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 after what EPA called the "longest trial in environmental crimes history." This action follows the sentencing of four former Atlantic States managers to federal prison terms ranging from 6 to 70 months...
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. ...
EPA Inspector General: Risk Management Program Needs Improvement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in need of significant improvements in the implementation of the agency's Risk Management Program, according to a report from the office of the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG)....
OMB Watch Seeks to Restore the Toxics Release Inventory
OMB Watch has created a letter urging Lisa Jackson, the new administrator of EPA, to restore the former reporting requirements for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and is requesting that organizations and concerned citizens sign on to the letter by going to the organization’s Web site at http://www.ombwatch.org....
New Web Site Offers Resources for NRR Changes
As EPA works to better align Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR) with real-world use of hearing protection, a number of proposed changes to testing, labeling and regulations are underway. The new Web site http://www.NRRUpdate.com provides the latest regulatory updates, expert insights and resources for implementing these new regulations into the workplace. ...
EIP, Sierra Club Sue EPA for Failing to Properly Regulate Air Pollution From Nitric Acid Plants
The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit Feb. 4 against EPA for violating its duty to review and update its emission standards for nitric acid plants, which produce chemicals used in the fertilizer and explosives industries....
Coal-Fired Power Plant to Spend $135 Million to Settle Clean Air Violations
Kentucky Utilities (KU), a coal-fired electric utility, has agreed to pay a $1.4 million civil penalty and spend approximately $135 million on pollution controls to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act, the Justice Department and EPA announced....
NRR: Now Really Relevant
For over 30 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has used the noise reduction rating (NRR) to measure the attenuation of hearing protector...
EPA: Flexible Air Permits Enable Increased Pollution Prevention, Economic Competitiveness
EPA is finalizing changes and clarifications to air quality permitting rules to encourage greater use of flexible air permits. According to EPA’s assessment, flexible air permits can provide significant environmental and economic benefits while reducing administrative workload for permitting authorities and facilities....
EPA Revises Air Permit Policy for Aggregating Facility Changes
EPA has issued a final rule under the New Source Review (NSR) program that revises the agency’s policy on aggregation. Under the new rule, a facility should only group together, or aggregate, emissions from multiple related changes into one single project if those activities are substantially related....
EPA, NWF Comment On Obama’s Energy and Environment Team
President-elect Barack Obama earned praise from environmental stakeholders when he recently introduced his energy and environment team: Carol Browner to lead a new council on climate, environment and energy issues; Steven Chu as energy secretary; Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator; and Nancy Sutley as head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality....
New Technology Offers Faster Leak Detection at Industrial Facilities
EPA is issuing a final amendment to the leak detection and repair requirements allowing the use of optical gas imaging technology to locate emission leaks. ...
