Some CFC Replacements Form Potent Greenhouse Gases

Some substitutes for ozone-damaging chemicals being phased out worldwide under international agreements are themselves potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) and contribute to warming. 

Specifically, when some chemicals widely used as refrigerants break down in the stratosphere—a layer in the middle atmosphere—under some conditions, they can form a potent GHG that lasts for up to 50,000 years, according to scientists from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder and the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder.

“This compound, carbon tetrafluoride or CF4, essentially lasts forever because there aren’t any known removal mechanisms in the atmosphere,” said James Burkholder, a research chemist at NOAA ESRL and lead author of the study.

Burkholder’s colleague Aaron Jubb, a CIRES scientist working at NOAA ESRL and now at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, did the laboratory work showing how CF4 can be made from some halocarbons, chemicals that include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and are substitutes for the more ozone-damaging chemicals that have largely been phased out. Jubb started with trifluoroacetyl fluoride—a compound produced in the atmosphere when some halocarbons break down—exposed it to short-wavelength UV radiation, and looked at the reaction products that formed. CF4 was one of those breakdown products.

The amount of CF4 produced by this photochemical process was shown to be a small fraction of atmospheric CF4; industrial sources are much larger emitters of CF4. Still, identifying this particular source of such a potent and lasting GHG is important, particularly since its production could continue to grow depending on which “parent” products are used by industry.

“We really need to understand the chemistry of the compounds we use,” Jubb said. “Even as we move towards shorter-lived halocarbons for industrial use, during atmospheric degradation they can produce a long-lived atmospheric effect.”

This work was supported in part by NOAA’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle, and Climate (AC4) Program and NASA’s Atmospheric Composition Program.

CIRES is a partnership of NOAA and CU-Boulder.

Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule

In the first major modification to the hazardous waste regulations in over 10 years, EPA plans to modify and reorganize the hazardous waste generator rule. When adopted, the rule will provide greater flexibility in how hazardous waste is managed and close important gaps in the regulations.

Attend Environmental Resource Center’s live, online session on November 16 to learn:

• New requirements for documenting hazardous waste determinations
• Revised requirements for when and how to submit the Notification of Generator Status form to EPA
• How to take advantage of the episodic generation exclusion to avoid reclassification to a larger generator status
• Definitions of important new terms – “Very Small Quantity Generator” and “Central Accumulation Area”
• How to mark containers, tanks, and containment buildings with new information required at central accumulation areas and satellites
• New conditions under which containers can be left open at satellite accumulation areas
• Updated time and volume limits for satellite accumulation areas
• New documentation requirements for contingency plans and biennial reports
• New requirements for shipping hazardous waste from a VSQG to another facility owned by the same organization

 

EPA’s Proposed New Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

EPA has proposed new flexible rules at 40 CFR 266 Subpart P for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals by healthcare facilities, long-term care facilities, pharmacies, retail stores, and reverse distributors. The rule is projected to prevent the flushing of more than 6,400 tons of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals annually by banning healthcare facilities from flushing hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the sink and toilet.

At this session on November 13, you will learn:

• The difference between creditable, non-creditable, and evaluated pharmaceuticals – and who must make this determination
• How the new rule will impact your hazardous waste generator status
• New “empty” definition for unit dose containers, syringes, and other containers
• Conditional exemption for DEA controlled substances
• Requirements for on-site storage
• Waste container management and labeling
• Accumulation time limits
• Sewer disposal prohibition
• Authorized disposal and other management options
• Impact of the new rule on household collection programs
• Manifest and alternative transport tracking documents
• Recordkeeping requirements
• Requirements for reverse distributors

 

Orlando RCRA and DOT Training

 

Charlotte RCRA and DOT Training

 

Wilmington RCRA and DOT Training

 

Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category

 

Steam electric power plants contribute the greatest amount of all toxic pollutants discharged to surface waters by industrial categories regulated under the CWA. The pollutants discharged by this industry can cause severe health and environmental problems in the form of cancer and non-cancer risks in humans, lowered IQ among children, and deformities and reproductive harm in fish and wildlife. Many of these pollutants, once in the environment, remain there for years. Due to their close proximity to these discharges and relatively high consumption of fish, some minority and low-income communities have greater exposure to, and are, therefore, at greater risk from, pollutants in steam electric power plant discharges.

The final rule, which becomes effective on January 4, 2016, establishes the first nationally applicable limits on the amount of toxic metals and other harmful pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge in several of their largest sources of wastewater. On an annual basis, the rule reduces the amount of toxic metals, nutrients, and other pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge by 1.4 billion lb; it reduces water withdrawal by 57 billion gallons; and, it has social costs of $480 million and monetized benefits of $451 to $566 million.

First California Cap-and-Trade Compliance Period Ends With 99 Percent Compliance

The Air Resources Board recently announced a 99% compliance rate by covered industries for the first compliance period of California’s cap-and-trade program. Cap-and-trade is one of several groundbreaking GHG emissions reduction programs begun under the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32).

“We are pleased and proud that California is showing the world how to make cap-and-trade work to reduce pollution and create jobs,” said Air Resources Board Chair Mary D. Nichols.

AB 32 sets the goal of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse pollutants by 2020 back to 1990 levels. The AB 32 programs will also serve as tools to help California reach Governor Brown’s midterm emissions target of an additional 40% reduction by 2030, and then 80% by 2050.

Total covered emissions in the first compliance period equal approximately 290.7 million metric tons.

The cap-and-trade program has three compliance periods under the current design. The latest report covers the first two years, 2013 and 2014. The next two compliance periods are three years each, with the second period running from 2015 to 2017 and the third period covering 2018 to 2020. The first period does not include emissions from transportation fuels.

Cap-and-trade covers emissions from utility and industrial facilities, which annually emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon, and entities that choose to opt in to the program. Those facilities must purchase either state carbon allowances or ARB-approved carbon offsets to account for their annual emissions under the annual emissions cap. The cap is reduced annually until the 2020 target is reached.

Each allowance or offset is equal to one metric ton of carbon dioxide. The August auction settlement allowance price was $12.52 per ton.

Carbon allowances are sold at quarterly, state-managed auctions. Carbon offsets can be purchased on the open market. Covered parties may use offsets to cover up to eight percent of their compliance obligation. Offsets are emission reductions in sectors not covered by cap-and-trade. They cost somewhat less than allowances and can be used as a cost-control measure.

California’s next carbon allowance auction is scheduled for November 17, 2015. 

New Low-Cost Battery Could Help Store Renewable Energy

Wind and solar energy projects are growing at a respectable clip. But storing electric power for days when the air is still or when the sun goes down remains a challenge, largely due to cost. Now researchers are developing a new battery that could bring the price of storage to more affordable levels. 

Today, lithium-ion batteries are the storage technology of choice for many applications, from electric cars to smartphones. And, it appears, saving up power for homes is next. For example, Tesla, the maker of luxury electric cars, is ambitiously expanding its lithium-ion technology to fill that niche and has already started rolling out systems to homeowners in a pilot project. But the $3,000 price tag for the pack itself plus installation costs put it out of reach for most customers. To make larger-scale energy storage more accessible, Maksym V. Kovalenko and colleagues wanted to develop an affordable alternative to lithium-ion.

The researchers started with magnesium as the battery’s safe, inexpensive, and high-energy density anode material and paired it with pyrite, which is made of iron and sulfur, as the cathode. The electrolyte—the electrically conducting component—contains sodium and magnesium ions. Testing showed that the resulting device’s energy density was close to that of lithium-ion batteries. It could get an additional two- to three-fold boost with further development of magnesium electrolytes. And because it’s made with low-cost materials, it could one day help support grid-scale energy storage, the researchers say.

EPA Settles with Anchorage Companies for Hazardous Waste Violations

 

“Compliance with federal hazardous waste rules helps companies protect their workers, their community, and their bottom line by avoiding costly fines.”

 

Both companies have agreed to settle the alleged violations and pay penalties. As part of this agreement, UIC Roofing will pay $59,724 and UIC Construction will pay $80,456 in penalties. The companies are both subsidiaries of parent company UIC Construction Services, of Anchorage, Alaska.

RCRA rules are intended to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally-sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA regulations require solid waste to be evaluated to determine if the waste is hazardous. Obtaining a RCRA permit prior to operating a storage facility is required to insure that hazardous waste storage facilities are operated to prevent harm to the environment or human health.

Settlements Ensure that Three Companies Comply with EPCRA

 The companies involved in these settlements are KT Acquisition, Worcester, Massachusetts; Suddekor, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts; and Laticrete, Bethany, Connecticut.

Suddekor, LLC, of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, will pay a penalty of $42,569 to settle EPA allegations that it failed three years in a row to report its use of a nitrate compound, as required by the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act (). EPA alleged that Suddekor failed to file the federal Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Forms for a water dissociable nitrate compound in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Once alerted to the problem, the company recognized the omissions and has taken steps to provide the required reports.

 The company filed the required information more than 200 days late.

The chemicals including ethylene glycol and lithium carbonate processed at the company’s Bethany facility in 2011 and 2013. Under terms of the settlement, Laticrete will purchase and donate emergency response equipment to the Bethany Fire Company, including computers that will allow for field access of chemical and emergency response information, monitoring equipment to perform field readings and monitoring of conditions during hazardous materials incidents, and for personal protection of emergency responders who might encounter hazardous chemicals in the field.

Failure of facilities to file TRI forms deprives local community members and officials of their right to know about releases and the presence of chemicals in the neighborhood.

Human-Caused Climate Change Increased the Severity of Many Extreme Events in 2014

Human activities, such as GHG emissions and land use, influenced specific extreme weather and climate events in 2014, including tropical cyclones in the central Pacific; heavy rainfall in Europe; drought in East Africa; and stifling heat waves in Australia, Asia, and South America, according to a new report released recently. NOAA scientists served as three of the five lead editors on the report.

“As the science of event attribution continues to advance, so too will our ability to detect and distinguish the effects of long-term climate change and natural variability on individual extreme events. Until this is fully realized, communities would be well-served to look beyond the range of past extreme events to guide future resiliency efforts."

In this year’s report, 32 groups of scientists from around the world investigate 28 individual extreme events in 2014 and break out various factors that led to the extreme events, including the degree to which natural variability and human-induced climate change played a role. When human influence for an event cannot be conclusively identified with the scientific tools available today, this means that if there is a human contribution, it cannot be distinguished from natural climate variability.

The report this year added analysis on new types of events including wildfires and Antarctic sea ice extent, and in one case looked at how land use patterns may influence the impacts and severity from precipitation.

Key findings for each of the assessed events include:

North America:

• Overall probability of California wildfires has increased due to human-induced climate change, however, no specific link could be made for the 2014 fire event
• Though cold winters still occur in the upper Midwest, they are less likely due to climate change
• Cold temperatures along the eastern US were not influenced by climate change, and eastern US winter temperatures are becoming less variable
• Tropical cyclones that hit Hawaii were substantially more likely because of human-induced climate change
• Extreme 2013–2014 winter storm season over much of North America was driven mainly by natural variability and not human caused climate change
• Human-induced climate change and land-use both played a role in the flooding that occurred in the southeastern Canadian Prairies

Around the World:

South America

• The Argentinean heat wave of December 2013 was made five times more likely because of human-induced climate change
• Water shortages in Southeast Brazil were not found to be largely influenced by climate change, but increasing population and water consumption raised vulnerability

Europe

• All-time record number of storms over the British Isles in winter 2013–2014 cannot be linked directly to human-induced warming of the tropical west Pacific
• Extreme rainfall in the United Kingdom during the winter of 2013–2014 was not linked to human-caused climate change
• Hurricane Gonzolo was within historical range of strength for hurricanes transitioning to extra tropical storms over Europe
• Extreme rainfall in the C?vennes Mountains in southern France was three times more likely than in 1950 due to climate change
• Human influence increased the probability of record annual mean warmth over Europe, NE Pacific, and NW Atlantic

Middle East and Africa

• Two studies showed that the drought in East Africa was made more severe because of climate change
• The role of climate change in the Middle East drought of 2014 remains unclear. One study showed a role in the southern Levant region of Syria, while another study, which looked more broadly at the Middle East, did not find a climate change influence.

Asia

Extreme heat events in Korea and China were linked to human-caused climate change

• Drought in northeastern Asia, China, and Singapore could not conclusively be linked to climate change
• The high west Pacific tropical cyclone activity in 2014 was largely driven by natural variability
• Devastating 2014 floods in Jakarta are becoming more likely due to climate change and other human influences
• Meteorological drivers that led to the extreme Himalayan snowstorm of 2014 have increased in likelihood due to climate change
• Human influence increased the probability of regional high sea surface temperature extremes over the western tropical and northeast Pacific Ocean during 2014

Australia

• Four independent studies all pointed toward human influence causing a substantial increase in the likelihood and severity of heat waves across Australia in 2014
• It is likely that human influences on climate increased the odds of the extreme high pressure anomalies south of Australia in August 2014 that were associated with frosts, lowland snowfalls, and reduced rainfall
• The risk of an extreme five-day July rainfall event over Northland, New Zealand, such as was observed in early July 2014, has likely increased due to human influences on climate

Antarctica

• All-time maximum of Antarctic sea ice in 2014 resulted chiefly from anomalous winds that transported cold air masses away from the Antarctic continent, enhancing thermodynamic sea ice production far offshore. This type of event is becoming less likely because of climate change.

“Understanding our influence on specific extreme weather events is ground-breaking science that will help us adapt to climate change,” said Stephanie C. Herring, Ph.D., lead editor for the report at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. “As the field of climate attribution science grows, resource managers, the insurance industry, and many others can use the information more effectively for improved decision making and to help communities better prepare for future extreme events.”

The report was edited by Herring, along with Martin P. Hoerling, NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory; James Kossin, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information; Thomas Peterson, World Meteorological Organization’s Commission for Climatology and formerly with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information; and Peter A. Stott, UK Met Office Hadley Centre. The report includes a global authorship from 21 countries. 

"AMS is pleased to collaborate with NOAA on providing the public with an accessible, peer-reviewed basis for understanding our changing world," said AMS Executive Director Keith Seitter. "Between the State of the Climate report earlier this year and now this annual Explaining Extremes collection, an ever clearer picture emerges of our advancing scientific capabilities to identify how climate change is affecting us."

New Online Tool Helps Promote Health through Transportation

The Transportation and Health Tool provides a single site for State and local transportation decision-makers and health officials to understand how their transportation system may affect health. For the first time, this site compiles data on how all States and communities are performing on a range of health-related transportation indicators.

“This tool provides transportation and public health officials with a starting point for a dialog on how transportation investments can help protect human health,” said Secretary Foxx. “We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to enhance our communities and improve health.”

The indicators help communities see how they perform in comparison to other States or communities on a variety of transportation measures that affect health. Walking, bicycling, and transit provide healthy physical activity, so indicators in the tool provide various measures of how many people are using these methods of transportation. Transportation decisions also affect the surrounding community, so several indicators measure an area’s housing and transportation affordability, and proximity to roadways with heavy traffic. Indicators also measure an area’s safety performance through road traffic fatalities and seat belt use.

After looking up State or local indicator results, users are directed to 25 strategies that States and communities can use to improve health outcomes through transportation investments, including by expanding walking, bicycling, and transit infrastructure, promoting connectivity, and improving roadway safety.

DOT and CDC are offering a webinar on the tool on Monday, November 9, 2:00–3:30 pm.

Removing Nitrogen from Groundwater Has New Ally: Anammox

USGS scientists have conducted the first-ever field measurements of anammox activity in groundwater, demonstrating that nitrogen removal from groundwater can occur through the action of naturally occurring bacteria. This research was conducted in collaboration with partners from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the University of Connecticut.

Anammox, shorthand for anaerobic ammonium oxidation, is a process carried out by naturally occurring bacteria that can simultaneously remove ammonium and reduce nitrogen oxides (such as nitrate and nitrite), combining the two to produce harmless nitrogen gas.

Over the past 100 years, humans have drastically altered the global nitrogen budget by fixing nitrogen gas from air to produce fertilizer in the form of ammonium and nitrate. Nitrate and ammonium are now prevalent fixed nitrogen contaminants that may be found in surface water and groundwater worldwide. Until fixed nitrogen is converted back to nitrogen gas, it remains as a potential water contaminant. Anammox and denitrification are the only two processes that can remove excess fixed nitrogen by chemically changing it back to nitrogen gas.

“Virtually all terrestrial and aquatic environments now contain extra fixed nitrogen from human activities, including groundwater, the planet’s primary freshwater resource,” said Richard Smith, a USGS research hydrologist and lead author of the investigation.

Discovered just 20 years ago in wastewater treatment systems, anammox has been studied since then in laboratory settings using enrichment cultures. Relatively recently, anammox was found to be ecologically important in marine and other surface water environments.

“Because anammox is a process that can supply its own organic carbon by fixing carbon dioxide,” Smith continued, “naturally occurring anammox bacteria are ideally suited for life in groundwater, where they could potentially be important for fixed nitrogen removal. While practical applications are still in the distant future, this process could be particularly important where groundwater is discharging to surface waters and coastal environments.”

Working at a carefully monitored USGS groundwater study site at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the research team found that anammox was active in the subsurface in a variety of geochemical conditions, even where groundwater ammonium concentrations were low. The rates of activity were relatively low, but anammox could potentially affect inorganic nitrogen concentrations in situations where groundwater residence times are sufficiently long.

The paper documents the competition between anammox and denitrification for nitrogen oxides and explores the effect of altered organic carbon concentrations on that competition. The results of this study indicate that anammox does occur in groundwater, that it can be an important mechanism for fixed nitrogen removal, and that it should be included when interpreting subsurface geochemistry and constructing groundwater nitrogen budgets.

EPA Requires ASARCO to Cut Toxic Emissions at 103-Year-Old Arizona Copper Smelter

Recently, the US Department of Justice and the EPA announced a settlement with ASARCO requiring the company to spend $150 million to install new equipment and pollution control technology to reduce emissions of toxic heavy metals at a large smelter located in Hayden, Arizona. The company will also fund local environmental projects valued at $8 million, replace a diesel locomotive with a cleaner model for $1 million, and pay a $4.5 million civil penalty.

The federal enforcement action targeted hazardous air pollutants, including lead and arsenic, and particulate matter (PM). With the controls in place, the hazardous air pollutants should be reduced by at least 8.5 tons per year, and PM emissions are expected to be reduced by 3,500 tons per year. The new equipment and controls will also slash the facility’s sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions by 19,000 tons per year, a reduction of more than 90%, according to EPA estimates. Currently, the ASARCO smelter is the largest source of SO₂ emissions in Arizona.

“The communities living near this century-old smelter will breathe cleaner air as a result of this landmark enforcement action,” said Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “As one of only three major copper smelters in the nation, it is critically important that the facility operate in a way that complies with federal law, minimizes harmful pollutants and safeguards public health and the environment.”

“This settlement will bring tremendous benefits to public health and the environment in Arizona for generations to come through dramatic cuts to harmful air emissions,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The requirements of this consent decree will not only bring ASARCO into compliance with the nation’s clean air law, but will also result in testing for lead contamination in area homes and improvements to nearby roads to further improve air quality.”

The company will also replace an aging electrostatic precipitator with a new, cleaner baghouse and inject high performance lime to reduce SO₂ emissions.

To reduce wind-blown dust from the facility, which contains varying levels of heavy metals, the company will implement an improved dust control plan, including the use of wind fences, upgraded water sprayers, and the installation of concrete pads. In addition, ASARCO will operate five ambient air monitors in and around the Hayden and Winkelman communities to track levels of pollutants, including arsenic, lead, and PM, and will make additional improvements to dust controls if levels are high.

The settlement requires ASARCO to spend $8 million to fund two environmental mitigation projects. Of this, $6 million will be used on a road paving project in Pinal County that will reduce dust pollution on local dirt roads close to the towns and benefit residents exposed to PM emissions. In addition, $2 million will be provided to the Gila County Environmental Health Services to conduct lead-based paint testing and abatement in homes, schools and other public buildings in the towns of Hayden and Winkelman.

ASARCO will spend approximately $1 million to replace an existing diesel switch locomotive operated at the facility with a cleaner diesel-electric switch locomotive. The project will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, which are precursors to the formation of PM_2.5, and GHGs.

Long-term inhalation exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with irritation of the skin and can affect the brain and nervous system. Exposure to lead can cause effects on the blood, as well as the nervous, immune, renal, and cardiovascular systems. Particulate matter, especially inhalable coarse particles (PM10) and fine particles (PM_2.5), can cause coughing or difficulty breathing, decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, and even premature death in people with heart or lung disease. SO₂ has also been linked to a number of adverse effects on the respiratory system, and SO₂ is also a precursor to the formation of PM_2.5. Fine particles are also the main cause of reduced visibility (haze) in parts of the United States, including national parks and wilderness areas. The PM_2.5 and SO₂ emission reductions achieved through compliance with this settlement will also serve to reduce visibility impairment owing to emissions from the facility.

Built in 1912 and expanded over the years, the ASARCO Hayden site is a copper ore processing, concentrating and smelter facility located adjacent to Hayden and Winkelman. The ASARCO plant includes a crusher, concentrator, smelter and tailings impoundment areas and produces 300 to 400 million lb of copper and over half a million tons of sulfuric acid annually. ASARCO is owned by Grupo M?xico, a Mexican consortium that owns Ferromex, the largest railroad in Mexico, and operates mines and smelters, including the one in Hayden, that make it the fourth largest copper producer in the world. The Hayden facility is one of three copper smelters in the United States, and the only one owned by ASARCO.

 

Elevated Particulate Levels Found in Air on Train Platforms at Chicago Union Station

 The concentration of PM_2.5 in air on the train platforms was 23–96% higher than concentrations recorded on nearby streets on the days that monitoring was conducted last summer. The study also found that the highest concentrations of PM_2.5 occur during rush hours. Higher particulate concentrations were found at the south platforms than at the north platforms, and particulate levels are highest near locomotives.

PM_2.5 is a mixture of small particles (2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller) and liquid droplets. When inhaled, fine particles can reach deep into the lungs and may enter the bloodstream. Inhaling PM_2.5 can cause serious health effects—especially for young people, the elderly and those with respiratory diseases such as asthma. Diesel exhaust from locomotives also contains carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, nitrogen oxides, and other harmful pollutants.

EPA studied air quality at Union Station over a three-week period during June and July 2015. Scientists used portable air monitors on publicly accessible platforms to measure concentrations of PM_2.5 in the air at various times between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. EPA took similar measurements at street level near the station. EPA conducted 64 platform tests and 35 background tests.

EPA is discussing the results of the study with Metra, Amtrak, and representatives of several buildings with ventilation systems that impact air quality at Union Station. Short-term options to improve air quality on the train platforms include optimizing the existing ventilation systems above Union Station and changing operational procedures. Long-term options include installation of additional ventilation systems and measures to reduce particulate emissions.

Park Bench Monitors Air Quality

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Myriad Botanical Gardens and the EPA will unveil an innovative air quality monitoring park bench during a special ceremony at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, 2015, at the Children’s Garden in the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

“Oklahoma City is honored to be chosen as one of only five cities nationwide to house a Village Green Station. This park bench is a great tool to get people, particularly children, interested in air quality and understand the importance of air quality in our everyday lives,” said DEQ Executive Director Scott Thompson.

The park bench, located within the Children’s Garden, is equipped with air quality monitoring computers and weather instruments that report up-to-the minute concentrations of air pollutants in the ambient air at the park

“New technology like the real-time air monitoring at the Village Green sites brings people closer to EPA’s work,” said EPA Region 6 Administrator Ron Curry. “We hope this site can be a gathering place for the community to learn about and engage with their environment.”

The air pollution sensors measure two types of air pollutants: ozone and particulate matter, both of which can be harmful to human health. Weather conditions monitored by the station include wind speed and direction, temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity, which are key factors for understanding local air quality trends. Data collected is available on a display near the bench and is streamed to the Village Green Project webpage for the public to view online. The data is reviewed instantly to ensure its quality and accuracy prior to it being displayed online.

“We are excited to partner with DEQ by providing a site for the bench installation in order for all ages to learn about and raise awareness for air quality issues when they visit our Gardens,” said Executive Director of Myriad Gardens Foundation Maureen Heffernan.

The Cheshire Medical Center Agrees to $200,000 Fine for Hazardous Waste Violations

Attorney General Joseph A. Foster and Commissioner Thomas S. Burack of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) announced that the Merrimack County Superior Court (Nicolosi, J.) approved a consent decree between the State and The Cheshire Medical Center, ("Cheshire Medical") resolving allegations of violations of the Hazardous Waste Management Act at Cheshire Medical's facilities in Keene, New Hampshire.

 

 

During the course of an inspection in May 2013, NHDES learned of Cheshire Medical’s past practice of shipping certain pharmaceutical hazardous wastes to unauthorized facilities. Cheshire Medical had self-corrected this violation as of January 2010. During the 2013 inspection, DES also discovered that Cheshire Medical failed to follow certain hazardous waste storage requirements and training requirements for employees at the hospital. Cheshire Medical quickly corrected all the remaining violations once identified by NHDES and was cooperative throughout the investigation.

The allegations against Cheshire Medical do not pertain to infectious waste, such as used needles. 

Requiring Drug Makers to Take Back Unused Pharmaceuticals

About $5 billion worth of unused prescription drugs get flushed down toilets, tossed in the trash or left in medicine cabinets across the US each year. These practices can contribute to a host of problems, including water pollution and drug abuse.

Katharine Gammon, a contributing editor at C&EN, reports that medication that washes down the drain or ends up in landfills can wind up in rivers, streams, and aquifers. This contamination could affect the health of wildlife and, ultimately, humans. As for prescriptions that sit unused in medicine cabinets, public health advocates say these drugs are in danger of getting into the wrong hands. Currently, national efforts to prevent these various scenarios involve one-day events during which people can drop off leftover drugs at police and sheriffs’ stations. But, say some experts, these programs are not convenient, and many people feel anxious about turning in drugs to law enforcement.

At least a few counties on the West Coast passed ordinances that require drug companies to install take-back containers at pharmacies and incinerate what they collect. The pharmaceutical industry mounted a legal challenge to the first rule passed in 2012 by Alameda County, California, but it was defeated. The county is now implementing its program, and more could be coming soon.

City of Industry Fined $5.75 Million for Water Quality Violations

 

The work resulted in the discharge of approximately 880,607 gallons (4,360 cubic yards) of river cobbles into the East Fork of the San Gabriel River.

Department of Fish and Wildlife and Regional Water Board staff observed alleged evidence of grading on the banks and bed of the East Fork of the San Gabriel River near the Railroad Car Bridge and nearby Arizona crossing in Follows Camp, which is owned by the City of Industry.

“The egregious nature of the city’s unpermitted grading activities in pristine waters designated as critical habitat is reflected by the liability proposed in this Complaint. Additionally, the city’s disregard for the regulatory permitting process is of great concern to the Regional Board,” said Regional Board Assistant Executive Officer Paula Rasmussen.

This section of the San Gabriel River is located within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, as designated by President Barack Obama in October 2014. The San Gabriel River is designated as a critical habitat for the federally-threatened Santa Ana sucker fish. Spawning typically occurs from mid-March to early June in shallow, coarse-bedded areas of streams and rivers, also known as riffles. City of Industry’s alleged unauthorized activities took place during the typical spawning period for the Santa Ana sucker.

Grading the riverbed flattens the riffles and removes a combination of gravel and rubble boulders used by the fish as part of its spawning habitat. Sediment discharges can cloud the receiving water, clog fish gills, smother aquatic habitat and spawning areas, and impede navigation.

The total of the Administrative Civil Liability Complaint is $5,758,791, and it will be heard before a Hearing Panel of the Regional Water Board on January 25, 2016.

 

Oregon Air Toxics Committee to Discuss Air Toxics Benchmarks

The Oregon DEQ is inviting the public to observe an Air Toxics Science Advisory Committee meeting to continue the discussion about a proposed approach for identifying an Ambient Benchmark Concentration for diesel particulate matter. The committee also will discuss toxicological information for n-propylbromide, phosgene, selenium, and styrene.

The meeting will be held at the Oregon DEQ Headquarters, 10th Floor, Room EQC-A, 811 SW 6th Ave., Portland, from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, November 18; 11:45 a.m.

 

EPA, California Notify Volkswagen of Additional Clean Air Act Violations

 This NOV is also being issued to Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America. These five companies are collectively referred to as Volkswagen (VW). The NOV alleges that VW developed and installed a defeat device in certain VW, Audi, and Porsche light duty diesel vehicles equipped with 3.0 liter engines for model years (MY) 2014 through 2016 that increases emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) up to nine times EPA’s standard. The vehicles covered by the recent NOV are the diesel versions of: the 2014 VW Touareg, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne, and the 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L, and Q5.

 The NOV covers approximately 10,000 diesel passenger cars already sold in the United States since MY 2014. In addition, the NOV covers an unknown volume of 2016 vehicles.

These alleged violations are in addition to the NOV issued on September 18^th and the ongoing investigation by EPA alleging a defeat device on certain 2.0 liter engines for MY 2009-2015 vehicles.

“VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law that protects clean air for all Americans,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for the Office for EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “All companies should be playing by the same rules. EPA, with our state, and federal partners, will continue to investigate these serious matters, to secure the benefits of the Clean Air Act, ensure a level playing field for responsible businesses, and to ensure consumers get the environmental performance they expect.”

 “Since then ARB, EPA and Environment Canada have continued test programs on additional diesel-powered passenger cars and SUVs. These tests have raised serious concerns about the presence of defeat devices on additional VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles. Today we are requiring VW Group to address these issues. This is a very serious public health matter. ARB and EPA will continue to conduct a rigorous investigation that includes testing more vehicles until all of the facts are out in the open.”

Following the September 18^th NOV issued for 2.0 liter engines, on September 25^th EPA initiated testing of all 2015 and 2016 light duty diesel models available in the US using updated testing procedures specifically designed to detect potential defeat devices. That testing led directly to the alleged violations covered under the NOV. The NOV is based on vehicle emission testing performed by the EPA’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, CARB’s Haagen-Smit Laboratory, and Environment Canada’s River Road Laboratory.

Affected diesel models include:

• 2014 VW Touareg
• 2015 Porsche Cayenne
• 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L, and Q5

November 2 Notice of Violation Details:

As alleged in the NOV, VW manufactured and installed software in the electronic control module of these vehicles that senses when the vehicle is being tested for compliance with EPA emissions standards. When the vehicle senses that it is undergoing a federal emissions test procedure, it operates in a low Nox “temperature conditioning” mode. Under that mode, the vehicle meets emission standards. At exactly one second after the completion of the initial phases of the standard test procedure, the vehicle immediately changes a number of operating parameters that increase Nox emissions and indicates in the software that it is transitioning to “normal mode,” where emissions of Nox increase up to nine times the EPA standard, depending on the vehicle and type of driving conditions. In other tests where the vehicle does not experience driving conditions similar to the start of the federal test procedure, the emissions are higher from the start, consistent with “normal mode.”

VW’s software on these vehicles includes one or more Auxiliary Emission Control Devices (AECD) that the company failed to disclose, describe, and justify in their applications for certificate of conformity for each model. Every manufacturer must apply to EPA for and be approved for a certificate of conformity for each model, each year otherwise it is illegal to introduce the cars into commerce. An AECD designed to circumvent emissions test is a defeat device.

The Clean Air Act requires vehicle manufacturers to certify to EPA that their products will meet applicable federal emission standards to control air pollution, and every vehicle sold in the US must be covered by an EPA-issued certificate of conformity.By making and selling vehicles with defeat devices and by selling vehicles with higher levels of air emissions than were certified to EPA, Volkswagen allegedly violated two important provisions of the Clean Air Act.

Nox pollution contributes to harmful ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. Exposure to these pollutants has been linked with a range of serious health effects, including increased asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses. Exposure to ozone and particulate matter has also been associated with premature death due to respiratory-related or cardiovascular-related effects. Children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing respiratory disease are particularly at risk of health effects from exposure to these pollutants.

VW may be liable for civil penalties and injunctive relief for the violations alleged in the NOV. VW will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations contained in the NOV.

It is Volkswagen’s responsibility to fix the vehicles’ emissions systems. Although these vehicles have emissions exceeding standards, these violations do not present a safety hazard for car owners and drivers and the vehicles remain legal to drive and resell. Owners of vehicles of these models and years do not need to take any action at this time. 

Southern California Companies Required to Protect Residents from Lead-Based Paint Dangers

The EPA recently fined two companies, Calspec Enterprises, Inc., and Waypoint Homes, Inc., a total of $46,550 for failing to comply with federal lead-based paint rules at several residential properties in Southern California.

“Lead-based paint is the main source of lead poisoning for children, which can cause learning disabilities and behavior problems,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA will take enforcement action against companies that fail to take the necessary steps to notify tenants or train workers to protect children, families and workers.”

Calspec Enterprises, Inc., (dba CalBath & Kitchen) is a general contractor located in Santa Ana, California, that performs residential bathroom and kitchen renovations.  EPA found that between April 2012 and May 2014, Calspec renovated three residential properties in Cypress, Newport Beach, and Norwalk without:

•  
• Assigning a certified renovator to the renovations and ensuring that all workers were certified renovators or trained by a certified renovator
• Maintaining required records documenting that warning signs were posted, work areas were contained, and a certified renovator performed post-renovation cleaning verifications

Waypoint Homes, Inc., located in Oakland, California, is one of the largest lessors of single-family homes in the United States.  As a result of this violation of the lead-based paint Disclosure rule, Waypoint has paid a fine of $25,340.

Recently, EPA has also taken action against three additional Southern California companies. USS Cal Builders, Inc., located in Stanton, California, has paid a $1,000 penalty for violating the RRP rule. ColFin AI-CA 4, LLC, a subsidiary of Colony American Homes based in Santa Monica, and Port Street Realty Corporation located in San Juan Capistrano, California, have penalties totaling $4,690 for violating the Disclosure rule.

 The Disclosure rule also requires that persons and entities who sell or rent housing built before 1978 must provide an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet; include lead notification language in sales and rental forms; disclose any known lead-based paint hazards and provide reports to buyers or renters; allow a lead inspection or risk assessment by home buyers; and maintain records certifying compliance with applicable federal requirements for three years.

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips. When companies fail to follow the lead-safe practices during home renovations, the resulting lead dust and chips can contaminate home surfaces. Exposure to such contamination thru hand-to-mouth activities or inhalation can result in the lead poisoning of children, families, and workers.

Contractors who disturb painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities must be trained and certified, provide educational materials to residents, and follow safe work practices. The US banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978 but EPA estimates that more than 37 million older homes in the US still have lead-based paint.

Lead exposure is more dangerous to children than adults because children’s growing bodies absorb more lead, and their brain and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead, which include: behavior and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems, and diminished IQ.

 

 

 

EPA Enforcement Helps Protect Children in New Haven from Lead Paint Hazards

 

With strong support from local and state public health agencies, this novel team effort involved concentrated federal inspections, trainings, outreach and enforcement in one area during the summer of 2014. Due to its success, this focused initiative was repeated in Nashua, New Hampshire, this past spring and will likely be replicated in other communities in New England and elsewhere burdened by high rates of childhood lead poisoning.

“Our targeted work to reduce the threat of lead poisoning in New Haven will help protect the public, and children in particular,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “We already see evidence of increased compliance, and we hope to see better-educated parents and homeowners demanding safer home renovations for their families.”

Over a several week period during the time of year when home renovation projects often occur, EPA conducted 49 inspections to assess whether contractors were complying with the lead pain