Delaware companies settle alleged Clean Air Act violations involving aftermarket devices for diesel trucks

 U.S. EPA News Release:

Delaware companies settle alleged Clean Air Act violations
involving aftermarket devices for diesel trucks

PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 18, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced two settlements with vehicle repair shops in Delaware that were involved in the illegal sale and installation of aftermarket devices that were designed to defeat the emissions control systems of heavy-duty diesel engines.

The companies – Delaware Speed and Custom LLC in Milton, and Bo Daddy’s Diesel and Auto Repair in Seaford – allegedly violated the Clean Air Act’s prohibition on the manufacture, sale or installation of so-called “defeat devices,” which are designed to “bypass, defeat or render inoperative” a motor vehicle engine’s air pollution control equipment or systems.

Illegally modified vehicles and engines contribute substantial excess pollution that harms public health and impedes efforts by EPA, tribes, states and local agencies to attain air quality standards.

Delaware Speed and Custom LLC paid a $12,529 penalty for allegedly selling defeat devices, and Bo Daddy’s paid a $6,000 penalty for allegedly selling and installing defeat devices.

Clean Air Act penalties take account of various factors such as the seriousness and duration of the violations, size of the business, the penalty’s impact on the business, compliance history, good faith efforts, and economic benefit of past non-compliance.

As part of the settlements, the companies have certified that they are now are in compliance with applicable requirements.

These enforcement actions are part of EPA’s National Compliance Initiative for Stopping Aftermarket Defeat Devices for Vehicles and Engines.

Today’s vehicles emit far less pollution than vehicles of the past. This is made possible by careful engine calibrations, and the use of filters and catalysts in the exhaust system. Aftermarket defeat devices undo this progress and pollute the air we breathe. EPA testing has shown that a truck’s emissions increase drastically (tens or hundreds of times, depending on the pollutant) when its emissions controls are removed.

For more information on this initiative, visit: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-stopping-aftermarket-defeat-devices-vehicles-and-engines .

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EPA challenge seeks innovative solutions for reducing indoor air pollution from western wildfires

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA challenge seeks innovative solutions for reducing indoor air pollution from western wildfires

 

 

Contact: Suzanne Skadowski, 206-553-2160, skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov

 

SEATTLE (February 17, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal, state, local and tribal partners launched the Cleaner Indoor Air During Wildfires Challenge Competition. The goal of the challenge is to solicit ideas for low-cost air cleaning technologies that reduce particulate air pollutants in homes during western wildfires or other high pollution episodes. If their ideas are chosen, Challenge winners will receive prizes of up to $10,000.

 

“As we work to address the public health threat from large and more intense wildfires in our country, particularly in our western states, we call on all innovators to provide ideas and solutions for new and low-cost technologies or approaches to reduce indoor air pollution during wildfires,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development and the agency’s Acting Science Advisor. “This challenge will help protect public health by stimulating the development of effective air cleaning devices that are accessible to all communities during wildfires or other air pollution events.”

 

Wildfires release many pollutants that are unsafe to breathe. Particle pollution, specifically fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), is a main component of wildfire smoke and a known health risk for people exposed to high amounts or prolonged levels. This is particularly hazardous to people with pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma or cardiovascular disease. Smoke can spread many miles during wildfires, impacting communities near and far. Recommended responses include staying indoors with doors and windows closed, when possible.

 

Current air cleaning technologies for indoor air have multiple limitations that prevent their widespread use, including the cost of purchase, operation, and maintenance, as well as dependence on electrical power, which can be disrupted by wildfires or rolling blackouts. This Challenge encourages the development of affordable and sustainable approaches, technologies, or technology combinations for keeping indoor air as clean as possible during periods when outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations are elevated, such as during smoke events caused by fires.

 

The following organizations are partnering with EPA on this challenge competition:

 

• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency; 
• Lane Regional Air Protection Agency;  
• Oregon Health Authority;  
• Missoula City-County Health Department;  
• Hoopa Valley Tribe;
• California Air Resources Board;  
• U.S. Department of State; 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health;
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; and
• National Institute of Standards and Technology.  

 

The challenge is now open, and proposals will be accepted through May 17, 2021.

 

To learn more about the challenge and how to apply, visit: https://www.epa.gov/air-research/cleaner-indoor-air-during-wildfires-challenge

 

 

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EPA Urges Those Affected by Power Outages to Avoid Indoor Air Dangers, Use Generators Safely

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Urges Those Affected by Power Outages to
Avoid Indoor Air Dangers, Use Generators Safely  

 

Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, R6Press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

 

DALLAS – (Feb. 16, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds communities, families and business owners to be aware of conditions that could lead to poor or dangerous indoor air quality during widespread power outages. Most importantly, always operate portable generators according to the instructions and always run them outside, far away from buildings. Running a portable generator inside or too close to your home can lead to injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

Indoor air quality can be impacted in several ways during a power outage:

 

Use portable generators safely

Never use a portable generator inside homes, garages, crawlspaces, sheds or similar areas. Deadly levels of carbon monoxide (CO) can quickly build up in these areas and can linger for hours, even after the generator has shut off. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.

 

Heating and cooking

During a power outage, do not try to heat your home by using combustion appliances including gas stoves or ovens, outdoor grills or clothes dryers. Never operate any gas-burning heater or other appliance in a poorly vented or closed room, or where you are sleeping. Do not use barbecues, hibachis, camp stoves, or any other non-vented combustion appliances to cook indoors, or for any other indoor use. Combustion appliances produce toxic fumes, including carbon monoxide (CO). While you shouldn't use any kind of combustion appliance, there are ways to cook indoors during a power outage. You can use a vented fireplace or a vented wood or other fuel burning stove, if it is set up for cooking.

 

Lighting

Use flashlights or batter powered lanterns if available. If you use candles, make sure the area is ventilated since candles emit combustion products and, if left unattended, can be a fire hazard. If available, use flashlights or battery powered lanterns instead of candles.

 

Please visit EPA’s website for more information on indoor air quality safety during emergencies:

https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/emergencies-and-iaq

 

Connect with EPA Region 6:

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

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

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

EPA Settles with “Texas Flip N Move” TV Show for Alleged Lead-Based Paint Violations

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Settles with “Texas Flip N Move” TV Show for Alleged Lead-Based Paint Violations

 

Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, R6Press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

 

DALLAS – (Feb. 16, 2021) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Flipnmove Productions and EQ Media, Inc. to resolve alleged violations of federal regulations intended to reduce the hazards of lead paint exposure during renovations. The companies are affiliated with the home renovation television programs “Texas Flip N Move.”

 

The alleged violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP Rule) depicted on the shows include performing home renovations for compensation without obtaining EPA renovation firm certification and failure to comply with several work practice standards required for the safe handling and disposal of lead-based paint.

 

“Renovating older homes comes with the responsibility of safeguarding residents from exposure to dust from lead-based paint, and that means following regulations and using proper guidelines,” said Acting Regional Administrator David Gray. “Through this settlement, Texas Flip N Move is ensuring the safety of their renovation work and helping to protect children from and educate the public about exposure to lead-based paint.”

 

Under the terms of the settlement, the companies have agreed to pay civil penalties and take steps to ensure compliance with the RRP Rule in future renovation projects. Further, the companies have agreed to complete projects to educate the public about lead-based paint hazards and the importance of using a certified renovator, including banners on existing episodes of Texas Flip N Move, developing informational webpages on their respective websites and adding links to the EPA Lead and RRP webpages, and integrating elements of the RRP Rule into future programing. The companies will also use a third-party entity to perform lead abatement in low-income target-housing residences or child-occupied facilities within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.  

 

Lead-contaminated dust generated from deteriorating chipped or peeling lead-based paint in homes built prior to 1978 or disturbance during renovation work is one of the most common causes of elevated blood lead levels in children. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to lead paint exposure because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. They can be exposed from multiple sources and may experience irreversible and lifelong health effects.

 

About 3.6 million American households have children under 6 years of age who live in homes with lead exposure hazards. According to the CDC, about 500,000 American children ages 1-5 have blood lead levels at or above the CDC blood lead reference value (level at which CDC recommends public health actions begin).

 

For a copy of the CAFO please see: https://go.usa.gov/xAhw5

 

For more about lead-based paint: https://www.epa.gov/lead

 

Connect with EPA Region 6:

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

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

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

 

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EPA reaches major cleanup agreement for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, 100 percent of site now in active engineering design phase

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA reaches major cleanup agreement for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, 100 percent of site now in active engineering design phase

 

Settlement with businesses, federal, state, and local agencies for remedial design of the Swan Island Basin area brings the last and largest area into active cleanup work

 

 

Contact:  Suzanne Skadowski, EPA Region 10, 206-553-2160, skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov

 

PORTLAND (February 12, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized an agreement with 12 parties to develop detailed cleanup plans for the Swan Island Basin, completing a major milestone in the cleanup of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. This latest cleanup agreement represents nearly 25 percent of the site’s total cleanup area, and along with earlier agreements, brings 100 percent of the site’s areas requiring active cleanup into the remedial design phase of the Superfund cleanup process.

 

EPA and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are working with partners, including six tribes, stakeholders and 36 responsible parties to implement the 2017 Record of Decision to clean up the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, an approximately 10-mile stretch of the Lower Willamette River, in Portland, Oregon where approximately 370 acres of contaminated sediment are slated for active remediation to reduce health risks to people, fish, and wildlife.

 

“This agreement along with earlier settlements, shows a strong commitment to moving the cleanup of Portland Harbor forward,” said EPA Region 10 Acting Regional Administrator Michelle Pirzadeh. “The engineering design work now underway will lead to the active cleanup work, which will greatly improve the health of the river, reduce risks to people and the environment, and set the stage for the revitalization of the Lower Willamette River.”

 

This most recent settlement agreement, called an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent, requires the Responsible Parties to conduct “remedial design” work to develop a detailed cleanup implementation plan consistent with EPA’s 2017 Record of Decision. The signatories to the agreement include performing parties: Daimler Trucks North America LLC, Vigor Industrial LLC, Cascade General Inc., Shipyard Commerce Center LLC; and settling parties: Maritime Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, General Services Administration, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Department of Defense (Department of the Navy, Army Corps of Engineers), State of Oregon (Department of State Lands), City of Portland, and Port of Portland.

 

The Swan Island Basin project area is among the major “hot spot” cleanup areas within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, with high levels of contamination. Developing a detailed cleanup design for the 117-acre, mile-long area, is expected to take approximately four years, after which active cleanup will begin. The process will include a pre-design sampling investigation and report to understand the current extent of contamination and help determine the most effective cleanup technologies, consistent with the 2017 Record of Decision.

 

Since December 2019, 31 responsible parties have entered remedial design agreements for 11 project areas for in-water cleanup with EPA oversight. With these project areas, existing agreements, and areas where EPA is taking the initial lead, all the acres designated for active in-water remediation at the site are now in the remedial design phase of the cleanup process. Over the past year, working parties have made significant progress to complete remedial design, including a substantial amount of field work, design, and planning, bringing the site closer to active construction of the remedy.

 

Background

 

In 2017, EPA issued a Record of Decision, or final cleanup plan, for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. The river sediments, surface water, and the fish that reside in the harbor have high levels of PCBs, PAHs, dioxins/furans, DDT and other pesticides which present an unacceptable risk to people’s health, especially subsistence and tribal fishers, and to the environment. The cleanup will reduce people’s exposure to high levels of contaminants, make it safer for all but the most sensitive people to eat more fish from the river more often, and make it safer for people to play on the riverbanks and beaches. Active cleanup construction, including dredging, and capping, of contaminated sediments, is expected to take about 13 years.

 

As EPA’s partner in the Superfund cleanup, Oregon DEQ is working with property owners to investigate and clean up properties along the riverbank, called “upland sites” to reduce pollution sources to the river and the potential for re-contamination of the Harbor.

 

EPA works with Oregon DEQ to engage with communities, tribal nations, state and local governments, and other stakeholders. EPA strives to encourage community involvement in the cleanup through regular meetings with community leaders and the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group, quarterly public forums, listserv announcements, informational webinars, and other public input opportunities. EPA provides funding support to the Willamette River Advocacy Group through EPA’s technical assistance grant program.

 

Read the Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent for Remedial Design at the Swan Island Basin Project Area: https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/10/100295661

 

See EPA’s January 2021 Portland Harbor Site Updates Fact Sheet: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/10/100295085.pdf     

 

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EPA approves revisions to Louisiana Water Quality Standards

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA approves revisions to Louisiana Water Quality Standards

 

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

 

DALLAS – (Feb. 12, 2021) The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) recently completed its review of provisions of the new and revised Louisiana water quality standards submitted to EPA by the state. The approved provisions are now effective for implementation purposes under the Clean Water Act.
 

“Water quality is a high priority and our partnership continues to bring safe water to communities throughout the region,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator David Gray. “EPA is proud to support Louisiana’s plan and remains committed to helping communities improve and protect their waters.”

 

“Nothing is more critical to a society than reliable sources of clean water,” LDEQ Secretary Dr. Chuck Carr Brown said. “These revisions will help us make sure that Louisiana continues to enjoy excellent water quality.”

 

EPA’s approved revisions are predominately a series of changes to clarify, correct and improve consistency in the state’s water quality standards. These changes allow the state to improve their application of these standards and better protect water quality in Louisiana. 

 

The goal of the Clean Water Act includes restoring and protecting the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation's waters. Water quality standards established under the Clean Water Act set the states’ expectations for water quality. These standards also serve as water quality goals for individual surface waters, guide and inform monitoring and assessment activities, and provide a legal basis for permitting and regulatory pollution controls.

 

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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EPA Awards Contracts Worth up to $220 million to Three Companies for Cleanup at Navajo Nation Area Abandoned Uranium Mines

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Contracts Worth up to $220 million to Three Companies for Cleanup at Navajo Nation Area Abandoned Uranium Mines

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced three contract awards for cleanup efforts at more than 50 abandoned uranium mine sites in and around the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Area Abandoned Mine Remedial Construction and Services Contracts (AMRCS), worth up to $220 million over the next five years, were awarded to Red Rock Remediation Joint Venture, Environmental Quality Management Inc. and Arrowhead Contracting Inc. 

“EPA continues to work with the Navajo Nation EPA and local communities to address the legacy of abandoned uranium mines,” said Deborah Jordan, Acting Regional Administrator for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest office. “These contract awards mark a significant step in this ongoing work.” 

Most of the funding for the contracts comes from the nearly $1 billion settlement reached in 2015 for the cleanup of more than 50 abandoned uranium mine sites for which Kerr McGee Corporation and its successor, Tronox, have responsibility. In addition to the funds from that Tronox settlement, EPA and Navajo Nation have secured funding agreements, through enforcement agreements and other legal settlements, for the assessment and cleanup of approximately 200 abandoned uranium mine sites on the Navajo Nation.

Work is slated to begin later this year following the completion of assessments in coordination with Navajo Nation’s environmental agency, the Navajo Nation EPA. The sites are in New Mexico’s Grants Mining District and ten Navajo Nation chapters. The companies selected have experience working on hazardous waste sites across the country including cleaning up other abandoned mine sites in the southwest U.S.

EPA worked closely with Navajo Nation to develop contracts that incentivize creating employment opportunities for Navajo residents and building local economic and institutional capacity. The contractors selected are classified as small businesses, two of which are owned by Native Americans. In addition, the companies have partnered with other Navajo-owned firms to ensure Navajo communities benefit economically from the ongoing work to clean up their land. To further direct benefits from this cleanup investment to the Navajo communities affected by this legacy pollution, each company will develop training programs for Navajo individuals and businesses to promote professional growth in areas related to the AMRCS contract. Workforce training that could be offered by the contractors may cover radiological contamination, health and safety, construction and road building. In addition, the contracts require the selectees to provide quarterly reports to the EPA, Navajo Nation, and the public on cleanup progress, training, and Navajo job and business opportunities.

Cleanup of the abandoned uranium mines is a closely coordinated effort between multiple federal agencies and the Navajo Nation. During the Cold War, 30 million tons of uranium ore were mined on or adjacent to the Navajo Nation, leaving more than 500 abandoned mines. Since 2008, EPA has conducted preliminary investigations at all of the mines, completed 113 detailed assessments, cleaned up over 50 contaminated structures, provided safe drinking water to over 3,000 families in partnership with the Indian Health Service, and completed cleanup, stabilization or fencing at 29 mines.

For more information, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/navajo-nation-uranium-cleanup

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

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