EPA awards $200,000 for job-training program at Fort Lyon campus in Bent County, Colo.

EPA Press Release:

EPA awards $200,000 for job-training program at Fort Lyon campus in Bent County, Colo. 

Grant among $5.1 million to help transform communities across the nation

DENVER (October 24, 2019) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) will receive a $200,000 grant to deliver an environmental job-training program at the Fort Lyon campus in Bent County, Colorado.

DOLA is among 26 grantees receiving more than $5.1 million in grants funded through the agency’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) program to create a skilled workforce in communities where EPA brownfields assessment and cleanup activities are taking place. Organizations will each receive up to $200,000 to support programs to help individuals develop specific skills and certifications needed to secure employment in the environmental field. These grants help prepare people for green jobs that improve the environment and provide more sustainable futures for the communities most affected by solid and hazardous waste contamination.

DOLA will use the EPA funds to develop a job-training program at Fort Lyon, a state-owned campus located in Bent County which hosts the Fort Lyon Supportive Residential Community (SRC). The SRC is a recovery-oriented transitional housing program designed at helping those who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness and struggling with substance use disorder achieve stability through peer-driven programming and vocational/educational training.

The Fort Lyon job-training program will develop various environmental skills and certifications, including the areas of asbestos handling, wastewater management, and hazardous waste transportation, for up to 70 participants who will look to secure full-time environmental employment.

“EPA’s Job Training Program has helped to transform communities that need it the most. By investing in a local workforce to conduct environmental cleanup activities, we can help revitalize traditionally low-income neighborhoods,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Seventy five percent of those trained under our program have gone on to find full time jobs with good wages. I am proud to announce that EPA is building on these successes by providing additional grants to help lift communities out of poverty, employ returning veterans, and build a skilled environmental workforce for the future.”

“EPA’s Brownfields programs are making long-term investments in the health of local economies and the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin. “This grant will build upon previous EPA support for cleanup and property reuse at the Fort Lyon campus by providing dozens of residents with opportunities to earn employment in the environmental field. We look forward to seeing these future graduates thrive and contribute to the health and vitality of communities in Bent County and throughout the state.” 

Today’s EPA job-training grant builds upon previous EPA Brownfields grants that have led to the cleanup and reuse of several buildings at the Fort Lyon campus. In 2016, Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs) resulted in 25 phase II environmental site assessments and cleanup plans. In 2016 and 2017 DOLA received EPA cleanup grants totaling close to $400,000 to abate asbestos in 8 of their campus buildings. Additionally, EPA is currently working with DOLA on additional TBAs for campus buildings still needing assessment and future cleanup.

Background

EPA’s Job Training Program awards competitive grants to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed individuals. Individuals completing these training programs have often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many are from low-income neighborhoods. The training programs also serves minorities, tribal members, transitioning veterans, dislocated workers who have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures, and other individuals who may face barriers to employment.

Of the programs selected for funding this year, 31% plan to serve residents of communities experiencing persistent poverty and nearly 70% plan to serve veterans. All 26 selected programs plan to serve communities with census tracts designated as federal Opportunity Zones – an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.

Since this program began in 1998, more than 288 grants have been awarded. More than 18,000 individuals have completed training, and of those, more than 13,679 individuals have been placed in full-time employment earning an average starting wage of over $14 an hour. Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant cities, EPA created its environmental job training program to offer residents of communities historically affected by environmental pollution, economic disinvestment, and brownfields an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure local environmental work in their communities. 

For more information on the job-training grantees, including past grantees, please visit: https://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/index.cfm?grant_type_id=1003&grant_announcement_year=2018

For more information on this, and other types of Brownfields grants, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding 

Denver contractors cited for not following lead-safe requirements on home renovation projects

EPA Press Release:

Denver contractors cited for not following lead-safe requirements on home renovation projects

EPA enforcement activities throughout Denver resolve alleged violations of EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule

DENVER (October 24, 2019) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a summary of enforcement actions to Denver-area contractors completed over the last year to address noncompliance with the lead-based paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule. The RRP Rule protects the public from toxic lead hazards created by renovation activities involving lead-based paint and requires the certification of individuals and firms involved in these activities. Contractors working on homes built prior to 1978 must test for lead in paint, or presume lead is present, and apply applicable lead-safe work practices to minimize the risk of toxic lead exposure.

This past year, EPA reached agreements with five Denver-area contractors to settle violations of the RRP Rule: Metro Construction, Inc., Colorado Western Construction, Pappas Painting & Repair, Inc., Kelly Custom Painting LLC, and Coggeshall Construction, Inc. These cases resulted in more than $17,000 in penalties. Violations included failure to obtain EPA lead-safe firm certification, failure to maintain records documenting compliance, and failure to employ lead-safe work practices when conducting renovations on pre-1978 homes. In cases where violations resulted in contamination at a jobsite, EPA staff worked with contractors, and state and local environmental agencies, to facilitate cleanup measures to protect the public from lead exposure.

“Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead, and the disturbance of lead-based paint in older homes and buildings is one of the most common exposure pathways,” said Suzanne Bohan, director of EPA’s regional enforcement program. “EPA is taking a close look at neighborhoods where lead-based paint is present by providing residents with information on managing risks and making sure contractors follow the requirements that reduce exposure in homes.”  

Lead exposure, even at low levels, can cause lifelong impacts, including developmental impairment, learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. EPA estimates that lead-based paint is still present in more than 30 million homes across the nation.

Many Denver-area homes were built before lead was banned from use in paint products in 1978 and there is a high potential these homes contain lead paint. EPA conducts inspections and provides compliance assistance to contractors to ensure renovations of these homes are done in a lead-safe manner in accordance with the RRP Rule. Cases often result from referrals, tips and complaints from consumers, state and local authorities, as well as from random inspections of residential renovations.

In addition to the five cases settled this year, EPA also issued 27 Notices of Noncompliance to contractors and provided educational materials to many others to promote compliance with the RRP Rule in the Denver area. These notices identify specific actions that contractors must take to ensure future compliance. The agency will continue to assess compliance associated with recent inspections and pursue enforcement action when appropriate.

For more information on the RRP Rule and its requirements: http://www.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program

Violations of the lead based paint RRP Rule regulations can be reported to EPA online:https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/report-environmental-violations

EPA Acts to Reduce Childhood Lead-Based Paint Exposure in New York and New Jersey

EPA Press Release:

EPA Acts to Reduce Childhood Lead-Based Paint Exposure in New York and New Jersey

Contact: Tayler Covington, covington.tayler@epa.gov, (212) 637-3662

NEW YORK (October 24, 2019) – Emphasizing efforts to protect children’s health and raise awareness about the health risks associated with childhood lead exposure during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 is highlighting 12 federal enforcement actions taken this fiscal year in New York and New Jersey. By ensuring that entities like renovation contractors, landlords, property managers, realtors and others comply with rules that protect the public from exposure to lead from lead-based paint, EPA can address a leading source of lead exposure for children across the nation. Exposure to lead dust, chips or debris from lead-based paint can pose serious risks to human health, particularly for young children. Earlier this year, EPA announced tighter standards for lead in dust on floors and window sills to protect children from the harmful effects of lead exposure. 

"When businesses and individuals break these laws and cut corners to save time or money, our families, and especially our children, suffer,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “Reducing childhood lead exposure and addressing associated health impacts is one of EPA’s top priorities and we are committed to tightening and enforcing standards that were made to protect our homes and families.”

From October 2018 through September 2019, EPA’s Region 2 office entered into a total of 5 consent agreements, 4 expedited settlement agreements, 2 judicial orders, and issued one administrative complaint and with entities operating in New York and New Jersey. While neither New York nor New Jersey have been delegated the Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule or the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, New Jersey has delegated authority to implement and enforce the Lead-based Paint Activities (Abatement) Rule. EPA’s compliance agreements and complaint include:

• High Rise Build & Design Inc. and Somattie Surujnarine (NY) were each found in contempt of court for failure to pay court-ordered penalties of $500 and failure to comply with a TSCA subpoena. The $500 penalty, issued May 14, 2019, began to accrue a per diem sanction 7 days after the order until they came into compliance. As of Sept. 9, 2019, neither High Rise nor Surujnarine had complied with the subpoena; each penalty accrued to $48,000 and will continue to accrue until compliance is met.
• Airtek Environmental (NY) agreed to pay a $26,000 penalty in an expedited settlement agreement for failure to submit timely pre and post-training notifications for students taking the Renovator Initial Courses for EPA’s RRP Rule.
• Total Change, Inc. (NY) agreed to pay a $20,000 penalty to settle violations of the RRP Rule, including: failing to obtain lead-safe firm certification prior to performing lead-based paint renovations; failure to keep records of renovation compliance; and failure to contain waste from renovation activities to prevent the release of dust and debris.
• Panther Siding and Windows (NY) agreed to pay a $14,753 penalty to settle violations of the RRP Rule at 12 locations, including: failure to provide property owners with the EPA-approved -lead-hazard information pamphlet; failure to establish and maintain records of compliance for the renovations; and failure to assign a certified renovator to renovations.
• Big Apple Occupation Safety Corp (NY) agreed to pay a $9,000 penalty in an expedited settlement agreement for failure to submit timely post-training notifications for 62 students taking the Renovator Initial Courses for EPA’s RRP Rule.
• Abatement Solutions, LLC (NY) agreed to pay a $7,800 penalty to settle violations of the Abatement Rule, including failure to notify EPA of lead-based paint activities.
• SEG-LBP, LLC (NY) agreed to pay a $8,240 penalty to settle violations of the Abatement Rule, including failure to notify EPA of lead-based paint activities and failure to develop an occupant protection plan.
• A.G. Johnson Consulting LLC (NY) agreed to pay a $5,000 penalty in an expedited settlement agreement for failure to submit timely post-training notifications for 22 students taking the Renovator Initial Courses for EPA’s RRP Rule.
• Topmost Design & Construction (NY) agreed to pay a $3,100 penalty to settle violations of the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, including: failing to obtain lead-safe firm certification prior to performing lead-based paint renovations; failure to confine dust and debris to work area; and failing to establish and maintain records or make records available.
• Richie Roma Home Improvement (NY) agreed to pay a $1,000 penalty in an expedited settlement agreement for failure to obtain initial firm certification EPA under EPA’s RRP Rule prior to engaging in renovation activities. 
• C&W Painting and Carpentry, Inc. (NJ) was issued a complaint and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing with a proposed penalty of $15,600 for several violations of the RRP Rule, including: failure to obtain initial firm certification; failure to contain debris, dust and waste; failure to provide on-the-job training to uncertified workers; and failure to retain required records of compliance.

Each year, EPA Region 2 receives hundreds of referrals from local health departments and complaints from the public concerning unsafe work practices during renovations or lead abatements. Property owners and landlord’s failure to provide the required lead disclosure are also referred to EPA. In response, Region 2 conducts approximately 100 compliance monitoring activities of contractors and property managers per year, including on-site inspections and off-site records reviews. In 2019, EPA Region 2 provided over 300 contractors and property owners/mangers with compliance assistance packages.

Regulations promulgated under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (LHRA) apply to most housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978. TSCA’s RRP Rule, Lead-based Paint Activities Rule and LHRA’s Section 1018 Disclosure Rule require lead-safe work practices and disclosure of information about lead-based paint, among other things. Young children are most susceptible to the effects of lead, with lead-based paint being the biggest risk of exposure. Risks of lead poisoning include neurologic impairments such as behavioral or learning issues, slowed growth and, in rare cases, seizures and death. A blood-lead test is the only way to determine if a child has an elevated blood-lead level. Parents who think their child has been in contact with lead should contact their child's health care provider.

Background

NLPPW is an annual “call to action” aimed at bringing together families, individuals, community-based organizations, state, tribal, and local governments, and others, to protect current and future generations from exposures to lead-containing paint and dust, contaminated drinking water and soil, and encourage preventative actions to decrease childhood exposure during the week and beyond.

Since the 1970s, the United States has made tremendous progress in lowering children’s blood lead levels. Lead exposure, particularly at higher doses, continues to pose a significant health and safety threat to children, preventing them from reaching the fullest potential of their health, their intellect, and their future. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified.

To view the Progress Report on the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts, visit: https://www.epa.gov/leadactionplanimplementation/progress-report-federal-action-plan-reduce-childhood-lead-exposures-and

To see EPA’s Enforcement Alert on lead-based paint: https://wcms.epa.gov/enforcement/enforcement-alert-lead

Members of the public can help protect our environment by identifying and reporting environmental violations.  Learn more here:  https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/report-environmental-violation-general-information

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.

19-095                                                              # # #  

U.S. EPA invites 13 projects in California, 1 in Arizona to apply for nearly $2 billion in water infrastructure loans

EPA Press Release:

For Immediate Release: October 23, 2019

Media Contact: Denise Adamic, adamic.denise@epa.gov, 415-972-3061

U.S. EPA invites 13 projects in California, 1 in Arizona to apply for nearly $2 billion in water infrastructure loans

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting 13 projects in California to apply for a total of $1.6 billion in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. EPA is also inviting the City of Phoenix to apply for a $172 million WIFIA loan. Across the nation, a total of 38 projects in 18 states are being invited to apply for about $6 billion in loans to help finance over $12 billion in water infrastructure investments and create almost 200,000 jobs.

“Through WIFIA, EPA is playing an integral role in President Trump’s efforts to improve and upgrade our nation’s water infrastructure and ensure all Americans have access to clean and safe water,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This announcement highlights billions of dollars in needed water infrastructure investments to upgrade aging infrastructure, reduce exposure to lead and emerging contaminants and improve the lives of millions of Americans across the country – all while creating almost 200,000 jobs.”

“Investments in water infrastructure can build healthier communities and stronger economies across our region,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “These prospective borrowers have submitted proposals for projects that will deliver clean water and protect human health.”

EPA’s WIFIA loans will allow communities across the country to implement projects to address national water priorities – including providing for clean and safe drinking water by reducing exposure to lead and emerging contaminants, addressing aging water infrastructure and developing water recycling and reuse projects. EPA received 51 letters of interest from both public and private entities in response to the 2019 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).

After a robust, statutorily required review process, the WIFIA Selection Committee chose the following prospective borrowers’ project in Arizona to submit a loan application:

• City of Phoenix; Zone 3D and 4A Improvements Program; $172 million

The following prospective borrowers in California were invited to submit loan applications:

• City of San Mateo; Basins 2 and 3 Collection System Improvements Project; $85 million
• Soquel Creek Water District; Pure Water Soquel; $49 million
• City of Oceanside; Buccaneer Sewer List Station and Force Main Project; $47 million
• City of Oceanside; Pure Water Oceanside and Lower Recycled Water Distribution System Expansion Project; $57 million
• South Coast Water District; Doheny Ocean Desalination Project; $60 million
• Monterey One Water; Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project; $44 million
• Poseidon Resources-Channelside, LP; Huntington Beach Desalination Plant; $585 million
• City of Daly City; Vista Grande Drainage Basin Improvement Project; $61 million
• City of Roseville; Roseville’s Water Future Initiative; $37 million
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; Southeast Plant New Headworks Facility Project; $236 million
• San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority; Jones Pumping Plant Unit Motor Rehabilitation Project; $19 million
• Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District; Secondary Effluent Project; $12 million
• East County Advanced Water Purification Joint Powers Authority; Water Purification Project; $342 million

To learn more about the 38 projects that are invited to apply, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-selected-projects.  

Background

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 and low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. EPA's WIFIA program plays an important part in President Trump's infrastructure plan, which calls for expanding project eligibility. 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 Grant of Over $475,000 Will Help Prevent Leaks from Underground Storage Tanks in Louisiana

EPA Press Release:

EPA Grant of Over $475,000 Will Help Prevent Leaks from Underground Storage Tanks in Louisiana

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

DALLAS – (Oct. 23, 2019) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) a grant of $476,539 to support underground storage tank programs. The funds will help detect and prevent leaks from these tanks, which typically hold petroleum or hazardous substances.

“Detecting and preventing leaks from underground storage tanks is hard work, but it pays off because it protects our aquifers and drinking water sources,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “LDEQ remains a strong partner in keeping Louisiana’s water resources safe from storage tank pollution.”

The grant supports LDEQ’s underground storage tank program in detecting and preventing leaks and carrying out related enforcement activities. The program encourages proper tank operation and maintenance and ensures owners and operators monitor their underground storage tanks and comply with regulations. The grant also helps LDEQ develop its underground storage tank program to operate in lieu of the federal program.

Background

An underground storage tank system (UST) is a tank and any underground piping connected to the tank that has at least 10 percent of its combined volume underground. Until the mid-1980s, most USTs were made of bare steel, which is likely to corrode over time and allow UST contents to leak. The greatest potential hazard from a leaking UST is that the petroleum or other hazardous substance can seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans. A leaking UST can present other health and environmental risks, including the potential for fire and explosion.

For more about underground storage tanks: https://www.epa.gov/ust

For more about EPA’s work in Louisiana: https://www.epa.gov/la

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  

# # #

U.S. EPA settles chemical data reporting violations with Miles Chemical Company

EPA Press Release:

U.S. EPA settles chemical data reporting violations with Miles Chemical Company

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) settled with Miles Chemical Company Inc. of Arleta, California, for failing to timely report chemical substances it imported. Under the settlement, the company will pay a $45,000 penalty.

“Reporting to EPA gives the agency data to help assess the potential human health and environmental effects of these chemicals,” said Mike Stoker, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This data also helps inform communities of risks posed by chemicals used in U.S. commerce.”

Between 2012 and 2015, Miles Chemical Company failed to timely submit forms to EPA documenting the import of large quantities of two chemicals, according to the agency. Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), chemical importers and manufactures are required to submit Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) information to EPA every four years. This allows EPA to track the chemicals being imported into the country, assess potential human health and environmental effects of these chemicals, and make the non-confidential business information it receives available to the public. 

Under TSCA, EPA maintains a comprehensive list of more than 85,000 chemical substances called the TSCA Inventory. Chemical substances on this list that are manufactured or imported at volumes of 25,000 pounds or greater must be reported to EPA, as required by TSCA’s CDR Rule. Unlike many other federal programs, TSCA is directly implemented and enforced by EPA, not states.

For more information on TSCA chemical requirements, please visit  https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-reportingor call the TSCA hotline at 202-554-1404.

#  #  #

Drop For Drop One Of Africa's Deadliest Snakes On The Edge of a Cliff

#animal #reptile #snake