sites that are placed on the Superfund list and it seeks to hold those parties accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. Most of the cleanup is being performed by IBM and all of the work is done with oversight by the EPA. Prior to the legal agreement, IBM spent approximately $46 million on the cleanup of the site.

For more information on the Shenandoah Road Groundwater Contamination Superfund site, go to: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/shenandoah/.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook athttp://facebook.com/eparegion2

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EPA Sampling Shows No Health Risk at Rotary Drilling Supply Site and Willers Lake

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

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

EPA Sampling Shows No Health Risk at Rotary Drilling Supply Site and Willers Lake

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

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., July 8, 2014) - EPA Region 7’s sampling and analysis of soil and water at Rotary Drilling Supply, Inc.’s property near Crystal City, Mo., indicates no human health risk from the coal combustion residuals (CCR) waste there.EPA also indicated that adjacent Willers Lake does not pose a risk to human health and is appropriate for public use, including swimming, boating, fishing and fish consumption.

EPA alleged that the disposal of CCR at the site between 2004 and 2009 was a violation of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

EPA has established a Web page with information about the Rotary Drilling Supply site, including a revised Administrative Order on Consent, a Response to Public Comments document, and related site documents:www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/rotary-drilling.

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USDA Blog » Conservation as a Source of Innovative Partnerships for All

This summer, USDA is highlighting partnerships to invest in the future of rural America. Our partners work with us year after year to leverage resources and grow economic opportunities. They are the key to ensuring our rural communities thrive.  Follow more of our stories at #ruralpartners.

My passion and commitment for conservation started on the farm learning from our first and finest conservationists:  American farmers. Our nation’s farmers and ranchers care deeply about the land, which is why they are incredible environmental stewards. Earlier this month, I visited the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, a popular wildlife refuge just minutes from downtown Sacramento. Here, farmers like the DeWit family are growing rice and providing some of the best wildlife habitat in North America.

USDA Blog » Conservation as a Source of Innovative Partnerships for All

EPA Takes Action To Bring Suffolk County Company into Compliance with Pesticides Regulations

EPA Press Release:

EPA Takes Action To Bring Suffolk County Company into

Compliance with Pesticides Regulations

Fines Company for Selling Unregistered Cleaning and Surface Disinfectant Products

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

(New York, N.Y. – July 7, 2014) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with Air Techniques, Inc. of Melville, New York, to settle violations of federal law governing pesticides. The company, which sell wholesale cleaners and a surface disinfectant that are used to clean instruments, equipment and surfaces in dental offices and medical facilities, sold unregistered pesticides and imported pesticides into the U.S. without proper notification. The company will pay a $375,000 penalty and come into compliance with federal pesticide law.

Some pesticides have been linked to illnesses in people, ranging from skin and eye irritation to cancer. and may also affect the hormone or endocrine systems. In many situations, there are non-chemical methods that will effectively control pests.

"Pesticides can make people sick, particularly if they are not used according to instructions,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Companies that sell pesticides without making sure these products are properly registered and labeled put people’s health and safety at risk.”

Under federal pesticide law, products that contain an unregistered pesticide as an active ingredient or claim to kill or repel bacteria or germs are considered pesticides and must be registered with the EPA prior to distribution or sale. The agency will not register a pesticide until it has been tested to show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the label directions.

During a May 15, 2013 inspection of Air Techniques’ Melville, New York, warehouse, the EPA discovered the following violations of federal pesticides law:

• ·         Two pesticides that Air Techniques sold from its warehouse, the "Monarch Enzymatic Cleaner," and the "Monarch Waterline Cleaner," were never registered with the EPA.
• ·         Air Techniques acquired the rights to sell a registered pesticide, BioSurf, from a Canadian company, which it then sold in the U.S. under the name "Monarch Surface Disinfectant."  Air Techniques failed to file proper paperwork with the EPA for this newly-named product, in violation of federal pesticides law.
• ·         The product instructions Air Techniques included with its "Monarch Surface Disinfectant/Dry Wipes Combo Pack" substantially differed from those on the EPA-approved labeling for the registered pesticide, BioSurf, and the Monarch Surface Disinfectant distributor product.
• ·         Air Techniques imported the "Monarch Surface Disinfectant," and "Monarch Enzymatic Cleaner" into the U.S. without properly notifiying the EPA.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook athttp://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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MEDIA ADVISORY: EPA Administrator Tours Missouri July 9 and 10; Meets with Farmers on Protecting U.S. Waterways

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

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

MEDIA ADVISORY: EPA Administrator Tours Missouri July 9 and 10; Meets with Farmers on Protecting U.S. Waterways

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, 913-551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., July 7, 2014) - On Wednesday, July 9, and Thursday, July 10, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will travel to Missouri to meet with farmers and agribusiness leaders to discuss Waters of the U.S., a proposed rule to protect our nation’s waterways under the Clean Water Act.

On Wednesday, McCarthy will tour Bill Heffernan’s corn and soybean farm in Rocheport, Mo., to view ongoing soil conservation practices that protect waterways.

Wednesday, July 9, 9:30 a.m. CDT

WHO: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks, and Missouri corn and soybean Farmer Bill Heffernan

WHAT: Tour of Heffernan Farm

WHERE: 6267 N. Route J, Rocheport, MO 65279

Thursday, July 10, Noon CDT

On Thursday, McCarthy will deliver a speech on Waters of the U.S. at the Kansas City Agribusiness Council Luncheon. There will be a media availability following the speech.

WHO: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

WHAT: Waters of the U.S. speech and media availability

WHERE: American Royal Association, 1701 American Royal Court, Kansas City, MO 64102

Media representatives interested in covering these events should RSVP to Kris Lancaster at lancaster.kris@epa.gov.

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Western drought: Pot plants slurp up California water supply

Western drought: Pot plants slurp up California water supply