Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Settlement Calls for Rhode Island Shipyard to Reduce Air Emissions
EPA News Release:
News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
Feb. 27, 2013
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
Feb. 27, 2013
Contact: David Deegan, (617)
918-1017
Settlement Calls for Rhode Island Shipyard to
Reduce Air Emissions
(Boston, Mass. – Feb. 27, 2013) – A Newport
R.I. yacht repair facility will take steps to reduce emissions of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) from paints and thinners used at its facility, under
the terms of a Clean Air Act settlement with EPA.
American Shipyard Co. LLC, doing business as
Newport Shipyard, which repairs and paints vessels, will pay a $31,000 penalty
and obtain a Clean Air Act permit from the State of Rhode Island that caps the
facility’s emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and requires use of
paints and other coatings that meet low-VOC standards. Newport Shipyard will
also comply with applicable recordkeeping and certification
requirements.
Newport Shipyard provides marine services
including painting and other repair operations. Paint used by Newport Shipyard
emitted excess levels of VOCs. These pollutants can cause human health problems
and also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, a primary
constituent of smog.
Newport is in an area that has failed to meet
federal air quality standards for ozone. Under its permit, the company will use
low-VOC solvents and paints that comply with regulatory limits for VOCs. In
addition, the company will use paint spray guns with high transfer efficiencies,
implement best work practices to minimize VOC emissions from painting and
cleanup, and implement required recordkeeping and reporting
requirements.
More information: Environmental issues with
Marinas in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/marinas/index.html)
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EPA Encourages the Public to Comment on Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Superfund Site in Saratoga Springs, New York
EPA News Release:
EPA Encourages the Public to Comment on Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Superfund Site
in Saratoga Springs, New York
Public Meeting on March 7, 2013 at Saratoga Spa State Park
Contact: Elias Rodriguez, 212-637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – Feb. 27, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a plan to clean up contaminated soil and ground water at the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Superfund site in Saratoga Springs, New York. The site, which was once used to manufacture gas from coal, is contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were produced as byproducts and disposed of on site. PAHs are suspected cancer causing substances. Many VOCs are known to cause cancer in animals and can cause cancer in people. The community obtains its drinking water from public wells, which are not contaminated.
“The proposed plan for the Niagara Mohawk site is an important step toward completing the cleanup and ensuring that people’s health is protected into the future,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “I encourage the public to attend the public meeting and provide their input on the proposed plan.”
The EPA will hold a public meeting on March 7, 2013 to explain the proposed plan. It will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Saratoga Spa State Park Administration Building, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY. Comments will be accepted until March 28, 2013.
From approximately 1853 to the 1940s, Niagara Mohawk's predecessors, Saratoga Gas and Light and New York Power and Light Corporation, produced gas used to power gas street lights at the Niagara Mohawk property on Excelsior Ave. After gas manufacturing ceased at the site, the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation used its property for storage and to park vehicles. The property is currently owned by National Grid. The EPA added the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. site to the Superfund list in 1990.
The EPA issued its first cleanup plan for the site in 1995 after finding contaminants in the ground water and soil on the Niagara Mohawk property, at a former skating rink formerly owned by the city and in stream sediment along portions of Spring Run Creek. During the first cleanup, contaminated soil and sediment were removed from areas containing coal tar waste, underground barriers were installed to contain the contaminated ground water, a protective cap was installed to cover contaminated soil and monitoring was initiated. Additionally, a system to extract and treat contaminated ground water was constructed and continues to operate. In all, over 68,400 tons of contaminated soil and 16,700 tons of contaminated sediment were removed from the site. This work was completed in 2002.
In this proposed second and final phase of the cleanup, the EPA will clean up contaminated soil and ground water discovered in a half acre area near Excelsior, Warren and High Rock Avenues. It includes a section of Excelsior Avenue, a small green space containing the Old Red Spring well and pavilion and a section of a paved parking lot.
Under the EPA’s plan, the top two feet of contaminated soil near the Old Red Spring well will be dug up and disposed of at a facility licensed to receive the waste. The excavated areas will then be filled with clean soil. The EPA will also solidify and stabilize contaminated areas of deeper soil in the same area with a cement-like material. Walls and a mat will be installed to contain contaminated soil underneath the surface of Excelsior Avenue. Following the work, any grassy areas, plants, parking lots, roadways or sidewalks impacted during the cleanup will be restored.
In addition, the contaminated ground water will be treated using a non-hazardous additive to break down the contamination to meet federal and state water quality standards. The EPA will require the periodic collection and analysis of ground water samples to verify that the level and extent of the contamination is declining. The proposed plan requires environmental easements and restrictions on land use that will prevent activities that could disturb the cleanup and prohibits the use of ground water wells, among other restrictions.
The Superfund program operates on the principle that polluters should pay for cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. After sites are placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated waste sites, the EPA searches for parties responsible for the contamination and holds them accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. To date, the cleanup of the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Superfund site has been conducted and paid for by Niagara Mohawk and National Grid with oversight by the EPA.
Written comments may be mailed or emailed to:
Maria Jon, Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 2
290 Broadway, 20th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10007-1866
(212) 637-3966
More information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/niagaramohawk
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page,http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
U.S. EPA Honors GRID Alternatives for Solar Panel Job Training
EPA News Release:
For Immediate Release: February 26, 2013
Contact: David Yogi, Ph: 415-972-3350, Mobile: 415-972-3350, yogi.david@epa.gov
U.S. EPA Honors GRID Alternatives for Solar Panel Job Training
Receives Environmental Regional Award as Climate Change Champion
SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld today recognized nonprofit GRID Alternatives as a Climate Change Champion. The EPA Pacific Southwest Region’s Environmental Award was presented at a ceremony hosted by the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians in Hopland, California.
“EPA applauds GRID Alternatives for championing clean technologies to offset the climate change impacts of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Blumenfeld. “This organization is a role model for how business can promote solar energy while equipping Californians with the skills they need to sustain this industry.”
“The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians has been pleased to have Grid Alternatives Work with our qualifying Tribal members to install the latest solar technology on their homes,” said Shawn Padi, Chairman of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. “This green technology not only helps the environment but also makes our qualifying Tribal members’ monthly energy bills much more affordable.”
GRID Alternatives has developed a solar affordable housing program to train and lead teams of community volunteers and job trainees to install solar electric systems for low-income homeowners, generating financial benefits for families, job training opportunities for local workers, and environmental benefits through the reduction of greenhouse gases.
As of February 2013, GRID Alternatives has installed over 3,000 solar electric systems in homes, trained 11,700 community volunteers and job trainees on the theory and practice of installing solar systems, and has prevented over 250,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions through PV installations. Beneficiaries of these systems have included seniors on fixed incomes, veterans, and homeowners struggling with unemployed and underemployment, as well as low-income residents of more than 14 tribal communities throughout California.
More information about GRID Alternatives, headquartered in Oakland, Calif., may be found at:www.gridalternatives.org
The EPA Pacific Southwest Region’s Environmental Awards program acknowledges commitments and significant contributions to protecting the environment in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Pacific Islands and tribal lands. Groups and individuals were selected from nominees received this year from businesses, government officials, tribes, media, academia, environmental organizations and community activists. For more information on the other 2012 award winners please visit: http://epa.gov/region9/awards
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Monday, February 25, 2013
EPA Settles with Geneva Energy on Clean Air Act Violations; Tire-burning Facility to Close
EPA Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 13-OPA006
EPA Settles with Geneva Energy on Clean Air Act Violations; Tire-burning Facility to Close
Chicago (Feb. 25, 2013) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached agreement with Geneva Energy, LLC on the terms of a consent decree to resolve allegations that the company violated the Clean Air Act at a tire-burning electric generating plant in Ford Heights, Illinois. Geneva has agreed to close the facility, which operated intermittently from 2006 until the fall of 2011.
A federal lawsuit was filed at the same time as the settlement and alleges violations included in an August 2010 EPA Notice and Finding of Violation issued to the facility. The NOV/FOV alleged violations of the facility’s construction permit, including monitoring and reporting requirements and emission limits established for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, particulate matter, and opacity.
A federal lawsuit was filed at the same time as the settlement and alleges violations included in an August 2010 EPA Notice and Finding of Violation issued to the facility. The NOV/FOV alleged violations of the facility’s construction permit, including monitoring and reporting requirements and emission limits established for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, particulate matter, and opacity.
“This settlement will eliminate the source of almost 200 tons of air pollutants each year, in a community that has historically been disproportionately impacted by environmental contamination,” said EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman.
As part of the consent decree, Geneva will also withdraw all permits and permit applications submitted to Illinois EPA and surrender all sulfur dioxide allowances. Based on an analysis of financial information, the government concluded that Geneva is insolvent and unable to pay a civil penalty.
The consent decree also resolves Clean Air Act violations by NAES Corporation, an operations consultant at the facility during a 14-month period in 2008-2009. NAES will pay a $185,000 civil penalty.
Documents related to this settlement are available on EPA’s website at:http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/genevaenergy.html.
Rodney Hailey Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Selling $9 Million in Fraudulent Renewable Fuel Credits
EPA Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2013
Rodney Hailey Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Selling $9 Million in Fraudulent Renewable Fuel Credits
Owner of “Clean Green Fuel” falsely claimed his company produced 23 million gallons of renewable fuel
WASHINGTON - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Rodney R. Hailey, of Perry Hall, Md., today to nearly 12 years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling $9 million in renewable fuel credits which he falsely claimed were produced by his company, Clean Green Fuel, LLC.
“When invalid renewable fuel credits are ‘produced’ and sold, it undermines the integrity of an important program designed by Congress to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and to grow the nation’s renewable energy industry,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s sentence shows that there are serious consequences, including jail time, for defrauding the renewable fuels program for personal gain.”
“Any government program that is based on trust is vulnerable to a fraudster like Rodney Hailey,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “The only thing Rodney Hailey’s ‘Clean Green Fuel’ business produced was the dirty money he used to fund his lavish lifestyle.”
Judge Quarles enhanced Hailey’s sentence upon finding that he obstructed justice by concealing, selling and spending assets that were protected by court order. Judge Quarles also ordered Hailey to pay restitution of approximately $ 42.2 million to over 20 companies and forfeit $9.1 million in proceeds from the fraud, including cars, jewelry, his home and bank accounts, already seized by the government.
Hailey, age 34, was convicted on Jun. 25, 2012, of eight counts of wire fraud, 32 counts of money laundering, and two counts of violating the Clean Air Act. He has been detained since the guilty verdict.
According to evidence presented at the six day trial, Hailey owned Clean Green Fuel, LLC, located in the Baltimore, Md. area. Hailey registered Clean Green Fuel with EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program as a producer of bio-diesel fuel, a motor vehicle fuel derived from renewable resources. To encourage the production of renewable fuel and lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, all oil companies that market petroleum in the U.S. are required to produce a given quantity of renewable fuel or to purchase credits, called renewable identification numbers (RINs) from producers of renewable fuels to satisfy their renewable fuel requirements.
Between March 2009 and December 2010, Hailey engaged in a massive fraud scheme, selling over 35 million RINs (representing 23 million gallons of bio-diesel fuel) to brokers and oil companies, when in fact Clean Green Fuel had produced no fuel at all and Hailey did not have a facility capable of producing bio-diesel fuel.
Federal law enforcement agents investigated the scheme after a Baltimore County police detective working with Maryland’s federal financial crimes task force received a report about the large number of luxury cars parked in front of Hailey’s house. The financial crimes task force contacted EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and initiated a criminal investigation.
Two civil inspectors from EPA’s Air Enforcement Division visited Clean Green’s headquarters on Jul. 22, 2010, to inspect Hailey’s bio-diesel production facility, in response to a complaint alleging that Clean Green had been selling false RINs. Hailey was not able to provide an exact location for the bio-diesel fuel production facility, nor any records to support claims that Clean Green Fuel had produced bio-diesel fuel. When asked to explain his method of production, Hailey falsely stated that he paid employees and contractors to recover waste vegetable oil from 2,700 restaurants in the “Delmarva” area, a peninsula that includes parts of Delaware, Virginia and Maryland, and bring it to his production facility where he converted it to bio-diesel fuel. Hailey claimed that only the drivers who picked up the oil knew the names of the restaurants, and Hailey could not provide the names of the drivers.
Hailey made more than $9.1 million from selling the false RINs. Hailey used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, including BMWs, Mercedes Benz, a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and others, as well as real estate and more than $80,000 in diamond jewelry. In all of these transactions, Hailey generally used cash or checks drawn on accounts he controlled to make the purchase, including a check for $645,330.15 to buy his home in Perry Hall, Md.
The loss to the traders and major energy companies who purchased Hailey’s false RINs is more than $40 million, but the loss also extends to small bio-diesel companies, many of which, as a result of Hailey’s scheme, were unable to sell their RINs and have been forced out of business.
EPA recently proposed a voluntary quality assurance program to verify that RINs generated under the RFS program have been validly generated. EPA expects that this will promote greater liquidity in the transfer and use of RINs, helping to make the RFS program more efficient and effective.
More information about the Renewable Fuel Standard: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm
More information about RFS enforcement: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air/renewable-fuels/fuel-novs.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2013
Rodney Hailey Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Selling $9 Million in Fraudulent Renewable Fuel Credits
Owner of “Clean Green Fuel” falsely claimed his company produced 23 million gallons of renewable fuel
WASHINGTON - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Rodney R. Hailey, of Perry Hall, Md., today to nearly 12 years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling $9 million in renewable fuel credits which he falsely claimed were produced by his company, Clean Green Fuel, LLC.
“When invalid renewable fuel credits are ‘produced’ and sold, it undermines the integrity of an important program designed by Congress to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and to grow the nation’s renewable energy industry,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s sentence shows that there are serious consequences, including jail time, for defrauding the renewable fuels program for personal gain.”
“Any government program that is based on trust is vulnerable to a fraudster like Rodney Hailey,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “The only thing Rodney Hailey’s ‘Clean Green Fuel’ business produced was the dirty money he used to fund his lavish lifestyle.”
Judge Quarles enhanced Hailey’s sentence upon finding that he obstructed justice by concealing, selling and spending assets that were protected by court order. Judge Quarles also ordered Hailey to pay restitution of approximately $ 42.2 million to over 20 companies and forfeit $9.1 million in proceeds from the fraud, including cars, jewelry, his home and bank accounts, already seized by the government.
Hailey, age 34, was convicted on Jun. 25, 2012, of eight counts of wire fraud, 32 counts of money laundering, and two counts of violating the Clean Air Act. He has been detained since the guilty verdict.
According to evidence presented at the six day trial, Hailey owned Clean Green Fuel, LLC, located in the Baltimore, Md. area. Hailey registered Clean Green Fuel with EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program as a producer of bio-diesel fuel, a motor vehicle fuel derived from renewable resources. To encourage the production of renewable fuel and lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, all oil companies that market petroleum in the U.S. are required to produce a given quantity of renewable fuel or to purchase credits, called renewable identification numbers (RINs) from producers of renewable fuels to satisfy their renewable fuel requirements.
Between March 2009 and December 2010, Hailey engaged in a massive fraud scheme, selling over 35 million RINs (representing 23 million gallons of bio-diesel fuel) to brokers and oil companies, when in fact Clean Green Fuel had produced no fuel at all and Hailey did not have a facility capable of producing bio-diesel fuel.
Federal law enforcement agents investigated the scheme after a Baltimore County police detective working with Maryland’s federal financial crimes task force received a report about the large number of luxury cars parked in front of Hailey’s house. The financial crimes task force contacted EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and initiated a criminal investigation.
Two civil inspectors from EPA’s Air Enforcement Division visited Clean Green’s headquarters on Jul. 22, 2010, to inspect Hailey’s bio-diesel production facility, in response to a complaint alleging that Clean Green had been selling false RINs. Hailey was not able to provide an exact location for the bio-diesel fuel production facility, nor any records to support claims that Clean Green Fuel had produced bio-diesel fuel. When asked to explain his method of production, Hailey falsely stated that he paid employees and contractors to recover waste vegetable oil from 2,700 restaurants in the “Delmarva” area, a peninsula that includes parts of Delaware, Virginia and Maryland, and bring it to his production facility where he converted it to bio-diesel fuel. Hailey claimed that only the drivers who picked up the oil knew the names of the restaurants, and Hailey could not provide the names of the drivers.
Hailey made more than $9.1 million from selling the false RINs. Hailey used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, including BMWs, Mercedes Benz, a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and others, as well as real estate and more than $80,000 in diamond jewelry. In all of these transactions, Hailey generally used cash or checks drawn on accounts he controlled to make the purchase, including a check for $645,330.15 to buy his home in Perry Hall, Md.
The loss to the traders and major energy companies who purchased Hailey’s false RINs is more than $40 million, but the loss also extends to small bio-diesel companies, many of which, as a result of Hailey’s scheme, were unable to sell their RINs and have been forced out of business.
EPA recently proposed a voluntary quality assurance program to verify that RINs generated under the RFS program have been validly generated. EPA expects that this will promote greater liquidity in the transfer and use of RINs, helping to make the RFS program more efficient and effective.
More information about the Renewable Fuel Standard: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm
More information about RFS enforcement: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air/renewable-fuels/fuel-novs.html
R032
EPA Region 7 to Host Informational Sessions March 4 and 5 for Big River Mine Tailings, Madison County Mines Superfund Sites
EPA Press Release:
Environmental News
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
EPA Region 7 to Host Informational Sessions March 4 and 5 for Big River Mine Tailings, Madison County Mines Superfund Sites
Contact Information: David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov
Environmental News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., Feb. 25, 2013) - EPA Region 7 will host separate Public Availability Meetings next week in Park Hills and Fredericktown, Mo., to update area residents on the progress of sampling and remediating lead-contaminated residential properties and other cleanup work at the Big River Mine Tailings and Madison County Mines Superfund sites.
Residents interested in the latest information about the Big River Mine Tailings Site are encouraged to attend the session from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4, at the St. Francois County Health Department, 1025 Main Street, in Park Hills.
Residents interested in the Madison County Mines Site are encouraged to attend a separate session from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at the Madison County Health Department, 806 West College Avenue, in Fredericktown.
To complete its cleanups of lead contamination at these two sites, EPA is attempting to obtain permission from residential property owners to allow access to their properties for free soil sampling. If sampling indicates a problem with elevated lead levels in soil, EPA will remove the contaminated soil and replace it with clean soil, at no cost to property owners.
Currently, approximately 4,000 residential properties remain unsampled in St. Francois County, and about 500 such properties remain unsampled in Madison County. As EPA’s long-term cleanup work at both sites approaches completion, the opportunities for property owners to receive free soil sampling and remediation work will eventually come to an end.
The March 4 and 5 public meetings will also provide the opportunity for residents of all ages to receive free blood lead testing, courtesy of state and county health departments. EPA especially encourages the testing of children 7 years and younger.
Residents seeking more information in advance of the meetings should contact EPA Region 7 Community Involvement Coordinator Debbie Kring toll-free at 1-800-223-0425, or at kring.debbie@epa.gov.
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