The DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced a free, mobile web app of its 2012 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG). The new safety tool will provide the nation’s emergency responders with fast, easily accessible information to help them manage hazardous material incidents.
The mobile ERG will make it easier for firefighters, police, and other emergency first responders to quickly locate the information they need, thanks to an electronic word search function, and will ensure easy reading even during nighttime emergencies. The 2012 version of the ERG includes new evacuation tables for large toxic gas spills and standard response procedures for gas and liquid pipeline incidents.
“The first 30 minutes are the most crucial when it comes to responding to a hazmat situation,” said US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “The new app is both mobile and flexible, and gives first responders the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their communities in an emergency.”
PHMSA and the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Library of Medicine (NLM) joined forces in producing the two free ERG mobile applications.
“This invaluable tool improves the speed and accessibility to hazardous materials response information to those on the front line of accidents and incidents,” said PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman.
Chief Ernest Mitchell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s US Fire Administrator for the US Fire Administration, noted that the release of the 2012 ERG mobile app, “will provide essential tools to help first responders safely deal with hazmat incidents. I always found the ERG to be extremely valuable and believe that a copy should be in every emergency response vehicle and in the hand of every first responder in America.”
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DOT Issues Highest Pipeline Penalties Ever in 2012
In its push to ensure the nation’s pipeline companies continue to enhance the safety of their systems by investing in necessary improvements, the US DOT’s PHMSA has announced another record year in the number of enforcement actions it has taken against pipeline operators.
PHMSA issued 116 enforcement orders to pipeline operators in 2012, its second highest year, for problems with integrity management programs, qualified personnel, corrosion control, and a number of other possible regulatory violations identified during routine inspections and failure investigations.
“When President Obama signed the 2011 Pipeline Safety Act into law, it strengthened the Department’s ability to help promote a safer, more reliable, and capable American pipeline transportation network,” said US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Through a combination of education, preparation, and enforcement, we can all help prevent pipeline accidents.”
PHMSA issues enforcement orders to ensure pipeline operators address safety related issues involving their systems or components, in addition to pinpointing violations of federal pipeline safety regulations.
“These enforcement numbers are a direct result of improved internal tracking procedures and rigorous investigations and inspections of pipeline facilities by PHMSA field personnel,” said PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman.
PHMSA’s number of enforcement orders issued in 2012 is just four shy of the agency’s single year record of 120 in 2011. Since 2008, PHMSA proposed over $32 million in civil penalties and issued 509 enforcement orders to pipeline operators, constituting over 52% of all orders issued by the agency since 2002.
The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, was signed into law by President Obama. The Act doubled the maximum civil penalty amount PHMSA can issue to pipeline operators for violating pipeline safety regulations from $100,000 to $200,000 for each violation, and from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 for a related series of violations. The Act also authorizes PHMSA to increase its federal pipeline inspector workforce.
Both Houses of Congress Address Climate Risks
Recently Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced a partnership between both chambers of Congress to push for and defend stronger federal policies that will address pollution causing climate change.
In his inaugural address President Obama underscored the obligation we have to not just ourselves but to all posterity to respond to the threat of climate change, thereby elevating this vital issue to a top-level priority for his second term.
The following is a statement from Marty Hayden, Earthjustice Vice President for Policy & Legislation:
"In his second inaugural address, the President elevated the need to act on climate change as a clear priority for his administration over the next four years. We commend Rep. Waxman and Sen. Whitehouse for stepping up to support the President and keep our nation focused on this problem and its solutions.”
"Ultimately, our nation’s citizens, coasts, forests, waterways, and wildlife are all at stake. The longer we wait to meaningfully address the problem, the more the American people and future generations will suffer. Again, we applaud these Congressional leaders for seizing this moment and we look forward to working together with them and the Administration on solutions."
NACAA Urges EPA Administrator to Propose and Promulgate Tier 3 Rule
The National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson urging her to propose the Tier 3 vehicle and gasoline standards as soon as possible this winter and promulgate the final rule by no later than December 31, 2013.
Citing NACAA’s October 2011 report, Cleaner Cars, Cleaner Fuels, Cleaner Air: The Need for and Benefits of Tier 3 Vehicle and Fuel Regulations, and its June 27, 2011, letter to the Administrator, the association reiterated its recommendations that the Tier 3 program include vehicle standards model after California’s Low-Emission Vehicle III program and an average annual gasoline sulfur concentration of 10 parts per million or lower.
Among the findings presented in NACAA’s report and highlighted in the letter are that reducing sulfur in gasoline would not only enable the use of improved emissions control technology on new cars and light trucks, but also achieve an overnight reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the existing fleet on the order of about 260,000 tons, which is equivalent to taking 33 million cars off our nation’s roads in 2017 when the Tier 3 program begins. By 2030, Tier 3 would result in reductions in onroad mobile source emissions of NOx, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide of about 29, 26 and 38 percent, respectively. The additional cost to consumers would be less than a penny a gallon for the cleaner gasoline and about $150, on average, for a cleaner Tier 3 vehicle.
NACAA also notes in its letter that reducing emissions that cause air pollution is a zero-sum game: “If our nation foregoes, or dilutes, Tier 3 vehicle and fuel standards, states and localities will have no choice but to turn to other, more expensive, less cost-effective measures—for example, placing additional controls on stationary sources and small ‘mom and pop’ businesses and instituting transportation control measures—to garner the emissions reductions needed to attain and maintain clean air goals.” Further, the Tier program would promote innovation in the automotive sector and create jobs in the refining industry.
Hazardous Waste Violations Settled at Former Phillips 66 Refinery
Phillips 66 is the successor to ConocoPhillips Corporation, which owned the refinery at 4104 Post Rd. in Trainer. The facility was sold to Monroe Energy, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines in 2012.
Following two inspections in 2011 and 2012 by EPA and subsequent requests for information, EPA cited Phillips 66 for RCRA violations involving hazardous waste stored at the facility, including oil refinery hydrocarbon waste, chromium waste, heavy metal waste from batteries, and mercury waste from fluorescent bulbs.
The alleged violations included operating a hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility without a permit, failure to keep several hazardous waste containers closed except when necessary to add or remove waste, failure to update the company’s contingency plan following a change in emergency coordinators, failure to maintain hazardous waste management personnel designations and job descriptions, and failure to properly manage universal waste batteries and waste lamps.
The settlement penalty reflects the company’s compliance efforts, and its cooperation with EPA in the resolution of this matter. As part of the settlement, Phillips 66 Company has neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations.
Fines Exceed $800,000 for Kemira Group Subsidiaries’ Chemical Reporting and Pesticide Violations
The settlement with Kemira Chemicals resolves alleged violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), including the sale and distribution of an unregistered pesticide, the sale and distribution of misbranded pesticides, and pesticide production reporting violations. Under the terms of the agreement, Kemira Chemicals has corrected the alleged violations and will pay a civil penalty of $301,600.
EPA also reached an agreement with Kemira Water Solutions after an EPA inspection identified 27 violations of the Toxic Substance Control Act’s (TSCA) Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) rule for the 2006 reporting period. The IUR rule requires manufacturers and importers of certain chemical substances to report the production volume and location of each facility producing these chemical substances. The information collected is used to support risk screening and assessment and makes up the most comprehensive source of basic screening-level, exposure-related information on chemicals available to EPA. Kemira Water Solutions has since submitted the required information to EPA and will pay a civil penalty of $503,110.
Kemira Chemicals, Inc., and Kemira Water Solutions, Inc., are both subsidiaries of Kemira Group, a global chemical company with US headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
EPA Releases New Report on Children’s Health and the Environment in America
The report shows trends for contaminants in air, water, food, and soil that may affect children; concentrations of contaminants in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age; and childhood illnesses and health conditions. The report incorporates revisions to address peer review and public comments on draft materials released in 2011.
“This latest report provides important information for protecting America’s most vulnerable—our children. It shows good progress on some issues, such as reducing children’s blood lead levels and exposure to tobacco smoke in the home, and points to the need for continued focus on other issues,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Although we are encouraged by these findings, there is still much work to be done. By monitoring trends, identifying successes, and shedding light on areas that need further evaluation, we can continue to improve the health of our children and all Americans.”
Among the contaminants clearly linked to health conditions in children, key findings include:
- The median concentration of lead in the blood of children between the ages of 1–5 years was 92% lower in 2009–2010 compared to 1976–1980 levels. Although the majority of the decline occurred in the 1980s, consistent decreases have continued since 1999.
- The median level of cotinine (a marker of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke) measured in blood of nonsmoking children ages 3–17 years was 88% lower in 2009–2010 than it was in 1988–1991. In 2010, 6% of children ages 0–6 years lived in homes where someone smoked regularly, compared with 27% in 1994.
- The percentage of children living in counties where pollutant concentrations were above the levels of one or more national air quality standards declined from 75% to 59% from 1999–2009.
The level of knowledge regarding the relationship between environmental exposures and health outcomes varies widely among the topics presented in this report, and the inclusion of an indicator in the report does not necessarily imply a known relationship between environmental exposure and children’s health effects. The report provides data for selected children’s health conditions that warrant further research because the causes, including possible contributing environmental factors, are complex and not well understood at this point.
In the case of asthma, researchers do not fully understand why children develop the condition. However, substantial evidence shows exposure to certain air pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone, can trigger symptoms in children who already have asthma. Although the report found the percentage of children reported to currently have asthma increased from 8.7% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2010 and that minority populations are particularly affected by asthma, the severity of children’s asthma and respiratory symptoms has declined. The rate of emergency room visits for asthma decreased from 114 visits per 10,000 children in 1996 to 103 visits per 10,000 children in 2008. Between 1996 and 2008, hospitalizations for asthma and for all other respiratory causes decreased from 90 hospitalizations per 10,000 children to 56 hospitalizations per 10,000 children.
The report also looks at trends in other health conditions, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and preterm births, for which rates have increased. There is no conclusive information on the role of environmental contaminants in ADHD or preterm births, and additional research is ongoing.
The national indicators presented in this comprehensive report are important for informing future research related to children’s health. Children may be more vulnerable to environmental exposures than adults because children’s bodies are still developing. Children eat more, drink more, and breathe more in proportion to their body size; and their behavior can expose them more to chemicals and organisms.
This report includes 37 indicators of children’s environmental health to address 23 important topics. The expanded content reflects the latest research on children’s health issues and the availability of data for more topics. Each indicator and its supporting text were peer reviewed by independent external experts and made available for review and comment by the public.
Property Owner Found in Contempt for Failing to Clean Up Property
The state has won a contempt action against the former owner of a contaminated Bridgeport property for failing both to secure the property and to allow remediation efforts to continue as required by an earlier court order.
Attorney General George Jepsen and Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty said the Superior Court decision Thursday will help to protect area residents, Long Island Sound and the City of Bridgeport, which acquired the Crescent and Seaview Avenues property through foreclosure.
“The property owner agreed to the stipulated judgment approved by the court in 2011. The managing member cannot simply walk away from his obligations and allow the groundwater and ultimately Long Island Sound, to be polluted by hazardous waste,” Attorney General Jepsen said.
DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty said, the “court’s decision sends a clear message that individuals and companies who violate the state's environmental laws will be held fully accountable."
"The state will always vigorously enforce environmental protection agreements, particularly as they apply to former industrial sites in the state's largest and poorest cities, which often need our support to make certain they are enforced. I want to thank the Attorney General's office for aggressively pursuing this matter in the courts," Commissioner Esty said.
Esty, through the Office of the Attorney General, brought the contempt action against The Sergy Company, LLC, and its managing member, Bruce H. Sergy of Long Beach, California. The site is heavily contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a known carcinogen and persistent organic pollutant, and other toxic substances.
Since 2001, Magnetek, Inc., of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the successor to a former tenant at the now abandoned former industrial facility, has operated a groundwater extraction and treatment system. The purpose of the system is to capture and control PCB-contaminated groundwater from migrating into Yellow Mill Channel, which is part of Bridgeport Harbor, and then into Long Island Sound. When electric service was later cut off to the property in a dispute between The Sergy Company, LLC, and Magnetek , the remediation system was disabled, causing pollution of state waters. The state went to court to restore its operation.
The resulting stipulated judgment, approved by the court in August 2011, required The Sergy Company, LLC, to provide security to the site and to allow reasonable access to Magnetek to continue operation of the remediation system. According to the state’s contempt complaint, The Sergy Company, LLC, lost the property to foreclosure for unpaid taxes in June 2012 and the company was subsequently dissolved by Bruce H. Sergy. An inspection in October showed security was no longer being maintained on the property, which had been vandalized and further contaminated by a spill of epoxy.
Loss of the property and dissolution of the company did not discharge The Sergy Company, LLC, and Bruce H. Sergy from their obligations under the stipulated judgment, Superior Court Judge Salvatore Agati in Waterbury ruled Thursday, finding them in contempt of the stipulated judgment.
“The stipulated judgment entered by the court … is clear and unambiguous,” the judge wrote, and “does not reference or contemplate that the defendant The Sergy Company, LLC would be discharged of its obligation under the permanent injunction to continue to provide security to the property if it no longer owned the property.”
The decision noted that neither the company nor Sergy, as managing member, sought to modify the judgment because of any change in circumstances. Nor did they present any evidence at a hearing earlier this month regarding why or how they could not comply with this the court’s order.
The court ordered the former company and Sergy to take all necessary measures to secure all points of entry at the building and property; to clean up and dispose of the spilled epoxy; to restore the groundwater treatment system to operating condition; to install an audible, electronic security system to protect the treatment system; to arrange for round-the-clock monitoring of that security system and to pay all the monitoring expenses. Failure to comply could result in fines of $100 per day.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Dumping Paint
Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced that Todd A. Beans, 21, of Riva, Maryland, pleaded guilty to unlawfully disposing of cans of paint at various locations along Anne Arundel County highways. Anne Arundel County District Court Judge Shaem C. P. Spencer sentenced Beans to a 30-day suspended sentence and imposed a $500 fine. Beans was also placed on probation for one year and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
"We can protect the health and safety of our environment by properly disposing of pollutants such as paint," said Attorney General Gansler. "This is a great example of what happens when residents report environmental hazards and then state and local authorities respond together to address them."
On February 9, 2012, the Anne Arundel County Highways Department responded to three separate locations in the Riva and Edgewater areas for illegal dumping complaints. Crews arriving found a total of 109 containers of latex paint dumped on the travelled portions of the roadways. Labels on the containers indicated the distributors, through which the Maryland Department of the Environment's Emergency Response Division was able to identify the purchaser as being Cypress Paint Systems.
Investigation by the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) revealed that Cypress Paint Systems owners had hired Beans to transport paint that had become frozen to a local landfill. Beans returned to the office claiming that he had taken care of it and collected $150. After the company was advised of the dumping, Beans admitted that he was responsible.
Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Jay Robinson and ECU Chief Investigator David Williams for their work on the case and the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works, Bureau of Highways and the Maryland Department of the Environment.
Tiller Corp. is Penalized for Air Quality Violations
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has reached an agreement with Tiller Corp., Maple Grove, resolving air-quality violations at the company's sand-processing facility in North Branch, Minnesota.
The agreement covers the company’s failure to obtain required air-quality permits before starting construction of the North Branch facility in late 2011. Tiller Corp. has not yet begun operating the facility, so there have not been any emissions that needed to be covered by limits set forth in the permit. Nonetheless, starting construction without permits is a violation of state and federal air-quality laws.
Tiller Corp. operates a sand mine in western Wisconsin, and sought to build an industrial facility for processing and shipping sand in North Branch. Because the facility has the potential for air emissions above state and federal thresholds requiring air-quality permits, the company was required to apply to the MPCA for the proper permits before beginning construction but failed to do so.
The company first submitted an application for an air-quality permit called a Part D Registration permit in February 2012. Registration permits provide coverage for specific industrial sectors, to which facilities with lower emissions may apply to be covered under state rules. However, the application was rejected by the MPCA because the potential emissions triggered requirements for an individual permit under the federal Clean Air Act.
Both permits require project proposers to apply for and receive the proper permits before starting construction.
The company applied for an individual permit in April 2012, which the MPCA placed on public notice from November 8 to December 14, 2012. The MPCA is considering public comments received during the notice period and expects to issue the permit soon. Until the permit is issued, the company may not operate the facility.
To resolve the violations the company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $5,000 and perform a Supplementary Environmental Project (SEP) valued at not less than $14,800. The SEP consists of air monitoring for particulate matter at the site for a period of two years. Monitoring will be conducted for particulate matter of three different sizes—PM10, or particles sized 10 microns or less; PM4; and PM2.5. There are state and federal standards for PM10 and PM2.5 in ambient air. There are no current standards for PM4, however, that is the particle size of most interest to public health agencies concerned with potential health effects at industrial facilities where silica sand is mined or processed.
As the MPCA has dealt with public concern during the proliferation of silica sand facilities in the last couple of years, data have been lacking on particulate concentrations in ambient air at or near these facilities. MPCA officials said including the monitoring SEP as part of this enforcement action should provide data that will be very useful in permitting other facilities. It will also help measure whether the facility is impacting local air quality.
“This enforcement case provided a great opportunity to obtain monitoring data that the state needs to have assurances about the potential impact of these facilities on the environment and public health,” MPCA Industrial Division Director Jeff Smith said. “The company was quite willing to do it. They’ll conduct monitoring using MPCA-approved protocol for a minimum of two years, and will submit the data to us semiannually as part of their other required emissions reporting.”
When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violations affected the environment, whether they were first-time or repeat violations, and how promptly they were reported to appropriate authorities. Penalties also attempt to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. SEPS may be substituted for monetary penalties where the SEP can provide a significant environmental benefit to the state and the company is willing to undertake the project under MPCA oversight.
American Crystal Sugar Fined for Particulate Emissions
American Crystal Sugar, Co., Moorhead, has taken corrective actions to reduce air pollution from emissions at its facility in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.
The American Crystal sugar beet processing facility in East Grand Forks includes dryers, kilns, and coal- and natural-gas-fired boilers. A review of company reports from 2009-2011 by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff revealed that fine particle emissions from the kilns had exceeded permitted limits, equipment used to monitor emissions was out of service for extended periods, and the facility failed to record a number of daily inspections required for equipment used to monitor the air pressure on either side of filters that capture emissions.
In addition, some readings that were recorded showed pressure differentials across the filters that were outside the range allowed by the permit. These readings can indicate a problem that needs fixing to minimize emissions.
In addition to completing several actions to comply with the permit and reduce air pollution, the company has paid a $24,943 penalty to the MPCA.
Louisiana DEQ Takes Measures to Address Elevated SO2 Levels at Chalmette Monitor
On January 11–12, the Department of Environmental Quality used its Mobile Air Monitoring Laboratory to conduct additional air sampling in St. Bernard Parish. This effort was undertaken because the Chalmette Vista air monitor site has shown levels of SO2 above the new National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 75 parts per billion and as a result of recent odor complaints.
“It’s important for the facilities involved to be ahead of what could be a lengthy legal process to reach compliance with the new standard,” DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch said. “Although no facilities have been in violation of their permitted limits, the fact is that the one-hour standard is not being met. We will work with the local industry and federal partners to find the cause of these emissions and to reduce SO2 emissions in St. Bernard Parish.”
The MAML and the Chalmette Vista air monitor site showed elevated levels of SO2 that were above the one-hour standard. The MAML showed a one hour maximum reading of 362 parts per billion on January 12 when the wind was coming from the southeast. The MAML was located at the St. Bernard Port on St. Bernard Highway during this time. The Chalmette Vista air monitor had a maximum one-hour reading of 162.4 ppb with the wind coming from the south on January 11. According to the national Air Quality Index, these levels are considered unhealthy particularly for sensitive groups.
In 2010, the EPA changed the SO2 standard from a 24-hour average to a one-hour standard. St. Bernard Parish meets the 24-hour standard, but the parish fails to meet the new one-hour standard. DEQ has recommended to EPA that the parish be classified as non-attainment for the one-hour standard. Under the process outlined in the federal regulations, DEQ and the EPA will work together to develop a plan that will get the parish in attainment in the designated timeframe, which is five years after the effective date of the designation.
Prior to the mid-January sampling effort, DEQ and EPA had scheduled a planned inspection to occur in late January at the facilities in order to address the new standard. DEQ will conduct additional unannounced MAML monitoring efforts in several spots in St. Bernard Parish. DEQ staff is conducting an inventory of other possible SO2 emitters in the region.
Due to the number of elevated readings and the levels, the department is working with known SO2 emitters to address emissions before the legal timeline takes effect. The three facilities with the largest known SO2 emissions in the St. Bernard Parish region are Rain CII, Chalmette Refinery and Valero. As part of the attainment process, DEQ has met with representatives of all three facilities and discussed strategies the facilities are considering in order to comply with the one-hour standard. Additionally, the department has ordered the companies to provide operational and emissions data for dates in December and January when levels were above the one-hour standard. This two-pronged approach seeks to address short-term and long-term solutions.
Pennsylvania DEP Announces Comprehensive Oil and Gas Development Radiation Study
In the coming weeks, DEP will seek a peer review of its study plan and begin to sample and analyze the naturally occurring radioactivity levels in flowback waters, treatment solids and drill cuttings, as well as associated matters such as the transportation, storage, and disposal of drilling wastes.
DEP routinely reviews radioactivity data in wastes the oil and natural gas industry and other industries generate, and the information the agency has obtained to date indicates very low levels of natural radioactivity. This study, which is expected to take 12 to 14 months, is aimed at ensuring that public health and the environment continue to be protected.
“This administration is undertaking what will be the most comprehensive study of its kind anywhere, and Gov. Corbett has directed us to do so in order to be proactive for the future and to continue Pennsylvania’s leadership in responsible development of domestic natural gas resources,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “This thorough and rigorous study, which will focus on conditions here in Pennsylvania, is further demonstration that states are best suited to responsibly oversee the natural gas exploration and production activities taking place in our respective borders.
“DEP’s current regulations and monitoring networks are designed to protect the public from exposure to unsafe levels of radiation, and our regulations in this field have led the nation for years,” Krancer said.
The agency will collect samples of flowback water, rock cuttings, treatment solids and sediments at well pads and wastewater treatment and waste disposal facilities. The study will also analyze the radioactivity levels in pipes and well casings, storage tanks, treatment systems, and trucks.
Throughout the study, DEP will provide progress reports to its water, waste, radiation and citizens’ advisory councils.
Pennsylvania is the only state that requires, through regulation, that landfills monitor for radiation levels in the incoming wastes. Should waste trigger a radiation monitor, the landfill must use a conservative and highly protective protocol that DEP developed to determine if the amount and concentration of the radioactive material can be accepted. This protocol ensures that the materials, such as Marcellus Shale drill cuttings and other sources of naturally occurring radiation in the waste stream, do not pose a risk to public health during disposal.
Drill cuttings and other materials associated with oil and gas have occasionally triggered radiation monitors at landfills. DEP’s data indicates that less than half a percent of all drill cuttings produced by the Marcellus Shale industry in 2012 that were disposed of in landfills triggered radiation monitors. The cuttings did not contain levels of radioactivity that would be harmful to the public, and they were safely disposed of in the landfills.
In 2011, DEP announced the results of in-stream radiation water quality monitoring for seven rivers in Pennsylvania. The monitors were placed downstream of treatment plants that had been discharging treated Marcellus Shale wastewater, a now defunct practice as a direct result of DEP’s call to industry to cease delivery of wastewater to plants that were not equipped to fully treat it. The in-stream monitoring results showed that radioactivity levels in all seven rivers were at or below normal background levels and below federal safe drinking water standards.
In 2011, DEP also required 14 public water suppliers to report early the results of routine monitoring for radioactivity in drinking water. Such monitoring is required as part of the state’s oversight of public water supplies. Most results showed no detectable levels of radioactivity, and the levels that were detectable did not exceed safe drinking water standards.
DEP will work on the study with Perma-Fix Environmental Services of Pittsburgh, which has worked with the agency as a consultant on health physics and radiological issues and has assisted DEP for more than a decade with radioactivity monitoring and assessments.
The agency will consult with independent members of academia to peer review the project’s detailed study plan. Once the peer review is complete, DEP will publish the study plan on its website, where the agency’s proposal for the study is currently viewable.
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Trivia Question of the Week
Commercial buildings that earn EPA's Energy Star certification use an average of how much less energy than their non-Energy Star counterparts?
a. 13%
b. 25%
c. 35%
d. 65%