EPA to Cut Carbon Pollution from Aircraft

EPA announced recently that it has begun a domestic rulemaking process to determine whether the fast-growing carbon emissions from American aircraft endanger public health and welfare. The agency expects to issue a proposed finding by late April 2015, along with a notice describing international efforts to set aircraft carbon emission standards by 2016.

In response to an earlier lawsuit by the Center, Friends of the Earth and others, a federal judge ruled three years ago that the EPA must address aviation’s carbon emissions.

“We are delighted that the EPA has finally taken the first step to reduce the airline industry’s massive and ever-increasing greenhouse gas pollution, a dangerous threat to our climate,” said Vera Pardee, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “After nearly two decades of inaction, we don’t know if the international community will issue meaningful carbon emission standards by 2016. But the good news is that the EPA must, and will, act—despite international foot-dragging. That reality may even lead to the first enforceable aircraft climate change treaty the world has known.”

Dramatic aviation emission reductions are readily achievable, a recent International Council on Clean Transportation report shows, despite the airline industry’s claim that fuel costs already forces airlines to operate as efficiently as possible. The report found a 26% gap between the most and least fuel-efficient airlines serving America’s domestic market.

“EPA’s action today gets us on the right track to tackle the carbon output of the aviation industry—a sector that has flown beneath the radar and not received the scrutiny it merits,” added Friends of the Earth analyst John Kaltenstein. “A good deal of work lies ahead for the agency, though, and we’ll see moving forward if it has the resolve to make a real impact, or if this effort is more show than substance.”

Aviation accounts for about 11% of carbon dioxide emissions from the US transportation sector and is one of the fastest-growing sources of carbon pollution, rising between 3% to 5% a year. Carbon emissions from global aviation will quadruple by mid-century without action.

”EPA’s announcement is good news for the climate and for the rule of law,” said Martin Wagner, a managing attorney with Earthjustice. “It is important, however, that EPA not let ICAO foot-dragging or industry resistance slow its process or weaken the standards it adopts. EPA has a statutory responsibility to regulate global warming pollution, and the authority to do so in a manner that will substantially reduce those that come from aircraft.”

Training on New Rules for Lithium Battery Shipments

These changes are designed to ensure that lithium cells and batteries are able to withstand normal transportation conditions and are packaged to reduce the possibility of damage that could lead to an unsafe situation.

 

• Enhance packaging and hazard communication requirements for lithium batteries transported by air
• Replace equivalent lithium content with Watt-hours for lithium ion cells and batteries
• Adopt separate shipping descriptions for lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries
• Revise provisions for the transport of small and medium lithium cells and batteries including cells and batteries packed with, or contained in, equipment
• Revise the exceptions for small cells and batteries in air transportation
• Revise the requirements for the transport of lithium batteries for disposal or recycling
• Harmonize the provisions for the transport of low production and prototype lithium cells and batteries with the ICAO Technical Instructions and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
• Adopt new provisions for the transport of damaged, defective, and recalled lithium batteries

If you ship batteries by ground or air, you must comply with the latest DOT and IATA/ICAO regulations that specify how the batteries must be packaged, marked, labeled, and transported. The rules apply not only to batteries, but also to equipment or vehicles that contain batteries as well as batteries packed along with equipment. Virtually all types of batteries are regulated, including lithium, lead-acid, nickel cadmium, and metal hydride alkaline. According to 49 CFR 172.704, all personnel involved in the classification, packaging, marking, labeling, or shipment of batteries must receive initial and recurrent transportation training.

 

Columbus RCRA and DOT Training

 

San Antonio RCRA and DOT Training

 

Chicago RCRA and DOT Training

 

EPA’s New Solvent Wipe, Shop Towel Rule Demystified

 

• Does the rule apply to both cloth and paper wipes and rags?
• What solvents can be on the towels, and which are prohibited?
• Does the rule also apply to towels that contain characteristic hazardous waste?
• Can P or U-listed wastes be on the towels?
• How must the towels be stored on-site?
• Do they need to be tested for anything?
• How long can they be stored?
• How must the containers be marked or labeled?
• How must they be prepared for transportation?
• Where can you ship them and what are the disposal and recycling options?
• What are the documentation requirements?
• How is the new rule impacted by current state regulations?

 

DOT Wants Your Input on Revisions to the Emergency Response Guidebook

The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is accepting input on ways to improve the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) as it develops the 2016 version (ERG2016), particularly from those who have experience using the ERG. The ERG is for use by emergency services personnel to provide guidance for initial response to hazardous materials incidents. The development of the ERG2016 is a joint effort involving the transportation agencies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Washington Creates Searchable Toxic Chemicals in Consumer Products Database

 

Products in the database so far include children’s and baby’s items, clothing, personal care items, and toys. Information on more product types, such as children’s upholstered furniture, electrical and electronic items, and office and art supplies, will be added in the future.

Tests show most manufacturers are following laws regulating the use of toxic chemicals.

Ecology also tests products to verify manufacturers are following state laws:

Ecology compares what manufacturers report with their product testing results.)

• Toxics in packaging
• Better Brakes
• Bans on polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants in a wide array of uses, bisphenol A (BPA) in sports and children’s bottles, and copper in antifouling paints for recreational boats.

The presence of a chemical in a product does not necessarily mean it’s unsafe. However, when the widespread use of chemicals in everyday products combines with other sources, it all adds up to a significant problem. Toxic chemicals, especially long-lasting ones that build up over time, are found everywhere—in our air, land, water, and bodies.

Testing products is just one piece of a much larger toxics puzzle. This work will help achieve Governor Inslee’s Clean Water Initiative to update water quality standards and reduce the use of toxic chemicals.

Josh Grice, research analyst on the project, can also be contacted at 360-407-6786 to answer questions.

People interested in Ecology’s work on toxics are encouraged to follow the ECOconnect blog series Tackling Toxics. The series provides in-depth coverage of product testing and other actions the agency is taking to reduce toxic threats in Washington.

EPA Blog: Mapping the Truth

Since releasing a proposal in March to better protect clean water, there have been some questions raised in the press, most recently about maps that use data developed by the US Geological Survey and the Fish & Wildlife Service and show locations and flow patterns of many of the nation's waterways. EPA announced that the Agency wants people to have the facts about their proposal to protect clean water and the critical nature of streams and wetlands to our health, communities, and economy. According to EPA, the Agency has already worked to ditch many of the myths and misunderstandings in circulation relating to their effort to protect clean water. Now, the Agency is publishing in its blog what it says is the truth about these maps."

 

Significant New Use Rules

 Seventeen of these chemical substances are subject to TSCA section 5(e) consent orders issued by EPA. This action requires those who intend to manufacture or process any of these 36 chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this final rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. The required notification provides EPA with the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if necessary, to prohibit or limit that activity before it occurs.

The substances subject to the SNUR include:

• Substituted picolinate (generic)
• Lithium metal phosphate (generic)
• Siloxanes and Silicones, di-Me, polymers with Ph silsesquioxanes, hydrolyzed, reaction products with 2-[[3- (trimethoxysilyl)propoxy]methyl]oxirane
• 1,2-Cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, 1-(2-ethylhexyl) 2- (2-methylpropyl) ester
• Phenol and vinyltoluene based hydrocarbon resin (generic)
• Modified polyisocyanates (generic)
• Diisocyanate terminated polycarbodiimide (generic)
• Reaction product of aluminum hydroxide and modified alkoxysilane (generic)
• Multi-walled carbon nanotube (generic)
• Multi-walled carbon nanofibers (generic)
• Modified lithium iron phosphates (generic)
• MDI modified polyalkylene glycol adipate polyester
• (generic)
• Carbide derived nanocarbon (generic)
• Hexanedioic acid, polymer with polyether polyol, 1,1'-methylenebis[4-isocyanatobenzene] and dihydroxydialkyl ether (generic)
• Hexanedioic acid, polymer with .alpha.-hydro-.omega.- hydroxypoly[oxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl)],1,1'-methylenebis[4- isocyanatobenzene], dihydroxydialkyl ether and dialkanol ether (generic)
• Hexanedioic acid, polymer with .alpha.-hydro-.omega.- hydroxypoly[oxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl)],1,1'- methylenebis[isocyanatobenzene], dihydroxydialkyl ether and dialkanol ether (generic)
• Hexanedioic acid, polymer with .alpha.-hydro-.omega.- hydroxypoly[oxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl)],1,1'-methylenebis[4- isocyanatobenzene], dihydroxydialkyl ether, reaction products with dialkylcarbinol (generic)
• Hexanedioic acid, polymer with .alpha.-hydro-.omega.- hydroxypoly[oxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl)],1,1'-methylenebis[4- isocyanatobenzene], dihydroxydialkyl ether reaction products with dialkylcarbinol (generic)
• Castor oil, polymer with hydrogenated vegetable oil, 1,1'-methylenebis[isocyanatobenzene] and isocyanate (generic)
• 2-Oxepanone, polymer with 1,6-diisocyanatohexane, 2,2- dimethyl-1,3-propanediol and 2,2'-oxybis[ethanol]
• Poly(oxy-1,4-butanediyl), -hydro-hydroxy-, polymer with alkyldiisocyanates (generic)
• Aliphatic diisocyanate adduct with substituted amino alkyl silane (generic)

Ohio Adopts New Nitrogen Dioxide Standards

. These amended rules contain requirements for how Ohio EPA will monitor for Nitrogen Oxides as part of Ohio's State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the attainment and maintenance of the national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS).

The amendments were made as part of a review to fulfill the requirements of ORC 119.032 (5-yr review). The Director's order of adoption was issued on Friday, August 29, 2014. These adopted rules will become effective on Monday, September 8, 2014. The Director's action in this matter is pursuant to the procedural requirements of Ohio Revised Code Chapter 119 and is based on the record of the public hearing conducted by Ohio EPA on June 27, 2014.

For further information on the rule, contact Paul Braun, Ohio EPA, Division of Air Pollution Control, Lazarus Government Center, PO Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049 or call Paul Braun at 614-644-3734.

Washington Crab Producers Inc. Fined for Community Right-to-Know Violations

During that time, they failed to file the required emergency and hazardous chemical inventory forms on time with the state emergency response commission, the local emergency planning committee, and the local fire department, as required by law.

According to Kelly McFadden, Manager of EPA’s Pesticides and Toxics Enforcement program in Seattle, Washington, diligent reporting at facilities handling large amounts of toxic and hazardous chemicals can save lives by aiding in community planning and emergency responses.

"Accidents can and do happen," said EPA’s McFadden. "When responders arrive at a facility, they need to know what they’re dealing with to stay safe. We’re trying to prevent a serious industrial accident from becoming a community tragedy."

According to legal documents filed with the case, Washington Crab Producers, Inc., has since corrected the violations.

EPA Approves Carbon Sequestration Permits in Central Illinois

The EPA has approved permits allowing the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc., to inject carbon dioxide deep underground near Jacksonville, Illinois. This process—known as “carbon sequestration”—is a means of storing carbon dioxide, a GHG that contributes to climate change. These four identical permits are the nation’s first Class VI underground injection permits for carbon sequestration.The captured carbon dioxide would then be transported and injected deep underground via the four proposed wells, which would be constructed in Morgan County. FutureGen’s goal is to capture and inject 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year for 20 years. Sequestering 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year is the equivalent of eliminating carbon emissions from 232,000 cars.

EPA completed a technical review of the permits and responded to over 280 public comments before approving the permits. FutureGen can begin drilling the wells next month in preparation for injecting liquefied carbon dioxide. The four wells will be drilled from the same location to a depth of approximately 4,000 feet underground. FutureGen must demonstrate the integrity of the wells before injecting carbon dioxide and conduct extensive monitoring at the location.

Trans Energy Inc. to Pay $3 Million and Restore Streams and Wetlands

 

Trans Energy will pay a penalty of $3 million to be divided equally between the federal government and WVDEP. 

“As part of our commitment to safe development of domestic energy supplies, EPA is working to protect wetlands and local water supplies on which communities depend,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By enforcing environmental laws, we’re helping to ensure a level playing field for responsible businesses."

“Today’s agreement requires that Trans Energy take important steps to comply with state and federal laws that are critical to protecting our nation’s waters, wetlands and streams,” said Sam Hirsch, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We will continue to ensure that the development of our nation’s domestic energy resources, including through the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques, complies with the Clean Water Act and other applicable federal laws.”

Among other requirements, the company will work to ensure that all aquatic resources are identified prior to starting work on future projects in West Virginia, and that appropriate consideration is given at the design stage to avoid and minimize impacts to aquatic resources. It is estimated that Trans Energy will spend more than $13 million to complete the restoration and mitigation work required by the consent decree.

The federal government and WVDEP allege that the company impounded streams and discharged sand, dirt, rocks and other materials into streams and wetlands without a federal permit to construct well pads, impoundments, road crossings, and other facilities related to natural gas extraction. The government alleges the violations impacted approximately 13,000 linear feet of stream and more than an acre of wetlands.

Filling wetlands illegally and damming streams can result in serious environmental consequences. Streams, rivers, and wetlands benefit the environment by reducing flood risks, filtering pollutants, recharging groundwater and drinking water supplies, and providing food and habitat for aquatic species.

EPA discovered the violations in 2011 and 2012 through information provided by WVDEP and the public, and through routine field inspections. In summer 2014, the company conducted an internal audit and ultimately disclosed to EPA alleged violations at eight additional locations, which are also being resolved through this Consent Decree.

The settlement also resolves alleged violations of state law brought by WVDEP.

The consent decree has been lodged in the Northern District of West Virginia and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval.

Costco Fined $335,000 for Failure to Repair Leaking Refrigeration Equipment

Costco Wholesale Corporation, one of the nation’s largest retailers, has agreed to cut its emissions of ozone-depleting and GHGs from leaking refrigeration equipment at more than half of its stores nationwide.

 

“Because of this settlement, Costco will cut its future greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to nearly 200 million pounds of carbon dioxide, supporting our efforts to cut greenhouse gases nationwide,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Investing in better equipment and maintenance to stop wasteful refrigerant leaks is good for our environment and good for business.”

“Compliance with the nation’s Clean Air Act is key to protecting all Americans from air pollution that damages our atmosphere and changes our climate,” said Sam Hirsch, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Industry needs to lead the way in abandoning harmful chemicals in favor of using and developing greener, environmentally friendly alternatives to protect our health and our climate.”

Costco violated the Clean Air Act by failing to promptly repair refrigeration equipment leaks of the refrigerant R-22, a powerful ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbon, between 2004 and 2007. Costco also failed to keep adequate records of the servicing of its refrigeration equipment to prevent harmful leaks. Destroying the ozone layer results in dangerous amounts of cancer-causing ultraviolet solar radiation striking the earth, increasing skin cancers and cataracts. R-22 is also a potent GHG with 1,800 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide or CO₂.

The settlement requires Costco to retrofit or replace commercial refrigeration equipment at 30 of its stores to reduce ozone-depleting and GHG emissions. Costco must also implement a refrigerant management system to prevent and repair coolant leaks and reduce its corporate-wide average leak rate at least 20% by 2017. In addition, Costco will install and operate environmentally friendly glycol refrigeration systems and centrally monitored refrigerant leak detection systems at all new stores.

The recent settlement is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful air pollution from the largest sources of emissions. The Clean Air Act requires owners or operators of commercial refrigeration equipment that use over 50 lb of ozone-depleting refrigerants and have an annual leak rate over 35% to repair all leaks within 30 days.

 

Costco, headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, operates 466 stores in the US and additional stores worldwide, with revenues of $105.2 billion in 2013. The settlement covers 274 Costco stores with regulated commercial refrigeration equipment, including 67 stores in California, 14 in Arizona, 5 in Nevada, and 4 in Hawaii.

 

EPA, ODEQ Settle with JELD-WEN Millworks for Clean Air Act Violations

JELD-WEN’s Millworks Manufacturing-Thomas Lumber facility (JELD-WEN) in Klamath Falls, Oregon has settled with the EPA and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for alleged air quality violations. Headquartered in Klamath Falls, Oregon, JELD-WEN employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide and has manufacturing and distribution locations across the United States and in more than 20 countries.

“By meeting its financial obligations under today’s settlement, JELD-WEN is investing in the health and welfare of people who live, work and play near this facility.”

In addition to paying a $108,000 civil penalty to EPA and a $48,000 civil penalty to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, JELD-WEN will perform a major Supplemental Environmental Project by providing $444,000 to implement a local woodstove change-out program in the Klamath Falls area and the nearby town of Chiloquin to replace older, non-certified wood-burning stoves in the community with appliances that use cleaner fuels such as natural gas or new, certified wood-burning stoves. 

EPA alleged numerous violations of JELD-WEN’s air operating permit, primarily in 2008 through 2010, relating to opacity (an indicator of particulate matter), deviation reporting, compliance certification and monitoring. Also as part of the recent action, JELD-WEN is concurrently resolving the same violations with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

Owners of Buffalo-Area Gas Stations Ordered to Pay $290,000 in Penalties

The owners and operators of four gasoline stations in the Buffalo, New York area have been ordered to pay the EPA a total of $287,100 in penalties. In August 2012, the EPA issued a complaint to owners and operators of gas stations in Buffalo, Amherst, and Tonawanda, New York, alleging violations of numerous federal regulations aimed at protecting water from petroleum contamination. Three other companies named in the complaint, Qual-Econ Lease Co., Inc., MJG Enterprises, Inc., and Clear Alternative of Western NY, Inc. (d.b.a. G & G Petroleum), chose not to resolve the problems despite numerous attempts by the EPA and an Administrative Law Judge to resolve this case. These three companies have now been ordered by a judge to bring their gas stations into compliance with federal law and to pay the penalties within 30 days.

“Gas station owners will be held accountable if they fail to follow environmental rules that protect our water,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “When ground water is not protected from improperly maintained petroleum storage tanks, people and the environment are put at risk. All gas station owners must regularly monitor their underground storage tanks to prevent petroleum leaks.”

Ground water is the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans. When petroleum or other hazardous substances leak from underground tanks, such leaks are difficult and expensive to clean, particularly if they involve drinking water.

The August 2012 complaint against these companies alleged that one or more of them failed to:

• Meet corrosion protection or other new standards for two tanks and seven fuel lines
• Conduct release detection every thirty days on eleven tanks
• Perform annual tests of automatic line leak detector systems for nineteen underground storage tanks
• Provide adequate equipment to protect against tank overfills for thirteen underground storage tanks
• Conduct an annual line tightness test or conduct monthly monitoring of underground pressurized piping for seventeen fuel lines
• Properly cap off two temporarily closed underground storage tanks
• Keep adequate records of release detection monitoring for three facilities
• Respond to a request for information for one facility

Baton Rouge Businessman Pleads Guilty to Environmental Crime

 DIES also admitted to the forfeiture allegations contained in the Indictment, which was previously returned by a federal grand jury in December of 2013. Dies faces a maximum sentence up to 13 years in prison and substantial fines.

According to the written plea agreement entered into between Dies and the US, Dies owned and operated Baton Rouge Tank Wash (BRTW), a business focused on washing the interior of tanks that hauled chemical and food-grade loads aboard trucks. BRTW was permitted to discharge wastewater resulting from the tank washes into the municipal sewer system, subject to certain requirements and limitations. From in or about March of 2009, however, through September of 2012, Dies failed to notify DPW that he had begun discharging third party wastewater, despite knowing that notification was required by his permit. Dies also failed to submit monthly and daily logs reflecting all wastewater discharged from the facility. Dies was asked about the nature of his business, on numerous occasions, and he routinely misled and/or made false representations, intended to conceal the fact that BRTW was accepting substantial quantities of third party wastewater. Then, in late 2012, as a federal grand jury investigation into the matter was underway, Dies provided the grand jury with false documents that had been created with the goal of disguising BRTW’s third party wastewater business. As the investigation continued, in February of 2013, Dies provided the grand jury with false testimony in which he represented that he had produced all documents that were responsive to the subpoenas, when, in fact, he knew that numerous responsive documents had not been produced.

US Attorney Green stated, “This office is committed to investigating and prosecuting criminal violations of the federal environmental laws. Such laws are in place to protect health and promote safety across our region, and compliance with the laws should not be disregarded as an administrative burden or tossed aside in an effort to maximize profit. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute fraudulent conduct, including in this important area of the law.”

“EPA and its regulatory partners depend on accurate self-reporting to help ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act,” said Ivan Vikin, Special Agent-in-Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Louisiana. “Despite orders to stop, the defendant continued his illegal actions and falsified reports to cover his tracks. This case demonstrates that those who knowingly put public health at risk can expect to face the consequences in court.”

“The individual charged in this case avoided paying over $24,000 in sewer user fees by under reporting the amount of pollutants discharged to the city’s sewage collection system,” said Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Peggy Hatch. “We take issue with any individual or business who side-steps compliance by under reporting in the name of profit. We will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure compliance and keep the playing field level for the people and businesses out there who willing to doing it right.”

Atlantic Richfield Company and E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co. to Pay for Arsenic and Lead Contamination

 

The yards in this neighborhood are contaminated with lead and arsenic through industrial operations that took place from at least the early 1900s through 1985. During that time, lead smelting and refining as well as other manufacturing processes that used lead and arsenic were located on and near the area that came to be known as the Calumet neighborhood of East Chicago. The cleanup will involve digging up contaminated soil, hauling it away for disposal, and restoring the yards with clean soil.

Under the settlement, EPA itself will do the work in the neighborhood. EPA will identify the yards that need to be remediated, will work with property owners to develop property‑specific drawings showing which soils on each property must be excavated, will do the excavation, and will restore the properties after excavation is complete. Atlantic Richfield and DuPont will pay for EPA’s work and will also be responsible for transporting the contaminated soil out of the neighborhood and properly disposing of it.

To manage the cleanup, EPA and the state divided the Calumet neighborhood into three zones. The settlement covers two of them: a neighborhood that includes the Carrie Gosch Elementary School and residences operated by the East Chicago Housing Authority and a neighborhood located between the Elgin & Joliet Railway Line on the west and Parrish Avenue on the east. Cleanup of the third area of the Calumet neighborhood is the subject of further discussions.

“Under this settlement, Atlantic Richfield and DuPont will fund the first phase of cleaning up historical lead and arsenic contamination in residential properties in part of East Chicago,” said Sam Hirsch, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This marks the start, not the end, of cleaning up the contamination that has burdened this community for far too long.”

“This settlement ensures that almost 300 residential properties, parks and public spaces in East Chicago will be cleaned up—and that the companies responsible for contaminating those sites will pay 100 percent of the costs for this phase of the cleanup,” said EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman.

“My office previously has worked through the federal courts in other cases to improve the quality of life for citizens of East Chicago,” said Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, whose office represented the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. “Under this appropriate cooperative effort between the state of Indiana and federal EPA, and with the commitments of the settling corporations, East Chicago residents will see progress made toward removing a health hazard and producing long-term benefit for their community.”

“This is great news for the citizens whose homes have been impacted,” said Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Commissioner Thomas Easterly. “Everyone wins when responsible parties come together and agree to do what is best for the community.”

The Calumet neighborhood is part of an EPA Superfund site known as the USS Lead Site. EPA previously investigated the contamination in this neighborhood and issued a decision calling for its cleanup.

In a complaint filed simultaneously with the settlement, the United States and the state allege that Atlantic Richfield and DuPont are liable under the Superfund law for the cleanup because they or their predecessors either are owners or were owners/operators of plants that released lead and arsenic into the environment.

The terms of the settlement are included in a proposed consent decree filed with the US District Court in Hammond, Indiana.  court approval.

Environmental News Links

 

Trivia Question of the Week

Ozone pollution in India kills enough crops to feed how many people living in poverty?

a) 4 million

b) 9 million

c) 49 million

d) 94 million