US EPA Region I will host two free webinars to explain the regulatory requirements of this rule, the associated timetable, and answer questions about the rule.
The new Area Source Boiler rule impacts oil, biomass, or coal fired boilers at industries, institutions, and commercial locations. Gas-fired boilers are not covered by the area source boiler rule, nor are hot water heaters, electric or residential units. It includes requirements for notification and tune-ups for affected boilers. This EPA webinar is intended for owners and operators of boiler units. Join EPA Region 1 and Headquarters staff for this free webinar as they discuss the requirements and timelines of the new rule. (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers (40 CFR Part 63, Subpart JJJJJJ). Existing oil, biomass, and coal-fired boilers with a design heat input capacity of 10 MMBtu/hr or greater must conduct a one-time energy assessment performed by a qualified energy assessor by March 21, 2014.
To register for one of these webinars, click on the links below.
Baltimore RCRA, DOT, IATA/IMO, and GHS HazCom Training
Baton Rouge RCRA and DOT Training
Newark RCRA and DOT Training
How to Implement OSHA’s Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication Standard (GHS)
OSHA has issued a final rule revising its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations’ globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals. This means that virtually every product label, material safety data sheet (now called “safety data sheet” or SDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard. Worker training must be updated so that workers can recognize and understand the symbols and pictograms on the new labels as well as the new hazard statements and precautions on SDSs.
Revised Tools for Area Source and Major Source Boiler NESHAPs
EPA HQ continues to revise and add tools for the area source and major source boiler NESHAPs.
New Rules Proposed for Fracking on Public Lands
New draft rules for fracking on public lands, released by the federal Bureau of Land Management recently, would leave drinking water supplies for millions of Americans, as well as millions of acres of wild lands, at risk, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The rules need to be strengthened in a number of ways in order to protect public health and the environment.
The stakes are high: At risk are places that supply drinking water for millions of Americans, including private wells (when the federal government owns mineral rights below private property), as well large municipal drinking water supplies, including all of Washington, D.C., Denver, and parts of California’s Monterey, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Oil and gas companies have already leased an area of public land larger than the entire state of Florida.
NRDC President Frances Beinecke said, “these rules protect industry, not people. They are riddled with gaping holes that endanger clean, safe drinking water supplies for millions of Americans nationwide. They also put the fate of millions of acres of America’s last remaining wild places in jeopardy. With fracking already moving full steam ahead on federal lands, we need protective ground rules for communities and the environment. Instead, this draft is a blueprint for business-as-usual industrialization of our landscapes.
EPA Plans for Coal Ash Regulation Remain Unclear
EPA has not established timetable for developing rules to regulate the disposal of coal ash or coal combustion residuals (CCRs). In testimony before a House subcommittee April 11, Mathy Stanislaus, EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, said his agency is still reviewing several hundred thousand public comments on the regulation and plans to solicit additional public comment on the issue. Since a catastrophic failure of one of these ponds at a TVA plant in Kingston, Tennessee, in 2008, EPA has debated whether to regulate CCRs as a hazardous waste subject to strict subtitle C rules under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), or under less stringent subtitle D rules. EPA said it does not expect to issue a rule until at least 2014. Stanislaus said the agency had laid out in court filings that it "would have some idea in six months, based on the ability to get public input on this data." He said the six-month target is not a deadline to issue a rule, but a time frame in which the agency should have a better idea of how to proceed.
That delay worries environmentalists who claim that the pollution continues and is in violation of state laws. The industry worries that any hazardous designation would dramatically raise their costs and decimate a vibrant market for recycling the material. States do not like the idea of EPA usurping their regulatory authority. Both groups have lobbied Congress to pass legislation that would bar EPA from doing so. Environmental groups oppose the bill for failing to set a safety standard which a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report said would lead to litigation over congressional intent.
In its regulatory impact analysis, the EPA estimated the average annual cost of regulating coal ash as a hazardous waste would be about $1.47 billion per year, representing a present value of $20.3 billion over 50 years.
Stanislaus said coal ash remains one of the largest waste streams generated in the US, with approximately 136 million tons generated in 2008. He said coal combustion residuals contain constituents, such as arsenic, cadmium and mercury, which can pose threats to public health and the environment if improperly managed.
Innovation in Spectroscopy Could Improve Greenhouse Gas Detection
Detecting greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere could soon become far easier with the help of an innovative technique developed by a team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where scientists have overcome an issue preventing the effective use of lasers to rapidly scan samples.
The team, which recently published its findings in the journal Nature Photonics, says the technique also could work for other jobs that require gas detection, including the search for hidden explosives and monitoring chemical processes in industry and the environment.
Searching for faint whiffs of an unusual gas mixed in the air is called trace gas sensing. By far, the most common method is spectroscopy—identifying gas molecules by the unique set of frequencies of light that each absorbs. The telltale pattern of dark lines in a spectrum indicates which gases are present in the mix. Accurately measuring the concentrations of relatively low-concentration gases, however, requires a lot of light, generated by a laser that can be tuned to different colors. Until now, tuning a laser to shine in a wide enough range of colors typically has required a mechanical device to change the frequency, but all the available methods adjust the laser too slowly to obtain meaningful snapshots of the turbulent atmosphere.
"One of the major goals in climate science is to combine a wide variety of high-accuracy atmospheric measurements, including ground-based, aircraft and satellite missions, in order to fully understand the carbon cycle," says the research team's David Long, a scientist in NIST's Chemical Sciences Division. "The technology we've developed is general enough to be applicable for each of these platforms. The high speed of the technique allows for very accurate measurements of atmospheric gases at rates which are faster than atmospheric changes in temperature and pressure due to turbulence."
The team found a solution using electronics that permit fast and discrete changes in frequency. The components—called an electro-optic modulator and an optical resonator—work together to alter the laser so that its light shines in a number of different frequencies, and then to filter these frequencies so that the laser only shines in one color at any given instant. The new method allows a wide range of different frequencies to pass through a gas sample in a few milliseconds or less, with the added benefit of providing a clearer and more accurate resulting spectrum than the previous "slow scan" methods could.
Long says that the Nature Photonics paper details the use of the technique in a controlled laboratory environment using a small sample chamber for ground-based measurements, but that the team has submitted other papers with data indicating the technique also could work at great distances—potentially allowing a scanner to be mounted on a vehicle, an aircraft or a satellite. The team also has applied for a patent on its work, he says.
San Diego County Meets National Air Quality Standard for Smog
In addition, EPA has approved the state’s plan to maintain clean air standards for the more than three million residents of the San Diego area.
“This is a victory for San Diego County residents, who are now breathing the cleanest air in more than six decades,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA will continue our collaboration with the state and the local air district to build on these improvements as we meet the challenge of the more protective 2008 ozone standard.”
Over the past decade, smog forming pollution—nitrogen oxide (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—have been reduced dramatically in San Diego County. Federal, state, and local agencies have adopted emissions standards and implemented innovative programs that have reduced NOx by 25% and VOCs by 15%. California cars, trucks, and sports utility vehicles produce 80% less smog forming pollution today than they did 15 years ago.
“This accomplishment demonstrates that, in spite of population growth and increases in the numbers of motor vehicles, we can and will continue to make progress toward clean, healthy air, while maintaining a healthy economy,” said Robert Kard, Director of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.
Data come from monitoring sites located throughout the County with the majority in the metropolitan area.
Despite the significant milestone that has been achieved, the area continues to strive toward attaining the more stringent 0.075 ppm ozone standard adopted in 2008.
Ground-level ozone is formed when NOx and VOCs react in the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight. Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, and chemical solvents are the major sources of these chemicals.
Ozone pollution is a concern especially when the weather conditions needed to form it—lots of sun and hot temperatures—occur. Ozone pollution can irritate airways, worsen asthma symptoms, and increase hospitalizations for respiratory cases. Children and the elderly are most impacted by ozone pollution.
Two Washington Gas Stations Ordered to Close Underground Injection Wells
EPA Region 10 has ordered two gas stations to close their underground injection wells to protect drinking water on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington state. In separate settlements, the gas stations in Wapato and White Swan will pay $13,140 and $11,991 in federal penalties for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Da Stor at Lillie’s Corner gas station in Wapato operates two underground injection wells. Cougar Den gas station in White Swan operates one underground injection well. The injection wells dispose of untreated fluids collected through open drains on the stations’ fueling pads. The wells may contain contaminants such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, cadmium, chromium, and lead that could endanger underground drinking water sources.
EPA ordered Cougar Den and Da Stor to properly close their injection wells by June 30 and July 31, 2013, respectively. Da Stor must also test the on-site public water system to make sure the water still meets federal drinking water standards. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for the communities of Wapato and White Swan.
In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act, giving EPA the authority to control underground injection wells in order to protect public health by preventing contamination of underground sources of drinking water.
New Guidance Released to Help Schools Boost Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy
The document, "Energy Efficiency K-12 Project Guidance," will help schools identify cost-effective projects that meet the California Clean Energy Jobs Act (Proposition 39) eligibility criteria, prioritize the use of funds, and plan projects that increase energy efficiency and create jobs. Proposition 39 was approved on November 6, 2012, by the voters of California. The initiative makes changes to corporate income taxes and provides for the annual transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Clean Energy Job Creation Fund for five fiscal years, beginning with the 2013-14 fiscal year.
This guidance document can assist school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education - known as local educational agencies (LEAs)—reduce their energy bills and create better learning environments by supporting cost-effective energy efficiency projects. For the 2013-14 fiscal year, Proposition 39 funds will provide $413 million to LEAs.
Many LEAs lack easy means of identifying energy efficiency measures and renewable energy choices. This guidance document takes a clear step-by-step approach by providing an "Energy Efficiency Program Checklist" that walks school personnel through prioritized suggestions for the most cost-effective facility improvements. The document emphasizes taking energy efficiency and demand reduction measures before renewable energy projects reflecting California's preferred loading order of energy resources and includes health and safety improvements.
California's 10,000 public schools currently spend an estimated $700 million per year on energy, which is equivalent to the amount spent cumulatively on books and supplies. Implementing Proposition 39 funds can return energy savings back to the classroom. By reducing energy consumption through projects like smart retrofits, schools can save 20–30% of their energy bill over a simple payback of 5–6 years and free up as much as $140–$200 million previously spent on annual utility costs.
Schools are encouraged to consider the whole building as a system by using a hierarchy approach that identifies lower-cost, higher-savings projects that reduce baseline energy use before more complex projects are considered.
To address the diverse needs of all California school districts, the draft guidance includes a wide variety of project examples from simple lighting controls to more complex HVAC projects. Schools can identify efficient projects that best serve their needs and available funding. The guidance also provides a comprehensive list of resource references for additional information and assistance, including benchmarking and audit tools, best practices, and additional funding resources that schools may leverage. Finally, the guidance identifies ways school districts may employ job training and workforce development programs to reinvest into the green economy and create California jobs.
Connecticut, New Jersey Settle Clean Air Lawsuit With Owners of Coal-Burning Generating Plant
The terms were outlined in a consent decree filed in US District Court in Philadelphia. It resolves a lawsuit filed by New Jersey and Connecticut seeking to enforce the federal Clean Air Act and reduce air pollution emissions by two coal-fired generating units at the Portland Generating Station in eastern Pennsylvania.
“Geography makes Connecticut and other northeastern states vulnerable to air pollution blown in from other regions,” said Attorney General Jepsen. “We will continue to challenge emissions from pollution sources in other states, to help meet the air quality standards necessary for the health and safety of Connecticut residents.”
Commissioner Esty said, “This is another successful action to prevent other states from benefitting at our expense. For too long, too many states have allowed dirty coal to be burned to produce electricity – giving them lower cost power to benefit their economies while pushing significant air pollution our way. With the Attorney General, we are—case by case—addressing this issue to level the economic playing field and protect the health of our residents.”
Among other terms, the settlement requires the plant owners to:
- Except as essential to maintain reliability of the electric grid, stop burning coal in Units 1 and 2, which have a combined generating capacity of 401 megawatts, by June 1, 2014. Coal burning produces emissions of air pollutants sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.
- Comply with a final Environmental Protection Agency rule requiring significant reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions from the units to help meet national ambient air quality standards for sulfur dioxide in New Jersey. Meeting those reductions will require the units to install major new pollution controls, switch to natural gas as a fuel or cease operation in January 2015.
- Pay $1 million into an environmental mitigation fund to be shared by New Jersey and Connecticut.
New Jersey filed the lawsuit in 2007 and Connecticut intervened in 2008. The generating station is owned by GenOn Power Generation, LLC (formed by merger with RRI Energy Power Generation, Inc., which was formerly known as Reliant Energy Power Generation, Inc.), GenOn REMA, LLC (formerly known as RRI Energy Mid-Atlantic Holdings, LLC, and Reliant Energy Mid-Atlantic Holdings, LLC), and Sithe Energies, Inc., now known as Dynegy, Inc.
Assistant Attorneys General Scott Koschwitz and Kimberly Massicotte, Environment department head, handled this matter for the Attorney General with Associate Attorney General Joseph Rubin.
Unregulated Chemicals Widespread in Minnesota Lakes and Rivers
Two studies released recently by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) confirm that a wide variety of unregulated chemicals are ending up in Minnesota’s lakes and rivers. The chemicals, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are of concern because many have properties that can interfere with the functioning of hormones in animals and people.
Previous studies have shown the chemicals are often found in streams that receive wastewater discharges. Limited sampling has also revealed that they are often found in lakes, which do not typically receive wastewater. But the number of lakes and rivers included in those investigations was not large enough to give an accurate picture of the extent of the contamination. The two latest studies provide statistical evidence of just how widespread the chemicals are in Minnesota’s surface waters.
“What these studies really are measuring is the footprint of our society and how we live,” said MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine. “Our lakes and rivers are reflecting the chemicals we use and put into our bodies. These chemicals have very beneficial uses, but unfortunately they tend to stick around in the environment after their first use.”
In the two studies, the MPCA in 2010 and 2012 sampled lakes and rivers using funds from the state of Minnesota and the EPA, part of nationwide EPA surveys to find out what’s in the nation’s waters.
For the lakes study, 50 lakes were randomly selected across Minnesota. Samples were collected and analyzed for 125 chemicals. The study included analysis of “endocrine-active compounds” (EACs), so called because they mimic or interfere with the actions of naturally occurring hormones. These chemicals can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and fish.
Results of the lake study were generally consistent with findings of previous but smaller studies that found commonly used chemicals widely distributed in Minnesota lakes. The insect repellent DEET was found in 76% of the lakes sampled, making it the most frequently detected chemical. Chemicals not previously analyzed—including cocaine, the antidepressant amitriptyline and the veterinary antibiotic carbadox—also were often detected in the lakes.
MPCA officials said the detection of cocaine was unexpected, one for which they couldn’t account except that other studies have shown it can attach to fine particles and might be transported long distances through the atmosphere.
The rivers study analyzed 18 chemicals, including several pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and was conducted at 150 river locations selected at random. Parabens, a family of chemicals used as preservatives for food and cosmetics, were commonly found, with methylparaben detected in more than 30% of the samples. A breakdown product of the corrosion inhibitor benzotriazole was found in 12% of the samples. Carbamazepine, used in medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and several antidepressants were also found.
Many of the chemicals in the MPCA studies were detected at very small concentrations, in the low parts per trillion. Such levels are of concern because EACs have the potential to adversely affect fish and other aquatic organisms even at extremely low levels. One part per trillion is roughly equivalent to one drop in a pool of water covering the area of a football field 43 feet deep.
The MPCA plans to continue testing surface waters for pharmaceuticals and EACs on a rotating five-year basis to identify any trends that may be occurring.
Reports on the studies and summary information are available on MPCA’s Endocrine-disrupting compounds webpage. The two reports are titled "Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Active Chemicals in Minnesota Lakes" and "Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Minnesota’s Rivers and Streams."
Settlement Secures Permanent Cessation of Coal at Portland, PA, Plant
“This is a tremendous win for cleaner air and better health for the residents of New Jersey,” Commissioner Martin said. “For too long, the coal-fired generators at this power plant emitted levels of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants at levels that were unhealthy for our residents. That’s why the Christie Administration took aggressive action very early on to force significant reductions in pollution levels from the power plant.”
The plant for years spewed high levels of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants across the Delaware River into Warren County and other parts of northern New Jersey.
This was the first single-source 126 Petition the EPA has ever granted under the Clean Air Act, and the first time it has granted a petition for a power plant bordering another state. The power plant must meet pollution reduction limits set by the EPA as a result of this petition until the coal units are permanently retired.
Commissioner Martin noted that the DEP did not call for closure of the coal units at Portland but suggested installation of currently available air pollution controls, including a scrubber.
In its petition acceptance, EPA required the power plant to reduce SO2 emissions by 60% within one year, and by 81% within three years. EPA provided the power plant with flexibility to choose the most cost-effective strategy for meeting these limits, including installing proven and widely available pollution control technologies.
Under terms of the settlement agreement reached by attorneys from the Division of Law within the New Jersey Attorney General's Office on behalf of the DEP, New Jersey and Connecticut reserved the right to seek $1 million for environmental mitigation projects or the surrender of sulfur-dioxide allowances that are permitted under federal law. The consent decree formalizing the agreement was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2), mercury and many other contaminants emitted into the air from this facility are carried in the atmosphere across the Delaware River to communities in Warren County, and also negatively impact air quality in Morris, Sussex and Hunterdon counties.
The DEP’s air monitoring station in Knowlton Township, Warren County, which is one mile from the Portland power plant, has measured the highest short-term sulfur dioxide levels in all of New Jersey, due to pollution emanating from the Portland generating station. The sulfur dioxide coming from the plant is known to contribute to a variety of adverse health effects, including asthma and respiratory failure, and environmental impacts such as acid rain.
The air pollution from this plant, however, is not limited to sulfur dioxide. The plant also emits high levels of nitrogen oxides, mercury, hydrochloric acid, lead and other air pollutants, including fine sulfate particles that travel on the wind throughout northern New Jersey, and to New York, Connecticut and beyond.
DEP Recovers Missing Nuclear Gauge Lost by Company
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced recently that it recovered in Maryland the missing nuclear gauge a Franklin County company lost in West Virginia on May 3. The device has not been tampered with or damaged.
“We are relieved that the nuclear gauge has been recovered and that no radioactive materials were released,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said. “The agency thanks the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, West Virginia officials, the public and the citizen who discovered the gauge along the road for the combined effort to find it.”
The nuclear gauge has been returned to Valley Quarries Inc. of Chambersburg, Franklin County, which lost the Troxler Model 3430 gauge when it fell off the company’s truck on I-81 in West Virginia between mile markers 17 and 24.
The gauge is normally stored in a locked yellow transportation container when not in use at construction sites for taking measurements in the ground, but it apparently fell out of the container on the back of the company’s truck during transport to another work site.
Pennsylvania DEP Announces New Permit Application Tool
The Department of Environmental Protection and permit applicants continue to improve performance, according to the second of four quarterly reports on revised permitting policies the agency released recently.
“Governor Corbett challenged DEP and all those who apply for permits when he signed the Executive Order that created Permit Decision Guarantee,” DEP Acting Secretary Chris Abruzzo said. “As our second quarterly report shows, we are continuing to improve efficiency when reviewing permits, and applicants are submitting better applications.
“Permit Decision Guarantee is a shining example how pro-growth policies work hand-in-hand with environmental protection.”
On July 24, 2012, Corbett signed an executive order tasking DEP with implementing Permit Decision Guarantee. In response, DEP developed the Permit Review Process and Permit Decision Guarantee policy and the Permit Coordination policy. The second quarterly report provides a cumulative update on the agency’s progress since the policies took effect November 14, 2012.
Since that time, the data show DEP has increased permit review efficiency by 56% in the Mining program; 45% in the Water programs; 35% in the Waste, Air, Radiation and Remediation programs; and 10% in the Oil and Gas program.
Permit Decision Guarantee established guaranteed timeframes, in which DEP will make a decision on 278 types of permits and authorizations, provided the application is complete and technically adequate in the first submission. To date, DEP staff members are meeting these timeframes 96% of the time.
For all other applications, DEP has established timeframes that the agency is striving to meet. In the six months since the policies were implemented, staff are meeting these timeframes 97% of the time. Staff members have also cleared 54% of the queue of standing permit applications that were in-house when Corbett signed the executive order last July.
The agency also released the Pre-Application Information Tool, which is available online and allows applicants to quickly and easily determine which types of environmental permits, authorizations and notifications may be required for a project. An interactive version of the tool will be released later this summer.
DEP will release subsequent reviews of the permitting policies in each of the next two quarters.
Pennsylvania Energy-Efficiency, Pollution-Prevention Grants for Four Small Businesses
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced recently that the Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $32,880 in grants to help four small businesses across Pennsylvania invest in energy-efficiency or pollution-prevention projects.
“Investment in small business is a cornerstone to sound economic growth,” Corbett said. “These grants will help small business owners continue to thrive in Pennsylvania.”
Pennsylvania’s Small Business Advantage Grant program, funded through the state’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, helps businesses with 100 or fewer employees. It provides 50-percent matching reimbursement grants of up to $9,500 to implement projects that will save 25% annually in pollution-prevention or energy-related costs.
The four businesses that were awarded grants are: Erie County’s Georgeko Industries Inc., $9,500; Lawrence County’s Gebhart Farms, $9,500; Monroe County’s 578 Main Associates, LLC, $4,380; and Northampton County’s Tencza Dental Associates, $9,500.
The grants will create more than $136,000 in private-sector investment in small businesses.
Examples of eligible projects include high-efficiency HVAC and insulation upgrades; high-efficiency lighting to save energy; installation of energy-efficient heat pumps; and new auxiliary power units that help large trucks reduce time spent with idling engines.
Since 2004, DEP has invested more than $7.5 million in 1,760 small businesses statewide.
Scientists Find Extensive Glacial Retreat in Mount Everest Region
Researchers taking a new look at the snow and ice covering Mount Everest and the national park that surrounds it are finding abundant evidence that the world’s tallest peak is shedding its frozen cloak. The scientists have also been studying temperature and precipitation trends in the area and found that the Everest region has been warming while snowfall has been declining since the early 1990s.
Members of the team conducting these studies will present their findings on May 14 at the Meeting of the Americas in Canc?n, Mexico—a scientific conference organized and co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union.
Glaciers in the Mount Everest region have shrunk by 13% in the last 50 years and the snowline has shifted upward by 180 meters (590 feet), according to Sudeep Thakuri, who is leading the research as part of his PhD graduate studies at the University of Milan in Italy.
Glaciers smaller than one square kilometer are disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43% decrease in surface area since the 1960s. Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice. These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have increased by about 17% since the 1960s, according to Thakuri. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an average of 400 meters since 1962, his team found.
The researchers suspect that the decline of snow and ice in the Everest region is from human-generated GHGs altering global climate. However, they have not yet established a firm connection between the mountains’ changes and climate change, Thakuri said.
He and his team determined the extent of glacial change on Everest and the surrounding 1,148 square kilometer (713 square mile) Sagarmatha National Park by compiling satellite imagery and topographic maps and reconstructing the glacial history. Their statistical analysis shows that the majority of the glaciers in the national park are retreating at an increasing rate, Thakuri said.
To evaluate the temperature and precipitation patterns in the area, Thakuri and his colleagues have been analyzing hydro-meteorological data from the Nepal Climate Observatory stations and Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The researchers found that the Everest region has undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius (1.08 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in temperature and 100 millimeter (3.9 inches) decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon and winter months since 1992.
In subsequent research, Thakuri plans on exploring the climate-glacier relationship further with the aim of integrating the glaciological, hydrological and climatic data to understand the behavior of the hydrological cycle and future water availability.
“The Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a water tower for Asia since they store and supply water downstream during the dry season,” said Thakuri. “Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water for agriculture, drinking, and power production.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Water Research Institute-Italian National Research Council are funding this research.
Mississippi Corporation Pleads Guilty and Agrees to $1 Million Fine for Illegally Filling Protected Wetlands
Mississippi-based Hancock County Land, LLC (HCL) pleaded guilty recently to the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and agreed to pay a $1 million fine and take remedial measures for two felony violations of the Clean Water Act, announced Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and US Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Gregory K. Davis. HCL admitted causing the unauthorized excavation and filling of wetlands on a 1,710 acre parcel of undeveloped property in Hancock County, west of the intersection of Route 603 and Interstate 10.
According to the charges filed in federal court in Jackson, Miss., when HCL purchased the property, it had been informed by a wetland expert that as much as 80% of its land was federally protected wetland connected by streams and bayous to the Gulf of Mexico and, therefore, that the property could not be developed without a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Such permits typically require that developers protect and preserve other wetlands to compensate for those they are permitted to fill and destroy.
The charges allege that in spite of additional notice of the prohibition against filling and draining wetlands without authorization, HCL, principally through its minority owner /general contractor, hired an excavation contractor to trench, drain and fill large portions of the property to lower the water table and thus to destroy the wetland that would otherwise have been an impediment to commercial development. In pleading guilty, HCL admitted that it knowingly ditched, drained and filled wetlands at multiple locations on the Hancock County property without having obtained a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers as required under the Clean Water Act.
It is a felony under the Clean Water Act for any person knowingly to discharge pollutants into waters of the United States, including wetlands, without a permit. A corporation convicted of this offense is subject to a penalty of not more than $500,000 per count.
HCL agreed and was ordered to pay to the federal government a total penalty of $1 million ($500,000 for each of the two counts). HCL also agreed and was ordered by the court to restore and preserve the damaged wetlands as provided in separate agreements HCL reached with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a citizen group, the Gulf Restoration Network. The agreements require HCL to re-grade and then re-plant, with appropriate native vegetation, the wetland area it excavated and filled and donate approximately 272 acres of the southwest quadrant of its property to the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain to be preserved in perpetuity. HCL is also required to fund its management and maintenance, to pay $100,000 toward the litigation costs of the Gulf Restoration Network, and to pay a civil penalty to the US Treasury of $95,000.
HCL entered its plea before senior US District Judge Walter J. Gex III.
"The defendant deliberately destroyed wetlands that are protected by the law," said Maureen O'Mara, Special Agent in Charge of EPA's criminal enforcement program in Mississippi. "This is a great example of local, state, and federal agencies working together to hold companies accountable for putting profit above the requirements of the law."
US Attorney Davis praised the efforts of the EPA’s Office of Criminal Investigation for its diligent work in the investigation of this matter. Senior Trial Attorney Jeremy F. Korzenik of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Assistant US Attorney Gaines Cleveland are the prosecutors in charge of the case.
Real estate developer and HCL minority owner, William R. Miller, was charged in November 2012 with Clean Water Act violations related to the same unauthorized excavation and filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis. That case is expected to be scheduled for trial over the next few months.
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Trivia Question of the Week
Which region of the world supports the largest collection of geothermal plants in operation?
a. El Tatio-La Torta, Chile
b. Nesjavellir, Iceland
c. Soultz-sous-For?ts, France
d. The Geysers, Northern California