EPA settles Clean Air Act violations at ARG refinery in Bradford, Pa.

EPA Press Release:

EPA settles Clean Air Act violations at ARG refinery in Bradford, Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (October 8, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has settled alleged Clean Air Act violations by American Refining Group, Inc. (ARG) at ARG’s petroleum refinery in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

In an administrative consent agreement, ARG has agreed to pay a $350,000 penalty along with $4.5 million in equipment improvements that were completed prior to the final settlement. These improvements will dramatically reduce air emissions from the facility.

EPA cited ARG for several violations, including noncompliance with several terms of the refinery’s operating permit that was issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The alleged violations include:

• Failure to install a fuel gas recovery unit within the required compliance period;
• Exceedances of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter (NOx) emission limits;
• Failure to properly operate an emission-reducing flare;
• Failure to comply with equipment leak detection and repair (LDAR) safeguards;
• Failure to comply with performance requirements for petroleum storage vessels;
• Failure to comply with national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for industrial boilers.

This settlement takes into account ARG’s prior compliance efforts -- including the replacement of a coal-fired boiler and an associated fuel gas recovery system. The new boiler -- costing an estimated $4.5 million -- may reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 567 tons per year and emissions of particulate matter by 9 tons per year.    

As part of the settlement, ARG has certified that it is now in compliance with Clean Air Act requirements.

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U.S. EPA reaches settlements to study and mitigate indoor air and groundwater contamination in Sunnyvale, California

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2019
 

U.S. EPA reaches settlements to study and mitigate indoor air and groundwater contamination in Sunnyvale, California 

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two agreements to study indoor air quality, advance cleanup, and take action related to groundwater contamination in Sunnyvale, California.

The first settlement, with Philips Semiconductors Inc. (Philips), requires the company to study indoor air quality in commercial buildings at the Signetics site and evaluate options to speed cleanup of contaminated groundwater. The second settlement adds Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop) as signatory parties—with Philips as the party performing the work— to assess vapor intrusion and implement mitigation measures in residential buildings adjacent to the Signetics site that are located over the groundwater contamination. The work performed under these two settlements is estimated to cost $4 million. 

The Signetics site is part of the “Triple Site,” which includes the adjacent TRW Microwave site and the Advanced Micro Devices 901/902 site. Contamination from the Triple site migrated through groundwater northwards past Highway 101. The Triple Site also includes the residential neighborhood located over this plume of contaminants that is referred to as the Offsite Operable Unit (OOU).  In 1982, volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethene (TCE), were detected in groundwater below the Triple Site.

Once released to soil and groundwater, TCE can evaporate and rise as a vapor, potentially accumulating in buildings above the groundwater plume. Health impacts from TCE exposure can include increased cancer risk from long-term exposure. Other health effects may result from short-term exposure, including liver and kidney damage, as well as heart defects in developing fetuses.

“These actions will help protect public health in this Sunnyvale neighborhood,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “We will expedite the cleanup of the underlying contamination, address vapor risks, and help restore groundwater quality.”

The first agreement with Philips requires the company to study indoor air quality in four commercial buildings at the Signetics site and determine if any protective measures are needed. In addition, the agreement requires Philips to assess options for accelerating the ongoing groundwater cleanup at the Signetics site.

The second agreement with Philips, AMD and Northrop provides for the continuation of residential and school vapor intrusion assessments begun under a settlement with Philips in 2015. For the past 4 years, EPA has overseen Philips’ indoor air sampling efforts in more than 35 school buildings and 220 residences in the OOU and the installation of several school and residential mitigation systems. Under this new settlement, EPA will continue to oversee the design and construction of mitigation systems in affected buildings to prevent unacceptable levels of TCE vapors from accumulating indoors. Philips will continue to perform the work, with AMD and Northrup included as additional responsible parties. This settlement is subject to a 30-day comment period. For more information and to submit comments visit:https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/10/04/2019-21688/notice-of-proposed-administrative-settlement-agreement-and-order-on-consent-for-removal-site.

Background

In 1991, EPA selected a cleanup strategy for the Triple Site that addressed contaminated soils and soil vapor and expanded the interim system of approximately 45 extraction wells to more than 100 wells that extract and treat contaminated groundwater. More recently, EPA has been overseeing efforts to assess whether vapor intrusion is occurring at the Triple Site. Vapor intrusion is the process in which vapors from contaminated groundwater migrate and accumulate in the indoor air of nearby buildings.

For more information on the Signetics site, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/philips

For more information on the Offsite Operable Unit (OOU), please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/triplesite

For more information on the Advanced Micro Devices site, please visit:www.epa.gov/superfund/advancedmicrodevices

For more information on the TRW Microwave site, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/trwmicrowave

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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EPA proposes permit revisions for Evoqua carbon regeneration facility near Parker, Arizona

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2019
 

EPA proposes permit revisions for Evoqua carbon regeneration facility near Parker, Arizona

PARKER, Ariz. – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting comments on proposed revisions to its hazardous waste permit for Evoqua, a commercial carbon regeneration facility near Parker, Arizona, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes’ land. 

The proposed revisions would change certain provisions in the September 2018 permit. The proposed permit revisions include changes to the reporting requirements and automatic waste-feed cutoff requirements. The proposed revised permit continues to impose strict safety requirements on the facility, including regular sampling and stringent oversight.

The 45-day comment period begins October 7 and ends November 21, 2019. During the public comment period, comments may only be made on the proposed revisions and the remainder of the permit is not open for comment. EPA is hosting an informational public meeting followed by a public hearing on Thursday, November 7 at 7 p.m. at the Bluewater Resort and Casino, located at 11300 Resort Drive, Parker, AZ 85344. Comments on the proposed permit may be submitted in writing via mail or email or in person at the public hearing. EPA will make a final decision on the permit revisions after carefully considering all public comments submitted.

For more information on the proposed permit revisions, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/az/evoqua.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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EPA Region 8 trucking companies earn distinction for efficiency

EPA Press Release:

EPA Region 8 trucking companies earn distinction for efficiency

Top performers in freight industry include firms based in Colorado, North Dakota and Utah

DENVER (October 7, 2019) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored top-performers in the freight industry with its annual SmartWay Excellence Awards. Awardees are shippers, carriers and logistics providers that excel at saving fuel and shrinking their emissions footprints.

“Over the past 15 years, the U.S. EPA’s SmartWay Transportation Partnership has provided the tools and information for thousands of companies to create leaner, more efficient supply chains,” said EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality Director Sarah Dunham. “This year, EPA is recognizing 72 companies with SmartWay Excellence Awards for outstanding environmental achievements and leadership in goods movement.  These truck carriers, shippers, and third-party logistics providers are leading the industry and showing that it is possible to move more goods while using less fuel, reducing pollution and cutting costs.”

EPA Region 8 is proud to highlight this achievement for the following awardees:

• Navajo Express, Inc. of Denver, Colorado

• S & S Transport of Grand Forks, North Dakota

• C.R. England, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah

• Stokes Trucking, Inc. of Tremonton, Utah

SmartWay Transport Partnership is a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest, most energy-efficient way possible, while protecting public health and reducing air pollution. Demonstrating a commitment to corporate sustainability and social responsibility through SmartWay provides for a more competitive and sustainable business environment. Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting more than 134 million tons of air pollutants (NOx, PM, and CO2) contributing to cleaner air and healthier citizens, while saving more than 279 million barrels of oil and $37.5 billion in fuel costs – equivalent to eliminating the annual energy use of over 18 million homes.

This year’s award recipients are a diverse group ranging from many first-time awardees along with companies that keep improving year over year. Each year’s competition is based solely on the prior year’s environmental performance data. 

For more information on the SmartWay Awards: https://www.epa.gov/smartway/smartway-excellence-awardees

U.S. EPA extends comment period on Kettleman Hills proposed PCB permit

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2019
 

U.S. EPA extends comment period on Kettleman Hills proposed PCB permit

October 10th public meeting to be followed by November 14thhearing

KETTLEMAN CITY, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending to November 22 the comment period for a proposed permit renewal and modification for the storage and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste at the Kettleman Hills hazardous waste facility, located along the I-5 corridor, 3.5 miles southwest of Kettleman City, California. 

EPA will hold a public meeting with a question and answer session on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, at the Kettleman City Elementary School, located at 701 General Petroleum Ave. in Kettleman City. The meeting will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Presentations on the proposed permit will be at 5:45, 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. A public hearing has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 14th at 6:00 p.m. at the Kettleman City Elementary School.

EPA’s proposed permit would allow Chemical Waste Management Inc. (CWM), the owner and operator of the Kettleman Hills facility, to continue storing and disposing of PCB waste. The proposed permit includes comprehensive operating, monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure that PCB waste operations will not pose an unreasonable risk to public health or the environment.

If finalized, the proposal would allow PCB disposal at the existing hazardous waste landfill already approved by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

EPA has also prepared a Draft Environmental Justice Analysis to document that environmental justice concerns, including past outreach to seek the affected communities’ involvement, were considered in the drafting of the proposed permit. EPA is now seeking community input before reaching a final permit decision.

EPA will accept public comments on the proposed permit and supporting documents until Nov. 22, 2019. Comments may be submitted verbally or in writing at the public hearing and the public meeting. Comments can also be submitted online at www.regulations.gov (docket number EPA-R09-RCRA-2019-0088), or mailed or emailed to:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division, LND-4-2
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Attention: Frances Wicher
Telephone: (415) 972-3957
Email: r9landsubmit@epa.gov or wicher.frances@epa.gov

The draft permit and supporting documents are available for review at the Kettleman City Library in Kettleman City and online at https://www.epa.gov/ca/kettleman-hills. Information is also available in Spanish.

PCBs are toxic, manmade chemicals formerly used in electrical equipment. Congress banned the manufacture of PCBs in the U.S. in 1976 due to concerns over environmental and public health hazards. EPA has identified PCBs as probable human carcinogens, and they have been shown to cause other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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EPA warns residents to stay away from the Iron King Mine tailings pile and Humboldt smelter

EPA Press Release:

For Immediate Release: October 3, 2019

Media Contact: Margot Perez-Sullivan, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov, 415-947-4149

EPA warns residents to stay away from the Iron King Mine tailings pile and Humboldt smelter

DEWEY-HUMBOLDT, Ariz. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently been alerted that people, many of whom are children, are playing in and around the Iron King Mine tailings pile and Humboldt smelter properties in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. This is dangerous. The smelter stack and nearby building are unstable and unsafe, and anyone near these structures is in danger of severe injury or death should these structures collapse. Both the smelter and mine tailings pile pose many dangerous fall hazards, as well as chemical hazards from toxic metals that could pose a health risk.

Please heed posted warnings and stay away from these properties. EPA is asking anyone who witnesses people, especially children, near the smelter building to immediately notify the Yavapai Sheriff’s office at (928)-771-3260. In Dewey-Humboldt, the tailings pile is west of Highway 69, and the smelter property is east of Main Street.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region or the Iron King Mine/Humboldt Smelter Superfund site. (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/ironkingmine). Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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New England Experienced Fewer Unhealthy Air Quality Days During 2019 Ozone Season

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2019
 

New England Experienced Fewer Unhealthy Air Quality Days During 2019 Ozone Season

BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today confirmed that New England states experienced fewer days with unhealthy air quality this year, compared to 2018. Based on preliminary data collected between March and September 2019, there were 24 days when ozone monitors in New England recorded ozone concentrations above levels considered healthy versus 28 in 2018.

The number of unhealthy ozone days in each state this summer (as compared to last summer) are as follows:

• 21 days in Connecticut (23 in 2018)
• 5 days in Massachusetts (12 in 2018)
• 2 days in Rhode Island (12 in 2018)
• 1 day in New Hampshire (6 in 2018)
• 1 day in Maine (3 in 2018)
• 0 days in Vermont (1 in 2018)

“We can all feel proud of the progress we have made in reducing ozone pollution over the past several decades,” said EPA Region 1 Administrator Dennis Deziel. “There is still work to be done, as especially in some parts of southern New England, we continue to experience too many days with unhealthful air quality.”

Ground-level ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides chemically react in the presence of sunlight. In New England, cars and trucks emit most of the pollution that makes ozone. Fossil fuels burning at electric power plants, which run at high capacities on hot days, emit substantial amounts of ozone-making pollution. Gasoline refilling stations, print shops, household products like paints and cleaners, as well as gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment also contribute to ozone formation.

The number of unhealthy days (when ozone concentrations exceed the 0.070 parts per million standard) vary from year to year, due to weather conditions. Hot, sunny, summery weather is conducive to ozone formation. For 2019, a cool, wet spring lead into an average New England summer. Since 1983, New England has experienced a decrease in the number of unhealthy ozone days – from 118 in 1983 to only 24 in 2019. This downward trend is due to a reduction in emissions that form ozone. Although the 2019 ozone season is ending, it is important to note that pollution from small particles in the air is a year-round concern.

More information:

• Free daily air quality forecasts are available year-round, and people can sign up for free air quality alerts: https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/aqi.html. The alerts are issued by e-mail, whenever necessary, to notify program participants when high concentrations of ground-level ozone or small particles are predicted to occur, in their area.
• General information on ozone and what EPA is doing to reduce ozone emissions:https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution
• Historical charts of unhealthy air days from 1983 through 2019 for each New England state: https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/histexc.html.
• A preliminary list of the unhealthy readings recorded this summer by date and monitor location and corresponding air quality maps for each day:https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/o3exceed-19.html.

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