California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) presented its Green Gift Guide for the 2015 holiday season. All of this year’s selections are meant to give loved ones a gentle nudge toward sustainability. These environmentally conscious gifts will help recipients save money, protect our natural resources, and facilitate a greener 2016.
- Bicycle. An eco-friendly gift that doesn’t feel like one. Help a loved one get some exercise and eliminate their carbon footprint at the same time. If you live in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area, try one of the country’s best trails beginning at Anderson Point Park.
- Composter. Customize the size of this gift to fit the recipient’s space restrictions. Small tumblers or large bins keep food and yard waste out of landfills and provide mulch, potting mix, or a soil booster for the yard.
- Rain Barrel. Don’t waste a drop that falls from the sky. Rain barrels can help plants and grass get through the dry months.
- Reusable Containers. Water bottles, coffee cups, sandwich bags. Save money—and the earth—year-round by ditching the disposables. Don’t forget the cookie tins, flower pots, and baskets that can all be repurposed.
- LED Lights. Give a gift basket of bulbs or a new string of energy-efficient holiday lights. Many people want to make the switch but don’t want to spend the money; make it easy for them.
- Cloth Bags. Help loved ones ditch the plastic and realize the benefits of these multi-use bags. Shopping. Storage. Future gift bags.
- Rechargeable Batteries. Short-term cost, long-term gain. Help take the pain out of the initial purchase and give these batteries in a gift basket with a charger or as an add-on to an electronic purchase.
- Cloth Napkins. Use them to wrap a gift, or buy a bunch for a gift basket. This classy offering exudes sophistication and reduces trash.
- Experience Gifts. Tickets, gift certificates, memberships. This is the stuff that memories are made of—and it comes with zero waste.
- Commuter Pass. Help loved ones ditch the car for a day (or week or year) and buy them passes for the bus, light rail, or train. Think of the money—and eco-savings—with public transit.
- Plants. Give a gift that gives gifts. Live plants, fruits and veggies for the garden, or seeds can all be used as stand-alone presents or coupled with a gardening box or container for the green thumb in your life. Planting a live Christmas tree each year will help you start your own backyard forest.
Some suggestions that were not on CalRecycle’s list worth considering include refurbished electronics, gently used toys and musical instruments available on Craig’s list, sweaters, and blankets. Don’t forget to save gift bags and bows for next year.
Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule
In the first major modification to the hazardous waste regulations in over 10 years, EPA plans to modify and reorganize the hazardous waste generator rule. When adopted, the rule will provide greater flexibility in how hazardous waste is managed and close important gaps in the regulations.
Attend Environmental Resource Center’s live, online session to learn:
- New requirements for documenting hazardous waste determinations
- Revised requirements for when and how to submit the Notification of Generator Status form to EPA
- How to take advantage of the episodic generation exclusion to avoid reclassification to a larger generator status
- Definitions of important new terms – “Very Small Quantity Generator” and “Central Accumulation Area”
- How to mark containers, tanks, and containment buildings with new information required at central accumulation areas and satellites
- New conditions under which containers can be left open at satellite accumulation areas
- Updated time and volume limits for satellite accumulation areas
- New documentation requirements for contingency plans and biennial reports
- New requirements for shipping hazardous waste from a VSQG to another facility owned by the same organization
New Exclusions for Solvent Recycling and Hazardous Secondary Materials
EPA’s new final rule on the definition of solid waste creates new opportunities for waste recycling outside the scope of the full hazardous waste regulations. This rule, which went into effect on July 13, 2015, streamlines the regulatory burden for wastes that are legitimately recycled.
The first of the two exclusions is an exclusion from the definition of solid waste for high-value solvents transferred from one manufacturer to another for the purpose of extending the useful life of the original solvent by keeping the materials in commerce to reproduce a commercial grade of the original solvent product.
The second, and more wide reaching of the two exclusions, is a revision of the existing hazardous secondary material recycling exclusion. This exclusion allows you to recycle, or send off-site for recycling, virtually any hazardous secondary material. Provided you meet the terms of the exclusion, the material will no longer be hazardous waste.
Learn how to take advantage of these exclusions at Environmental Resource Center’s live webcast on December 12 where you will learn:
- Which of your materials qualify under the new exclusions
- What qualifies as a hazardous secondary material
- Which solvents can be remanufactured, and which cannot
- What is a tolling agreement
- What is legitimate recycling
- Generator storage requirements
- What documentation you must maintain
- Requirements for off-site shipments
- Training and emergency planning requirements
- If it is acceptable for the recycler to be outside the US
Wilmington RCRA and DOT Training
Cleveland RCRA and DOT Training
Raleigh RCRA and DOT Training
DOT Revises Hazardous Materials Regulations
The intended effect of this rule is to enhance the accuracy and reduce misunderstandings of the regulations. The amendments contained in this rule are non-substantive changes and do not impose new requirements.
EPA Pulls Registration for Dow’s Enlist Duo Herbicide Due to High Toxicity
Responding to litigation, EPA has announced it is revoking the registration of "Enlist Duo." Approved by the agency just over a year ago, Enlist Duo is a toxic combination of glyphosate and 2,4-D that Dow AgroSciences created for use on the next generation of genetically engineered crops, designed to withstand being drenched with this potent herbicide cocktail. In its court filing, EPA stated it is taking this action after realizing that the combination of these chemicals is likely significantly more harmful than it had initially believed.
This action resolves a year-long legal challenge filed by a coalition of conservation groups seeking to rescind the approval of the dangerous herbicide blend. EPA had approved use of Enlist Duo in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and North Dakota, and had intended to approve it in additional areas in the near future.
Earthjustice and Center for Food Safety, on behalf of Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Working Group, the National Family Farm Coalition, and Pesticide Action Network North America, had challenged EPA’s failure to consider the impacts of Enlist Duo on threatened and endangered plants and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Act requires that every federal agency consider the impacts of its actions on our nation’s most imperiled plants and animals and seek input from the expert wildlife agencies before plunging ahead, which EPA had refused to do.
"With this action, EPA confirms the toxic nature of this lethal cocktail of chemicals, and has stepped back from the brink," said Earthjustice Managing Attorney Paul Achitoff. "Glyphosate is a probable carcinogen and is wiping out the monarch butterfly, 2,4-D also causes serious human health effects, and the combination also threatens endangered wildlife. This must not, and will not, be how we grow our food."
Dow created Enlist crops as a quick fix for the problem created by "Roundup Ready" crops, the previous generation of genetically engineered crops designed to resist the effects of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. Just as overuse of antibiotics has left resistant strains of bacteria to thrive, repeated use of Roundup on those crops allowed glyphosate-resistant "superweeds" to proliferate, and those weeds now infest tens of millions of acres of US farmland. Enlist crops allow farmers to spray both glyphosate and 2,4-D without killing their crops, which they hope will kill weeds resistant to glyphosate alone. But some weeds have already developed 2,4-D resistance, and the escalating cycle of more toxic pesticides in the environment will continue unless EPA stops approving these chemicals, and USDA stops rubber-stamping new genetically engineered crops.
"The decision by EPA to withdraw the illegally approved Enlist Duo crops is a huge victory for the environment and the future of our food," said George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety's senior attorney. "We will remain vigilant to ensure industry does not pressure the agency into making the same mistake in the future."
"This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for EPA taking this important action to protect people, rare plants, and animals from Enlist Duo," said Lori Ann Burd, Environmental Health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "As we gather with our families for the holiday feast, we can all breathe a little bit easier knowing that EPA has protected our food from being drenched with this poisonous pesticide cocktail."
Judy Hatcher, executive director of Pesticide Action Network, commented: "EPA is taking a step in the right direction, but Enlist Duo shouldn’t have been given the green light in the first place. Too often, GE seeds and the herbicides designed to accompany them are rushed to market without thorough evaluation of their real-world impacts on community health and farmer livelihoods."
Louisiana Environmental Law Enforcement Training Workshop
An Environmental Law Enforcement Training Workshop will be held Thursday, December 3, 2015, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Wyndham Gardens, 1419 E. 70th Street, Shreveport, Louisiana, 71105. The workshop will be a unique opportunity to hear from federal, state, and local law enforcement regarding environmental crimes and environmental laws. Speakers will provide important information regarding the laws and actions regarding illegal dumping and burning, water pollution, littering, and air pollution.
The event is free and open to the public, but law enforcement officials, justices of the peace, constables, state and city prosecutors, elected and appointed officials, environmental managers, code enforcement officers, public works directors, and sanitarians are encouraged to attend.
The workshop is being hosted by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Enforcement Division and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s Criminal Investigation Division.
Five States and D.C. to Look at Options to Jointly Reduce Transportation Sector Carbon Emissions
The following is a statement by Kit Kennedy, director of the Energy and Transportation Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council:
"Today's announcement represents a tremendous step forward for cutting pollution while supporting clean transportation policies, including greater mobility options and less need for driving in these six localities. This groundbreaking announcement to pursue a multi-state strategy to cut transportation sector emissions also is significant because it represents additional clean energy leadership by New York this week and comes on the eve of the Paris climate talks where collaboration will be essential if we are to solve the greatest challenge of our time—climate change.”
On Monday, it was announced that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo would direct the New York Public Service Commission to adopt a requirement that 50% of the state's electricity come from renewable sources like solar, wind, and offshore wind by 2030.
More details on the multi-state initiative will be available from Deron Lovaas, director of state/federal policy and practice at NRDC’s Urban Solutions program.
Emerald Services, Inc. Fined $167,000 for Spill at Hazardous Waste Management Facility
The first penalty was for $68,000 after two spills of fuel oil/asphalt flux, one in October 2013 which injured a worker, and another in January 2014. The second penalty was for $99,000 for a pair of spills in December 2014, one caused by an overflow at a dangerous waste tank and the second involving a spill of dangerous waste solvent. Ecology has investigated more than 19 separate incidents reported by Emerald since February 2014.
Emerald appealed both penalties to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, which combined them into one appeals case. The settlement agreement resolves the case, with Emerald agreeing to pay a total penalty of $133,000.
“For companies whose job it is to handle other people’s dangerous waste, it’s critical to do so safely and without fail, and Emerald agrees with that expectation” said Darin Rice, program manager for Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program. “We expect a strong compliance effort from them moving forward.”
EPA Orders TCE Contamination at Former Toastmaster Manufacturing Facility be Addressed
EPA Region 7 has reached a settlement with the current and former owners of the Toastmaster small appliance manufacturing facility in Macon, Missouri, to address trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination on and around the property.
Spectrum Brands, Inc., the successor corporation to Toastmaster, Inc.; and Compton’s, LLC, which purchased the 10-acre facility in June 2012 and currently operates a retail outlet business in its main building, will be responsible for taking a series of actions at the site, according to an administrative settlement agreement and order on consent, filed by EPA in Lenexa, Kansas.
Under the settlement, the two companies and EPA have agreed that Compton’s, LLC, will perform work to address threats to public health, welfare or the environment posed by hazardous substances at the site, located at 704 S. Missouri Street in Macon. If Compton’s, LLC, does not perform the work as agreed, Spectrum Brands, Inc., would retain joint and several liability for the work. The work will include:
- Installation of a vapor mitigation system in the plant’s former manufacturing building.
- Conducting sub-slab and indoor air sampling at adjacent residences.
- If sampling indicates a need, the installation of vapor mitigation systems in residences to eliminate direct exposure to TCE vapors.
- Monitoring the effectiveness of any vapor mitigation systems that would be installed as part of the agreement.
EPA will oversee the work under approved plans to ensure that it is completed properly. The site was referred to EPA by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2014.
EPA expects that the work outlined by the settlement could take a year or more to complete.
Exposure to TCE vapor may cause developmental effects such as congenital heart defects, central nervous system defects, and small birth weight, among other health risks.
El Paso Natural Gas to Pay $500,000 for Cleanup Costs at Abandoned Uranium Mines on Navajo Nation
Recently, the EPA and the Department of Justice announced a settlement worth more than $500,000 with El Paso Natural Gas Company, LLC, (EPNG) to reimburse government costs related to 19 abandoned uranium mines located on the Navajo Nation, near Cameron, Arizona.
Under the settlement terms, EPNG will reimburse the EPA $502,500, based on its share of field investigations of historical uranium contamination. EPNG, owned by Kinder Morgan, Inc., is a corporate successor to two mining companies that operated in the area from 1952 to 1961. The company operates one of the largest natural gas-pipeline systems in the country.
“This settlement pays back federal dollars spent on the critical first steps in dealing with the toxic legacy of abandoned uranium mines,” said Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld of EPA’s Pacific Southwest. “EPA will continue to aggressively pursue private parties responsible for contamination at over 500 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, as it did with El Paso Natural Gas.”
Currently, EPA is overseeing the work EPNG is performing at the 19 Cameron-area abandoned uranium mine sites under a 2013 administrative settlement agreement. In that agreement, EPNG committed to an assessment of radiation contamination, as well as the installation of security measures such as fencing and signage.
Mine waste has been exposed for decades at the Cameron abandoned uranium mines, located close to the Little Colorado River. EPA’s field surveys found the soil was contaminated by radioactive uranium and radium, two substances known to cause cancer. Land and water resources may be impaired by this waste material.
Since 2007 federal agencies have invested more than $100 million, including $50 million from EPA to address the legacy of uranium mining impacts on the Navajo Nation. EPA has signed enforceable agreements with 8 potentially responsible parties and entered into settlements to assess or begin the cleanup of 93 mines. This includes the $1 billion share of the settlement the United States entered into with Tronox, Inc., to fund cleanups of over 50 abandoned uranium mines in and around the Navajo Nation. EPA has also provided over $9 million in funding to the Navajo EPA to support Navajo Nation participation and review of cleanup work.
Hospital Admissions Drop and Air Quality Improves with Fireplace, Wood Burning Restrictions
Reductions in both fine particulate pollution (PM 2.5) and cardiovascular hospitalizations were seen in the San Joaquin Valley after a “Check-Before-You-Burn” regulation was fully implemented in that air basin, California Air Resources Board research has found.
ARB’s research examined the effectiveness of San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Rule 4901, fully implemented in 2003, at reducing PM2.5 and cardiovascular hospitalizations in the valley air basin. During winter, PM2.5 is a health problem in the San Joaquin Valley—and many parts of California. Wood burning regulations, like Rule 4901, are in effect in many air districts during the burn season from November 1 through February to reduce emissions of PM2.5 and carbon monoxide from residential wood burning.
Cold and still winter weather can cause wood smoke pollution to become trapped close to the ground and build up to unhealthy levels, triggering air district rules that curtail residential wood burning to protect public health.
“ARB’s research provides evidence that these ‘check-before-you-burn’ programs, combined with public education, are helping to reduce harmful wintertime air pollution and protect public health,” Chair Mary D. Nichols said.
The San Joaquin Valley’s Rule 4901 requires mandatory curtailment of residential wood burning when air quality is forecast to be poor—an air quality index of 150 or greater during the wood burning season. The ARB study found that after the implementation of the wood burning regulation in the San Joaquin Valley in the winter:
- PM2.5 was reduced by 12% basin-wide and by 11% and 15% in rural and urban regions of the basin, respectively
- Larger, coarse particulate matter was reduced 8% basin-wide and in rural (7%) and urban (11%) areas of the basin
- The number of hospital admissions for all types of cardiovascular disease in adults 65 and older dropped by 7% basin-wide. In addition, hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease, a specific type of cardiovascular disease often known as coronary artery disease, dropped by 16% basin-wide. Reductions in rural areas were even higher for both categories of hospital admissions.
The San Joaquin Valley historically has had some of the worst air quality in the nation, and solid fuel combustion—burning wood, manufactured logs, and pellets in fireplaces and wood stoves—has been identified as the largest individual source of particulate matter during winter months.
Emitted when solid fuels, such as wood, are burned, PM2.5 can penetrate deep into the lungs and have been linked to serious health impacts. Health studies have found that long-term exposure to PM2.5 can be linked to premature death from heart and lung diseases and reduced lung function growth in children.
The San Joaquin Valley needs to address all major sources of pollution to meet federal health-based air quality goals and therefore must continue to address the problem of residential wood burning. It is estimated that wood burning in the valley contributes to 16 tons per day of smoke, soot and ash. Besides the San Joaquin Valley, other air districts also have wood burning rules. In fact, neighboring Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (all of Sacramento County) in recent years achieved the federal PM2.5 standard due in large part to emissions reductions from the public’s compliance with its Check Before You Burn program. The largest air districts, South Coast, Bay Area and Sacramento Metro, in addition to the San Joaquin Valley, all have mandatory no-burn restrictions during the winter months. Other districts have voluntary programs.
EPA Recognizes City of Dallas and Partners for Collaborating to Fight Asthma Triggers
Recently, the EPA recognized the City of Dallas and the Health and Wellness Alliance for Children for their collaboration to improve children’s health in the Dallas area.
“Protecting children’s health takes the hard work and collaboration of many groups, from healthcare workers to city inspectors,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “Bringing these different groups together can improve health outcomes for kids and increase their quality of life.”
Dallas City Manager A.C. Gonzalez thanked the EPA for the award while acknowledging the hard work of City of Dallas staff and the Alliance for Children. “This is an example of a successful collaboration that will ultimately benefit the thousands of Dallas children living with asthma,” he said.
“According to the Children’s Health 2015 Beyond ABC report, Dallas is among the most ozone-polluted counties in the US, and we know pollution is a key trigger of asthma,” said Cheryl McCarver, vice president of The Health and Wellness Alliance for Children. “We are proud to once again partner with the Environmental Protection Agency, Dallas City government and many others through the Health and Wellness Alliance for Children to address environmental issues on behalf of our children.”
With help from the National Center for Healthy Housing, the city hosted a workshop for clinical staff from Children’s Health hospital, city code inspectors, attorneys, and the 311 program. The groups outlined their respective responsibilities and discussed how they could work together to provide safer, healthier environments for children. The city then worked with the Dallas-area group the Health and Wellness Alliance for Children to train code compliance leaders on the important connection between children’s health and their environment.
Asthma is a serious, sometimes life-threatening chronic respiratory disease that affects the quality of life for almost 25 million Americans, including an estimated 7 million children. Although there is no cure for asthma yet, asthma can be controlled through medical treatment and management of environmental triggers, including secondhand smoke, dust mites, molds, wood smoke, cockroaches and pests.
EPA Honors UC Santa Cruz for Reducing Wasted Food
The EPA recognized the University of California Santa Cruz with an award for outstanding efforts in food recovery. The students, food service staff, and university leaders worked together to cut food waste by more than 750 tons from 2013 to 2014.
“As we sit down to our Thanksgiving feasts, it’s important to remember just how much food goes to waste in America, where millions still suffer from poor nutrition,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “We’re pleased that UC Santa Cruz is doing its part by donating food, composting and taking a national leadership role in reducing food waste.”
"We have been told by students that what they learned while dining with us carries over when they go home, and they have become ‘waste warriors’ for their families and communities," said Clint Jeffries, UC Santa Cruz’s Dining Sustainability Manager.
UC Santa Cruz is one of 29 recipients of the 2014 Food Recovery Challenge Award given for achieving the highest percentage of food waste prevention. EPA is presenting UC Santa Cruz the top national award for source reduction—reducing wasted food on the front-end through careful training, menu-planning, and ordering.
UC Santa Cruz achieved its goal of working towards zero waste in all campus food locations by engaging students on sustainable agriculture and food systems. They reduced 100 tons of food waste, donated 1,000 lb of food, and diverted 650 tons of food from landfills by expanding composting efforts on campus, saving their university over $19,000.
Across the nation, almost 35 million tons of food goes into our landfills annually, at a cost of more than $161 billion. Each year, the average family of four throws away about $1,600 worth of uneaten food. Food waste is the largest single material in landfills, accounting for 21% of the American waste stream. As food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change that’s 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide.
At the same time, one in six Americans lack access to the nutrition they need to live an active, healthy life. While inedible food scraps are best managed by composting or anaerobic digestion, excess leftover edible food should feed people. Surplus food can be donated to local food banks, shelters, and soup kitchens.
These entities diverted wasted food from entering landfills or incinerators through a variety of innovative actions, including creative re-use of trimmings by university dining staff; donating excess, wholesome food; composting in urban settings; and using wasted food to produce electricity.
Through innovation and hard work, the Food Recovery Challenge participants and endorsers have reduced over 606,000 tons of wasted food, including over 88,500 tons donated to feed people, not landfills.
Pennsylvania DEP Fines Chesapeake Appalachia $1.4 Million for Stream Impacts Caused by Well Pad Landslide
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced recently that Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC (CALLC), has agreed to a Consent Order and Agreement (COA) and will pay a fine of $1.4 million for violations of Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act, Clean Streams Law, and Dam Safety and Encroachments Act. As a result of the settlement, the company will restore waterways affected by the slide.
The violations stem from a landslide that occurred at the Stinger 8H gas well located in Aleppo Township Greene County at the well pad on September 15, 2011. The slide impacted seven unnamed tributaries of Harts Run. Sediment from the slide filled more than a quarter-mile of streams below the well pad.
“DEP expects oil and gas operators to make all possible efforts to prevent violations from occurring and, if they do occur, to make timely efforts to restore all impacted resources,” said John Ryder, DEP’s Director for Oil and Gas Operations. “Washington and Greene Counties are within one of the most landslide-prone areas in the nation and this landslide resulted in a significant impact to habitat and impairment of our waterways. Oil and gas operators must understand the landslide potential and exercise proper oversight in the design and construction of well sites to prevent slides from occurring.”
Although CALLC immediately began efforts to temporarily stabilize the site, the company was not able to complete permanent stabilization until July 26, 2014. DEP closely monitored the company’s efforts. However, the agency and the company initially could not agree on actions needed to permanently restore the streams impacted by the slide.
Through this agreement, DEP and CALLC have a permanent plan and schedule for the company to complete restoration work on the impacted waterways.
Beginning in March 2012, CALLC began to address the issues at the site, first by filing a plan to clean up the impacted streams, then to permanently stabilize the well pad slide area. The stabilization plan was accepted by DEP, and in September 2013 work began on the permanent stabilization project.
While much of the work has been completed at the site, the COA stipulates that CALLC must remove the remaining sediment and stabilize the banks of the headwater tributaries to Harts Run by December 31, 2015. The company has until September 30, 2016, to complete restoration work of the Harts Run tributaries and improvements to an off-site stream. If CALLC fails to comply with the stream restoration schedules, additional penalties will be assessed.
CALLC no longer operates the Stinger 8H well. It is now under the control of Rice Drilling B, LLC.
Oil and Natural Gas NESHAP: EPA Request for Information
EPA is requesting information related to hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from sources in the oil and natural gas production and natural gas transmission and storage segments of the oil and natural gas sector.
Now, the Agency is requesting additional data and information that was not available at that time. In particular, EPA is requesting data on storage vessels without potential flash emissions (PFE) and data on HAP emissions from regulated small glycol dehydrators. With regard to the small glycol dehydrators, EPA is particularly interested in data regarding any emissions of HAP other than benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), information on available control options for any such HAP and information regarding a potential compliance demonstration issue with respect to the 2012 standards for small glycol dehydration units, as they apply to units with very low emissions.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Gasoline Refiner to Reduce Emissions at Utah Facility to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations
Under a consent decree lodged in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, HollyFrontier will implement a mitigation project at its refinery in Salt Lake City, Utah, to offset past emissions and pay to the United States a $1.2 million civil penalty.
“This agreement will benefit public health by requiring retrofits of storage tanks at HollyFrontier facilities that will reduce volatile organic compound emissions and use next generation technology to verify these reductions,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and natural Resources Division. “This settlement shows that fuel refiners can and must meet the nation’s standards for controlling the emissions that cause ground level ozone and serious health problems for Americans.”
“Fuel emissions standards help safeguard our nation’s air quality and public health,” said Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This settlement not only means cleaner air for communities in Salt Lake City, it helps ensure a level playing field for fuel refiners that follow the law.”
Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion and can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. VOCs also include a wide variety of hydrocarbons, some of which are hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethyl benzene.
HollyFrontier disclosed to the EPA that three of its refineries—the Navajo Refinery in Artesia, New Mexico, the Woods Cross Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah, and the El Dorado Refinery in El Dorado, Kansas—produced approximately 42 million gallons of gasoline that was introduced into commerce in the Utah, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho markets that exceeded the applicable RVP standards. HollyFrontier reported to the EPA that these violations are estimated to have resulted in about 10 excess tons of VOC emissions.
Under the settlement, HollyFrontier will install new equipment on two tanks at its Salt Lake refinery to reduce potentially-toxic VOC emissions by about 96 tons over the lifetime of the consent decree. The company will be required to use next generation pollutant detection technology during the implementation of the mitigation projects and be required to hire a third party to verify its compliance status for the mitigation projects. Due to the enduring nature of the projects, environmental benefits accruing as a result of these projects are anticipated to continue for many years. The facility where the pollution controls will be installed is located in an area that may present environmental justice concerns.
Solaicx Fined $11,559 for Stormwater Violations
The facility manufactures electronic components and accessories.
DEQ issued this penalty because the company failed to monitor benchmark pollutants as required by its stormwater permit. The company did not monitor for total copper, total lead, total zinc, total suspended solids, total oil and grease, E. coli, biological oxygen demand, and total phosphorous at each of its two sampling locations during one of two sampling events required between January 1 and June 30 of the 2014–15 monitoring year.
DEQ is particularly concerned because Solaicx has previously paid civil penalties for similar violations at this facility.
Solaicx has until December 8 to pay or appeal the penalty.
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Trivia Question of the Week
An artificial Christmas tree would have to be reused at least how many years to be environmentally greener than buying a fresh-cut tree annually?
a) 1–3
b) 5–7
c) 10–20
d) 30–50