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 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA settles with Anchorage military base for hazardous waste violations

Action prompts resumption of recycling “mountains” of expended small arms brass cartridges

 

(Seattle) January 19, 2021 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, today announced a settlement for violations of federal laws governing the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes.

On October 9, 2019, JBER self-disclosed that approximately 200,000 pounds of expended small-arms cartridge casings (ESACCs) had been stockpiled and were determined to be toxic from lead contamination.  The Base had successfully recycled all its brass casings until 2017, when the recycling was discontinued.  The resolution of this case sets the stage for a resumption of the ESACC recycling program, and the proceeds will fund other base-wide recycling efforts at JBER.

“The military is obligated to properly manage solid and hazardous waste, just like other regulated entities,“ said Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division in Seattle.  “This settlement at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson holds the U.S. Air Force accountable, paves the way for the recycling program restart and protects public health and the environment.”

Under the terms of the settlement, EPA is allowing JBER to recycle the brass ESACCs rather than dispose of them in a permitted RCRA treatment, storage, and disposal facility. In accordance with a structured timeline, JBER must decontaminate the building where the scrap brass cartridges are stored, report to EPA on its progress recycling the ESACCs, and notify EPA when the recycling is completed. This settlement also resolves universal waste management violations identified during an October 7-9, 2019, EPA Base inspection.

JBER demonstrated a cooperative attitude during the course of settlement negotiations and is in the process of correcting the violations and instituting new measures to prevent their recurrence. The Base has paid a $61,554 penalty as part of the settlement. 

                                                                                    

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 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Announces $96 Million WIFIA Loan to King County, Washington to Improve Water Quality in Puget Sound

 

Nationally, 43 WIFIA loans are helping finance more than $17.1 billion in water infrastructure projects. Since 2017, EPA has invested  $424.7 million in WIFIA funding for King County and Seattle Public Utilities water quality projects.

 

SEATTLE (January 19, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $96.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to King County Washington that will reduce sewer overflows to protect water quality in the Puget Sound and a key local tributary, the Lake Washington Ship Canal. 

“EPA built a great financing tool for investing in America’s water infrastructure when it stood up the WIFIA program,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This WIFIA loan will help King County better manage stormwater during heavy rain events—meaning fewer sewer overflows and less pollution entering the Puget Sound.” 

EPA’s WIFIA loan will help finance the design and construction of a massive underground storage tank that will capture and store untreated stormwater and sewage from heavy storms until it can be treated at the West Point Treatment Plant. This project will substantially improve water quality in the Ship Canal by reducing sewer overflows at six locations and preventing reducing stormwater discharges.

“We’re proud to help King County realize its dream to protect the Sound by making this  investment in the future,” said Chris Hladick, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “Without adequate wastewater treatment capacity, no county or municipality can hope to meet the needs of growing communities and a thriving business and industrial base. WIFIA loans are crucially important to big local projects that protect our natural resources, deliver good-paying jobs and build stronger, more resilient economies.”

“The Ship Canal Water Quality project is not only an important infrastructure investment to help protect the environment and improve water quality in Puget Sound, it will also bolster the regional economy by creating over 630 new construction jobs,” said King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True. “WIFIA financing helps make the most of ratepayer investments by saving over $15.5 million.”

This is King County’s second WIFIA loan. In 2017, EPA issued a $134.5 million WIFIA loan to King County for the Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station, which treats up to 70 million gallons of combined rain and wastewater a day that would otherwise have discharged directly to the Duwamish during storm events.

WIFIA is providing financial support at a critical time as the federal government, EPA, and the water sector work together to help mitigate the public health and financial impacts of COVID-19. This project will cost $197.6 million and EPA’s WIFIA loan will finance nearly half of that figure. The remaining project funds will come from a Washington Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan, revenue bonds, and system funds. This WIFIA loan will save King County an estimated $34 million. Project construction and operation are expected to create more than 600 jobs. Since the beginning of March 2020, WIFIA has announced 27 loans and updated seven existing loans with lower interest rates. These recent announcements will save ratepayers over $1.5 billion. Since the first WIFIA loan was closed in 2018, EPA has announced 43 WIFIA loans that are providing $7.9 billion in credit assistance to help finance $17.1 billion for water infrastructure while creating more than 39,900 jobs and saving ratepayers $3.7 billion. 

Background on WIFIA

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. WIFIA’s aim is to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

 

For more information about the WIFIA program, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA announces $81 million WIFIA loan to Beaverton, Oregon to improve water supply

Nationally, 43 WIFIA loans are helping finance more than $17.1 billion in water infrastructure projects. EPA WIFIA investment in Oregon water quality projects since 2018: $1.25 billion

 

PORTLAND (January 19, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an $81 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the City of Beaverton, Oregon that will help enhance the reliability and resiliency of the city’s water system to continue meeting the needs of this growing urban area.

“Through WIFIA, EPA is delivering on its commitment to modernize the nation’s water infrastructure to improve public health and environmental protection while supporting local economies,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Since 2018, the agency has announced 43 WIFIA loans that are providing $7.9 billion to help finance $17.1 billion for water infrastructure while creating more than 39,900 jobs and saving ratepayers $3.7 billion.”

EPA’s WIFIA loan will help finance the Beaverton Water Supply Improvement Program, a series of projects that will improve the reliability of the city’s water system, increase its resiliency to seismic events, and implement a new stormwater reuse system. The program will construct major transmission mains, new connections to neighboring water systems, and additional seismically resilient drinking water storage. It will also expand service to a new area, install a system-wide Advance Metering Infrastructure system, and build a new stormwater reuse system.

“By investing in Beaverton, we’re betting on the city’s vision of a thriving future,” said Chris Hladick, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “Without robust and safe water supplies, no city can hope to meet the needs of their growing communities, a thriving business landscape or industrial base. WIFIA loans are crucially important to local projects that deliver safe drinking water, protect our natural resources and build stronger, more resilient local economies.”

“Beaverton’s Water Supply Improvement Program is a critical regional water project that will save ratepayers money and help ensure that residents have access to clean, safe, and reliable water for generations to come,” said Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and WIFIA financing architect.  “In a time when we’re grappling with an economic implosion caused by a global pandemic, the fact that it creates thousands of jobs in the process is a much-needed benefit. I created the WIFIA program to invest in exactly these kinds of projects, after hearing from Oregonians that safe, reliable water infrastructure is one of the top challenges facing their communities. This program continues to be a great model for delivering results through local and federal collaboration that can save ratepayers millions.”

"I'm very excited to see the work with EPA come together,” said Beaverton City Councilor Mark Fagin. “The projects Beaverton will be able to complete with this funding source will provide our community with the resiliency and redundancy we need from our water system."

WIFIA is providing financial support at a critical time as the federal government, EPA, and the water sector work together to help mitigate the public health and financial impacts of COVID-19. This project will cost $165.5 million and EPA’s WIFIA loan will finance nearly half of that figure. The remaining project funds will come from an Oregon Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan, revenue bonds, and system funds. This WIFIA loan will save the City of Beaverton an estimated $31.3 million. Project construction and operation are expected to create more than 500 jobs. Since the beginning of March 2020, WIFIA has announced 27 loans and updated seven existing loans with lower interest rates. These recent announcements will save ratepayers over $1.5 billion.

Background on WIFIA

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. WIFIA’s aim is to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

 

For more information about the WIFIA program, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

EPA Region 6 Releases 2020 Year in Review

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Region 6 Releases 2020 Year in Review

Media contacts: Joe Hubbard or Jennah Durant at r6press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

DALLAS – (Jan. 19, 2021) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 released the 2020 Year in Review outlining major accomplishments and environmental progress over the past fiscal year (FY).

“In the face of unprecedented challenges, the staff and management team of Region 6 showed ingenuity and dedication to produce impressive environmental benefits for communities across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “I am proud to have worked with these public servants as they found ways to adjust their processes, and in many cases improve their results, during 2020.”

2020 EPA accomplishments include:

• Received the National Excellence in Performance Management Award for developing and directing a voluntary drinking water sampling initiative under the EPA 3T’s Guidance (Train, Tell and Take Action) to address lead exposure in Native American children, protecting more than 4,000 children from the harmful effects of lead exposure in drinking water.
• Negotiated a judicial settlement in the largest Clean Water Act case in the country, with the City of Houston, Texas, regarding violations of its National/Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, involving 40 wastewater treatment plants and providing for a $4.4 million civil penalty and injunctive relief extending over the next 20 years. 
• Led the nation for the seventh year in RCRA enforcement actions and penalties with 38 percent of the nation’s actions, despite the inability to conduct onsite inspections for half of the year. 
• Lodged one of the largest sanitary sewer overflows settlement in the nation with the City of Corpus Christi, with an agreement from the city to pay a civil penalty of $1.14 million and implement injunctive relief costing $725 million over 15 years.  
• Lodged a settlement with Churchill Downs, the largest EPA assessed penalty to a concentrated animal feeding operation facility with a $2.79 million penalty and $5.6 million innovative injunctive relief measures. 
• Concluded 24% of all enforcement actions in the nation, with 348 administrative enforcement actions and three judicial enforcement actions in FY20. 
• Reduced the backlog of new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to be issued by 66% and permits to be renewed by 50% and reviewed all NPDES permits for delegated states in a timely manner.
• Accomplished 96 Brownfields assessments in FY20, exceeding the Government Performance and Results Act goal by 33 percent.
• Awarded the New Mexico Environment Department’s first-ever Performance Partnership Grant including more than $1.6 million in federal funds for its Air, Public Water System Supervision, and Radon programs. 
• Led development of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group restoration plan, including three projects which will restore more than 1,300 acres of wetlands and incorporate more than 25 miles of linear protection measures, 12.5 miles of which will be oyster barrier reef.
• Coordinated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and New Mexico Environment Department to identify significant emissions from oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin through 153 off-site Partial Compliance Evaluations, reducing VOCs by 9.5 million pounds.
• Completed a multi-year ambient air monitoring project in LaPlace, La., in the neighborhoods surrounding the Denka Performance Elastomer Facility, LLC, collecting over 2,500 air samples from six locations and reducing emissions of chloroprene from the facility by 85 percent.  

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region-6-2020-accomplishments

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6 

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6

Activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

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U.S. settles with U.S. Magnesium, the largest producer of magnesium metal in the Northern Hemisphere, for alleged illegal disposal of hazardous waste at Rowley, Utah facility

 U.S. EPA News Release:

U.S. settles with U.S. Magnesium, the largest producer of magnesium metal in the Northern Hemisphere, for alleged illegal disposal of hazardous waste at Rowley, Utah facility

Magnesium metal producer commits to process changes to treat its waste streams to remove dioxins, furans, hexachlorobenzene and PCBs to reduce environmental impacts from its operations

SALT LAKE CITY (January 19, 2021) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced a settlement with U.S Magnesium (USM) to resolve violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and require response actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) at its Rowley, Utah facility.  The settlement includes extensive process modifications at the facility that will reduce the environmental impacts from its production operations and will ensure greater protection for its workers. 

 “This settlement advances EPA’s mission of achieving  environmentally beneficial management of hazardous  waste by reducing  the volume and toxicity of waste generated on site and ensuring that the U.S. taxpayer will not be responsible for future costs associated with cleanup and closure of this facility,” said Susan Bodine, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

This settlement includes construction of a  barrier wall around 1,700 acres of the operating portions of the facility to prevent leaks or breaches of hazardous materials to the Great Salt Lake; construction of a filtration plant to treat all wastewater; and provides for financial assurance to ensure cleanup and closure of the facility.

The company will also spend at least $37 million to implement the terms of the settlement and will pay a civil penalty of $250,000.

“This agreement will secure the long-term protection human health and the environment at the U.S. Magnesium facility,” said acting EPA Regional Administrator, Debra Thomas. “EPA, DOJ, and the State of Utah have worked with the facility to address environmental impacts through litigation, EPA cleanup authorities, state permitting activities, and, ultimately, this mutually agreed upon settlement for the long-term management of hazardous waste.”

A consent decree formalizing the settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court Central Division Utah and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.