The EPA must enforce Obama era pollution limits for the oil and gas industry, a federal court said Monday.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/31/politics/dc-circuit-epa-methane-rule/index.html Press Releases
EPA Adds Superfund Sites to National Priorities List to Clean Up Contamination 07/31/2017
Contact Information:
EPA Press Office (
press@epa.gov)
(Washington) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding seven, and proposing to add, four hazardous waste sites to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL).
Superfund, which Congress established in 1980, investigates and cleans up the nation’s most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites and converts them into community resources.
The Superfund program is a cornerstone of the work the EPA performs for citizens and communities across the country.
The Superfund law directs EPA to update the NPL annually. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term permanent cleanup.
EPA adds sites to the NPL when mismanagement of contamination threatens human health and the environment. EPA typically initiates Superfund involvement at a site because states, tribes or citizens ask for the agency’s help. The agency may also find contamination during its own investigations.
“My goal as Administrator is to restore the Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency’s core mission. Today, we are adding sites to the Superfund National Priorities List to ensure they are cleaned up for the benefit of these communities,” said
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “When we clean up these sites, we make communities healthier places to live and clear the way for development and increased economic activity.”
The following sites are being added to the final NPL:
• The Battery Recycling Company in Bo. Cambalache, Puerto Rico
• Former Custom Cleaners in Memphis, Tennessee
• Highway 18 Ground Water in Kermit, Texas
• Microfab Inc. in Amesbury, Massachusetts
• Old HWY 275 and N. 288th Street in Valley, Nebraska
• Post and Lumber Preserving Co. Inc. in Quincy, Florida
• Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Village of Hoosick Falls, New York
The following sites are being proposed for addition to the NPL:
• Newark South Ground Water Plume in Newark, Delaware
• American Creosote DeRidder in DeRidder, Louisiana
• Mississippi Phosphate Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi
• Eagle Industries in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Superfund addresses both older and newer sites. At least four of the 11 sites EPA is adding or proposing today were in operation within the last two decades. The sites listed today have contamination from a variety of sources, including manufacturing, wood treatment and aircraft maintenance.
Superfund sites can threaten the health of entire communities. Some groups of people, such as children, pregnant women and the elderly, may be at particular risk. Superfund cleans up or isolates contamination, keeping it away from people and the environment.
Superfund cleanups benefit the health of those who live on or near Superfund sites. Academic research has shown these cleanups reduce birth defects close to a site by as much as 25 percent. Similarly, cleanups involving lead-contaminated soil have contributed to documented reductions in children’s blood-lead levels.
When EPA cleans up a site or a portion of a site, the site is available for beneficial uses. More than 850 Superfund sites nationwide have some type of actual or planned reuse underway.
Cleanups also increase tax revenue and create jobs during and after cleanup. EPA reviewed 458 Superfund sites supporting use or reuse activities. The agency found at the end of fiscal year 2016 that these sites had approximately 4,700 businesses with 131,000 employees and annual sales of more than $34 billion.
Today’s NPL update follows the announcement of the Superfund Task Force recommendations to improve the Superfund program.
On July 25, 2017 Administrator Pruitt accepted recommendations from the EPA task force established on May 22, 2017 to revitalize the Superfund program.
The task force’s recommendations focused on five overarching goals: expediting cleanup and remediation, reinvigorating cleanup and reuse efforts by potentially responsible parties, encouraging private investment to facilitate cleanup and reuse, promoting redevelopment and community revitalization and engaging with partners and stakeholders.
Work to prioritize and reinvigorate the program by the task force has begun and will continue.
The Superfund Task Force Recommendations can be viewed at
https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and proposed sites:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites For information about Superfund and the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund Mississippi Phosphates Corporation Site Proposed to National Priorities List 07/31/2017
Contact Information:
James Pinkney (
pinkney.james@epa.gov)
(404) 562-9183
ATLANTA (July 31, 2017) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the former Mississippi Phosphates Corporation (MPC) site in Pascagoula, Miss., to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a list of sites that require further investigation in order to protect human health and the environment.
EPA adds sites to the NPL when mismanagement of contamination threatens human health and the environment. EPA typically initiates Superfund involvement at a site because states, tribes or citizens ask for the agency’s help. The agency may also find contamination during its own investigations.
“My goal as Administrator is to restore the Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency’s core mission. Today, we are adding sites to the Superfund National Priorities List to ensure they are cleaned up for the benefit of these communities,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, “When we clean up these sites, we make communities healthier places to live and clear the way for development and increased economic activity.”
The MPC site is located at 601 Industrial Road in Pascagoula. MPC is a former diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant that began operation in the 1950s. The facility ceased operations in December 2014 leaving more than 700,000,000 gallons of low-pH, contaminated wastewater stored at the facility. More than 9,000,000 additional gallons of contaminated water is generated with every one inch of rainfall.
An Environmental Trust, under the direction of MDEQ, managed wastewater treatment at the Site after MPC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2014. EPA assumed oversight of the MPC site when the Environmental Trust became insolvent on February 10, 2017. Currently, EPA is overseeing wastewater treatment at a rate of approximately 2,000,000 gallons per day and a cost of approximately $1,000,000 per month due to the high volume of wastewater generated that requires treatment.
Since assuming oversight of the MPC site, EPA has evaluated conditions at the site for proposal to the NPL. Proposal of the site to the NPL begins the public comment period. Following review of comments, EPA will make a final determination on this proposed listing. EPA will continue to oversee wastewater treatment operations at the MPC Site until the facility is sold or cleaned up and closed.
When EPA cleans up a site or a portion of a site, the site is available for beneficial uses. More than 850 Superfund sites nationwide have some type of actual or planned reuse underway.
Cleanups increase tax revenue and create jobs during and after cleanup. EPA reviewed 458 Superfund sites supporting use or reuse activities. The Agency found at the end of fiscal year 2016 that these sites had approximately 4,700 businesses with 131,000 employees and annual sales of more than $34 billion.
Community partnerships are critical to Superfund site cleanups. EPA's goal is to work with community partners at every site by establishing an effective process to fully explore future uses before the cleanup remedy’s selection. This approach gives EPA the best chance of ensuring remedies is consistent with a site’s likely future use.
Today’s NPL update follows the announcement of the Superfund Task Force recommendations to improve the Superfund program.
The task force’s recommendations focused on five overarching goals: expediting cleanup and remediation, reinvigorating cleanup and reuse efforts by potentially responsible parties, encouraging private investment to facilitate cleanup and reuse, promoting redevelopment and community revitalization and engaging with partners and stakeholders.
Work to prioritize and reinvigorate the program by the task force has been initiated and will be ongoing into the future.
The Superfund Task Force Recommendations can be viewed at
https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and proposed sites:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites For information about Superfund and the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund EPA Adds Former Custom Cleaners in Memphis, TN to National Priorities List to Clean Up Contamination 07/31/2017
Contact Information:
Jason McDonald (
mcdonald.jason@epa.gov)
404-562-9203, 404-562-8400
ATLANTA (July 31, 2017) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding the Former Custom Cleaners in Memphis, Tennessee along with six other sites to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL). Four additional hazardous waste sites have been proposed for addition to the list.
Superfund, which Congress established in 1980, investigates and cleans up the nation’s most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites and converts them into community resources.
The Superfund program is a cornerstone of the work that the EPA performs for citizens and communities across the country.
The Superfund law directs EPA to update the NPL annually. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term permanent cleanup.
EPA adds sites to the NPL when mismanagement of contamination threatens human health and the environment. EPA typically initiates Superfund involvement at a site because states, tribes or citizens ask for the agency’s help. The agency may also find contamination during its own investigations.
“My goal as Administrator is to restore the Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency’s core mission. Today, we are adding sites to the Superfund National Priorities List to ensure they are cleaned up for the benefit of these communities,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, “When we clean up these sites, we make communities healthier places to live and clear the way for development and increased economic activity.”
“We are pleased for the citizens of Memphis and thankful to the Environmental Protection Agency for adding the former Custom Cleaners site to the National Priorities List,” said Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. “We are looking forward to the permanent environmental remediation of the site as well as the potential economic development opportunities that may result.”
The Former Custom Cleaners Site is a former dry cleaner which operated from about 1950 until the mid-1990s. The Site is a commercially zoned property in a residential and commercial area of east Memphis. Past operations have impacted subsurface soils and groundwater with the solvent perchloroethylene (PCE). While there has been no impact to date, there is potential for the PCE contaminated groundwater to impact the municipal drinking water wells within the Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) Sheahan Well Field, due to the Site’s close proximity.
Superfund addresses both older and newer sites. At least four of the 11 sites EPA is adding or proposing today were in operation within the last two decades. The sites listed today have contamination from a variety of sources, including manufacturing, wood treatment and aircraft maintenance.
Superfund sites can threaten the health of entire communities. Some groups of people, such as children, pregnant women and the elderly, may be at particular risk. Superfund cleans up or isolates contamination, keeping it away from people and the environment.
Superfund cleanups benefit the health of those who live on or near Superfund sites. Academic research has shown these cleanups reduce birth defects close to a site by as much as 25 percent. Similarly, cleanups involving lead-contaminated soil have contributed to documented reductions in children’s blood-lead levels.
When EPA cleans up a site or a portion of a site, the site is available for beneficial uses. More than 850 Superfund sites nationwide have some type of actual or planned reuse underway.
Cleanups also increase tax revenue and create jobs during and after cleanup. EPA reviewed 458 Superfund sites supporting use or reuse activities. The agency found at the end of fiscal year 2016 that these sites had approximately 4,700 businesses with 131,000 employees and annual sales of more than $34 billion.
Today’s NPL update follows the announcement of the Superfund Task Force recommendations to improve the Superfund program.
The task force’s recommendations focused on five overarching goals: expediting cleanup and remediation, reinvigorating cleanup and reuse efforts by potentially responsible parties, encouraging private investment to facilitate cleanup and reuse, promoting redevelopment and community revitalization and engaging with partners and stakeholders.
Work to prioritize and reinvigorate the program by the task force has been initiated and will be ongoing into the future.
The Superfund Task Force Recommendations can be viewed at
https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and proposed sites:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites For information about Superfund and the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund Justice Department and EPA Enter into Settlement with Harcros Chemicals to Improve Its Accident Prevention and Fire Protection Measures 07/31/2017
Contact Information:
(
press@epa.gov)
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that Harcros Chemicals Inc. has entered into a proposed agreement to settle claims that Harcros violated provisions of the Clean Air Act aimed at preventing accidental releases of chemicals that can have serious consequences for public health, safety and the environment. Under the proposed agreement, Harcros will assure that its accident prevention program complies with all applicable requirements.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Kan., Harcros maintains and operates 31 facilities in 19 states that manufacture, blend, repackage, and distribute a wide variety of commercial chemicals, including extremely hazardous substances.
“This important agreement will improve chemical safety and minimize the risk of accidental releases at Harcros’ facilities nationwide,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “It is a priority for EPA to ensure that companies properly manage risks posed by chemicals in a way that protects communities from accidental releases.”
“This resolution ensures that Harcros complies with important Clean Air Act requirements that seek to prevent catastrophic releases of hazardous chemicals to the environment,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Today’s action shows that DOJ and EPA are serious about enforcing compliance with the Clean Air Act and protecting American workers and their communities from risks associated with accidental releases of hazardous substances. We also appreciate the positive cooperation that we received from Harcros during the resolution of this matter.”
Under the proposed settlement, Harcros will audit 28 of its facilities to identify and correct any potential violations of its risk management program and comply with Clean Air Act requirements that facilities adequately assess hazards, undertake measures to prevent accidents, and be prepared to effectively address such accidents when they do occur. Harcros will correct any violations identified in the audits according to a schedule set forth in the agreement. The settlement agreement also requires Harcros to pay a $950,000 penalty.
Also, as part of today’s agreement, Harcros will install foam-based sprinkler systems at eight of its facilities. The enhanced fire suppression system is expected to minimize the impacts of an accident by enhancing the speed and effectiveness of the facilities’ ability to extinguish the flames and prevent spread of chemicals.
The proposed settlement reflects the fact that Harcros Chemicals initially brought these violations to the attention of the EPA. In addition, Harcros cooperated fully with the Justice Department and the EPA during the negotiation of the consent decree.
The proposed consent decree was lodged with the United States District Court for the District of Kansas and will be subject to a 30-day public comment period following its publication in the Federal Register. A copy of the consent decree lodged today is available on the Department of Justice website at:
http://www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
For more information about today’s agreement, visit
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/harcros-chemicals-inc-clean-air-act-settlement.
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