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Cleanup Decision for Woonasquatucket River in RI

Cleanup Decision for Woonasquatucket River in RI

 

On October 10, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it has selected a cleanup plan for contaminated soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater for the Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund site in North Providence. 
 
The EPA reports that Dioxins and Polychlorinated Biphenyals (PCBs) are the main contaminants at the site.  However, the EPA reports the following contaminants as well: furans, metals, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and multiple pesticides.  
 
The cleanup plan includes the following: 
 
• the removal and treatment of off-site buried waste and a RCRA Subtitle C cap over the source area for the contamination
• the excavation of contaminated sediment from the Woonasquatucket river and floodplain soil up to the Allendale and Lyman Mill reaches
• the placement of a soil cover over contamination in Oxbow in order to encourage natural recovery and preserve the habitat
• the enforcement of controls to monitor the cleanup plan and maintain the projects
 
In addition to the cleanup plans above, the EPA will also start a mediation process with numerous parties who are responsible for the contamination.  The cleanup plan is estimated to cost $104 million.  
 
The EPA reports that they will start to contact property owners along the Allendale and Lyman Mill Ponds in North Providence in the next couple of months.  The EPA will tell property owners how they can protect themselves and limit their exposure to the contaminated soil.
 
Property owners are not the only people at risk of exposure.  The EPA states that recreational visitors like anglers and construction workers may be exposed to the contamination.  A large amount of wildlife is also at risk of exposure.  
 
The cleanup plan will address which parts of the Woonasquatucket River are not safe for recreational use, prevent more contaminants from entering the river, protect wildlife, and reduce water contamination to federal drinking water standards.  
 
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

$1.2 Million Issued to Improve Indoor Air Quality

$1.2 Million Issued to Improve Indoor Air Quality

 

On October 10, 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was awarding $1.2 million to 32 different state and local governments, non-profit organizations, and tribes.  The EPA is certain the support to the governments and organizations will lead to better air quality in classrooms, communities, and even private homes.  
 
A large amount of the funding is going to education and training opportunities that address the risks of indoor contaminants like radon and other particles that can cause asthma.  The projects are geared to children, families, and governments.  For example, some of the funds will allow speakers to educate parents about asthma triggers, and other funds will help school districts create and implement management plans for air quality.  
 
Some of the projects are directed toward low income families as well because these families are usually the most affected by bad air quality indoors.  
 
Gina McCarthy, the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, stated, “EPA is proud to be working with our awardees across the nation to improve the air we breathe at school, work and home.  American communities face serious health and environmental challenges from air pollution.  This effort gives us an opportunity to improve indoor air quality by increasing awareness of environmental health risks.”  
 
The EPA reports that air pollutants in buildings can cause symptoms like a burning nose and throat, sore eyes, headaches, and even fatigue.  Serious complications can even occur such as respiratory illness and, in some cases, cancer.  
 
The projects will mainly address air quality awareness and reduce contaminants in the following ways: 
 
• increasing air quality controls in all levels of the community
• encouraging air management practices in schools
• increasing the testing of homes for radon and increasing the number of homes built with resistant features for radon
• increasing awareness of asthma triggers 
 
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

$30 Million Awarded for Clean Diesel Projects

$30 Million Awarded for Clean Diesel Projects

 

On October 11, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was awarding $30 million to go to clean diesel projects.  The funds are part of a continuing campaign that is trying to reduce the amount of harmful diesel exhaust—which is a main factor in asthma attacks, respiratory disease, and even premature deaths.  
 
The ongoing campaign is called the Diesel Emission Reduction Program, or DERA.  The program aims to “replace, retrofit or repower older diesel-powered engines like marine vessels, locomotives, trucks and busses.”  
 
The EPA admits that diesel-powered engines last a long time, are fuel-efficient and stand as a major component in transportation and manufacturing for the United States’ economy.  Yet, unlike newer diesel engines, older diesel engines are taking a toll on the environment and human health.  The EPA states that older diesel engines can release harmful air pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM).  These air pollutants are direct causes of serious health problems like asthma, lung disease, heart disease, and premature death.  
 
The project’s funds are centering on the 11 million older diesel engines that are still in operation and continue to emit large amounts of pollution.  The winners of this year’s awards initially submitted proposals for increasing health and the environment in specific areas with current air quality problems.  By targeting these areas, the recipients of the awards and the EPA hope that these communities will have cleaner air and higher levels of health.  
 
This is the first year that the EPA is targeting large engines like those used for marine vessels and locomotives.  The EPA is capable of addressing these larger engines because of increased funding. 
 
The DERA project was started in 2005 and it was first funded by the EPA in 2008.  Since then, the EPA has awarded more than 500 grants across the nation.  
 
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Toxic Contamination Agreement in NY

Toxic Contamination Agreement in NY

On September 19, 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced a signed agreement that requires the General Electric Company to manage the maintenance and possible replacement of treatment equipment on wells in the Cayuga County Groundwater Contamination Superfund site in New York. 

According to Judith A. Enck, the EPA Regional Administrator, “This agreement allows EPA to continue the important work of address toxic contamination at this site without having tax payers foot the bill.”

The drinking water was initially contaminated when volatile organic compounds ran off into ground water from a facility in Auburn, New York.  A company called Powerex, Inc. and GE both manufactured semiconductors at the facility on Genessee Street.  The EPA detected contamination on 55 properties in 2000 and proceeded to install treatment systems on the wells.  Since then, the EPA only maintained a total of four treatment systems because the other properties had been connected to public water supplies. 

Even though the EPA has handed over maintenance responsibilities to GE, the EPA is still working on a long-term cleanup strategy.

A proposed cleanup strategy reported on August 2, 2012 involves dividing the contaminated area into three different sections.  The first section is directly south of the formerly used facility, and the EPA will use a term called bioremediation.  The process introduces chemicals and “biological enhancements” to breakdown the volatile organic compounds.

The EPA will rely on natural processes for the other two sections.  The EPA believes the right conditions exist underground in the two sections that can work to eliminate the compounds quickly.  Routine collection and analysis of the ground water will continue. 

The contaminated site was added to the Superfund list in 2002.  Since its creation by Congress in 1980, the Superfund investigates and cleans up the most hazardous sites in the United States.    The only time taxpayers feel the impacts of the Superfund is when those responsible for the pollution cannot be located or provide financially incapable of such cleanup efforts. 

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Competitive Selection for Sustainable Growth Assistance

Competitive Selection for Sustainable Growth Assistance

On September 19, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency called for communities to apply for sustainable growth assistance in their area.  In order to qualify for the assistance, the communities must show how they increased economic opportunity while protecting the health and environment in the past.

If the community is selected, the EPA will offer assistance through the Building Block for Sustainable Communities program.  This specific program offers tools with applications in rural, suburban, and urban areas.  Some of the available tools and strategies include:

·         strong growth and economic development to receive better results from public and private investments

·         “green street strategies” to manage storm water

·         land strategies for water quality protection

·         parking audits for parking in current and planned areas of land

·         community design for elderly populations to help residents live at home longer

·         “bikeshare system planning” to develop new commuting ideas

·         green building toolkits

·         small city and rural development to promote “community characteristics”

Application must be submitted to the EPA between September 26 and October 26.  The EPA is hosting a webinar about the program and application process on September 21 between 1:00 and 2:30 Eastern time.

The EPA is selecting a total amount of 44 communities in the current round of assistance.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation will make selections, and the EPA states the collaboration will manage “federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently.”

If a community is selected, the EPA will send experts to the community for a two-day workshop that explains policies and practices.  The community can also learn about smart growth development during the workshops.

The Building Blocks program began in 2010 and the EPA has received requests from over 600 communities in the last two years.  The EPA has provided assistance to 140 communities in just two years.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

MS Operator Falsified Industrial Wastewater Records

MS Operator Falsified Industrial Wastewater Records


On November 9, 2012, the Department of Justice announced that the owner and operator of an environmental laboratory in Mississippi was charged for falsifying records about industrial wastewater and then obstructing an investigation by federal authorities.  The defendant, Teenie White, was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.  


White is the owner and operator of Mississippi Environmental Analytical Laboratories, Inc.  She faces three charges.  Two of the charges are for making false statements and the third charge is for obstructing justice.  


The indictment states that White was hired by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to test waste water sample at various industrial manufacturers throughout the state.  White was required to compile month reports of discharge from the manufacturers and submit the results to the MDEQ.  


The indictment indicates that White falsely created three different discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) for testing that was never done in the first place.  She also created a false laboratory report and presented it to a client in order to prepare another DMR.  The false reporting occurred from February to August of 2009.  White lied to authorities she was approached by a federal agent who was investigating the information in the reports.  


White is subject to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of false statements.  She faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for obstruction.  She is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  


The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Richard J. Powers with the Environmental Crimes Section under the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Gaine Cleveland with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.  


Source: U.S. Department of Justice

China is the Top Buyer and Exporter of Illegal Timber

China is the Top Buyer and Exporter of Illegal Timber

 

On November 29, 2012, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) released a new report, titled Appetite for Destruction: China’s Trade in Illegal Timber.  The report reveals China is the largest importer, exporter, and consumer of illegal timber in the world, all the while emphasizing how policies in China (and the world’s largest importers from China) add to deforestation in Southeast Asia. 

The EIA estimates, conservatively, that China imported 18.5 million cubic meters of illegal timber in 2011 alone.  Such estimates are worth $3.7 billion. 

The largest timber consumers in the world—the United States, the European Union, and Australia—have passed legislation in the last decade to help protect shrinking forests and particularly rainforests.  The largest producing countries like Indonesia have also increased enforcement efforts to deter illegal logging. 

Still, China proceeds to import and export a massive amount of illegal timber. 

Faith Doherty, head of the EIA’s Forests Campaign, paints a clear picture of China’s illegal timber campaign: “China is now effectively exporting deforestation around the world.” 

The true extent of China’s illegal timber campaign has been investigated by EIA field investigators since 2004 in places like China itself, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Far East Russia, and Vietnam. 

Doherty stresses that further legislation and enforcement need to immediately target illegal timber trading in East Asia before it’s too late.  She states, “Any further meaningful progress to safeguard the forests of the world is being undermined unless the Chinese Government acts swiftly and decisively to significantly strengthen its enforcement and ensure that illegal timber is barred from its markets.” 

The report goes as far to say “China’s Government has done virtually nothing to curb illegal imports” while ensuring current policies create a steady supply from illegal logging areas. 

Currently, the US Lacey Act and the EU Timber Regulation target illegal wood products from China, but the EIA states that such regulations need increasingly enforced. 

The EIA’s report states China needs to take the following legislative and industrial steps:

·  create clear prohibitions against imports on illegal logs

·  let the Commerce and Foreign Ministries and the State Forest Administration (SFA) help stop illegal logging

·  know the specific laws on timber production and trade from all other countries

·  help protect threatened tree species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

·  work with Chinese companies overseas to make revised policies mandatory

·  mandate laws that criminalize Chinese companies that bribe foreign officials

·  stop the influence of state-owned enterprises that export illegal timber to China

Source: Environmental Investigation Agency

Lesser Prairie Chicken Listed as Threatened, Habitat Exchanges to Occur

Lesser Prairie Chicken Listed as Threatened, Habitat Exchanges to Occur

 

On November 30, 2012, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the prairie chicken is now considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service will likely cause state and federal wildlife agencies to issues stricter permits and operations of energy developers and ranchers in the bird’s habitat. 

The bird is mainly found in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado—states that all have large farming and ranching industries as well as large amounts of oil, gas, and wind energy development. 

David Festa, the Vice President of the Land, Water and Wildlife program for the EDF, states: “In the past, these kinds of ESA listing decisions have led to years of litigation and conflict.  Now, with the lesser prairie chicken, we’re working with land users to set up Wildlife Habitat Exchanges that provide cooperative, cost-effective habitat conservation.”  

After the listing of the lesser prairie chicken under the ESA, the EDF is going to work with landowners, developers, and companies that will help protect the chicken’s habitat at the lowest cost possible while letting industry continue in the areas without debate and litigation.  The Wildlife Habitat Exchanges will recruit private landowners—such as farmers and ranchers—to maintain the habitat of the chicken, and the land can then be leased to energy companies and other developers so the companies can meet obligations under the ESA to protect wildlife. 

Steve Swaffar with the Kansas Farm Bureau states: “Habitat Exchanges are a smart solution for threatened species such as the lesser prairie chicken.  Exchanges deliver quantifiable measures of habitat and resources, at the same time giving private landowners an opportunity to derive income by providing for the specific needs of the species, and continue to use their property for agriculture production.” 

The EDF reports that about 90 percent of the bird’s habitat is on private land.  Other states have used Habitat Exchanges in the past and the initiatives have proven extremely successful.  For example, Texas used Habitat Exchanges to protect the golden checked warbler and increase the bird’s numbers. 

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing was only an initial decision, and it has a year to make the final listing decision. 

David Festa remained optimistic about Wildlife Habitat Exchanges: “EDF supports Wildlife Habitat Exchanges as a proven model that could change the trajectory of the lesser prairie chicken.  It can bring the species back from the brink and put it on a path toward recovery before the final listing decision is made.” 

Source: Environmental Defense Fund

Rhinos May Become Extinct in 10 Years

Rhinos May Become Extinct in 10 Years

 

Despite tighter international controls on ivory, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns that African Rhinos may become extinct in 10 years if immediate action is not taken by the international community.  The WWF reports that 588 rhinos and tens of thousands of elephants were killed in 2012. 

There are several reasons for the increased amount of rhino poaching: the demand for rhino horn in Asia continues to increase, and local citizens in Africa can earn a substantial amount of money from just several poaches. 

Dr Joseph Okori, the WWF’s African Rhino Programme leader, states: “Villagers are at the bottom of the chain and can earn several months income through two or three days of poaching.  Huge amounts of money is in circulation.” 

The most demand for illegal ivory is in Asia, and particularly Viet Nam.  Large amounts of illegal ivory reach markets in China and Thailand as well.  There is a market expanding on rhinoceros horns as well.  For example, appliances capable of grinding up rhinoceros horns sell for about $450 in Vietnam. 

Laws and regulations against ivory trade already exist at the federal level and state level in the United States.  For example, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the African Elephant Conservation Act of 1989 specifically outlaw the trading of ivory, and state laws vary between jurisdictions.  The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITIES) also banned the illegal trading of ivory. 

Still, the WWF states that more regulations and stricter penalties need instituted and consuming nations need to decrease their demand for illegal ivory immediately to save the African Rhino. 

Namibia is an example of increasing protection for the African Rhino.  The country’s government works with local populations and developed a management plan to protect the rhinos.  The country has the lowest rate of poaching in all of Africa.  Similar management plans are reaching Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia as well. 

The WWF has also developed a DNA registry for a total of 5,600 rhinos.  The DNA information can help African governments track down and try poachers in court. 

Hakan Wirtén, the Secretary General of WWF Sweden, called out to the international community to help save the African Rhino: “We welcome the fact that the Swedish government has provided increased support for stricter border control, as well as other measures to combat smuggling and poaching.  Both governments and tourists need to take more responsibility.  People should absolutely not buy souvenirs from endangered species or carved ivory souvenirs while on holiday.” 

Source: World Wildlife Fund

 

 

Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit Filed Against TVA

Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit Filed Against TVA

 

On November 28, 2012, the Sierra Club announced it was filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  The lawsuit states that the TVA failed to operate with transparency while it was taking public comments about a $1 billion project to continue the Gallatin coal plant. 

The TVA announced that it would stop taking public comments after November 30, but the Sierra Club claims that it failed to provide the public about environmental safety information in connection with its plan on the Gallatin coal plant.  The plans include the construction 150-foot ash landfills in wetlands near Old Hickory Lake. 

The Sierra Club admits that the lawsuit is a last-ditch effort to stop reconstruction plans on the aging coal plant.  In addition to the lawsuit, the Sierra Club has purchased online advertisement rights on three local newspaper websites and asked TVA to invest in clean energy solutions instead of focusing on again coal plants. 

Louise Gorenflo, the lead volunteer with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign in Tennessee, stated: “TVA wants to spend more than one billion dollars to keep an aging, obsolete coal plant running.  To add insult to injury, TVA officials are trying to limit public comment so they can plow forward with their expensive and dangerous plan.  We’re taking these steps now to ensure that TVA can’t make billion-dollar decisions without public input.” 

The Sierra Club states that TVA has discouraged public comment since the beginning.  Officials with TVA only allowed 30 days of public comments, but public concern allowed for an extension of 14 days.  TVA is still withholding information that the Sierra Club asserts is public information. 

The Sierra Club partnered with an analysis firm called Synapse Energy Economics in August 2012 to show that the older coal plants operated by TVA were uneconomical to operate.  TVA decided to spend one billion dollars on making the coal plant meet current Clean Air standards, but the Sierra Club claims the renovations will affect ratepayers for decades.  To back up their claim, the Sierra Club has proved that an energy efficiency savings program can reduce enough energy consumption to shut down the Gallatin coal plant for good. 

An analysis by TVA also proved energy savings of 1.2 percent could phase out the Gallatin plant, but TVA still insists on updating the coal-fired plant. 

Vanessa Pierce, the Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in the Eastern Region, states: “TVA has an obligation to its ratepayers and the people who live in the Tennessee Valley.  Rate hike after rate hike – with no real investment in the clean energy future – is no longer acceptable.  TVA has the opportunity to phase out an obsolete and polluting coal plant in favor of energy efficiency.  The right choice is clear.” 

Source: Sierra Club

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