9/26/14
Oil Spill
2010 BP oil spill still having an impact on commercial fishing
Houma Courier
By Jordan Gribble
Published: Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 4:06 p.m.
Commercial catches for several varieties of seafood have decreased since
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Louisiana Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries officials said.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20140925/NEWS0101/140929738/-1/opinion?Title=2010-BP-oil-spill-still-having-an-impact-on-commercial-fishing
Regional
Georgia official blasts Obama Administration over new water rules
By Kristina Torres
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens blasted the Obama Administration in a
letter Thursday to state lawmakers, saying proposed new rules about which
bodies of water federal officials oversee under the Clean Water Act "would
drastically and unlawfully expand federal control over Georgia's water
resources."
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-official-blasts-obama-administration-over-/nhTt9/
National
EPA chief says to expect 'changes' in final climate rule
The Hill
There will be "changes" made in the Obama administration's proposal to cut
carbon pollution from existing power plants, according to Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) chief Gina McCarthy.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/218975-epa-chief-says-to-expect-changes-in-final-climate-rule
EPA chief: Climate skeptics 'sad'
The Hill
Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy on Thursday made a
forceful case for action on climate change, arguing moves should be made
not "despite the economy" but "because of it."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/218875-epa-chief-climate-skeptics-hiding-behind-the-economy
Watchdog faults EPA on failed asbestos tests
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) internal watchdog criticized it
for mismanaging tests on methods for demolishing buildings with asbestos.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/218964-watchdog-faults-epa-on-failed-asbestos-tests
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Miller steers the DMR in the right direction
Jamie Miller still hears jokes about the bad old days at the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources. "Everyone likes to make jokes," he says.
"Can I get a boat ride? You're the director. Can you send a cooking team?"
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/09/25/5820503/sun-herald-editorial-miller-steers.html?sp=/99/728/
Press Releases
EPA Proposes Standards to Reduce Mercury Discharges from Dental Offices
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed
standards under the Clean Water Act to help cut discharges of dental
amalgam to the environment. Amalgam is a mixture of mercury and other
metals that dentists use to fill cavities. Mercury is discharged when
dentists remove old fillings or remove excess amalgam when placing a new
filling.
Studies show about half the mercury that enters Publicly Owned Treatment
Works (POTWs) comes from dental offices. Mercury from amalgam can then make
its way into the environment in a number of ways, including through
discharge to water bodies. Contact with some microorganisms can help create
methylmercury, a highly toxic form of mercury that builds up in fish,
shellfish and fish-eating animals. Fish and shellfish are the main sources
of human exposure to methylmercury.
In response, many states and localities have implemented amalgam
discharge-cutting programs requiring amalgam separators and other Best
Management Practices in dentist offices. The American Dental Association
(ADA) also recommends separators and other Best Management Practices for
amalgam.
EPA expects compliance with this proposed rule would cut metal discharge to
POTWs, half of it from mercury, by at least 8.8 tons a year.
"This is a common sense rule that calls for capturing mercury at a
relatively low cost before it is dispersed into the POTW," said Kenneth J.
Kopocis, deputy assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water. "The
rule would strengthen human health protection by requiring removals based
on the use of a technology and practices that approximately 40 percent of
dentists across the country already employ thanks to the ADA and our state
and local partners."
This action also represents one way that the United States is meeting the
goals of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international environmental
agreement that addresses human activities contributing to widespread
mercury pollution, which impacts the American public. EPA's proposed rule
supports a Convention measure to promote the use of best environmental
practices in dental facilities to reduce releases of mercury compounds to
water and land.
The proposed rule would require all affected dentists to control mercury
discharges to POTWs. Specifically, it would require them to cut their
dental amalgam discharges to a level achievable through the use of the best
available technology (amalgam separators); and the use of other Best
Management Practices. The proposed rule would allow dentists to demonstrate
compliance by installing, operating and maintaining amalgam separators. It
would declare dental practices whose existing separators do not remove the
percentage of amalgam in the proposed requirements as meeting the proposed
requirements for the life of the existing separator. Finally, it would
limit dental dischargers' reporting requirements to annual certification
and recordkeeping in lieu of wastewater monitoring.
Finally, EPA is proposing to streamline dental sector oversight
requirements to cut implementation and oversight costs of the proposed rule
to states and localities by $47 million annually.
The agency will accept public comments on the proposal for 60 days
following publication in the Federal Register. A public hearing is also
scheduled for November 10 at 1 p.m. in the William J. Clinton East
Building, Room 1153. The agency expects to finalize the rule in September
2015.
More information:http://water.epa.gov/scitech/wastetech/guide/dental/
