State
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers posts key Lake George documents online for all
to see
Sun Herald
PASCAGOULA -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has posted two major
documentssupporting the Lake George twin-lakes project that proposes to dam
a major tributary of the Pascagoula River.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article38262738.html
Regional
Three Killed in Blast at Natural Gas Plant in Louisiana
WSJ
Three workers were killed in an explosion and fire Thursday at a natural
gas plant in Gibson, La., according to Williams Partners LP, the company
that owns the facility.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/three-killed-in-blast-at-natural-gas-plant-in-louisiana-1444347373
National
Governors, Attorneys General at Odds Over Obama Policies
States where governor and top lawyer are from different parties speak with
conflicting voices on White House policies
WSJ
Colorado's Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper wants to help implement the
Obama administration's new environmental rules, but he has been relegated
to a spectator role as his state's attorney general joins three lawsuits to
invalidate them.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/governors-attorneys-general-at-odds-over-obama-policies-1444341403
Johns Hopkins study links fracking and premature births
McClatchy
WASHINGTON
New research from Johns Hopkins University suggests pregnant women living
near fracking wells in Pennsylvania are more likely to give birth
prematurely or have high risk pregnancies.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article38236335.html
EPA pushes for 'smart thermostats' as way to limit pollution
AP
The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made an impassioned
push Thursday for homeowners to adopt Wi-Fi-enabled "smart thermostats" as
a way to limit carbon pollution and improve public health.
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/business/article38198067.html
New regs for Friday: Air pollution, robocalls, refrigerators
The Hill
Refrigerators: The Department of Energy will meet to discuss efficiency
standards for refrigerators.
The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
has established a refrigeration working group that reviews efficiency
standards. The group is scheduled to hold a teleconference on Oct. 13.
Air pollution: The Environmental Protection Agency is delaying new air
pollution regulations.
The EPA proposed new test methods and performance specifications for air
emission sources last month but is extending the comment period to give the
public more time to discuss the changes.
The public will have until Dec. 9 to comment.
http://thehill.com/regulation/256339-new-regs-for-friday-air-pollution-robocalls-refrigerators
Press Releases
EPA recognizes WaterSense® 2015 Partners of the Year
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
recognized the 2015 WaterSense award winners for creating, rebating,
communicating and educating consumers about WaterSense-labeled products,
homes and programs. These 17 winners and more than 1,700 other WaterSense
partners have helped Americans save 1.1 trillion gallons of water and $21.7
billion in water and energy bills since 2006.
WaterSense announced the 2015 Sustained Excellence Award winners, Partners
of the Year, and Excellence Award winners today at the WaterSmart
Innovations Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"EPA is proud to honor these WaterSense partners for making a difference
every day in communities across the country," said Ellen Gilinsky, EPA
Office of Water Senior Policy Advisor. "With pervasive droughts on the West
Coast and Puerto Rico and water shortages expected in many other parts of
the country, these leaders show how water efficiency can make the country
more resilient to the effects of our changing climate."
EPA's WaterSense program protects the future of our nation's water supply
by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient
products, new homes and services. In helping preserve water resources, the
important work of the WaterSense program supports the goals of EPA's Clean
Water Rule. Also, because saving water also saves energy, the program
supports EPA's Clean Power Plan, which will help communities save energy
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
2015 Sustained Excellence Award Winners:
Kohler Co. received the WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for the third
consecutive year for its efficiency efforts in drought-affected areas.
These efforts included partnering with The Home Depot in California to
offer special promotions on WaterSense labeled products, as well as
supporting the Johnson Foundation's Charting New Waters Initiative to
protect water resources across the country. Kohler also promoted WaterSense
labeled products at nearly 200 events in 2014 with its "Trust the Flush"
bus tour.
Delta Faucet Company earned its first WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award
for promoting water efficiency and WaterSense labeled products. Delta
collaborated with global hotel chains on studies targeting water efficiency
improvements in hotels; worked with major retail chains to develop
strategic plans for marketing WaterSense labeled products; and created
internationally recognized WaterSense labeled faucets and a smart toilet.
The Home Depot, a three-time Retailer Partner of the Year, received its
first Sustained Excellence Award for the significant WaterSense awareness
it generated through in-store promotions, information on its own website,
and online advertising campaigns, resulting in 518 billion media
impressions. For Fix a Leak Week 2014, The Home Depot led a national water
efficiency campaign and gave away household kits with WaterSense labeled
products.
KB Home was recognized with a WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for its
continued work building WaterSense labeled homes, for which it previously
earned Builder Partner of the Year for four years. In addition to building
nearly 100 WaterSense labeled homes in 2014, KB Home also constructed model
homes in California featuring innovative water-efficient products, along
with graywater recycling systems that provide water for toilet-flushing or
landscape irrigation.
2015 Partners of the Year:
Promotional Partner of the Year: The City of Charlottesville (Virginia)
promoted WaterSense labeled products through a variety of outlets in 2014,
including its annual Fix a Leak Week Family 5K race, the Virginia Discovery
Museum's Kid*Vention event, Charlottesville's Local Energy Alliance
Program, and a new "Blue Team" of high school students who distributed
water conservation kits door-to-door.
Promotional Partner of the Year: Cobb County (Georgia) Water System's
promotion of every major WaterSense outreach campaign—including the H2Otel
Challenge, Shower Better Month, Sprinkler Spruce-Up, and Fix a Leak
Week—resulted in its fourth WaterSense Promotional Partner of the Year
award. For example, during Shower Better Month in 2014, the utility gave
3,600 WaterSense labeled showerheads to retrofit all of the dormitory
restrooms at Kennesaw State University.
Promotional Partner of the Year: Murray City (Utah) Corporation's Tap Into
Murray Quality campaign featured traditional media, along with a traveling
event booth, to promote WaterSense labeled products and water-efficient
practices to community members. The city also marketed its WaterSense
labeled toilet rebate program with the help of local plumbers and plumbing
suppliers.
Promotional Partner of the Year: Texas A&M Agrilife Research and Extension
Center at Dallas used a Mobile WaterSense Home and dual-flush toilet and
irrigation controller demonstrations to educate consumers about WaterSense
labeled products at regional events. The Center's successful Find It, Flag
It, Fix It campaign helped homeowners identify irrigation system leaks for
Fix a Leak Week 2014.
Manufacturer Partner of the Year: The Toro Company focused on educating
contractors and end users about properly installing and programming its
WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers through partnerships with water
agencies and the Irrigation Association's regional chapters and
distributors.
Licensed Certification Provider Partner of the Year: Energy Inspectors
Corporation certified 100 WaterSense labeled new homes in 2014 and
continued working with KB Home to build even more communities of WaterSense
labeled homes. The company also kept its inspectors' knowledge current
through creation of an online training video on the WaterSense indoor and
outdoor criteria for homes.
Professional Certifying Organization Partner of the Year: The Sonoma-Marin
(California) Saving Water Partnership, which sponsors the Qualified Water
Efficient Landscape (QWEL) professional certification program, accepted
four organizations that adopted the QWEL program and certified 200 new
irrigation professionals in 2014. The partnership also updated and promoted
a graywater training module.
Six Excellence Awards were also given to partners for their efforts in
specific WaterSense program areas:
· Colorado Springs Utilities (Colorado) for Excellence in Strategic
Collaboration
· Denver Water (Colorado) for Excellence in Promoting WaterSense
Labeled Products
· Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services for Excellence in Education and
Outreach
· Municipal Water District of Orange County (California) for Excellence
in Sprinkler Spruce-Up Activities
· Puget Sound Energy (Washington state) for Excellence in Promoting the
Water/Energy Nexus
Learn more about the 2015 Sustained Excellence Award winners, WaterSense
Partners of the Year, and Excellence Award winners at
www.epa.gov/watersense.
EPA Announces Recipients of 2015 Environmental Justice Small Grants
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced nearly $1.2 million in competitive grants selected for award to
40 non-profit and tribal organizations working to address environmental
justice (EJ) issues nationwide. The grants enable these organizations to
conduct research, provide education, and develop solutions to local health
and environmental issues in minority and low-income communities
overburdened by harmful pollution. In addition to the 36 projects receiving
funding from EPA's Office of Environmental Justice, the program is
bolstered this year by the funding of four additional projects in Gulf
Coast communities by the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program.
"EPA's environmental justice grants help communities across the country
understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks
at the local level," said Matthew Tejada, Director of EPA's Office of
Environmental Justice. "Addressing the impacts of climate change is a
priority for EPA and the projects supported by this year's grants will help
communities prepare for and build resilience to localized climate impacts."
EPA's EJ Small Grants have been a foundational piece to the portfolios of
many community organizations that have gone on to make a visible difference
in their communities. The 2015 grants will help organizations in 22 states
and the U.S. Virgin Islands carry out projects that will educate residents
about environmental issues that may impact their health, collect data about
local environmental conditions, and work collaboratively to address
environmental justice issues in their communities. The grants support
activities that not only address a range of community concerns, but also
support activities that are educating and empowering youth and the next
generation of environmental stewards. Specific grant projects will focus on
reducing exposure to air pollutants from diesel exhaust, developing
resilient sustainable agriculture, protecting farm workers from health
impacts of pesticides, and increasing community climate resiliency.
"We're excited to have this critical support to further our EJ work," said
Juan Parras, Director of the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services
(t.e.j.a.s.). "Funding for EJ groups can be hard to come by, and the
support from the EPA will go a long way at the community
level."Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the
environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, EPA's environmental
justice small grants program has supported projects to address
environmental justice issues in nearly 1,500 communities. The grants
represent EPA's continued commitment to expand the conversation on
environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across
the nation.
For 2015 Environmental Justice Small Grant recipients and project
descriptions:
http://www3.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2015.pdf
For more information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program,
including descriptions of previously funded grants:
http://www3.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html
