EPA Press Office:

Asbestos Piles to be Removed from TechCity Site in Ulster County, New York Under EPA Settlement

Contact: Stephen McBay, (212)-637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (June 9, 2022) - Asbestos piles will now be removed from the Tech City site, under a June 7, 2022, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreement with developer iPark 87, LLC requiring it to remove asbestos contamination from the site in Ulster County, New York. The site is being cleaned up under EPA’s Superfund program.

“EPA has worked diligently to get the asbestos identified at TechCity cleaned up and this settlement is key to that process,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “By working closely with the iPark 87, LLC, as well as our state and local partners, this cleanup will help put the site back into productive use. EPA collaborates with property owners and communities to reclaim and reuse formerly contaminated land to boost local economies and create jobs.”

Under the settlement, iPark 87, LLC has agreed to remove three large outdoor piles of demolition debris contaminated with asbestos and will abate asbestos in one building (building 1). Exposure to asbestos can lead to a debilitating lung disease called asbestosis, a rare cancer of the chest and abdominal lining called mesothelioma, and various other cancers. EPA properly stabilized the site while the agency pursued the settlement. In addition, EPA will recover all its past costs as well as the cost of overseeing this work. After entering into the settlement, the company purchased most of the site property, with the intention of developing it into a variety of ventures including highlighting local businesses.

The site is a former IBM computer manufacturing facility that had been in operation for more than 30 years until 1998, when it was sold to companies affiliated with Mr. Alan Ginsberg, who re-branded the facility as TechCity and operated it as a multi-tenant industrial park. Between 2015 and 2016, improper asbestos abatement and demolition of buildings occurred at the site. In May 2017, Ulster County requested EPA assistance with addressing the conditions at the site. EPA attempted to negotiate with the potentially responsible parties to remove asbestos without success. In March 2020, EPA mobilized to the site to undertake a portion of the removal work, which included demolition of an asbestos-contaminated, partially demolished structure identified as building 2, disposal of approximately 200 tons of asbestos-contaminated material, and the securing of building 1.

On July 15, 2021, Ulster County filed an action to foreclose on 18 parcels at the site for failure to pay over $12 million in property taxes. In September 2021, EPA unilaterally issued an administrative order to six potentially responsible parties directing them to remove the three large piles and abate building 1. Despite initial compliance, the cleanup work did not proceed. EPA then secured funding to perform the work itself. In December 2021, in connection with a court-approved settlement of the County foreclosure action, iPark 87, LLC indicated its intention to purchase and redevelop the site, perform the remaining asbestos cleanup work, and reimburse EPA’s costs. The settlement will mean that public funds will no longer be needed for the cleanup.

For additional background, visit the EPA’s Tech City Response Page.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

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EPA Announces $60 Million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Nutrient Pollution Reduction in the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $60 Million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Nutrient Pollution Reduction in the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed

 

DALLAS, TEXAS (June 10, 2022) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox, joined by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, announced $60 million over the next five years to fund nutrient reduction efforts through the Gulf Hypoxia Program. Hypoxia means low oxygen levels in water and can be caused by excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Hypoxia can impact ecosystems, killing fish and other wildlife, creating aquatic dead zones in severe areas.

Today’s announcement is a key component the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an historic investment in our nation’s waters. This funding will deepen the Agency’s collaboration with states and agricultural partners by supporting actions of the 12 member states of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force (Hypoxia Task Force) to reduce nutrient pollution. 

“The Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico watershed is an iconic ecosystem that millions of Americans depend on for drinking water, agriculture, recreation and economic development and it is essential that we reduce nutrient pollution that harms water quality,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “This funding for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is another way that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing in rural communities, while supporting the leadership of states.”

With $60 million over the next five years, the Hypoxia Task Force will accelerate its work on the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan. The funding will significantly expand and enhance capacity of the states to improve water quality in the Gulf and throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin. To support the work of the Task Force, EPA will also deepen its existing collaborations with the agricultural community, seek new partnerships and identify and elevate examples of producer innovation.

“Through the Hypoxia Task Force, states are working with federal partners to take on the challenge of implementing their Nutrient Reduction Strategies. These state-driven strategies have engaged and expanded partnerships for research, implementation and measurements while also developing and deploying innovative conservation practices,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “This new funding will help improve water quality and meet the unique needs of each state as outlined in their Nutrient Reduction Strategies.”

Today’s announcement includes a memorandum providing guidance for states under the new Gulf Hypoxia Program. The provides information on how EPA will award and administer the Gulf Hypoxia Program funds, highlights priorities for nutrient reduction, and provides flexibility for state specific activities. EPA expects states will scale up implementation of nutrient reduction strategies with bold, systemic advances to accelerate nutrient load reductions. States will engage local communities in planning nutrient reduction projects to ensure that the water quality benefits of this program are realized by disadvantaged communities, and support use of conservation practices that are resilient and adaptable to changing climate conditions. 

This is the latest in a series of announcements emphasizing EPA’s commitment to rural communities, including: $21.7 million in technical assistance grant funding to support safe water in small and rural communities; $12 million for farm-focused projects in the Gulf of Mexico watershed; and $17 million in grant funding to help provide training and technical assistance to small drinking water and wastewater systems that often serve small communities and rural America.

Background

Nutrient loads from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) contribute to a low oxygen (hypoxic) “dead” zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico that is one of the largest in the world. The Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) is a partnership established in 1997 to work collaboratively on reducing nutrient loads in the MARB and the Gulf’s hypoxic zone. Members and partners of the Hypoxia Task Force include five federal agencies, 12 states bordering the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, and the National Tribal Water Council on behalf of tribes; EPA and the state of Iowa serve as Co-Chairs. Multi-state Sub-Basin committees and a Land Grant University consortium are also key partners.

The HTF adopted a Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan in 2001, updated it in 2008, and adopted a revised coastal goal in 2015, which lays out specific steps needed to accomplish the goal of reducing, mitigating, and controlling hypoxia in the Gulf and improve water quality in the Basin. The current coastal goal is to limit the dead zone to no more than 5,000 square kilometers by 2035, using a dual nitrogen and phosphorus reduction strategy. In 2015, the HTF adopted an interim goal to reduce nutrient loading of nitrogen and phosphorous by 20% by 2025.

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Announce $375 Million in Funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for New Recycling, Reuse and Waste Prevention Grant Programs and Initiatives

EPA publishing three Requests for Information, seeking input to inform design of EPA’s largest investment in recycling in 30 years

Contact: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON (June 8, 2022) - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $375 million in funding through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for new recycling, reuse and waste prevention programs. The Agency published three Requests for Information seeking input on the design of these new materials management initiatives, the first step in the process to implement the largest EPA investment in recycling in 30 years.

“Too many communities are burdened by pollution and the negative environmental and health impacts that result from poorly managed waste,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This unprecedented investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform recycling and solid waste management across the nation, create good-paying jobs and advance our bold environmental agenda as we work to build a better America.”

The $375 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will develop several new initiatives, including a Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant program, a Recycling Education and Outreach grant program, a Model Recycling Program toolkit, as well as provide funding to compile best practices for battery collection, recycling, and labeling guidelines.

For example, through the education and outreach grants, EPA can fund projects such as public service announcements, advertising campaigns, and the development and dissemination of recycling program toolkits. These activities will enable the Agency to improve consumer education and outreach on how to recycle right, reduce contamination in the recycling stream, produce higher quality recycled materials, and advance a circular economy. A circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials to be less resource intensive, and recaptures “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. 

These Requests for Information are the first steps in the process of developing these new grant programs and guidance. Through the Requests for Information, EPA is asking all interested individuals and organizations to share their perspectives on resources, opportunities, and barriers related to reducing, reusing, and recycling infrastructure, education and outreach programs and battery recycling and collection.

To access the Requests for Information and learn how to comment, please visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Transforming U.S. Recycling and Waste Management webpage.

Additionally, EPA is initiating a national effort to engage stakeholders across the country to inform the development of these new programs, hosting virtual meetings and feedback sessions in all 10 regions and nationally. EPA is targeting community groups and environmental justice organizations around the country as part of this outreach plan. To remain informed about these programs as they develop, sign up to stay connected.

For more information about EPA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/infrastructure

 EPA Press Office:

EPA joins partners to introduce innovative trash capture devices to Delaware River Watershed

PHILADELPHIA (June 7, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) and a private company called Seabin today to introduce a project studying the effectiveness of a network of floating trash capture devices in the Delaware River watershed. During an event at the Bartram’s Garden dock in South Philadelphia, officials from Seabin demonstrated how the state-of-the-art devices can be placed at locations in the river for litter removal, data collection, trash monitoring and water quality monitoring. The two initial locations in the Delaware River watershed are at Bartram’s Garden and off the Pier 3 marina on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. “Partnerships like this lead to innovation and accelerate progress,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “We all hate seeing trash floating in our waters and this device is part of the solution.  Not only is it pretty cool to watch, but the monitoring and maintenance of the devices can create jobs in public works and sciences.” EPA is supporting the project by providing technical assistance, as well as $25,000 in Trash Free Waters funding to support education and outreach. The project also aligns with EPA’s focus on environmental justice as the targeted locations of Seabin’s platform will directly benefit overburdened communities in the Delaware River Watershed.  The trash capture devices – called Seabins – and a software platform have been installed primarily in marinas and urban places around the world. EPA, PDE and Seabin are undertaking a research project to place Seabins at locations in the Delaware River for litter removal and data collection through trash and water quality monitoring. Seabin, is leading the monitoring efforts with support from its partners. EPA hopes that data collected by the Seabins could provide valuable information such as the types and volume of trash and its relationship to storms and flooding. EPA’s support of this project does not constitute an endorsement of the products, services, or fundraising activities of PDE or Seabin.

For more information on EPA’s Trash Free Waters, visit: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters

 

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $38 Million WIFIA Loan to Modernize Water Infrastructure in Englewood, Colorado

Nationally, 88 WIFIA loans are financing nearly $33 billion in water infrastructure upgrades, creating 100,000 jobs

June 7, 2022

Contact Information

EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a second Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the City of Englewood, Colorado, for $38 million to support the City’s drinking water initiative, the One Water Modernization Program. With EPA’s WIFIA loan, Englewood will protect its drinking water system from the impacts of extreme weather events and reduce exposure to lead while promoting regulatory compliance.

“Drinking water utilities across the country, but most certainly in the west, are facing compounding issues – aging infrastructure, emerging contaminants, climate impacts, and severe drought,” said EPA Office of Water Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox. “I’m thrilled that Englewood will be using their second WIFIA loan to increase resiliency and provide cleaner, safer water, all while saving their residents money and creating good-paying jobs. These are the exact types of projects that EPA will be funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in communities across the country.”

“I applaud the City of Englewood for investing in clean water infrastructure to protect residents and save the city money,” said Senator Michael Bennet. “This will help Englewood cover the cost of efforts to safeguard water infrastructure and reduce the community’s exposure to lead in drinking water.”

“Everyone should have access to clean drinking water,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-1). “With this additional funding, we’ll be able to further protect Englewood’s drinking water system from the threat of extreme weather events and help ensure everyone in our community has access to the safe, clean water they need, when they need it.”

“Colorado Front Range communities must prioritize resiliency as we continue to grow and as climate change brings about and intensifies extreme weather,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “By taking advantage of EPA’s WIFIA loan program, the City of Englewood is leading the pack, prioritizing clean water access while creating good-paying jobs.”

Englewood, Colorado, is located in a water-constrained and rapidly changing region. As a result, the city is pursuing a comprehensive water infrastructure modernization plan called One Water Modernization Program. With this loan, Englewood will modernize its drinking water treatment and distribution systems to be more resilient during floods, blizzards, and other extreme weather events. The city will also replace thousands of lead service lines, improve drinking water taste and odor, and increase water supply by 290 acre-feet of water per year. Additionally, homeowners will be converted from flat rate, non-metered water services to a metered system to save customers money and promote water conservation.

“The EPA’s $38 million WIFIA loan will be critical to modernizing our water treatment plant, addressing lead service lines, and making our water system safer and more resilient,” said Englewood Mayor Othoniel Sierra. “We feel very fortunate to access this level of funding with much lower borrowing costs. It allows the City to make these critical improvements while keeping rates affordable for our customers.”

Englewood will save approximately $15.7 million by financing with a WIFIA loan. Construction and operation are estimated to create approximately 565 jobs.

More information about the WIFIA program.

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. The WIFIA program’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 will prioritize projects that help achieve the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.

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. With this WIFIA loan closing, EPA has announced 88 WIFIA loans that are providing $15 billion in credit assistance to help finance nearly $33 billion for water infrastructure while creating 100,000 jobs and saving ratepayers over $5 billion. 

More information about the WIFIA program’s accomplishments through 2021.

 EPA Press Office:

U.S., Delaware settle with 21 parties on $41.6 million cleanup of Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill Superfund Site

PHILADELPHIA (June 7, 2022) -- The United States and the State of Delaware have reached an agreement with 21 defendants on completing a $41.6 million cleanup plan for the 27-acre Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill Superfund Site in New Castle County, Delaware, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

Between 1969 and 1976, approximately 550,000 cubic yards of industrial waste and construction debris, including at least 13,000 drums containing hazardous substances, were disposed of at the industrial waste landfill that was formerly a sand and gravel quarry.

EPA and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) confirmed the presence of several hazardous substances in the site’s soil and groundwater, and in 1981, EPA added the site to the “National Priorities List” of the most contaminated sites nationwide.   

“EPA’s Superfund program focuses on making a visible and lasting difference in communities by ensuring that public health and the environment are protected,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “This settlement with the responsible parties ensures that ongoing work will continue at this Delaware site that was abused for years with the disposal of hazardous waste.”

EPA and DNREC have been working since 1983 with potentially responsible parties to clean up the site, located on Grantham Lane, about two miles southwest of the City of New Castle.  

The agreement -- a consent decree subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval -- was reached under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) – also known as the “Superfund” law – which requires landowners, waste generators and waste transporters responsible for contaminating a Superfund site to clean up the site, or reimburse the government or other parties for cleanup activities.

See https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decree/us-et-al-v-hercules-inc-et-al for link to consent decree and public comment information.

More information about the DS&G Site and its cleanup is available at:  https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0300034#bkground  

For more information on EPA’s Superfund program, visit https://www.epa.gov/superfund  

The 21 settling defendants are:

• The Chemours Company FC, LLC;
• Hercules LLC (individually and on behalf of its former subsidiary, Champlain Cable Corporation)
• Waste Management of Delaware, Inc.
• SC Holdings, Inc.
• Cytec Industries, Inc.
• Zeneca Inc.
• Bayer CropScience Inc.
• BP Amoco Chemical Company (now known as INEOS US Chemicals Company)
• Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
• CNA Holdings LLC (as successor-in-interest to Hoechst-Celanese Corporation)
• E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
• Esschem, Inc.
• FMC Corporation
• The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Honeywell International Inc. (as successor to AlliedSignal, Inc.)
• Clarios LLC, successor to the former Johnson Controls, Inc. automotive battery business Johnson Controls Battery Group, Inc. (f/k/a Globe Union, Inc.)
• KLHC, Inc. (as successor-in-interest to Ludlow Corporation)
• M.A. Hanna Plastic Group, Inc. (as successor-in-interest to Cadillac Plastic Group, Inc.)
• New Castle County
• Occidental Chemical Corporation
• Verizon Delaware LLC (as successor-in-interest to The Diamond State Telephone Company).

 EPA News Release:

California’s Amgen, Provivi, UC Davis Win EPA’s Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the 2022 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, with three of the five awardees based in California. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation and use of hazardous substances. This year’s winners have developed new and innovative green chemistry technologies that provide solutions to significant environmental challenges and spur innovation and economic development. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to tackle the climate crisis, EPA added a new award category this year that recognizes technology that reduces or eliminates greenhouse gas emissions. 

“EPA encourages the use of innovative green chemistry, to help reduce or even eliminate the generation of hazardous substances, lowering the burden of potential environmental contamination,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “We are proud to recognize these awardees who are working to develop innovative green chemistry, recycling and safer manufacturing practices and safer products. Their efforts help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce solvent waste, and protect pollinators.”

The 2022 California winners are:

• Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California, for an improved manufacturing process for LUMAKRAS™ (sotorasib), a novel drug for the treatment of certain non-small cell lung cancers. Amgen’s innovation decreased manufacturing time, the amount of solvent waste generated, and established a recycling process for a high-value waste stream.
• Provivi, Santa Monica, California, for creating ProviviFAW®, a biological pheromone-based product that controls the fall armyworm, a destructive pest of corn. The product’s pheromone active ingredients are produced through innovative green chemistry using renewable plant oils. ProviviFAW™ can reduce the need for conventional pesticides, which can be harmful to beneficial insects, such as pollinators.
• Professor Mark Mascal of the University of California, Davis, California, in partnership with Origin Materials, for a technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by producing chemicals for making polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic from biomass derived from sugar fructose rather than petroleum. This novel chemistry could have significant climate impacts by replacing fossil-based products with carbon-neutral, biobased products, especially when the technology is scaled to an entire industry.

“At Amgen, we are committed to developing manufacturing processes that minimize our impact to the environment. I am excited that the EPA has recognized Amgen with the 2022 Green Chemistry Challenge Award for developing a greener manufacturing process for one of Amgen’s oncology medicines,” said Andrew Parsons, Principal Scientist at Amgen, one of the award winners. “Since Amgen also received this award in 2017, this year’s recognition is a validation to Amgen’s continued focus on environmental sustainability and green chemistry.”

“We at Provivi are very honored by this award and would like to thank the EPA for recognizing our contributions to green chemistry and making agriculture more sustainable, most notably with our ProviviFAW™ product for controlling the destructive fall armyworm in corn crops,” said Peter Meinhold, Provivi Co-Founder and CTO. “Provivi invented and scaled two new pheromone synthesis platforms that are based on innovative metathesis and fermentation technologies. The resulting pheromones are used in crop protection products that have a non-toxic mode of action and reduce the need for conventional pesticides.”

"We are thrilled that the EPA is recognizing the years of hard work my lab at UC Davis has put into the development of this biomass-to-chemicals process, and the ingenuity of the team at Origin Materials in using it to bring carbon-negative materials to the market,” said Mark Mascal, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at University of California, Davis, one of the award winners. “It is highly rewarding to play even a small part in helping the US meet its sustainable development goals.”

EPA recognized the winners today during the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. Since 1996, EPA and the American Chemical Society, which co-sponsor the awards, have received more than 1,800 nominations and presented awards to 133 technologies that decrease hazardous chemicals and resources, reduce costs, protect public health, and spur economic growth. Winning technologies are responsible for reducing the use or generation of nearly one billion pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving over 20 billion gallons of water and eliminating nearly eight billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents released to the air.

An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute formally judged the 2022 submissions and made recommendations to EPA for the 2022 winners.

Learn more information about the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

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