EPA
Cummins Inc. Agrees to Pay $2.1 Million Penalty for EPA Clean Air Act Violations
EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement with Cummins Inc., a major motor vehicle engine company based in Columbus, Ind., which will will pay a $2.1 million penalty and recall 405 engines. The agreement resolves violations of the Clean Air Act...
EPA’s Budget Seeks Increased Environmental Protection
The Obama administration proposed a budget of $10 billion for EPA that includes $1.3 billion for cleanup of Superfund sites, $215 million for cleanup of brownfields and $27 million for the agency’s new Healthy Community Initiative...
EPA Strengthens Air Quality Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide
The first new NO2 standard in 35 years will improve air quality for millions, according to EPA, protecting millions of Americans from peak, short-term exposures that primarily occur near major roads. Short-term exposures to NO2 have been linked to impaired lung function and increased respiratory infections, especially in people with asthma...
EPA Strengthens Smog Standard
EPA has proposed the strictest health standards to date for smog, rolling back limits set by the Bush administration and proposing to set the “primary” standard, which protects public health, at a level between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million (ppm) measured over 8 hours...
NHCA Offers NRR Recommendations to EPA
In response to the impending changes to the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) for hearing protection devices, the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) provided recommendations to EPA to improve the utility of hearing protection devices for occupational hearing conservation programs and for personal use...
EHS TODAY ROUNDTABLE: Economics, Regulations, Connections and Mentoring
We questioned EHS leaders about current and future regulations, the issues impacting the practice of occupational health and safety and the importance of mentoring future leaders. Here is what they had to say...
EPA Calls for Best Projects for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is looking for a few good projects to fulfill the goals of President Barack Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative...
EPA’s Energy Star Program Hits 1 Million Milestone
EPA has reached a milestone for the Energy Star program by passing the 1 millionth Energy Star qualified home mark. Houston, Dallas and Las Vegas top the list for the most Energy Start homes...
EPA’s Jackson Unveils Framework for Chemical Management Reform
In a recent speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced core principles that outline the Obama administration’s goals for legislative reform of this country’s chemical management law, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)...
Health and Environmental Groups Plan to Sue Over Clean Air Act Violations
A coalition of Illinois health and environmental groups notified Midwest Generation LLC of their intent to sue the company because its coal plants release what the groups claim are illegally high amounts of particulate matter that lead to respiratory illnesses and premature deaths in nearby communities...
EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Nitrogen Dioxide
For the first time in more than 35 years, EPA has proposed to strengthen the nation’s nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air quality standard that protects public health. The proposed changes reflect the latest science on the health effects of exposure to NO2, which is formed by emissions from cars, trucks, buses, power plants and industrial facilities and can lead to respiratory disease...
EPA Administrator Jackson Takes New Steps to Improve Water Quality
EPA is making available comprehensive reports and data on water enforcement in all 50 states...
EPA Grants Landmark California Emissions Waiver
EPA has granted California the waiver to implement its landmark clean cars program to cut global warming pollution from vehicles by 30 percent by 2016...
Hearing Protectors 2009: Rating, Evaluation and the NRR
The EPA has decided to update the rule that governs noise reduction ratings - how will these changes impact hearing protection devices? ...
EPA Settles with Stephenson Service Co. in Case Involving Chemical Spill Reporting
EPA Region 5 recently settled an administrative case involving hazardous chemical release and inventory reporting violations at Stephenson Service Co. in Freeport, Ill...
Former EPA Official Calls For New Environmental and Consumer Protection Agency
In a new report, former EPA official J. Clarence (Terry) Davies suggests existing health and safety agencies are unable to cope with the risk assessment, standard setting and oversight challenges of advancing nanotechnology...
Company and Four Senior Managers Sentenced for Environmental, Worker Safety Crimes
On April 24, Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. of Phillipsburg, N.J., was sentenced to pay a fine of $8 million for committing numerous environmental and worker safety crimes ...
DuPont, Lucite Agree to Pay $2 Million for Clean Air Violations
DuPont and Lucite International Inc. have agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to settle Clean Air Act violations at a sulfuric acid plant in Belle, W.Va., EPA, the U.S. Justice Department and the state of West Virginia announced....
Company Pays Settlement for not Providing Toxic Chemical Info for First Responders
EPA recently reached a $241,290 settlement with the Angelus Sanitary Can Machinery Corp. of Los Angeles for allegedly failing to submit required toxic chemical reports...
EPA Awards $197 Million to Clean Up Underground Storage Tank Leaks
EPA announced the distribution of $197 million appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to assess and clean up underground storage tank petroleum leaks...
EPA, DOJ and Mining Companies Reach $3 Million Settlement for Lava Cap Mine Cleanup
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California approved a $3 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of EPA, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and settling defendants Newmont Capital Ltd. and Newmont Mining Corp. of Canada Ltd. to resolve liability at the Lava Cap Mine Superfund Site in Nevada County, Calif....
EPA, General Latex Sign Dow Legacy Site Corrective Action Agreement
EPA Region 5 has signed a voluntary agreement with General Latex Chemical Co. to investigate and clean up if necessary a 7-acre vacant property at 1526 Cleveland Ave. in Ashland, Ohio. General Latex is a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., and this location is one of three "legacy sites" in the region where Dow has agreed to investigate and clean up possible contamination. ...
Obama Proposes $10.5 Billion EPA Budget for Increased Environmental Protection
On Feb. 26, the Obama administration proposed a budget of $10.5 billion for the EPA, an increase of $3 billion from 2008 funding levels and the largest in the agency’s 39-year history. This increase will further ensure the protection of public health and the environment for all Americans, EPA said. ...
EPA Ordered to Reconsider 2006 Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter
On Feb. 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered EPA to review and reconsider its 2006 decision on the national ambient air quality standards for particulate matter, a development the American Lung Association called a “critical victory” in the fight for healthy air in the United States....
Crestwood Chemical Firm, Former President and Manager Sentenced for Illegal Dumping
Following a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criminal investigation, James E. Spain, the former president of Crown Chemical Inc. in Crestwood, Ill., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Chicago to pay a criminal fine of $30,000 and spend 12 months in home confinement. Spain plead guilty to illegally dumping chemical wastes into the regional sewer system. He also was ordered to spend 3 years on probation. ...
