State
Forrest County hosts non-hazardous waste clean up day
WDAM
FORREST COUNTY, MS (WDAM) -Forrest County residents had the chance Saturday to get rid of some old, non-hazardous household waste, free of charge.
The county partnered with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to host a county-wide Clean-Up Day at eight locations.
Supes get update on Health Dept. sewage issues
Daily Times Leader
WEST POINT, MS
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott gave the Clay County Board of Supervisors an update on repairs to an ongoing sewage issue at the Clay County Health Department on Division Street.
ERDC researchers developing new water treatment system
Vicksburg Post
Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center are working to change the world.
Gardens, field hollers, military, climate change: Campus briefs
Clarion Ledger
Global climate change's impact on business focus of forum
Millsaps College is the forum for a one-day gathering focusing on climate change and how it impacts the way international business is managed in Mississippi.
Rain garden garners national recognition
Landscape architecture and graphic design students at Mississippi State University worked side by side to build a sustainable water management demonstration garden.
Maritime Heritage Hall of Fame inductees honored
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -Hundreds gathered at the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum in Biloxi to honor the best in the seafood industry.
State Government
Lottery committee plans final meeting
Daily Journal
JACKSON – What is expected to be the final meeting of House Speaker Philip Gunn’s lottery study committee is scheduled for Nov. 16 at the Mississippi Capitol.
Oil Spill
Hayward walks back 'toxic' Bruce Beach claim on downtown Pensacola hatchery project
PNJ
Regional
How a 672,000-Gallon Oil Spill Was Nearly Invisible
NY Times
Mention oil spills, and images of birds coated in black slime and a shiny slick on the ocean’s surface come to mind.
State regulators to review Frayser landfill expansion
Commercial Appeal
From the edge of a gaping waste site in Frayser, Gene Bryan points to heaps of construction and demolition debris, yard waste, dirt and other rubbish and then proceeds to recite how it all got there.
Arkansas cities propose rules to regulate 'pollution credit' trade between between companies
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A group of four Northwest Arkansas cities has proposed the first regulation for the state's nutrient trading program -- a mechanism for groups to reduce water pollution through the trading of pollution credits.
National
New EPA Settlements Policy Has Lawyers Bracing for Long Disputes
Scott Pruitt adds requirement of industry and state participation in negotiations, avoid agency payment of legal fees
WSJ
Lawyers are digging in for longer and more expensive fights with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Pruitt: Obama regulations were 'war' on business
The Hill
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt says former President Obama declared "war" on coal and other industries with his administration's environmental regulations and by signing off on the Paris Climate Accord.
Court halts EPA rule regulating big trucks’ trailers
The Hill
A federal appeals court Friday halted implementation of a portion of an Obama administration regulation that set emissions-reduction standards for trucks’ trailers.
Five oversight issues EPA says may have fueled the Flint water crisis
MLIve
FLINT, MI -- The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality missed or ignored several opportunities to identify growing problems within the Flint water system during the city's water crisis, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new audit says.
Origin of oil spill in Chicago River remains mystery
WGN
CHICAGO -- The EPA continues to investigate the cause of an oil spill on the South Branch of the Chicago River.
Opinion
The next time you enjoy Mississippi seafood, celebrate the people who brought it to you
BY RYAN BRADLEY AND ERIC BRAZER
Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United
Sun Herald
October is National Seafood Month, and there’s no better place to celebrate seafood than right here in the Magnolia State.
How to Kill American Solar
A crucial decision comes this week on tariffs that would raise solar costs.
WSJ
The solar power industry doesn’t like our opposition to solar power subsidies, but these days we’re on its side. We’re among the few opposing tariffs on foreign solar panels that could severely damage American solar power.
Press Releases
EPA Enforcement Actions Help Protect Vulnerable Communities Across the Country from Lead-Based Paint Health Hazards
10/27/2017
Contact Information:
WASHINGTON (October 27, 2017) - As part of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced 127 federal enforcement actions completed over the last year to ensure entities like renovation contractors, landlords and property managers are in compliance with regulations that require them to protect communities and the public from exposures to lead. Renovation activities can result in lead exposures when lead based paint is disturbed and renovation debris and dust are not properly contained.
The federal Toxic Substances Control Act, the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act and EPA rules apply to housing built before 1978 and child-occupied facilities, and require that lead safe renovation work practices are followed, among other requirements. By ensuring compliance with these rules, EPA can identify and address a major source of lead exposure that occurs in communities across the nation. Young children are most susceptible to the effects of lead, which can include behavioral or learning issues, slowed growth and, in rare cases, seizures and death. A blood lead test is the only way to determine if a child has a high lead level. Parents who think their child has been in contact with lead dust should contact their child's health care provider.
“EPA’s work to enforce federal lead paint laws helps protect communities across the country and ensures those who break the law are held accountable for their illegal actions,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “These cases are also helping maintain a level playing field for companies that follow the rules and building compliance with the law in order to prevent future violations.”
From October 2016 through September 2017, EPA finalized 121 civil settlements for alleged violations of one or more of the three lead-based paint rules--the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule; the Lead Disclosure Rule; and the Lead-based Paint Activities Rule for abatements--and filed three complaints for ongoing actions. EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) also prosecuted one criminal case involving violations of lead paint laws and finalized two Clean Air Act settlements that included lead paint abatement projects in local communities.
In seven settlements this year, the alleged violator agreed to fund a community-based lead paint abatement project, like window replacements, to eliminate risks. Collectively, the projects are valued at $2,406,734.
The settlements require the alleged violator to come into compliance with the law and, in most cases, to pay a civil penalty. Collectively, the settlements require alleged violators to pay $1,046,891 in penalties. In setting the appropriate penalty amount, the Agency considered the violator’s ability to pay, ability to continue to do business, and other violator-specific factors. In several settlements, EPA reduced the penalty further under pilot penalty programs for very small lead-based paint businesses.
Several cases resulted from referrals by state and local authorities or tips from consumers and other companies.
EPA’s cases this year addressed alleged violations of lead paint rules in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Case highlights include:
· In a criminal prosecution in New York, realtor Maureen Walck pled guilty to knowingly and willfully violating the Lead Disclosure Rule’s requirements to disclose lead-based paint information to a prospective home buyer, whose child was later diagnosed with lead poisoning. Sentencing is pending; the charge carries a maximum sentence of one-year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine. EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation, and worked with DOJ to prosecute the case.
· KGN Asset Management, LLC, KGN Asset Management, Inc., and Restoration Realty, Inc., of Colorado agreed to a $30,000 penalty for alleged failure to use lead-safe work practices. Many of the violations were broadcast on the national television series “Raise the Roof.”
Additionally, some EPA enforcement actions for Clean Air Act cases included commitments from companies to implement supplemental environmental projects to abate lead-based paint hazards in their communities. One of the cases is the Lima Refining Co., in Ohio, which has agreed to settle alleged Clean Air Act violations through a civil judicial agreement, which includes a project valued at $1,750,000 to eliminate lead risks in local low-income residences with children or pregnant women. The settlement also included a $1 million penalty.
