As required by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on January 12, 2016, submitted to the Federal Register a final rule which adopts provisions contained in certain widely-used or long-standing special permits that have an established safety record. Since 2008, PHMSA has issued eight separate rulemakings and adopted a total of 94 hazardous materials special permits into regulation. This rulemaking adopts an additional 96 special permits. Special permits set forth alternative requirements—or a variance—to the requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations in a way that achieves a safety level at least equal to that required under the regulations. Also, special permits provide a mechanism for testing new technologies, promoting increased transportation efficiency and productivity, and improving global competitiveness. The rule has not been published yet, but has been transmitted to the Federal Register for publication.
Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule
In the first major modification to the hazardous waste regulations in over 10 years, EPA plans to modify and reorganize the hazardous waste generator rule. When adopted, the rule will provide greater flexibility in how hazardous waste is managed and close important gaps in the regulations.
Attend Environmental Resource Center’s live, online session to learn:
- New requirements for documenting hazardous waste determinations
- Revised requirements for when and how to submit the Notification of Generator Status form to EPA
- How to take advantage of the episodic generation exclusion to avoid reclassification to a larger generator status
- Definitions of important new terms – “Very Small Quantity Generator” and “Central Accumulation Area”
- How to mark containers, tanks, and containment buildings with new information required at central accumulation areas and satellites
- New conditions under which containers can be left open at satellite accumulation areas
- Updated time and volume limits for satellite accumulation areas
- New documentation requirements for contingency plans and biennial reports
- New requirements for shipping hazardous waste from a VSQG to another facility owned by the same organization
New Exclusions for Solvent Recycling and Hazardous Secondary Materials
EPA’s new final rule on the definition of solid waste creates new opportunities for waste recycling outside the scope of the full hazardous waste regulations. This rule, which went into effect on July 13, 2015, streamlines the regulatory burden for wastes that are legitimately recycled.
The first of the two exclusions is an exclusion from the definition of solid waste for high-value solvents transferred from one manufacturer to another for the purpose of extending the useful life of the original solvent by keeping the materials in commerce to reproduce a commercial grade of the original solvent product.
The second, and more wide reaching of the two exclusions, is a revision of the existing hazardous secondary material recycling exclusion. This exclusion allows you to recycle, or send off-site for recycling, virtually any hazardous secondary material. Provided you meet the terms of the exclusion, the material will no longer be hazardous waste.
Learn how to take advantage of these exclusions at Environmental Resource Center’s live webcast on January 15 where you will learn:
- Which of your materials qualify under the new exclusions
- What qualifies as a hazardous secondary material
- Which solvents can be remanufactured, and which cannot
- What is a tolling agreement
- What is legitimate recycling
- Generator storage requirements
- What documentation you must maintain
- Requirements for off-site shipments
- Training and emergency planning requirements
- If it is acceptable for the recycler to be outside the US
Indianapolis RCRA, DOT, and IATA/IMO Training
Atlanta RCRA, DOT, and SARA Training
Tampa RCRA and DOT Training
Pacific Steel, Inc. to Pay $138,000 for Hazardous Waste Violations
The ruling was finalized by a superior court judge in San Diego County on January 5.
The violations at the PSI facility were found by DTSC between 2010-13. As part of the corrective action, PSI completed the removal of approximately 8,000 tons of federally-regulated contaminated soil. As part of prior corrective actions, PSI completed the removal of 27,000 tons of state-regulated contaminated soil.
DTSC had previous enforcement action against the facility in 2004 when PSI paid DTSC $235,000 for hazardous waste violations as part of that agreement. DTSC found that PSI had violated some terms of that agreement during the inspections from 2010-13.
Safe Disposal of Reusable Batteries
The gift-giving season has come and gone, and kids and adults everywhere are immersed in their new, battery-operated toys and gadgets. Before it’s time to replace those batteries, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) would like to remind consumers how to safely and legally dispose of them.
Used batteries can contain cobalt, nickel, cadmium, and other toxic heavy metals. They are also corrosive. For these reasons, they are considered household hazardous waste and must be handled appropriately to prevent contaminating the environment and posing a health risk to the public or to disposal workers.
Do not throw used batteries into the garbage or a recycling bin. It’s unsafe—and it’s against the law.
Most retailers, such as big-box stores, that sell batteries in California are required by law to take back rechargeable batteries. All batteries, including non-rechargeable types, can be taken to your local household hazardous waste site. It’s a good idea to call ahead to confirm collection hours and whether there are any collection restrictions.
The following webpages list places that accept used batteries.
Residential recycling bins are generally for aluminum and steel cans, paper, plastic, and glass—never for used batteries. In fact, putting batteries in recycling bins creates a host of problems for recycling facilities. When such facilities are found to have more than 10% of non-recyclable or “residual” material in their material stream, they can be cited. Since batteries are relatively heavy, they can quickly put a recycling center over its residual limit. Taking your batteries to a proper collection site ensures they get appropriately managed and the recyclable elements can be put to their highest and best use.
Keep in mind that rechargeable batteries can last hundreds, if not more than a thousand, times as long as single-use types, which can add up to substantial cost savings and greatly reduce the amount of material that has to be managed at the end of its useful life. Rechargeable batteries are also made of a higher percentage of recyclable material, which makes recycling them more cost-effective for manufacturers.
Why not make a New Year’s resolution to protect the environment, disposal facility workers, and the public? Put used batteries in an empty box, in an out-of-the way place, until it’s full enough to warrant a trip to your local household hazardous waste facility or retailer. Perhaps on the same trip, you could buy a few rechargeable batteries. Out with the old, in with the new.
EPA Survey Shows $271 Billion Needed for Nation’s Wastewater Infrastructure
The survey is a collaboration between EPA, states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories. To be included in the survey, projects must include a description and location of a water quality-related public health problem, a site-specific solution, and detailed information on project cost.
“The only way to have clean and reliable water is to have infrastructure that is up to the task,” said Joel Beauvais, EPA’s Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water. “Our nation has made tremendous progress in modernizing our treatment plants and pipes in recent decades, but this survey tells us that a great deal of work remains.”
Wastewater infrastructure must also become more resilient to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, stronger and more frequent storms, flooding, and drought.
Wastewater infrastructure improvements also support healthy economies. Construction projects create good-paying jobs, and where new facilities are built, workers are needed to operate and maintain them. Upgraded infrastructure results in cleaner water, which is essential for many businesses and sectors of the economy.
EPA launched the Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center in January 2015 to work with states and communities to identify innovative financing strategies for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. The center recently selected regional Environmental Finance Centers to help communities across the country develop sustainable “how-to-pay” solutions to meet environmental goals. This financial expertise and technical assistance helps communities make informed funding decisions for resilient infrastructure projects that best meet local needs.
In addition, EPA offers financial assistance to address the types of infrastructure needs covered in the survey. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund has provided more than $111 billion in low-interest loans since its inception in 1987, with $5.8 billion in FY 2015 alone. Grant funding is available through the Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities program, the Clean Water Indian Set-Aside, and the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure program.
Between 1972 and 2012, the U.S. population receiving secondary treatment increased from about 75 million to 90 million, and the population receiving advanced treatment increased from 7.8 million to 127 million. Over the same period, the population receiving less-than-secondary treatment decreased from almost 60 million to 4.1 million. This has resulted in dramatic improvements in the waterways receiving discharges from these treatment plants.
The $271 billion is primarily for projects needed within five years. The survey reported the following infrastructure needs:
- Secondary wastewater treatment: $52.4 billion to meet secondary treatment standards. Secondary treatment uses biological processes to meet the minimum level of treatment required by law
- Advanced wastewater treatment: $49.6 billion to provide upgrades so treatment plants can attain a level of treatment more protective than secondary treatment. Advanced treatment may also treat nonconventional or toxic pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonia, or metals.
- Conveyance system repair: $51.2 billion to rehabilitate and repair conveyance systems
- New conveyance systems: $44.5 billion to install new sewer collection systems, interceptor sewers and pumping stations
- Combined sewer overflow correction: $48 billion to prevent periodic discharges of mixed stormwater and untreated wastewater during wet-weather events
- $19.2 billion to plan and implement structural and nonstructural measures to control polluted runoff from storm events
- Recycled water distribution: $6.1 billion for conveyance and further treatment of wastewater for reuse
Puna Geothermal Venture Fined $76,500 for Chemical Safety Violations
After an EPA inspection, the facility has now complied with the rules designed to minimize accidental chemical releases. The company has also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $76,500.
“The goal of EPA’s inspections is to protect the health and safety of the workers at the plant and the residents in the community,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Our continued oversight will help ensure that it operates in a safe manner by complying with federal requirements.”
EPA conducted a chemical facility inspection in August 2013 and found that PGV had failed to take necessary steps to prevent accidental releases of hydrogen sulfide. Specifically, the company had not tested and inspected its equipment with the frequency consistent with manufacturers’ recommendations, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience.
The inspectors also found that with respect to PGV’s storage, use and handling of pentane, a flammable substance used as a working fluid in the facility’s electricity producing turbines, PGV failed to:
- Conduct periodic compliance audits of its accident prevention program and document that identified deficiencies have been corrected
- Implement adequate written operating procedures that provide clear instructions for safely conducting activities
- Ensure that the frequency of inspections and tests of equipment is consistent with manufacturers’ recommendations, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience
- Analyze and report on a worst-case release scenario and estimate the population that would be affected by an accidental release of pentane
The recent penalty action is taken under the federal Clean Air Act’s Section 112(r) General Duty Clause and Risk Management Program requirements.
The Risk Management Program requires development of a Risk Management Plan that includes: a hazard assessment detailing the potential effects of an accidental release; a chemical accident prevention program that includes process operation, maintenance, and employee training measures; and an emergency response program that spells out procedures for informing the public and local response agencies should an accident occur.
EPA’s August 2013 inspection was prompted by releases of hydrogen sulfide from the facility to the atmosphere in March and April 2013. The April 2013 release was caused by a pump failure, resulting in a leak of geothermal condensate (composed primarily of water with some contaminants, including hydrogen sulfide) for about 15 minutes before PGV personnel were able to isolate and stop the leakage. The March 2013 release was attributed to the tripping of a breaker in the local power grid, and PGV’s emergency shutdown and hydrogen sulfide abatement systems functioned as designed.
Cal/EPA Assessment Finds Pesticide Chlorpyrifos Poses Risks to California Children
The chemical is a widely-used toxic pesticide that can interfere with brain development in fetuses, infants, and children.
However, despite extensive technical comments from experts calling into question a model developed by Dow, the company which sells chlorpyrifos, the assessment continued to rely on this model. The model does not account for extensive evidence tying low-level chlorpyrifos exposures during critical windows of brain development to lasting neurological damage.
A recent study found that Latino children were almost twice as likely to attend schools in close proximity to where the most toxic pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, are applied.
Background
Troubling data continues to emerge from California, where more than 1 million pounds of chlorpyrifos are used every year on the state’s crops. In 2013 (the latest year for which data are available), there was a big jump in chlorpyrifos use in California.
New studies indicate that in addition to their brains, children’s lungs may also be at risk from chlorpyrifos. Researchers found greater risks for asthma-like symptoms or decreased lung function in children associated with exposures to pesticides including chlorpyrifos.
Additionally, there is extensive evidence showing that low-level exposures of chlorpyrifos during critical windows of brain development can cause lasting damage. Studies have shown that these impacts include developmental delays, reduced cognitive capacity, behavioral problems, and learning challenges. A recent study found long-term harm to children exposed to chlorpyrifos in the womb—11-year-olds whose mothers had been exposed to chlorpyrifos—had tremors in both arms that affected their ability to draw. The study’s authors expressed concern that this damage could hinder these children’s writing abilities and success in school.
Resources
Protect Your Home and Family from Radon
Radon—the silent killer—is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. The EPA encourages Americans around the country to test their homes for this naturally occurring radioactive gas. Winter is an especially good time to test because windows and doors are closed and families tend to spend more time inside where radon can be trapped.
“Radon—a serious health threat to our families and communities—can be easily avoided through testing,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “Testing for radon will save thousands of lives, prevent burdensome health care costs, and make America’s homes and schools safer for future generations.”
EPA recommends four easy steps to protect your home from radon during cold winter months: First, learn more about testing your home, including how to obtain an easy-to-use test kit. Secondly, learn more about your state’s radon program and local radon activities. Next, encourage others to learn more about radon and test their homes. Lastly, buy a radon-resistant home by looking for builders who use radon-resistant construction.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Testing is the only way to know if a home has elevated levels of radon.
Affordable do-it-yourself radon test kits are available online, at many home improvement and hardware stores, or you can hire a qualified radon professional.
California Updates State Water Plan
The Administration’s water policy goals and priorities remain unchanged and the California Water Action Plan continues to focus on sustaining supplies of water for people and the environment and resolving the state’s most critical water resource problems. The plan sets forth 10 overarching actions that guide the efforts to create more resilient, reliable water systems and to restore damaged and destroyed ecosystems:
- Make conservation a California way of life
- Increase regional self-reliance and integrated water management across all levels of government
- Achieve the co-equal goals for the Delta
- Protect and restore important ecosystems
- Manage and prepare for dry periods
- Expand water storage capacity and improve groundwater management
- Provide safe water for all communities
- Increase flood protection
- Increase operational and regulatory efficiency
- Identify sustainable and integrated financing opportunities
“It serves as a catalyst for collaboration across government at the state, federal, and local levels to help us build resiliency and flexibility to manage droughts, floods, and adaptation to climate change.”
Directed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and written by the three agencies with stakeholder input, the California Water Action Plan describes the actions needed to cope with extreme weather, natural disasters, climate change, and future population growth. The Action Plan anchors the Governor’s 2016–17 budget proposal released last week, including significant increases in funding for flood protection, wetlands restoration, groundwater management, and restoration of the Salton Sea.
“The Governor’s budget, our emergency drought response, our investment of billions of dollars in bond funds, and the day-to-day work of state agencies—all are guided by the Governor’s Water Action Plan,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird. “We are well-coordinated and making good progress for the sake of all Californians.”
“The comprehensive actions outlined in the Governor’s plan have already influenced the way Californians are responding to the current drought,” said California Secretary for Environmental Protection, Matthew Rodriquez. “The Plan will continue to help us work with the public to develop near term and long term strategies to secure our water for future generations.”
The update also shows considerable progress toward reaching the goals set forth in January 2014. Hundreds of water projects are being planned or implemented by all levels of government and by non-governmental organizations, tribes, farmers and local water agencies. State, regional and local agencies have also increasingly pursued a strategy of making regions more self-reliant by reducing water demand and by developing new or underused water resources locally. That progress includes:
- Funding hundreds of efforts under the $7.5 billion Proposition 1 water bond to boost storage, restoration, recycling, desalination and other water supply and environmental projects. Signing $1 billion emergency drought legislation
- Signing California’s historic groundwater management laws to balance pumping and recharge in the aquifers that supply nearly half the state’s water
- Reducing water use by more than 25% collectively across urban California, an unprecedented conservation achievement triggered by the Governor’s mandate
- Allocating $230 million in Proposition 84 grant for hundreds of projects that help build regional self-reliance, awards that also leverage hundreds of millions of more dollars in local and federal investment. Nearly $50 million goes toward 140 projects in disadvantaged communities in 26 regions.
- Issuing $257 million in grants and low-interest loans to finance water recycling projects that will save 600,000 acre feet of water
- Removing a dam on the Carmel River to restore more natural flows and open 25 miles of steelhead spawning habitat
- Investing tens of millions of dollars in coastal, Delta, and mountain meadow restoration projects that will sequester carbon while improving wildlife habitat
- Awarding $250 million in Proposition 1E funds for urban flood projects, including those to protect Stockton, Sacramento, and Yuba City
- Accelerating habitat restoration and eliminating fish passage barriers in the Delta, with a goal of 30,000 acres of restoration underway over the next few years
- Investing more than $50 million for farm water efficiency improvement projects
- Strengthening California’s plan to both provide a more reliable water supply for California and to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem
- Enacting outdoor landscaping and indoor appliance standards that will permanently reduce the volume of water used in newly-built California yards, parks, landscaping, homes, and commercial buildings
- Expanding systems to monitor groundwater levels and subsidence, make well drilling records available to the public, and track water use by water right holders
- Providing millions of dollars for emergency water deliveries, housing, and new infrastructure to support communities with dry wells
- The State took these actions in the face of an historic drought since 2012. Other immediate drought responses included delivering food and emergency water supplies and providing housing and unemployment assistance, rescuing fish from hundreds of drought-stricken streams and striking voluntary agreements with landowners to sustain streamflow, balancing the needs of cities, farms and native fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, installing an emergency rock barrier in the Delta to physically repel salinity intrusion, and managing the worst epidemic of tree deaths in modern history.
EPA Approves California’s New Trash Control Policy
The EPA recently approved the State Water Resources Control Board’s new water quality standards for trash in California’s waters. The standards are part of the state’s new Trash Control Policy, designed to keep trash out of streams, lakes, bays, estuaries, coastal, and ocean waters in California to protect people and the environment.
Trash seriously degrades habitats for many aquatic species, and can lead to fatal ingestion or entanglements. The presence of trash in waters also jeopardizes human health and safety, and impedes recreational, navigational, and commercial activities. As much as 80% of the trash that ends up as marine debris is generated on land. With these new requirements, California is not only protecting its own waterways, it will be shrinking the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the massive vortex of marine debris in the Pacific Ocean.
“The State of California has taken a bold step towards keeping millions of pounds of trash each year out of our inland, coastal and ocean waters," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA is pleased to approve the state’s new water quality standards, which will help prevent harmful trash from making it from land to water and adding to our serious marine debris problem.”
“Trash in our lakes, streams, and the ocean pose a serious threat to fish and wildlife as well as harming the public’s ability to enjoy our beaches and waterways. The good news is that this problem is entirely preventable—many communities have already stepped up to meet the challenge and serve as an example to the rest of the state,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. “This statewide policy relies on those tried-and-true, common sense approaches to ensure we get trash removed early before it enters our storm water system—resulting in cleaner beaches and healthier marine life.”
The Trash Policy provides a phased approach to eliminate trash in California’s waters by 2026. Much of the trash generated on land is transported to waterways via storm drains. The policy calls for the use of trash capture devices in areas that generate large amounts of garbage. California’s municipalities and other stormwater permit holders must comply by either installing full trash capture systems, or by using equivalent devices coupled with programs such as increased street sweeping and educational outreach.
This trash capture approach has already proven successful in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Regions. The Los Angeles Region has waterbodies, including the L.A. River that will approach the zero trash standard in 2016.
The EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region administers and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations—home to more than 48 million people.
For more information on California’s efforts to reduce trash, and on EPA Region 9’s Water Quality Standards approval process and efforts to reduce marine debris, please visit the following websites:
Turkish Ship Management Company and Two Employees Plead Guilty in Maryland to Environmental Crimes
Ciner Gemi Acente Isletni Sanayi Ve Ticaret S.A., a ship management company in Turkey, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Ron J. Rosenstein for the District of Maryland.
Ciner operated the M/V Artvin, a 44,635 ton bulk carrier ship that transported cargo to and from ports around the world, including the Port of Baltimore. According to the plea agreement, from March 2014 until November 2014, oily waste water was routinely discharged from the vessel into the sea without the use of required pollution prevention equipment. During that time, the crew intentionally covered up the illegal discharges of oil waste by falsifying the vessel’s oil record book.
In previous proceedings, the chief engineer of the vessel, John C. Malaki, 56, of the Philippines, pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate oil record book. For his role, Malaki was sentenced to six months supervised probation and a $50,000 fine. The vessel’s second engineer, Ulyses A. Atabay, 46, also of the Philippines, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Malaki’s failure to maintain an accurate oil record book and received a sentence of one year of unsupervised probation. According to their plea agreements, Atabay directed members of the crew to discharge oily water from the waste oil tank into the sea without first using the vessel’s oil water separator, as required by law. Malaki did not stop the discharges and did not record them in the vessel’s oil record book, as he was required to do.
The court accepted the terms of the company’s plea agreement, and sentenced Ciner to pay an overall criminal penalty of $1.05 million, $150,000 of which will be in the form of an organizational community service payment to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and used to fund projects aimed at the restoration of marine and aquatic resources in the District of Maryland. Ciner will also be required to implement an environmental compliance plan, which will ensure that any ship operated by Ciner complies with all maritime environmental requirements established under applicable international, flag state, and port state laws. The plan ensures that Ciner’s employees and the crew of any vessel operated by Ciner are properly trained in preventing maritime pollution. An independent monitor will report to the court about Ciner’s compliance with its obligations during the period of probation.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. The case was prosecuted by Michael Cunningham from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Maryland and by Thomas Franzinger of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.
Pennsylvania DEP’s 2015 Accomplishments Focused on Innovation to Protect Air, Land, Water, and Public Health
Under the Wolf Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has worked to use innovation to help restore the capacity and integrity of the agency that protects Pennsylvania’s air, land, water, and public health.
DEP Secretary John Quigley is committed to collaboration, science, and transparency in meeting the agency’s mission. Over the past year, DEP has made major advances, even though DEP lost 14% of its staff complement over the last 10 years, with 671 fewer positions than 7 years ago. That is compared to a state government average of a 6% decrease in staff in that same time period. Modernizing the agency has also been a challenge; with the department’s Information Technology budget 43% less in nominal terms than it was 11 years ago.
With modernization in mind, the department achieved the following successes in 2015:
Protecting Public Health and the Environment
- DEP updated the performance standards for surface activities at conventional and unconventional oil and gas well sites to ensure additional protections to the environment, public health, and After an unprecedented 12 public hearings, almost 28,000 public comments, and the creation of the Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Committee (COGAC), the rules are on track for Spring 2016 adoption.
- DEP worked with federal and state agencies, and stakeholders to develop a plan for a January 2016 launch to “reboot” Pennsylvania’s effort to restore local water quality and that of the Chesapeake Bay.
- The report, prepared for DEP at the direction of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, finds that Pennsylvania has warmed 1.8?F in the past 110 years, and the warming will increase at an accelerated rate. By 2050, Pennsylvania will be 5.4?F warmer than it was in the year 2000. By 2050, Philadelphia’s climate will be similar to current-day Richmond, Virginia. Pittsburgh will be similar to current-day Washington, DC or Baltimore, Maryland.
- DEP was selected by the National Governors Association as one of four states to participate in a Policy Academy to help states examine cost-effective strategies for meeting the potential requirements of federal regulations to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants.
- Final action by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission is anticipated early in 2016.
- DEP successfully negotiated with Talen Energy the submission of a request to modify the air plan approval for the Brunner Island Power Plant, which is southeastern and south-central Pennsylvania’s largest emitter of nitrous oxide (NOx), to establish an enforceable 50% reduction in the potential to emit NOx emissions from the facility. The request for the modification was received by DEP on December 17, 2015.
Driven by Science
- The study examined 14 possible causes, and identified 2 likely causes—endocrine disrupting compounds/herbicides and pathogens/parasites. The results of this research allow DEP to focus on identifying the sources of the likely causes and continue research into some of the candidate causes that provided uncertain results.
- The new, joint effort will maintain a network of 30 real-time monitoring stations, most of which will be located on state park lands. In addition to the 30 fixed stations, five additional temporary stations will be available for rapid deployment to investigate seismic events in detail.
- DEP evaluated and redesigned a treatment method at Lancashire treatment plant in Cambria County within the West Branch Susquehanna River Basin, to lower costs while preserving effluent performance. The alternative strategy produces an effluent quality equal or better than the traditional method, with annual operational savings of more than $200,000. This savings will help preserve assets in the Barnes and Tucker Treatment Trust to ensure the long-term treatment of the Lancashire No. 15 Mine Pool.
Committed to Collaboration
- In early 2016, the multi-agency, multi-stakeholder task force will recommend practices that will create predictability in permitting while simultaneously reducing environmental and community impacts.
- New staff are establishing a dialogue with communities that do not always have a voice in environmental issues, ensuring that their concerns are heard, and where possible addressed, by the agency.
- DEP developed a two-phase plan providing 83 Allegheny County Sanitary Authority customer municipalities an 18-month extension of consent orders that expired March 30. The first phase requires the customer municipalities to develop a source reduction study to reduce flows entering in the regional sewer collection system that includes consideration of green infrastructure.
- Nearly 4,000 comments have been submitted to the system on issues like climate change, pipeline infrastructure, water management, and the federal Clean Power Plan.
As an Innovator
- DEP completed assessment of Information Technology (IT) needs and developed a strategic plan to modernize IT, improve business processes, track performance metrics, transition to new geolocation-based mobile solutions, paperless workflows, archive digitization, internal data-driven analytical research efforts, and greater transparency to the public and regulated community.
- DEP began an assessment of systems and processes to enhance the scientific and technical capabilities of the agency.
- DEP conducted internal reviews of various agency policies to provide for more consistent statewide application.
- DEP began a multi-phase agency reorganization to better focus resources.
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Trivia Question of the Week
Energy consumption for heating outpaces energy consumption used for transportation.
a) True
b) False
