EPA Administrator Sets Agency Goals

In a memo to EPA employees, Administrator Lisa P. Jackson identified the agency’s priorities. The following is the full text of her memo:

Almost one year ago, I began my work as Administrator. It has been a deeply fulfilling 12 months and a wonderful homecoming for me. As our first year together draws to a close, we must now look to the tasks ahead.

In my First Day Memo, I outlined five priorities for my time as Administrator. We have made enormous strides on all five, and our achievements reflect your hard work and dedication. By working with our senior policy team, listening to your input and learning from the experiences of the last 12 months, we have strengthened our focus and expanded the list of priorities. Listed below are seven key themes to focus the work of our agency.

Taking Action on Climate Change: 2009 saw historic progress in the fight against climate change, with a range of greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. We must continue this critical effort and ensure compliance with the law. We will continue to support the President and Congress in enacting clean energy and climate legislation. Using the Clean Air Act (CAA), we will finalize our mobile source rules and provide a framework for continued improvements in that sector. We will build on the success of Energy Star to expand cost-saving energy conservation and efficiency programs. And, we will continue to develop common-sense solutions for reducing GHG emissions from large stationary sources like power plants. In all of this, we must also recognize that climate change will affect other parts of our core mission, such as protecting air and water quality, and we must include those considerations in our future plans.

Improving Air Quality: American communities face serious health and environmental challenges from air pollution. We have already proposed stronger ambient air quality standards for ozone, which will help millions of American breathe easier and live healthier. Building on that, EPA will develop a comprehensive strategy for a cleaner and more efficient power sector, with strong but achievable emission reduction goals for SO2, NOx, mercury and other air toxics. We will strengthen our ambient air quality standards for pollutants such as PM, SO2 and NO2 and will achieve additional reductions in air toxics from a range of industrial facilities. Improved monitoring, permitting and enforcement will be critical building blocks for air quality improvement.

Assuring the Safety of Chemicals: One of my highest priorities is to make significant and long overdue progress in assuring the safety of chemicals in our products, our environment and our bodies. Last year I announced principles for modernizing the Toxic Substances Control Act. Separately, we are shifting EPA’s focus to address high-concern chemicals and filling data gaps on widely produced chemicals in commerce. At the end of 2009, we released our first-ever chemical management plans for four groups of substances, and more plans are in the pipeline for 2010. Using our streamlined Integrated Risk Information System, we will continue strong progress toward rigorous, peer-reviewed health assessments on dioxins, arsenic, formaldehyde, TCE and other substances of concern.

Cleaning Up Our Communities: In 2009 EPA made strong cleanup progress by accelerating our Superfund program and confronting significant local environmental challenges like the asbestos Public Health Emergency in Libby, Montana and the coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee. Using all the tools at our disposal, including enforcement and compliance efforts, we will continue to focus on making safer, healthier communities. I am committed to maximizing the potential of our brownfields program, particularly to spur environmental cleanup and job creation in disadvantaged communities. We are also developing enhanced strategies for risk reduction in our Superfund program, with stronger partnerships with stakeholders affected by our cleanups.

Protecting America’s Waters: America’s waterbodies are imperiled as never before. Water quality and enforcement programs face complex challenges, from nutrient loadings and stormwater runoff, to invasive species and drinking water contaminants. These challenges demand both traditional and innovative strategies. We will continue comprehensive watershed protection programs for the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. We will initiate measures to address post-construction runoff, water quality impairment from surface mining, and stronger drinking water protection. Recovery Act funding will expand construction of water infrastructure, and we will work with states to develop nutrient limits and launch an Urban Waters initiative. We will also revamp enforcement strategies to achieve greater compliance across the board.

Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice: We have begun a new era of outreach and protection for communities historically underrepresented in EPA decision-making. We are building strong working relationships with tribes, communities of color, economically distressed cities and towns, young people and others, but this is just a start. We must include environmental justice principles in all of our decisions. This is an area that calls for innovation and bold thinking, and I am challenging all of our employees to bring vision and creativity to our programs. The protection of vulnerable subpopulations is a top priority, especially with regard to children. Our revitalized Children’s Health Office is bringing a new energy to safeguarding children through all of our enforcement efforts. We will ensure that children’s health protection continues to guide the path forward.

Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships: States and tribal nations bear important responsibilities for the day-to-day mission of environmental protection, but declining tax revenues and fiscal challenges are pressuring state agencies and tribal governments to do more with fewer resources. Strong partnerships and accountability are more important than ever. EPA must do its part to support state and tribal capacity and, through strengthened oversight, ensure that programs are consistently delivered nationwide. Where appropriate, we will use our own expertise and capacity to bolster state and tribal efforts.

We will also focus on improving EPA’s internal operations, from performance measures to agency processes. We have a complex organization—which is both an asset and a challenge. We will strive to ensure that EPA is a workplace worthy of our top notch workforce. Our success will depend on supporting innovation and creativity in both what we do and how we do it, and I encourage everyone to be part of constructively improving our agency.

These priorities will guide our work in 2010 and the years ahead. They are built around the challenges and opportunities inherent in our mission to protect human health and the environment for all Americans. We will carry out our mission by respecting our core values of science, transparency and the rule of law. I have unlimited confidence in the talent and spirit of our workforce, and I will look to your energy, ideas and passion in the days ahead. I know we will meet these challenges head on, as one EPA.

Sincerely,
Lisa P. Jackson

EPA to Hold Chesapeake Bay States Accountable in Meeting Watershed Pollution Reduction Plans

EPA is accelerating cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay with a plan that will hold the six bay states (i.e., Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) as well as Washington, D.C., more accountable for improving the performance of their pollution control programs and reducing water pollution in their jurisdictions. An additional $11.2 million in grants will be provided for fiscal year 2010 to improve regulatory activities such as permitting and enforcement, and to increase the states’ accountability for reducing water pollution. 

EPA Approves New York’s Request to Revise its EPA-authorized Program to Allow Electronic Reporting

 EPA’s approval is effective January 12, 2010.

Ohio Hazardous Waste Annual Reports Service Now Available

The new service will allow hazardous waste annual filers to submit their reports for the 2009 cycle electronically via a web-based application.

Burrtec Waste Industries Fined $307,200 for Emissions Violations

The California Air Resources Board fined Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc., $307,200 in November for emissions violations during 2005 and 2006.

An ARB investigation showed Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc., located in Fontana, California, failed to properly inspect their diesel vehicles. The company also failed to comply with the solid waste collection vehicle rule by neglecting to retrofit some of their diesel vehicles with the required emission-reduction devices.

As part of the settlement, Burrtec Waste Industries is required to:

• Guarantee employees responsible for conducting the inspections attend a California community college training class on diesel emissions compliance testing and provide certificates of completion within one year;
• Provide documentation to ARB that the inspections are being carried out for the next four years;
• Ensure all heavy-duty diesel vehicles have their software updated with the latest low-NOx (oxides of nitrogen emissions) programming;
• Instruct vehicle operators to comply with the state’s idling regulations;
• Retrofit the appropriate number of solid waste collection vehicles with the best available control technology;
• Comply with all requirements applicable to solid waste collection vehicles; and,
• Ensure all diesel truck engines are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an emissions control certification label.

“Trash haulers work hard to move waste out of our communities, and they burn a lot of diesel fuel close to where people live and work,” said ARB Chairman, Mary D. Nichols. “That’s why California law requires that their engines be maintained and inspected to keep pollution as low as possible.”

Pennsylvania DEP Fines Minrad Inc. $206,777 for Air Quality Violations

Minrad Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, has reached an agreement with the Pennsylvania DEP to pay a $206,777 fine for not installing the proper air pollution control equipment, resulting in excessive volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions at its Hanover Township plant. The company has agreed to install the correct control equipment by February 28.

“The company did not install the air pollution control equipment DEP required in September 2007 and instead used inadequate controls that resulted in more air pollution,” Northeast Regional Director Michael Bedrin said.

Minrad never installed a DEP-required afterburner or a scrubber. The company used an unapproved scrubber to control certain pollutants but that equipment did not control the VOC emissions from their facility. These VOC emissions were shown to be significantly higher than what would have been achieved with the proper control equipment, Bedrin said.

Mississippi Landowner Fined for Filling Wetlands

Rodney O. Corr will pay $100,000 for illegally filling wetlands on his property in Waveland, Mississippi, in violation of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The impacted wetlands are adjacent to Edwards Bayou, a tributary to the Jourdan River in Hancock County, Mississippi.

“By taking this enforcement action, we are sending a strong message about the importance of protecting wetlands across the Southeast,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Region 4 Acting Regional Administrator. “Wetlands are important resources that serve as habitats for critical fish and wildlife and also help control floods, recharge groundwater, capture pollutants and cycle nutrients.”

Beginning in May 2004, Mr. Corr or those acting on his behalf, illegally discharged fill material into approximately 14 acres of wetlands while using earth moving machinery to clear a site for commercial development. 

Third Wave Technologies Fined for Hazardous Waste Violations

EPA Region 5 has signed a consent agreement and final order with Hologic Inc., for alleged hazardous waste violations at its Third Wave Technologies facility in Madison, Wisconsin. The fabricator of molecular diagnostics through a synthesis process will pay an $87,400 penalty.

During a February 2007 inspection, EPA found multiple violations of RCRA at the Third Wave facility. 

EPA Fines Claire Manufacturing $44,200 for Hazardous Waste Violations

EPA Region 5 has signed a consent agreement and final order with Claire Manufacturing Co., for alleged hazardous waste violations at its Addison, Illinois, facility. The manufacturer of aerosol packaged chemical products will pay a $44,200 penalty.

During a September 2008 inspection, EPA found multiple violations of federal RCRA requirements at the Claire facility, Specifically, EPA found that the company failed to obtain a hazardous waste storage permit, update its emergency plan, train personnel, label containers, get assessments/certifications, maintain records, and meet inspection requirements for its tank systems.

TSS Aviation, Inc. Will Pay $38,300 for Repeated Hazardous Waste Violations

TSS agreed to pay $38,300 and continue to adhere to Ohio’s hazardous waste laws following two inspections which detailed numerous hazardous waste violations.

TSS inspects, repairs, replaces, and X-rays aircraft parts. As part of its business, the company generates hazardous materials that cannot be reused. Ohio law requires that this hazardous waste is removed from the site where it is generated within 90 days. The company also must properly manifest the waste that is shipped off site. This ensures potentially dangerous chemicals are properly disposed in an environmentally safe manner.

On February 27, 2007, Ohio EPA inspected the facility and found TSS improperly stored hazardous waste in tanks that did not meet the requirements for hazardous waste storage. The facility also failed to:

• Label satellite accumulation area containers with the words Hazardous Waste;
• Label hazardous waste containers;
• Date containers in hazardous waste storage areas;
• Keep hazardous waste containers closed except when adding to or removing waste;
• Conduct and/or record weekly inspections of hazardous waste storage area; and
• Meet requirements of the contingency plan.

Although the company came into compliance on July 2, 2007, a June 24, 2008, inspection found the company stored hazardous waste without a permit and exceeded the 55-gallon limit per waste stream for a satellite accumulation area. The company also had many of the same violations it had in February 2007.

In addition to those listed above, TSS failed to:

• Evaluate wastes to determine if they were hazardous;
• Transport hazardous waste on a hazardous waste manifest; and
• Update the contingency plan with current emergency coordinators.

TSS was coming into compliance with a number of issues when on August 19, 2008, the company violated hazardous waste laws by failing to properly complete hazardous waste manifests. The company returned to compliance with all Ohio hazardous waste laws on July 17, 2009.

Western Massachusetts Contractors Fined $36,000 for Asbestos Violations

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental (MassDEP) has levied fines totaling $36,000 against a home improvement contractor, an insulation contractor, and an asbestos abatement contractor for violating state asbestos regulations.

The violations against the three firms were discovered in December 2008 during a MassDEP complaint investigation of a multi-unit residential building located on Main Street in Easthampton. The investigation determined that contractors failed to use appropriate asbestos transite-siding handling and disposal procedures during insulation and siding work on the building. In a subsequent inspection, MassDEP discovered that the asbestos contractor later hired to perform asbestos abatement at the site failed to appropriately employ certain asbestos-handling measures.

“The asbestos regulations are very prescriptive in terms of proper removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials in order to prevent asbestos fibers from becoming airborne,” said Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield. “Contractor awareness of the existence of asbestos-containing construction material is essential in promoting compliance with these regulations, and assuring the protection of the public health and welfare.”

In separate settlement agreements with MassDEP, Phil Beaulieu & Sons Home Improvement Inc., and Gilbert & Son Insulation Inc., both based in Chicopee, and Compass Restoration Services LLC, of Belchertown, agreed to pay penalties of $10,000, $10,000, and $16,000, respectively. A portion of each assessed penalty was suspended provided that the companies comply with the terms of their respective agreements.

Asbestos Violations at Newport Naval Station Result in Fines

Three entities involved in a demolition project at the Newport Navy Base in Newport, Rhode Island, have agreed to pay a penalty for alleged violations of Federal requirements for the safe handling and disposal of asbestos during demolition activities.

According to the EPA complaint, the United States Naval Station—Newport, Goel Services, Inc., and A. A. Asbestos Abatement Co., Inc., each violated the CAA and the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Asbestos (Asbestos NESHAP) requirements when, in February 2009, they conducted a demolition operation involving asbestos at the Navy Base.

Specifically, EPA alleged that the three parties failed to properly seal asbestos-containing waste materials in leak-tight containers while the materials were wet. EPA previously had issued non-penalty administrative orders to both the Newport Navy Base and A.A. Asbestos Abatement for Asbestos NESHAP violations involving failure to provide proper written notice to EPA before work began. Under this settlement, the three parties must pay a $14,238 penalty and certify that they are currently operating in compliance with Asbestos NESHAP requirements.

The federal CAA and the Asbestos NESHAP requirements, promulgated under the Act, require owners and operators of demolition or renovation operations to inspect a facility before beginning work and, for jobs involving certain threshold amounts of regulated asbestos-containing materials, to comply with specific notification, work practice, and waste disposal requirements. For demolitions, prior written notification is required under the Asbestos NESHAP whether or not asbestos is believed to be present.

EPA’s asbestos regulations help protect workers and the public from exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Breathing asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity. Violations of Asbestos NESHAP requirements can pose significant health risks to the surrounding community, as well as to workers conducting demolition or renovation operations. In this case, however, EPA is not aware of any specific harm or exposure to airborne asbestos caused by the renovation.

City of St. Maries, Idaho will Spend Over $122,000 to Settle RMP Violations

The City of St. Maries, Idaho, has agreed to pay $9,220 penalty and spend an estimated $113,550 to settle a case for violations of EPA’s policies on emergency prevention requirements. The settlement came after EPA found that the city lacked an emergency prevention program to protect the public and the environment from an off-site release of chlorine at its wastewater treatment plant.

EPA’s Risk Management Program (RMP) is designed to protect public health and the environment from accidental releases of harmful chemicals, according to Edward Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle.

“We can’t take chances with public health,” said Kowalski. “Preventing an accidental release of dangerous chemicals protects the lives of workers, responders and nearby residents.”

As part of the settlement, the city will spend an estimated $113,550 to implement the following Supplemental Environmental Projects. St. Maries will purchase and install the following:

• Treated wastewater flow monitoring system;
• Chlorine analyzer and flow proportional chlorinator;
• Chlorine scale monitoring system; and
• Enhanced leak detection and notification system.

The projects are expected to reduce annual chlorine usage by 270 lb, which will allow the city to reduce its chlorine consumption to approximately 1,930 lb per year. The city must stay below its chlorine threshold on-site limit of 2,100 lb. Installation of the new systems should be completed by July 2011.

St. Marie’s wastewater treatment facility utilized more than 2,500 lb of chlorine from May 2004 to February 2007, which puts them in violation of the federal CAA. The violations have since been corrected.

Chlorine is listed as a hazardous air pollutant under Section 112(b)(1) of the CAA. Exposure to chlorine may result in chemical-type burns to skin, eyes, and lungs.

Requirements of the RMP include: development of an emergency response or action plan; hazard evaluation of a worst case and more probable case chemical release; operator training; review of the hazards associated with using toxic or flammable substances; and operating procedures and equipment maintenance.

ConAgra Foods Fined $8,665 for Storm Water Discharge Violations

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has penalized ConAgra Foods Packaged Foods LLC, a total of $8,665 in penalties for violations of its storm water discharge permit at its food processing facility in Weston.

DEQ cited the company for failing to collect and analyze four samples of its storm water discharge for the monitoring period of July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. DEQ assessed a $4,465 penalty for this violation. It considered the violation significant because permittees are required to sample and monitor their storm water discharge to ensure that the discharges meet water quality benchmarks. These benchmarks help assure that pollutants do not enter rivers and streams at levels harmful to aquatic life and public health.

DEQ also assessed a $4,200 penalty to ConAgra for failing to visually monitor its storm water discharge once a month during the 2008-09 monitoring period, as required.

DEQ noted also that the company failed to analyze its discharge samples for total suspended solids and pH levels during the monitoring period, but did not assess penalties for these violations.

ConAgra did not appeal the penalty and is in negotiations with DEQ to settle the penalty.

DCR Trucking Inc. Fined $7,200 for Failing to Immediately Clean Up Hazardous Waste Spill

Oregon DEQ has penalized DCR Trucking Inc., doing business as Riverside Transport Services, $7,200 for failing to immediately clean up a spill of spent aluminum potliner, a hazardous waste, on the ground at a site in Arlington, Oregon. Riverside Transport was leasing the property where the spill occurred in September 2009.

Spent aluminum potliner, a waste from cement kilns and aluminum processing, contains the toxic substance cyanide and thus is treated as a hazardous waste.

DEQ reported that on September 23, 2009, Riverside Transport unloaded about 150 lb of spent aluminum potliner from its truck onto the ground, failing to clean up the material until after October 14, 2009. The company also failed to notify the Oregon Emergency Response System of the spill, as required.

Hazardous wastes, such as the spent aluminum material the company was transporting, are strictly regulated because they pose a significant risk of harm to human health and the environment. For this reason, hazardous waste that is spilled to the ground must be immediately cleaned up and not allowed to spread into the environment.

In assessing the penalty, DEQ noted that the company cleaned up the spill in mid-October 2009, taking soil samples at the site and properly disposing of the hazardous material.

DCR Trucking Inc., has appealed the fine and is negotiating with DEQ to settle the penalty.

Tarr Acquisition LLC Fined $6,020 for Hazardous Waste Violations at Chemical Blending Facility

Oregon DEQ has penalized Tarr Acquisition LLC, a total of $6,020 for two repeated hazardous waste violations at its chemical blending and distributing facility in northern Portland.

DEQ assessed a $5,600 penalty to Tarr Acquisition for failing to identify the following waste residues generated at the facility as hazardous:

• Approximately 500 pint containers (about 62 gallons) of retained chemical samples. These wastes were stored at the facility for up to two years, and DEQ observed evidence that some had leaked through their containers.
• One 55-gallon drum of spill cleanup materials, including personal protective equipment and rags contaminated with toluene and methyl ethyl ketone.

In addition, DEQ cited the company for failing to label containers that stored used oil. Unmarked containers at the facility contained oily rags and absorbent pads used for cleaning up used oil. DEQ assessed a $420 penalty for these violations.

DEQ considers the penalties significant because improper management and characterization of hazardous waste poses a threat to public health and the environment. In addition, DEQ noted that it had cited Tarr Acquisition for the same violations previously.

During DEQ’s inspection of the facility, it noted two other violations: failing to label hazardous waste storage containers with the date upon which each period of hazardous waste accumulation began, and failing to document that the facility’s environmental compliance manager had completed required training. Tarr corrected these discrepancies, and DEQ did not assess penalties for these violations.

Tarr Acquisition LLC has appealed the penalties. Tarr’s website lists it as one of the largest West Coast distributors of commodity and specialty chemicals, lubricants, and fuels.

Landfills Turn Trash into Power and GHG Reductions Projects Recognized for Innovative Use of Landfill Gas

The winners include one of the largest landfill gas (LFG) to liquefied natural gas facilities in the world, located in Livermore, California.

“We are proud to recognize Landfill Methane Outreach Program partners who are turning trash into a clean and profitable source of energy,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “These projects, and others like them, are helping us transition into a clean energy economy and make important greenhouse gas reductions.”

Methane, a primary component of LFG, is a GHG with more than 20 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Using LFG provides a significant energy resource, prevents GHG emissions, and reduces odors and other hazards associated with emissions. This year’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program () winning projects will avoid the emissions of 546,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, the equivalent of annual GHG emissions from nearly 100,000 passenger vehicles.

EPA’s LMOP has assisted with more than 450 LFG energy projects over the past 15 years. The United States currently has about 509 operational LFG energy projects. The LFG electricity generation projects have a capacity of 1,563 megawatts (MW) and provide the energy equivalent of powering more than 920,000 homes annually.

The direct-use projects provide an additional 304 million standard cubic feet of LFG per day and provide the energy equivalent of heating more than 715,000 homes annually. Direct-use LFG energy projects do not produce electricity, but instead use LFG as an alternative to replace another fuel such as natural gas or coal.

LMOP is a voluntary assistance and partnership program that reduces GHG emissions by supporting LFG energy project development. The program also assists countries throughout the world in developing landfill methane reduction projects through the international Methane to Markets Partnership.

AEXCO Petroleum, Inc. Fined for Violating SPCC Requirements

EPA has fined AEXCO Petroleum, Inc., of Edmond, Oklahoma, $800 for violating federal Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure () regulations outlined under the CWA. A federal inspection of an oil production facility located at Country Road Hollow E 0080, in Turpin, Oklahoma, on October 20, 2009, revealed the facility’s SPCC plan was not certified by a professional engineer and the plan had inadequate or no prediction of equipment failure which could result in discharges. The inspection also found the SPCC plan did not discuss and the facility did not implement appropriate containment and diversionary structures. As part of an Expedited Settlement Agreement with EPA, the facility has provided certification that all identified deficiencies have been corrected.

SPCC regulations require onshore oil production or bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness, and responses to prevent oil discharges.

National Association of the Remodeling Industry Institutes New Lead Testing Law

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is making homeowners aware of a new law instituted by the EPA on April 22, 2010, requiring remodelers working in homes built before 1978 to test for lead and be certified to work in areas in the home containing lead using lead safety practices.

“Lead is harmful to both children and adults. In children, a tiny amount of exposure can lead to neurological damage, and in adults, lead inhalation can lead to hypertension, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and nausea among other symptoms,” says Bob Boothroyd, owner of The Boothroyd Group and an EPA Certified Renovator in Connecticut.

The EPA is calling for all remodelers who intend to work in pre-1978 homes to register their company and complete an 8-hour training and certification course with an accredited trainer. The course teaches remodelers how to safely contain lead in a home as it is being disturbed and reduce exposure to residents and workers.

NARI wants homeowners to know how to protect themselves from harmful lead exposure. If you know your home was built before 1978, you should ask your remodeler if they plan to test for lead.

“Consider it a red flag if a remodeler doesn’t mention lead if you live in an older home. Even though the law is not in effect until April, they still need to make homeowners aware of lead exposure,” Boothroyd says. He adds that current law requires that renovators give homeowners an EPA lead brochure and have it signed to signal that homeowners have been properly notified of the dangers.

If owners of a pre-1978 home decide to remodel, it is important that the remodeler identifies exactly where the lead is by using a lead test. From there tenants must watch to make sure remodelers are following three main safety procedures instituted by the EPA:

• Containing the work area—usually with heavy plastic and tape sealing all areas leading outside of the area.
• Minimizing the dust—by avoiding techniques that create greater friction, for example sanding tends to create more dust and increases risk of exposure.
• Clean up thoroughly—includes sweeping excess dust on a daily basis to minimize exposure. As a final step, remodelers should use a HEPA vacuum to clean up leftover lead particles.

Remodelers are obligated to prove their certification by displaying their lead-based paint license, certificate, or training certificate to homeowners. Note that each state also contains its own requirements in addition to the EPA, and the certificate should reflect the state in which the work is being completed.

EPA also recommends that homeowners have the remodelers specify what the final lead inspection entails. If a homeowner has any doubts about the quality of lead safe practices being conducted in their homes, call 1-800-424-LEAD.

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry. With more than 8,200 member companies nationwide, the Association—based in Des Plaines, Illinois—is “The Voice of the Remodeling Industry.”™ 

EPA Announces 4th Annual Rachel Carson Contest

The categories are poetry, photography, essays, and dance. The contest seeks to instill a sense of wonder for the environment among all generations and spur environmental stewardship.

Carson is considered to be the founder of the contemporary environmental movement through her landmark book, Silent Spring. Its publication is credited with reversing the nation’s pesticide policy.

Entries must be from a team of two or more persons from both younger and older generations. EPA is working with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., and Generations United to sponsor this contest.

The deadline for team entries is June 16, 2010. The winners will be announced in October 2010. The public will have the opportunity to vote among the finalists for the winners in each category.

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Trivia Question of the Week

Producing a single cheeseburger involves the emission of about how much carbon dioxide?
a. 1.3 kg
b. 3.1 kg
c. 31 kg
d. Almost none