On October 18, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated the government for the District of Columbia has agreed to preserve 250 acres of land located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  The agreement by the DC government puts an end to settlement negotiations after EPA regulations for underground storage tanks were violated at D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services on 8300 Riverton Court in Laurel, Maryland.  

In 2010, the District paid a penalty of $73,489 and removed a total of 14 underground storage tanks and 725 tons of contaminated soil in Anne Arundel County.  The District also agreed to complete a project that would allow for the preserved open space.  

The District submitted a quit claim conservation easement on September 26, 2012 to the Maryland Environmental Trust, the Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Inc., and the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust, Inc.  The purpose of a quit claim conservation easement is to protect and preserve the open space and only allow certain recreational activities like hiking, fishing, kayaking, and similar activities.

The 250 area of land has woodlands, wooded wetlands, open wetlands, and the Little Patuxent River runs through the property.  

The District violated regulations under the EPA when they failed to install equipment that can prevent spills and overfills of the underground storage tanks.  Additionally, the District did not include corrosion protection on the tanks, and 9 of the underground storage tanks were not registered with the Maryland Department of the Environment.  Because of the neglect, a large amount of soil was contaminated.  

The EPA states that underground storage tanks that hold gasoline, oil, and other petroleum products are one of the leading causes of groundwater and soil contamination.  The EPA has regulations in place to avoid spills and protecting the surrounding community.  

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

On November 12, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Suffolk County will begin to collect household Hazardous waste from homes damaged by floods in Suffolk County.  The agencies are allowing people in affected homes to dispose of solvents, paints, household cleaners, propane tanks, oil and petroleum products, batteries (including car batteries), bleach, ammonia, and similar items.  

Residents in Babylon, Patchogue, Mastic Beach, and Riverhead can place the waste on curbs for cleanup, and other residents can take the hazardous material to one of four locations:

•    Venetian Shores Park on 801 Granada Parkway in Lindenhurst, New York
•    Islip Multipurpose Recycling Facility on 1155 Lincoln Avenue in Holbrook, New York
•    Wastewater Treatment Plant on 1 Hammond Street in Patchogue, New York
•    Highway Barn on 1177 Osborn Road in Riverhead, New York

The EPA reports that all debris contaminated with oil or petroleum products should be separated from other hazardous material and placed in an area with good ventilation.  If you store the oil-contaminated material outside, make sure to cover the debris to avoid water and soil contamination.  

Disinfect all material contaminated by flood water as soon as possible.  The EPA states that items can become toxic after exposure to sewage, heating oil, and even garden chemicals.  If something is porous, you should try to dry out the item to prevent mold.  Otherwise, discard the item.  

EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck states, “The EPA is urging people to separate potentially hazardous products from their regular trash and bring them to one of the newly established drop-off locations or place them on the curb in areas with curbside pickup.”

If you notice any oil or chemical spills, you should contact the DEC’s Spills Hotline at 1-800-457-7362 immediately.  

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ON December 1, 2012, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released the recent initiatives of the Millennium Development Goal Achievement Fund (MDG-F) at the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar.  The report describes areas that are currently undergoing massive changes from climate change and steps these areas can take to stop and reverse that climate changes they’ve experienced so far while preparing the community for natural disasters in the future.  

The MDF-F was formed by the Spanish Government in 2006.  Spain gave about $89 million to support the MDG-F, and the funding will end in December 2012.  

The recent case studies examine areas like Afghanistan, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Columbia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Jordan, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, and Turkey.  

Federico Ramos de Armas, Spain’s State Secretary for the Environment, stated: “In order to accomplish and accelerate progress on the MDGs at the country level, the Millennium Development Goal Achievement Fund (MDG-F) was established by Spain with substantial contributions that reflect the importance that our country attaches to sustainable development.  Progress on the Millennium Development Goals can only be sustained by a healthy planet.”  

Some of the case studies published in the recent report are described below.  

Rural indigenous communities in the southern Andean highlands of Peru and their crops have suffered from climate change in recent years.  These areas rely on annual harvests to feed their families.  Because these areas lie in such isolated mountainous regions, the areas rely on radio communication.  UNEP currently released a radio broadcast called “Pachamamanchista Munakusun” (Nurturing Our Land) that increases awareness about climate change and promotes sustainable ways of water harvesting, reforestation with native trees, and the prevention of forest fires.  

Another example includes the urban poor in the southern province of Luzon in the Philippines, Sorsogon.  Many of the urban poor live in areas near esteros, the river and coastal areas most affected by natural disasters in typhoons and flooding.  Some of these areas are entirely swept away during natural disasters.   UNEP worked with local governments and communities to develop hazard planning and develop social infrastructure.  

The MDG-F raises awareness but also works with local government to develop plans for action.  

Federico Ramos de Armas added: “Attaining environmental sustainability is a major challenge of the Millennium Development Goals and is also crucial to ensure sustainable development at a larger scale.”  

Including small communities and less-developed nations in climate change efforts by industrialized counties is a common theme in the current talks at Doha.  

The entire MDF-F is found on UNEP’s website.

Source: United Nations Environment Programme

On November 30, 2012, the EPA approved nutrient pollution standards established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to protect waterways from excess amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus.  The two nutrients are the main source of water quality problems in Florida and can cause huge algal blooms.  

The new rules under FDEP create numerical limits for nutrient pollution in springs, lakes, streams, and certain estuaries.  The EPA examined the state’s adopted rules and found they are equal to the Clean Water Act and other federal regulations.  

The EPA found that the FDEP’s numerical limit method was technically and scientifically effective and even more effective that the state’s former methods.  The numerical limits adopted by the state for nitrogen and phosphorus are equal to limits in EPA’s 2010 rules.  FDEP has also adopted biological and chemical measuring methods that can identify and prevent nutrient pollution downstream.  The biological and chemical information will help the state determine if an area is in need of restoration.  

EPA Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming stated: “Nutrient pollution threatens human health and the environment, hurts businesses, costs jobs, reduces property values and otherwise impacts the quality of life for all Floridians.  Clean water is vital for Florida and EPA commends FDEP for taking this significant step towards protecting and restoring water quality across the state.”  

The Clean Water Act gives states the responsibility to protect their water quality.  Yet, the EPA will still continue to impose two federal nutrient rules because of the 2009 consent decree between the EPA and the Florida Wildlife Federation.  The FDEP’s rules do not cover some parts of the state, so the EPA will impose federal nutrient levels in these areas as well.  

One of the rules enforced by the EPA regulates the amount of nutrient levels in estuaries, coastal waters, and streams in South Florida.  The second federal rule enforces limits in inland waters.  

The EPA is open to public comment on the new rules during sessions in Tampa from January 17 to January 18, 2013.  Public commenting is also available on the internet from January 22 to January 24.  The EPA is required to officially approve FDEP’s rules by August 31, 2013.  Coastal rules need approved by September 30, 2013.

Florida has just recently adopted rules for estuaries in state’s panhandle, and the EPA believes FDEP will submit new rules for these uncovered areas that meet standards under the Clean Water Act.  

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

According to documents filed in Minnesota courts last week, a renewable energy company in Minnesota told farmers that wind turbines would pay for themselves in a few months or years through a combination of grants and energy credits.  However, farmers who purchased the systems at a minimum price of $119,000 quickly found out that their money was difficult to come by—because Renewable Energy SD failed to actually provide the systems farmers had bought.

While in some cases the Minnesota Attorney General's office says that Renewable Energy SD provided no wind turbine whatsoever to the farmers who had bought them in the hopes of generating energy and making some money on the side with their farmland, in other cases they didn't help farmers to achieve the revenue projections they claimed were realistic when erecting a wind turbine.

The Minnesota AG filed for an emergency restraining order against Renewable Energy SD, saying that they should no longer be allowed to sell their wind turbine systems until complaints alleging that their systems were improperly maintained and installed are investigated.

Renewable Energy SD, which has a D- rating on the Better Business Bureau website after repeated complaints against the company, is accused of having scammed up to 150 customers who had purchased the six-figure wind turbine systems.

The state of Minnesota, particularly in its western half, is considered especially fertile territory for wind energy generation.  Renewable Energy SD told farmers and others that putting a wind turbine on their property would generate relatively fast returns.  According to documents obtained by the Attorney General's office, farmers were told that 30 percent of the cost of the windmills would be borne by tax credits, while the remaining 70 percent could be gotten by generating energy and selling it back to the energy companies for $700 to $1300 every month.  However, without fully functioning wind turbines, farmers say they were unable to realize anything close to the rate of return that they had been promised by Renewable Energy SD.

Four different individual farmers had filed individual lawsuits against Renewable Energy SD before the complaint was picked up by the Minnesota Attorney General.  According to the AG, Renewable Energy SD has also failed to renew its certificate of authority, meaning that any business it has transacted since August of 2012 has been without correct authorization from the state of Minnesota.

Source: mncourts.gov

President Obama nominated new heads for the EPA and the Department of Energy on Monday, triggering flurries of speculation about what the White House's energy and environmental policy will look like over the next four years.

With Obama's second term beginning, new appointments have had to be made for a wide range of cabinet level and lower positions.  Steven Chu, the former head of the Department of Energy, is heading back to California, while physicist Ernie Moniz was chosen as his replacement.

Moniz worked previously as Under Secretary of Energy during Bill Clinton's second term.  An MIT professor, Moniz spearheaded the Energy Initiative at the institute to create ideas to contribute to America's energy independence.

Gina McCarthy, an administrator at the EPA, was named to be its head.  The McCarthy pick may turn out to be controversial.  While McCarthy has gained a reputation as a pragmatic, straight shooting leader that earned her accolades from President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency has come under fire from Republicans in recent days and weeks for an alleged lack of transparency.

Previous EPA chiefs have been accused of violating federal transparency rules, including sending and receiving emails at non-federal addresses to avoid having their emails read.  The agency has also been accused of dragging its feet on Freedom of Information Act requests made by conservative groups hostile to the EPA, while allowing liberal groups prompt access when making similar requests.

The Senate has been reluctant to agree to a number of nominations from President Obama, and not just in his second term.  The position of Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has been vacant for longer than six years because Senate Republicans have so far filibustered any attempts made at a nomination.

Republicans have had longstanding objections to the Environmental Protection Agency, begun under Republican Richard Nixon to ensure that the federal government had the power to keep the nation's air, soil, and water clean.  According to many Republicans in the House and Senate, the EPA's focus on cleaner and alternative energy sources has lacked a balance with fossil fuel energy sources.  

Republicans from coal and oil states may try to block McCarthy's nomination in spite of her moderate stances, just to send a political message to the White House that indicates they are not happy with the way the agency has been handling its duties.

Sources: whitehouse.gov, congress.gov, senate.gov