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Start spring with small-business savings
04/02/2009
Want to save money? Need to watch every dollar? Give me half a day, I'll give you more money in your bank account. It's time for my annual ritual of "Spring Clean Your Small Business Expenses."
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SBA raises surety bond ceilings for small business
04/02/2009
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is giving small businesses a financial leg up, via the Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
Survival Guide for Small Businesses
04/02/2009
Running a small business is never easy but, in the current economic climate, it's even more of a challenge. Rising costs, dwindling customer numbers and the reluctance of banks to lend money make it increasingly difficult.
(Full Story)
A sustainable America is achievable in our lifetime
04/02/2009
Most of us have at least a general sense that this country has not been moving in a sustainable direction. We don't like gloom and doom, but we don't know what to do about it, especially with the economy in recession.
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Proposed EPA Budget Provides Strengthened Environmental Protection
03/20/2009
The Obama administration today proposed a budget of $10.5 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the largest in the agency's 39-year history. The increase of $3 billion from 2008 funding levels will further ensure the protection of public health and the environment for all Americans.
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Six Midwestern cities make EPA's top 25 list
03/20/2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today announced that six metropolitan areas in the region were on EPA's top 25 list of energy-efficient buildings that earned EPA's Energy Star in 2008.
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EPA Proposes First National Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
03/20/2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the first comprehensive national system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States.
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EPA Launches "Fix a Leak Week" To Encourage Water Efficiency
03/20/2009
Because minor water leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes, EPA is launching its first "Fix a Leak Week" to remind Americans of the environmental and economic benefits to fixing leaks from household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems.
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SBA's 'Goodwill' Leaves Bad Taste for Small Businesses
03/20/2009
The business brokers, who guide buyers and sellers of companies through those transactions, say a new government rule could dramatically harm their businesses while blunting the ability of many recently laid-off Americans to find new avenues of work and income.
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Stimulus Plan Will Create Sustainable Jobs That Will Protect Public Health
02/26/2009
The economic recovery plan signed by President Obama will create 3 to 4 million quality, sustainable jobs with many protecting our country's public health and our environment.
(Full Story)
Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending
02/26/2009
To the casual eye, the basement of this city's Firehouse 9 looks like a jumble of old hydrants, Dr Pepper cartons, rakes and random gear. To specialists in energy efficiency, the 1960s-era building is a mess of a different sort: wasteful hot water heaters for the firefighters' showers, ancient refrigerators and outdated lights.
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Stimulus bills aim to revive SBA lending
02/12/2009
The economic stimulus package working its way through Congress most likely will include steps to revive the Small Business Administration's lending programs.
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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
02/12/2009
Do Energy-savings Outweigh Mercury Hazard?
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Reducing air pollution an inside and outside job
02/12/2009
If most people were asked to do a quick word association about air pollution, chances are strong words like "city" and "traffic" would be among the first to come to mind.
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A Real Recovery Plan: Start With Small Business
01/23/2009
Small businesses are a critical engine of the economy, and they need help. A loan program linked to jobs would work wonders.
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U.S. EPA, partners kick off green building design challenge
01/23/2009
Contest to reward designs that save resources, costs
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Minnesota Paint and Powder Coating Expo
01/23/2009
Learn about improving the efficiency of industrial finishing operations while maximizing investment returns by attending the Minnesota Paint and Powder Coating Expo '09.
(Full Story)
EPA Encourages the Use of Chemicals with a Smaller Environmental Impact
01/23/2009
EPA is issuing a final rule that encourages the use of solvents that don't significantly contribute to ground-level ozone.
(Full Story)
Radon Action Could Save Many Lives
01/09/2009
Did you know that radon gas is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers? Nearly 50 people a day will die from indoor exposure to radon.
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Plan Announced to Improve Pest Control in Schools by 2015
01/09/2009
Pest- and pesticide-related risks to children will be reduced in all U.S. public schools by 2015 as envisioned in a new plan released by the Environmental Protection Agency and others.
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Manufacturers, Retailers Boost Consumer Electronics Recycling
01/09/2009
Plug-In to eCycling partners expanded their electronics recycling programs and collected and recycled more than 66.5 million pounds of used electronics in 2008, nearly a 30 percent increase from the previous year.
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EPA Highlights Ways Everyone Can
12/11/2008
Easy and effective ways to reduce and reuse
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In it for the Long Haul
12/11/2008
Helping Large Trucks and Buses Maintain Clean Air Benefits
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Formaldehyde Emissions from Pressed-Wood Products to be Investigated
12/11/2008
What are the possible risks of formaldehyde emissions from pressed-wood products? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to find out and is asking interested parties to submit comments, information and data to determine the extent of the problem and what to do about it.
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New Guidelines Encourage Responsible Recycling of Electronics
11/14/2008
Electronics recyclers have a new guide on how to run safe and environmentally protective recycling operations.
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Coming to a Store Near You: More Energy Efficient Televisions
11/14/2008
With the holiday season just around the corner, consumers will now have more energy efficient choices when shopping.
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New Requirements for Controlling Manure, Wastewater
11/14/2008
EPA has finalized a rule helping to protect the nation's water quality by requiring concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to safely manage manure.
(Full Story)
Economic miracle, Environmental disaster
10/27/2008
Decades of extraordinary growth have catapulted China to the top of the world's economic charts, earning the admiration of much of the rest of the world.
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Car Shoppers Can Save Money and Time with 2009 Fuel Economy Guide
10/27/2008
To help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing new vehicles, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have unveiled the 2009 Fuel Economy Guide.
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EPA Amends Community Right-to-Know Reporting Regulation
10/27/2008
EPA has finalized reporting requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
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EPA Seeks Comment on Preliminary Perchlorate Drinking Water Decision
10/13/2008
Agency Plans to Issue a Perchlorate Health Advisory
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Reformed Rule Encourages Small Firms To Recycle
10/13/2008
EPA Acts On Advocacy 2008 r3 Top 10 Rule for Review And Reform
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Putting Clean, Efficient Technology on the Fast Track
10/13/2008
The American Le Mans Series' Green Challenge will be the first car race to use green racing protocols.
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Climate Change Strategy to Help Manage Water Resources
10/13/2008
To assist in responding to potential effects of climate change, a new strategy focuses on 40 specific actions for the national water program to take to respond to climate change.
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Committee Recommends Revisions to Rule to Control Microbial Drinking Water
09/25/2008
Members of the Total Coliform Rule/Distribution System Advisory Committee (TCRDSAC) recently signed an agreement in principle (AIP) that recommends revisions to the 1989 Total Coliform Rule (TCR).
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U.S. EPA Disaster Experts Stress Importance of Emergency Preparedness
09/25/2008
Experts Available for Interviews During National Preparedness Month 2008
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Small Businesses & Congregations Fight Climate Change
09/25/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named the 13 winners of the 2008 Energy Star Small Business and Congregation Awards.
(Full Story)
Great American Small Business Challenge Encourages Small Businesses
09/25/2008
Today, attendees at the American Small Business Development Center's Annual Conference (ASBDC) were greeted by Uncle Sam who invited them to participate in the "1st Annual Great American Small Business Challenge."
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Technology Increases Ethanol Yield from Grasses and Yard Waste
09/12/2008
Researchers at the University of Georgia have come up with a new technology that promises to dramatically increase the yield of ethanol from readily available non-food crops.
(Full Story)
EPA Encourages Water Conservation
09/12/2008
Water is a precious resource that is taken for granted until its availability becomes limited, and the growing demand for water and increasing population can create water shortages.
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Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Pollution Prevention Week 2008
09/12/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pleased to join organizations throughout the nation in celebrating National Pollution Prevention Week, September 15-21, 2008.
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Report Outlines Junk Mail's Climate Impact
09/12/2008
A recently released report by ForestEthics pegs junk mail's contribution to climate change as the equivalent of more than nine million cars.
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Waste Management Launches Online Service for Recycling
09/12/2008
Waste Management, Inc. has launched ThinkGreenFromHome.com, streamlined online service for the recycling of universal household waste.
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New Report Card Shows Campuses Going Greener
09/02/2008
Is your alma mater among those stepping up to green their campuses? Are our colleges preparing students for a greener future?
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Nominations Sought for SBA's 2009 Small Business Week Awards
09/02/2008
The U.S. Small Business Administration is now accepting nominations for its 2009 Small Business Week Awards.
(Full Story)
EPA's New Pilot Project for Self-Disclosing Environmental Violations
08/28/2008
EPA announced the creation of the Audit Policy Self-Disclosure system, or eDisclosure, a new pilot project which allows regulated facilities nationwide to self-disclose environmental violations.
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EPA Finalizes Area Source Standards
08/18/2008
In the July 23 Federal Register, EPA published its final Area Source Standards for nine Metal Fabrication and Finishing source categories.
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Eco Friendly Advice for Healthy Lawns and Greenscapes
08/18/2008
Lush beautiful lawns are a part of summer, but they require time and money.
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EPA Seeks Applications for Clean Air Excellence Awards
08/18/2008
EPA and the CAAAC are accepting applications for the Ninth Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards Program.
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Builders learn it's easy to be green
08/01/2008
Helping the environment is on the to-do list of builders preparing to construct a Valley Junction home.
(Full Story)
EPA Funds Ground-Breaking Lyme Disease Research
08/01/2008
In the United States, Lyme disease is the most frequently reported disease that can be passed from animals to humans.
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SBA Revises Small Business Size Standards
08/01/2008
To Account for Fluctuating Oil Prices and Inflation
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EPA Extends Public Comment Period on the Proposed Lead Air Quality Standard
07/18/2008
EPA is extending the deadline for public comments on the proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Science Assessment on Health Effects of Nitrogen Oxides
07/18/2008
EPA has released the final "Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen—Health Criteria."
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Report on Climate Change and Health
07/18/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that discusses the potential impacts of climate change on human health...
(Full Story)
Saving the Planet? Not With My Money
06/20/2008
Green is green has become a mantra of environmentalists and, increasingly, corporate chiefs...
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EPA Launches New TMDL Web Page
06/20/2008
EPA recently released a new web page entitled "Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads."
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InterSense's Technology Integrated With VirtualPaint Solution
06/20/2008
InterSense's IS-900 System Enables Technicians to Master Spray Techniques While Saving Resources and Preserving the Environment
(Full Story)
Ready. Set. Save!
06/06/2008
EPA Encourages Americans to Save on Summer Cooling Costs through Proper Use of Programmable Thermostats
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Water Saving Homes Are Coming Soon
06/06/2008
Homeowners can save water by using WaterSense label products...
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EPA & CDC To Sign Historic Agreement Promoting Water Conservation
06/06/2008
The EPA and the CDC will participate in a signing ceremony to kick-off a historic agreement between the two agencies.
(Full Story)
EPA's 2008 Report on the Environment
05/23/2008
A Key Resource for the American People on the Environment
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Small Businesses (and Their Customers) Feel Sting of Inflation
05/23/2008
From 7 a.m., when Mark Roesner arrives at Copley Feed and Supply in Ohio and turns on the lights...
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EPA report on environment highlights national and regional trends
05/23/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the 2008 EPA Report on the Environment today.
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EPA Provides Further Direction on Air Quality Standard
05/08/2008
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule further outlining steps that state, local and tribal governments must take to reduce fine particle pollution (PM2.5).
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EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Lead
05/08/2008
EPA is taking steps toward revising the nation's air quality standards for lead for the first time in 30 years.
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NACEPT Releases Environmental Technology Commercialization Report
05/08/2008
NACEPT released a new report identifying actions that EPA and the investment community can take and partnerships they can create to achieve the goal of greater long-term private sector investment in the commercialization of environmental technologies.
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President Bush Proclaims National Small Business Week
04/25/2008
Calling small business the backbone of the nation's economy...
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Battelle Top Ten List Forecasts Emerging Green Technologies
04/25/2008
In 1970, Kermit the Frog crooned, "It's not that easy being green, having to spend each day the color of the leaves."
(Full Story)
Energy efficiency helps environment, saves money
04/25/2008
A small crowd braved windy weather for a presentation on energy efficiency at the University of Northern Iowa.
(Full Story)
Wasting Fuel is a "Fleeting" Thought
04/11/2008
According to the U.S. EPA, motor vehicles are responsible for nearly one half of smog-forming volatile organic compounds...
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Benefits of coal power outweight risks, expert says
04/11/2008
A coal-fired power plant is not a zero-risk proposition, but few activities in life are.
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Being Green Linked to Higher Business Performance
04/11/2008
Brockmann & Company, the customer insight firm, recently released its latest independent report on being green and its relationship to business performance.
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U.S. program seeks to fuel expansion of small firms
04/11/2008
Irwin Zuckerman is looking to grow the linen and uniform rental business he has operated on the near north side of Des Moines for 13 years.
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Small Businesses Grow Big Environmental Technologies
03/28/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a small program with tremendous success stories.
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Small Firms Find Credit Is Tightening
03/28/2008
Lenders’ credit woes are starting to take a toll on small businesses.
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Lawmakers criticize plan to cut pollution reporting requirements for farms
03/28/2008
Lawmakers are questioning a plan to eliminate requirements for farms to disclose air pollution from animal waste.
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EPA Conducts Compliance Assistance Outreach to Ethnic Marketplaces
03/17/2008
EPA Region 7 has developed a flier in six languages to inform and educate ethnic marketplaces that sell imported products.
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2008 Small Business Recognition Awards
03/17/2008
Submit Nominations by Friday, March 28, 2008
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January Weather Exceptionally Cold, Snowy
03/17/2008
January 2008 was an exceptional month for winter weather, not only in North America but across the globe, according to numerous indicators.
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Microsoft Offers Subscription Licensing for Small Businesses
02/14/2008
The Open Value Subscription program allows small businesses to use Microsoft software for cheaper than the current licensing model allows.
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EPA's FY 2009 Budget Focuses on Next Phase of Environmental Progress
02/14/2008
(Washington, D.C.) - Building on 37 years of progress in protecting human health and the environment, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson today released his agency's $7.14 billion fiscal year 2009 budget.
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Guidebook to Help Water Utilities Improve Energy Management
02/04/2008
EPA and its water and wastewater partners are learning more and doing more to confront serious challenges related to rising energy costs.
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OSHA Upgrades its Small Business Assistance Website
02/04/2008
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently unveiled an enhanced Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA) website.
(Full Story)
Small Businesses Nominate Over Eighty Regulations For Review And Refo
01/18/2008
Small business owners and their representatives have nominated over eighty existing regulations for review and reform.
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EPA NESHAP: Paint Stripping and Misc. Surface Coating Operations
01/18/2008
The EPA has provided the Final Rule for the NESHAP: Paint Stripping and Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operations at Area Sources.
(Full Story)
Final OSHA Rule Requires Employer-Paid PPE
01/18/2008
The U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA announced a final rule in November on employer-paid PPE.
(Full Story)
Reduce Costs by Using Low Impact Development Practices
01/18/2008
The U.S. EPA has released a new report "Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices"
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Small Businesses Lead U.S. Growth
01/04/2008
Report Documents Small Firms' Significant Economic Impacts in 2006.
(Full Story)
EPA Widens Window on Regulatory Process
01/04/2008
EPA is sharing more information about ways the public can get involved in environmental regulation.
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EPA Promotes Recycling Materials Into Fuel
01/04/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is promoting the recycling of certain petroleum secondary materials into fuel.
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What Is the Real Scientific Consensus on Pesticides?
11/30/2007
According to the website of the Environmental Working Group, “There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects.”
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New EPA Rules Punish Areas for Ozone Improvement
11/30/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently considering a further tightening of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone, known generically as smog.
(Full Story)
Utility Energy Efficiency Vision Can Save Billions
11/16/2007
More than 60 energy, environmental and other organizations have collaborated on a new report that could save Americans more than $500 billion in energy costs over 25 years and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 90 million vehicles.
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All About: Waste Heat
11/02/2007
There's no place like home -- especially when it comes to affecting the environment, it seems.
(Full Story)
EPA Announces First-Ever Agricultural Advisory Committee
10/19/2007
Continuing efforts to strengthen relations with the agriculture community, EPA today announced the establishment of the first-ever Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes Amendments to Oil Spill Prevention
10/04/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing revisions to certain regulatory requirements for facilities subject to the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule.
(Full Story)
EPA Adds Seven Sites and Proposes 12 Sites to the Superfund List
10/04/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding seven new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the list for investigation and clean-up.
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Flexible Air Permits Proposed to Prevent Pollution and Paperwork
09/07/2007
EPA is proposing changes to air quality permitting rules to encourage pollution prevention; provide increased flexibility, enable industrial facilities to make rapid changes to respond to market demands; save resources for state permitting authorities, and improve public information.
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154 Environmental Leaders Renew Membership in EPA's Performance Track
08/28/2007
Pharmaceutical plants, paper mills, a golf course, a textile manufacturer, and an automobile maker are among the 154 facilities that have renewed their membership in EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program.
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EPA Evaluated Air Toxics Risks from Petroleum Refineries
08/28/2007
A recent analysis by EPA on the risks from air toxics emitted from petroleum refineries found that the risks to human health and the environment are low enough that no further controls are warranted.
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Energy Secretary Bodman Says DoE Will Have Conservation Plan in Place by Ne
08/09/2007
The U.S. Department of Energy will have its plan for cutting energy use ready by next year, Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said Wednesday.
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Harnessing the Sun: Facts and Myths about Solar Power
07/19/2007
Energy costs continue to rise. Health problems are increasingly being linked to poor air quality.
(Full Story)
Ethanol stirs fear of water shortage
07/19/2007
The mass quantity of water needed for Iowa's booming ethanol industry - billions of gallons each year - has raised concerns among state officials who say laws may be needed to prevent a water shortage in the state.
(Full Story)
Dumping Computers Doesn't Compute!
07/06/2007
In the information age, it's hard to keep pace. Families and schools outgrow computers faster than children outgrow clothes. Your state-of-the-art speed demon PC can be terminally upstaged within a few short years.
(Full Story)
Nuclear Energy Hot Topic Once Again
07/06/2007
Thanks to global warming, nuclear energy is hot again. Its promise of abundant, carbon emissions-free power is being pushed by the president and newly considered by environmentalists. But any expansion won't come cheap or easy.
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Report says ethanol may fuel dead zone
07/06/2007
Shrinking that dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will be much more costly than first thought.
(Full Story)
U.S. Conference of Mayors Endorses EPA's Energy Star Challenge
06/27/2007
Goal to reduce energy use in public and private buildings by 10 percent
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Icebergs get a new role in warming science
06/27/2007
Icebergs that break off Antarctica and drift away turn out to be hotspots of life in the cold southern ocean, researchers report. Study measures how they fuel life, and might even help to soak up carbon.
(Full Story)
Stronger Standards for Smog Proposed
06/27/2007
EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation's air quality standards for ground-level ozone, revising the standards for the first time since 1997. The proposal is based on the most recent scientific evidence about the health effects of ozone -- the primary component of smog.
(Full Story)
Can Americans Get Charged on Electric Cars?
05/24/2007
The ZAP Xebra is a three-wheeler running on basic batteries, silent and easy to maneuver. It is more than a golf cart and less than a compact car and costs just under $10,000.
(Full Story)
Know Your Air - Why Checking the Air Quality Index Can Protect Your Health
05/24/2007
With the warmer months at our door step, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Weather Service remind people to be prepared if there are days when the air quality is poor.
(Full Story)
New Reports Highlights Pollution Prevention Efforts
05/17/2007
EPA is releasing the first Web-based report that highlights the work of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) to ensure chemical safety under the Toxic Substances Control Act and to promote pollution prevention and environmental stewardship.
(Full Story)
(1) Compound Allowed as Alternative to Ozone-Depleting Chemicals for Specif
05/17/2007
Through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program EPA is allowing the use of n-propyl bromide, a nonflammable organic solvent, as an alternative to ozone-depleting substances in metals, electronics, and precision cleaning.
(Full Story)
New software to track cities' carbon emissions
05/17/2007
Microsoft to develop online tools for Clinton Foundation initiative
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Clean Energy Spending Can Curb Climate Change, WWF Says
05/17/2007
The world can avoid the worst effects of climate change with investments in clean energy so long as the wholesale shift from fossil fuels starts within five years, the environmental group WWF said on Tuesday.
(Full Story)
Wal-Mart Starts Solar Power Test Program
05/10/2007
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Monday that it has launched a program to test the use of solar power at some of its operations in Hawaii and California.
(Full Story)
Climate Panel Reaches Consensus on the Need to Reduce Harmful Emissions
05/04/2007
he world needs to divert substantially from today’s main energy sources within a few decades to limit centuries of rising temperatures and seas driven by the buildup of heat-trapping emissions in the air, the top body studying climate change has concluded.
(Full Story)
New EPA Tool Helps Answer Air Quality Questions
05/04/2007
AirCompare, a new EPA-developed air quality tool, provides local air quality information to help people make informed decisions about moving, vacationing or living in different areas of the country.
(Full Story)
Spring 2007 Forecast: A Green Planet and Green Economy
04/30/2007
What does it take to build a truly sustainable society that uses clean energy and renewable fuels, and still is profitable for American businesses? It requires tremendous ingenuity and innovation, and on April 24, EPA will show that America has what it takes!
(Full Story)
New Report Summarizes Ozone Layer Protection
04/30/2007
After nearly 20 years of international treaty protection, the six-mile-high ozone layer that shields the earth from harmful solar rays is on the road to recovery, but challenges remain, EPA reports.
(Full Story)
States wax fluorescent
04/30/2007
What’s the latest bright idea to save energy? Lawmakers in at least seven states want to ban ordinary light bulbs in favor of longer-lasting, energy-efficient compact fluorescents.
(Full Story)
EPA Accused of Flouting Supreme Court in Proposing New Pollution Standard
04/30/2007
The government proposed a pollution standard for power plants Wednesday that critics said flouts the spirit of a Supreme Court ruling on clean air enforcement.
(Full Story)
New, Improved: Water Quality Modeling Tool
04/30/2007
The Environmental Protection Agency has released a new version of its acclaimed watershed management program, making it easier to use and more readily available.
(Full Story)
Deforestation Effects Depend on Location
04/20/2007
The effect of deforestation on climate depends on three things -- location, location and location.
(Full Story)
UNEP Says Greener Buildings Could Slow Global Warming
04/20/2007
Better architecture and energy savings in buildings could do more to fight global warming than all curbs on greenhouse gases agreed under the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, a U.N. study showed on Thursday.
(Full Story)
Well, whaddaya know? The Earth's a star!
04/20/2007
After languishing in the background far too long, Earth has landed on the covers of Time, Newsweek and Vanity Fair this month alone. It can also boast a starring role in an Oscar-winning movie (Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth").
(Full Story)
EPA Publishes National U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
04/20/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2005 increased by less than one percent from the previous year.
(Full Story)
How Green Was My Wedding
02/28/2007
Kate Harrison’s idea of a fairy tale wedding goes something like this:
(Full Story)
Scientists Urge Global Action On Clean Energy
02/28/2007
A scientific panel convened at the request of the United Nations called Tuesday for drastic reductions in fossil-fuel emissions around the world and rapid increases in spending on clean-energy research to head off the worst effects of global warming.
(Full Story)
Mayors Unite On The 'Green' Front
02/02/2007
Pittsburgh, once the gritty center of steel manufacturing, now boasts the first "green" convention center and one of the world's largest environmentally sustainable buildings: the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
(Full Story)
Yesterday's High Technology Makes Mountain of E-Waste
01/19/2007
Christmas is getting kicked to the curb and with it piles of once-new tech gadgets full of heavy metals that cause cancer, poison blood and cause a host of other maladies.
(Full Story)
Solar Power Eliminates Utility Bills In U.S. Home
01/19/2007
Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills.
(Full Story)
Thirteen States, D.C., Sue EPA Over Air Quality
12/21/2006
More than a dozen states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday to lower soot levels from smokestacks and exhaust pipes, a move the state officials argue would save thousands of lives.
(Full Story)
EPA Continuing Cleanup Progress At Hazardous Waste Sites
12/21/2006
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continued to make significant progress in cleaning up America's most contaminated hazardous waste sites over the past year. Superfund, the federal government program that cleans up these sites, completed work at 40 sites during fiscal year 2006 for a cumulative total of 1,006 sites with construction work completed.
(Full Story)
Twenty-Two States Say EPA Too Soft On Mercury
11/29/2006
Air quality regulators in at least 22 states have concluded that the Bush administration's approach to cutting mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants is too weak and are pursuing tougher measures of their own.
(Full Story)
New Rules For Solid Waste Incinerators
11/29/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new source performance standards and emission guidelines for new and existing "other" solid waste incineration units (OSWI).
(Full Story)
New Tool Will Help Colleges Improve Environmental Compliance and Results
10/26/2006
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2006 - Colleges and universities nationwide are getting a new learning tool in the form of a compliance assistance center that will help them understand and comply with environmental laws.
(Full Story)
Beverage Companies Lack Fizz In Recycling Efforts, Says Report
10/26/2006
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17, 2006 - Major U.S. beverage companies received failing grades in a new study of the recycling performance of their containers.
(Full Story)
How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take to Protect the Environment and Save $30?
10/12/2006
Saving $30, and protecting the environment, is as easy as changing a light bulb. If every American household changed a single light bulb to an Energy Star bulb, it would provide enough power to light more than 2.5 million homes, while saving consumers money.
(Full Story)
Panelists offer overview on New Rules For Drycleaners
10/12/2006
The regulatory landscape for drycleaners is changing rapidly with new federal air pollution rules for all drycleaners and even stricter rules in some states, notably California, that could lead to a phase-out of the use of perc in drycleaning over the next 15 years.
(Full Story)
Diaper Component Tested To Protect Water
09/28/2006
When Nebraska researchers began looking for ways to soak up nitrogen fertilizer from cropland before it could make its way to ground water, they turned the standard in absorption: disposable baby diapers.
(Full Story)
U.S. Pollution Prevention Programs Prevent 6 Billion Pounds Of Waste, Says
09/28/2006
Pollution prevention programs in the U.S. prevented 6 billion pounds of pollution, reduced energy usage by 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, and conserved over 44 billion gallons of water between 2001 and 2003, according to a new study.
(Full Story)
Florida County Plans To Vaporize Landfill Trash
09/14/2006
A Florida county has grand plans to ditch its dump, generate electricity and help build roads — all by vaporizing garbage at temperatures hotter than the sun.
(Full Story)
U.S. Pollution Prevention Programs Prevent 6 Billion Pounds Of Waste, Says
09/14/2006
Pollution prevention programs in the U.S. prevented 6 billion pounds of pollution, reduced energy usage by 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, and conserved over 44 billion gallons of water between 2001 and 2003, according to a new study.
(Full Story)
Hazardous Waste Manifest Training Video
08/31/2006
Effective September 5, 2006, a new Hazardous Waste Manifest form must be used nationwide by all generators, transporters and treatment/storage/disposal facilities relating to the printing industry. (Shipments initiated before September 5, 2006 must use the prior manifest form.)
(Full Story)
EPA Evaluates Mercury Lamp Drum Top Crushers
08/31/2006
EPA just released a Mercury Lamp Drum-Top Crusher Study that provides the most current information on the performance of drum-top mercury lamp crushing lamp devices. The agency believes that with this information, states, users of mercury-containing lamps, and lamp recyclers will be able to make more informed decisions when managing fluorescent lamps.
(Full Story)
Proposal to Cut Air Toxics Emissions from Degreasers
08/18/2006
EPA is proposing options to reduce air toxics emissions by up to 70 percent from halogenated solvent cleaning operations.
(Full Story)
Little Switches Add Up to Big Cuts in Mercury Pollution
08/18/2006
EPA announced a national program today that will help cut mercury air emissions by up to 75 tons over the next 15 years.
(Full Story)
U.S. Continues to Set Bar on Pesticide Safety
08/04/2006
EPA is proposing to cancel all uses of the pesticide carbofuran and to revoke the associated tolerances (legal residue limits on food).
(Full Story)
EPA Strengthens Clean Air Rules for Dry Cleaners
07/24/2006
In a significant action to protect public health, EPA is tightening rules for all dry cleaners that use the chemical perchloroethylene (perc), including a phase-out of the chemical in dry cleaners located in residential buildings.
(Full Story)
EPA Continues Review of Ground-Level Ozone Standards
07/24/2006
In an ongoing effort to ensure that federal air quality standards reflect the latest air pollution and health effects research, EPA is releasing its second draft Staff Paper on ground-level ozone.
(Full Story)
EPA Improves Standards for Recycling of Cathode Ray Tubes
07/24/2006
EPA is streamlining the federal hazardous waste management requirements for cathode ray tubes and CRT glass destined for recycling.
(Full Story)
EPA to Infuse Almost $1 Billion Into Drinking Water Programs
07/07/2006
States, territories and tribes will share more than $940 million from three EPA grant programs to support the quality and security of the nation's drinking water.
(Full Story)
New EPA Program Saves Dollars and Makes Sense
06/22/2006
WaterSense, a new water efficiency program launched by EPA today, will educate American consumers on making smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance.
(Full Story)
EPA Retrofit Guidance Will Help States Calculate Air Quality Benefits
06/22/2006
EPA has issued guidance to states on how retrofit projects can be used in state plans to meet federal air quality standards and conformity determinations.
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Scrap Tire Cleanup Guidebook
06/09/2006
In an effort to reduce scrap tire piles around the country, EPA and the state of Illinois have created the Scrap Tire Cleanup Guidebook.
(Full Story)
Storm Water Rule Finalized to Comply with Energy Policy Act
06/09/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized revisions to storm water regulations.
(Full Story)
Inspector General Questions EPA's Assertion
05/25/2006
In a May 15 report, Bill Roderick, the EPA's acting inspector general is questioning EPA's claim.
(Full Story)
Closure Requirements for Hazardous Waste Generators
05/25/2006
What is proper closure for a hazardous waste generator?
(Full Story)
New EPA Collaborative Partnership with Farmers
05/25/2006
EPA released its National Strategy for Agriculture.
(Full Story)
EPA Weighs Options to Speed and Strengthen Air Quality
04/05/2006
Options intended to ensure that the best and latest available science is used in setting and reviewing air quality standards were submitted today by EPA officials.
(Full Story)
EPA Review Determines Current Air Toxics Standards
04/05/2006
EPA has issued rules finding that additional reductions in air toxics emissions are not necessary for four industry categories.
(Full Story)
EPA Plan Could Let Plants Skirt Pollutant Limits
04/05/2006
Staying below threshold would let polluters avoid most stringent controls.
(Full Story)
National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants
03/27/2006
Recent news reports of an analysis of EPA data have generated significant interest in toxic air pollution.
(Full Story)
Recycling Project at the National Cherry Blossom Festival
03/27/2006
While many Americans already recycle at home and in their places of business, it is still rare to find recycling bins at public events and in public spaces.
(Full Story)
Businesses Turn Energy Savings into a Profit for the Environment
03/27/2006
What do a snack food company, a car manufacturer, a building supplier and a hotel chain have in common? They are part of a select group of 67 businesses and organizations that achieved major energy savings or helped others save money.
(Full Story)
EPA Scientists Share Innovations with Public and Businesses
03/09/2006
More than 130 EPA scientific patents of technologies that benefit the environment can now be viewed at the new EPA TechMatch web site.
(Full Story)
Mercury to be Removed from Junked Cars
03/09/2006
Hoping to reduce harmful mercury emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency, the auto industry and environmental groups said Wednesday they have agreed to start a national program to collect mercury switches from scrapped automobiles.
(Full Story)
EPA budget cuts trouble environment groups
02/23/2006
Grants to state and local governments for land and water conservation would be cut 40 percent, and money for the Environmental Protection Agency's network of libraries for scientists would be slashed severely under President Bush's proposed budget.
(Full Story)
EPA launches effort to reduce emissions
02/23/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency launched an effort to reduce emissions in a string of central states, in part through voluntary corporate changes.
(Full Story)
Methyl ethyl ketone delisted as a hazardous air pollutant
02/10/2006
US EPA is amending the list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) contained in section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) by removing the compound methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) (2-Butanone) (CAS No. 78-93-3).
(Full Story)
Dairy farmers find money in manure
02/10/2006
‘Digesters’ use methane to make, sell electricity and reduce pollution.
(Full Story)
Attention all perchloroethylene (perc) dry cleaners!
02/10/2006
On December 21, 2005, the US EPA proposed regulations to reduce the health risks posed by perchloroethylene dry cleaners.
(Full Story)
Refrigerator Manufacturers Join EPA to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
01/27/2006
EPA and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) have launched a new, voluntary program to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emissions.
(Full Story)
Environmental Workshops January-March 2006
01/18/2006
Throughout the months of January and March, 2006, the state of Illinois will be hosting environmental regulatory workshops for the construction & demolition industry as well as for building code officials.
(Full Story)
International Panel Concludes U.S. has Improved Environmental Performance
01/10/2006
The United States has significantly improved its environmental performance in the last eight years.
(Full Story)
States team up on environment
01/10/2006
The global warming pact recently struck by seven states in the Northeast is pioneering in how it aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
(Full Story)
It's Not Just for Newspaper Anymore: Statewide Recycling Claims Odd Bits
12/29/2005
Amid the cardboard cartons, No. 2 plastics, soup cans and today's newspaper are a few surprises hidden in Maryland's successful efforts to recycle 40 percent of its waste.
(Full Story)
After Extensive Analysis, EPA Removes Methyl Ethyl Ketone from List of Toxi
12/28/2005
After an extensive, multi-year scientific and technical review, EPA has removed methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from the Clean Air Act list of toxic air pollutants.
(Full Story)
Treecycle Your Christmas Tree
12/28/2005
Several tips on how to dispose of your old Christmas tree.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposing to Reduce Air Toxics Risks from Dry Cleaners
12/15/2005
Based on recent analyses of health risks, the EPA is proposing a rule to reduce emissions of perchloroethylene (perc) from dry cleaners.
(Full Story)
EPA Eases Permitting Requirements for Small Businesses
12/15/2005
To avoid unnecessary costs and burdens, EPA will no longer require five types of small businesses to obtain federal operating permits.
(Full Story)
No consensus on recycling electronic junk
12/15/2005
California, Maine and Maryland are taking diverse paths to dealing with the digital-age toxic waste posed by mountains of junked electronic equipment. But there is debate about whether a state-by-state approach is the best solution.
(Full Story)
Solid waste incinerator standards to reduce 1,900 tons of air pollution ann
12/01/2005
EPA is requiring new performance standards to reduce emissions of air pollutants from the last remaining category of waste incinerators requiring Clean Air Act regulation.
(Full Story)
EPA targets chocolate scent in Chicago
12/01/2005
For decades, commuters and tourists have delighted in the mouthwatering smells wafting over the city from the Blommer Chocolate Co. factory. Now, that aroma is about to disappear, courtesy of federal regulators.
(Full Story)
Wyo could be biodiesel hub
12/01/2005
Wyoming Biodiesel Co.'s plans to build a 30 million-gallons-per-year biodiesel plant in Campbell County would make Wyoming a major marketplace hub for the fast-growing industry.
(Full Story)
Smog title goes back to Los Angeles
11/14/2005
Air quality in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's smog standard on 84 days this year, the agency said.
(Full Story)
Annual polluter reports may end; U.S. EPA considering cutback to reduce cos
11/14/2005
Ohio released more chemicals into the air from industry smokestacks and similar devices than any other state between 1998 and 2003.
(Full Story)
Wisconsin gets trashy treatment from neighbors
11/14/2005
More garbage from surrounding Midwestern states is being dumped at Wisconsin landfills than ever before, according to state officials.
(Full Story)
EPA estimates costs of power plant curbs
11/02/2005
Carbon dioxide and other emissions examined for legislative debate.
(Full Story)
EPA announces an estimated one million pounds of household hazardous waste
11/02/2005
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that an estimated one million pounds of household hazardous waste has been collected in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
(Full Story)
Winter energy-efficiency tips
10/25/2005
In the face of higher winter energy bills, EPA is encouraging you to be more energy efficient. The Agency recommends five places to look and practical advice for energy savings: sealing and insulating; heating efficiently; changing lights; powering down home electronics; and use of Energy Star products.
(Full Story)
Final NESHAP for hazardous waste combustors
10/19/2005
EPA issued a National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for hazardous waste combustors.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to harmonize new source review with existing clean air program
10/19/2005
EPA is proposing a draft rule to ensure the New Source Review (NSR) program is more compatible with current air pollution control programs that protect public health and the environment.
(Full Story)
Where will garbage from Katrina cleanup go?
10/04/2005
The Hurricane Katrina cleanup represents the biggest waste-disposal job in U.S. history, dwarfing in volume the debris carted off after the World Trade Center's twin towers fell in 2001, officials said.
(Full Story)
Georgia DNR to vote on wastewater rule change
10/03/2005
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is likely to vote Oct. 25th and 26th on a controversial rule change that would make it easier for sewage plants to discharge treated wastewater into rivers and lakes.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes burden reduction rule for the toxics release inventory
09/22/2005
EPA is proposing a rule to expand the use of a shortened reporting form (Form A certification statement) for some facilities. The proposal also provides new incentives to facilities to emit less in order to be able to use the shorter form.
(Full Story)
Michigan's new air permitting process is a success
09/22/2005
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has announced that since completing the re-engineering of the complex air permitting program one year ago, the time needed to process air permits has decreased by two-thirds.
(Full Story)
National emission standards finalized for hazardous waste combustors
09/22/2005
EPA is issuing final emission standards for hazardous waste combustors that will remove mercury, lead, particulate matter, arsenic and other hazardous pollutants from the environment.
(Full Story)
EPA, CDC Report High Levels of Bacterial Contamination in Preliminary Flood
09/07/2005
Floodwaters from multiple locations across the New Orleans area were sampled by EPA and analyzed for chemicals and bacteria. These initial results represent the beginning of extensive sampling efforts and do not represent the condition of all flood waters throughout the area.
(Full Story)
Coastal Clean-up Focuses on Fuel Spills
09/07/2005
State and federal scientists are pulling fishing boats, 10,000-gallon gasoline tanks, 55-gallon barrels and other leaking, polluting vessels from the Gulf waters off Alabama, officials said this week.
(Full Story)
New Handbook to Help Accelerate Watershed
09/07/2005
Questions about managing pollution runoff, increasing wildlife habitat and controlling invasive species in the nation's estuaries are among those addressed in a new Environmental Protection Agency handbook released at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in St. Louis.
(Full Story)
New Tests to Detect Previously Undetectable Bacteria
08/24/2005
New test methods proposed by EPA will lead to the detection of four types of bacteria in wastewater and sewage sludge. EPA's proposal centers on culture-based approaches to detecting enterococci and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in wastewater.
(Full Story)
Judge reluctant to create emissions oversight
08/17/2005
A federal judge expressed reluctance about beginning judicial oversight of pollution issues that affect global warming as she heard arguments Friday in a complaint brought by eight states against some of the nation´s largest power companies.
(Full Story)
DOT expands scope of hazardous materials regulations
08/10/2005
Persons who offer hazard hazardous materials for transportation must properly classify, package, mark, label, placard, and prepare shipping papers for their shipments. Moreover, they are subject to training and hazardous material security requirements.
(Full Story)
Industry-Government agreement to reduce the volume and cost of managing lef
08/10/2005
As part of an agreement signed or endorsed by 45 state and local governments, the paint industry association, a major retailer, the association of painting contractors, and others, representatives today announced a plan to reduce the environmental impacts and cost of managing leftover latex and oil-based paint.
(Full Story)
EPA to hold conference on emergency planning and response
08/10/2005
Region 7 of the EPA will offer updated information on hazardous materials, emergency planning and environmental risks to communities in the Region 7 states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri at the emergency response conference Aug. 18-21
(Full Story)
Toxic hazards in recycling program?
07/29/2005
Bureau of Prisons employee is charging that some inmates and prison staff are not being adequately protected from toxic hazards.
(Full Story)
EPA exempt from regulating greenhouse gases
07/29/2005
Federal court rejects states' effort to make EPA monitor heat-trapping gas.
(Full Story)
Painters fume over regulation
07/15/2005
A little-publicized rule has snatched oil-based paints from the shelves of stores in Delaware in hopes of improving air quality.
(Full Story)
California mulls emissions plan for big trucks
07/15/2005
California air-quality regulators are considering a requirement that big-rig trucks install computer systems to pinpoint on-the-road emissions problems, a move that could spur a change in federal rules.
(Full Story)
Algae blooms in river for first time in years
07/01/2005
Bright, neon-green algae hugged the banks of the St. Lucie River for miles on Monday, a freshwater bloom that state officials said is the latest example of poor water quality in the estuary.
(Full Story)
EPA revises RCRA test methods
07/01/2005
In the June 14 Federal Register, EPA revised testing and monitoring requirements in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste regulations as well as for certain Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations that relate to hazardous waste combustors.
(Full Story)
Wood mulch classified as hazardous waste
07/01/2005
EPA recently issued a clarification memo that indicates that wood mulch produced from CCA-treated wood is not exempt from regulation as hazardous waste under 40 CFR 261.4(b)(9).
(Full Story)
EPA releases strategy for cleaning up the air
06/17/2005
Just days after Maine experienced the season's first harmful air pollution levels at Acadia National Park, the federal Environmental Protection Agency released its plan for cleaning up the air at America's national parks and wilderness areas.
(Full Story)
EPA takes action to reduce lead levels in drinking water
06/17/2005
Through education and outreach, child care facilities and schools will be assisted by EPA and its partners to understand and reduce children's lead exposure from drinking water.
(Full Story)
All states share water quality funds
05/20/2005
Every state will get additional water quality monitoring funds as a result of an EPA decision to target a $9.92 million increase in fiscal year 2005 water pollution control grants for these activities.
(Full Story)
Blending policy revisited
05/20/2005
Based on review of all public comments and congressional hearings, EPA will not finalize the sewage blending policy as proposed in November 2003.
(Full Story)
Toxics Release Inventory Shows Continued Decline in Chemical Releases
05/13/2005
EPA's 2003 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)shows that the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities continues to decline, with total reductions of 42 percent since 1998 and a six percent decrease from 2002 to 2003.
(Full Story)
EPA Issues Final Amendments to Four National Emission Standards
05/13/2005
EPA has issued four direct final amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs). None of these amendments alters the stringency of the final standards nor has any adverse health, environmental, or economic impacts.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes Title V permit exemption
05/04/2005
The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to permanently exempt drycleaners from requirements for Title V permits under the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
EPA to Participate in White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
04/15/2005
EPA Acting Administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, will participate as a keynote speaker at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation.
(Full Story)
$3.2 Million in Small Business Awards for New Environmental Technologies
04/14/2005
EPA today announced the award of more than $3.2 million to 14 small companies under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
(Full Story)
EPA empowering communities to reduce risks from toxic exposure
04/01/2005
EPA is launching a new grant program to help communities understand and reduce the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. The Community Action for a Renewed Environment program is a community-based, community-driven, multi-media demonstration program.
(Full Story)
Proposal to maintain pollution permit requirements for five industries
03/24/2005
On March 23, 2005, EPA proposed a rule that would permanently exempt small facilities in five industrial categories from the requirement to obtain federal operating permits.
(Full Story)
EPA announces first-ever rule to reduce mercury emissions from power plants
03/15/2005
Acting Administrator Steve Johnson will sign today the Clean Air Mercury Rule, a rule that will significantly reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants across the country.
(Full Story)
New source for disposal of old computers
01/14/2005
Online auction house eBay recently launched a recycling initiative to confront the problem of "e-waste."
(Full Story)
EPA helps local governments use innovative tools to address challenges
01/12/2005
Environmental management systems (EMS) are a well established tool to help local governments prevent pollution, operate more efficiently and improve environmental performance within their communities.
(Full Story)
EPA joins with organizations to reduce water pollution
01/12/2005
Today, Assistant Administrator for Water, Ben Grumbles, along with officers from several organizations that focus on septic systems, formalized an agreement to improve wastewater treatment for 25 million homes nation-wide.
(Full Story)
EPA helps local governments address environmental challenges
01/12/2005
Environmental management systems (EMS) are a well established tool to help local governments prevent pollution, operate more efficiently and improve environmental performance within their communities.
(Full Story)
NPEDS improvements training
01/06/2005
EPA is implementing a nationwide assessment to improve the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program.
(Full Story)
EPA enforcement actions summarized for FY 2004
12/17/2004
EPA enforcement actions concluded in the 2004 fiscal year show significant increases from the previous year. The 2004 actions will reduce a projected one billion pounds of pollution and require cleanups estimated to total a record $4.8 billion.
(Full Story)
EPA announces final designations for first fine particle standard
12/17/2004
Twenty governors were told by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today that certain areas of their states do not meet the national first fine particle (PM2.5) air quality standards.
(Full Story)
EPA works with states to improve water permitting
12/15/2004
EPA is implementing a nation-wide assessment to improve the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit programs.
(Full Story)
EPA Senior policy advisors step down
12/14/2004
EPA Associate Administrator Jessica Furey and Susan Mulvaney, chief of staff to the Deputy Administrator, today announced that they will step down as EPA senior policy advisors in January 2005.
(Full Story)
November 15th is America Recycles Day
11/12/2004
Every year on November 15th, citizens all over the country celebrate America Recycles Day.
(Full Story)
New collaboration will help return Superfund sites to productive use
11/10/2004
Underscoring EPA's commitment to returning cleaned up properties to productive uses, a new initiative is being launched today that will support community efforts to reuse formerly contaminated Superfund sites.
(Full Story)
Twenty years of protecting America's soil and groundwater
11/10/2004
This month, EPA commemorates the 20th anniversary of legislation signed by President Reagan to create a program to ensure that leaks from underground tanks are prevented, and if contamination of soil and groundwater is detected, releases are cleaned up.
(Full Story)
EPA awards Environmental Justice Grants to 73 community organizations
11/04/2004
During the last two fiscal years EPA awarded a combined total of $1.28 million to 73 non-profit organizations which work at the local level on behalf of communities to address environmental/public health issues.
(Full Story)
Environmental Information Exchange Network Grants Awarded
10/15/2004
EPA announced the award today of 67 grants totaling more than $20 million to states, territories, and tribes for continued work on the nationwide Environmental Information Exchange Network.
(Full Story)
EPA honors 40 organizations for outstanding voluntary waste reduction
10/13/2004
Forty organizations will be honored Oct. 14 and 15 in Washington, D.C., for their outstanding waste reduction efforts at EPA's WasteWise Tenth Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.
(Full Story)
Environmental Technology Council Created
10/13/2004
EPA has formed a new Environmental Technology Council to apply new technologies to address complex environmental problems. This year, the Council will select at least 10 priority environmental concerns needing new technology approaches.
(Full Story)
Waste reduction & energy efficiency conference announced
10/11/2004
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced the 12th Annual Great Lakes Region Waste Reduction and Energy Efficiency Conference and Expo, to be held at the Burton Manor in Livonia, MI on October 26.
(Full Story)
EPA defends mercury position
10/08/2004
The nation's top environmental official, in a visit to Des Moines this week, disputed a charge by activists that the Bush administration isn't doing enough to limit mercury pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA solicits proposals for Brownfields Grants throughout the country
09/16/2004
EPA is now accepting proposals for up to 200 Brownfields assessment, revolving loan fund, and cleanup grants, contingent on availability of funds in the Agency's fiscal year 2005 budget.
(Full Story)
Compliance Assistance Centers survey their users
09/15/2004
The Environmental Protection Agency has sponsored partnerships with industry, academic institutions, environmental groups, and other agencies to launch 13 sector-specific Compliance Assistance Centers.
(Full Story)
EPA and external groups develop handbook for wastewater organizations
09/09/2004
To help utilities better manage their water and wastewater operations, EPA has developed the first Environmental Management System (EMS) handbook along with a steering committee of wastewater industry representatives and other experts.
(Full Story)
EPA Particulate Matter Research Report Released
09/09/2004
To further EPA's goal of safe and healthy air for every American community, EPA has released the report, "Particulate Matter (PM) Research Program: Five Years of Progress."
(Full Story)
EPA Performance Track announces new members
08/30/2004
EPA is announcing 19 new facilities from 11 states and Puerto Rico for membership in the National Environmental Performance Track Program. Performance Track rewards facilities that voluntarily exceed regulatory requirements, implement systems for improving environmental management, work with their communities, and set three-year goals for improvements in environmental performance.
(Full Story)
Communities could gain from EPA proposal encouraging property purchase
08/23/2004
To encourage the purchase, cleanup, reuse and economic revitalization of property that may be environmentally contaminated, EPA today announced a proposed rule requiring potential owners to conduct certain inquiries into the previous ownership, uses, and environmental conditions of the land prior to purchase.
(Full Story)
Companies encouraged by EPA to recycle materials and remediate wastes
08/13/2004
To encourage companies to recycle materials and remediate wastes, EPA awarded $700,000 to three companies to develop more cost-effective recycling and clean-up technologies through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
(Full Story)
EPA awards largest-ever grant to study health effects of air pollution
08/05/2004
Administrator Mike Leavitt today awarded the University of Washington a $30 million grant to study the connection between air pollution and cardiovascular disease.
(Full Story)
Bush administration commits $15 million to America's watersheds
08/04/2004
EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt announced 14 watersheds-representing 17 states-eligible for $15 million from EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grant Program. The selected areas represent more than 20,000 square miles of rivers, lakes and streams across the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA adds corporate level recognition to Performance Track
08/03/2004
For the first time, EPA is recognizing corporations for environmental leadership under the National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
EPA Deputy Administrator Appointed
08/03/2004
Stephen L. Johnson was sworn in as Deputy Administrator of EPA by Administrator Michael Leavitt on August 2, 2004.
(Full Story)
Air pollution control technologies grants awarded
07/09/2004
To develop effective pollution control technologies that are economically viable, EPA awarded $700,000 to three companies for development and commercialization of air pollution control technologies through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
(Full Story)
New web-based tools provide public access to local Brownfields information
07/08/2004
EPA introduced two new interactive Brownfields web tools that will give the public access to interrelated information about local Brownfields properties.
(Full Story)
2002 Toxics Release Inventory Released
07/07/2004
EPA issued its 15th annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), the annual report on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities, for calendar year 2002.
(Full Story)
New report profiles environmental performance in 12 major sectors
06/18/2004
A new EPA report establishes a performance benchmark for tracking future environmental progress in 12 key industrial and service sectors, including construction, forest products, and iron and steel manufacturing.
(Full Story)
EPA to delay SPCC deadline
06/16/2004
In response to industry disputes with several provisions of the revised rule and a request from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, EPA has indicated that the it will postpone the deadline for compliance with the latest revisions to the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rules.
(Full Story)
$75.4 million awarded in Brownfields Grants
06/15/2004
Communities in 42 states and Puerto Rico will share more than $75 million in EPA Brownfields grants to help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use.
(Full Story)
MSWG annual workshop
05/26/2004
You are invited to attend the Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Performance 7th annual "Learning Together Workshop on Environmental Innovation & Environmental Management Systems."
(Full Story)
EPA signs research agreements for U.S. water systems
05/19/2004
EPA is joining in research agreements with YSI, Inc., PureSense Environmental, Inc., and Hach Company to develop early warning detection devices for water distribution systems.
(Full Story)
Corrective Action Smart Enforcement Strategy is Announced
05/12/2004
EPA is launching an enforcement strategy to better control human exposure at or near hazardous waste facilities.
(Full Story)
EPA targets off-road vehicles, marine vessels in new pollution controls
05/12/2004
The U.S. government is moving on a new front to cut air pollution. This time ferry boats and harbor tugs, farm tractors and train locomotives, and dirt movers at construction sites are the targets.
(Full Story)
Plants nationwide controlling human exposure and groundwater contamination
05/05/2004
A Dow Chemical La Porte, Texas plant on May 4 became the 1000th facility to achieve EPA's environmental progress indicators for controlling both human exposure to environmental risks from waste, and migration of contaminated groundwater.
(Full Story)
Hazardous waste generator regulatory program meetings
04/28/2004
EPA's Office of Solid Waste is holding a series of public meetings in May 2004 to obtain input from its many stakeholders on the effectiveness of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA's) hazardous waste generator regulatory program.
(Full Story)
Bush administration commits to increasing wetlands nationwide
04/22/2004
President Bush celebrated Earth Day 2004 by announcing an aggressive new national goal to achieve an overall increase of America's wetlands each year.
(Full Story)
Students to be recognized for innovative environmental projects
04/22/2004
Recipients of the 2003 President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) are to be honored at a White House Ceremony. Each student receiving an award developed an innovative project that promotes awareness and encourages people of all ages to protect their environment through community involvement.
(Full Story)
Risk Management Program changes and deadlines
04/21/2004
EPA recently published revisions to the reporting requirements of the Chemical Accident Prevention Rule under Clean Air Act section 112(r).
(Full Story)
MVP2 Awards applications being accepted until May 17
04/09/2004
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) announces the application period for the Most Valuable Pollution Prevention (MVP2) Awards. The application deadline is May 17, 2004.
(Full Story)
EPA awards grants to reduce pollution from trucks at truck stops
04/07/2004
EPA, under the SmartWay Transport Partnership, is awarding grants to states and non-profit organizations across the country. These grants target emission reductions from trucks while they idle for long periods at truck stops and other truck waiting areas.
(Full Story)
Construction and development effluent guideline final action
04/06/2004
EPA issued a final action that relies on a broad range of existing programs and regulations at the federal, state and local level to control stormwater runoff from construction sites in lieu of a new national effluent guideline.
(Full Story)
Thomas V. Skinner Named as Acting Assistant Administrator
04/05/2004
The White House announced on April 2 the appointment of Thomas V. Skinner, as Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
New proposal to cut mercury, lead, other air emissions
04/04/2004
EPA signed a proposed rule designed to significantly reduce air pollutant emissions from five types of combustion sources that burn hazardous waste. This proposal could cut up to 4000 tons yearly of such hazardous pollutants as mercury, lead, dioxin, arsenic, soot and sulfur dioxide.
(Full Story)
New partnership plans to cut chemical releases in workplaces, communities
03/31/2004
EPA signed an agreement on March 30 with OSHA and other chemical and safety groups establishing the Reactive Chemical Hazards Alliance to help reduce accidental chemical releases.
(Full Story)
Over 1,000 to be trained for environmental jobs in brownfields communities
03/31/2004
A new round of Brownfields Job Training Grants will teach environmental-cleanup job skills to 1,080 individuals living in low-income areas near Brownfields sites in 16 communities.
(Full Story)
How to recycle or safely dispose of used batteries
03/26/2004
Most of the more than 750 million alkaline batteries sold each year to power cameras, flashlights, and portable CD players are sent to landfills or incinerated, not recycled.
(Full Story)
Green investing: A growing trend
03/26/2004
Membership in EPA's National Environmental Performance Track (PT) program is becoming a popular criterion for many companies in developing investment ratings.
(Full Story)
Discarded electronic aids may be hazardous waste
03/24/2004
A just-completed study by University of Florida environmental engineers found that electronic-age gizmos ranging from cell phones to computer mice often release enough lead in laboratory tests to be classified as hazardous waste under federal EPA regulations.
(Full Story)
New innovative projects announced by EPA
03/15/2004
EPA today announced six new innovative projects that test approaches to make EPA's waste programs more effective.
(Full Story)
57 businesses and organizations recognized for energy efficiency
03/02/2004
2004 ENERGY STAR Awards were presented to 57 businesses and organizations, recognizing outstanding contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency
(Full Story)
Four new rules will reduce hazardous air emissions
03/02/2004
Rules requiring four industries to upgrade their facilities by installation of Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACTs) were announced last week by EPA. The new MACT standards are estimated to reduce national emissions of toxic air pollutants by 88,000 tons per year within five years.
(Full Story)
NPCA comments on EPA's proposal to redefine solid waste
03/01/2004
In February, NPCA submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its October 2003 proposed rule that would revise the definition of solid waste to identify certain recyclable hazardous secondary materials as not discarded.
(Full Story)
EPA increases maximum civil penalty to $32,500 per incident
02/23/2004
On February 13, 2004, the EPA promulgated changes to the maximum civil monetary penalty, raising the limit to $32,500 per incident, compared to $27,500, the previous upper limit.
(Full Story)
EPA and Department of Energy sign agreement to expand collaboration
02/19/2004
Increased collaboration on research and computing resources, including the linking of two national supercomputers, will take place under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).
(Full Story)
Voluntary partnerships lead to waste reduction and recycling
02/18/2004
This week, EPA released its first annual report on the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), a major cross-agency initiative that identifies and uses innovative and flexible ways to conserve natural resources and energy.
(Full Story)
Performance Track welcomes 39 new facilities
02/12/2004
The EPA announced today 39 new facilities from 22 states and Puerto Rico for membership to the National Environmental Performance Track Program.
(Full Story)
Bush Administration proposes new funding to reduce school bus emissions
02/04/2004
President Bush's 2005 budget proposal will include an unprecedented $60 million in new funding to expand the Clean School Bus USA program, a national partnership to reduce the emission of air pollutants from school buses.
(Full Story)
EPA issues new guidance and database for research models
02/04/2004
To increase public understanding of the science behind EPA policy, Acting Deputy Administrator Steve Johnson and Science Advisor Paul Gilman announced new draft guidance on the use of research models at EPA and a web-accessible database, the Models Knowledge Base.
(Full Story)
EPA's FY 2005 Budget empowers Agency to accelerate environmental protection
02/04/2004
President Bush's 2005 budget provides $7.76 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a $133 million increase over the 2004 budget request.
(Full Story)
NAS report outlines air quality progress, future challenges
01/29/2004
Recommending steps to steadily strengthen the nation's clean air program in the face of anticipated challenges, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has issued a report that provides an in-depth study of EPA's air quality management under the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
OSHA offers two new compliance assistance web tools
01/29/2004
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced the availability of two new resources on the agency's website.
(Full Story)
Automakers and gasoline refiners join EPA to celebrate milestone
01/26/2004
EPA's program for cleaner vehicles and fuel was officially recognized today by Administrator Leavitt in Washington with a display of seventeen 2004 model-year vehicles representing the wide variety of cleaner vehicle choices on the market today.
(Full Story)
Early public release of facility TRI forms expected
01/13/2004
Facility TRI data will be made publicly available earlier than usual this year under EPA’s planned Electronic Facility Data Release (EFDR).
(Full Story)
New guidance on supplemental environment projects issued
01/09/2004
EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has released new guidance on the Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP) Policy to encourage violators to undertake projects that will benefit the environment and public health.
(Full Story)
OSHA withdraws glycol ethers rulemaking record
01/07/2004
Agency cites as justification a major reduction in use and production over past decade
(Full Story)
Assistant Administrator for Enforcement at EPA Resigns
01/05/2004
Today, John Peter Suarez, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, submitted his letter of resignation to President George W. Bush.
(Full Story)
Air quality proposal to deeply cut power plant emissions is signed
12/17/2003
EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt signed a proposal today that would result in the deepest cuts in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from power plants in more than a decade.
(Full Story)
Mercury regulations under review
12/13/2003
The Bush administration is working to undo regulations that would force power plants to sharply reduce mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants, according to a government document and interviews with officials.
(Full Story)
Pollution reduction enforcement numbers more than double
12/11/2003
The compliance assurance and enforcement results for Fiscal Year 2003 show environmental benefits increased an estimated 131 percent over FY2002.
(Full Story)
Administrator Leavitt outlines plans and aspirations for the Agency
12/11/2003
Speech highlights common sense approach; previews 500-day air-quality action plan.
(Full Story)
EPA's ECHO resonates with public
11/21/2003
ECHO, EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online database, successfully delivered local-facility compliance and enforcement information in response to over one million search requests in its first year of operation.
(Full Story)
Seventh Annual Kick-off for America Recycles Day
11/21/2003
Kicking off nearly 800 events across the nation, EPA, the D.C. Government, numerous non-government organizations and corporate partners today celebrated the seventh annual America Recycles Day by encouraging Americans to reduce, reuse, recycle and buy recycled products.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to promote recycling of hazardous waste
11/21/2003
On Oct. 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a change to federal hazardous waste management regulations that could significantly increase the recovery of metals, solvents and other usable materials was announced today by EPA.
(Full Story)
National Smart Growth Achievement Award Recipients Announced
11/19/2003
Five communities were recognized today by the Environmental Protection Agency for their innovative approaches to projects ranging from the revitalization of brownfields to the renewal of urban centers, while still maintaining a sense of community identity and respect for the environment.
(Full Story)
New source review equipment replacement rule published
10/29/2003
The final New Source Review Equipment Replacement rule is being published today in the Federal Register. The final rule was signed and announced by Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko in late August.
(Full Story)
Governor Mike Leavitt confirmed by Senate as next EPA Administrator
10/29/2003
Utah Governor Mike Leavitt was confirmed today by an overwhelming majority (88-8) by the U.S. Senate to be the next Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Schools committed to indoor air quality receive awards from EPA
10/27/2003
Schools and individuals demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to improving indoor air quality received recognition at the fourth annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Symposium in Washington, D.C.
(Full Story)
Brownfields conference features grants and Portfields Initiative
10/27/2003
EPA Acting Administrator Marianne Lamont Horinko, attending the "Brownfields 2003 - Growing a Greener America" Conference in Portland, Ore., presented a total of $400,000 to the communities of Allegan, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; Lancaster County, Pa.; Emeryville, Calif.; and the Downriver Community Conference, Southgate, Mich., to incorporate smart growth into their planning, revitalization, and redevelopment efforts.
(Full Story)
U.S. states sue federal government over greenhouse gases
10/24/2003
Twelve states, including California and New York, filed petitions Thursday in federal court in a bid to force the Bush administration to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
(Full Story)
$5 million for Clean School Bus projects awarded
10/24/2003
Seventeen projects demonstrating ways to reduce pollution from school buses were announced today by Acting EPA Administrator Marianne Horinko. The projects are funded by a $5 million Clean School Bus USA grant program.
(Full Story)
Partnering with ports for a better environment
10/24/2003
Based on the industry's interest in environmental stewardship, 11 deep water coastal ports will participate in an Environmental Management System (EMS) assistance project. By doing so, they show leadership in environmental protection, reduce costs and improve efficiency, increase staff involvement and morale and integrate other objectives, such as safety and security, with environmental activities.
(Full Story)
U.S. labor groups sue for clean air in factories
10/22/2003
The United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers of America filed a lawsuit against the Labor Department Tuesday, seeking to force it to set clean air standards for factories that the unions said could save workers' lives.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to promote recycling of hazardous waste
10/20/2003
A proposed change to federal hazardous waste management regulations that could significantly increase the recovery of metals, solvents and other usable materials was announced today by EPA.
(Full Story)
EPA makes final decision on dioxin in sewage sludge land application
10/17/2003
EPA has made a final decision not to regulate dioxins in land-applied sewage sludge. After five years of study, including outside peer review, the Agency has determined that dioxins from this source do not pose a significant risk to human health or the environment.
(Full Story)
EPA provides extensive mercury spill prevention and cleanup information
10/16/2003
EPA is reminding the public and school teachers – particularly science teachers and administrators – of the importance of secure storage, safe handling, and in the event of a spill, the safe cleanup of mercury.
(Full Story)
EPA launches Children’s Health Month at walk-to-school day event
10/08/2003
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko today addressed the 7th annual International Walk-to-School Day event in Washington, D.C., as the Agency launched Children’s Health Month.
(Full Story)
Air Quality Index forecasts now available year-round
10/03/2003
Beginning October 1, new information on air quality will be available year-round in more than 100 U.S. cities. As part of an ongoing effort to protect the American public from air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency, together with state and local governments, is expanding current air quality forecasts to include daily information on particle pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA weighs easing toxic disclosures
09/29/2003
The government is studying ways to ease requirements for industry to report the toxic chemicals they put into the environment. Industry has been asking for flexibility, which environmentalists fear will lead to weakened protections.
(Full Story)
Green groups fear U.S. environmental review changes
09/25/2003
Green groups slammed recommendations Wednesday from a Bush administration task force on ways to streamline federal environmental reviews, arguing that the public would be shut out of the process in key government agency decisions.
(Full Story)
State lawmakers form Great Lakes Caucus
09/25/2003
Forty lawmakers from eight states have launched the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus to create uniform laws in their respective states to curb water pollution, regulate water diversion projects and control the spread of non-native plants and animals accidentally introduced into the largest system of fresh surface water on earth.
(Full Story)
EPA settles clean air emissions case with Las Vegas wood furniture manufact
09/23/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has settled a case with a North Las Vegas company over alleged violations of the federal Clean Air and Emergency Planning and Right to Know acts.
(Full Story)
Nation's largest healthcare system pledges involvement in healthy hospitals
09/19/2003
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest integrated healthcare network in the country, has committed to reduce its environmental impact by becoming a "Champion for Change" in the innovative Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program.
(Full Story)
York landlord sentenced for submitting forged lead paint disclosure forms
09/19/2003
Kurvin H. Grove of York, Pa. was sentenced today in federal court in Harrisburg, Pa., for the criminal obstruction of agency proceedings related to forging signatures on lead notification forms. U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell sentenced Grove to 12-months probation, which includes 6-months home confinement, and ordered the defendant to pay a $7,600 fine.
(Full Story)
Bush defends change in environmental rules
09/16/2003
President Bush Monday defended a change in clean air rules — which environmentalists believe will cause more pollution — as necessary to allow power plants to upgrade their equipment and keep the U.S. economy going.
(Full Story)
Air quality continues to improve: new report and data
09/15/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual air trends report and also released new acid rain data, both of which show steady and significant air quality improvement.
(Full Story)
EPA rule cracks down on foundry pollution
09/09/2003
New federal regulations to crack down on toxic air emissions from about 100 iron and steel foundries nationwide will take effect later this month, said a spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
Dry cleaners ponder cleaning options, increased regulation
08/29/2003
For dry cleaners, the issue of how clothes should be cleaned is at the heart of a debate prompted by increasing questions about perchloroethylene, or perc, the industry's most popular cleaning solvent.
(Full Story)
Bush administration revises air pollution rules
08/28/2003
The Bush administration on Wednesday exempted thousands of older power plants, refineries and factories from having to install costly clean air controls when they modernize with new equipment that improves efficiency but increases pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA eases pollution rule at U.S. power plants
08/28/2003
The Bush administration Wednesday revised clean air regulations to make it easier for power plants and refineries to repair and upgrade their facilities — a move environmental groups said will cause more air pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA continues efforts to reduce hazardous air emissions
08/28/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will approve this week thirteen rules requiring industrial facilities to install the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).
(Full Story)
EPA announces next step to improve the New Source Review program
08/28/2003
EPA is establishing an equipment replacement provision as part of the routine maintenance, repair and replacement exclusion of the New Source Review (NSR) permitting program. Today's rule makes the program more effective and responsive to today's environmental, economic and energy challenges.
(Full Story)
EPA Finalizes two Rules to Reduce Toxic Air Emissions
08/27/2003
On Aug. 14, EPA issued a final rule to reduce toxic air pollutant emissions from metal can surface coating operations.
(Full Story)
EPA Recognizes new environmental performance track members
08/25/2003
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today 25 facilities recently selected as new members of EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
EPA seeks information on RCRA framework with goal of fostering improvement
08/18/2003
There are over 130,000 large and small hazardous waste generators in the United States who are responsible for implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA) "cradle to grave" system for the proper management of hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Fabricant announces resignation as EPA's general counsel
08/18/2003
Robert E. Fabricant, General Counsel of the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, today submitted his resignation to the President.
(Full Story)
Bush picks Utah Gov. Leavitt to head EPA
08/12/2003
The White House on Monday tapped Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to become head of the Environmental Protection Agency, a move conservationists immediately denounced.
(Full Story)
EPA helps launch global water quality monitoring effort
08/08/2003
The first World Water Monitoring Day will be held Oct. 18, 2003. To ensure that Americans and citizens around the globe have clean water the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is partnering with America's Clean Water Foundation and the International Water Association to urge people around the world to test the quality of their streams, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters.
(Full Story)
EPA national hazardous waste meeting date set
08/07/2003
The annual Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) National Meeting, a forum for federal and state regulators and the regulated community to discuss solid and hazardous waste management issues, will be held in Washington, D.C.
(Full Story)
EPA Region 2 fines cleaners in NY, NJ
08/07/2003
Seven drycleaners—six in New Jersey and one in New York, were fined last month by EPA for various violations pertaining to the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Clear Skies Act receives state and local support
08/06/2003
The Bush Administration's Clear Skies Act of 2003, establishing a mandatory multi-pollutant approach to reducing air pollution, is receiving bi-partisan support from state and local elected officials
(Full Story)
Eastern states: More air pollution with new EPA rule
07/30/2003
Nearly 1.6 million additional tons of air pollution would be emitted in 12 key states under a new rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to alter the Clean Air Act's New Source Review permit requirements, according to research by state governments and an environmental group.
(Full Story)
Michigan auto shop owner indicted on hazardous waste charges
07/24/2003
On July 9, in U.S. District Court in Michigan, George C. Singleton of Clinton, Mich., was indicted on four counts of violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Singleton is the owner of RT Automotive in Ypsalinti, Mich.
(Full Story)
Three indicted for violating clean air act in California
07/21/2003
Carlo Giordano and his son, Allesandro Giordano, both of Nashville, Tenn., were arrested on July 10 in Nashville on charges that they and their company, Autodelta USA, illegally sold automobiles in California that violated federal Clean Air Act (CAA) and vehicle safety standards.
(Full Story)
Coordinated approach stressed in revised small business strategy
07/21/2003
In recognition of the increasingly important role small business plays in the United States economy, EPA announced its revised Small Business Strategy on June 27.
(Full Story)
EPA issues enforcement accomplishments report
07/11/2003
The EPA released its Fiscal Year 2002 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Accomplishments Report entitled "Environmental Results Through Smart Enforcement."
(Full Story)
EPA's criminal enforcement chief ousted
07/10/2003
The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) criminal program has been transferred to a subordinate position, according to an internal memo released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
(Full Story)
EPA increases civil penalties for environmental violations
07/07/2003
Under proposed regulations, EPA will be able to assess increased maximum civil penalties against polluters caught violating the nation's environmental laws. The increase is almost 15 percent.
(Full Story)
Updated modeling confirms widespread benefits
07/02/2003
EPA released updated modeling results that confirm that the Clear Skies Act of 2003 would significantly improve air quality across the nation, resulting in enormous health and environmental benefits.
(Full Story)
Plating company sentenced for illegal disposal
06/30/2003
On June 18, in U.S. District Court in Texarkana, RTF Industries, Inc., located outside of Marshall, Texas, was sentenced to pay a $100,000 fine for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
(Full Story)
EPA releases environmental reports
06/25/2003
The Environmental Protection Agency released a mixed “Report on the Environment” on Monday that outlined progress in areas from air quality to drinking water but said plenty of problems remain.
(Full Story)
EPA announces Brownfields grant recipients
06/23/2003
As part of EPA's ongoing efforts to promote economic revitalization while safeguarding the environment and public health, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced $73.1 million in Brownfields funds for a variety of different grants made available from the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.
(Full Story)
EMS systems encouraged in enforcement cases
06/17/2003
To encourage the widespread use of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs), EPA announced a new guidance to promote their use in compliance assurance and enforcement programs.
(Full Story)
Three states sue to force EPA to regulate C02
06/17/2003
Three states filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the agency is failing to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, which they say is required by the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
American anglers warned to watch out for mercury
06/09/2003
Mercury contamination is at crisis levels in an increasing number of U.S. lakes and rivers, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) warned.
(Full Story)
Bush air plan could be changed to allow more mercury
06/09/2003
Environmentalists have criticized the Bush administration's Clear Skies initiative for being too lax on reducing mercury emissions, but during a recent Senate hearing Republican lawmakers and industry officials raised doubts that the administration's proposal is even feasible.
(Full Story)
Former Chico cleaners targeted in Superfund lawsuit
06/09/2003
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s office has filed a $1.4 million lawsuit against them and a handful of other Chico residents under the federal Superfund law enacted over 20 years ago.
(Full Story)
EPA failing to enforce Clean Water Act
06/09/2003
An internal report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates the agency is doing a poor job of enforcing the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Waste recycling bill passes California Senate
06/05/2003
Legislation requiring electronics manufacturers to establish a "free and convenient" recycling system for old computers, televisions and other electronic devices is working its way through the California legislature. It was passed by the California State Senate on a 24 to 13 vote and now moves along to the Assembly.
(Full Story)
EPA announces drinking water progress
06/03/2003
Protection of our nation's drinking water reached a significant milestone this month with the completion by drinking water systems, in conjunction with states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Clean Water Act diluted by obsolete data system
05/28/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ability to monitor and control water pollution is being severely undermined by an outdated computer system, finds a new report from the agency's internal watchdog.
(Full Story)
Christine Whitman resigns as EPA Chief
05/21/2003
Christie Whitman, sometimes at odds with the Bush White House over environmental issues and a lightning rod for the administration's critics, resigned Wednesday as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
EPA anounces new recycling, energy recovery, waste minimization initiative
05/20/2003
EPA announced ten new innovative projects from around the country to test creative approaches to waste minimization, energy recovery, recycling and land revitalization that may be replicated across various industries, communities and regions.
(Full Story)
Wastewater treatment officials sentenced in Clean Water Act case
05/16/2003
The U.S. District Court in Columbia, S.C., James Goldman, former Vice President and Secretary of Tin Products, Inc. of Lexington, S.C., Melanie Purvis, former Environmental Supervisor at Tin Products, and George Metts, former wastewater treatment operator were each sentenced, in a case involving an illegal wastewater discharge from the Tin Products facility.
(Full Story)
EPA finalizes air pollution rules
05/13/2003
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised two rules contributing to its efforts to reduce national emissions of toxic air pollutants.
(Full Story)
EPA launches new auto recyclers compliance assistance
05/12/2003
EPA has introduced a new web-based Compliance Assistance Center to help automotive recyclers comply with federal and state environmental regulations.
(Full Story)
EPA considers relaxing pollution laws for factory farms
05/07/2003
Environmental groups are worried that the Bush administration is cutting deals with the livestock and poultry industries behind closed doors to exempt factory farms from existing pollution laws.
(Full Story)
EPA & NOAA join forces to enhance air quality forecasts
05/06/2003
EPA and the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marked World Asthma Day today by announcing a partnership to jointly develop a forecasting tool which will enhance the ability to predict air quality in our communities.
(Full Story)
Energy efficient homes help save money, environment
05/06/2003
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that 100,000 new homes have earned the EPA ENERGY STAR designation, saving Americans more than $26 million in energy costs annually.
(Full Story)
California spurs perc switching
05/05/2003
A California legislature wants cleaners to quit using perc and he is willing to pay them to switch.
(Full Story)
EPA announces hospitals for a healthy environment awards
05/05/2003
EPA, the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, and the Health Care Without Harm organization announce that Bronson Methodist Hospital of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center of Lebanon, N.H., have won the 2003 Environmental Leadership Awards for the national Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program.
(Full Story)
EPA revises hazardous waste mixture rule
04/22/2003
EPA announced that it is proposing to revise the wastewater treatment exemptions for hazardous waste mixtures, an action also known as the "Headworks Rule Exemptions."
(Full Story)
EPA releases best practices guide on industrial waste
04/22/2003
Promoting pollution prevention and fostering significant upgrades to the nation's waste management practices, EPA announced the release of a comprehensive voluntary industrial waste management guide that identifies best management practices for the full range of non-hazardous industrial wastes – covering more than 60,000 industrial facilities in the United States that produce and manage an estimated 7.6 billion tons of this industrial waste.
(Full Story)
Virginia TRI reveals mixed reports
04/10/2003
As chemical releases to the environment reported by Virginia industries declined in 2001, the amount of chemicals transferred off-site for safe treatment or disposal increased by 10 percent, according to the latest Toxics Release Inventory produced by the Department of Environmental Quality.
(Full Story)
New EPA initiative promotes waste cleanup programs
04/10/2003
Accelerating its efforts to revitalize communities and stimulate the economy by restoring contaminated properties, EPA announced a new national initiative to incorporate land reuse into its Superfund, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Brownfields, and Underground Storage Tank hazardous waste cleanup programs.
(Full Story)
Louisiana co sentenced to largerst fine in history
04/10/2003
PCS Nitrogen Inc., which operates a chemical plant in Geismar, La., was sentenced on March 17 to pay a $1.75 million fine in U.S. District Court for Louisiana in Baton Rouge for violating the Clean Air Act (CAA). On March 28, PCS paid a $250,000 fine in Louisiana State Court for similar offenses.
(Full Story)
Initiative to improve undergound storage tank programs
04/09/2003
EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response launched a new initiative to integrate the assessment and cleanup efforts of its solid and hazardous waste cleanup programs (Superfund, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Underground Storage Tanks) to increase speed and efficiency of environmental cleanups and improve the sharing of information with affected citizens.
(Full Story)
Acid rain allowance auction for air emissions shows continued progress
03/27/2003
EPA and the Chicago Board of Trade announced the results of the eleventh annual acid rain allowance auction on Tues., March 25th. The auction, which gives private citizens, brokers and power plants an opportunity to buy and sell sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowances, is part of EPA's innovative and successful program to reduce acid rain by cutting nationwide SO2 emissions from power generation by 50 percent.
(Full Story)
Utah medical waste firm charged with illegal discharge
03/25/2003
David I. Kali, former owner of Aseptic Services Inc., in Orem, Utah, was charged with violating state pretreatment standards for allegedly discharging wastes into publically owned sewage treatment systems.
(Full Story)
EPA working to find solutions on perchlorate
03/25/2003
EPA is working with other federal agencies, the states, tribes, water suppliers and the public to evaluate perchlorate - a component of rocket fuel - as an environmental contaminant.
(Full Story)
EPA administrator declares March as small business month
03/11/2003
Administrator Christine Whitman recognized March as "Small Business Month." To support small businesses in their environmental efforts, the Administrator is visiting small business throughout the country.
(Full Story)
Pollution-free power plant plans revealed
03/05/2003
The government will participate with private industry in a 10-year program to build a coal-based, pollution-free power plant, the Energy Department announced.
(Full Story)
Whitman supports continued reduction in toxic air emissions
03/05/2003
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman has signed 13 final rules to reduce toxic air emissions from industrial facilities across the United States.
(Full Story)
US upholds EPA drinking water standards
02/27/2003
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld EPA's rule setting limits on the permissible level of radionuclides in drinking water. The regulation retains the existing standards for the radionuclides radium-226, radium-228, and certain beta/photon emitters, and establishes standards for uranium for the first time.
(Full Story)
EPA offers free small business workshop
02/27/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a one-day workshop to teach small businesses how to win contracts under EPA's Small Business Innovation Research program. The agency's environmental technology needs also will be explained.
(Full Story)
EPA finalizes metal products and machinery rule
02/20/2003
EPA has issued a new clean water rule that will reduce pollution from an estimated 2,400 metal products and machinery (MP&M) operations across the country.
(Full Story)
EPA reports 10 years of pollutant reduction
02/20/2003
A national report on pollution prevention programs says that pollutants were reduced by 167 billion pounds between 1990 and 2000.
(Full Story)
Free Small Business Workshop
02/18/2003
Small Business Innovation Research Program Workshop
(Full Story)
California lawmakers to charge new paint fees
02/12/2003
As expected, a bill that will give the California Air Resources Board (CARB) the authority to impose new fees on various consumer products and architectural paints roared to passage in the state legislature last week despite protests from industry groups.
(Full Story)
President's environmental budget outlined
02/07/2003
President Bush's proposed FY 2004 request for the natural resources and environment budget function is $30.4 billion, an increase of $1 billion, or 4 percent higher than requested in FY 2003.
(Full Story)
New web site offers accessibility to small businesses
01/28/2003
The Administration launched Regulations.gov, a new online rulemaking Web site, that will make the federal rulemaking process more accessible and enable citizens and small businessesto quickly access and comment on hundreds of open proposed rules from all federal agencies.
(Full Story)
Bush's 50 environmental policy changes
01/24/2003
Halfway into his four-year term, President Bush has significantly altered the nation's environmental policies, often without attracting much notice.
(Full Story)
EPA extends public comment for pilot database
01/24/2003
Due to several requests from the public, EPA has extended the comment period for its pilot information database, Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) to March 31.
(Full Story)
Ohio man indicted on Clean Air Act charges
01/24/2003
John Littlehale of Terrance Park, Ohio, former Vice President for Manufacturing at Multi-Color Corp., was indicted on Jan. 15 for alleged conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA).
(Full Story)
EPA releases innovative approach to cleaner water
01/21/2003
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman announced a new Water Quality Trading Policy to cut industrial, municipal and agricultural discharges into the nation's waterways.
(Full Story)
US reaches settlement with Koppers Industries
01/21/2003
Koppers Industries, Inc. agreed to pay the United States $2.9 million to resolve allegations of numerous violations of several environmental regulations at many of the company's U.S. facilities and committed to carry out an environmental management system (EMS), the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced.
(Full Story)
Metal treating company and president fined
01/21/2003
Moore, McMillen Inc. (MMI), and MMI's President William Moore, both of Sevierville, Tenn., each pled guilty to negligent violations of the Clean Water Act and were sentenced on Jan. 9 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee in Knoxville.
(Full Story)
Mercury-containing waste illegally disposed of
01/21/2003
Michael A. Raasch of Brewster, Mass., was sentenced on Dec. 17 to serve six months in home confinement as part of three years probation and pay a $10,000 fine for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
State scraps water certification program
01/09/2003
Missouri has surrendered its veto power over federal projects that affect wetlands, rivers and streams in order to save $99,000 a year. Environmentalists, legislators and bureaucrats are puzzled by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' decision to eliminate its water-quality certification program as part of its budget cuts.
(Full Story)
EPA rule vioilations
01/09/2003
Recent vioations against the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
Federal courts grant EPA 45 more days for MP&M rule
01/09/2003
The DC Federal Court of Appeals has granted an EPA request for a 45-day extension to finalize the MP&M rule. Facing a looming year-end deadline and the risk of not completing the final MP&M rulemaking package, EPA recently sought relief from the court.
(Full Story)
Protecting and restoring America's wetlands
12/30/2002
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and Transportation today strengthened their commitment to achieve the goal of no net loss of our Nation's wetlands with the release of a comprehensive action plan and improved guidance to ensure effective, scientifically-based restoration of wetlands impacted by development activities.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to withdraw unworkable 2000 TMDL rule
12/30/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is proposing to withdraw the July 2000 final rule which revised EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Landfill settles Clean Air Act case with EPA and DOJ
12/30/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice announced the owner/operator of the state's Central Landfill in Johnston, RI will be spending more than $5 million on air pollution control measures as part of a settlement of alleged Clean Air Act violations.
(Full Story)
Manufacturers to Label All Mercury-Containing Lamps
12/30/2002
Fluorescent lamp makers, including General Electric, Slyvania and Phillips, will soon be required by Vermont law to label all lamps containing mercury sold in-state.
(Full Story)
Are you a hazardous material shipper?
12/17/2002
In our industry, it is very common to ship or receive injection pumps and injections via UPS, FedEx, USPS or other common carriers. Most of the time, oil or fuel leaks are not an issue, although all of us have opened or received shipping boxes that were oil soaked.
(Full Story)
EPA and agriculture working together to improve America's waters
12/17/2002
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman announced that the agency is working with the agricultural community to control water pollution from the nation's largest livestock operations while keeping American agriculture viable.
(Full Story)
National Environmental Performance Track
12/17/2002
Over the last several years, EPA has joined states, businesses, and community and environmental groups in developing new approaches to environmental protection that foster innovation and reward excellence.
(Full Story)
Bush administration issuing new rules for farm pollution
12/17/2002
About 1,000 Iowa farms could be required to obtain permits under new environmental restrictions being imposed by the Bush administration.
(Full Story)
Chemical cleanup underway at former St. Paul business
12/12/2002
Workers in protective clothing have begun removing 60,000 gallons of hazardous liquids and sludges before they freeze at a former electroplating firm in St. Paul, environmental officials said.
(Full Story)
Solvent maker Swift Chemical hires new company for cleanup
12/12/2002
A company under scrutiny for leaking and improperly storing hazardous chemicals hired a contractor to stabilize the site and received an extended deadline for completing the work.
(Full Story)
Used cell phone efforts stepped up
12/12/2002
Leading cell phone manufacturers pledged Thursday to work with the U.N. Environment Program to try to ensure that old models are recycled or refurbished rather than simply dumped.
(Full Story)
Vehicle exhaust emission standards amended
12/06/2002
EPA is issuing amendments to clarify the "Tier 2" light-duty vehicle exhaust emission standards.
(Full Story)
$800,000 awarded to small businesses
12/06/2002
EPA has awarded $800,000 to eight small businesses to develop cost-effective methods for removing arsenic from drinking water to meet the Agency's new arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion.
(Full Story)
EPA releases costs for US pollution abatement
12/06/2002
The US EPA has released the latest Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures data - the only comprehensive source of information on pollution abatement expenditures for US manufacturing, mining and electric utility industries.
(Full Story)
Environmental firm to pay $5.5 million for illegal hazardous waste handling
11/22/2002
U.S. Liquids of Detroit Inc., which does business as USL-City Environmental Inc., in Detroit, Mich., pleaded guilty, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act.
(Full Story)
Consumers and environment score big with energy star products
11/22/2002
Partnerships continue to benefit the environment and consumers according to the latest 2001 Annual Report issued by Environmental Protection Agency that details the success of the ENERGY STAR and other voluntary climate change programs. The report discusses the environmental and economic accomplishments of these programs and outlines plans for 2002 and beyond.
(Full Story)
Hazwaste company fined for polluting river
11/19/2002
Cycle Chem, a hazardous waste storage facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, has been fined $50,000 for illegal discharges of hazardous and non-hazardous pollutants into the Elizabeth River.
(Full Story)
EPA seeks comment on pilot online compliance tool
11/19/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that on Nov. 20 it will release an innovative pilot information tool that gives the public and industry direct access to the current environmental compliance record of more than 800,000 regulated facilities nationwide.
(Full Story)
Increasing power needs may boost pollution
11/14/2002
Meeting future electricity demand may increase emissions of some harmful substances, concludes a new report from the General Accounting Office (GAO).
(Full Story)
Air pollution trading program gets poor review
11/14/2002
An air pollution credit trading program often touted as the prototype for President George W. Bush's plan to revamp clean air regulations is performing below expectations, shows a new evaluation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Georgia man convicted of violating state solid waste laws
11/14/2002
Ronald E. Crouse was convicted on Oct. 31 in Cobb County Superior Court on 12 counts of violating Georgia's open dumping and solid waste laws. Crouse, operator of an auto salvage yard in Austell, Ga., collected payment from waste haulers and directed them to dump on a property next to his salvage yard, which was owned by the Jadow Corp.
(Full Story)
EPA, environmental group reach deal on smog
11/14/2002
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached an out-of-court agreement with environmental groups on Wednesday to activate a 1997 program to cut smog-causing ozone.
(Full Story)
Dell offers recycling option to consumers
11/05/2002
Dell has begun offering U.S. consumers the option to recycle their used computers. Through the new Dell Exchange option, consumers can recycle any desktop or notebook computer from any manufacturer.
(Full Story)
Hearing date set for NPCA's appeal of AIM rule
11/05/2002
The hearing dates for NPCA’s appeal to overturn a Delaware architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) coatings rule that is more stringent than the national AIM rule have been set for December 10 and 11. The hearing was postponed from the original Sept.10 date. NPCA, along with volunteer member companies, is currently preparing presentations for the hearing under the direction of local Delaware counsel.
(Full Story)
Kansas man sentenced for Clean Water Act violations
10/31/2002
On Oct. 16, Terian Koester, former owner of QWAL Laboratories in Pittsburgh, Kan., was sentenced to 18 months incarceration and fined $2,000 after previously pleading guilty to mail fraud and making false statements in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
US announces settlement for PCB contamination
10/31/2002
The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today filed a motion in federal court in Birmingham, Ala., seeking approval of a comprehensive environmental settlement with Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia Corporation to investigate and address the serious polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination in Anniston, Ala.
(Full Story)
Mistrial declared in lead paint lawsuit
10/31/2002
A mistrial was declared in Rhode Island's landmark lawsuit against makers of lead paint Tuesday after the jury reported it was hopelessly deadlocked in the potentially multimillion-dollar case.
(Full Story)
California smog agency seeks ban on dry clean chemical
10/23/2002
Southern California's clean air agency has proposed the nation's first ban on a toxic chemical used in dry cleaning that officials say makes the cleaners a greater cancer risk than oil refineries or power plants.
(Full Story)
Research strategy completed to monitor and assess waters
10/22/2002
EPA has announced a national Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) research strategy to provide a comprehensive picture of the state of major U.S. streams and estuaries.
(Full Story)
California men indicted for illegal handling of dry cleaning wastes
10/22/2002
Homayoun Pourat of Beverly Hills, Calif., President of AAD Distribution and Dry Cleaning Services Inc.; Hormoz Pourat of Encino, Calif., AAD Vice President and Behzad Kahoolyzadeh of West Los Angeles, Calif., Manager of AAD, were indicted on Oct. 11 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles on multiple counts of violating federal hazardous waste laws.
(Full Story)
EPA municipal waste program has new focus
10/22/2002
EPA Deputy Administrator Linda Fisher has challenged leading business, government and other institutional leaders to think and act creatively on waste reduction. Speaking at the WasteWise Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 10, Fisher noted that waste reduction has impacts far beyond traditional recycling and waste prevention programs.
(Full Story)
Electronics recycling works in mid-Atlantic states
10/15/2002
More than 2,100 tons of used electronics have been collected from residents in the mid-Atlantic states over the past year through a collaboration between state government agencies and the electronics industry.
(Full Story)
New Hampshire man sentenced for illegal discharge
10/15/2002
Bradley G. Beaudoin of Troy, N.H., was sentenced on Sept. 24 to six months home confinement, one year probation and a $2,000 fine in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire in Concord.
(Full Story)
Minnesota residents charged with illegal disposal
10/15/2002
Michael James Wederath of Robbinsdale, Minn.; Nicole Marie Simmons of Crystal, Minn.; and David Paul Wederath and Bradley Odell, both of Fridley, Minn., each were indicted on Oct. 1 in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis on charges of conspiring to manufacture and manufacturing methamphetamine, conspiring to violate and violating the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
EPA reports little change in nation's water quality
10/01/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its biennial national summary of water quality, based on water monitoring findings reported by the states, territories, jurisdictions and tribes in 2000 under Section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA settles enforcement case against metal finisher
09/26/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the Cambridge Plating Co., a Belmont-based metal finisher near Boston, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $65,000 and spend a total of $357,000 on environmental projects as part of a settlement of an enforcement case.
(Full Story)
Holes in US environmental data hurt policymaking
09/26/2002
U.S. lawmakers lack critical data about land, water and air pollution to draw up effective environmental policies, according to a landmark study released by an independent group.
(Full Story)
Michigan may ban mercury thermometers
09/23/2002
Michigan could become the next Great Lakes state to ban the sale of mercury thermometers. Environmentalists are praising the legislation, but say more needs to be done to curb the threat of mercury pollution.
(Full Story)
Call for papers and MSWG workshop
09/19/2002
CALL FOR PAPERS: The 6th Annual Learning Together Workshop on Environmental Innovation and EMS. Encouraging environmental performance in the state-federal system: Leveraging innovation, involvement of the private sector and the role of regulatory and financial incentives.
(Full Story)
Women in building trades affected by outdated standards
09/16/2002
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that approximately 94,000 women were working in the construction trades in 2001, primarily as carpenters, electricians, painters, and plumbers, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has yet to revise its 30-year-old construction field sanitation standard.
(Full Story)
Colorado plating company executive sentenced
09/12/2002
Mahesh Patel, Executive Vice President of the Jemm Co., a Colorado plating company, was sentenced on Aug. 23 to 12 months and one day imprisonment and one year of supervised release for directing company employees to illegally dispose of plating wastewater in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
EPA challenges Americans to take environmental responsibility
09/11/2002
Urging Americans to take renewed responsibility for their individual impact on the environment, EPA announced the kickoff of a campaign challenging Americans to meet or beat two goals by 2005: boosting the national recycling rate from 30 percent to at least 35 percent and curbing by 50 percent the generation of 30 harmful chemicals normally found in hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Chicago landlords charged with violations
09/10/2002
Two apartment building owners in Chicago have been charged with failing to warn their tenants that their homes may contain lead based paint hazards.
(Full Story)
Alleged hazardous waste storage violations settled
09/10/2002
Sunoco, Inc., has agreed to pay a $14,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its Girard Point Processing facility, on 3144 Passyunk Road at Philadelphia, Pa.
(Full Story)
Air quality report confirms improvements and challenges
09/05/2002
According to EPA's 2001 annual summary report of National Air Quality Trends released today, air quality in the United States continues to improve steadily. Continuing trends seen since 1970, U.S. air quality has steadily improved, while gross domestic product has grown by 161 percent.
(Full Story)
Texas chemical plant managers sentenced
09/03/2002
Jeffrey L. Jackson, former plant manager for the Huntsman Chemical Plant in Port Arthur, Texas, and Michael Peters, Huntsman's former environmental manager and a former regional manager for the Texas Air Control Board, were sentenced on Aug. 15 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Beaumont for their previous conviction on charges of conspiracy, making a false statement to the EPA and violating the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Connecticut man pleads to clean water act violation
09/03/2002
Anthony Dadalt of Enfield, Conn., pleaded guilty on Aug. 5 in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in Hartford to violating the Clean Water Act by exceeding pollutant limits in a wastewater discharge permit.
(Full Story)
$1 million bond set in Georgia dumping case
08/29/2002
A $1 million bond has been set for an Austell, Ga. man accused of operating a large illegal landfill. It is the highest bond ever for an environmental crime in the state, according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).
(Full Story)
Polluter given one-year sentence
08/26/2002
Mahesh Patel, 44, of Aurora was sentenced to one year in federal prison for violating the U.S. Clean Water Act. Patel's company, Jemm Plating, 3300 Walnut St. in Denver, was fined $100,000.
(Full Story)
Two chemical plant mangers sent to prison
08/20/2002
Two former managers of the Huntsman Chemical Plant in Port Arthur, Texas received prison sentences for violating regulations under the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
OSHA reopens glycol ethers rulemaking record
08/12/2002
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will reopen the glycol ethers rulemaking record to solicit information on the extent to which the two ethylene glycol ethers and their acetates are currently being used in the workplace, including their level of production, and the industries and processes in which they're being used.
(Full Story)
Possible new water pollution rules challenged
08/08/2002
The Bush administration said it is drafting a new rule to govern the cleanup of pollution in more than 20,000 lakes, ponds, streams and rivers across the country. The move has been opposed by environmental groups, who say developing a new regulation will delay water cleanups and remove existing pollution controls.
(Full Story)
New desktop PC called environmentally friendly
08/06/2002
NEC Solutions America has introduced a new desktop personal computer (PC) that the company says avoids many of the environmental problems associated with traditional PCs.
(Full Story)
Kansas company manager sentenced to five years
08/02/2002
John Dillon, co-owner and manager of Environmental Services and Products Inc., in Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction for illegally storing hazardous wastes
(Full Story)
Clear skies legislation will improve air quality, human health
07/29/2002
The Bush Administration announced that it has sent legislation to Congress to implement the President's Clear Skies initiative, an aggressive plan to cut power plant pollution by 70 percent and protect public health. The legislation will be introduced today by Senator Bob Smith and was introduced last Friday by Congressmen Tauzin and Barton.
(Full Story)
Former Virginia treatment plant operator sentenced to prison
07/29/2002
Richard M. Anthony, formerly of Henry County, Va., was sentenced on July 10 to serve one year in prison and pay over $31,000 in restitution for violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) by discharging sewage without a permit. Anthony, who was President and owner of Sanville Utilities Inc., constructed and operated the Fairway Acres sewage treatment plant which serviced the Fairway Acres subdivision near Bassett, Va.
(Full Story)
Proposal to update fees for motor vehicles and engines
07/29/2002
EPA is proposing to update certification and compliance costs to the manufacturers of on-road and non-road vehicles under the Motor Vehicle and Engine Compliance Program (MVECP).
(Full Story)
San Jose company cited for hazardous waste violations
07/22/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Haro's Metal Finishing, Inc. of San Jose $7,150 for alleged hazardous waste management violations discovered during a routine inspection last year.
(Full Story)
EPA will help local governments meet goals
07/22/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water has selected eight organizations from across the nation to become Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Local Resource Centers where local governments can go to make their operations more environmentally friendly.
(Full Story)
Ohio company agrees to pay penalty for air pollution violations
07/22/2002
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Kornylak Corporation for violating air pollution control regulations at its metal parts fabricating facility located at 400 Heaton Street, Hamilton (Butler County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $30,000.
(Full Story)
Textile dyers to cut hazardous emissions by 60 percent under EPA proposal
07/17/2002
Fabric dyeing operations would have to cut hazardous air pollutant emissions by 60 percent under a rule proposed July 11 by the Environmental Protection Agency (67 Fed. Reg. 46,027).
(Full Story)
Medical sterilization firm dirties Illinois air
07/17/2002
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has filed an administrative complaint against Cosmed of Illinois for alleged clean air violations at its medical equipment sterilization plant in Waukegan, Illinois just north of Chicago. The agency has proposed a $132,000 penalty.
(Full Story)
Former Kanas lab owner pleads guilty to fraud, falsehoods
07/15/2002
Terian Koester, former owner of QWAL Laboratories in Pittsburgh, Kan., pleaded guilty on July 3 to mail fraud and making false statements in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
Colorado man sentenced to 17-year imprisonment, $100,000 fine
07/15/2002
In a Colorado state case co-investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC), Hormoz Pourat was sentenced on July 3 to serve 17 years in prison and pay a $100,000 fine for violating Colorado's Organized Crime Control Act.
(Full Story)
Louisiana company filed for wetlands destruction
07/15/2002
Tammany Holding, Corp., Slidell, La., pleaded guilty and was sentenced on July 3 to pay a $300,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act in 1997 and 1998 by illegally filling a wetland without a permit.
(Full Story)
Underground storage tank violations resolved
07/11/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Central Oil and Supply Corporation, 2300 Booth Street, Monroe, Louisiana, agreed to settle a case involving 43 alleged violations of the federal and state underground storage tank (UST) regulations for $150,000.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes new HAP standards
07/10/2002
The U.S. EPA has proposed HAP emissions limits for industrial coating processes for metal furniture and wood building products.
(Full Story)
New EPA data shows air quality improvements
07/01/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released new information demonstrating the dramatic clean air benefits of President Bush's Clear Skies initiative. Clear Skies will require America's power plants to reduce air pollution by an average of 70 percent.
(Full Story)
NPCA scores major legal victory
06/28/2002
The National Paint and Coatings Association has won a major victory in its long and continuing efforts to ensure sound and reasonable decisions are made when regulatory authorities establish restrictions on coatings.
(Full Story)
EPA files complaint against company
06/28/2002
The US Envinronmental Protection Agency has filed an administrative complaint seeking more than $620,000 from a Belmont-based electroplater for violations of federal air and hazardous-waste laws.
(Full Story)
National mercury thermometer bill proposed
06/27/2002
The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator James Jeffords (I-VT), is set to mark up S.351, a bill that would phase out sales of mercury thermometers, except by prescription, within 180 days after enactment and improve management of surplus mercury.
(Full Story)
Paint company failed to disclose hazardous metals information
06/26/2002
A Minnesota paint company agreed to pay $240,000 in fines for allegedly violating Minnesota's "listed metals" law by marketing paint as metal-free when it contained heavy metals.
(Full Story)
NPCA reminds the coating manufacturing industry of upcoming deadline
06/26/2002
The National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Miscellaneous Organic processes, commonly referred to as the MON, will require coatings and resin manufacturers to install covers and expensive add-on air pollution control equipment to reduce hazardous air pollutants.
(Full Story)
Companies failed to comply with air pollution emissions standards
06/26/2002
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency announced it has taken action against eight companies in the Los Angeles area for failing to comply with federal standards for emissions of air toxics.
(Full Story)
Physician sentenced for clean water act violation
06/24/2002
Clary P. Foote, a Harriman, Tenn., physician who owned a power plant there, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 7 for violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA announces new energy star rating tool for hotels
06/24/2002
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman officially launched the newest ENERGY STAR™ performance rating tool for hotels.
(Full Story)
EPA revises aluminum air toxics rule
06/18/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency published a series of final and proposed changes to a March 2000 rule setting hazardous air pollutant limits for secondary aluminum producers and aluminum founders as part of a settlement of two industry lawsuits.
(Full Story)
Illegal waste disposal has serious consequences
06/18/2002
Polluters in three states face charges of environmental crimes carrying a common theme: illegal waste disposal.
(Full Story)
EPA announces steps to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions
06/14/2002
Acting on the broad-based, bipartisan call for improving the New Source Review (NSR) program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced steps to increase energy efficiency and encourage emissions reductions.
(Full Story)
EPA holds public meeting on MP&M regulations
06/14/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency held a public meeting (June 7, 2002) to present an overview of the proposed MP&M regulations and the supporting Notice of Data Availability (NODA).
(Full Story)
EPA: Old computers no longer junk
06/12/2002
Obsolete computers, televisions, VCRs and cell phones are flooding landfills and incinerators, causing hazardous substances such as lead and mercury to seep into the environment.
(Full Story)
Proposed air toxic limits affects metal coating industry
06/11/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing hazardous air pollutant emissions limits for about 1,500 facilities that apply paints and other coatings to a variety of metal products.
(Full Story)
OMB and EPA agree on need to curb pollution
06/10/2002
In an unusual collaboration, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Air and Radiation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have agreed that curbing pollution from diesel-powered, non-road vehicles and equipment should be a top environmental priority of the Bush Administration.
(Full Story)
EPA lead rule to be issued by 2004
06/06/2002
Within the next two years, the Environmental Protection Agency expects to propose two and complete one final rule to reduce the public's exposure to lead, an agency official said June 5.
(Full Story)
Debate on EPA rules for pesticides
06/03/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is embroiled in several fierce legal and scientific debates as it struggles to write new rules governing the use of atrazine, one of the nation's most widely used pesticides.
(Full Story)
EPA forms Superfund advisory panel
05/31/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced the formation of a new advisory panel to make recommendations on the role Superfund should play in addressing the nation's most polluted and costly hazardous waste sites.
(Full Story)
Gasoline discharge pipeline blast killed three people
05/31/2002
The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the United States has filed a civil suit against Shell Pipeline Company LP and Olympic Pipeline Company in connection with the June 1999 gasoline pipeline rupture near Bellingham, Wash.
(Full Story)
New EPA facility supports environmental research
05/31/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened its largest research facility dedicated to environmental research.
(Full Story)
Supreme Court decision limiting federal power over states will affect EPA
05/30/2002
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court shielding states from federal agency actions arising from citizen complaints would limit the authority of Environmental Protection Agency administrative law judges in some cases to compel state action under federal environmental laws.
(Full Story)
Two sentenced in Las Vegas for criminal discharges of electroplating wastes
05/29/2002
U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden and Tom Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division announced that Gene Moran and John Gold were sentenced today for criminal violations of the Clean Water Act stemming from their operation of Silver State Plating, an electroplating facility in downtown Las Vegas, Nev.
(Full Story)
Judge extends chrome-plating suspension
05/29/2002
A San Diego Superior Court judge agreed with the county that it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to a metal-plating plant in Barrio Logan.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes easing barriers to encourage recycling
05/29/2002
EPA has proposed changing its existing waste regulations for computers, televisions and mercury-containing equipment to discourage the flow of these materials to municipal landfills and incinerators, and to promote safe reuse and recycling of these products.
(Full Story)
Latest toxic release inventory available from EPA
05/24/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued its annual report on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment. The report shows that trends of declining overall releases are continuing.
(Full Story)
Group plans suit over Albany lead program
05/23/2002
A local group and a national group plan to sue the city of Albany for failing to manage a federally funded lead reduction program.
(Full Story)
Virginia factories will make money by reducing pollution
05/22/2002
The so-called emissions-trading program is designed to help cut smog, which can impair breathing and damage plants. Virginia will participate in the program with about 20 other states in the eastern third of the country.
(Full Story)
Three New York residents plead guilty in asbestos removal charges
05/20/2002
Each defendant admitted to participating in a conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and Toxic Substances Control Act and to violating the Clean Air Act by not following federal workplace standards for asbestos removal.
(Full Story)
North Carolina man sentenced for illegally storing hazardous waste
05/20/2002
Theodore Arthur Searcy, an employee of Quarter Master, an auto parts cleaning business located in Kernersville, N.C., was sentenced to serve eight months in prison, pay $4,809 in restitution to the Winston Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and serve 12 months supervised probation on April 25.
(Full Story)
Virginia resident sentenced in recycling fraud
05/20/2002
Franklin D. Sales of Williamsburg, Va., was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $280,000 in restitution to victims of his recycling fraud scheme on May 8.
(Full Story)
EPA promotes environmental systems management
05/20/2002
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman issued the Agency's Position Statement on Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
(Full Story)
Petroleum company fined for Washington spill
05/20/2002
Associated Petroleum Products, Inc. has agreed to spend $47,000 to settle environmental violations stemming from a January 2001 oil spill.
(Full Story)
Job exposure to lead linked to Lou Gehrig's disease
05/14/2002
People with a history of on-the-job exposure to the heavy metal lead may be at twice the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which strikes about 1 or 2 in every 100,000 people in the United States.
(Full Story)
Former Chrysler officials sentenced in Indiana
05/13/2002
Henry L. Hall of Sharpsville, Ind., was sentenced to six months home detention as part of a one-year probation, and a $5,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act. A co-defendant, Clifford E. Gray, Jr., of Carmel, Ind., was previously sentenced to three months home detention as a part of one year of probation and a $2,500 fine.
(Full Story)
$3.4 million settlement reached with Boston trash hauler
05/13/2002
EPA reached a $3.4 million settlement with Waste Management of Massachusetts Inc. to resolve claims of multiple violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
(Full Story)
Old mobile phones pose growing waste issue
05/13/2002
U.S. consumers will throw out more than 500 million mobile phones by 2005, creating a huge pile of waste containing dangerous pollutants, a report by an environmental research group said on Wednesday.
(Full Story)
EPA pushed to update chemical list
05/13/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency should move quickly to update its list of toxic chemicals found in waste to ensure that hazardous substances do not "slip through" Resource Conservation and Recovery Act rules, two senators told the agency in a recent letter.
(Full Story)
Compliance assistance centers help in understanding of regulations
05/13/2002
The 10 national Compliance Assistance Centers have proven to be highly beneficial to the regulated community.
(Full Story)
Court upholds cleaner truck, diesel rules
05/08/2002
A federal appeals court has upheld a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation that requires reduced emissions from diesel trucks and buses and lower sulfur level in diesel fuel. The rule, issued in the final days of the Clinton administration, was challenged in court by a coalition of trucking, manufacturing and oil industry groups.
(Full Story)
Waste characterization could speed Hanford cleanup
05/08/2002
Researchers armed with a laser are learning how to condense millions of gallons of radioactive nuclear waste in leaky tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state.
(Full Story)
BP switches to ethanol in California
05/08/2002
BP, the largest supplier of gasoline in California, will eliminate the additive MTBE from the fuels it sells in California by the end of the year.
(Full Story)
Arkansas shuts down landfill
05/07/2002
Following the reports of a whistleblower, the Director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has ordered that Waste Management, Inc.’s (WMI) Tontitown Landfill near Springdale, Arkansas cease accepting waste.
(Full Story)
EPA scolds ethanol plants for polluting
05/06/2002
Factories that convert corn into the gasoline additive ethanol are releasing carbon monoxide, methanol and some carcinogens at levels "many times greater" than they promised, the government says.
(Full Story)
$94K penalty for school district
05/06/2002
The Northwest regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency filed a formal complaint against the Camas Valley School District and Principal/science teacher David Gianotti for serious violations of federal laws governing the handling and disposal of Polychlorinated Bi-Phenyls or PCBs. The EPA requests $94,600 in penalties for the violations.
(Full Story)
House panel calls for analysis of cost, air qualtiy impact of plan
05/02/2002
House Panel Calls for Analysis of Cost, Air Quality Impact of 'Clear Skies' Plan Barton told Jeffrey Holmstead, EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, that he has asked the agency for a detailed analysis of the Clear Skies Initiative since President Bush unveiled it Feb. 14.
(Full Story)
Agreement provides $17 billion for conservation programs
05/01/2002
Slightly more than $17 billion would go toward conservation programs, including wetlands protection and environmental quality incentives, under an agreement reached by congressional negotiators on the six-year, $73.5 billion farm bill, according to a summary released April 30.
(Full Story)
Students demand university action on climate change
05/01/2002
More than 35 student groups across the nation joined together today in a student network to support the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change.
(Full Story)
Power plant emissions could be cut affordably
05/01/2002
Engineers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a unique combustion method that lowers power plant emissions of air pollutants.
(Full Story)
EPA waives penalties after voluntary compliance
05/01/2002
Six companies in Pennsylvania and Virginia have saved $539,653 in penalties by voluntarily reporting and correcting their own environmental violations.
(Full Story)
US and Maryland reach agreement to overhaul sewer wastewater
05/01/2002
The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Maryland announced today a joint settlement with the city of Baltimore that addresses continuing hazards posed by hundreds of illegal wastewater discharges of raw sewage from Baltimore's wastewater collection system.
(Full Story)
EPA concludes action against N.H. company over hazardous waste violation
04/26/2002
EPA announced it has resolved a case against a Franklin, N.H. foundry for violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ? or RCRA ? that governs the generation, treatment, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.
(Full Story)
$94K penalty for school district, Principal for PCB violations
04/26/2002
The Northwest regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency filed a formal complaint against the Camas Valley School District and Principal/science teacher David Gianotti for serious violations of federal laws governing the handling and disposal of Polychlorinated Bi-Phenyls or PCBs. The EPA requests $94,600 in penalties for the violations.
(Full Story)
EPA fines Calnev $204,396 for air pollution violations
04/26/2002
EPA fined the Calnev Pipe Line Company $204,396 for numerous Clean Air Act violations at its bulk gasoline terminal in Las Vegas.
(Full Story)
Michigan dumpers face record fines
04/24/2002
A Michigan court has handed down one of the largest civil fines in state history in an illegal dumping case.
(Full Story)
DC circuit uphold water pollution discharge limitations
04/24/2002
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously affirmed updated Clean Water Act discharge limitations for pulp and paper mills adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1998.
(Full Story)
Utility buys out contaminated Ohio town
04/24/2002
American Electric Power has agreed to buy an entire town in Ohio that has been contaminated by sulfuric acid from one of the utility's coal burning plants. The company will spend $20 million to acquire about 200 parcels of land that make up the southeastern Ohio community of Cheshire, relocating all 221 residents of the tiny hamlet.
(Full Story)
EPA to revise coliform bacteria standard
04/24/2002
Based on a detailed review of 69 existing drinking water standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to revise its standard for coliform bacteria in drinking water.
(Full Story)
Partnerships protect watersheds in Ohio and West Virginia
04/24/2002
Drinking water and watersheds in Ohio and West Virginia will be protected by new federal-state partnerships.
(Full Story)
Agreement on computer recycling
04/23/2002
Responding to a growing problem of waste computer equipment, manufacturers and local governments have agreed in principle to set up a nationwide recycling program.
(Full Story)
Releases must be reported under superfund
04/23/2002
Air pollution releases from sources that were given exemptions under the Clean Air Act generally must still be reported under the superfund law, according to guidance the Environmental Protection Agency will publish April 23
(Full Story)
Two men indicted on asbestos charges
04/22/2002
Marvin Rubenstein and Isaac Rubenstein, principals of the Atlas Knitting Mills Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., were indicted on April 9 for allegedly ordering workers to remove asbestos without following federally mandated worker protection guidelines in violation of the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Senate environmental panel plans markup of emissions bill
04/22/2002
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is planning to mark up legislation to control emissions of major pollutants from power plants whether or not Democrats can strike agreements with Republicans on key issues such as carbon dioxide control or new source review reform.
(Full Story)
Simple steps can make a big difference
04/22/2002
This Earth Day, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is offering some simple suggestions on how everyone can do their part to help protect our planet.
(Full Story)
Metal finishing environment partnership launched in Rockford
04/18/2002
Representatives from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Waste Management and Research Center and the Rock River Water Reclamation District (RRWRD) - Rockford area public treatment works - met with Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce leaders to discuss the importance of National Metal Finishing Strategic Goals Program (SGP) to Rockford’s future manufacturing base.
(Full Story)
Sierra club calls on Whitman to stay extension of MACT deadline
04/18/2002
The Sierra Club asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to stay a 24-month extension of the deadline for industries to submit applications for permits that would enable them to meet technology-based emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants.
(Full Story)
Coal use would increase by 7 percent under Bush plan
04/18/2002
An Environmental Protection Agency analysis projects that the amount of coal burned by electric power companies will increase by more than 7 percent from current levels by 2020 under President Bush's "Clear Skies" multi-pollutant reduction plan.
(Full Story)
EPA and DOJ settle hazardous waste case with Rhode Island Co.
04/17/2002
EPA along with the U.S. Department of Justice announced it has settled a case with a Pawtucket, R.I. manufacturing company for alleged violations of federal environmental regulations.
(Full Story)
EPA decides not to list certain paint production wastes as hazardous
04/17/2002
EPA has issued a final determination not to list as hazardous certain wastes generated from the production of paint.
(Full Story)
California watershed groups demonstrate successes
04/17/2002
California's Yuba River Watershed has a sophisticated watershed council structure that includes working with federal, state and local partners. It is one of 10 watersheds selected by the state of California as models of how people can cooperate to protect and restore these areas.
(Full Story)
Oregon fines Nevada company for sulfur emissions
04/16/2002
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has signed a Mutual Agreement and Order with Eagle-Picher Minerals to address air quality permit violations at the company's diatomaceous earth processing facility in Vale.
(Full Story)
New rule will cut hazardous pollutants from refineries by 87 percent
04/12/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue a final rule April 11 to reduce hazardous air pollutants from certain sources at petroleum refineries by nearly 11,000 tons per year, an 87 percent cut compared to current levels.
(Full Story)
Compost center emissions targeted for cleanup
04/12/2002
Air quality officials in Los Angeles are considering options for reducing smog and particulate pollution from the region's compost facilities.
(Full Story)
Organic pollutants treaty sent to legislature
04/12/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that President Bush is submitting the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to the U.S. Senate for its advice and consent to ratification.
(Full Story)
Two Virginia companies, two individuals plead guilty
04/12/2002
Industrial Hygiene Technologies Inc., (IHT) of Lorton, Va., and two of its principals, Mark R. Sovich and Michael J. MacCabe, pleaded guilty on March 28 to making false statements in connection with falsified asbestos training certificates
(Full Story)
West Virginia fuel company pleads to water violation
04/12/2002
LaRosa Fuel Co. of Bridgeport, W.V., pleaded guilty on March 25 to violating the Clean Water Act. La Rosa operates an acid mine wastewater treatment pond in Everettville, W.V., at a closed coal mine.
(Full Story)
Supercritical carbon dioxide could clean hazardous wastes
04/12/2002
A technique now used to remove caffeine from coffee could help remove radioactive particles and hazardous metals from mixtures of waste.
(Full Story)
Clear skies initiative divides environmental community
04/11/2002
Praise from a conservation group for President George W. Bush's plan to cut power plant emissions has earned that group some scathing criticism from a second environmental organization.
(Full Story)
Universities, colleges not receiving top marks for environmental compliance
04/11/2002
Colleges and Universities are required to comply with all applicable environmental requirements like their counterparts in the regulated industry to create a safe haven for human health and the environment.
(Full Story)
EPA Has Lowered TRI Reporting Threshold Levels for Lead
04/11/2002
Workshops are being offered in TRI reporting.
(Full Story)
US power plant operators to install 110 key emissions control units
04/10/2002
US power plant operators will install 110 pollution-control devices over the next decade, potentially spending more than $5 billion, to curb ground-level ozone levels in the eastern US, according to a new Energy Argus report based on exclusive data.
(Full Story)
Asarco must clean up Everett smelter
04/10/2002
The Washington Department of Ecology has ordered Asarco, Inc., to clean up almost 700 acres of land contaminated by its former smelter in Everett.
(Full Story)
UT research team evaluates environmental impacts of computer displays
04/09/2002
What are the overall environmental impacts of switching from a cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor to the liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology that makes your slimmed-down desktop monitor possible?
(Full Story)
GE files good faith offer to cleanup Hudson River
04/09/2002
General Electric Co. met Monday's deadline to file a "good faith offer" with the federal government on the cleanup of tons of toxic PCBs from the Hudson River, avoiding a potentially huge fine.
(Full Story)
Environmentalists take their battle to boardrooms
04/09/2002
Environmentalists are taking their case against computer-related toxic waste to the industry's boardrooms.
(Full Story)
Pratt & Whitney sponsors industry-EPA pollution reduction initiative
04/05/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Pratt &Whitney announced today that the Connecticut company has become a corporate sponsor of an innovative industry-EPA program to reduce pollution from the metal finishing industry.
(Full Story)
EPA to conduct demonstration program on arsenic rule implementation
04/05/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to conduct a demonstration program on the treatment of arsenic in drinking water.
(Full Story)
United States and Illinois settle case with Premcor
04/05/2002
The Justice Department, EPA, and the state of Illinois have announced a settlement requiring the owner of a large petroleum refinery, Premcor Refining Group, Inc., to pay $6.25 million for violations of several environmental laws.
(Full Story)
California company, president, supervisor sentenced
04/05/2002
E-D Coat, an Oakland, Calif. metal plating company, its president, Jerry Rossi, and the supervisor of its wastewater treatment, Jack Marlow, pleaded guilty and were sentenced on March 19 to violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Great Lakes U.S. Policy Committee unveils cleanup strategy
04/05/2002
All 31 polluted harbors on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes will be cleaned up by 2025 under a new strategy announced today by the Great Lakes U.S. Policy Committee. The proposal, Great Lakes Strategy 2002 - A Plan for the New Millennium, was announced by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman during a visit to Muskegon.
(Full Story)
Midwest is a 'hotbed' of CO2 emissions
04/05/2002
As an extraordinarily mild winter in the Midwest comes to a close, a diverse group of interests have come together to call for pollution reductions from electric coal-fired utilities in six Midwestern states, citing disturbing statistics from a new report.
(Full Story)
Alaska fishers charged with dumping oil
04/03/2002
The operators of two shipping vessels have been arrested in Alaska and charged with dumping oil and sludge into ocean waters.
(Full Story)
California ranch, owner, foreman sentenced
04/02/2002
Masami Cattle Ranch (MCR) of Tehema County, Calif., and its owner, Masami Ishida, and foreman, Manuel Madera Noriega, were sentenced on March 18 for violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Premcor to pay $6.25 million for violations
04/02/2002
The Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the state of Illinois announced a settlement requiring the owner of a large petroleum refinery, Premcor Refining Group, Inc., to pay $6.25 million for violations of several environmental laws.
(Full Story)
North Carolina company pleads to polluting conspiracy
04/02/2002
Lakeview Packing Corp. of Snowhill, N.C., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act. Lakeview Packing is a hog slaughter and processing company.
(Full Story)
Georgia man sentenced in plating waste case
04/02/2002
In a state case, in which EPA assisted in the investigation, Terek Von Green of Dunwoody, Ga., pleaded guilty on March 14 to one violation of the Georgia Water Quality Act and three violations of Georgia Hazardous Waste Management Act
(Full Story)
Report alleges lead paint was dumped
04/02/2002
A Minnesota legislative auditor's report on Tuesday raised the possibility that tons of lead-contaminated paint debris from the Washington Avenue bridge in Minneapolis were illegally buried in a rural Buffalo landfill two years ago.
(Full Story)
Landlord faces jail over lead paint violations
03/27/2002
A landlord renting properties in and around the nation's capitol has been sentenced to serve two years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for violating the Lead Hazard Reduction Act.
(Full Story)
EPA to oversee Alabama emergency PCB cleanup
03/27/2002
A legal settlement lodged today will require the companies found responsible for PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama to clean up their mess.
(Full Story)
Hazardous wastes could become new fuel
03/27/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to allow certain hazardous waste materials to be burned in special power generating plants
(Full Story)
Cleaner engines available to boaters
03/27/2002
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging boaters to consider environmentally friendly options if they are planning to purchase a new boat or motor this spring.
(Full Story)
EPA announces $10 million to improve beaches
03/26/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today announced $10 million in grants available to eligible states and territories to protect public health at this nation's beaches. The funds are targeted to improve monitoring the quality of water at beaches and notifying the public of beach warnings or closings.
(Full Story)
Biodiesel to fuel Buffalo buses
03/19/2002
The Buffalo Niagara region of western New York state is about to be fueled with biodisel to supplement the conventional diesel fuel for bus transport and home heating. The state of New York is awarding nearly $400,000 to a company and a transportation agency to introduce biodiesel fuel in the region.
(Full Story)
Ferro Corp. settles Clean Air Act claims for $3.8 million
03/19/2002
The U.S. Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Indiana, and the city of Hammond, Indiana today jointly entered into a $3 million settlement of claims against Ferro Corporation for the company's clean air violations
(Full Story)
Businessman indicted in illegal dumping case
03/19/2002
A Chicago-area businessman, who has millions of dollars frozen in a Cayman Islands bank under investigation, was indicted Feb. 19 by a grand jury on charges of illegally dumping tons of waste in the south Chicago suburbs.
(Full Story)
Texas man sentenced for waste violation
03/19/2002
Courtney and Co. Inc., of Texas City and its former president, Donald Ray Robertson of Hitchcock, pleaded guilty and were sentenced for illegally storing hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA offers $10 million for beach health
03/19/2002
Ten million dollars in grants is available to eligible states and territories to protect public health at public beaches, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman announced today. The funds are targeted to improve monitoring the quality of water at beaches and notifying the public of beach warnings or closings.
(Full Story)
CFC smugglers plead guilty
03/18/2002
Four men have pleaded guilty to helping smuggle 1,760 tons of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs) into the U.S. - the second largest such case ever.
(Full Story)
Emissions trading not working, groups charge
03/15/2002
Two community groups in California have sued nine Los Angeles companies for emitting more than 700,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NOx) without purchasing sufficient pollution credits.
(Full Story)
New Mexico jury convicts former environmental official
03/15/2002
New Mexico jury convicts former environmental official In a state investigation assisted by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, a jury sitting in the New Mexico District Court in Las Cruces, N.M., convicted Hector Villa III on Feb. 28 of eight felony counts involving the dumping of thousands of gallons of animal rendering waste in a Southern New Mexico landfill.
(Full Story)
Toyota spends millions over faulty monitors
03/15/2002
Toyota has agreed to a $7.9 million settlement with the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (ARB) over defects in car emissions monitors.
(Full Story)
Former Texas environmental official convicted
03/15/2002
The former director of the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission office in El Paso has been convicted of allowing the dumping of thousands of gallons of animal rendering waste in a Southern New Mexico landfill.
(Full Story)
State finds PCBs in farm sludge
03/15/2002
A chemical linked to cancer and other health problems has been discovered in sludge spread on farm fields. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Shamane Mills reports:
(Full Story)
California's dilemma: clean air or clean water
03/15/2002
The Association of California Water Agencies has called on Governor Gray Davis to protect the state's water resources by standing firm on plans to phase out the use of the oxygenate MTBE in gasoline by the end of this year. The statewide association's 440 members are responsible for about 90 percent of the water delivered in California.
(Full Story)
EPA extends deadline for clean air act
03/15/2002
EPA approved regulations yesterday to extend the deadline by which they must set emissions standards.
(Full Story)
West Virginia man charged in hazardous waste, drug case
03/15/2002
West Virginia man charged in hazardous waste, drug case Gregory L. Swiney of Clendenin, W.Va., was arrested on Feb. 14 and was indicted on March 4 for illegally disposing of hazardous wastes in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and for the alleged illegal manufacture of methamphetamine
(Full Story)
California approves record environmental bond
03/08/2002
California residents voted Tuesday to spend $2.6 billion to fund water quality and restoration projects for rivers, streams, lakes and watersheds throughout the state.
(Full Story)
Clean air awards honor innovative projects
03/08/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored 47 local and state governments, industries and citizens groups with the second Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards.
(Full Story)
Researchers tackle mountains of used tires
03/08/2002
Two projects underway at the University of Massachusetts (UM) could help reduce the numbers of used tires headed for the nation's landfills.
(Full Story)
EPA extends deadline for emissions standards
03/08/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given itself an extension on requirements to set emissions standards for industrial facilities.
(Full Story)
EPA proposed cooling water rules
03/06/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new rules to help reduce impacts on aquatic life from the withdrawal of cooling water for power plants.
(Full Story)
Washington State bans suspect herbicide
03/06/2002
The Washington Department of Agriculture has banned the use of the herbicide clopyralid on lawns.
(Full Story)
Maryland groups increase efforts to protect watershed
03/06/2002
The Maryland land trust community has pledged to increase efforts to protect an additional 1.1 million acres in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
(Full Story)
Jury finds Monsanto liable for PCB pollution
03/01/2002
Chemical giant Monsanto is responsible for polluting the town of Anniston, Alabama, with tons of toxic PCBs, a jury ruled Friday. The ruling is a major victory for residents of the contaminated town, who have sued the company over damage to their property, to their health, and to their emotional well being.
(Full Story)
Environmental laboratory fined $9 million in fraud case
02/27/2002
Intertek Testing Services Inc. (ITS), of Richardson, Texas, was fined $9 million for falsifying the results of environmental tests.
(Full Story)
U.S. reaches $6.95 million settlement on California Superfund Site
02/27/2002
The Justice Department and EPA announced a proposed settlement totaling nearly $7 million to be used in cleaning up the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site in Central California.
(Full Story)
$2.22 million funds phytoremediation studies
02/27/2002
Seven universities will receive grants totaling almost $2.22 million to study the plant based remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals or organic chemicals.
(Full Story)
Lawsuit seeks to curb Central Valley water pollution
02/27/2002
The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has been sued by environmental groups seeking first ever controls on agricultural discharges to Central Valley, California waterways.
(Full Story)
EPA ensures smoother reformulated gasoline seasonal transition
02/27/2002
EPA is eliminating the existing blendstock accounting regulations for Reformulated Gasoline (RFG). This will allow refineries more flexibility to sell gasoline blendstocks and improve their overall ability to supply cleaner gasoline by eliminating significant record-keeping and reporting requirements.
(Full Story)
Senate confirms Morris X. Winn as EPA Assistant Administrator
02/27/2002
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Morris X. Winn to be Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Administration and Resources Management. Winn will be the Agency's senior official responsible for personnel and human resources management, all acquisition and procurement of supplies and services, and management and oversight of EPA grants.
(Full Story)
Charter members commit to greenhouse gas inventories/emissions reductions
02/27/2002
In a ceremony today, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman launched a key component of the Administration's new climate policy, Climate Leaders. This new voluntary partnership challenges business to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and provides a significant opportunity to achieve the greenhouse gas intensity reductions set forth in the Administration's new policy.
(Full Story)
Grants available for environmental technologies
02/20/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting grant applications for companies to develop and commercialize new, cost efficient technologies aimed at New England's most pressing environmental problems.
(Full Story)
Many plants operate with expired permits
02/20/2002
In a report on the water permitting backlog in Minnesota, the state's legislative auditor found that 41 percent of the state's water quality permittees were operating with expired permits in mid-2001.
(Full Story)
Paint contractor dumped lead chips
02/20/2002
A Pennsylvania painting contractor has pleaded guilty to dumping 55 tons of abrasive sandblasting material containing lead.
(Full Story)
Florida man indicted in sailor's death from MTBE
02/20/2002
Gilbert Thurston of Naples, Florida, former chief mate of the S.S. Trinity, was indicted on a charge of misconduct, stemming from an incident in which a crew member died after exposure to the toxic chemical methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
(Full Story)
Texas Company, former president sentenced for waste violation
02/20/2002
Courtney & Co. Inc., of Texas City, Texas, and its former president, Donald Ray Robertson of Hitchcock, Texas, pleaded guilty and were sentenced for illegally storing hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Robertson will serve six months home confinement and one year probation. Courtney & Co. was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
(Full Story)
EPA revises the Clean Air Act's Air Toxics Source Category List
02/20/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised the list of industrial sources (known as source categories) for which it intends to develop regulations to control toxic air pollutants. Toxic air pollutants, also called air toxics, are those pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer and other serious health problems.
(Full Story)
Global warming could persist for centuries
02/20/2002
Even if emissions of greenhouse gases are curbed now, global warming will persist for at least a century, argues new research.
(Full Story)
Natural gas fueled buses hit DC streets
02/15/2002
Washington DC has unveiled a fleet of 164 new natural gas fueled buses and a fueling station to serve them.
(Full Story)
House passes campaign finance reform bill
02/15/2002
With a 240-to-189 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted early this morning to ban unregulated soft money - huge, unlimited and unreported donations from corporations and wealthy individuals.
(Full Story)
Cape Cod groundwater cleanup challenges managers
02/15/2002
Science developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is helping to clean up contaminated groundwater in the Cape Cod aquifer.
(Full Story)
$3.7 million settles violations at Pennsylvania landfill
02/13/2002
Waste Management Inc. has agreed to pay a $3.7 million civil penalty to settle charges that the Alliance Landfill accepted 36,000 tons more municipal solid waste than permitted during 1995 and 1996.
(Full Story)
Kansas City businessmen plead guilty
02/13/2002
Two Kansas City, Kan., businessmen have pleaded guilty to felonies related to the storage of hazardous wastes at the site of their business, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Feb. 11 (United States v. Dillon, D. Kan., No. 01-20080-01-02, 2/04/02).
(Full Story)
School bus pollution ranked state by state
02/13/2002
School children in every state are being exposed to toxic air pollutants from the school buses, concludes a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
(Full Story)
Owner of North Carolina business pleads guilty
02/08/2002
Theodore Searcy, owner of Quarter Master, an auto parts cleaning business located in Kernersville, N.C., pleaded guilty to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally storing hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
California high court allows suits against water
02/08/2002
In a precedent setting victory for clean water rights, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that people harmed by drinking contaminated water can legally sue their water utility for failing to provide clean drinking water.
(Full Story)
Nitrate pollution plagues U.S., China groundwater
02/08/2002
Elevated nitrate concentrations in water supplies used for drinking water threaten residents of both the United States and the People's Republic of China, concludes a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
(Full Story)
Chromium 6 levels high near homes, businesses
02/08/2002
State air pollution investigators have found very high levels of an extremely dangerous cancer-causing air pollutant – hexavalent chromium – in the Newton Avenue area of Barrio Logan near two chrome-plating businesses.
(Full Story)
EPA claims record enforcement numbers
02/06/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) secured commitments for a record $4.3 billion in pollution control and cleanup measures from polluters last year.
(Full Story)
Air pollution plagues Winter Olympics site
02/06/2002
Just days before the start of the 2002 Winter Olympics, the host site, Salt Lake City, is in the midst of an air inversion that traps air pollution in the region's valleys.
(Full Story)
How Monsanto poisoned Anniston, Alabama
02/01/2002
On the west side of Anniston, the poor side of Anniston, the people ate dirt. They called it "Alabama clay" and cooked it for extra flavor. They also grew berries in their gardens, raised hogs in their back yards, caught bass in the murky streams where their children swam and played and were baptized.
(Full Story)
Auto workers favor greater fuel efficiency
02/01/2002
A new poll released today finds that voters in Michigan - epicenter of the American auto industry - support raising fuel efficiency standards for America's cars and trucks.
(Full Story)
EPA and Shop Rite, Inc. settle case involving underground storage tanks
02/01/2002
On Jan. 25, 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Shop Rite, Inc. agreed to settle a case involving 75 alleged violations of the federal and state underground storage tank (UST) regulations for $175,000.
(Full Story)
Mercury phaseouts challenged in new report
02/01/2002
A new report challenges claims by various industries which say they are phasing out the use of mercury in their products.
(Full Story)
Republic Powdered Metals agrees to pay penalty
01/30/2002
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Republic Powdered Metals, Inc., for violating air pollution control regulations at its manufacturing facility located at 2628 Pearl Road in Medina (Medina County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $40,000.
(Full Story)
OSHA cites Davis Wire of Pueblo for health and safety hazards
01/30/2002
A local wire manufacturer's failure to protect employees from serious hazards such as overexposure to lead has led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue $179,500 in citations against the company
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California will pay $14.95 million for landfill cleanup
01/30/2002
A $14.95 million settlement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of California resolves the state's liability for a contaminated landfill.
(Full Story)
NFL aims for Green Super Bowl
01/30/2002
Everything about Super Bowl is big and that includes its commitment to the environment, says the National Football League (NFL).
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North Carolina buys hog farms to protect water
01/30/2002
North Carolina's Clean Water Management Trust Fund has awarded $6.1 million to buy out swine operations in the state's 100 year flood plain.
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EPA's new initiative to protect and preserve America's waterways
01/30/2002
President Bush will include $21 million in his 2003 budget for a new EPA initiative to protect, preserve, and restore waterways across the country.
(Full Story)
Study links air pollution, birth defects
01/25/2002
Air pollution may cause serious birth defects, disrupting fetal heart development in the second month of pregnancy, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles shows.
(Full Story)
Sugar beet Co-op to Pay $215,000 for wastewater
01/25/2002
-A Minnesota judge Jan. 17 approved a consent decree that requires a Renville, Minn., sugar beet cooperative to pay $215,000 in fines and restitution to resolve a number of alleged environmental violations
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Yelm, Washington reclaims all its wastewater
01/25/2002
A water reclamation project in Yelm, Washington was honored Wednesday with the state's highest environmental award today for reclaiming and re-using 100 percent of its treated wastewater.
(Full Story)
$337 million cleans up two power plants
01/25/2002
PSEG Power, one of the nation's largest independent power producers, has agreed to spend more than $337 million to install state of the art pollution controls on two of its New Jersey power plants. The agreement settles allegations that the utility company expanded the capacity of the two coal fired power plants without upgrading their emissions control equipment.
(Full Story)
EPA urges home testing for radon, second leading cause of lung cancer
01/23/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today urged Americans to heed January as National Radon Action Month by testing their homes for the second leading cause of lung cancer in the country, indoor radon gas. Approximately one home in 15 across the nation has unacceptably high radon levels; in some areas of the country, as many as one out of two homes has high levels.
(Full Story)
Recycler pleads guilty to fraud charges
01/23/2002
A New Hampshire recycler pleaded guilty Jan. 18 to fraud committed in a scheme in which he misrepresented the capability of his recycling and disposal operation
(Full Story)
EPA and HUD announce landmark lead disclosure settlement
01/23/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the broadest lead disclosure settlement ever with one of the nation's largest property management firms, the Denver-based Apartment Investment and Management Co. (AIMCO). Residents living in more than 130,000 apartments in 47 states and Washington, D.C., will live in lead-safe units as a result of this landmark settlement.
(Full Story)
Cryptosporidium standards strengthened for small drinking water systems
01/23/2002
EPA has tightened drinking water requirements to protect an additional 18 million Americans served by 11,000 small drinking water systems from Cryptosporidium and other disease-causing microorganisms.
(Full Story)
Volkswagen recalls 1999, 2000 and 2001 model year Golf, Jetta and Beetle
01/23/2002
Volkswagen is recalling about 324,000 Golf, Jetta and New Beetle 4 cylinder 2 liter gasoline engine vehicles for model years 1999, 2000 and 2001 sold in the U.S.
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ATOFINA resolves violations in Alabama, Kentucky, Texas
01/23/2002
ATOFINA Chemicals Inc. of Philadelphia, Pa., has entered into a settlement that will result in significant pollution control measures at the company's facilities in Alabama, Kentucky and Texas.
(Full Story)
EPA announces availibility of progress report on U.S.-Mexico border
01/23/2002
Significant progress has been made in addressing key environmental, health and natural resources needs of the U.S.- Mexico border region. Today, EPA released the "U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996–2001.
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Amended regulations to reduce run-off from abandoned coal mines
01/23/2002
EPA is releasing new effluent guidelines to reclaim abandoned mine sites and to better protect environmental quality around mines in the western and Appalachian states.
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Aerial herbicide war on drugs poisons land, water
01/16/2002
The public interest environmental law firm Earthjustice today called on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to pressure the United States and Colombia to halt the aerial application of herbicides to eradicate coca and poppy plants and use alternative methods.
(Full Story)
Environmental contractor jailed for fraudulent storage tank tests
01/16/2002
A former environmental contractor will spend 27 months in jail for defrauding owners and operators of underground storage tanks.
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EPA and Michigan protect water from manure runoff
01/16/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) have agreed on measures to protect public health and waterways from manure and other wastes from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
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Justice department upholds new source review cases
01/16/2002
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to continue lawsuits brought by the Clinton Administration against power plants and other facilities whose initial exemptions from the Clean Air Act may have been invalidated by upgrades.
(Full Story)
Small systems must provide safer drinking water
01/15/2002
About 18 million Americans are expected to benefit from new, tighter drinking water standards for disease causing microorganisms, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Volkswagen recalls cars with bum emissions sensors
01/15/2002
German automobile maker Volkswagen is recalling about 324,000 Golf, Jetta and New Beetle cars due to their faulty emissions sensors.
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Smuggled CFCs convict Florida man
01/15/2002
A Florida man faces a fine and possible jail time for smuggling ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant into the United States.
(Full Story)
World Trade Center cleanup a highlight of RCRA
01/15/2002
The challenge of the World Trade Center cleanup to solid and hazardous waste managers, not just counter- terrorism experts, will be discussed at the 2002 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) National Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jan. 15-18
(Full Story)
Californian sentenced for illegal asbestos removal
01/15/2002
A. Scott Dockter was sentenced to five months in prison and seven months home detention and was ordered to pay $9,270 in fines and restitution for unlawfully removing asbestos during the demolition and renovation of the Delta Sugar Plant in Clarksburg, Calif., in 1995.
(Full Story)
Florida importer pleads guilty to Clean Air Act violation
01/15/2002
Clifford Windsor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty on Dec.19 to violating the Clean Air Act by illegally importing into the United States approximately 300 cylinders of R-12, the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant.
(Full Story)
Texaco fined for clean air violations on Navajo Nation
01/09/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a $295,000 settlement with Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc. for violations of the Clean Air Act and the federal community right to know law at its gas plant and oil field in Aneth, Utah, on the Navajo Nation.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes penalty against Sturdisteel Company for hazmat violations
01/09/2002
The Federal Aviation Administration, Southern Region, has proposed to assess a $70,000 civil penalty against Sturdisteel Company of Waco, Texas, for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
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Automobile demolition firm agrees to settle claims of improper storage
01/09/2002
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced Dec. 21 that a car crushing company had agreed to pay $21,595 to resolve alleged hazardous waste storage violations.
(Full Story)
Lawsuit challenges alternative vehicles compliance
01/09/2002
Three environmental organizations filed suit Wednesday over the failure of 18 federal agencies to meet requirements that they buy alternative fueled vehicles.
(Full Story)
University of Pittsburgh charged with PCB violations
01/09/2002
The University of Pittsburgh has been cited for failing to register and label containers of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
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Bridgeport Metal Plating Shop gets quick cleanup
01/09/2002
Cleanup has begun in Bridgeport at a former metal plating shop containing abandoned containers of cyanides, metals, acids and bases.
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Los Angeles airports get cleaner taxis
01/08/2002
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), the clean air agency of the Los Angeles region, has approved almost $3 million in incentive funding to help purchase more than 300 new, clean fueled airport taxis.
(Full Story)
EPA plans National Compliance Forum, seeks sessions proposals
01/04/2002
EPA will sponsor a National Compliance Assistance Providers Forum next December in San Antonio, Texas. To prepare for the forum, the Agency is seeking panel discussion proposals by Jan. 18.
(Full Story)
Grant awarded to develop marketable energy from landfills in 7 counties
01/04/2002
Besides the economic benefits, this grant will reduce global warming gases and reward local communities with cleaner air and better-managed and safer landfills.
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Whitman applauds Senate passage of Brownsfields legislation
01/04/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman praised the Senate for its passage of bipartisan Brownfields legislation. Whitman said the new legislation will make the cleanup of brownfields a more effective and cooperative effort.
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EPA makes final decision on dioxin in sewage sludge
01/04/2002
EPA based its decision on an evaluation of the risk of exposure for people most likely to be exposed to dioxin from these sources. EPA concluded that existing regulations for incinerators, landfills or containment ponds adequately protect human health and the environment by limiting exposure to pollutants, including dioxins.
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Flexibility provided in producing reformulated and conventional gasoline
01/04/2002
It allows conventional gasoline to be converted and reclassified as RFG if the necessary steps are taken to control volatile organic compounds in certain areas of the country. These steps will help to provide the needed flexibility to refiners when inventories are low while preserving the emission benefits of the RFG program.
(Full Story)
Pesticide advocacy groups petition to halt use of wood preservatives
01/03/2002
Several environmental and public health groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency Dec. 21 to immediately halt the use of two pesticides used to treat wood and are threatening to sue the agency if it fails to suspend their use.
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Automotive Demolition Firm Agrees to Settle Claims
12/28/2001
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced Dec. 21 that a car crushing company had agreed to pay $21,595 to resolve alleged hazardous waste storage violations.
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UN official criticizes chemical exports
12/20/2001
United Nations official (UN) had harsh words last week for the U.S. practice of exporting certain chemicals, pesticides and wastes to developing nations, while banning the same substances at home.
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EPA wins $3.5 million from landfill polluters
12/20/2001
A federal court has awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $3.5 million from the two companies deemed responsible for hazardous waste contamination at the Sidney Landfill Superfund site in Sidney, New York.
(Full Story)
Central Florida drinking water could run out in five years
12/12/2001
Water management officials in central Florida warn the region has supplies of drinking water that will last just five more years if current unfettered growth and projected drinking water demand is not abated.
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Soggy summer helped clean Alabama's air
12/12/2001
A cool, wet summer helped slash smog pollution in Alabama this year, says the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).
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Clean air exemption for California farms will continue
12/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to allow the state of California to continue to exempt all farming operations from clean air permitting requirements.
(Full Story)
EPA fines YUMA Automotive Center $24,200 for hazardous waste violations
12/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it has recently fined the Bill Alexander Automotive Center $24,200 for hazardous waste violations discovered at its automotive facility in Yuma, Ariz.
(Full Story)
$20 billion emission trading program goes online
12/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking its $20 billion pollution emissions trading program online.
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Brown University to pay $80,000 fine
12/04/2001
Brown University said Nov. 27 it has agreed to pay $365,000 to settle an enforcement action brought by the Environmental Protection Agency that charges the school with violations of several environmental laws.
(Full Story)
Clean Water Act violators made to pay
12/04/2001
Violations of the Clean Water Act are costing a wide variety of companies big bucks across the United States. In Louisiana, several tugboat companies have been sentenced to pay thousands of dollars in fines after being found guilty of pumping oily bilge water into the Mississippi River several times a week between 1995 and 2000.
(Full Story)
Colorado company owner sentenced for waste violation
12/04/2001
Bruce Spence, currently of Las Vegas, Nev., owner and operator of Cooling Systems International (CSI), a defunct radiator repair company located in Mesa County, Colo., was sentenced on Nov. 16 to spend 60 days in jail, pay a $100,000 fine and pay $125,000 in restitution for violating the Colorado Hazardous Waste Act.
(Full Story)
Shell to pay $350,000 penalty for environmental release, explosion
12/04/2001
Shell Chemical Company has agreed to pay a $350,000 penalty in settlement of a lawsuit filed through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA's suit stemmed from an explosion and fire on June 22, 1997, at Shell's Deer Park, Texas, facility, which caused extensive damage to the facility and injured several workers.
(Full Story)
Sprint voluntarily audits 1,000 facilities for environmental violations
11/27/2001
Sprint voluntarily audits 1,000 facilities for environmental violations Under a proposed civil settlement with the United States, Sprint United Management Co. will resolve violations it found in a voluntary audit of 1,100 of its cellular and paging-related facilities in compliance with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
Nation's second largest hog producer reaches settlement
11/27/2001
EPA and the Justice Department announced that two related companies, Premium Standard Farms (PSF) and Continental Grain Company, which together comprise the second largest producer of hogs in the United States, have entered into a settlement to resolve environmental violations at the companies' large-scale farms, known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), in Missouri. The settlement was reached with the United States and the Citizens Legal Environmental Action Network, a citizens group (CLEAN).
(Full Story)
Former Michigan treatment plant director sentenced
11/27/2001
Former Michigan treatment plant director sentenced Michael J. Kuhn, former superintendent of the Bay City, Mich., wastewater treatment plant, was sentenced on Oct. 18 to six months imprisonment and six months home confinement for knowingly violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Cleanup wraps-up at national auto wrecking
11/27/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has completed an $800,000 cleanup at the National Auto Wrecking site, Onalaska, Wis.
(Full Story)
EPA orders Haverhill to revise plan for reducing flow of sewage
11/27/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has ordered the city of Haverhill to revise its plan for addressing the flow of untreated sewage into the Merrimack and Little Rivers.
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Indiana Guide Corp. fined for polluting White River
11/27/2001
Guide Corp. (Guide), an automotive lighting manufacturer in Anderson, Ind., was sentenced on Oct. 12 after pleading guilty to seven criminal negligence charges under the Clean Water Act.
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Sprint agrees to pay EPA $250,000 fine
11/15/2001
Sprint United Management Co., in a proposed agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, would pay the agency $250,000 in fines for not having a spill prevention plan and failing to report the use of certain toxic chemicals at some of its facilities, EPA announced Nov. 9
(Full Story)
Walton Hills Manufacturing Facility agrees to pay penalty
11/15/2001
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Mantua Manufacturing Company for violating air pollution control regulations at its metal furniture manufacturing facility located at 7900 Northfield Road in Walton Hills (Cuyahoga County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $12,900.
(Full Story)
Indiana Guide Corp. fined for polluting White River
11/15/2001
Guide Corp. (Guide), an automotive lighting manufacturer in Anderson, Ind., was sentenced on Oct. 12 after pleading guilty to seven criminal negligence charges under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
National laboratory gets cleanup program grant
11/13/2001
The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) $8.4 million in grant funding for research to support the department's Environmental Management cleanup program.
(Full Story)
Better fertilizer use could protect Mississippi River
11/13/2001
Efficient fertilizer use could benefit the Mississippi River without hurting crop yields, a new study suggests.
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Study casts doubt on uses of carbon sinks
11/13/2001
The earth's land based ecosystems absorbed all of the carbon released by deforestation plus another 1.4 billion tons emitted by fossil fuel burning during the 1990s, a new study suggests. But the study also warns that so called carbon sinks cannot be counted on to mop up carbon dioxide emissions indefinitely.
(Full Story)
New business reporting standard for greenhouse gas emissions released
11/08/2001
The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have released an international standard that will enable businesses to uniformly report their emissions of greenhouse gases.
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Worchester company pays $3,750 penalty for violating air pollution control
11/08/2001
New Method Plating Company of Worcester has paid a $3,750 penalty and $5,550 in overdue air quality compliance fees to the state Department of Environmental Protection in response to violations found at the company's 43 Hammond St. facility.
(Full Story)
Cleveland manufacturing facility agrees to pay penalty
11/08/2001
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Voyale Corporation for violating air pollution control regulations at its automotive parts manufacturing facility located at 4510 East 71st Street in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $29,400.
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Report finds increased land reuse nationwide
11/08/2001
More land is being recycled, more people appear comfortable living near or on it and those involved are exercising a lot of creativity in property redevelopment to make it all happen, shows the second annual ECS Land Reuse Report.
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Ineel, contractors settle on asbestos and CFC violations
11/06/2001
Contractors for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) have paid more than $160,000 in penalties for violating federal asbestos and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) emissions laws.
(Full Story)
EPA restricts two agricultural pesticides
11/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed new restrictions on the use of two agricultural pesticides, azinphos-methyl and phosmet.
(Full Story)
Idaho refrigeration repair company and owners indicted
11/06/2001
Idaho refrigeration repair company and owners indicted Travis Scott Erickson and Deborah Ann Erickson, owners and managers of Cool Unit, L.L.C. in Post Falls, Idaho, and Cool Unit, L.L.C., were indicted on Oct.16 for conspiracy and for allegedly violating three federal laws, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Act and the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA announces standard for drinking water
11/06/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that the arsenic standard in drinking water will be 10 parts per billion (ppb).
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WasteWise program honors partners at 2001 Awards Ceremony
11/06/2001
What does Eastman Kodak have in common with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation? Or Walt Disney World with Sandia National Laboratories? Each of them, along with 54 other organizations, will be recognized at an awards ceremony in the nation's capital for their extraordinary accomplishments in reducing waste
(Full Story)
Los Angeles smog season ends on high note
11/06/2001
The smog season in the Los Angeles region, which officially ended Wednesday, was the cleanest on record, says the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
(Full Story)
Environmental savings add up for Xerox
11/06/2001
The company's environmental programs are paying off in hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings each year, shows the company's, health and safety progress report for 2001
(Full Story)
Gasoline fuel cells get boost
10/30/2001
The possibility of gasoline-powered fuel cells - a technology that could cut carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles in half - got a boost this week when General Motors Corporation and ChevronTexaco Corporation announced they had formed a pact to speed the development of the technology for automobiles.
(Full Story)
Californian finded for dumping hazardous wastes
10/30/2001
A California man has been sentenced to serve six months home detention for illegally disposing of hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Lab develops unique in situ water monitor
10/30/2001
A new, real time sensor that can be put directly underground to detect chemicals in the soil and groundwater has been developed by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories. This sensor is seen by the researchers as an important tool in efforts to protect the US water supply and all analysis be done without taking any samples to a lab.
(Full Story)
$359 million cleanup aims at Idaho toxins
10/30/2001
Federal officials yesterday proposed one of the most expensive and extensive environmental cleanup jobs in the nation's history to stanch the flow of North Idaho mining wastes that have spread far enough to taint the Spokane River in Eastern Washington.
(Full Story)
CO2 put to use in plutonium cleanup
10/30/2001
A technique that is employed to decaffeinate coffee and dry clean clothes has successfully been used to remove radioactive elements from soil the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) reports.
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Agency proposes fuel program reforms
10/30/2001
EPA transmitted to President Bush its report on the state and local "boutique" clean fuel programs called for by the President's National Energy Policy report issued May 17, 2001. The Agency's report identifies several regulatory changes that can be made in the near term that could help to moderate gasoline price spikes during future transition periods when fuel producers switch from winter to summer grade cleaner-burning gasoline
(Full Story)
Five cities get new smog plan
10/23/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that residents of five major metropolitan areas - Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia - will be able to breathe cleaner air because of smog reduction plans approved by the agency.
(Full Story)
Former Louisiana laboratory office manager pleads guilty
10/23/2001
Jennifer Alexander, former Office Manager for Enviro-Comp Laboratories, Inc., of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty on Sept. 28 to committing perjury before a federal grand jury in a case involving accreditation by a state environmental agency.
(Full Story)
Whitman allays fears for water security
10/23/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman allayed fears for the security of the nation's water systems during a visit to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Consolidated Laboratory in Silver Spring, Maryland. She said EPA believes the possibility of successful contamination of a water system is small.
(Full Story)
Air report shows continued improvement, remaining challenges
10/23/2001
Air quality in the United States maintained its steady improvement through the year 2000, according to EPA's annual summary of air quality trends. This trend toward cleaner air has continued since EPA's formation in 1970, while during the same time, the gross domestic product increased 158 percent, miles traveled by cars and trucks increased 143 percent, and energy consumption increased by 45 percent.
(Full Story)
Alternative fuel brewing in man's backyard
10/23/2001
The slick brown goo that Tom Leue concocts in his backyard chemistry lab isn't as appetizing as the french fries it once cooked, but Leue gets plenty of mileage out of the used restaurant oil
(Full Story)
World's largest meatpacker to resolve environmental problems
10/18/2001
IBP Inc, the world's largest meatpacker, has agreed to pay the United States $4.1 million in penalties for violating the nation's environmental laws.
(Full Story)
EPA approves plan to cut Houston pollution by 75 percent
10/18/2001
A plan that would cut air pollution by 75 percent in Houston, one of the nation's most polluted cities, has been signed by the Environmental Protection Agency after years of haggling with local officials.
(Full Story)
Erie Plating Co. settles EPA hazardous waste case
10/18/2001
Erie Plating Co. will pay a $12,430 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at the company's metal finishing plant in Erie, Pa.
(Full Story)
Toxic coatings banned from California engines
10/12/2001
The California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (ARB) has banned the use hexavalent chromium and cadmium in motor vehicle and mobile equipment coatings.
(Full Story)
DOT proposes higher hazardous materials penalties
10/12/2001
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta sent to Congress proposed legislation that would strengthen security and safety in the transportation of the nation's hazardous materials.
(Full Story)
Facility fined for community right-to-know violations
10/09/2001
EPA announced a settlement with Romic Environmental Technologies, Corp. for alleged right-to-know violations that calls for the East Palo Alto, Calif. facility to pay over $54,000 and complete an additional $295,000 worth of environmental projects to lessen air pollution from the facility.
(Full Story)
Missouri Restaurant,individuals convicted of polluting Mississippi River
10/09/2001
A restaurant company, Venetian Harbor, Inc., of Portage Des Sioux, Mo., together with two of its officials, Warren Spielman of St. Louis, Mo. and Jered Lee Bonbrake of Alton, Ill., and an employee, Rush Templeton of Florissant, Mo., were found guilty on Sept. 20 of conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act and illegally dumping sewage into the Mississippi River. Thea Preston of St. Charles, Mo. previously pleaded guilty to the same crimes.
(Full Story)
CEO of Ohio Company charged with clean water act violation
10/09/2001
Ernest U. Fisco of Beachwood, Ohio, Chief Operating Officer of AAA Pipe Cleaning Corp., was charged on Sept.13 with violating the Clean Water Act. He allegedly directed AAA employees to discharge polluted waste through an illegal pipe into Kingsbury Run, a tributary of the Cuyahoga River.
(Full Story)
Utah man sentenced for state hazardous waste violation
10/09/2001
Keith L. Allred of Cedar City, Utah, was sentenced on Sept. 26 to five years imprisonment and was ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution. Allred has pleaded guilty to the unlawful disposal of hazardous waste, a third degree felony under state law.
(Full Story)
Electronic sniffer could monitor water safety
10/09/2001
A real time gas and water quality monitoring system may become one tool in the effort to protect the nation's water supply.
(Full Story)
Federal cases settled involving lead-based paint hazards
10/09/2001
EPA was involved in several federal government settlements on Oct. 2 with three landlords in Chicago for failure to warn tenants that their apartments may contain lead-based paint hazards. Together with similar cases in New York City and Los Angeles, the settlements by EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice will result in $328,000 in civil penalties and child health improvement projects.
(Full Story)
EPA cites S.H. Bell for clean-air violations
10/04/2001
EPA cited S.H. Bell Co. for alleged violations of federal and state clean-air regulations at two company terminals, one at 2219 Michigan Ave. and another at 1 Saint George St., in East Liverpool, Ohio.
(Full Story)
Nike vows reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
10/04/2001
Nike Inc., an international sporting goods company, pledged Tuesday to slash greenhouse gas emissions across its operations worldwide. Nike also will measure greenhouse gas emissions from contracted manufacturing and shipping operations with the intent to ultimately
(Full Story)
Truck repair facilities ordered to pay penalties for oil dumping
10/02/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it has ordered Cummins Northwest, Inc. and Myrmo Sons, Inc. of Bend, Oregon, to pay penalties for illegally disposing of waste motor oil and other motor vehicle waste fluids directly underground and potentially into underground drinking water sources.
(Full Story)
EPA settles with metalworking lubricants on hazardous waste violations
10/02/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently reached agreement with Metalworking Lubricants Co.for allegedly violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Metalworking paid a $15,000 fine.
(Full Story)
EPA cites GM Delphi on permit violations
10/02/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently filed a complaint against General Motors Corporation-Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems for alleged violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. A $194,876 fine is proposed.
(Full Story)
New dry-cleaning process easy on the environment
10/01/2001
The new procedure - called the GreenEarth Cleaning System - makes the business one of the first in the state to adopt a process that not only is touted to do a better job of cleaning, but also is environmentally friendly.
(Full Story)
Disposing of toxic household waste
10/01/2001
Experts agree the best way to deal with hazardous waste is to generate less. The next best thing is to donate or recycle leftover materials.
(Full Story)
Federal agencies failing to reduce pesticide
10/01/2001
Federal agencies can and should be doing more to encourage farmers to reduce use of toxic pesticides on U.S. crops and farmland, according to the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The agency's report finds that despite federal promises to slash agricultural pesticide use, pesticide use has risen over the past eight years.
(Full Story)
New laboratory to support waste isolation pilot plant
09/28/2001
A new research program for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) will study the chemistry of materials that can affect underground radioactive waste storage sites.
(Full Story)
Minnesota firms charged with polluting wetlands
09/26/2001
Two Minnesota firms and their owners were indicted September 11 for conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act, and for discharging pollutants into wetlands that drain into
(Full Story)
California power plants slash emissions
09/26/2001
Governor Gray Davis announced that California has been successful at meeting the state's energy needs while reducing air pollution from power generators by about 25 percent.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to reduce pollution from nonroad vehicles
09/24/2001
EPA is proposing to regulate several types of nonroad engines to help reduce hydrocarbons (HC) carbon monoxide (CO) nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the environment. Controlling these pollutants will reduce exposure to CO and air toxics for the operators who work with or near these engines, and help to remove haze from national parks.
(Full Story)
New farm policy emphasizes conservation, not subsidies
09/24/2001
The Bush administration has released a new long term farm policy, which includes new emphasis on conservation, environmental protection and support for alternative fuels. The new agriculture policy could lead to marked reductions in federal subsidies for large farming operations.
(Full Story)
EPA reassures public about environmental hazards
09/20/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman announced Thursday that EPA is taking steps to ensure the safety of rescue workers and the public at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon disaster sites, and to protect the environment. EPA is working with state, federal, and local agencies to monitor and respond to potential environmental hazards and minimize any environmental effects of the disasters and their aftermath.
(Full Story)
Pennsylvania accepts world trade center debris
09/20/2001
Pennsylvania has temporarily suspended its efforts to limit the import of out of state trash, and is prepared to accept massive amounts of debris from the demolished World Trade Center towers.
(Full Story)
U.S. garbage output continues to rise
09/20/2001
The amount of solid waste generated in the United States continued to grow in 1999--reaching nearly 230 million tons, according to the Environmental Protection Agency--but a leading industry trade association says the quantity of garbage produced may flatten out or even decline this year due to a slowing economy.
(Full Story)
EPA reports no risk to disaster workers,
09/20/2001
Results of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests of the air and drinking water near the World Trade Center and Pentagon disaster sites indicate little risk to rescue workers or the public, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced Tuesday.
(Full Story)
Rental company, Lung Association partner for clean air
09/11/2001
In a first of its kind agreement, Environmental Vehicle (EV) Rental Cars and the American Lung Association of California (ALA-C) have partnered to fight air pollution in California.
(Full Story)
Celebrity Cruises settles air quality charges
09/11/2001
Celebrity Cruise Lines has agreed to pay the state of Alaska $55,000 to settle claims of violations of the state's air emission standards during the 2000 cruise season, Attorney General Bruce Botelho announced Wednesday.
(Full Story)
Mississippi company, employees charged with conspiracy
09/11/2001
Mississippi company, employees charged with conspiracy Truck Trailer and Equipment, Inc., of Pearl, Miss., the company owner and president, James W. Fielder, a manager, Edgar A. Fielder, and another employee, Carlos A. Lindsey, were indicted on Aug. 23 for conspiring to violate two federal laws, the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
South Carolina Co., president plead guilty to violations in six states
09/11/2001
James Edward Adams of Inman, S.C., and his firm, Carolina Upgrading of South Carolina, Inc., each agreed to plead guilty on Aug. 26 to 15 violations of federal law.
(Full Story)
EPA and DOE award $319,997 in grants
09/11/2001
EPA and DOE have awarded $319,997 to the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) in Alexandria, Va., to promote more cooperative energy and environmental policies and regulations among state energy and environmental agencies.
(Full Story)
Delaware companies reimburse EPA for superfund cleanup
09/11/2001
Two companies have agreed to reimburse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $798,500 plus interest for the cleanup of the 140 acre National Cash Register (NCR) Superfund Site in Millsboro.
(Full Story)
Campfires contribute to Great Lakes pollution
09/06/2001
Wood smoke from campfires and residential fireplaces is toxic to certain aquatic animals in the Great Lakes and is a source of air pollution in the region, a new study shows.
(Full Story)
Energy department lab develops cleaner fuel
09/06/2001
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) have developed an energy efficient process for producing alkylate - a high octane gasoline blend that is very low in environmental pollutants such as sulfur and benzene.
(Full Story)
Pentagon Criticized for Cleanup Pace
09/06/2001
Thousands of former military sites contaminated by hazardous waste are being cleaned up much more slowly than the Pentagon is claiming, congressional auditors said in a report released Wednesday.
(Full Story)
Workplace air pollution can hurt hearts
09/06/2001
Exposure to occupational and environmental air pollutants can alter heart rates in young, otherwise healthy hearts, researchers report in this week's issue of "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association."
(Full Story)
Businesses report workplace safety delivers a return on investment
09/05/2001
Ninety-five percent of business executives report that workplace safety has a positive impact on a company's financial performance, according to the findings of The Executive Survey of Workplace Safety announced by the Liberty Mutual Group.
(Full Story)
Company pleads guilty to violations
09/05/2001
James Edward Adams of Inman, S.C., and his firm, Carolina Upgrading of South Carolina, Inc., have agreed to plead guilty to 15 violations of federal law. In their plea agreement, the defendants admitted that they conspired and falsified more than 1,500 tests of underground storage tanks to gasoline stations and state and federal facilities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
(Full Story)
State enforcers are missing many water polluters
09/05/2001
State environmental authorities are doing a poor job of enforcing the nation's clean water laws, concludes a new report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
(Full Story)
Global warming: Why businesses are acting now
09/05/2001
A growing number of companies are convinced it is a mistake to ignore the threats - and opportunities -- posed by global warming.
(Full Story)
The EPA receives two arsenic expert panel reports
09/05/2001
In response to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman's request to review public health risks, costs and benefits associated with regulating arsenic in drinking water, two of three expert panels convened last spring have completed their analyses.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes $68,750 civil penalty against Sun Country Airlines
09/04/2001
The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed to assess a $68,750 civil penalty against Sun Country Airlines of Mendota Heights, Minn., for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
(Full Story)
Ohio company executives charged with falsifying pesticide test results
08/30/2001
J.T. Eaton & Co. of Twinsburg, Ohio and two company executives, Stanley Z. Baker and Benjamin H. Baker, were indicted on July 19 for allegedly submitting to EPA falsified test results on a product designed to repel squirrels and birds.
(Full Story)
Whitman announces $4 million pilot project to clean up storage tanks
08/30/2001
Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that EPA will provide $4 million in financial assistance to clean up contamination from leaking underground storage tanks around the nation.
(Full Story)
Price of water increasing worldwide
08/29/2001
According to a survey conducted by NUS Consulting Group, the average price of water increased last year by 3.8 percent worldwide. The survey was conducted in 14 countries throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia and examined the local water prices in these nations.
(Full Story)
Former New Hampshire residents charged in recycling fraud
08/29/2001
Former New Hampshire residents charged in recycling fraud Franklin D. Sales and Debon Sales, formerly of Milford, N.H., were charged with mail and wire fraud in an indictment unsealed on Aug. 16. The defendants owned and operated Consolidated Recycling, Inc. (CRI), a firm which was allegedly in the business of recycling fluorescent ballast waste.
(Full Story)
Californian sentenced for illegal waste transportation
08/28/2001
Gary Rasmussen of San Diego, Calif. was sentenced on Aug. 13 for his conviction on two counts of illegally transporting hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and on one count of conspiracy to violate the law.
(Full Story)
Testing firm admits false reporting on underground tanks
08/28/2001
The former president of an environmental contracting firm pleaded guilty today to several felonies related to his role in an illegal scheme that caused hundreds of people to believe in error that their underground storage tanks were properly tested for leaks of petroleum and other contaminants.
(Full Story)
Pennsylvania cancer center cited for illegal uranium
08/28/2001
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed an $8,800 fine against a Pittsburgh medical facility for violating agency regulations pertaining to the possession and disposal of radioactive material.
(Full Story)
Michigan company officials sentenced in racketeering
08/28/2001
Two men were sentenced on August 9 to over two years imprisonment each and a total $1 million in fines and restitution for committing an environmental offense under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes $78,500 fine against company for hazmat violations
08/27/2001
The FAA has proposed a civil penalty of $78,500 against Novel Tees Wholesale, Salt Lake City, Utah, for hazardous materials violations on a shipment offered for transportation by air on or about November 6, 2000.
(Full Story)
$40 million pledged toward Fox River cleanup
08/27/2001
Federal, state and corporate partners have reached a $40 million interim agreement to fund site cleanup and natural resource restoration projects on Wisconsin's Lower Fox River and Green Bay.
(Full Story)
Central Park Lake contaminated by power plant mercury
08/27/2001
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have linked coal plant emissions to toxic levels of mercury at the bottom of New York's Central Park Lake.
(Full Story)
EPA sued over MTBE requirements in California
08/27/2001
California has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), challenging the agency's decision to deny the state a waiver from federal clean air regulations for gasoline.
(Full Story)
Natural gas facility agrees to control odors
08/27/2001
Air quality officials have secured a stringent agreement with Omnitrans requiring the transit agency to take specific actions to promptly eliminate odors from its San Bernardino natural gas fueling facility.
(Full Story)
EPA estimates costs of clean water TMDL program
08/27/2001
Implementing one of the key tools under the Clean Water Act for cleaning up the nation's waters, called the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, could cost between $900 million and $4.3 billion dollars annually, based on a draft cost study released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and on which public comment is being requested.
(Full Story)
Is perc safe? Two reports come to drastically different conclusions
08/14/2001
Separate reports on perchloroethylene issued by two organizations last month offered divergent views of the widely used dry-cleaning solvent.
(Full Story)
Aerosols cool earth's surface, warm the atmosphere
08/14/2001
New research based upon satellite data and a multinational field experiment shows that black carbon aerosol pollution produced by humans can impact global climate as well as seasonal cycles of rainfall.
(Full Story)
Rhode Island photo supply plant fined for air pollution
08/13/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today it will seek $376,483 in penalties against Arkwright, a photographic film and paper manufacturer in Rhode Island for violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
(Full Story)
EPA seeks to scale back Clinton pollution rule
08/13/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency has decided to scale back a Clinton administration rule aimed at reducing pollution emissions from older coal-fired power plants, the Washington Post reports.
(Full Story)
Coffee company plants trees to limit global warming
08/13/2001
How much heat-trapping carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere to bring coffee into the homes and offices of purchaser of Thanksgiving Coffee? Officials of the northern California gourmet coffee company wanted to know, so they asked a non-profit group that measures greenhouse gases to evaluate its operations.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes $50,000 civil penalty
08/10/2001
he Federal Aviation Administration has proposed to assess a $50,000 civil penalty against Sikorsky Support Services, Inc., of Stratford, Conn., for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
(Full Story)
Two men indicted in asbestos removal conspiracy
08/10/2001
Two men indicted in asbestos removal conspiracy A federal grand jury in Charlottesville, Va., returned an indictment charging two men with conspiring to illegally remove asbestos from aging buildings. The defendants recruited untrained homeless men to remove asbestos from properties in Staunton, Va., without providing the necessary safety equipment or training.
(Full Story)
Ozone-depleting substances into the U.S.
08/10/2001
A federal grand jury in New Haven, Conn. has returned an indictment charging five men for allegedly engaging in a scheme to trade in chemicals that deplete the Earth's ozone layer and that are strictly regulated in the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA feared ready to weaken clean air rules
08/10/2001
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman is ready to scale back a Clinton era initiative to reduce emissions from coal fired power plants that add new capacity, "after intense lobbying by the utility and refinery industries," the Washington Post reported today. The Next week, the EPA is expected to present to President George W. Bush its proposal to roll back requirements for expensive new pollution control equipment under the New Source Review (NSR) program.
(Full Story)
Get ready for ISO 14000 with environmental management system software
08/08/2001
With the release of the first ISO 14000 voluntary international standards for environmental management systems (EMS) in 1996, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provided the work with a common approach to environmental management. These standards are intended to increase confidence among stakeholders that organizations around the world have an effective EMS that will improve their environmental performance.
(Full Story)
Clean air groups fear Bush retreat on pollution rules
08/08/2001
Clean air advocates have expressed deep concern that the Bush administration is planning to scrap or alter enforcement of the new source review provisions of the Clean Air Act, which limits pollution from rebuilt or expanded operations at power plants and refineries.
(Full Story)
GM seeks to weaken clean air rules
08/08/2001
General Motors Corporation is quietly preparing a push to loosen the nation's clean-air rules to allow wider use of diesel engines as fuel-saving alternatives to thirsty gasoline light-truck engines, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
(Full Story)
Colloidal solution replaces petroleum-based cleaners
08/07/2001
Solution 2000™, a new, Optimized Colloidal Cleaning and Degreasing Agent, has been introduced by EnviroSan Products Ltd. as a safe replacement for most industrial and household cleaning products.
(Full Story)
EPA, Navy sign pact on Alameda Air Station cleanup
08/07/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navy recently signed a legally binding agreement that sets enforceable deadlines and a formal regulatory framework for the Superfund cleanup of the Alameda Naval Air Station in California.
(Full Story)
Report: polluting cars should be target of inspection systems
08/07/2001
According to a report that takes a look at the vehicle inspection system, too many resources are being used on checking newer, "cleaner" vehicles and not enough are being directed towards dealing with the "dirtiest" ones. As a result, an opportunity to achieve cleaner air is being missed.
(Full Story)
DNR releases asbestos NESHAP compliance video
08/06/2001
"Asbestos the Miracle Mineral: Complying with the Asbestos NESHAP" includes remodeling, demolition, training fires and asbestos NESHAP regulations.
(Full Story)
Michigan man indicted on conspiracy
08/06/2001
On June 26, James M. Dolmetsch, of Livonia, MI, was indicted on charges that he conspired to violate the Clean Air Act, that he was involved in illegal monetary transactions, and that he made a false statement to criminal investigators.
(Full Story)
Colorado businessman pleads guilty to illegal waste disposal
08/06/2001
An investigation by a federal/state task force led to a guilty plea without sentencing considerations for unlawful hazardous waste disposal by Bruce Spence, owner of Cooling Systems International, Inc.
(Full Story)
Montana developer convicted of Clean Water Act violations
08/06/2001
In an unprecedented prosecution, David Allan Phillips, a Montana land developer, was convicted on July 12 of felony conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act (CWA), of seven CWA felonies, and of seven CWA misdemeanors. This is the first case where a Federal jury in Montana has convicted an individual of conspiracy to violate the CWA.
(Full Story)
Alcoa subsidiary in Louisiana pleads guilty
08/06/2001
On July 13, Discovery Aluminas, Inc., an Alcoa subsidiary operating in Port Allen, La., pleaded guilty to violating the state water law. The company had previously pleaded guilty to violating the federal Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA calls for reports of ground water contamination by hydraulic fracturing
08/06/2001
As part of its study of the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on ground water, EPA is calling for data or reports of ground water contamination incidents possibly attributable to hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane wells.
(Full Story)
Fuel economy website offers one stop auto information
08/02/2001
Consumers have a new and improved on-line tool to help them select the "perfect" vehicle.
(Full Story)
Bush plan calls for states to enforce environmental laws
08/02/2001
The Washington Post reports that the Bush administration has a plan to increase funding for enforcement of federal environmental laws to states while cutting the federal enforcement budget., despite evidence that some states may be unable or unwilling to take on those responsibilities.
(Full Story)
EPA cites Ashta Chemicals for air pollution and pesticide violations
07/31/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has filed an administrative complaint against Ashta Chemicals Inc. for alleged violations of federal and federally enforceable state clean-air regulations and federal pesticide regulations at the company's chemical plant.
(Full Story)
Indiana man pleads to dumping gasoline into sewer
07/31/2001
Daniel W. Axe of Dugger, Ind., pleaded guilty to charges that he violated the Clean Water Act by pumping liquid containing gasoline from his service station into a city sewer.
(Full Story)
EPA issues water pollution permit to large Arizona feeding operation
07/31/2001
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency today issued a general water pollution discharge permit that will require Arizona's largest animal feeding operations to prevent the discharge of manure and other pollutants into Arizona's rivers, lakes and washes.
(Full Story)
New sensor detects metal pollutants
07/30/2001
Testing for metals in drinking water and waste streams can be labor intensive and slow but thanks to the work of researchers at Brigham Young University, a sensor that can continually measure metals levels in water as it flows by can be created.
(Full Story)
EPA fines Alaska Airlines $84,500 for hazardous waste violations
07/30/2001
EPA announced that it has fined Alaska Airlines $84,500 for hazardous waste violations discovered at its maintenance facility at the Oakland Airport in 1999.
(Full Story)
Manufacturer to pay $225,000 penalty for alleged toxic chemical violations
07/30/2001
EPA announced that Croda, Inc. has settled violations of federal toxic chemical reporting regulations at its manufacturing plant in Mill Hall, Pa. In a consent agreement with EPA, the company has agreed to pay a $225,000 penalty for failing to file required annual reports on releases of toxic chemicals at its organic chemicals manufacturing plant
(Full Story)
Court rules EPA regulations for hazardous waste burners inadequate
07/30/2001
In its ruling this week, the United States Court of Appeals struck down as inadequate and unlawful EPA regulations for incinerators and cement kilns that burn hazardous waste. Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of the Sierra Club in 1999 to challenge the EPA regulations.
(Full Story)
EPA affirms plant-incorporated protectant rules
07/24/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman has signed three final rules, published today in the Federal Register, that clarify and strengthen the framework for EPA to oversee "plant-incorporated protectants."
(Full Story)
Monsanto plant spilled tons of mercury
07/24/2001
Some 40 or 50 tons of liquid mercury were dumped into a storm sewer by a Monsanto Corporation chemical plant in the 1950s and 1960s, an investigation by the "Anniston Star" shows.
(Full Story)
State crackdown on trash haulers finds thousands of violations
07/23/2001
When Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) started its "Operation Clean Sweep" in association with the State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, for nine days trash haulers were inspected at every landfill throughout the state. When it was all said-and-done, more than 40,000 trucks were inspected, resulting in haulers being cited for 11,082 safety and environmental violations.
(Full Story)
To save Gulf of Mexico waters, Midwest needs wetlands
07/23/2001
In order to save the Gulf of Mexico from polluted runoff and reduce the nitrogen levels in its waters, at least five to 13 million acres of wetlands in the Midwest and the lower Mississippi River basin must be restored says a new report.
(Full Story)
Hog farm wastewater cleaned up with innovative technology
07/23/2001
One of the toughest of environmental problems facing the US right now might not be the one that first comes to mind for many of us. Right now, one of the biggest problems is waste flowing out of high-density farming operations, which are becoming more the norm than the "family farm" of yesterday.
(Full Story)
Tennessee businessmen sentenced for hazardous waste violation
07/23/2001
Michael R. Kyle and Edward L. Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn. were sentenced on July 6 for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by abandoning ignitable and/or hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Perchlorate contamination found in groundwater nationwide
07/19/2001
Sources of drinking water for more than seven million Californians and unknown millions of other Americans are contaminated with a chemical that disrupts child development and may cause thyroid cancer.
(Full Story)
NAACP plans lawsuit over lead paint poisoning
07/18/2001
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced last week that it plans to sue lead paint manufacturers over lead poisoning of minority children.
(Full Story)
Woman sentenced for illegal storage of chemicals
07/18/2001
Liliana Guzman-Haynes, formerly of Miami, Fla., was sentenced for violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to six months home detention and two years probation. She also was ordered to pay restitution of $29,095.54 to the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM) for costs associated with the cleanup and disposal of hazardous chemicals.
(Full Story)
Earthjustice suits challenge defects in federal toxics program
07/18/2001
Earthjustice has filed the first of seven lawsuits challenging the federal government's chronic failure to protect Americans from the health hazards of toxic air pollution.
(Full Story)
San Joaquin air pollution prompts lawsuit
07/18/2001
Medical, community and environmental groups announced today they will file suit over the failure of federal and local authorities to stop the air pollution that threatens the health of San Joaquin Valley residents.
(Full Story)
U.S. reaches clean air settlement with petroleum refiner
07/18/2001
The Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Illinois today announced an agreement with The Premcor Refining Group Inc. that will significantly reduce harmful air pollution, including more than 4,700 tons of sulfur dioxide annually, from Premcor's petroleum refinery in Hartford, Ill.
(Full Story)
Texaco agrees to install pollution control equipment
07/17/2001
The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reached a settlement with Texaco that requires the company to install new pollution control equipment at two of its oil field operations in Kern County, California.
(Full Story)
Washington DC landlord lied about lead paint hazards
07/16/2001
A Washington, DC area landlord has pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and making false statements to federal officials, in order to conceal his failure to notify tenants of the presence and hazards associated with lead based paint.
(Full Story)
North Carolina guidance on electronic equipment disposal
07/16/2001
The NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance (DPPEA), along with the Division of Waste Management (DWM), issued a fact sheet to clarify the duties and responsibilities of both the generators and handlers of electronic discards, especially those containing CRTs. The fact sheet also includes regulatory requirements and provides suggestions for alternatives to disposal.
(Full Story)
CCA- Treated lumber to be labeled as containing arsenic
07/16/2001
CCA- Treated lumber to be labeled as containing arsenic Throughout the summer, expect to find improved safety handling information when using wood pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenicals (CCA), a wood preservative that contains arsenic.
(Full Story)
EPA settles with Pepsi-Cola bottlers
07/16/2001
EPA Region 5 settled an administrative complaint with Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers in Munster, Ind., for alleged violation of federal laws on the reporting of a hazardous chemical release. The company will pay a civil penalty of $23,435 and pay for environmental projects valued at $145,150.
(Full Story)
New York pledges $1 million for Lake Champlain
07/16/2001
New York Governor George Pataki has announced $1 million for three projects in Clinton County to improve and protect the water quality of Lake Champlain.
(Full Story)
EPA creates online greenhouse gas calculator
07/13/2001
Would you like to estimate your household's annual greenhouse gas emissions and learn how you can reduce them? If so, EPA has just the tool for you.
(Full Story)
Greenpeace: dry cleaning chemical linked to deaths
07/12/2001
A new Greenpeace report reveals that customers, dry cleaning workers and the general public are exposed to a cancer causing solvent used to dry clean the majority of clothes in the United States.
(Full Story)
Hog factory farms settle water pollution suits
07/12/2001
Murphy Farms and D.M. Farms of Rose Hill have agreed to take specific measures to prevent future discharges of swine waste at five hog farms in Magnolia and to pay a fine of $72,000 for past water pollution.
(Full Story)
Cleaner diesel fuel could clear Mount Rainier views
07/12/2001
Views of Mount Rainier in Washington state will be clearer and the air will be cleaner as a result of a massive, first of its kind effort to promote the use of cleaner diesel fuel.
(Full Story)
EPA lab settles underground storage tank violations
07/10/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will pay a $2,833 penalty for violations of federal and Virginia regulations designed to prevent leaks from underground storage tanks.
(Full Story)
EPA finalizes program to help reduce the cost of gasoline in the Midwest
07/10/2001
Administrator Christie Whitman yesterday signed a final rule to help reduce costs for blending ethanol into gasoline, an action that formalizes the Agency's March 15 decision
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes $137,000 fine for Connecticut Wetlands oil spill
07/10/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a proposed $137,000 fine against Deep River Oil, Inc. of Deep River, Conn. for an oil spill that polluted a wetland last year.
(Full Story)
Chemicals to be evaluated for risks to children
07/09/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that 36 chemical manufacturers have committed to providing information critical to evaluating the potential health risks to children from 20 commonly used commercial chemicals.
(Full Story)
States call for removal of toxic car part
07/09/2001
Attorneys general from 26 states and territories announced a new effort to encourage the auto industry to replace a car part that has been identified as a significant source of air and groundwater pollution.
(Full Story)
Amtrak will spend millions on environmental upgrades
07/06/2001
Amtrak, the nation's largest passenger rail operator, has signed an agreement to carry out environmental audits at its facilities nationwide and undertake other environmental improvements, including projects to restore wetlands and reduce PCBs in locomotive transformers.
(Full Story)
Speed mercury removal, Ford urged
07/03/2001
State attorneys from around the country are asking Ford Motor Co. to replace light switches containing mercury during the current recall of defective tires. But Ford said that while it will continue to phase out the mercury switches it has no plans to comply with the request by attorneys general.
(Full Story)
PG&E stops irrigating with chromium 6
07/03/2001
The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has stopped irrigating with chromium 6 tainted groundwater after trace amounts of the contaminant were detected in the air in the town made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich.
(Full Story)
Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge winners awarded
07/03/2001
Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Christie Whitman acknowledged the winners of the 2001 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards.
(Full Story)
Virginia Plating Company, former official sentenced
07/03/2001
On June 20, Rehrig International Inc. pleaded guilty to negligently violating the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
U.S. green group sues EPA over arsenic in water
07/03/2001
A major U.S. environmental group, backed by six Democratic senators, filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's decision to suspend stricter limits for arsenic in water.
(Full Story)
HM-215D moves HMR closer to international regulations
07/02/2001
The HM-215D Final Rule doesn't just incorporate the latest international regulations by reference, it actually makes many changes to the US DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), bringing domestic rules in closer alignment with the latest IMDG Code, ICAO Technical Instructions, and UN Recommendations.
(Full Story)
Air liquide agrees to settlement with U.S.
07/02/2001
The Justice Department and EPA announced a ground-breaking Clean Air Act settlement with Air Liquide America Corporation to replace refrigerant chemicals that destroy the earth's stratospheric ozone layer with environmentally friendly alternatives.
(Full Story)
Project to marshal microbes against pollution
06/28/2001
A technologically advanced project to encourage bacteria to literally eat the soil and groundwater clean at a contaminated site in California has been launched by AMEC's Earth & Environmental operations.
(Full Story)
RxP products announces combustion technology reduces oxides of nitrogen
06/27/2001
RxP Products, Inc. President Don Woodward announced today that Arizona-based Supreme Oil has been chosen to market technology used to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from biodiesel.
(Full Story)
EPA issues background paper on administration review of new source
06/26/2001
New Source Review (NSR), requires that an air pollution source install the best pollution control equipment available when it builds a new facility or when it makes a major modification that increases emissions from an existing facility.
(Full Story)
Air pollution policy up for review
06/26/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for public comment on potential revisions to a rule that requires power plants to install the best pollution control technology available.
(Full Story)
Two New York men sentenced for water and hazardous waste crimes
06/25/2001
Francis Kindel of Orchard Park, N.Y. was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment and Robert Zilliox of Buffalo N. Y. to 29 months for violating the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA moves to clean air in parks
06/25/2001
Whitman signed the national park visibility protection proposal, widely known as the “BART” rule, which is nearly the same plan as the one first put forward by the administration of President Bill Clinton.
(Full Story)
Community water systems required to provide consumers annual report
06/25/2001
The July 1,2001, deadline is nearing quickly for community water systems (CWSs) to provide customers the required annual report intended to educate them about the quality of their drinking water and opportunities to participate in its protection.
(Full Story)
Discovery turns paper mill waste into useful product
06/22/2001
A Lehigh University chemical engineering professor has discovered and patented a catalytic process that converts a paper mill waste into a useful product.
(Full Story)
EPA sets standards for nuclear waste repository
06/21/2001
The final health and environmental standards for Yucca Mountain, the proposed repository for spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants, has been released by the US Environmental Protection Agency, addressing all potential sources of radiation exposure.
(Full Story)
Pesticides pact aimed at schools, kids
06/21/2001
The pesticide industry and a leading anti-pesticide environmental group have agreed on legislation requiring that public schools nationwide notify parents about the use of bug-killing chemicals.
(Full Story)
EPA adds to superfund list
06/21/2001
They are among 10 new sites – six in New England – added Thursday to the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund list of most hazardous toxic waste sites in the nation.
(Full Story)
Guide to pay $14.1 mln for water pollution violations
06/21/2001
Guide Corp., a manufacturer of automotive lighting, agreed to pay more than $14.1 million for dumping in an Indiana river toxic wastewater that killed more than 100 tons of fish and other animals.
(Full Story)
Labor secretary announces deadline on ergonomics
06/21/2001
Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced today that she would convene three national public forums on the issue of ergonomics safety in the workplace and that she will identify a final course of action on the issue by September.
(Full Story)
EPA waives $345,105 in penalties for seven companies
06/18/2001
EPA is waiving a potential $345,105 in penalties against seven companies - six in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia -- after they voluntarily reported and rectified their own environmental violations, the agency's mid-Atlantic office recently announced.
(Full Story)
Energy plan is a cool alternative to energy crunch
06/18/2001
The White House energy plan released last month included glossy photomontages of renewable energy sources. Given that emphasis, a photo of President Bush’s Texas ranch — often dubbed the “Texas White House” — would also have been appropriate.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes improved availability of service information
06/18/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to revise the requirements for emissions-related service information for light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty trucks.
(Full Story)
Errors made in water clean-up plan
06/18/2001
The Clinton administration told states to clean up thousands of lakes and rivers without enough evidence to assure the right bodies of water were being targeted, a panel of scientists said Friday.
(Full Story)
Fort St. Vrain power plant reborn after checkered past
06/13/2001
Shortly after dark on May 24, an old steam generator once hitched to Fort St. Vrain's troubled nuclear power plant roared back to full capacity, reborn and repowered by the exhaust of three natural gas-fired turbines.
(Full Story)
Ethanol gets lift from EPA
06/13/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday officially denied California's bid for a waiver from federal clean-air laws, despite a recommendation from its technical staff last year to grant the request.
(Full Story)
Wal-Mart agrees to pay $1 million storm water fine
06/11/2001
The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached an environmental agreement with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to resolve claims the retailer violated the Clean Water Act at 17 locations in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Massachusetts.
(Full Story)
Arsenic in the Water
06/08/2001
If anyone knows about the dangers of poisons, it’s Arthur Furst. The Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco (USF) wrote the first scientific review of the field later known as toxicology, the science of poisons.
(Full Story)
U.S. Report Supports Climate Talks
06/07/2001
A review commissioned by the White House concludes that, while some uncertainties remain, global warming is real and that the United States should continue with the U.N.-led negotiations on a climate change treaty.
(Full Story)
Former Florida Residents Sentenced
06/06/2001
Former Florida residents sentenced for violations dealing with illegal import of freon.
(Full Story)
D.C. Service Station to Pay Penalty
06/06/2001
The owners and operators of Ping Auto Center will pay a $15,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of underground storage tank regulations.
(Full Story)
U.S. Sets Rules for Nuclear Waste Site
06/06/2001
The Bush administration yesterday unveiled final health and safety standards for a proposed nuclear waste depository in the Nevada desert that officials hope will allow construction of the long-stalled project, which is essential to the president’s efforts to rejuvenate the nuclear power industry.
(Full Story)
Wind-Power Advocates Make Case
06/05/2001
Is the answer to the U.S. energy crisis blowing in the wind? The answer is, not quite yet, but it might be soon. Wind power could supply up to 12 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020 if current tax incentives and research funding continue.
(Full Story)
Bush Tours Everglades Amid Criticism
06/05/2001
For the second time in a week, President Bush on Monday visited an American natural wonder — this time the Everglades — to state his commitment to protecting the environment.
(Full Story)
Bacteria Tied to Manmade Marsh
05/31/2001
A team of California researchers may rewrite environmental textbooks after uncovering evidence that a manmade saltwater marsh is a source of potentially hazardous fecal bacteria that is contaminating the swimming and surfing waters of one of California’s most popular beaches. The study suggests that environmental managers should take care in designing artificial wetlands.
(Full Story)
Watch as the Polluted World Turns
05/31/2001
Scientists unveiled the most complete view of global air pollution ever assembled — moving pictures that chart concentrations of carbon monoxide as they pass over oceans and continents. The false-color imagery was captured by a Canadian instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite.
(Full Story)
America Wakes to a Crude Reality
05/30/2001
Hovering in a helicopter over this man-made oil island, the energy dilemma facing the United States is as bracing as the Arctic air rushing through the cabin: If the United States wants to produce more crude domestically, it will need to tap areas like Northstar — areas that involve engineering challenges and environmental gambles.
(Full Story)
EPA Administrator Supports Small Business Liability Protection Act
05/30/2001
The Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Christie Whitman, praised the bi-partisan sponsors of a new bill, the Small Business Liability Protection Act, which was introduced last Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
(Full Story)
Water Woes Reflected in U.S. Desert
05/29/2001
The desert around here, so dry that imported Arizona cactus needs watering, has sprouted a man-made ski lake, 100 lush golf courses, outdoor air conditioning and gardens fit for the tropics. A quarter million residents use an average of 375 gallons of water a day at home, twice the national norm. That costs a household only half as much as cable TV.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes New Hazardous Waste Manifest
05/29/2001
On May 22, 2001, the Modification of the Hazardous Waste Manifest System Proposed Rule was published in the Federal Register (66 FR 28240).
(Full Story)
New Push to Relicense Nuclear Power
05/29/2001
The Bush administration renewed the pitch for its national energy blueprint, and once again nuclear power was a key selling point.
(Full Story)
Some PC Makers Start Up Recycling
05/24/2001
At Hewlett-Packard Co.’s recycling plant, a giant machine with brick-sized blades thunders away, crushing personal computers, servers and printers to bits. Despite all the noise, the machine is part of a quiet movement in the high-tech world - the recycling of PCs and other electronics, which are filled with toxic chemicals but rarely disposed of.
(Full Story)
EPA Revises Mixture and Derived-From Rules
05/23/2001
On May 16, EPA issued a final rule that retains and slightly modifies the mixture rule and the derived-from rule.
(Full Story)
Whitman Supports Small Business Liability
05/23/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman praised the bipartisan sponsors of a new bill, the Small Business Liability Protection Act, which was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
(Full Story)
Nations Adopt Toxic Chemicals Treaty
05/23/2001
Delegates from 127 countries formally adopted a global treaty banning 12 highly toxic chemicals on Tuesday, but the success was overshadowed by tension between the United States and Europe over environmental policies.
(Full Story)
Minnesota Bans Mercury Thermometers
05/22/2001
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura signed legislation on April 26 that will all but eliminate the sales and distribution of thermometers that contain mercury in Minnesota.
(Full Story)
Oregon Towing Company Fined for Illegal Dumping
05/22/2001
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Mid State Diesel Towing and Repair of The Dalles for burning prohibited material and illegally disposing of solid waste.
(Full Story)
Farmers, Big Oil Battle Over Ethanol
05/22/2001
A corn-based gasoline additive touted in President Bush’s energy plan is also at the center of a tug of war between two of the most powerful political lobbies in Washington: farmers and big oil companies. Farmers want the EPA to force California to use ethanol as a clean-air additive, but the state and oil companies say a cheaper alternative is available.
(Full Story)
Missouri School District Unveils State-of-the-Art Compost System
05/21/2001
Missouri environmentalists, educators and waste management professionals gathered at Rees String High School in Stone County on April 23 to formally dedicate a state-of-the-art in-vessel composting system.
(Full Story)
UN Chief Warns of Global Warming Consequences
05/21/2001
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Sunday that action must be taken now on global warming and called on the United States to resume leadership on the issue.
(Full Story)
Bush Energy Push Eyes More Supply
05/17/2001
Arguing that the nation faces the most serious energy shortage since the 1970s oil embargo, President Bush on Thursday will release a much anticipated plan that would ease regulations and increase incentives to pump up domestic supplies.
(Full Story)
Bush Energy Plan Includes Coal-Burning Power Plants
05/17/2001
President Bush's long-range energy plan includes the use of more coal-burning plants, a proposal that some experts say might help avoid an energy crisis and that critics say would harm the environment.
(Full Story)
College Adopts Unusual Recycling
05/17/2001
Jared Birabeau dropped a dash of ground-up food from the salad bar at Green Mountain College into a tub in the basement at the school. It was the first real test of a prototype organic wastewater system he helped build that will one day treat all of the college’s waste.
(Full Story)
Worker Awarded $8 Million in Asbestos Case Worker
05/16/2001
A jury has awarded $8 million to a former Koch Petroleum Group worker and his family who argued that asbestos at the company's Rosemount refinery caused his cancer.
(Full Story)
EPA Panel Wants Tighter Dioxin Rules
05/16/2001
A long-stalled government study that says dioxin causes cancer in lab animals and possibly in people finally will be sent to federal regulators — and put another major environmental issue in the Bush administration’s lap.
(Full Story)
Firms Aim to Help Environment
05/16/2001
One might think that U.S. industry would be breathing easy now that it has a man in the White House who is cool to environmental concerns about carbon dioxide.
(Full Story)
'Alternative’ View Offered on Battling Climate Change
05/15/2001
In the study in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hansen and colleagues at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies noted that CO2 emissions have been fairly stable in the last 25 years, even with economic expansion around the world.
(Full Story)
Construction Sites Must Manage Storm Water Properly
05/14/2001
Changing the landscape with new and useful buildings, homes and industrial developments is the crux of the construction industry.
(Full Story)
EPA Considers a Standardized Permit for Storage of Hazardous Waste
05/14/2001
EPA is considering allowing a type of general permit, called a standardized permit, for facilities that generate waste and routinely manage the waste on-site in tanks, containers, and containment buildings.
(Full Story)
Fourteen Sentenced for Fraudulent Testing In Pennsylvania
05/14/2001
On May 2, 14 persons from six states-Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas-were sentenced on federal charges arising from the improper testing of gasoline underground storage tanks in Pennsylvania.
(Full Story)
Russia Eyes Antarctica for Oil, Gas
05/14/2001
A Russian prospecting vessel is reported to have just collected data on oil and gas reserves in Antarctica, a global nature reserve where minerals exploitation is forbidden.
(Full Story)
U.S. Announces Clean Air Agreement With Marathon Ashland
05/14/2001
The U.S. EPA and the Justice Department today announced an environmental agreement with Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC that is expected to reduce air emissions from seven petroleum refineries by more than 23,000 tons per year.
(Full Story)
Names of Bush Energy Panal Sought
05/11/2001
The Energy Department has denied a Freedom of Information Act request, arguing that the material is not subject to public disclosure, but previous court rulings might be on the side of the environmental group.
(Full Story)
Experts Seek Burial Grounds for CO2
05/11/2001
THE SCIENTIFIC TERM for trapping CO2 is carbon sequestration, the idea being to dispose of carbon dioxide after it’s produced, rather than trying to hold down the production in the first place. It’s not a new idea, although it hasn’t gotten much public attention in the United States
(Full Story)
Proposed Changes to the Hazardous Materials Regulations
05/10/2001
RSPA again addressed the harmonization of domestic and international regulation by issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register on October 23, 2000.
(Full Story)
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Lead Rule
05/10/2001
On January 8, 2001 EPA published a final rule lowering the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting threshold for lead and lead compounds to 100 lbs per year.
(Full Story)
Army Switching to Environmentally-Friendly Ammunition
05/10/2001
The U.S. military is trying to go green, and not just with berets or fatigues.
(Full Story)
Bottled Water Criticised By Report
05/10/2001
People may be wasting their money and harming the environment every time they purchase bottled water, according to a study commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
(Full Story)
Refiners Producing Low Sulfur Gasoline While Preserving Clean Air Benefits
05/09/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that the Agency is giving two refiners greater flexibility to produce cleaner, low sulfur gasoline.
(Full Story)
Toxic Wastes Found In Fertilizers
05/09/2001
Americans are unknowingly purchasing fertilizers made from industrial toxic waste, turning farms and gardens into dumping grounds for the waste, charges a new report
(Full Story)
More U.S. Areas Flunk Smog Test
05/07/2001
Some 141 million Americans — more than half the nation — live in areas that received an “F” in a report on air quality released Tuesday by the American Lung Association.
(Full Story)
BP Amoco Fined for Clean Water Act Violations in Kansas
05/02/2001
BP Amoco has agreed to pay a $804,700 civil penalty for violating the Clean Water Act by dumping over 162,000 gallons of oil into the Marais des Cygnes River in Osawatomie, Kansas, disrupting the city's water supply for 38 days.
(Full Story)
US Worried About Environment
05/02/2001
Actions taken by the Bush administration that involve the environment have stirred up concerns among Americans who feel the White House is "on the wrong track," according to a nationwide poll released Monday by the Los Angeles Times.
(Full Story)
Trucking Company Owner and Chief Mechanic Sentenced, Fined
05/02/2001
The former owner of a Easton, Pennsylvania trucking firm and his head mechanic have been sentenced to jail terms and fined for conspiracy, falsifying inspection results, and discharging hazardous materials into the Easton sewer system.
(Full Story)
NY Gas Station Owner to Pay $400,000 for Tank Violations
05/02/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Mid-Valley Oil, the New Windsor, New York-based owner of 200 gas stations located primarily throughout central New York State, has agreed to pay a penalty of $400,000 for violations of federal underground storage tank regulations – the highest EPA penalty ever obtained in a settlement of charges of tank mismanagement in New York or New Jersey.
(Full Story)
Lead Reporting Threshold Lowered
04/30/2001
The EPA has lowered the thresholds for lead and lead compounds that are subject to reporting under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and Section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA).
(Full Story)
EPA to Withdraw Proposed Arsenic Standard
04/27/2001
On March 20, 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will propose to withdraw the pending arsenic standard for drinking water that was issued earlier this year.
(Full Story)
Detox Your Home for Earth Day
04/20/2001
More than 7 billion pounds of toxic chemicals, including over 115 million pounds of recognized carcinogens, are released by manufacturing firms into the nation’s environment each year, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.
(Full Story)
Big Muddy is in Big Trouble, Environmentalists Declared
04/11/2001
The Missouri River is dying biologically, and its fate will be decided this summer, an environmental group says.
(Full Story)
Bush Plan Will Limit EPA Enforcement
04/11/2001
The Bush administration would begin to shift some responsibility for enforcing federal environmental protection laws from the Environmental Protection Agency to the states under a plan contained in budget documents just released.
(Full Story)
Huge N.Y. Landfill Closes Its Doors
04/04/2001
The most infamous landfill in the United States closed down March 29, 2001 after 50 years of accepting a growing amount of New York City’s garbage.
(Full Story)
Clean Air Act Agreements Reached with Petroleum Refiners
04/04/2001
Polluted air emissions will be reduced by over 60,000 tons per year at nine petroleum refineries in California, Delaware, Louisiana, Texas and Washington state.
(Full Story)
New Mexico Company, Two Officials Assessed $830,000 Penalty
03/26/2001
The company was charged with five violations of the state Water Quality Act and New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission regulations. Those violations allege failure to file a notice of intent to discharge a water contaminant, discharging used oil below the surface of the ground without a department permit, failure to provide notification of the discharge and corrective actions undertaken, exceeding two human-health based ground-water standards, and failure to remediate the damage caused by the discharge.
(Full Story)
Acid Rain is Still a Major Problem, Study Finds
03/26/2001
Leading acid rain researchers reported Monday that cuts in power plant emissions have not done enough to reduce damage in the Northeast
(Full Story)
EPA Fines 10 Facilities $293,924 For Waste Violations
03/23/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it settled ten hazardous waste enforcement actions with fines totaling $293,924.
(Full Story)
New Jersey Company Sentenced for Illegal Waste Storage in Texas
03/23/2001
A New Jersey company, was sentenced Jan. 30 to a $25,000 fine and a $150,000 community service payment to the Houston Environmental Crime Unit (HECU).
(Full Story)
Tennessee Firm and Officers Plead Guilty to Illegal Waste Disposal
03/23/2001
The president and foreman of a construction company in Cleveland, Tenn. pleaded guilty on Jan. 30 to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA Cuts Cost of Gas By Allowing Higher Emissions
03/21/2001
Gas prices for Chicago and Milwaukee drivers will be less likely to skyrocket this summer because of a rule change by the Environmental Protection Agency that will allow a greater amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to be emitted from exhaust pipes.
(Full Story)
Largest U.S. Hog Producer is Sued
03/01/2001
A coalition of groups opposed to corporate hog farms has filed federal and state lawsuits claiming Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation’s largest hog producer, has broken criminal and civil laws by willfully ignoring environmental regulations.
(Full Story)
Justices Back EPA on Clean Air Act
02/28/2001
In a major victory for environmentalists and a major defeat for industry, the Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to how the Environmental Protection Agency implements the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Annual Air Quality Trends Reports Released
02/26/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released the National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Reports for 1998 and 1999. The reports track six principal air pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. Despite the fact that these reports show overall improvement to air quality in the United States, 62 million Americans in 1999 lived in areas that had unhealthy levels of at least one of six major pollutants.
(Full Story)
EPA Solicits Small Business Research Proposals
02/21/2001
Beginning March 29 and extending to May 24, EPA will issue solicitations for research proposals from science and technology-based small businesses.
(Full Story)
Hazardous Waste Manifest System Streamlined
02/19/2001
This proposed rule affects 92,000 businesses across the country that are responsible for managing hazardous waste. EPA calculates that the proposal could save handlers more than $24 million per year. Simply automating the manifest form could save up to $27 million a year for handlers. EPA also estimates that states could save up to 25 percent in manifest-related costs.
(Full Story)
Power Plant Fined a Total of $1.1 Million for Pollution
02/08/2001
Operators of American National Power's gas-fired power plant in Milford, Mass. have been slapped with a $1.1 million penalty for polluting the air, one of the largest such fines ever imposed by the state.
(Full Story)
Recycling Company Cited By OSHA for 94,880 in Penalties
02/01/2001
The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Hunts Point Recycling Corporation, in Bronx, New York, and proposed penalties of $94,880 against the firm for one alleged willful violation, eleven alleged repeat violations, nine alleged serious violations, and one alleged other-than-serious violation of OSHA standards.
(Full Story)
Morton Agrees to Stiff Fines for Environmental Violations
01/29/2001
Morton International has resolved charges that it violated air, water and hazardous-waste laws at its Moss Point, MS, facility by agreeing to a $20 million civil penalty, which marks the largest civil fine ever paid for environmental violations at a single facility.
(Full Story)
Making an Environmental Management System Part of Your Business Plan
01/29/2001
Those who are responsible for the bottom line of a company are beginning to recognize that a well-designed Environmental Management System (EMS) can have a profound impact on a company. This impact not only extends to the short-term bottom line and public image, but also to the long-term financial health of a company.
(Full Story)
Two Firms Plead Guilty of Illegal Paint Disposal, Fraud
01/29/2001
North American Inc., a defunct company formerly located in St. Albans, WV, and Matthew Taylor and IPI Inc., both of Loundendale, WV, each pleaded guilty in October to various federal crimes associated with a scheme to defraud the government. The activities involved illegally disposing of excess paint, including spraying it into waterways, and then charging the state of West Virginia for the paint after falsely claiming it had been used to paint bridges.
(Full Story)
Bush EPA Faces Lawsuit On Clean Air
01/26/2001
In the first major environmental challenge for the Bush administration, the U.S. oil refiners trade group told MSNBC.com Wednesday they will “in the very near future” sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its rule requiring cleaner diesel fuel — and indirectly cleaner air.
(Full Story)
Metal Products & Machinery Effluent Discharge Guidelines Proposed
01/25/2001
On Jan. 3, EPA proposed effluent limitation guidelines for wastewater discharges into waterways from the metal products and machinery industry. When implemented, the proposals are expected to reduce the discharge of 20 pollutants by 170 million pounds per year, improving water quality in more than 1,100 streams.
(Full Story)
Arkansas Company Hit With Penalties as Part of National Enforcement Effort
01/25/2001
In an administrative enforcement action, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed $314,558 in fines Jan. 3 for an Arkansas company that allegedly failed to properly maintain and operate its underground storage tanks.
(Full Story)
Super Bowl XXXV Tackles Environmental Principles
01/25/2001
Many large events leave quite a mess behind. But the National Football League says the Super Bowl is different.
(Full Story)
Companies Unite Against VOCs
01/25/2001
Sixty-one companies have agreed to install emission controls on about 866 above ground storage tanks, under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Storage Tank Emission Reduction Partnership Program, developed with the American Petroleum Institute.
(Full Story)
TRI Lead Threashold Lowered to 100 Lbs.
01/11/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took action to dramatically expand the information available to the public about lead emissions in their communities. The new rule will require significantly more reporting of environmental releases of lead under EPA's public right-to-know program, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).
(Full Story)
Draft Report Reveals U.S. Global Warming Emissions Are On The Rise
01/11/2001
U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rose 0.9 percent from 1998 to 1999, according to a draft EPA report recently released for public comment. Total GHG emissions of the six main greenhouse gases (weighted to reflect equivalent emissions of carbon dioxide or CO2), rose from 6,689 to 6,748 million metric tons.
(Full Story)
Shareholders Push Coke and Pepsi to Recycle
01/04/2001
A group of shareholders said Nov. 29 that they are pressing The Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. to adopt a comprehensive recycling strategy.
(Full Story)
New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman Nominated as Next EPA Administrator
01/03/2001
The League of Conservation Voters stated that, "we are cautiously optimistic about the direction that Governor Bush appears to be moving with some of his environmental appointments."
(Full Story)
Ten Cheese Companies Correct 264 Environmental Violations
01/03/2001
The Agency waived 100 percent of potential gravity-based penalties in return for the companies' voluntary disclosure of violations and speedy return to compliance.
(Full Story)
Recyclers, Rejoice!
12/21/2000
Reducing, reusing and recycling paper and packaging over the holidays is easier on the environment — and an indirect boon to your health.
(Full Story)
Michigan Man Sentenced for Transporting Illegal Waste
12/19/2000
A Michigan man who violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act has been sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $44,000 in restitution to the U.S. government.
(Full Story)
Appeals Court Strikes Down Challenge to Clean Air Rule
12/19/2000
The U.S. Court of Appeals has denied a challenge to an EPA Clean Air Act architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) rule brought by a group of Southern California paint manufacturers and others.
(Full Story)
Superfund Turns 20 Yet Much Left To Do
12/08/2000
The Superfund program, an ambitious attempt to force polluters to clean up 1,450 contaminated sites across the United States, turns 20 this month. But the federal program, which still has hundreds of areas on its “to do” list, has supporters as well as critics.
(Full Story)
Storm Water General Permit Issued for Use in 8 Regions
11/17/2000
EPA is reissuing the Multi-sector Storm Water General Permit to control storm water discharges from 29 industrial activity sectors and to protect water quality in rivers, lakes, wetlands and marine waters.
(Full Story)
Justices Study Compliance Costs for Clean-Air Rules
11/07/2000
Hearing arguments in a major clean-air case, several Supreme Court justices expressed doubts Tuesday about requiring the government to consider compliance costs -- and not just health benefits -- in setting air-quality limits.
(Full Story)
Pollution Adding to Severe Global Warming
10/27/2000
New evidence shows man-made pollution has “contributed substantially” to global warming and the earth is likely to get a lot hotter than previously predicted, a United Nations-sponsored panel of hundreds of scientists finds.
(Full Story)
Diesel Trucks and Buses Pack a Pollution Wallop
10/20/2000
Although trucks account for less than six percent of the miles driven by highway vehicles in the U.S., they are responsible for one-quarter of smog causing pollution from highway vehicles, more than half the soot from highway traffic, the majority of the cancer threat posed by air pollution in some urban areas, six percent of the nation's global warming pollution, and more than one-tenth of America's oil consumption, the study shows.
(Full Story)
Clinton Calls for Cleaner Schools
10/17/2000
President Clinton said, "We are hopeful that all members of Congress will recognize that, just as they enjoy healthful work places, that all children should have environmentally healthy schools."
(Full Story)
EPA Releases New TRI Search Tool, Data
10/04/2000
The US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has launched a revised version of its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data analysis tool, TRI Explorer, which triples the amount of toxic emissions information previously available and includes data on facility transfers off-site and waste management such as recycling, energy recovery and treatment.
(Full Story)
EPA Honors Clean Air Excellence
09/28/2000
The EPA has awarded its first Clean Air Excellence Awards to 26 local and state governments, industries and citizens groups that have made outstanding and innovative efforts in helping clean the nation's air. Their accomplishments ranged from cost effective approaches to housing design that reduce energy and minimize overall environmental impact, to a program integrating electric vehicles into the average American's lifestyle.
(Full Story)
Bush, Gore Environmental Advisers Square Off
09/28/2000
The debate covered a range of issues from stewardship of federal lands and protection of Northwest salmon to Texas' record in dealing with dirty air and polluted waterways.
(Full Story)
Chevron agrees to pay record $7 million claim
09/25/2000
Chevron U.S.A. Inc. has agreed to pay a record $7 million to settle claims that it violated the Clean Air Act at its offshore loading terminal near El Segundo, Calif., the EPA and the Justice Department announced today. The settlement includes a $6 million penalty, the highest ever paid under the Clean Air Act for a single facility, and environmental improvement projects valued at $1 million.
(Full Story)
Water Company Owners Held Liable for Pollution
09/20/2000
In an unprecedented decision, a U.S. district judge is holding the owners of several California drinking water companies liable for endangering the health of more than 20,000 local residents, by falsifying lab reports to hide high bacteria levels.
(Full Story)
New Report Concludes Nation's Chemicals Can Affect Child Development
09/18/2000
In the first ever effort to comprehensively examine the scope and sources of such pollution, Polluting Our Future: Chemical Pollution in the U.S. that Affects Child Development and Learning claims that U.S. industries reported only 5 percent of estimated total emissions of developmental and neurological toxins-1.2 billion pounds-to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
Michigan Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Waste Transport
09/18/2000
The defendant previously pleaded guilty to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally causing the transportation of paint and solvent wastes to four rural sites in Macomb County, Mich., where they were abandoned.
(Full Story)
Bakery Fined $3.5 M for Clean Air Act Violations
09/13/2000
An Arkansas based bakery company has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle charges that it violated the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.
(Full Story)
Recycling Could Turn Recalled Tires Into Profits
09/12/2000
The recall of millions of defective Bridgestone/Firestone tires will create enormous piles of tires unless they are recycled into useful products.
(Full Story)
Plastic Softener Proposed for Toxic Release Inventory List
09/12/2000
The EPA is proposing to add phthalates to the list of toxic substances included in the annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting. Phthalates, including diisononyl phthalate, are chemical plasticizers used in making flexible vinyl products such as shower curtains, medical devices such as tubing and IV bags, upholstery, raincoats, balls and soft squeeze toys.
(Full Story)
Four Missourians Charged With Illegal Disposal of Drug Lab Waste
09/11/2000
Four men from Missouri were each indicted with two counts of violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally disposing of clandestine drug wastes.
(Full Story)
Business Owners No Longer Have to Dump Old Ceiling Tiles
09/06/2000
A new program has been announced that will allow building owners to recycle their old ceiling tiles rather than dumping them in landfills.
(Full Story)
Minneapolis Company Supplies Recycled-Content Paint for Community Project
09/06/2000
Hirshfield's Paint Manufacturing Inc., Minneapolis, has donated 400 gallons of recycled latex paint to Metro Paint-A-Thon, an annual program in which approximately 200 homes of low-income and disabled people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area are given a new coat of paint.
(Full Story)
Clean Air Groups Challenge U.S. Coal Waste Decision
08/23/2000
A group of clean air activist groups said they filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia objecting to the government's decision last May not to classify waste from coal-fired utility plants as "hazardous".
(Full Story)
Old Rugs Get New Life
08/21/2000
Unfortunately, this story is not about a baldness cure. However, it can save you some money as well as valuable resources when its time to change the carpeting in your office.
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Air Toxic Concentration Data
08/21/2000
EPA posted information on the Internet estimating outdoor concentrations of 32 air toxics nationwide. Air toxics are those pollutants known or suspected of causing cancer or other serious health problems, such as birth defects.
(Full Story)
New Air Quality Resource Guide for Local Governments
08/18/2000
A new air quality resource guide, entitled "Air Quality Tools: Local and Regional Strategies to Reduce Air Pollution," is available free to local governments.
(Full Story)
Coal Fired Power Plants Emitting Clouds of Toxics
08/18/2000
Pollution from electrical generation facilities is more dangerous than the utilities say, claims a U.S. environmental group.
(Full Story)
New EPA Water Pollution Rule May Be Challenged in Court
08/04/2000
A Clinton administration plan to curb water pollution run-off by farmers and other land-owners in defiance of Congress may be challenged in court, industry groups said.
(Full Story)
Clean Air Rules Did Not Cause High Gas Prices
08/04/2000
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says it "seems unlikely" that federal clean air rules led to high gasoline prices in the Midwest.
(Full Story)
Researchers Get to the Root of Soil Remediation
08/04/2000
A research team at Purdue University has pioneered the use of plants to help clean up soil contaminated with petroleum products.
(Full Story)
EPA Mulls How to Limit Output of Riskiest Pesticides
07/21/2000
The Environmental Protection Agency said it will hold a meeting on Sept. 7 to hear from the pesticide industry, academic experts, consumer groups and others on how regulators should limit pesticides linked to health risks.
(Full Story)
Administration Puts Finishing Touches on Plan to Clean Up Water
07/21/2000
The Clinton-Gore Administration is looking to finish the job of cleaning up rivers, lakes and bays throughout the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA Wins Court Decision for Cleaner Eastern Air
07/07/2000
The Environmental Protection Agency said 19 states and the District of Columbia must write plans by Oct. 28 for reducing harmful emissions from coal-burning power plants and other industries by 1.5 million tons starting in the summer of 2003.
(Full Story)
Carbon Dioxide Developed as Air Conditioner Refrigerant
07/07/2000
Researchers are making progress in perfecting automotive and portable air-conditioning systems that use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant instead of conventional, synthetic global warming and ozone depleting chemicals.
(Full Story)
Businesses to Be Rewarded for 'Going the Extra Mile'
07/06/2000
EPA said it will reward companies that exceed minimum regulatory requirements and take extra steps to reduce and prevent pollution. They will be rewarded under the National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
Dry Cleaning Goes Green
06/23/2000
There are hopes that the dry-cleaning industry can become more environmentally-friendly, with the use of CO2.
(Full Story)
EPA Studying Streamlined Air-Pollution Permits
06/22/2000
The EPA is reportedly looking into ways to streamline the air-pollution permitting process. Under existing rules, air-pollution permits require a 30-day public-comment period, a detailed inspection and and EPA review.
(Full Story)
EPA: Toxic Dioxins Put Human Health at Risk
06/21/2000
A group of environmental contaminants called dioxins are most dangerous for infants and children, but the health of adults exposed to the chemicals is also at risk, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today in a long awaited reassessment of dioxin toxicity.
(Full Story)
Dursban to Disappear
06/14/2000
EPA has prescribed significant reductions in production and usage of chlorpyrifos, which is sold uner the trade name Dursban.
(Full Story)
EPA, Pollution Control Agency Team Up to Reduce Pollution
06/08/2000
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has teamed up with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and community and local businesses on an environmental project that is designed to reduce pollution.
(Full Story)
Businesses Receive Five New Self-Audit Protocols
06/05/2000
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released five additional protocols for conducting environmental compliance audits under federal regulations.
(Full Story)
Six New EPA Clean Air Excellence Awards
06/05/2000
The EPA recently announced its "Clean Air Excellence Awards Program" designed to recognize and honor outstanding innovative efforts that help to make progress in achieving cleaner air.
(Full Story)
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Transporting Hazardous Waste
05/16/2000
The defendant illegally transported paint and solvent wastes from a painting company to four rural sites, violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA Ranks Pollution by Industries
05/16/2000
For the first time, toxic emissions figures for seven major US industrial sectors have been released, almost tripling the reported amount of toxic releases.
(Full Story)
Obsolete PCs pour into landfills
05/09/2000
Consumers' and businesses' tendency to throw out outdated electronic devices is leading Silicon Valley and the nation toward an e-waste crisis.
(Full Story)
Feds to Address Coal Burning Waste
05/05/2000
The US EPA said it plans to develop national standards to address wastes from coal burning plants that are presently either land disposed or used as fill in mining.
(Full Story)
Database Assists With Clean Air Act Compliance
05/05/2000
Companies seeking information for complying with the Clean Air Act are finding help in a government database posted on the World Wide Web.
(Full Story)
Compliance Program to Reduce Aboveground Storage Tank Emissions
04/26/2000
U.S. EPA has announced a compliance agreement program to reduce, at little or no cost to industry, smog-causing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from aboveground petroleum and organic liquid storage tanks.
(Full Story)
EPA Announces Changes to Self-Disclosure Policies
04/17/2000
EPA has announced the final changes to its Audit Policy and Small Business Compliance Policy.
(Full Story)
TRI Form R Update
04/17/2000
Form R and its instruction manual for reporting under the Toxic Releaes Inventory can be downloaded from EPA's web site.
(Full Story)
Invite EPA to Your Organization
04/05/2000
EPA Region 7's Speakers Bureau travels all over the region to make environmental presentations to groups, organizations and schools.
(Full Story)
Nearly $500,000 Available in PPIS Grants
04/05/2000
EPA Region 7 is offering nearly $500,000 in grant funds to state programs that reduce or eliminate waste and pollution.
(Full Story)
RCRA Training Opportunities
04/05/2000
EPA Region 7 is offering several RCRA training opportunities this spring.
(Full Story)
Storm Water Best Management Practices
03/24/2000
The EPA has released a database that describes storm water best management practices.
(Full Story)
EPA Issues Paper for Facility Security Issues
03/22/2000
The EPA has issued a paper to help facilities improve their safety and prevent accidents. It discusses possible safety threats and solutions for facilities affected by the Chemical Safety, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act.
(Full Story)
RMP Update
03/22/2000
The EPA has published a final rule to codify the Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act.
(Full Story)
EPA's New Audit Policy Partners with Industry
03/20/2000
EPA's revised audit policy will incorporate more flexibility and forgiveness for industry-wide programs that voluntarily disclose environmental violations.
(Full Story)
Online Watershed Management Training
03/10/2000
The EPA is now offering online training modules for watershed management.
(Full Story)
Training Available for Preparing EPCRA Release Reports
03/08/2000
EPA will be conducting workshops across the country this spring to train industry on how to prepare annual chemical release reports.
(Full Story)
WWW-Based Compliance Assistance for Federal Agencies
03/01/2000
EPA has launched its tenth assistance center, but this time it's online and Internet-based.
(Full Story)
HAZMAT 2000 Spills Prevention Conference
03/01/2000
The HAZMAT 2000 Spills Prevention Conference will be held April 4-6 in St. Louis.
(Full Story)
EPA Working on New Federal Coating Regulations
02/25/2000
Small businesses could be subject to new requirements limiting emissions of VOCs under regulations being developed by the EPA.
(Full Story)
Common Sense Plan Benefits Electroplaters
02/25/2000
The Strategic Goals Program for Metal Finishers is working with the electroplating industry to promote pollution prevention and energy efficiency as part of an ongoing approach to environmental management.
(Full Story)
Supreme Court Allows Citizens to Sue Water Polluters
02/25/2000
Last week the Supreme Court upheld the right of private citizens and citizens' groups to sue polluters under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Hazardous Materials Transportation Registration and Fee Changes
02/24/2000
Changes to the hazardous materials transportation registration and fee assessment program will provide funding for emergency planning and training programs as well as provide relief to small business required to register.
(Full Story)
Laundry Industry Redesigning for the Environment
02/23/2000
The laundry industry is discovering that working with the EPA's Design for the Environment program is not just beneficial to the environment, but also to their reputation and bottom line.
(Full Story)
Wondering if a Chemical is Regulated by EPA?
02/16/2000
EPA's web site lets web surfers determine if and how a chemical is regulated.
(Full Story)
Compliance Assistance, Enforcement Are 2000 Priorities
02/09/2000
The EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance has announced that improving compliance assistance and encouraging self-audits are two of its priorities for 2000.
(Full Story)
403 Companies to Test 2011 Chemicals
02/09/2000
Over 400 companies, acting individually or through 148 consortia, have agreed to provide basic toxicity and fate information on 2011 high volume industrial chemicals.
(Full Story)
New Effluent Limits Apply Only to HW Burners
01/28/2000
A final rule from EPA concerning effluent limits and pretreatment standards for commercial waste combustors will only apply to those that burn hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
RMP Update Could Affect 2,000 Facilities
01/24/2000
Facilities that have already submitted RMPs may be affected by a new rule redefining regulated flammable substances subject to CAA requirements.
(Full Story)
EPA Sets Record for Pollution Penalties
01/21/2000
The EPA says1999 was a record year for environmental fines and penalties.
(Full Story)
Wastewater Recycling Case Studies
01/13/2000
Environmental Technology magazine recently published two case histories from small generators of wastewater (1,000 to 50,000 gallons per month).
(Full Story)
EPA Releases New Rules for Brake, Metalworking Fluids
01/12/2000
Last week, EPA issued 40 new rules for industrial chemicals in brake and metalworking fluids. The rules also regulate petroleum and coal companies.
(Full Story)
'Teacher's Page' Contains Useful Tips for Teaching About Environment
01/11/2000
EPA 's Teacher's Page offers curricula, tips and activities on creative ways to teach environmental topics.
(Full Story)
Project Studies How to Improve Small Business Environmental Compliance
01/06/2000
A new cooperative EPA project is exploring how market-based incentives can improve environmental compliance among small businesses that handle hazardous chemicals.
(Full Story)
Pennsylvania Requires New Equipment, Procedures for Auto Refinishers
01/04/2000
The state's Department of Environmental Protection adopted new regulations that require all automobile refinishers to use new painting equipment and procedures by this November.
(Full Story)
EPA No Longer Considers Emissions When Classifying Waste as Hazardous
01/04/2000
The EPA is no longer considering a chemical's emissions as a property that could trigger classification of it as a hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Past National News | Recent
National News | Iowa News
Start spring with small-business savings
04/02/2009
Want to save money? Need to watch every dollar? Give me half a day, I'll give you more money in your bank account. It's time for my annual ritual of "Spring Clean Your Small Business Expenses."
(Full Story)
SBA raises surety bond ceilings for small business
04/02/2009
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is giving small businesses a financial leg up, via the Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
Survival Guide for Small Businesses
04/02/2009
Running a small business is never easy but, in the current economic climate, it's even more of a challenge. Rising costs, dwindling customer numbers and the reluctance of banks to lend money make it increasingly difficult.
(Full Story)
A sustainable America is achievable in our lifetime
04/02/2009
Most of us have at least a general sense that this country has not been moving in a sustainable direction. We don't like gloom and doom, but we don't know what to do about it, especially with the economy in recession.
(Full Story)
Proposed EPA Budget Provides Strengthened Environmental Protection
03/20/2009
The Obama administration today proposed a budget of $10.5 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the largest in the agency's 39-year history. The increase of $3 billion from 2008 funding levels will further ensure the protection of public health and the environment for all Americans.
(Full Story)
Six Midwestern cities make EPA's top 25 list
03/20/2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today announced that six metropolitan areas in the region were on EPA's top 25 list of energy-efficient buildings that earned EPA's Energy Star in 2008.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes First National Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
03/20/2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the first comprehensive national system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA Launches "Fix a Leak Week" To Encourage Water Efficiency
03/20/2009
Because minor water leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes, EPA is launching its first "Fix a Leak Week" to remind Americans of the environmental and economic benefits to fixing leaks from household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems.
(Full Story)
SBA's 'Goodwill' Leaves Bad Taste for Small Businesses
03/20/2009
The business brokers, who guide buyers and sellers of companies through those transactions, say a new government rule could dramatically harm their businesses while blunting the ability of many recently laid-off Americans to find new avenues of work and income.
(Full Story)
Stimulus Plan Will Create Sustainable Jobs That Will Protect Public Health
02/26/2009
The economic recovery plan signed by President Obama will create 3 to 4 million quality, sustainable jobs with many protecting our country's public health and our environment.
(Full Story)
Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending
02/26/2009
To the casual eye, the basement of this city's Firehouse 9 looks like a jumble of old hydrants, Dr Pepper cartons, rakes and random gear. To specialists in energy efficiency, the 1960s-era building is a mess of a different sort: wasteful hot water heaters for the firefighters' showers, ancient refrigerators and outdated lights.
(Full Story)
Stimulus bills aim to revive SBA lending
02/12/2009
The economic stimulus package working its way through Congress most likely will include steps to revive the Small Business Administration's lending programs.
(Full Story)
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
02/12/2009
Do Energy-savings Outweigh Mercury Hazard?
(Full Story)
Reducing air pollution an inside and outside job
02/12/2009
If most people were asked to do a quick word association about air pollution, chances are strong words like "city" and "traffic" would be among the first to come to mind.
(Full Story)
A Real Recovery Plan: Start With Small Business
01/23/2009
Small businesses are a critical engine of the economy, and they need help. A loan program linked to jobs would work wonders.
(Full Story)
U.S. EPA, partners kick off green building design challenge
01/23/2009
Contest to reward designs that save resources, costs
(Full Story)
Minnesota Paint and Powder Coating Expo
01/23/2009
Learn about improving the efficiency of industrial finishing operations while maximizing investment returns by attending the Minnesota Paint and Powder Coating Expo '09.
(Full Story)
EPA Encourages the Use of Chemicals with a Smaller Environmental Impact
01/23/2009
EPA is issuing a final rule that encourages the use of solvents that don't significantly contribute to ground-level ozone.
(Full Story)
Radon Action Could Save Many Lives
01/09/2009
Did you know that radon gas is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers? Nearly 50 people a day will die from indoor exposure to radon.
(Full Story)
Plan Announced to Improve Pest Control in Schools by 2015
01/09/2009
Pest- and pesticide-related risks to children will be reduced in all U.S. public schools by 2015 as envisioned in a new plan released by the Environmental Protection Agency and others.
(Full Story)
Manufacturers, Retailers Boost Consumer Electronics Recycling
01/09/2009
Plug-In to eCycling partners expanded their electronics recycling programs and collected and recycled more than 66.5 million pounds of used electronics in 2008, nearly a 30 percent increase from the previous year.
(Full Story)
EPA Highlights Ways Everyone Can
12/11/2008
Easy and effective ways to reduce and reuse
(Full Story)
In it for the Long Haul
12/11/2008
Helping Large Trucks and Buses Maintain Clean Air Benefits
(Full Story)
Formaldehyde Emissions from Pressed-Wood Products to be Investigated
12/11/2008
What are the possible risks of formaldehyde emissions from pressed-wood products? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to find out and is asking interested parties to submit comments, information and data to determine the extent of the problem and what to do about it.
(Full Story)
New Guidelines Encourage Responsible Recycling of Electronics
11/14/2008
Electronics recyclers have a new guide on how to run safe and environmentally protective recycling operations.
(Full Story)
Coming to a Store Near You: More Energy Efficient Televisions
11/14/2008
With the holiday season just around the corner, consumers will now have more energy efficient choices when shopping.
(Full Story)
New Requirements for Controlling Manure, Wastewater
11/14/2008
EPA has finalized a rule helping to protect the nation's water quality by requiring concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to safely manage manure.
(Full Story)
Economic miracle, Environmental disaster
10/27/2008
Decades of extraordinary growth have catapulted China to the top of the world's economic charts, earning the admiration of much of the rest of the world.
(Full Story)
Car Shoppers Can Save Money and Time with 2009 Fuel Economy Guide
10/27/2008
To help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing new vehicles, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have unveiled the 2009 Fuel Economy Guide.
(Full Story)
EPA Amends Community Right-to-Know Reporting Regulation
10/27/2008
EPA has finalized reporting requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
(Full Story)
EPA Seeks Comment on Preliminary Perchlorate Drinking Water Decision
10/13/2008
Agency Plans to Issue a Perchlorate Health Advisory
(Full Story)
Reformed Rule Encourages Small Firms To Recycle
10/13/2008
EPA Acts On Advocacy 2008 r3 Top 10 Rule for Review And Reform
(Full Story)
Putting Clean, Efficient Technology on the Fast Track
10/13/2008
The American Le Mans Series' Green Challenge will be the first car race to use green racing protocols.
(Full Story)
Climate Change Strategy to Help Manage Water Resources
10/13/2008
To assist in responding to potential effects of climate change, a new strategy focuses on 40 specific actions for the national water program to take to respond to climate change.
(Full Story)
Committee Recommends Revisions to Rule to Control Microbial Drinking Water
09/25/2008
Members of the Total Coliform Rule/Distribution System Advisory Committee (TCRDSAC) recently signed an agreement in principle (AIP) that recommends revisions to the 1989 Total Coliform Rule (TCR).
(Full Story)
U.S. EPA Disaster Experts Stress Importance of Emergency Preparedness
09/25/2008
Experts Available for Interviews During National Preparedness Month 2008
(Full Story)
Small Businesses & Congregations Fight Climate Change
09/25/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named the 13 winners of the 2008 Energy Star Small Business and Congregation Awards.
(Full Story)
Great American Small Business Challenge Encourages Small Businesses
09/25/2008
Today, attendees at the American Small Business Development Center's Annual Conference (ASBDC) were greeted by Uncle Sam who invited them to participate in the "1st Annual Great American Small Business Challenge."
(Full Story)
Technology Increases Ethanol Yield from Grasses and Yard Waste
09/12/2008
Researchers at the University of Georgia have come up with a new technology that promises to dramatically increase the yield of ethanol from readily available non-food crops.
(Full Story)
EPA Encourages Water Conservation
09/12/2008
Water is a precious resource that is taken for granted until its availability becomes limited, and the growing demand for water and increasing population can create water shortages.
(Full Story)
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Pollution Prevention Week 2008
09/12/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pleased to join organizations throughout the nation in celebrating National Pollution Prevention Week, September 15-21, 2008.
(Full Story)
Report Outlines Junk Mail's Climate Impact
09/12/2008
A recently released report by ForestEthics pegs junk mail's contribution to climate change as the equivalent of more than nine million cars.
(Full Story)
Waste Management Launches Online Service for Recycling
09/12/2008
Waste Management, Inc. has launched ThinkGreenFromHome.com, streamlined online service for the recycling of universal household waste.
(Full Story)
New Report Card Shows Campuses Going Greener
09/02/2008
Is your alma mater among those stepping up to green their campuses? Are our colleges preparing students for a greener future?
(Full Story)
Nominations Sought for SBA's 2009 Small Business Week Awards
09/02/2008
The U.S. Small Business Administration is now accepting nominations for its 2009 Small Business Week Awards.
(Full Story)
EPA's New Pilot Project for Self-Disclosing Environmental Violations
08/28/2008
EPA announced the creation of the Audit Policy Self-Disclosure system, or eDisclosure, a new pilot project which allows regulated facilities nationwide to self-disclose environmental violations.
(Full Story)
EPA Finalizes Area Source Standards
08/18/2008
In the July 23 Federal Register, EPA published its final Area Source Standards for nine Metal Fabrication and Finishing source categories.
(Full Story)
Eco Friendly Advice for Healthy Lawns and Greenscapes
08/18/2008
Lush beautiful lawns are a part of summer, but they require time and money.
(Full Story)
EPA Seeks Applications for Clean Air Excellence Awards
08/18/2008
EPA and the CAAAC are accepting applications for the Ninth Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards Program.
(Full Story)
Builders learn it's easy to be green
08/01/2008
Helping the environment is on the to-do list of builders preparing to construct a Valley Junction home.
(Full Story)
EPA Funds Ground-Breaking Lyme Disease Research
08/01/2008
In the United States, Lyme disease is the most frequently reported disease that can be passed from animals to humans.
(Full Story)
SBA Revises Small Business Size Standards
08/01/2008
To Account for Fluctuating Oil Prices and Inflation
(Full Story)
EPA Extends Public Comment Period on the Proposed Lead Air Quality Standard
07/18/2008
EPA is extending the deadline for public comments on the proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Science Assessment on Health Effects of Nitrogen Oxides
07/18/2008
EPA has released the final "Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen—Health Criteria."
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Report on Climate Change and Health
07/18/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that discusses the potential impacts of climate change on human health...
(Full Story)
Saving the Planet? Not With My Money
06/20/2008
Green is green has become a mantra of environmentalists and, increasingly, corporate chiefs...
(Full Story)
EPA Launches New TMDL Web Page
06/20/2008
EPA recently released a new web page entitled "Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads."
(Full Story)
InterSense's Technology Integrated With VirtualPaint Solution
06/20/2008
InterSense's IS-900 System Enables Technicians to Master Spray Techniques While Saving Resources and Preserving the Environment
(Full Story)
Ready. Set. Save!
06/06/2008
EPA Encourages Americans to Save on Summer Cooling Costs through Proper Use of Programmable Thermostats
(Full Story)
Water Saving Homes Are Coming Soon
06/06/2008
Homeowners can save water by using WaterSense label products...
(Full Story)
EPA & CDC To Sign Historic Agreement Promoting Water Conservation
06/06/2008
The EPA and the CDC will participate in a signing ceremony to kick-off a historic agreement between the two agencies.
(Full Story)
EPA's 2008 Report on the Environment
05/23/2008
A Key Resource for the American People on the Environment
(Full Story)
Small Businesses (and Their Customers) Feel Sting of Inflation
05/23/2008
From 7 a.m., when Mark Roesner arrives at Copley Feed and Supply in Ohio and turns on the lights...
(Full Story)
EPA report on environment highlights national and regional trends
05/23/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the 2008 EPA Report on the Environment today.
(Full Story)
EPA Provides Further Direction on Air Quality Standard
05/08/2008
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule further outlining steps that state, local and tribal governments must take to reduce fine particle pollution (PM2.5).
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Lead
05/08/2008
EPA is taking steps toward revising the nation's air quality standards for lead for the first time in 30 years.
(Full Story)
NACEPT Releases Environmental Technology Commercialization Report
05/08/2008
NACEPT released a new report identifying actions that EPA and the investment community can take and partnerships they can create to achieve the goal of greater long-term private sector investment in the commercialization of environmental technologies.
(Full Story)
President Bush Proclaims National Small Business Week
04/25/2008
Calling small business the backbone of the nation's economy...
(Full Story)
Battelle Top Ten List Forecasts Emerging Green Technologies
04/25/2008
In 1970, Kermit the Frog crooned, "It's not that easy being green, having to spend each day the color of the leaves."
(Full Story)
Energy efficiency helps environment, saves money
04/25/2008
A small crowd braved windy weather for a presentation on energy efficiency at the University of Northern Iowa.
(Full Story)
Wasting Fuel is a "Fleeting" Thought
04/11/2008
According to the U.S. EPA, motor vehicles are responsible for nearly one half of smog-forming volatile organic compounds...
(Full Story)
Benefits of coal power outweight risks, expert says
04/11/2008
A coal-fired power plant is not a zero-risk proposition, but few activities in life are.
(Full Story)
Being Green Linked to Higher Business Performance
04/11/2008
Brockmann & Company, the customer insight firm, recently released its latest independent report on being green and its relationship to business performance.
(Full Story)
U.S. program seeks to fuel expansion of small firms
04/11/2008
Irwin Zuckerman is looking to grow the linen and uniform rental business he has operated on the near north side of Des Moines for 13 years.
(Full Story)
Small Businesses Grow Big Environmental Technologies
03/28/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a small program with tremendous success stories.
(Full Story)
Small Firms Find Credit Is Tightening
03/28/2008
Lenders’ credit woes are starting to take a toll on small businesses.
(Full Story)
Lawmakers criticize plan to cut pollution reporting requirements for farms
03/28/2008
Lawmakers are questioning a plan to eliminate requirements for farms to disclose air pollution from animal waste.
(Full Story)
EPA Conducts Compliance Assistance Outreach to Ethnic Marketplaces
03/17/2008
EPA Region 7 has developed a flier in six languages to inform and educate ethnic marketplaces that sell imported products.
(Full Story)
2008 Small Business Recognition Awards
03/17/2008
Submit Nominations by Friday, March 28, 2008
(Full Story)
January Weather Exceptionally Cold, Snowy
03/17/2008
January 2008 was an exceptional month for winter weather, not only in North America but across the globe, according to numerous indicators.
(Full Story)
Microsoft Offers Subscription Licensing for Small Businesses
02/14/2008
The Open Value Subscription program allows small businesses to use Microsoft software for cheaper than the current licensing model allows.
(Full Story)
EPA's FY 2009 Budget Focuses on Next Phase of Environmental Progress
02/14/2008
(Washington, D.C.) - Building on 37 years of progress in protecting human health and the environment, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson today released his agency's $7.14 billion fiscal year 2009 budget.
(Full Story)
Guidebook to Help Water Utilities Improve Energy Management
02/04/2008
EPA and its water and wastewater partners are learning more and doing more to confront serious challenges related to rising energy costs.
(Full Story)
OSHA Upgrades its Small Business Assistance Website
02/04/2008
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently unveiled an enhanced Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA) website.
(Full Story)
Small Businesses Nominate Over Eighty Regulations For Review And Refo
01/18/2008
Small business owners and their representatives have nominated over eighty existing regulations for review and reform.
(Full Story)
EPA NESHAP: Paint Stripping and Misc. Surface Coating Operations
01/18/2008
The EPA has provided the Final Rule for the NESHAP: Paint Stripping and Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operations at Area Sources.
(Full Story)
Final OSHA Rule Requires Employer-Paid PPE
01/18/2008
The U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA announced a final rule in November on employer-paid PPE.
(Full Story)
Reduce Costs by Using Low Impact Development Practices
01/18/2008
The U.S. EPA has released a new report "Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices"
(Full Story)
Small Businesses Lead U.S. Growth
01/04/2008
Report Documents Small Firms' Significant Economic Impacts in 2006.
(Full Story)
EPA Widens Window on Regulatory Process
01/04/2008
EPA is sharing more information about ways the public can get involved in environmental regulation.
(Full Story)
EPA Promotes Recycling Materials Into Fuel
01/04/2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is promoting the recycling of certain petroleum secondary materials into fuel.
(Full Story)
What Is the Real Scientific Consensus on Pesticides?
11/30/2007
According to the website of the Environmental Working Group, “There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects.”
(Full Story)
New EPA Rules Punish Areas for Ozone Improvement
11/30/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently considering a further tightening of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone, known generically as smog.
(Full Story)
Utility Energy Efficiency Vision Can Save Billions
11/16/2007
More than 60 energy, environmental and other organizations have collaborated on a new report that could save Americans more than $500 billion in energy costs over 25 years and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 90 million vehicles.
(Full Story)
All About: Waste Heat
11/02/2007
There's no place like home -- especially when it comes to affecting the environment, it seems.
(Full Story)
EPA Announces First-Ever Agricultural Advisory Committee
10/19/2007
Continuing efforts to strengthen relations with the agriculture community, EPA today announced the establishment of the first-ever Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes Amendments to Oil Spill Prevention
10/04/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing revisions to certain regulatory requirements for facilities subject to the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule.
(Full Story)
EPA Adds Seven Sites and Proposes 12 Sites to the Superfund List
10/04/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding seven new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the list for investigation and clean-up.
(Full Story)
Flexible Air Permits Proposed to Prevent Pollution and Paperwork
09/07/2007
EPA is proposing changes to air quality permitting rules to encourage pollution prevention; provide increased flexibility, enable industrial facilities to make rapid changes to respond to market demands; save resources for state permitting authorities, and improve public information.
(Full Story)
154 Environmental Leaders Renew Membership in EPA's Performance Track
08/28/2007
Pharmaceutical plants, paper mills, a golf course, a textile manufacturer, and an automobile maker are among the 154 facilities that have renewed their membership in EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
EPA Evaluated Air Toxics Risks from Petroleum Refineries
08/28/2007
A recent analysis by EPA on the risks from air toxics emitted from petroleum refineries found that the risks to human health and the environment are low enough that no further controls are warranted.
(Full Story)
Energy Secretary Bodman Says DoE Will Have Conservation Plan in Place by Ne
08/09/2007
The U.S. Department of Energy will have its plan for cutting energy use ready by next year, Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said Wednesday.
(Full Story)
Harnessing the Sun: Facts and Myths about Solar Power
07/19/2007
Energy costs continue to rise. Health problems are increasingly being linked to poor air quality.
(Full Story)
Ethanol stirs fear of water shortage
07/19/2007
The mass quantity of water needed for Iowa's booming ethanol industry - billions of gallons each year - has raised concerns among state officials who say laws may be needed to prevent a water shortage in the state.
(Full Story)
Dumping Computers Doesn't Compute!
07/06/2007
In the information age, it's hard to keep pace. Families and schools outgrow computers faster than children outgrow clothes. Your state-of-the-art speed demon PC can be terminally upstaged within a few short years.
(Full Story)
Nuclear Energy Hot Topic Once Again
07/06/2007
Thanks to global warming, nuclear energy is hot again. Its promise of abundant, carbon emissions-free power is being pushed by the president and newly considered by environmentalists. But any expansion won't come cheap or easy.
(Full Story)
Report says ethanol may fuel dead zone
07/06/2007
Shrinking that dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will be much more costly than first thought.
(Full Story)
U.S. Conference of Mayors Endorses EPA's Energy Star Challenge
06/27/2007
Goal to reduce energy use in public and private buildings by 10 percent
(Full Story)
Icebergs get a new role in warming science
06/27/2007
Icebergs that break off Antarctica and drift away turn out to be hotspots of life in the cold southern ocean, researchers report. Study measures how they fuel life, and might even help to soak up carbon.
(Full Story)
Stronger Standards for Smog Proposed
06/27/2007
EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation's air quality standards for ground-level ozone, revising the standards for the first time since 1997. The proposal is based on the most recent scientific evidence about the health effects of ozone -- the primary component of smog.
(Full Story)
Can Americans Get Charged on Electric Cars?
05/24/2007
The ZAP Xebra is a three-wheeler running on basic batteries, silent and easy to maneuver. It is more than a golf cart and less than a compact car and costs just under $10,000.
(Full Story)
Know Your Air - Why Checking the Air Quality Index Can Protect Your Health
05/24/2007
With the warmer months at our door step, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Weather Service remind people to be prepared if there are days when the air quality is poor.
(Full Story)
New Reports Highlights Pollution Prevention Efforts
05/17/2007
EPA is releasing the first Web-based report that highlights the work of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) to ensure chemical safety under the Toxic Substances Control Act and to promote pollution prevention and environmental stewardship.
(Full Story)
(1) Compound Allowed as Alternative to Ozone-Depleting Chemicals for Specif
05/17/2007
Through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program EPA is allowing the use of n-propyl bromide, a nonflammable organic solvent, as an alternative to ozone-depleting substances in metals, electronics, and precision cleaning.
(Full Story)
New software to track cities' carbon emissions
05/17/2007
Microsoft to develop online tools for Clinton Foundation initiative
(Full Story)
Clean Energy Spending Can Curb Climate Change, WWF Says
05/17/2007
The world can avoid the worst effects of climate change with investments in clean energy so long as the wholesale shift from fossil fuels starts within five years, the environmental group WWF said on Tuesday.
(Full Story)
Wal-Mart Starts Solar Power Test Program
05/10/2007
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Monday that it has launched a program to test the use of solar power at some of its operations in Hawaii and California.
(Full Story)
Climate Panel Reaches Consensus on the Need to Reduce Harmful Emissions
05/04/2007
he world needs to divert substantially from today’s main energy sources within a few decades to limit centuries of rising temperatures and seas driven by the buildup of heat-trapping emissions in the air, the top body studying climate change has concluded.
(Full Story)
New EPA Tool Helps Answer Air Quality Questions
05/04/2007
AirCompare, a new EPA-developed air quality tool, provides local air quality information to help people make informed decisions about moving, vacationing or living in different areas of the country.
(Full Story)
Spring 2007 Forecast: A Green Planet and Green Economy
04/30/2007
What does it take to build a truly sustainable society that uses clean energy and renewable fuels, and still is profitable for American businesses? It requires tremendous ingenuity and innovation, and on April 24, EPA will show that America has what it takes!
(Full Story)
New Report Summarizes Ozone Layer Protection
04/30/2007
After nearly 20 years of international treaty protection, the six-mile-high ozone layer that shields the earth from harmful solar rays is on the road to recovery, but challenges remain, EPA reports.
(Full Story)
States wax fluorescent
04/30/2007
What’s the latest bright idea to save energy? Lawmakers in at least seven states want to ban ordinary light bulbs in favor of longer-lasting, energy-efficient compact fluorescents.
(Full Story)
EPA Accused of Flouting Supreme Court in Proposing New Pollution Standard
04/30/2007
The government proposed a pollution standard for power plants Wednesday that critics said flouts the spirit of a Supreme Court ruling on clean air enforcement.
(Full Story)
New, Improved: Water Quality Modeling Tool
04/30/2007
The Environmental Protection Agency has released a new version of its acclaimed watershed management program, making it easier to use and more readily available.
(Full Story)
Deforestation Effects Depend on Location
04/20/2007
The effect of deforestation on climate depends on three things -- location, location and location.
(Full Story)
UNEP Says Greener Buildings Could Slow Global Warming
04/20/2007
Better architecture and energy savings in buildings could do more to fight global warming than all curbs on greenhouse gases agreed under the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, a U.N. study showed on Thursday.
(Full Story)
Well, whaddaya know? The Earth's a star!
04/20/2007
After languishing in the background far too long, Earth has landed on the covers of Time, Newsweek and Vanity Fair this month alone. It can also boast a starring role in an Oscar-winning movie (Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth").
(Full Story)
EPA Publishes National U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
04/20/2007
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2005 increased by less than one percent from the previous year.
(Full Story)
How Green Was My Wedding
02/28/2007
Kate Harrison’s idea of a fairy tale wedding goes something like this:
(Full Story)
Scientists Urge Global Action On Clean Energy
02/28/2007
A scientific panel convened at the request of the United Nations called Tuesday for drastic reductions in fossil-fuel emissions around the world and rapid increases in spending on clean-energy research to head off the worst effects of global warming.
(Full Story)
Mayors Unite On The 'Green' Front
02/02/2007
Pittsburgh, once the gritty center of steel manufacturing, now boasts the first "green" convention center and one of the world's largest environmentally sustainable buildings: the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
(Full Story)
Yesterday's High Technology Makes Mountain of E-Waste
01/19/2007
Christmas is getting kicked to the curb and with it piles of once-new tech gadgets full of heavy metals that cause cancer, poison blood and cause a host of other maladies.
(Full Story)
Solar Power Eliminates Utility Bills In U.S. Home
01/19/2007
Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills.
(Full Story)
Thirteen States, D.C., Sue EPA Over Air Quality
12/21/2006
More than a dozen states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday to lower soot levels from smokestacks and exhaust pipes, a move the state officials argue would save thousands of lives.
(Full Story)
EPA Continuing Cleanup Progress At Hazardous Waste Sites
12/21/2006
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continued to make significant progress in cleaning up America's most contaminated hazardous waste sites over the past year. Superfund, the federal government program that cleans up these sites, completed work at 40 sites during fiscal year 2006 for a cumulative total of 1,006 sites with construction work completed.
(Full Story)
Twenty-Two States Say EPA Too Soft On Mercury
11/29/2006
Air quality regulators in at least 22 states have concluded that the Bush administration's approach to cutting mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants is too weak and are pursuing tougher measures of their own.
(Full Story)
New Rules For Solid Waste Incinerators
11/29/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new source performance standards and emission guidelines for new and existing "other" solid waste incineration units (OSWI).
(Full Story)
New Tool Will Help Colleges Improve Environmental Compliance and Results
10/26/2006
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2006 - Colleges and universities nationwide are getting a new learning tool in the form of a compliance assistance center that will help them understand and comply with environmental laws.
(Full Story)
Beverage Companies Lack Fizz In Recycling Efforts, Says Report
10/26/2006
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17, 2006 - Major U.S. beverage companies received failing grades in a new study of the recycling performance of their containers.
(Full Story)
How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take to Protect the Environment and Save $30?
10/12/2006
Saving $30, and protecting the environment, is as easy as changing a light bulb. If every American household changed a single light bulb to an Energy Star bulb, it would provide enough power to light more than 2.5 million homes, while saving consumers money.
(Full Story)
Panelists offer overview on New Rules For Drycleaners
10/12/2006
The regulatory landscape for drycleaners is changing rapidly with new federal air pollution rules for all drycleaners and even stricter rules in some states, notably California, that could lead to a phase-out of the use of perc in drycleaning over the next 15 years.
(Full Story)
Diaper Component Tested To Protect Water
09/28/2006
When Nebraska researchers began looking for ways to soak up nitrogen fertilizer from cropland before it could make its way to ground water, they turned the standard in absorption: disposable baby diapers.
(Full Story)
U.S. Pollution Prevention Programs Prevent 6 Billion Pounds Of Waste, Says
09/28/2006
Pollution prevention programs in the U.S. prevented 6 billion pounds of pollution, reduced energy usage by 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, and conserved over 44 billion gallons of water between 2001 and 2003, according to a new study.
(Full Story)
Florida County Plans To Vaporize Landfill Trash
09/14/2006
A Florida county has grand plans to ditch its dump, generate electricity and help build roads — all by vaporizing garbage at temperatures hotter than the sun.
(Full Story)
U.S. Pollution Prevention Programs Prevent 6 Billion Pounds Of Waste, Says
09/14/2006
Pollution prevention programs in the U.S. prevented 6 billion pounds of pollution, reduced energy usage by 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, and conserved over 44 billion gallons of water between 2001 and 2003, according to a new study.
(Full Story)
Hazardous Waste Manifest Training Video
08/31/2006
Effective September 5, 2006, a new Hazardous Waste Manifest form must be used nationwide by all generators, transporters and treatment/storage/disposal facilities relating to the printing industry. (Shipments initiated before September 5, 2006 must use the prior manifest form.)
(Full Story)
EPA Evaluates Mercury Lamp Drum Top Crushers
08/31/2006
EPA just released a Mercury Lamp Drum-Top Crusher Study that provides the most current information on the performance of drum-top mercury lamp crushing lamp devices. The agency believes that with this information, states, users of mercury-containing lamps, and lamp recyclers will be able to make more informed decisions when managing fluorescent lamps.
(Full Story)
Proposal to Cut Air Toxics Emissions from Degreasers
08/18/2006
EPA is proposing options to reduce air toxics emissions by up to 70 percent from halogenated solvent cleaning operations.
(Full Story)
Little Switches Add Up to Big Cuts in Mercury Pollution
08/18/2006
EPA announced a national program today that will help cut mercury air emissions by up to 75 tons over the next 15 years.
(Full Story)
U.S. Continues to Set Bar on Pesticide Safety
08/04/2006
EPA is proposing to cancel all uses of the pesticide carbofuran and to revoke the associated tolerances (legal residue limits on food).
(Full Story)
EPA Strengthens Clean Air Rules for Dry Cleaners
07/24/2006
In a significant action to protect public health, EPA is tightening rules for all dry cleaners that use the chemical perchloroethylene (perc), including a phase-out of the chemical in dry cleaners located in residential buildings.
(Full Story)
EPA Continues Review of Ground-Level Ozone Standards
07/24/2006
In an ongoing effort to ensure that federal air quality standards reflect the latest air pollution and health effects research, EPA is releasing its second draft Staff Paper on ground-level ozone.
(Full Story)
EPA Improves Standards for Recycling of Cathode Ray Tubes
07/24/2006
EPA is streamlining the federal hazardous waste management requirements for cathode ray tubes and CRT glass destined for recycling.
(Full Story)
EPA to Infuse Almost $1 Billion Into Drinking Water Programs
07/07/2006
States, territories and tribes will share more than $940 million from three EPA grant programs to support the quality and security of the nation's drinking water.
(Full Story)
New EPA Program Saves Dollars and Makes Sense
06/22/2006
WaterSense, a new water efficiency program launched by EPA today, will educate American consumers on making smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance.
(Full Story)
EPA Retrofit Guidance Will Help States Calculate Air Quality Benefits
06/22/2006
EPA has issued guidance to states on how retrofit projects can be used in state plans to meet federal air quality standards and conformity determinations.
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Scrap Tire Cleanup Guidebook
06/09/2006
In an effort to reduce scrap tire piles around the country, EPA and the state of Illinois have created the Scrap Tire Cleanup Guidebook.
(Full Story)
Storm Water Rule Finalized to Comply with Energy Policy Act
06/09/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized revisions to storm water regulations.
(Full Story)
Inspector General Questions EPA's Assertion
05/25/2006
In a May 15 report, Bill Roderick, the EPA's acting inspector general is questioning EPA's claim.
(Full Story)
Closure Requirements for Hazardous Waste Generators
05/25/2006
What is proper closure for a hazardous waste generator?
(Full Story)
New EPA Collaborative Partnership with Farmers
05/25/2006
EPA released its National Strategy for Agriculture.
(Full Story)
EPA Weighs Options to Speed and Strengthen Air Quality
04/05/2006
Options intended to ensure that the best and latest available science is used in setting and reviewing air quality standards were submitted today by EPA officials.
(Full Story)
EPA Review Determines Current Air Toxics Standards
04/05/2006
EPA has issued rules finding that additional reductions in air toxics emissions are not necessary for four industry categories.
(Full Story)
EPA Plan Could Let Plants Skirt Pollutant Limits
04/05/2006
Staying below threshold would let polluters avoid most stringent controls.
(Full Story)
National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants
03/27/2006
Recent news reports of an analysis of EPA data have generated significant interest in toxic air pollution.
(Full Story)
Recycling Project at the National Cherry Blossom Festival
03/27/2006
While many Americans already recycle at home and in their places of business, it is still rare to find recycling bins at public events and in public spaces.
(Full Story)
Businesses Turn Energy Savings into a Profit for the Environment
03/27/2006
What do a snack food company, a car manufacturer, a building supplier and a hotel chain have in common? They are part of a select group of 67 businesses and organizations that achieved major energy savings or helped others save money.
(Full Story)
EPA Scientists Share Innovations with Public and Businesses
03/09/2006
More than 130 EPA scientific patents of technologies that benefit the environment can now be viewed at the new EPA TechMatch web site.
(Full Story)
Mercury to be Removed from Junked Cars
03/09/2006
Hoping to reduce harmful mercury emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency, the auto industry and environmental groups said Wednesday they have agreed to start a national program to collect mercury switches from scrapped automobiles.
(Full Story)
EPA budget cuts trouble environment groups
02/23/2006
Grants to state and local governments for land and water conservation would be cut 40 percent, and money for the Environmental Protection Agency's network of libraries for scientists would be slashed severely under President Bush's proposed budget.
(Full Story)
EPA launches effort to reduce emissions
02/23/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency launched an effort to reduce emissions in a string of central states, in part through voluntary corporate changes.
(Full Story)
Methyl ethyl ketone delisted as a hazardous air pollutant
02/10/2006
US EPA is amending the list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) contained in section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) by removing the compound methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) (2-Butanone) (CAS No. 78-93-3).
(Full Story)
Dairy farmers find money in manure
02/10/2006
‘Digesters’ use methane to make, sell electricity and reduce pollution.
(Full Story)
Attention all perchloroethylene (perc) dry cleaners!
02/10/2006
On December 21, 2005, the US EPA proposed regulations to reduce the health risks posed by perchloroethylene dry cleaners.
(Full Story)
Refrigerator Manufacturers Join EPA to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
01/27/2006
EPA and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) have launched a new, voluntary program to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emissions.
(Full Story)
Environmental Workshops January-March 2006
01/18/2006
Throughout the months of January and March, 2006, the state of Illinois will be hosting environmental regulatory workshops for the construction & demolition industry as well as for building code officials.
(Full Story)
International Panel Concludes U.S. has Improved Environmental Performance
01/10/2006
The United States has significantly improved its environmental performance in the last eight years.
(Full Story)
States team up on environment
01/10/2006
The global warming pact recently struck by seven states in the Northeast is pioneering in how it aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
(Full Story)
It's Not Just for Newspaper Anymore: Statewide Recycling Claims Odd Bits
12/29/2005
Amid the cardboard cartons, No. 2 plastics, soup cans and today's newspaper are a few surprises hidden in Maryland's successful efforts to recycle 40 percent of its waste.
(Full Story)
After Extensive Analysis, EPA Removes Methyl Ethyl Ketone from List of Toxi
12/28/2005
After an extensive, multi-year scientific and technical review, EPA has removed methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from the Clean Air Act list of toxic air pollutants.
(Full Story)
Treecycle Your Christmas Tree
12/28/2005
Several tips on how to dispose of your old Christmas tree.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposing to Reduce Air Toxics Risks from Dry Cleaners
12/15/2005
Based on recent analyses of health risks, the EPA is proposing a rule to reduce emissions of perchloroethylene (perc) from dry cleaners.
(Full Story)
EPA Eases Permitting Requirements for Small Businesses
12/15/2005
To avoid unnecessary costs and burdens, EPA will no longer require five types of small businesses to obtain federal operating permits.
(Full Story)
No consensus on recycling electronic junk
12/15/2005
California, Maine and Maryland are taking diverse paths to dealing with the digital-age toxic waste posed by mountains of junked electronic equipment. But there is debate about whether a state-by-state approach is the best solution.
(Full Story)
Solid waste incinerator standards to reduce 1,900 tons of air pollution ann
12/01/2005
EPA is requiring new performance standards to reduce emissions of air pollutants from the last remaining category of waste incinerators requiring Clean Air Act regulation.
(Full Story)
EPA targets chocolate scent in Chicago
12/01/2005
For decades, commuters and tourists have delighted in the mouthwatering smells wafting over the city from the Blommer Chocolate Co. factory. Now, that aroma is about to disappear, courtesy of federal regulators.
(Full Story)
Wyo could be biodiesel hub
12/01/2005
Wyoming Biodiesel Co.'s plans to build a 30 million-gallons-per-year biodiesel plant in Campbell County would make Wyoming a major marketplace hub for the fast-growing industry.
(Full Story)
Smog title goes back to Los Angeles
11/14/2005
Air quality in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's smog standard on 84 days this year, the agency said.
(Full Story)
Annual polluter reports may end; U.S. EPA considering cutback to reduce cos
11/14/2005
Ohio released more chemicals into the air from industry smokestacks and similar devices than any other state between 1998 and 2003.
(Full Story)
Wisconsin gets trashy treatment from neighbors
11/14/2005
More garbage from surrounding Midwestern states is being dumped at Wisconsin landfills than ever before, according to state officials.
(Full Story)
EPA estimates costs of power plant curbs
11/02/2005
Carbon dioxide and other emissions examined for legislative debate.
(Full Story)
EPA announces an estimated one million pounds of household hazardous waste
11/02/2005
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that an estimated one million pounds of household hazardous waste has been collected in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
(Full Story)
Winter energy-efficiency tips
10/25/2005
In the face of higher winter energy bills, EPA is encouraging you to be more energy efficient. The Agency recommends five places to look and practical advice for energy savings: sealing and insulating; heating efficiently; changing lights; powering down home electronics; and use of Energy Star products.
(Full Story)
Final NESHAP for hazardous waste combustors
10/19/2005
EPA issued a National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for hazardous waste combustors.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to harmonize new source review with existing clean air program
10/19/2005
EPA is proposing a draft rule to ensure the New Source Review (NSR) program is more compatible with current air pollution control programs that protect public health and the environment.
(Full Story)
Where will garbage from Katrina cleanup go?
10/04/2005
The Hurricane Katrina cleanup represents the biggest waste-disposal job in U.S. history, dwarfing in volume the debris carted off after the World Trade Center's twin towers fell in 2001, officials said.
(Full Story)
Georgia DNR to vote on wastewater rule change
10/03/2005
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is likely to vote Oct. 25th and 26th on a controversial rule change that would make it easier for sewage plants to discharge treated wastewater into rivers and lakes.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes burden reduction rule for the toxics release inventory
09/22/2005
EPA is proposing a rule to expand the use of a shortened reporting form (Form A certification statement) for some facilities. The proposal also provides new incentives to facilities to emit less in order to be able to use the shorter form.
(Full Story)
Michigan's new air permitting process is a success
09/22/2005
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has announced that since completing the re-engineering of the complex air permitting program one year ago, the time needed to process air permits has decreased by two-thirds.
(Full Story)
National emission standards finalized for hazardous waste combustors
09/22/2005
EPA is issuing final emission standards for hazardous waste combustors that will remove mercury, lead, particulate matter, arsenic and other hazardous pollutants from the environment.
(Full Story)
EPA, CDC Report High Levels of Bacterial Contamination in Preliminary Flood
09/07/2005
Floodwaters from multiple locations across the New Orleans area were sampled by EPA and analyzed for chemicals and bacteria. These initial results represent the beginning of extensive sampling efforts and do not represent the condition of all flood waters throughout the area.
(Full Story)
Coastal Clean-up Focuses on Fuel Spills
09/07/2005
State and federal scientists are pulling fishing boats, 10,000-gallon gasoline tanks, 55-gallon barrels and other leaking, polluting vessels from the Gulf waters off Alabama, officials said this week.
(Full Story)
New Handbook to Help Accelerate Watershed
09/07/2005
Questions about managing pollution runoff, increasing wildlife habitat and controlling invasive species in the nation's estuaries are among those addressed in a new Environmental Protection Agency handbook released at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in St. Louis.
(Full Story)
New Tests to Detect Previously Undetectable Bacteria
08/24/2005
New test methods proposed by EPA will lead to the detection of four types of bacteria in wastewater and sewage sludge. EPA's proposal centers on culture-based approaches to detecting enterococci and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in wastewater.
(Full Story)
Judge reluctant to create emissions oversight
08/17/2005
A federal judge expressed reluctance about beginning judicial oversight of pollution issues that affect global warming as she heard arguments Friday in a complaint brought by eight states against some of the nation´s largest power companies.
(Full Story)
DOT expands scope of hazardous materials regulations
08/10/2005
Persons who offer hazard hazardous materials for transportation must properly classify, package, mark, label, placard, and prepare shipping papers for their shipments. Moreover, they are subject to training and hazardous material security requirements.
(Full Story)
Industry-Government agreement to reduce the volume and cost of managing lef
08/10/2005
As part of an agreement signed or endorsed by 45 state and local governments, the paint industry association, a major retailer, the association of painting contractors, and others, representatives today announced a plan to reduce the environmental impacts and cost of managing leftover latex and oil-based paint.
(Full Story)
EPA to hold conference on emergency planning and response
08/10/2005
Region 7 of the EPA will offer updated information on hazardous materials, emergency planning and environmental risks to communities in the Region 7 states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri at the emergency response conference Aug. 18-21
(Full Story)
Toxic hazards in recycling program?
07/29/2005
Bureau of Prisons employee is charging that some inmates and prison staff are not being adequately protected from toxic hazards.
(Full Story)
EPA exempt from regulating greenhouse gases
07/29/2005
Federal court rejects states' effort to make EPA monitor heat-trapping gas.
(Full Story)
Painters fume over regulation
07/15/2005
A little-publicized rule has snatched oil-based paints from the shelves of stores in Delaware in hopes of improving air quality.
(Full Story)
California mulls emissions plan for big trucks
07/15/2005
California air-quality regulators are considering a requirement that big-rig trucks install computer systems to pinpoint on-the-road emissions problems, a move that could spur a change in federal rules.
(Full Story)
Algae blooms in river for first time in years
07/01/2005
Bright, neon-green algae hugged the banks of the St. Lucie River for miles on Monday, a freshwater bloom that state officials said is the latest example of poor water quality in the estuary.
(Full Story)
EPA revises RCRA test methods
07/01/2005
In the June 14 Federal Register, EPA revised testing and monitoring requirements in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste regulations as well as for certain Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations that relate to hazardous waste combustors.
(Full Story)
Wood mulch classified as hazardous waste
07/01/2005
EPA recently issued a clarification memo that indicates that wood mulch produced from CCA-treated wood is not exempt from regulation as hazardous waste under 40 CFR 261.4(b)(9).
(Full Story)
EPA releases strategy for cleaning up the air
06/17/2005
Just days after Maine experienced the season's first harmful air pollution levels at Acadia National Park, the federal Environmental Protection Agency released its plan for cleaning up the air at America's national parks and wilderness areas.
(Full Story)
EPA takes action to reduce lead levels in drinking water
06/17/2005
Through education and outreach, child care facilities and schools will be assisted by EPA and its partners to understand and reduce children's lead exposure from drinking water.
(Full Story)
All states share water quality funds
05/20/2005
Every state will get additional water quality monitoring funds as a result of an EPA decision to target a $9.92 million increase in fiscal year 2005 water pollution control grants for these activities.
(Full Story)
Blending policy revisited
05/20/2005
Based on review of all public comments and congressional hearings, EPA will not finalize the sewage blending policy as proposed in November 2003.
(Full Story)
Toxics Release Inventory Shows Continued Decline in Chemical Releases
05/13/2005
EPA's 2003 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)shows that the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities continues to decline, with total reductions of 42 percent since 1998 and a six percent decrease from 2002 to 2003.
(Full Story)
EPA Issues Final Amendments to Four National Emission Standards
05/13/2005
EPA has issued four direct final amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs). None of these amendments alters the stringency of the final standards nor has any adverse health, environmental, or economic impacts.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes Title V permit exemption
05/04/2005
The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to permanently exempt drycleaners from requirements for Title V permits under the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
EPA to Participate in White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
04/15/2005
EPA Acting Administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, will participate as a keynote speaker at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation.
(Full Story)
$3.2 Million in Small Business Awards for New Environmental Technologies
04/14/2005
EPA today announced the award of more than $3.2 million to 14 small companies under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
(Full Story)
EPA empowering communities to reduce risks from toxic exposure
04/01/2005
EPA is launching a new grant program to help communities understand and reduce the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. The Community Action for a Renewed Environment program is a community-based, community-driven, multi-media demonstration program.
(Full Story)
Proposal to maintain pollution permit requirements for five industries
03/24/2005
On March 23, 2005, EPA proposed a rule that would permanently exempt small facilities in five industrial categories from the requirement to obtain federal operating permits.
(Full Story)
EPA announces first-ever rule to reduce mercury emissions from power plants
03/15/2005
Acting Administrator Steve Johnson will sign today the Clean Air Mercury Rule, a rule that will significantly reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants across the country.
(Full Story)
New source for disposal of old computers
01/14/2005
Online auction house eBay recently launched a recycling initiative to confront the problem of "e-waste."
(Full Story)
EPA helps local governments use innovative tools to address challenges
01/12/2005
Environmental management systems (EMS) are a well established tool to help local governments prevent pollution, operate more efficiently and improve environmental performance within their communities.
(Full Story)
EPA joins with organizations to reduce water pollution
01/12/2005
Today, Assistant Administrator for Water, Ben Grumbles, along with officers from several organizations that focus on septic systems, formalized an agreement to improve wastewater treatment for 25 million homes nation-wide.
(Full Story)
EPA helps local governments address environmental challenges
01/12/2005
Environmental management systems (EMS) are a well established tool to help local governments prevent pollution, operate more efficiently and improve environmental performance within their communities.
(Full Story)
NPEDS improvements training
01/06/2005
EPA is implementing a nationwide assessment to improve the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program.
(Full Story)
EPA enforcement actions summarized for FY 2004
12/17/2004
EPA enforcement actions concluded in the 2004 fiscal year show significant increases from the previous year. The 2004 actions will reduce a projected one billion pounds of pollution and require cleanups estimated to total a record $4.8 billion.
(Full Story)
EPA announces final designations for first fine particle standard
12/17/2004
Twenty governors were told by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today that certain areas of their states do not meet the national first fine particle (PM2.5) air quality standards.
(Full Story)
EPA works with states to improve water permitting
12/15/2004
EPA is implementing a nation-wide assessment to improve the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit programs.
(Full Story)
EPA Senior policy advisors step down
12/14/2004
EPA Associate Administrator Jessica Furey and Susan Mulvaney, chief of staff to the Deputy Administrator, today announced that they will step down as EPA senior policy advisors in January 2005.
(Full Story)
November 15th is America Recycles Day
11/12/2004
Every year on November 15th, citizens all over the country celebrate America Recycles Day.
(Full Story)
New collaboration will help return Superfund sites to productive use
11/10/2004
Underscoring EPA's commitment to returning cleaned up properties to productive uses, a new initiative is being launched today that will support community efforts to reuse formerly contaminated Superfund sites.
(Full Story)
Twenty years of protecting America's soil and groundwater
11/10/2004
This month, EPA commemorates the 20th anniversary of legislation signed by President Reagan to create a program to ensure that leaks from underground tanks are prevented, and if contamination of soil and groundwater is detected, releases are cleaned up.
(Full Story)
EPA awards Environmental Justice Grants to 73 community organizations
11/04/2004
During the last two fiscal years EPA awarded a combined total of $1.28 million to 73 non-profit organizations which work at the local level on behalf of communities to address environmental/public health issues.
(Full Story)
Environmental Information Exchange Network Grants Awarded
10/15/2004
EPA announced the award today of 67 grants totaling more than $20 million to states, territories, and tribes for continued work on the nationwide Environmental Information Exchange Network.
(Full Story)
EPA honors 40 organizations for outstanding voluntary waste reduction
10/13/2004
Forty organizations will be honored Oct. 14 and 15 in Washington, D.C., for their outstanding waste reduction efforts at EPA's WasteWise Tenth Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.
(Full Story)
Environmental Technology Council Created
10/13/2004
EPA has formed a new Environmental Technology Council to apply new technologies to address complex environmental problems. This year, the Council will select at least 10 priority environmental concerns needing new technology approaches.
(Full Story)
Waste reduction & energy efficiency conference announced
10/11/2004
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced the 12th Annual Great Lakes Region Waste Reduction and Energy Efficiency Conference and Expo, to be held at the Burton Manor in Livonia, MI on October 26.
(Full Story)
EPA defends mercury position
10/08/2004
The nation's top environmental official, in a visit to Des Moines this week, disputed a charge by activists that the Bush administration isn't doing enough to limit mercury pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA solicits proposals for Brownfields Grants throughout the country
09/16/2004
EPA is now accepting proposals for up to 200 Brownfields assessment, revolving loan fund, and cleanup grants, contingent on availability of funds in the Agency's fiscal year 2005 budget.
(Full Story)
Compliance Assistance Centers survey their users
09/15/2004
The Environmental Protection Agency has sponsored partnerships with industry, academic institutions, environmental groups, and other agencies to launch 13 sector-specific Compliance Assistance Centers.
(Full Story)
EPA and external groups develop handbook for wastewater organizations
09/09/2004
To help utilities better manage their water and wastewater operations, EPA has developed the first Environmental Management System (EMS) handbook along with a steering committee of wastewater industry representatives and other experts.
(Full Story)
EPA Particulate Matter Research Report Released
09/09/2004
To further EPA's goal of safe and healthy air for every American community, EPA has released the report, "Particulate Matter (PM) Research Program: Five Years of Progress."
(Full Story)
EPA Performance Track announces new members
08/30/2004
EPA is announcing 19 new facilities from 11 states and Puerto Rico for membership in the National Environmental Performance Track Program. Performance Track rewards facilities that voluntarily exceed regulatory requirements, implement systems for improving environmental management, work with their communities, and set three-year goals for improvements in environmental performance.
(Full Story)
Communities could gain from EPA proposal encouraging property purchase
08/23/2004
To encourage the purchase, cleanup, reuse and economic revitalization of property that may be environmentally contaminated, EPA today announced a proposed rule requiring potential owners to conduct certain inquiries into the previous ownership, uses, and environmental conditions of the land prior to purchase.
(Full Story)
Companies encouraged by EPA to recycle materials and remediate wastes
08/13/2004
To encourage companies to recycle materials and remediate wastes, EPA awarded $700,000 to three companies to develop more cost-effective recycling and clean-up technologies through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
(Full Story)
EPA awards largest-ever grant to study health effects of air pollution
08/05/2004
Administrator Mike Leavitt today awarded the University of Washington a $30 million grant to study the connection between air pollution and cardiovascular disease.
(Full Story)
Bush administration commits $15 million to America's watersheds
08/04/2004
EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt announced 14 watersheds-representing 17 states-eligible for $15 million from EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grant Program. The selected areas represent more than 20,000 square miles of rivers, lakes and streams across the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA adds corporate level recognition to Performance Track
08/03/2004
For the first time, EPA is recognizing corporations for environmental leadership under the National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
EPA Deputy Administrator Appointed
08/03/2004
Stephen L. Johnson was sworn in as Deputy Administrator of EPA by Administrator Michael Leavitt on August 2, 2004.
(Full Story)
Air pollution control technologies grants awarded
07/09/2004
To develop effective pollution control technologies that are economically viable, EPA awarded $700,000 to three companies for development and commercialization of air pollution control technologies through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
(Full Story)
New web-based tools provide public access to local Brownfields information
07/08/2004
EPA introduced two new interactive Brownfields web tools that will give the public access to interrelated information about local Brownfields properties.
(Full Story)
2002 Toxics Release Inventory Released
07/07/2004
EPA issued its 15th annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), the annual report on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities, for calendar year 2002.
(Full Story)
New report profiles environmental performance in 12 major sectors
06/18/2004
A new EPA report establishes a performance benchmark for tracking future environmental progress in 12 key industrial and service sectors, including construction, forest products, and iron and steel manufacturing.
(Full Story)
EPA to delay SPCC deadline
06/16/2004
In response to industry disputes with several provisions of the revised rule and a request from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, EPA has indicated that the it will postpone the deadline for compliance with the latest revisions to the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rules.
(Full Story)
$75.4 million awarded in Brownfields Grants
06/15/2004
Communities in 42 states and Puerto Rico will share more than $75 million in EPA Brownfields grants to help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use.
(Full Story)
MSWG annual workshop
05/26/2004
You are invited to attend the Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Performance 7th annual "Learning Together Workshop on Environmental Innovation & Environmental Management Systems."
(Full Story)
EPA signs research agreements for U.S. water systems
05/19/2004
EPA is joining in research agreements with YSI, Inc., PureSense Environmental, Inc., and Hach Company to develop early warning detection devices for water distribution systems.
(Full Story)
Corrective Action Smart Enforcement Strategy is Announced
05/12/2004
EPA is launching an enforcement strategy to better control human exposure at or near hazardous waste facilities.
(Full Story)
EPA targets off-road vehicles, marine vessels in new pollution controls
05/12/2004
The U.S. government is moving on a new front to cut air pollution. This time ferry boats and harbor tugs, farm tractors and train locomotives, and dirt movers at construction sites are the targets.
(Full Story)
Plants nationwide controlling human exposure and groundwater contamination
05/05/2004
A Dow Chemical La Porte, Texas plant on May 4 became the 1000th facility to achieve EPA's environmental progress indicators for controlling both human exposure to environmental risks from waste, and migration of contaminated groundwater.
(Full Story)
Hazardous waste generator regulatory program meetings
04/28/2004
EPA's Office of Solid Waste is holding a series of public meetings in May 2004 to obtain input from its many stakeholders on the effectiveness of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA's) hazardous waste generator regulatory program.
(Full Story)
Bush administration commits to increasing wetlands nationwide
04/22/2004
President Bush celebrated Earth Day 2004 by announcing an aggressive new national goal to achieve an overall increase of America's wetlands each year.
(Full Story)
Students to be recognized for innovative environmental projects
04/22/2004
Recipients of the 2003 President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) are to be honored at a White House Ceremony. Each student receiving an award developed an innovative project that promotes awareness and encourages people of all ages to protect their environment through community involvement.
(Full Story)
Risk Management Program changes and deadlines
04/21/2004
EPA recently published revisions to the reporting requirements of the Chemical Accident Prevention Rule under Clean Air Act section 112(r).
(Full Story)
MVP2 Awards applications being accepted until May 17
04/09/2004
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) announces the application period for the Most Valuable Pollution Prevention (MVP2) Awards. The application deadline is May 17, 2004.
(Full Story)
EPA awards grants to reduce pollution from trucks at truck stops
04/07/2004
EPA, under the SmartWay Transport Partnership, is awarding grants to states and non-profit organizations across the country. These grants target emission reductions from trucks while they idle for long periods at truck stops and other truck waiting areas.
(Full Story)
Construction and development effluent guideline final action
04/06/2004
EPA issued a final action that relies on a broad range of existing programs and regulations at the federal, state and local level to control stormwater runoff from construction sites in lieu of a new national effluent guideline.
(Full Story)
Thomas V. Skinner Named as Acting Assistant Administrator
04/05/2004
The White House announced on April 2 the appointment of Thomas V. Skinner, as Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
New proposal to cut mercury, lead, other air emissions
04/04/2004
EPA signed a proposed rule designed to significantly reduce air pollutant emissions from five types of combustion sources that burn hazardous waste. This proposal could cut up to 4000 tons yearly of such hazardous pollutants as mercury, lead, dioxin, arsenic, soot and sulfur dioxide.
(Full Story)
New partnership plans to cut chemical releases in workplaces, communities
03/31/2004
EPA signed an agreement on March 30 with OSHA and other chemical and safety groups establishing the Reactive Chemical Hazards Alliance to help reduce accidental chemical releases.
(Full Story)
Over 1,000 to be trained for environmental jobs in brownfields communities
03/31/2004
A new round of Brownfields Job Training Grants will teach environmental-cleanup job skills to 1,080 individuals living in low-income areas near Brownfields sites in 16 communities.
(Full Story)
How to recycle or safely dispose of used batteries
03/26/2004
Most of the more than 750 million alkaline batteries sold each year to power cameras, flashlights, and portable CD players are sent to landfills or incinerated, not recycled.
(Full Story)
Green investing: A growing trend
03/26/2004
Membership in EPA's National Environmental Performance Track (PT) program is becoming a popular criterion for many companies in developing investment ratings.
(Full Story)
Discarded electronic aids may be hazardous waste
03/24/2004
A just-completed study by University of Florida environmental engineers found that electronic-age gizmos ranging from cell phones to computer mice often release enough lead in laboratory tests to be classified as hazardous waste under federal EPA regulations.
(Full Story)
New innovative projects announced by EPA
03/15/2004
EPA today announced six new innovative projects that test approaches to make EPA's waste programs more effective.
(Full Story)
57 businesses and organizations recognized for energy efficiency
03/02/2004
2004 ENERGY STAR Awards were presented to 57 businesses and organizations, recognizing outstanding contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency
(Full Story)
Four new rules will reduce hazardous air emissions
03/02/2004
Rules requiring four industries to upgrade their facilities by installation of Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACTs) were announced last week by EPA. The new MACT standards are estimated to reduce national emissions of toxic air pollutants by 88,000 tons per year within five years.
(Full Story)
NPCA comments on EPA's proposal to redefine solid waste
03/01/2004
In February, NPCA submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its October 2003 proposed rule that would revise the definition of solid waste to identify certain recyclable hazardous secondary materials as not discarded.
(Full Story)
EPA increases maximum civil penalty to $32,500 per incident
02/23/2004
On February 13, 2004, the EPA promulgated changes to the maximum civil monetary penalty, raising the limit to $32,500 per incident, compared to $27,500, the previous upper limit.
(Full Story)
EPA and Department of Energy sign agreement to expand collaboration
02/19/2004
Increased collaboration on research and computing resources, including the linking of two national supercomputers, will take place under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).
(Full Story)
Voluntary partnerships lead to waste reduction and recycling
02/18/2004
This week, EPA released its first annual report on the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), a major cross-agency initiative that identifies and uses innovative and flexible ways to conserve natural resources and energy.
(Full Story)
Performance Track welcomes 39 new facilities
02/12/2004
The EPA announced today 39 new facilities from 22 states and Puerto Rico for membership to the National Environmental Performance Track Program.
(Full Story)
Bush Administration proposes new funding to reduce school bus emissions
02/04/2004
President Bush's 2005 budget proposal will include an unprecedented $60 million in new funding to expand the Clean School Bus USA program, a national partnership to reduce the emission of air pollutants from school buses.
(Full Story)
EPA issues new guidance and database for research models
02/04/2004
To increase public understanding of the science behind EPA policy, Acting Deputy Administrator Steve Johnson and Science Advisor Paul Gilman announced new draft guidance on the use of research models at EPA and a web-accessible database, the Models Knowledge Base.
(Full Story)
EPA's FY 2005 Budget empowers Agency to accelerate environmental protection
02/04/2004
President Bush's 2005 budget provides $7.76 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a $133 million increase over the 2004 budget request.
(Full Story)
NAS report outlines air quality progress, future challenges
01/29/2004
Recommending steps to steadily strengthen the nation's clean air program in the face of anticipated challenges, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has issued a report that provides an in-depth study of EPA's air quality management under the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
OSHA offers two new compliance assistance web tools
01/29/2004
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced the availability of two new resources on the agency's website.
(Full Story)
Automakers and gasoline refiners join EPA to celebrate milestone
01/26/2004
EPA's program for cleaner vehicles and fuel was officially recognized today by Administrator Leavitt in Washington with a display of seventeen 2004 model-year vehicles representing the wide variety of cleaner vehicle choices on the market today.
(Full Story)
Early public release of facility TRI forms expected
01/13/2004
Facility TRI data will be made publicly available earlier than usual this year under EPA’s planned Electronic Facility Data Release (EFDR).
(Full Story)
New guidance on supplemental environment projects issued
01/09/2004
EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has released new guidance on the Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP) Policy to encourage violators to undertake projects that will benefit the environment and public health.
(Full Story)
OSHA withdraws glycol ethers rulemaking record
01/07/2004
Agency cites as justification a major reduction in use and production over past decade
(Full Story)
Assistant Administrator for Enforcement at EPA Resigns
01/05/2004
Today, John Peter Suarez, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, submitted his letter of resignation to President George W. Bush.
(Full Story)
Air quality proposal to deeply cut power plant emissions is signed
12/17/2003
EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt signed a proposal today that would result in the deepest cuts in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from power plants in more than a decade.
(Full Story)
Mercury regulations under review
12/13/2003
The Bush administration is working to undo regulations that would force power plants to sharply reduce mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants, according to a government document and interviews with officials.
(Full Story)
Pollution reduction enforcement numbers more than double
12/11/2003
The compliance assurance and enforcement results for Fiscal Year 2003 show environmental benefits increased an estimated 131 percent over FY2002.
(Full Story)
Administrator Leavitt outlines plans and aspirations for the Agency
12/11/2003
Speech highlights common sense approach; previews 500-day air-quality action plan.
(Full Story)
EPA's ECHO resonates with public
11/21/2003
ECHO, EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online database, successfully delivered local-facility compliance and enforcement information in response to over one million search requests in its first year of operation.
(Full Story)
Seventh Annual Kick-off for America Recycles Day
11/21/2003
Kicking off nearly 800 events across the nation, EPA, the D.C. Government, numerous non-government organizations and corporate partners today celebrated the seventh annual America Recycles Day by encouraging Americans to reduce, reuse, recycle and buy recycled products.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to promote recycling of hazardous waste
11/21/2003
On Oct. 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a change to federal hazardous waste management regulations that could significantly increase the recovery of metals, solvents and other usable materials was announced today by EPA.
(Full Story)
National Smart Growth Achievement Award Recipients Announced
11/19/2003
Five communities were recognized today by the Environmental Protection Agency for their innovative approaches to projects ranging from the revitalization of brownfields to the renewal of urban centers, while still maintaining a sense of community identity and respect for the environment.
(Full Story)
New source review equipment replacement rule published
10/29/2003
The final New Source Review Equipment Replacement rule is being published today in the Federal Register. The final rule was signed and announced by Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko in late August.
(Full Story)
Governor Mike Leavitt confirmed by Senate as next EPA Administrator
10/29/2003
Utah Governor Mike Leavitt was confirmed today by an overwhelming majority (88-8) by the U.S. Senate to be the next Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Schools committed to indoor air quality receive awards from EPA
10/27/2003
Schools and individuals demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to improving indoor air quality received recognition at the fourth annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Symposium in Washington, D.C.
(Full Story)
Brownfields conference features grants and Portfields Initiative
10/27/2003
EPA Acting Administrator Marianne Lamont Horinko, attending the "Brownfields 2003 - Growing a Greener America" Conference in Portland, Ore., presented a total of $400,000 to the communities of Allegan, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; Lancaster County, Pa.; Emeryville, Calif.; and the Downriver Community Conference, Southgate, Mich., to incorporate smart growth into their planning, revitalization, and redevelopment efforts.
(Full Story)
U.S. states sue federal government over greenhouse gases
10/24/2003
Twelve states, including California and New York, filed petitions Thursday in federal court in a bid to force the Bush administration to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
(Full Story)
$5 million for Clean School Bus projects awarded
10/24/2003
Seventeen projects demonstrating ways to reduce pollution from school buses were announced today by Acting EPA Administrator Marianne Horinko. The projects are funded by a $5 million Clean School Bus USA grant program.
(Full Story)
Partnering with ports for a better environment
10/24/2003
Based on the industry's interest in environmental stewardship, 11 deep water coastal ports will participate in an Environmental Management System (EMS) assistance project. By doing so, they show leadership in environmental protection, reduce costs and improve efficiency, increase staff involvement and morale and integrate other objectives, such as safety and security, with environmental activities.
(Full Story)
U.S. labor groups sue for clean air in factories
10/22/2003
The United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers of America filed a lawsuit against the Labor Department Tuesday, seeking to force it to set clean air standards for factories that the unions said could save workers' lives.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to promote recycling of hazardous waste
10/20/2003
A proposed change to federal hazardous waste management regulations that could significantly increase the recovery of metals, solvents and other usable materials was announced today by EPA.
(Full Story)
EPA makes final decision on dioxin in sewage sludge land application
10/17/2003
EPA has made a final decision not to regulate dioxins in land-applied sewage sludge. After five years of study, including outside peer review, the Agency has determined that dioxins from this source do not pose a significant risk to human health or the environment.
(Full Story)
EPA provides extensive mercury spill prevention and cleanup information
10/16/2003
EPA is reminding the public and school teachers – particularly science teachers and administrators – of the importance of secure storage, safe handling, and in the event of a spill, the safe cleanup of mercury.
(Full Story)
EPA launches Children’s Health Month at walk-to-school day event
10/08/2003
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko today addressed the 7th annual International Walk-to-School Day event in Washington, D.C., as the Agency launched Children’s Health Month.
(Full Story)
Air Quality Index forecasts now available year-round
10/03/2003
Beginning October 1, new information on air quality will be available year-round in more than 100 U.S. cities. As part of an ongoing effort to protect the American public from air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency, together with state and local governments, is expanding current air quality forecasts to include daily information on particle pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA weighs easing toxic disclosures
09/29/2003
The government is studying ways to ease requirements for industry to report the toxic chemicals they put into the environment. Industry has been asking for flexibility, which environmentalists fear will lead to weakened protections.
(Full Story)
Green groups fear U.S. environmental review changes
09/25/2003
Green groups slammed recommendations Wednesday from a Bush administration task force on ways to streamline federal environmental reviews, arguing that the public would be shut out of the process in key government agency decisions.
(Full Story)
State lawmakers form Great Lakes Caucus
09/25/2003
Forty lawmakers from eight states have launched the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus to create uniform laws in their respective states to curb water pollution, regulate water diversion projects and control the spread of non-native plants and animals accidentally introduced into the largest system of fresh surface water on earth.
(Full Story)
EPA settles clean air emissions case with Las Vegas wood furniture manufact
09/23/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has settled a case with a North Las Vegas company over alleged violations of the federal Clean Air and Emergency Planning and Right to Know acts.
(Full Story)
Nation's largest healthcare system pledges involvement in healthy hospitals
09/19/2003
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest integrated healthcare network in the country, has committed to reduce its environmental impact by becoming a "Champion for Change" in the innovative Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program.
(Full Story)
York landlord sentenced for submitting forged lead paint disclosure forms
09/19/2003
Kurvin H. Grove of York, Pa. was sentenced today in federal court in Harrisburg, Pa., for the criminal obstruction of agency proceedings related to forging signatures on lead notification forms. U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell sentenced Grove to 12-months probation, which includes 6-months home confinement, and ordered the defendant to pay a $7,600 fine.
(Full Story)
Bush defends change in environmental rules
09/16/2003
President Bush Monday defended a change in clean air rules — which environmentalists believe will cause more pollution — as necessary to allow power plants to upgrade their equipment and keep the U.S. economy going.
(Full Story)
Air quality continues to improve: new report and data
09/15/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual air trends report and also released new acid rain data, both of which show steady and significant air quality improvement.
(Full Story)
EPA rule cracks down on foundry pollution
09/09/2003
New federal regulations to crack down on toxic air emissions from about 100 iron and steel foundries nationwide will take effect later this month, said a spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
Dry cleaners ponder cleaning options, increased regulation
08/29/2003
For dry cleaners, the issue of how clothes should be cleaned is at the heart of a debate prompted by increasing questions about perchloroethylene, or perc, the industry's most popular cleaning solvent.
(Full Story)
Bush administration revises air pollution rules
08/28/2003
The Bush administration on Wednesday exempted thousands of older power plants, refineries and factories from having to install costly clean air controls when they modernize with new equipment that improves efficiency but increases pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA eases pollution rule at U.S. power plants
08/28/2003
The Bush administration Wednesday revised clean air regulations to make it easier for power plants and refineries to repair and upgrade their facilities — a move environmental groups said will cause more air pollution.
(Full Story)
EPA continues efforts to reduce hazardous air emissions
08/28/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will approve this week thirteen rules requiring industrial facilities to install the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).
(Full Story)
EPA announces next step to improve the New Source Review program
08/28/2003
EPA is establishing an equipment replacement provision as part of the routine maintenance, repair and replacement exclusion of the New Source Review (NSR) permitting program. Today's rule makes the program more effective and responsive to today's environmental, economic and energy challenges.
(Full Story)
EPA Finalizes two Rules to Reduce Toxic Air Emissions
08/27/2003
On Aug. 14, EPA issued a final rule to reduce toxic air pollutant emissions from metal can surface coating operations.
(Full Story)
EPA Recognizes new environmental performance track members
08/25/2003
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today 25 facilities recently selected as new members of EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
EPA seeks information on RCRA framework with goal of fostering improvement
08/18/2003
There are over 130,000 large and small hazardous waste generators in the United States who are responsible for implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA) "cradle to grave" system for the proper management of hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Fabricant announces resignation as EPA's general counsel
08/18/2003
Robert E. Fabricant, General Counsel of the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, today submitted his resignation to the President.
(Full Story)
Bush picks Utah Gov. Leavitt to head EPA
08/12/2003
The White House on Monday tapped Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to become head of the Environmental Protection Agency, a move conservationists immediately denounced.
(Full Story)
EPA helps launch global water quality monitoring effort
08/08/2003
The first World Water Monitoring Day will be held Oct. 18, 2003. To ensure that Americans and citizens around the globe have clean water the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is partnering with America's Clean Water Foundation and the International Water Association to urge people around the world to test the quality of their streams, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters.
(Full Story)
EPA national hazardous waste meeting date set
08/07/2003
The annual Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) National Meeting, a forum for federal and state regulators and the regulated community to discuss solid and hazardous waste management issues, will be held in Washington, D.C.
(Full Story)
EPA Region 2 fines cleaners in NY, NJ
08/07/2003
Seven drycleaners—six in New Jersey and one in New York, were fined last month by EPA for various violations pertaining to the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Clear Skies Act receives state and local support
08/06/2003
The Bush Administration's Clear Skies Act of 2003, establishing a mandatory multi-pollutant approach to reducing air pollution, is receiving bi-partisan support from state and local elected officials
(Full Story)
Eastern states: More air pollution with new EPA rule
07/30/2003
Nearly 1.6 million additional tons of air pollution would be emitted in 12 key states under a new rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to alter the Clean Air Act's New Source Review permit requirements, according to research by state governments and an environmental group.
(Full Story)
Michigan auto shop owner indicted on hazardous waste charges
07/24/2003
On July 9, in U.S. District Court in Michigan, George C. Singleton of Clinton, Mich., was indicted on four counts of violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Singleton is the owner of RT Automotive in Ypsalinti, Mich.
(Full Story)
Three indicted for violating clean air act in California
07/21/2003
Carlo Giordano and his son, Allesandro Giordano, both of Nashville, Tenn., were arrested on July 10 in Nashville on charges that they and their company, Autodelta USA, illegally sold automobiles in California that violated federal Clean Air Act (CAA) and vehicle safety standards.
(Full Story)
Coordinated approach stressed in revised small business strategy
07/21/2003
In recognition of the increasingly important role small business plays in the United States economy, EPA announced its revised Small Business Strategy on June 27.
(Full Story)
EPA issues enforcement accomplishments report
07/11/2003
The EPA released its Fiscal Year 2002 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Accomplishments Report entitled "Environmental Results Through Smart Enforcement."
(Full Story)
EPA's criminal enforcement chief ousted
07/10/2003
The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) criminal program has been transferred to a subordinate position, according to an internal memo released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
(Full Story)
EPA increases civil penalties for environmental violations
07/07/2003
Under proposed regulations, EPA will be able to assess increased maximum civil penalties against polluters caught violating the nation's environmental laws. The increase is almost 15 percent.
(Full Story)
Updated modeling confirms widespread benefits
07/02/2003
EPA released updated modeling results that confirm that the Clear Skies Act of 2003 would significantly improve air quality across the nation, resulting in enormous health and environmental benefits.
(Full Story)
Plating company sentenced for illegal disposal
06/30/2003
On June 18, in U.S. District Court in Texarkana, RTF Industries, Inc., located outside of Marshall, Texas, was sentenced to pay a $100,000 fine for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
(Full Story)
EPA releases environmental reports
06/25/2003
The Environmental Protection Agency released a mixed “Report on the Environment” on Monday that outlined progress in areas from air quality to drinking water but said plenty of problems remain.
(Full Story)
EPA announces Brownfields grant recipients
06/23/2003
As part of EPA's ongoing efforts to promote economic revitalization while safeguarding the environment and public health, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced $73.1 million in Brownfields funds for a variety of different grants made available from the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.
(Full Story)
EMS systems encouraged in enforcement cases
06/17/2003
To encourage the widespread use of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs), EPA announced a new guidance to promote their use in compliance assurance and enforcement programs.
(Full Story)
Three states sue to force EPA to regulate C02
06/17/2003
Three states filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the agency is failing to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, which they say is required by the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
American anglers warned to watch out for mercury
06/09/2003
Mercury contamination is at crisis levels in an increasing number of U.S. lakes and rivers, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) warned.
(Full Story)
Bush air plan could be changed to allow more mercury
06/09/2003
Environmentalists have criticized the Bush administration's Clear Skies initiative for being too lax on reducing mercury emissions, but during a recent Senate hearing Republican lawmakers and industry officials raised doubts that the administration's proposal is even feasible.
(Full Story)
Former Chico cleaners targeted in Superfund lawsuit
06/09/2003
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s office has filed a $1.4 million lawsuit against them and a handful of other Chico residents under the federal Superfund law enacted over 20 years ago.
(Full Story)
EPA failing to enforce Clean Water Act
06/09/2003
An internal report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates the agency is doing a poor job of enforcing the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Waste recycling bill passes California Senate
06/05/2003
Legislation requiring electronics manufacturers to establish a "free and convenient" recycling system for old computers, televisions and other electronic devices is working its way through the California legislature. It was passed by the California State Senate on a 24 to 13 vote and now moves along to the Assembly.
(Full Story)
EPA announces drinking water progress
06/03/2003
Protection of our nation's drinking water reached a significant milestone this month with the completion by drinking water systems, in conjunction with states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Clean Water Act diluted by obsolete data system
05/28/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ability to monitor and control water pollution is being severely undermined by an outdated computer system, finds a new report from the agency's internal watchdog.
(Full Story)
Christine Whitman resigns as EPA Chief
05/21/2003
Christie Whitman, sometimes at odds with the Bush White House over environmental issues and a lightning rod for the administration's critics, resigned Wednesday as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
EPA anounces new recycling, energy recovery, waste minimization initiative
05/20/2003
EPA announced ten new innovative projects from around the country to test creative approaches to waste minimization, energy recovery, recycling and land revitalization that may be replicated across various industries, communities and regions.
(Full Story)
Wastewater treatment officials sentenced in Clean Water Act case
05/16/2003
The U.S. District Court in Columbia, S.C., James Goldman, former Vice President and Secretary of Tin Products, Inc. of Lexington, S.C., Melanie Purvis, former Environmental Supervisor at Tin Products, and George Metts, former wastewater treatment operator were each sentenced, in a case involving an illegal wastewater discharge from the Tin Products facility.
(Full Story)
EPA finalizes air pollution rules
05/13/2003
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised two rules contributing to its efforts to reduce national emissions of toxic air pollutants.
(Full Story)
EPA launches new auto recyclers compliance assistance
05/12/2003
EPA has introduced a new web-based Compliance Assistance Center to help automotive recyclers comply with federal and state environmental regulations.
(Full Story)
EPA considers relaxing pollution laws for factory farms
05/07/2003
Environmental groups are worried that the Bush administration is cutting deals with the livestock and poultry industries behind closed doors to exempt factory farms from existing pollution laws.
(Full Story)
EPA & NOAA join forces to enhance air quality forecasts
05/06/2003
EPA and the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marked World Asthma Day today by announcing a partnership to jointly develop a forecasting tool which will enhance the ability to predict air quality in our communities.
(Full Story)
Energy efficient homes help save money, environment
05/06/2003
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that 100,000 new homes have earned the EPA ENERGY STAR designation, saving Americans more than $26 million in energy costs annually.
(Full Story)
California spurs perc switching
05/05/2003
A California legislature wants cleaners to quit using perc and he is willing to pay them to switch.
(Full Story)
EPA announces hospitals for a healthy environment awards
05/05/2003
EPA, the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, and the Health Care Without Harm organization announce that Bronson Methodist Hospital of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center of Lebanon, N.H., have won the 2003 Environmental Leadership Awards for the national Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program.
(Full Story)
EPA revises hazardous waste mixture rule
04/22/2003
EPA announced that it is proposing to revise the wastewater treatment exemptions for hazardous waste mixtures, an action also known as the "Headworks Rule Exemptions."
(Full Story)
EPA releases best practices guide on industrial waste
04/22/2003
Promoting pollution prevention and fostering significant upgrades to the nation's waste management practices, EPA announced the release of a comprehensive voluntary industrial waste management guide that identifies best management practices for the full range of non-hazardous industrial wastes – covering more than 60,000 industrial facilities in the United States that produce and manage an estimated 7.6 billion tons of this industrial waste.
(Full Story)
Virginia TRI reveals mixed reports
04/10/2003
As chemical releases to the environment reported by Virginia industries declined in 2001, the amount of chemicals transferred off-site for safe treatment or disposal increased by 10 percent, according to the latest Toxics Release Inventory produced by the Department of Environmental Quality.
(Full Story)
New EPA initiative promotes waste cleanup programs
04/10/2003
Accelerating its efforts to revitalize communities and stimulate the economy by restoring contaminated properties, EPA announced a new national initiative to incorporate land reuse into its Superfund, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Brownfields, and Underground Storage Tank hazardous waste cleanup programs.
(Full Story)
Louisiana co sentenced to largerst fine in history
04/10/2003
PCS Nitrogen Inc., which operates a chemical plant in Geismar, La., was sentenced on March 17 to pay a $1.75 million fine in U.S. District Court for Louisiana in Baton Rouge for violating the Clean Air Act (CAA). On March 28, PCS paid a $250,000 fine in Louisiana State Court for similar offenses.
(Full Story)
Initiative to improve undergound storage tank programs
04/09/2003
EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response launched a new initiative to integrate the assessment and cleanup efforts of its solid and hazardous waste cleanup programs (Superfund, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Underground Storage Tanks) to increase speed and efficiency of environmental cleanups and improve the sharing of information with affected citizens.
(Full Story)
Acid rain allowance auction for air emissions shows continued progress
03/27/2003
EPA and the Chicago Board of Trade announced the results of the eleventh annual acid rain allowance auction on Tues., March 25th. The auction, which gives private citizens, brokers and power plants an opportunity to buy and sell sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowances, is part of EPA's innovative and successful program to reduce acid rain by cutting nationwide SO2 emissions from power generation by 50 percent.
(Full Story)
Utah medical waste firm charged with illegal discharge
03/25/2003
David I. Kali, former owner of Aseptic Services Inc., in Orem, Utah, was charged with violating state pretreatment standards for allegedly discharging wastes into publically owned sewage treatment systems.
(Full Story)
EPA working to find solutions on perchlorate
03/25/2003
EPA is working with other federal agencies, the states, tribes, water suppliers and the public to evaluate perchlorate - a component of rocket fuel - as an environmental contaminant.
(Full Story)
EPA administrator declares March as small business month
03/11/2003
Administrator Christine Whitman recognized March as "Small Business Month." To support small businesses in their environmental efforts, the Administrator is visiting small business throughout the country.
(Full Story)
Pollution-free power plant plans revealed
03/05/2003
The government will participate with private industry in a 10-year program to build a coal-based, pollution-free power plant, the Energy Department announced.
(Full Story)
Whitman supports continued reduction in toxic air emissions
03/05/2003
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman has signed 13 final rules to reduce toxic air emissions from industrial facilities across the United States.
(Full Story)
US upholds EPA drinking water standards
02/27/2003
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld EPA's rule setting limits on the permissible level of radionuclides in drinking water. The regulation retains the existing standards for the radionuclides radium-226, radium-228, and certain beta/photon emitters, and establishes standards for uranium for the first time.
(Full Story)
EPA offers free small business workshop
02/27/2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a one-day workshop to teach small businesses how to win contracts under EPA's Small Business Innovation Research program. The agency's environmental technology needs also will be explained.
(Full Story)
EPA finalizes metal products and machinery rule
02/20/2003
EPA has issued a new clean water rule that will reduce pollution from an estimated 2,400 metal products and machinery (MP&M) operations across the country.
(Full Story)
EPA reports 10 years of pollutant reduction
02/20/2003
A national report on pollution prevention programs says that pollutants were reduced by 167 billion pounds between 1990 and 2000.
(Full Story)
Free Small Business Workshop
02/18/2003
Small Business Innovation Research Program Workshop
(Full Story)
California lawmakers to charge new paint fees
02/12/2003
As expected, a bill that will give the California Air Resources Board (CARB) the authority to impose new fees on various consumer products and architectural paints roared to passage in the state legislature last week despite protests from industry groups.
(Full Story)
President's environmental budget outlined
02/07/2003
President Bush's proposed FY 2004 request for the natural resources and environment budget function is $30.4 billion, an increase of $1 billion, or 4 percent higher than requested in FY 2003.
(Full Story)
New web site offers accessibility to small businesses
01/28/2003
The Administration launched Regulations.gov, a new online rulemaking Web site, that will make the federal rulemaking process more accessible and enable citizens and small businessesto quickly access and comment on hundreds of open proposed rules from all federal agencies.
(Full Story)
Bush's 50 environmental policy changes
01/24/2003
Halfway into his four-year term, President Bush has significantly altered the nation's environmental policies, often without attracting much notice.
(Full Story)
EPA extends public comment for pilot database
01/24/2003
Due to several requests from the public, EPA has extended the comment period for its pilot information database, Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) to March 31.
(Full Story)
Ohio man indicted on Clean Air Act charges
01/24/2003
John Littlehale of Terrance Park, Ohio, former Vice President for Manufacturing at Multi-Color Corp., was indicted on Jan. 15 for alleged conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA).
(Full Story)
EPA releases innovative approach to cleaner water
01/21/2003
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman announced a new Water Quality Trading Policy to cut industrial, municipal and agricultural discharges into the nation's waterways.
(Full Story)
US reaches settlement with Koppers Industries
01/21/2003
Koppers Industries, Inc. agreed to pay the United States $2.9 million to resolve allegations of numerous violations of several environmental regulations at many of the company's U.S. facilities and committed to carry out an environmental management system (EMS), the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced.
(Full Story)
Metal treating company and president fined
01/21/2003
Moore, McMillen Inc. (MMI), and MMI's President William Moore, both of Sevierville, Tenn., each pled guilty to negligent violations of the Clean Water Act and were sentenced on Jan. 9 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee in Knoxville.
(Full Story)
Mercury-containing waste illegally disposed of
01/21/2003
Michael A. Raasch of Brewster, Mass., was sentenced on Dec. 17 to serve six months in home confinement as part of three years probation and pay a $10,000 fine for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
State scraps water certification program
01/09/2003
Missouri has surrendered its veto power over federal projects that affect wetlands, rivers and streams in order to save $99,000 a year. Environmentalists, legislators and bureaucrats are puzzled by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' decision to eliminate its water-quality certification program as part of its budget cuts.
(Full Story)
EPA rule vioilations
01/09/2003
Recent vioations against the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
Federal courts grant EPA 45 more days for MP&M rule
01/09/2003
The DC Federal Court of Appeals has granted an EPA request for a 45-day extension to finalize the MP&M rule. Facing a looming year-end deadline and the risk of not completing the final MP&M rulemaking package, EPA recently sought relief from the court.
(Full Story)
Protecting and restoring America's wetlands
12/30/2002
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and Transportation today strengthened their commitment to achieve the goal of no net loss of our Nation's wetlands with the release of a comprehensive action plan and improved guidance to ensure effective, scientifically-based restoration of wetlands impacted by development activities.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to withdraw unworkable 2000 TMDL rule
12/30/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is proposing to withdraw the July 2000 final rule which revised EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Landfill settles Clean Air Act case with EPA and DOJ
12/30/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice announced the owner/operator of the state's Central Landfill in Johnston, RI will be spending more than $5 million on air pollution control measures as part of a settlement of alleged Clean Air Act violations.
(Full Story)
Manufacturers to Label All Mercury-Containing Lamps
12/30/2002
Fluorescent lamp makers, including General Electric, Slyvania and Phillips, will soon be required by Vermont law to label all lamps containing mercury sold in-state.
(Full Story)
Are you a hazardous material shipper?
12/17/2002
In our industry, it is very common to ship or receive injection pumps and injections via UPS, FedEx, USPS or other common carriers. Most of the time, oil or fuel leaks are not an issue, although all of us have opened or received shipping boxes that were oil soaked.
(Full Story)
EPA and agriculture working together to improve America's waters
12/17/2002
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman announced that the agency is working with the agricultural community to control water pollution from the nation's largest livestock operations while keeping American agriculture viable.
(Full Story)
National Environmental Performance Track
12/17/2002
Over the last several years, EPA has joined states, businesses, and community and environmental groups in developing new approaches to environmental protection that foster innovation and reward excellence.
(Full Story)
Bush administration issuing new rules for farm pollution
12/17/2002
About 1,000 Iowa farms could be required to obtain permits under new environmental restrictions being imposed by the Bush administration.
(Full Story)
Chemical cleanup underway at former St. Paul business
12/12/2002
Workers in protective clothing have begun removing 60,000 gallons of hazardous liquids and sludges before they freeze at a former electroplating firm in St. Paul, environmental officials said.
(Full Story)
Solvent maker Swift Chemical hires new company for cleanup
12/12/2002
A company under scrutiny for leaking and improperly storing hazardous chemicals hired a contractor to stabilize the site and received an extended deadline for completing the work.
(Full Story)
Used cell phone efforts stepped up
12/12/2002
Leading cell phone manufacturers pledged Thursday to work with the U.N. Environment Program to try to ensure that old models are recycled or refurbished rather than simply dumped.
(Full Story)
Vehicle exhaust emission standards amended
12/06/2002
EPA is issuing amendments to clarify the "Tier 2" light-duty vehicle exhaust emission standards.
(Full Story)
$800,000 awarded to small businesses
12/06/2002
EPA has awarded $800,000 to eight small businesses to develop cost-effective methods for removing arsenic from drinking water to meet the Agency's new arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion.
(Full Story)
EPA releases costs for US pollution abatement
12/06/2002
The US EPA has released the latest Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures data - the only comprehensive source of information on pollution abatement expenditures for US manufacturing, mining and electric utility industries.
(Full Story)
Environmental firm to pay $5.5 million for illegal hazardous waste handling
11/22/2002
U.S. Liquids of Detroit Inc., which does business as USL-City Environmental Inc., in Detroit, Mich., pleaded guilty, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act.
(Full Story)
Consumers and environment score big with energy star products
11/22/2002
Partnerships continue to benefit the environment and consumers according to the latest 2001 Annual Report issued by Environmental Protection Agency that details the success of the ENERGY STAR and other voluntary climate change programs. The report discusses the environmental and economic accomplishments of these programs and outlines plans for 2002 and beyond.
(Full Story)
Hazwaste company fined for polluting river
11/19/2002
Cycle Chem, a hazardous waste storage facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, has been fined $50,000 for illegal discharges of hazardous and non-hazardous pollutants into the Elizabeth River.
(Full Story)
EPA seeks comment on pilot online compliance tool
11/19/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that on Nov. 20 it will release an innovative pilot information tool that gives the public and industry direct access to the current environmental compliance record of more than 800,000 regulated facilities nationwide.
(Full Story)
Increasing power needs may boost pollution
11/14/2002
Meeting future electricity demand may increase emissions of some harmful substances, concludes a new report from the General Accounting Office (GAO).
(Full Story)
Air pollution trading program gets poor review
11/14/2002
An air pollution credit trading program often touted as the prototype for President George W. Bush's plan to revamp clean air regulations is performing below expectations, shows a new evaluation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Georgia man convicted of violating state solid waste laws
11/14/2002
Ronald E. Crouse was convicted on Oct. 31 in Cobb County Superior Court on 12 counts of violating Georgia's open dumping and solid waste laws. Crouse, operator of an auto salvage yard in Austell, Ga., collected payment from waste haulers and directed them to dump on a property next to his salvage yard, which was owned by the Jadow Corp.
(Full Story)
EPA, environmental group reach deal on smog
11/14/2002
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached an out-of-court agreement with environmental groups on Wednesday to activate a 1997 program to cut smog-causing ozone.
(Full Story)
Dell offers recycling option to consumers
11/05/2002
Dell has begun offering U.S. consumers the option to recycle their used computers. Through the new Dell Exchange option, consumers can recycle any desktop or notebook computer from any manufacturer.
(Full Story)
Hearing date set for NPCA's appeal of AIM rule
11/05/2002
The hearing dates for NPCA’s appeal to overturn a Delaware architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) coatings rule that is more stringent than the national AIM rule have been set for December 10 and 11. The hearing was postponed from the original Sept.10 date. NPCA, along with volunteer member companies, is currently preparing presentations for the hearing under the direction of local Delaware counsel.
(Full Story)
Kansas man sentenced for Clean Water Act violations
10/31/2002
On Oct. 16, Terian Koester, former owner of QWAL Laboratories in Pittsburgh, Kan., was sentenced to 18 months incarceration and fined $2,000 after previously pleading guilty to mail fraud and making false statements in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
US announces settlement for PCB contamination
10/31/2002
The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today filed a motion in federal court in Birmingham, Ala., seeking approval of a comprehensive environmental settlement with Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia Corporation to investigate and address the serious polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination in Anniston, Ala.
(Full Story)
Mistrial declared in lead paint lawsuit
10/31/2002
A mistrial was declared in Rhode Island's landmark lawsuit against makers of lead paint Tuesday after the jury reported it was hopelessly deadlocked in the potentially multimillion-dollar case.
(Full Story)
California smog agency seeks ban on dry clean chemical
10/23/2002
Southern California's clean air agency has proposed the nation's first ban on a toxic chemical used in dry cleaning that officials say makes the cleaners a greater cancer risk than oil refineries or power plants.
(Full Story)
Research strategy completed to monitor and assess waters
10/22/2002
EPA has announced a national Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) research strategy to provide a comprehensive picture of the state of major U.S. streams and estuaries.
(Full Story)
California men indicted for illegal handling of dry cleaning wastes
10/22/2002
Homayoun Pourat of Beverly Hills, Calif., President of AAD Distribution and Dry Cleaning Services Inc.; Hormoz Pourat of Encino, Calif., AAD Vice President and Behzad Kahoolyzadeh of West Los Angeles, Calif., Manager of AAD, were indicted on Oct. 11 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles on multiple counts of violating federal hazardous waste laws.
(Full Story)
EPA municipal waste program has new focus
10/22/2002
EPA Deputy Administrator Linda Fisher has challenged leading business, government and other institutional leaders to think and act creatively on waste reduction. Speaking at the WasteWise Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 10, Fisher noted that waste reduction has impacts far beyond traditional recycling and waste prevention programs.
(Full Story)
Electronics recycling works in mid-Atlantic states
10/15/2002
More than 2,100 tons of used electronics have been collected from residents in the mid-Atlantic states over the past year through a collaboration between state government agencies and the electronics industry.
(Full Story)
New Hampshire man sentenced for illegal discharge
10/15/2002
Bradley G. Beaudoin of Troy, N.H., was sentenced on Sept. 24 to six months home confinement, one year probation and a $2,000 fine in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire in Concord.
(Full Story)
Minnesota residents charged with illegal disposal
10/15/2002
Michael James Wederath of Robbinsdale, Minn.; Nicole Marie Simmons of Crystal, Minn.; and David Paul Wederath and Bradley Odell, both of Fridley, Minn., each were indicted on Oct. 1 in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis on charges of conspiring to manufacture and manufacturing methamphetamine, conspiring to violate and violating the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
EPA reports little change in nation's water quality
10/01/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its biennial national summary of water quality, based on water monitoring findings reported by the states, territories, jurisdictions and tribes in 2000 under Section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA settles enforcement case against metal finisher
09/26/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the Cambridge Plating Co., a Belmont-based metal finisher near Boston, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $65,000 and spend a total of $357,000 on environmental projects as part of a settlement of an enforcement case.
(Full Story)
Holes in US environmental data hurt policymaking
09/26/2002
U.S. lawmakers lack critical data about land, water and air pollution to draw up effective environmental policies, according to a landmark study released by an independent group.
(Full Story)
Michigan may ban mercury thermometers
09/23/2002
Michigan could become the next Great Lakes state to ban the sale of mercury thermometers. Environmentalists are praising the legislation, but say more needs to be done to curb the threat of mercury pollution.
(Full Story)
Call for papers and MSWG workshop
09/19/2002
CALL FOR PAPERS: The 6th Annual Learning Together Workshop on Environmental Innovation and EMS. Encouraging environmental performance in the state-federal system: Leveraging innovation, involvement of the private sector and the role of regulatory and financial incentives.
(Full Story)
Women in building trades affected by outdated standards
09/16/2002
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that approximately 94,000 women were working in the construction trades in 2001, primarily as carpenters, electricians, painters, and plumbers, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has yet to revise its 30-year-old construction field sanitation standard.
(Full Story)
Colorado plating company executive sentenced
09/12/2002
Mahesh Patel, Executive Vice President of the Jemm Co., a Colorado plating company, was sentenced on Aug. 23 to 12 months and one day imprisonment and one year of supervised release for directing company employees to illegally dispose of plating wastewater in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
EPA challenges Americans to take environmental responsibility
09/11/2002
Urging Americans to take renewed responsibility for their individual impact on the environment, EPA announced the kickoff of a campaign challenging Americans to meet or beat two goals by 2005: boosting the national recycling rate from 30 percent to at least 35 percent and curbing by 50 percent the generation of 30 harmful chemicals normally found in hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Chicago landlords charged with violations
09/10/2002
Two apartment building owners in Chicago have been charged with failing to warn their tenants that their homes may contain lead based paint hazards.
(Full Story)
Alleged hazardous waste storage violations settled
09/10/2002
Sunoco, Inc., has agreed to pay a $14,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its Girard Point Processing facility, on 3144 Passyunk Road at Philadelphia, Pa.
(Full Story)
Air quality report confirms improvements and challenges
09/05/2002
According to EPA's 2001 annual summary report of National Air Quality Trends released today, air quality in the United States continues to improve steadily. Continuing trends seen since 1970, U.S. air quality has steadily improved, while gross domestic product has grown by 161 percent.
(Full Story)
Texas chemical plant managers sentenced
09/03/2002
Jeffrey L. Jackson, former plant manager for the Huntsman Chemical Plant in Port Arthur, Texas, and Michael Peters, Huntsman's former environmental manager and a former regional manager for the Texas Air Control Board, were sentenced on Aug. 15 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Beaumont for their previous conviction on charges of conspiracy, making a false statement to the EPA and violating the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Connecticut man pleads to clean water act violation
09/03/2002
Anthony Dadalt of Enfield, Conn., pleaded guilty on Aug. 5 in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in Hartford to violating the Clean Water Act by exceeding pollutant limits in a wastewater discharge permit.
(Full Story)
$1 million bond set in Georgia dumping case
08/29/2002
A $1 million bond has been set for an Austell, Ga. man accused of operating a large illegal landfill. It is the highest bond ever for an environmental crime in the state, according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).
(Full Story)
Polluter given one-year sentence
08/26/2002
Mahesh Patel, 44, of Aurora was sentenced to one year in federal prison for violating the U.S. Clean Water Act. Patel's company, Jemm Plating, 3300 Walnut St. in Denver, was fined $100,000.
(Full Story)
Two chemical plant mangers sent to prison
08/20/2002
Two former managers of the Huntsman Chemical Plant in Port Arthur, Texas received prison sentences for violating regulations under the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
OSHA reopens glycol ethers rulemaking record
08/12/2002
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will reopen the glycol ethers rulemaking record to solicit information on the extent to which the two ethylene glycol ethers and their acetates are currently being used in the workplace, including their level of production, and the industries and processes in which they're being used.
(Full Story)
Possible new water pollution rules challenged
08/08/2002
The Bush administration said it is drafting a new rule to govern the cleanup of pollution in more than 20,000 lakes, ponds, streams and rivers across the country. The move has been opposed by environmental groups, who say developing a new regulation will delay water cleanups and remove existing pollution controls.
(Full Story)
New desktop PC called environmentally friendly
08/06/2002
NEC Solutions America has introduced a new desktop personal computer (PC) that the company says avoids many of the environmental problems associated with traditional PCs.
(Full Story)
Kansas company manager sentenced to five years
08/02/2002
John Dillon, co-owner and manager of Environmental Services and Products Inc., in Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction for illegally storing hazardous wastes
(Full Story)
Clear skies legislation will improve air quality, human health
07/29/2002
The Bush Administration announced that it has sent legislation to Congress to implement the President's Clear Skies initiative, an aggressive plan to cut power plant pollution by 70 percent and protect public health. The legislation will be introduced today by Senator Bob Smith and was introduced last Friday by Congressmen Tauzin and Barton.
(Full Story)
Former Virginia treatment plant operator sentenced to prison
07/29/2002
Richard M. Anthony, formerly of Henry County, Va., was sentenced on July 10 to serve one year in prison and pay over $31,000 in restitution for violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) by discharging sewage without a permit. Anthony, who was President and owner of Sanville Utilities Inc., constructed and operated the Fairway Acres sewage treatment plant which serviced the Fairway Acres subdivision near Bassett, Va.
(Full Story)
Proposal to update fees for motor vehicles and engines
07/29/2002
EPA is proposing to update certification and compliance costs to the manufacturers of on-road and non-road vehicles under the Motor Vehicle and Engine Compliance Program (MVECP).
(Full Story)
San Jose company cited for hazardous waste violations
07/22/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Haro's Metal Finishing, Inc. of San Jose $7,150 for alleged hazardous waste management violations discovered during a routine inspection last year.
(Full Story)
EPA will help local governments meet goals
07/22/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water has selected eight organizations from across the nation to become Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Local Resource Centers where local governments can go to make their operations more environmentally friendly.
(Full Story)
Ohio company agrees to pay penalty for air pollution violations
07/22/2002
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Kornylak Corporation for violating air pollution control regulations at its metal parts fabricating facility located at 400 Heaton Street, Hamilton (Butler County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $30,000.
(Full Story)
Textile dyers to cut hazardous emissions by 60 percent under EPA proposal
07/17/2002
Fabric dyeing operations would have to cut hazardous air pollutant emissions by 60 percent under a rule proposed July 11 by the Environmental Protection Agency (67 Fed. Reg. 46,027).
(Full Story)
Medical sterilization firm dirties Illinois air
07/17/2002
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has filed an administrative complaint against Cosmed of Illinois for alleged clean air violations at its medical equipment sterilization plant in Waukegan, Illinois just north of Chicago. The agency has proposed a $132,000 penalty.
(Full Story)
Former Kanas lab owner pleads guilty to fraud, falsehoods
07/15/2002
Terian Koester, former owner of QWAL Laboratories in Pittsburgh, Kan., pleaded guilty on July 3 to mail fraud and making false statements in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
Colorado man sentenced to 17-year imprisonment, $100,000 fine
07/15/2002
In a Colorado state case co-investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC), Hormoz Pourat was sentenced on July 3 to serve 17 years in prison and pay a $100,000 fine for violating Colorado's Organized Crime Control Act.
(Full Story)
Louisiana company filed for wetlands destruction
07/15/2002
Tammany Holding, Corp., Slidell, La., pleaded guilty and was sentenced on July 3 to pay a $300,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act in 1997 and 1998 by illegally filling a wetland without a permit.
(Full Story)
Underground storage tank violations resolved
07/11/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Central Oil and Supply Corporation, 2300 Booth Street, Monroe, Louisiana, agreed to settle a case involving 43 alleged violations of the federal and state underground storage tank (UST) regulations for $150,000.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes new HAP standards
07/10/2002
The U.S. EPA has proposed HAP emissions limits for industrial coating processes for metal furniture and wood building products.
(Full Story)
New EPA data shows air quality improvements
07/01/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released new information demonstrating the dramatic clean air benefits of President Bush's Clear Skies initiative. Clear Skies will require America's power plants to reduce air pollution by an average of 70 percent.
(Full Story)
NPCA scores major legal victory
06/28/2002
The National Paint and Coatings Association has won a major victory in its long and continuing efforts to ensure sound and reasonable decisions are made when regulatory authorities establish restrictions on coatings.
(Full Story)
EPA files complaint against company
06/28/2002
The US Envinronmental Protection Agency has filed an administrative complaint seeking more than $620,000 from a Belmont-based electroplater for violations of federal air and hazardous-waste laws.
(Full Story)
National mercury thermometer bill proposed
06/27/2002
The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator James Jeffords (I-VT), is set to mark up S.351, a bill that would phase out sales of mercury thermometers, except by prescription, within 180 days after enactment and improve management of surplus mercury.
(Full Story)
Paint company failed to disclose hazardous metals information
06/26/2002
A Minnesota paint company agreed to pay $240,000 in fines for allegedly violating Minnesota's "listed metals" law by marketing paint as metal-free when it contained heavy metals.
(Full Story)
NPCA reminds the coating manufacturing industry of upcoming deadline
06/26/2002
The National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Miscellaneous Organic processes, commonly referred to as the MON, will require coatings and resin manufacturers to install covers and expensive add-on air pollution control equipment to reduce hazardous air pollutants.
(Full Story)
Companies failed to comply with air pollution emissions standards
06/26/2002
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency announced it has taken action against eight companies in the Los Angeles area for failing to comply with federal standards for emissions of air toxics.
(Full Story)
Physician sentenced for clean water act violation
06/24/2002
Clary P. Foote, a Harriman, Tenn., physician who owned a power plant there, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 7 for violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA announces new energy star rating tool for hotels
06/24/2002
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman officially launched the newest ENERGY STAR™ performance rating tool for hotels.
(Full Story)
EPA revises aluminum air toxics rule
06/18/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency published a series of final and proposed changes to a March 2000 rule setting hazardous air pollutant limits for secondary aluminum producers and aluminum founders as part of a settlement of two industry lawsuits.
(Full Story)
Illegal waste disposal has serious consequences
06/18/2002
Polluters in three states face charges of environmental crimes carrying a common theme: illegal waste disposal.
(Full Story)
EPA announces steps to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions
06/14/2002
Acting on the broad-based, bipartisan call for improving the New Source Review (NSR) program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced steps to increase energy efficiency and encourage emissions reductions.
(Full Story)
EPA holds public meeting on MP&M regulations
06/14/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency held a public meeting (June 7, 2002) to present an overview of the proposed MP&M regulations and the supporting Notice of Data Availability (NODA).
(Full Story)
EPA: Old computers no longer junk
06/12/2002
Obsolete computers, televisions, VCRs and cell phones are flooding landfills and incinerators, causing hazardous substances such as lead and mercury to seep into the environment.
(Full Story)
Proposed air toxic limits affects metal coating industry
06/11/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing hazardous air pollutant emissions limits for about 1,500 facilities that apply paints and other coatings to a variety of metal products.
(Full Story)
OMB and EPA agree on need to curb pollution
06/10/2002
In an unusual collaboration, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Air and Radiation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have agreed that curbing pollution from diesel-powered, non-road vehicles and equipment should be a top environmental priority of the Bush Administration.
(Full Story)
EPA lead rule to be issued by 2004
06/06/2002
Within the next two years, the Environmental Protection Agency expects to propose two and complete one final rule to reduce the public's exposure to lead, an agency official said June 5.
(Full Story)
Debate on EPA rules for pesticides
06/03/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is embroiled in several fierce legal and scientific debates as it struggles to write new rules governing the use of atrazine, one of the nation's most widely used pesticides.
(Full Story)
EPA forms Superfund advisory panel
05/31/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced the formation of a new advisory panel to make recommendations on the role Superfund should play in addressing the nation's most polluted and costly hazardous waste sites.
(Full Story)
Gasoline discharge pipeline blast killed three people
05/31/2002
The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the United States has filed a civil suit against Shell Pipeline Company LP and Olympic Pipeline Company in connection with the June 1999 gasoline pipeline rupture near Bellingham, Wash.
(Full Story)
New EPA facility supports environmental research
05/31/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened its largest research facility dedicated to environmental research.
(Full Story)
Supreme Court decision limiting federal power over states will affect EPA
05/30/2002
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court shielding states from federal agency actions arising from citizen complaints would limit the authority of Environmental Protection Agency administrative law judges in some cases to compel state action under federal environmental laws.
(Full Story)
Two sentenced in Las Vegas for criminal discharges of electroplating wastes
05/29/2002
U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden and Tom Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division announced that Gene Moran and John Gold were sentenced today for criminal violations of the Clean Water Act stemming from their operation of Silver State Plating, an electroplating facility in downtown Las Vegas, Nev.
(Full Story)
Judge extends chrome-plating suspension
05/29/2002
A San Diego Superior Court judge agreed with the county that it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to a metal-plating plant in Barrio Logan.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes easing barriers to encourage recycling
05/29/2002
EPA has proposed changing its existing waste regulations for computers, televisions and mercury-containing equipment to discourage the flow of these materials to municipal landfills and incinerators, and to promote safe reuse and recycling of these products.
(Full Story)
Latest toxic release inventory available from EPA
05/24/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued its annual report on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment. The report shows that trends of declining overall releases are continuing.
(Full Story)
Group plans suit over Albany lead program
05/23/2002
A local group and a national group plan to sue the city of Albany for failing to manage a federally funded lead reduction program.
(Full Story)
Virginia factories will make money by reducing pollution
05/22/2002
The so-called emissions-trading program is designed to help cut smog, which can impair breathing and damage plants. Virginia will participate in the program with about 20 other states in the eastern third of the country.
(Full Story)
Three New York residents plead guilty in asbestos removal charges
05/20/2002
Each defendant admitted to participating in a conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and Toxic Substances Control Act and to violating the Clean Air Act by not following federal workplace standards for asbestos removal.
(Full Story)
North Carolina man sentenced for illegally storing hazardous waste
05/20/2002
Theodore Arthur Searcy, an employee of Quarter Master, an auto parts cleaning business located in Kernersville, N.C., was sentenced to serve eight months in prison, pay $4,809 in restitution to the Winston Salem/Forsyth County Office of Emergency Management and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and serve 12 months supervised probation on April 25.
(Full Story)
Virginia resident sentenced in recycling fraud
05/20/2002
Franklin D. Sales of Williamsburg, Va., was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $280,000 in restitution to victims of his recycling fraud scheme on May 8.
(Full Story)
EPA promotes environmental systems management
05/20/2002
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman issued the Agency's Position Statement on Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
(Full Story)
Petroleum company fined for Washington spill
05/20/2002
Associated Petroleum Products, Inc. has agreed to spend $47,000 to settle environmental violations stemming from a January 2001 oil spill.
(Full Story)
Job exposure to lead linked to Lou Gehrig's disease
05/14/2002
People with a history of on-the-job exposure to the heavy metal lead may be at twice the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which strikes about 1 or 2 in every 100,000 people in the United States.
(Full Story)
Former Chrysler officials sentenced in Indiana
05/13/2002
Henry L. Hall of Sharpsville, Ind., was sentenced to six months home detention as part of a one-year probation, and a $5,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act. A co-defendant, Clifford E. Gray, Jr., of Carmel, Ind., was previously sentenced to three months home detention as a part of one year of probation and a $2,500 fine.
(Full Story)
$3.4 million settlement reached with Boston trash hauler
05/13/2002
EPA reached a $3.4 million settlement with Waste Management of Massachusetts Inc. to resolve claims of multiple violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
(Full Story)
Old mobile phones pose growing waste issue
05/13/2002
U.S. consumers will throw out more than 500 million mobile phones by 2005, creating a huge pile of waste containing dangerous pollutants, a report by an environmental research group said on Wednesday.
(Full Story)
EPA pushed to update chemical list
05/13/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency should move quickly to update its list of toxic chemicals found in waste to ensure that hazardous substances do not "slip through" Resource Conservation and Recovery Act rules, two senators told the agency in a recent letter.
(Full Story)
Compliance assistance centers help in understanding of regulations
05/13/2002
The 10 national Compliance Assistance Centers have proven to be highly beneficial to the regulated community.
(Full Story)
Court upholds cleaner truck, diesel rules
05/08/2002
A federal appeals court has upheld a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation that requires reduced emissions from diesel trucks and buses and lower sulfur level in diesel fuel. The rule, issued in the final days of the Clinton administration, was challenged in court by a coalition of trucking, manufacturing and oil industry groups.
(Full Story)
Waste characterization could speed Hanford cleanup
05/08/2002
Researchers armed with a laser are learning how to condense millions of gallons of radioactive nuclear waste in leaky tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state.
(Full Story)
BP switches to ethanol in California
05/08/2002
BP, the largest supplier of gasoline in California, will eliminate the additive MTBE from the fuels it sells in California by the end of the year.
(Full Story)
Arkansas shuts down landfill
05/07/2002
Following the reports of a whistleblower, the Director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has ordered that Waste Management, Inc.’s (WMI) Tontitown Landfill near Springdale, Arkansas cease accepting waste.
(Full Story)
EPA scolds ethanol plants for polluting
05/06/2002
Factories that convert corn into the gasoline additive ethanol are releasing carbon monoxide, methanol and some carcinogens at levels "many times greater" than they promised, the government says.
(Full Story)
$94K penalty for school district
05/06/2002
The Northwest regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency filed a formal complaint against the Camas Valley School District and Principal/science teacher David Gianotti for serious violations of federal laws governing the handling and disposal of Polychlorinated Bi-Phenyls or PCBs. The EPA requests $94,600 in penalties for the violations.
(Full Story)
House panel calls for analysis of cost, air qualtiy impact of plan
05/02/2002
House Panel Calls for Analysis of Cost, Air Quality Impact of 'Clear Skies' Plan Barton told Jeffrey Holmstead, EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, that he has asked the agency for a detailed analysis of the Clear Skies Initiative since President Bush unveiled it Feb. 14.
(Full Story)
Agreement provides $17 billion for conservation programs
05/01/2002
Slightly more than $17 billion would go toward conservation programs, including wetlands protection and environmental quality incentives, under an agreement reached by congressional negotiators on the six-year, $73.5 billion farm bill, according to a summary released April 30.
(Full Story)
Students demand university action on climate change
05/01/2002
More than 35 student groups across the nation joined together today in a student network to support the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change.
(Full Story)
Power plant emissions could be cut affordably
05/01/2002
Engineers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a unique combustion method that lowers power plant emissions of air pollutants.
(Full Story)
EPA waives penalties after voluntary compliance
05/01/2002
Six companies in Pennsylvania and Virginia have saved $539,653 in penalties by voluntarily reporting and correcting their own environmental violations.
(Full Story)
US and Maryland reach agreement to overhaul sewer wastewater
05/01/2002
The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Maryland announced today a joint settlement with the city of Baltimore that addresses continuing hazards posed by hundreds of illegal wastewater discharges of raw sewage from Baltimore's wastewater collection system.
(Full Story)
EPA concludes action against N.H. company over hazardous waste violation
04/26/2002
EPA announced it has resolved a case against a Franklin, N.H. foundry for violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ? or RCRA ? that governs the generation, treatment, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.
(Full Story)
$94K penalty for school district, Principal for PCB violations
04/26/2002
The Northwest regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency filed a formal complaint against the Camas Valley School District and Principal/science teacher David Gianotti for serious violations of federal laws governing the handling and disposal of Polychlorinated Bi-Phenyls or PCBs. The EPA requests $94,600 in penalties for the violations.
(Full Story)
EPA fines Calnev $204,396 for air pollution violations
04/26/2002
EPA fined the Calnev Pipe Line Company $204,396 for numerous Clean Air Act violations at its bulk gasoline terminal in Las Vegas.
(Full Story)
Michigan dumpers face record fines
04/24/2002
A Michigan court has handed down one of the largest civil fines in state history in an illegal dumping case.
(Full Story)
DC circuit uphold water pollution discharge limitations
04/24/2002
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously affirmed updated Clean Water Act discharge limitations for pulp and paper mills adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1998.
(Full Story)
Utility buys out contaminated Ohio town
04/24/2002
American Electric Power has agreed to buy an entire town in Ohio that has been contaminated by sulfuric acid from one of the utility's coal burning plants. The company will spend $20 million to acquire about 200 parcels of land that make up the southeastern Ohio community of Cheshire, relocating all 221 residents of the tiny hamlet.
(Full Story)
EPA to revise coliform bacteria standard
04/24/2002
Based on a detailed review of 69 existing drinking water standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to revise its standard for coliform bacteria in drinking water.
(Full Story)
Partnerships protect watersheds in Ohio and West Virginia
04/24/2002
Drinking water and watersheds in Ohio and West Virginia will be protected by new federal-state partnerships.
(Full Story)
Agreement on computer recycling
04/23/2002
Responding to a growing problem of waste computer equipment, manufacturers and local governments have agreed in principle to set up a nationwide recycling program.
(Full Story)
Releases must be reported under superfund
04/23/2002
Air pollution releases from sources that were given exemptions under the Clean Air Act generally must still be reported under the superfund law, according to guidance the Environmental Protection Agency will publish April 23
(Full Story)
Two men indicted on asbestos charges
04/22/2002
Marvin Rubenstein and Isaac Rubenstein, principals of the Atlas Knitting Mills Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., were indicted on April 9 for allegedly ordering workers to remove asbestos without following federally mandated worker protection guidelines in violation of the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Senate environmental panel plans markup of emissions bill
04/22/2002
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is planning to mark up legislation to control emissions of major pollutants from power plants whether or not Democrats can strike agreements with Republicans on key issues such as carbon dioxide control or new source review reform.
(Full Story)
Simple steps can make a big difference
04/22/2002
This Earth Day, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is offering some simple suggestions on how everyone can do their part to help protect our planet.
(Full Story)
Metal finishing environment partnership launched in Rockford
04/18/2002
Representatives from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Waste Management and Research Center and the Rock River Water Reclamation District (RRWRD) - Rockford area public treatment works - met with Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce leaders to discuss the importance of National Metal Finishing Strategic Goals Program (SGP) to Rockford’s future manufacturing base.
(Full Story)
Sierra club calls on Whitman to stay extension of MACT deadline
04/18/2002
The Sierra Club asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to stay a 24-month extension of the deadline for industries to submit applications for permits that would enable them to meet technology-based emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants.
(Full Story)
Coal use would increase by 7 percent under Bush plan
04/18/2002
An Environmental Protection Agency analysis projects that the amount of coal burned by electric power companies will increase by more than 7 percent from current levels by 2020 under President Bush's "Clear Skies" multi-pollutant reduction plan.
(Full Story)
EPA and DOJ settle hazardous waste case with Rhode Island Co.
04/17/2002
EPA along with the U.S. Department of Justice announced it has settled a case with a Pawtucket, R.I. manufacturing company for alleged violations of federal environmental regulations.
(Full Story)
EPA decides not to list certain paint production wastes as hazardous
04/17/2002
EPA has issued a final determination not to list as hazardous certain wastes generated from the production of paint.
(Full Story)
California watershed groups demonstrate successes
04/17/2002
California's Yuba River Watershed has a sophisticated watershed council structure that includes working with federal, state and local partners. It is one of 10 watersheds selected by the state of California as models of how people can cooperate to protect and restore these areas.
(Full Story)
Oregon fines Nevada company for sulfur emissions
04/16/2002
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has signed a Mutual Agreement and Order with Eagle-Picher Minerals to address air quality permit violations at the company's diatomaceous earth processing facility in Vale.
(Full Story)
New rule will cut hazardous pollutants from refineries by 87 percent
04/12/2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue a final rule April 11 to reduce hazardous air pollutants from certain sources at petroleum refineries by nearly 11,000 tons per year, an 87 percent cut compared to current levels.
(Full Story)
Compost center emissions targeted for cleanup
04/12/2002
Air quality officials in Los Angeles are considering options for reducing smog and particulate pollution from the region's compost facilities.
(Full Story)
Organic pollutants treaty sent to legislature
04/12/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that President Bush is submitting the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to the U.S. Senate for its advice and consent to ratification.
(Full Story)
Two Virginia companies, two individuals plead guilty
04/12/2002
Industrial Hygiene Technologies Inc., (IHT) of Lorton, Va., and two of its principals, Mark R. Sovich and Michael J. MacCabe, pleaded guilty on March 28 to making false statements in connection with falsified asbestos training certificates
(Full Story)
West Virginia fuel company pleads to water violation
04/12/2002
LaRosa Fuel Co. of Bridgeport, W.V., pleaded guilty on March 25 to violating the Clean Water Act. La Rosa operates an acid mine wastewater treatment pond in Everettville, W.V., at a closed coal mine.
(Full Story)
Supercritical carbon dioxide could clean hazardous wastes
04/12/2002
A technique now used to remove caffeine from coffee could help remove radioactive particles and hazardous metals from mixtures of waste.
(Full Story)
Clear skies initiative divides environmental community
04/11/2002
Praise from a conservation group for President George W. Bush's plan to cut power plant emissions has earned that group some scathing criticism from a second environmental organization.
(Full Story)
Universities, colleges not receiving top marks for environmental compliance
04/11/2002
Colleges and Universities are required to comply with all applicable environmental requirements like their counterparts in the regulated industry to create a safe haven for human health and the environment.
(Full Story)
EPA Has Lowered TRI Reporting Threshold Levels for Lead
04/11/2002
Workshops are being offered in TRI reporting.
(Full Story)
US power plant operators to install 110 key emissions control units
04/10/2002
US power plant operators will install 110 pollution-control devices over the next decade, potentially spending more than $5 billion, to curb ground-level ozone levels in the eastern US, according to a new Energy Argus report based on exclusive data.
(Full Story)
Asarco must clean up Everett smelter
04/10/2002
The Washington Department of Ecology has ordered Asarco, Inc., to clean up almost 700 acres of land contaminated by its former smelter in Everett.
(Full Story)
UT research team evaluates environmental impacts of computer displays
04/09/2002
What are the overall environmental impacts of switching from a cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor to the liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology that makes your slimmed-down desktop monitor possible?
(Full Story)
GE files good faith offer to cleanup Hudson River
04/09/2002
General Electric Co. met Monday's deadline to file a "good faith offer" with the federal government on the cleanup of tons of toxic PCBs from the Hudson River, avoiding a potentially huge fine.
(Full Story)
Environmentalists take their battle to boardrooms
04/09/2002
Environmentalists are taking their case against computer-related toxic waste to the industry's boardrooms.
(Full Story)
Pratt & Whitney sponsors industry-EPA pollution reduction initiative
04/05/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Pratt &Whitney announced today that the Connecticut company has become a corporate sponsor of an innovative industry-EPA program to reduce pollution from the metal finishing industry.
(Full Story)
EPA to conduct demonstration program on arsenic rule implementation
04/05/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to conduct a demonstration program on the treatment of arsenic in drinking water.
(Full Story)
United States and Illinois settle case with Premcor
04/05/2002
The Justice Department, EPA, and the state of Illinois have announced a settlement requiring the owner of a large petroleum refinery, Premcor Refining Group, Inc., to pay $6.25 million for violations of several environmental laws.
(Full Story)
California company, president, supervisor sentenced
04/05/2002
E-D Coat, an Oakland, Calif. metal plating company, its president, Jerry Rossi, and the supervisor of its wastewater treatment, Jack Marlow, pleaded guilty and were sentenced on March 19 to violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Great Lakes U.S. Policy Committee unveils cleanup strategy
04/05/2002
All 31 polluted harbors on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes will be cleaned up by 2025 under a new strategy announced today by the Great Lakes U.S. Policy Committee. The proposal, Great Lakes Strategy 2002 - A Plan for the New Millennium, was announced by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman during a visit to Muskegon.
(Full Story)
Midwest is a 'hotbed' of CO2 emissions
04/05/2002
As an extraordinarily mild winter in the Midwest comes to a close, a diverse group of interests have come together to call for pollution reductions from electric coal-fired utilities in six Midwestern states, citing disturbing statistics from a new report.
(Full Story)
Alaska fishers charged with dumping oil
04/03/2002
The operators of two shipping vessels have been arrested in Alaska and charged with dumping oil and sludge into ocean waters.
(Full Story)
California ranch, owner, foreman sentenced
04/02/2002
Masami Cattle Ranch (MCR) of Tehema County, Calif., and its owner, Masami Ishida, and foreman, Manuel Madera Noriega, were sentenced on March 18 for violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Premcor to pay $6.25 million for violations
04/02/2002
The Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the state of Illinois announced a settlement requiring the owner of a large petroleum refinery, Premcor Refining Group, Inc., to pay $6.25 million for violations of several environmental laws.
(Full Story)
North Carolina company pleads to polluting conspiracy
04/02/2002
Lakeview Packing Corp. of Snowhill, N.C., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act. Lakeview Packing is a hog slaughter and processing company.
(Full Story)
Georgia man sentenced in plating waste case
04/02/2002
In a state case, in which EPA assisted in the investigation, Terek Von Green of Dunwoody, Ga., pleaded guilty on March 14 to one violation of the Georgia Water Quality Act and three violations of Georgia Hazardous Waste Management Act
(Full Story)
Report alleges lead paint was dumped
04/02/2002
A Minnesota legislative auditor's report on Tuesday raised the possibility that tons of lead-contaminated paint debris from the Washington Avenue bridge in Minneapolis were illegally buried in a rural Buffalo landfill two years ago.
(Full Story)
Landlord faces jail over lead paint violations
03/27/2002
A landlord renting properties in and around the nation's capitol has been sentenced to serve two years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for violating the Lead Hazard Reduction Act.
(Full Story)
EPA to oversee Alabama emergency PCB cleanup
03/27/2002
A legal settlement lodged today will require the companies found responsible for PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama to clean up their mess.
(Full Story)
Hazardous wastes could become new fuel
03/27/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to allow certain hazardous waste materials to be burned in special power generating plants
(Full Story)
Cleaner engines available to boaters
03/27/2002
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging boaters to consider environmentally friendly options if they are planning to purchase a new boat or motor this spring.
(Full Story)
EPA announces $10 million to improve beaches
03/26/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today announced $10 million in grants available to eligible states and territories to protect public health at this nation's beaches. The funds are targeted to improve monitoring the quality of water at beaches and notifying the public of beach warnings or closings.
(Full Story)
Biodiesel to fuel Buffalo buses
03/19/2002
The Buffalo Niagara region of western New York state is about to be fueled with biodisel to supplement the conventional diesel fuel for bus transport and home heating. The state of New York is awarding nearly $400,000 to a company and a transportation agency to introduce biodiesel fuel in the region.
(Full Story)
Ferro Corp. settles Clean Air Act claims for $3.8 million
03/19/2002
The U.S. Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Indiana, and the city of Hammond, Indiana today jointly entered into a $3 million settlement of claims against Ferro Corporation for the company's clean air violations
(Full Story)
Businessman indicted in illegal dumping case
03/19/2002
A Chicago-area businessman, who has millions of dollars frozen in a Cayman Islands bank under investigation, was indicted Feb. 19 by a grand jury on charges of illegally dumping tons of waste in the south Chicago suburbs.
(Full Story)
Texas man sentenced for waste violation
03/19/2002
Courtney and Co. Inc., of Texas City and its former president, Donald Ray Robertson of Hitchcock, pleaded guilty and were sentenced for illegally storing hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA offers $10 million for beach health
03/19/2002
Ten million dollars in grants is available to eligible states and territories to protect public health at public beaches, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman announced today. The funds are targeted to improve monitoring the quality of water at beaches and notifying the public of beach warnings or closings.
(Full Story)
CFC smugglers plead guilty
03/18/2002
Four men have pleaded guilty to helping smuggle 1,760 tons of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (CFCs) into the U.S. - the second largest such case ever.
(Full Story)
Emissions trading not working, groups charge
03/15/2002
Two community groups in California have sued nine Los Angeles companies for emitting more than 700,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NOx) without purchasing sufficient pollution credits.
(Full Story)
New Mexico jury convicts former environmental official
03/15/2002
New Mexico jury convicts former environmental official In a state investigation assisted by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, a jury sitting in the New Mexico District Court in Las Cruces, N.M., convicted Hector Villa III on Feb. 28 of eight felony counts involving the dumping of thousands of gallons of animal rendering waste in a Southern New Mexico landfill.
(Full Story)
Toyota spends millions over faulty monitors
03/15/2002
Toyota has agreed to a $7.9 million settlement with the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (ARB) over defects in car emissions monitors.
(Full Story)
Former Texas environmental official convicted
03/15/2002
The former director of the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission office in El Paso has been convicted of allowing the dumping of thousands of gallons of animal rendering waste in a Southern New Mexico landfill.
(Full Story)
State finds PCBs in farm sludge
03/15/2002
A chemical linked to cancer and other health problems has been discovered in sludge spread on farm fields. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Shamane Mills reports:
(Full Story)
California's dilemma: clean air or clean water
03/15/2002
The Association of California Water Agencies has called on Governor Gray Davis to protect the state's water resources by standing firm on plans to phase out the use of the oxygenate MTBE in gasoline by the end of this year. The statewide association's 440 members are responsible for about 90 percent of the water delivered in California.
(Full Story)
EPA extends deadline for clean air act
03/15/2002
EPA approved regulations yesterday to extend the deadline by which they must set emissions standards.
(Full Story)
West Virginia man charged in hazardous waste, drug case
03/15/2002
West Virginia man charged in hazardous waste, drug case Gregory L. Swiney of Clendenin, W.Va., was arrested on Feb. 14 and was indicted on March 4 for illegally disposing of hazardous wastes in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and for the alleged illegal manufacture of methamphetamine
(Full Story)
California approves record environmental bond
03/08/2002
California residents voted Tuesday to spend $2.6 billion to fund water quality and restoration projects for rivers, streams, lakes and watersheds throughout the state.
(Full Story)
Clean air awards honor innovative projects
03/08/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored 47 local and state governments, industries and citizens groups with the second Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards.
(Full Story)
Researchers tackle mountains of used tires
03/08/2002
Two projects underway at the University of Massachusetts (UM) could help reduce the numbers of used tires headed for the nation's landfills.
(Full Story)
EPA extends deadline for emissions standards
03/08/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given itself an extension on requirements to set emissions standards for industrial facilities.
(Full Story)
EPA proposed cooling water rules
03/06/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new rules to help reduce impacts on aquatic life from the withdrawal of cooling water for power plants.
(Full Story)
Washington State bans suspect herbicide
03/06/2002
The Washington Department of Agriculture has banned the use of the herbicide clopyralid on lawns.
(Full Story)
Maryland groups increase efforts to protect watershed
03/06/2002
The Maryland land trust community has pledged to increase efforts to protect an additional 1.1 million acres in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
(Full Story)
Jury finds Monsanto liable for PCB pollution
03/01/2002
Chemical giant Monsanto is responsible for polluting the town of Anniston, Alabama, with tons of toxic PCBs, a jury ruled Friday. The ruling is a major victory for residents of the contaminated town, who have sued the company over damage to their property, to their health, and to their emotional well being.
(Full Story)
Environmental laboratory fined $9 million in fraud case
02/27/2002
Intertek Testing Services Inc. (ITS), of Richardson, Texas, was fined $9 million for falsifying the results of environmental tests.
(Full Story)
U.S. reaches $6.95 million settlement on California Superfund Site
02/27/2002
The Justice Department and EPA announced a proposed settlement totaling nearly $7 million to be used in cleaning up the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site in Central California.
(Full Story)
$2.22 million funds phytoremediation studies
02/27/2002
Seven universities will receive grants totaling almost $2.22 million to study the plant based remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals or organic chemicals.
(Full Story)
Lawsuit seeks to curb Central Valley water pollution
02/27/2002
The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has been sued by environmental groups seeking first ever controls on agricultural discharges to Central Valley, California waterways.
(Full Story)
EPA ensures smoother reformulated gasoline seasonal transition
02/27/2002
EPA is eliminating the existing blendstock accounting regulations for Reformulated Gasoline (RFG). This will allow refineries more flexibility to sell gasoline blendstocks and improve their overall ability to supply cleaner gasoline by eliminating significant record-keeping and reporting requirements.
(Full Story)
Senate confirms Morris X. Winn as EPA Assistant Administrator
02/27/2002
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Morris X. Winn to be Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Administration and Resources Management. Winn will be the Agency's senior official responsible for personnel and human resources management, all acquisition and procurement of supplies and services, and management and oversight of EPA grants.
(Full Story)
Charter members commit to greenhouse gas inventories/emissions reductions
02/27/2002
In a ceremony today, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman launched a key component of the Administration's new climate policy, Climate Leaders. This new voluntary partnership challenges business to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and provides a significant opportunity to achieve the greenhouse gas intensity reductions set forth in the Administration's new policy.
(Full Story)
Grants available for environmental technologies
02/20/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting grant applications for companies to develop and commercialize new, cost efficient technologies aimed at New England's most pressing environmental problems.
(Full Story)
Many plants operate with expired permits
02/20/2002
In a report on the water permitting backlog in Minnesota, the state's legislative auditor found that 41 percent of the state's water quality permittees were operating with expired permits in mid-2001.
(Full Story)
Paint contractor dumped lead chips
02/20/2002
A Pennsylvania painting contractor has pleaded guilty to dumping 55 tons of abrasive sandblasting material containing lead.
(Full Story)
Florida man indicted in sailor's death from MTBE
02/20/2002
Gilbert Thurston of Naples, Florida, former chief mate of the S.S. Trinity, was indicted on a charge of misconduct, stemming from an incident in which a crew member died after exposure to the toxic chemical methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
(Full Story)
Texas Company, former president sentenced for waste violation
02/20/2002
Courtney & Co. Inc., of Texas City, Texas, and its former president, Donald Ray Robertson of Hitchcock, Texas, pleaded guilty and were sentenced for illegally storing hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Robertson will serve six months home confinement and one year probation. Courtney & Co. was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
(Full Story)
EPA revises the Clean Air Act's Air Toxics Source Category List
02/20/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised the list of industrial sources (known as source categories) for which it intends to develop regulations to control toxic air pollutants. Toxic air pollutants, also called air toxics, are those pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer and other serious health problems.
(Full Story)
Global warming could persist for centuries
02/20/2002
Even if emissions of greenhouse gases are curbed now, global warming will persist for at least a century, argues new research.
(Full Story)
Natural gas fueled buses hit DC streets
02/15/2002
Washington DC has unveiled a fleet of 164 new natural gas fueled buses and a fueling station to serve them.
(Full Story)
House passes campaign finance reform bill
02/15/2002
With a 240-to-189 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted early this morning to ban unregulated soft money - huge, unlimited and unreported donations from corporations and wealthy individuals.
(Full Story)
Cape Cod groundwater cleanup challenges managers
02/15/2002
Science developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is helping to clean up contaminated groundwater in the Cape Cod aquifer.
(Full Story)
$3.7 million settles violations at Pennsylvania landfill
02/13/2002
Waste Management Inc. has agreed to pay a $3.7 million civil penalty to settle charges that the Alliance Landfill accepted 36,000 tons more municipal solid waste than permitted during 1995 and 1996.
(Full Story)
Kansas City businessmen plead guilty
02/13/2002
Two Kansas City, Kan., businessmen have pleaded guilty to felonies related to the storage of hazardous wastes at the site of their business, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Feb. 11 (United States v. Dillon, D. Kan., No. 01-20080-01-02, 2/04/02).
(Full Story)
School bus pollution ranked state by state
02/13/2002
School children in every state are being exposed to toxic air pollutants from the school buses, concludes a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
(Full Story)
Owner of North Carolina business pleads guilty
02/08/2002
Theodore Searcy, owner of Quarter Master, an auto parts cleaning business located in Kernersville, N.C., pleaded guilty to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally storing hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
California high court allows suits against water
02/08/2002
In a precedent setting victory for clean water rights, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that people harmed by drinking contaminated water can legally sue their water utility for failing to provide clean drinking water.
(Full Story)
Nitrate pollution plagues U.S., China groundwater
02/08/2002
Elevated nitrate concentrations in water supplies used for drinking water threaten residents of both the United States and the People's Republic of China, concludes a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
(Full Story)
Chromium 6 levels high near homes, businesses
02/08/2002
State air pollution investigators have found very high levels of an extremely dangerous cancer-causing air pollutant – hexavalent chromium – in the Newton Avenue area of Barrio Logan near two chrome-plating businesses.
(Full Story)
EPA claims record enforcement numbers
02/06/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) secured commitments for a record $4.3 billion in pollution control and cleanup measures from polluters last year.
(Full Story)
Air pollution plagues Winter Olympics site
02/06/2002
Just days before the start of the 2002 Winter Olympics, the host site, Salt Lake City, is in the midst of an air inversion that traps air pollution in the region's valleys.
(Full Story)
How Monsanto poisoned Anniston, Alabama
02/01/2002
On the west side of Anniston, the poor side of Anniston, the people ate dirt. They called it "Alabama clay" and cooked it for extra flavor. They also grew berries in their gardens, raised hogs in their back yards, caught bass in the murky streams where their children swam and played and were baptized.
(Full Story)
Auto workers favor greater fuel efficiency
02/01/2002
A new poll released today finds that voters in Michigan - epicenter of the American auto industry - support raising fuel efficiency standards for America's cars and trucks.
(Full Story)
EPA and Shop Rite, Inc. settle case involving underground storage tanks
02/01/2002
On Jan. 25, 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Shop Rite, Inc. agreed to settle a case involving 75 alleged violations of the federal and state underground storage tank (UST) regulations for $175,000.
(Full Story)
Mercury phaseouts challenged in new report
02/01/2002
A new report challenges claims by various industries which say they are phasing out the use of mercury in their products.
(Full Story)
Republic Powdered Metals agrees to pay penalty
01/30/2002
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Republic Powdered Metals, Inc., for violating air pollution control regulations at its manufacturing facility located at 2628 Pearl Road in Medina (Medina County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $40,000.
(Full Story)
OSHA cites Davis Wire of Pueblo for health and safety hazards
01/30/2002
A local wire manufacturer's failure to protect employees from serious hazards such as overexposure to lead has led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue $179,500 in citations against the company
(Full Story)
California will pay $14.95 million for landfill cleanup
01/30/2002
A $14.95 million settlement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of California resolves the state's liability for a contaminated landfill.
(Full Story)
NFL aims for Green Super Bowl
01/30/2002
Everything about Super Bowl is big and that includes its commitment to the environment, says the National Football League (NFL).
(Full Story)
North Carolina buys hog farms to protect water
01/30/2002
North Carolina's Clean Water Management Trust Fund has awarded $6.1 million to buy out swine operations in the state's 100 year flood plain.
(Full Story)
EPA's new initiative to protect and preserve America's waterways
01/30/2002
President Bush will include $21 million in his 2003 budget for a new EPA initiative to protect, preserve, and restore waterways across the country.
(Full Story)
Study links air pollution, birth defects
01/25/2002
Air pollution may cause serious birth defects, disrupting fetal heart development in the second month of pregnancy, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles shows.
(Full Story)
Sugar beet Co-op to Pay $215,000 for wastewater
01/25/2002
-A Minnesota judge Jan. 17 approved a consent decree that requires a Renville, Minn., sugar beet cooperative to pay $215,000 in fines and restitution to resolve a number of alleged environmental violations
(Full Story)
Yelm, Washington reclaims all its wastewater
01/25/2002
A water reclamation project in Yelm, Washington was honored Wednesday with the state's highest environmental award today for reclaiming and re-using 100 percent of its treated wastewater.
(Full Story)
$337 million cleans up two power plants
01/25/2002
PSEG Power, one of the nation's largest independent power producers, has agreed to spend more than $337 million to install state of the art pollution controls on two of its New Jersey power plants. The agreement settles allegations that the utility company expanded the capacity of the two coal fired power plants without upgrading their emissions control equipment.
(Full Story)
EPA urges home testing for radon, second leading cause of lung cancer
01/23/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today urged Americans to heed January as National Radon Action Month by testing their homes for the second leading cause of lung cancer in the country, indoor radon gas. Approximately one home in 15 across the nation has unacceptably high radon levels; in some areas of the country, as many as one out of two homes has high levels.
(Full Story)
Recycler pleads guilty to fraud charges
01/23/2002
A New Hampshire recycler pleaded guilty Jan. 18 to fraud committed in a scheme in which he misrepresented the capability of his recycling and disposal operation
(Full Story)
EPA and HUD announce landmark lead disclosure settlement
01/23/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the broadest lead disclosure settlement ever with one of the nation's largest property management firms, the Denver-based Apartment Investment and Management Co. (AIMCO). Residents living in more than 130,000 apartments in 47 states and Washington, D.C., will live in lead-safe units as a result of this landmark settlement.
(Full Story)
Cryptosporidium standards strengthened for small drinking water systems
01/23/2002
EPA has tightened drinking water requirements to protect an additional 18 million Americans served by 11,000 small drinking water systems from Cryptosporidium and other disease-causing microorganisms.
(Full Story)
Volkswagen recalls 1999, 2000 and 2001 model year Golf, Jetta and Beetle
01/23/2002
Volkswagen is recalling about 324,000 Golf, Jetta and New Beetle 4 cylinder 2 liter gasoline engine vehicles for model years 1999, 2000 and 2001 sold in the U.S.
(Full Story)
ATOFINA resolves violations in Alabama, Kentucky, Texas
01/23/2002
ATOFINA Chemicals Inc. of Philadelphia, Pa., has entered into a settlement that will result in significant pollution control measures at the company's facilities in Alabama, Kentucky and Texas.
(Full Story)
EPA announces availibility of progress report on U.S.-Mexico border
01/23/2002
Significant progress has been made in addressing key environmental, health and natural resources needs of the U.S.- Mexico border region. Today, EPA released the "U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996–2001.
(Full Story)
Amended regulations to reduce run-off from abandoned coal mines
01/23/2002
EPA is releasing new effluent guidelines to reclaim abandoned mine sites and to better protect environmental quality around mines in the western and Appalachian states.
(Full Story)
Aerial herbicide war on drugs poisons land, water
01/16/2002
The public interest environmental law firm Earthjustice today called on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to pressure the United States and Colombia to halt the aerial application of herbicides to eradicate coca and poppy plants and use alternative methods.
(Full Story)
Environmental contractor jailed for fraudulent storage tank tests
01/16/2002
A former environmental contractor will spend 27 months in jail for defrauding owners and operators of underground storage tanks.
(Full Story)
EPA and Michigan protect water from manure runoff
01/16/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) have agreed on measures to protect public health and waterways from manure and other wastes from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
(Full Story)
Justice department upholds new source review cases
01/16/2002
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to continue lawsuits brought by the Clinton Administration against power plants and other facilities whose initial exemptions from the Clean Air Act may have been invalidated by upgrades.
(Full Story)
Small systems must provide safer drinking water
01/15/2002
About 18 million Americans are expected to benefit from new, tighter drinking water standards for disease causing microorganisms, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Full Story)
Volkswagen recalls cars with bum emissions sensors
01/15/2002
German automobile maker Volkswagen is recalling about 324,000 Golf, Jetta and New Beetle cars due to their faulty emissions sensors.
(Full Story)
Smuggled CFCs convict Florida man
01/15/2002
A Florida man faces a fine and possible jail time for smuggling ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant into the United States.
(Full Story)
World Trade Center cleanup a highlight of RCRA
01/15/2002
The challenge of the World Trade Center cleanup to solid and hazardous waste managers, not just counter- terrorism experts, will be discussed at the 2002 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) National Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jan. 15-18
(Full Story)
Californian sentenced for illegal asbestos removal
01/15/2002
A. Scott Dockter was sentenced to five months in prison and seven months home detention and was ordered to pay $9,270 in fines and restitution for unlawfully removing asbestos during the demolition and renovation of the Delta Sugar Plant in Clarksburg, Calif., in 1995.
(Full Story)
Florida importer pleads guilty to Clean Air Act violation
01/15/2002
Clifford Windsor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty on Dec.19 to violating the Clean Air Act by illegally importing into the United States approximately 300 cylinders of R-12, the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant.
(Full Story)
Texaco fined for clean air violations on Navajo Nation
01/09/2002
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a $295,000 settlement with Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc. for violations of the Clean Air Act and the federal community right to know law at its gas plant and oil field in Aneth, Utah, on the Navajo Nation.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes penalty against Sturdisteel Company for hazmat violations
01/09/2002
The Federal Aviation Administration, Southern Region, has proposed to assess a $70,000 civil penalty against Sturdisteel Company of Waco, Texas, for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
(Full Story)
Automobile demolition firm agrees to settle claims of improper storage
01/09/2002
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced Dec. 21 that a car crushing company had agreed to pay $21,595 to resolve alleged hazardous waste storage violations.
(Full Story)
Lawsuit challenges alternative vehicles compliance
01/09/2002
Three environmental organizations filed suit Wednesday over the failure of 18 federal agencies to meet requirements that they buy alternative fueled vehicles.
(Full Story)
University of Pittsburgh charged with PCB violations
01/09/2002
The University of Pittsburgh has been cited for failing to register and label containers of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
(Full Story)
Bridgeport Metal Plating Shop gets quick cleanup
01/09/2002
Cleanup has begun in Bridgeport at a former metal plating shop containing abandoned containers of cyanides, metals, acids and bases.
(Full Story)
Los Angeles airports get cleaner taxis
01/08/2002
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), the clean air agency of the Los Angeles region, has approved almost $3 million in incentive funding to help purchase more than 300 new, clean fueled airport taxis.
(Full Story)
EPA plans National Compliance Forum, seeks sessions proposals
01/04/2002
EPA will sponsor a National Compliance Assistance Providers Forum next December in San Antonio, Texas. To prepare for the forum, the Agency is seeking panel discussion proposals by Jan. 18.
(Full Story)
Grant awarded to develop marketable energy from landfills in 7 counties
01/04/2002
Besides the economic benefits, this grant will reduce global warming gases and reward local communities with cleaner air and better-managed and safer landfills.
(Full Story)
Whitman applauds Senate passage of Brownsfields legislation
01/04/2002
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman praised the Senate for its passage of bipartisan Brownfields legislation. Whitman said the new legislation will make the cleanup of brownfields a more effective and cooperative effort.
(Full Story)
EPA makes final decision on dioxin in sewage sludge
01/04/2002
EPA based its decision on an evaluation of the risk of exposure for people most likely to be exposed to dioxin from these sources. EPA concluded that existing regulations for incinerators, landfills or containment ponds adequately protect human health and the environment by limiting exposure to pollutants, including dioxins.
(Full Story)
Flexibility provided in producing reformulated and conventional gasoline
01/04/2002
It allows conventional gasoline to be converted and reclassified as RFG if the necessary steps are taken to control volatile organic compounds in certain areas of the country. These steps will help to provide the needed flexibility to refiners when inventories are low while preserving the emission benefits of the RFG program.
(Full Story)
Pesticide advocacy groups petition to halt use of wood preservatives
01/03/2002
Several environmental and public health groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency Dec. 21 to immediately halt the use of two pesticides used to treat wood and are threatening to sue the agency if it fails to suspend their use.
(Full Story)
Automotive Demolition Firm Agrees to Settle Claims
12/28/2001
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced Dec. 21 that a car crushing company had agreed to pay $21,595 to resolve alleged hazardous waste storage violations.
(Full Story)
UN official criticizes chemical exports
12/20/2001
United Nations official (UN) had harsh words last week for the U.S. practice of exporting certain chemicals, pesticides and wastes to developing nations, while banning the same substances at home.
(Full Story)
EPA wins $3.5 million from landfill polluters
12/20/2001
A federal court has awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $3.5 million from the two companies deemed responsible for hazardous waste contamination at the Sidney Landfill Superfund site in Sidney, New York.
(Full Story)
Central Florida drinking water could run out in five years
12/12/2001
Water management officials in central Florida warn the region has supplies of drinking water that will last just five more years if current unfettered growth and projected drinking water demand is not abated.
(Full Story)
Soggy summer helped clean Alabama's air
12/12/2001
A cool, wet summer helped slash smog pollution in Alabama this year, says the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).
(Full Story)
Clean air exemption for California farms will continue
12/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to allow the state of California to continue to exempt all farming operations from clean air permitting requirements.
(Full Story)
EPA fines YUMA Automotive Center $24,200 for hazardous waste violations
12/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it has recently fined the Bill Alexander Automotive Center $24,200 for hazardous waste violations discovered at its automotive facility in Yuma, Ariz.
(Full Story)
$20 billion emission trading program goes online
12/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking its $20 billion pollution emissions trading program online.
(Full Story)
Brown University to pay $80,000 fine
12/04/2001
Brown University said Nov. 27 it has agreed to pay $365,000 to settle an enforcement action brought by the Environmental Protection Agency that charges the school with violations of several environmental laws.
(Full Story)
Clean Water Act violators made to pay
12/04/2001
Violations of the Clean Water Act are costing a wide variety of companies big bucks across the United States. In Louisiana, several tugboat companies have been sentenced to pay thousands of dollars in fines after being found guilty of pumping oily bilge water into the Mississippi River several times a week between 1995 and 2000.
(Full Story)
Colorado company owner sentenced for waste violation
12/04/2001
Bruce Spence, currently of Las Vegas, Nev., owner and operator of Cooling Systems International (CSI), a defunct radiator repair company located in Mesa County, Colo., was sentenced on Nov. 16 to spend 60 days in jail, pay a $100,000 fine and pay $125,000 in restitution for violating the Colorado Hazardous Waste Act.
(Full Story)
Shell to pay $350,000 penalty for environmental release, explosion
12/04/2001
Shell Chemical Company has agreed to pay a $350,000 penalty in settlement of a lawsuit filed through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA's suit stemmed from an explosion and fire on June 22, 1997, at Shell's Deer Park, Texas, facility, which caused extensive damage to the facility and injured several workers.
(Full Story)
Sprint voluntarily audits 1,000 facilities for environmental violations
11/27/2001
Sprint voluntarily audits 1,000 facilities for environmental violations Under a proposed civil settlement with the United States, Sprint United Management Co. will resolve violations it found in a voluntary audit of 1,100 of its cellular and paging-related facilities in compliance with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
Nation's second largest hog producer reaches settlement
11/27/2001
EPA and the Justice Department announced that two related companies, Premium Standard Farms (PSF) and Continental Grain Company, which together comprise the second largest producer of hogs in the United States, have entered into a settlement to resolve environmental violations at the companies' large-scale farms, known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), in Missouri. The settlement was reached with the United States and the Citizens Legal Environmental Action Network, a citizens group (CLEAN).
(Full Story)
Former Michigan treatment plant director sentenced
11/27/2001
Former Michigan treatment plant director sentenced Michael J. Kuhn, former superintendent of the Bay City, Mich., wastewater treatment plant, was sentenced on Oct. 18 to six months imprisonment and six months home confinement for knowingly violating the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Cleanup wraps-up at national auto wrecking
11/27/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has completed an $800,000 cleanup at the National Auto Wrecking site, Onalaska, Wis.
(Full Story)
EPA orders Haverhill to revise plan for reducing flow of sewage
11/27/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has ordered the city of Haverhill to revise its plan for addressing the flow of untreated sewage into the Merrimack and Little Rivers.
(Full Story)
Indiana Guide Corp. fined for polluting White River
11/27/2001
Guide Corp. (Guide), an automotive lighting manufacturer in Anderson, Ind., was sentenced on Oct. 12 after pleading guilty to seven criminal negligence charges under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Sprint agrees to pay EPA $250,000 fine
11/15/2001
Sprint United Management Co., in a proposed agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, would pay the agency $250,000 in fines for not having a spill prevention plan and failing to report the use of certain toxic chemicals at some of its facilities, EPA announced Nov. 9
(Full Story)
Walton Hills Manufacturing Facility agrees to pay penalty
11/15/2001
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Mantua Manufacturing Company for violating air pollution control regulations at its metal furniture manufacturing facility located at 7900 Northfield Road in Walton Hills (Cuyahoga County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $12,900.
(Full Story)
Indiana Guide Corp. fined for polluting White River
11/15/2001
Guide Corp. (Guide), an automotive lighting manufacturer in Anderson, Ind., was sentenced on Oct. 12 after pleading guilty to seven criminal negligence charges under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
National laboratory gets cleanup program grant
11/13/2001
The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) $8.4 million in grant funding for research to support the department's Environmental Management cleanup program.
(Full Story)
Better fertilizer use could protect Mississippi River
11/13/2001
Efficient fertilizer use could benefit the Mississippi River without hurting crop yields, a new study suggests.
(Full Story)
Study casts doubt on uses of carbon sinks
11/13/2001
The earth's land based ecosystems absorbed all of the carbon released by deforestation plus another 1.4 billion tons emitted by fossil fuel burning during the 1990s, a new study suggests. But the study also warns that so called carbon sinks cannot be counted on to mop up carbon dioxide emissions indefinitely.
(Full Story)
New business reporting standard for greenhouse gas emissions released
11/08/2001
The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have released an international standard that will enable businesses to uniformly report their emissions of greenhouse gases.
(Full Story)
Worchester company pays $3,750 penalty for violating air pollution control
11/08/2001
New Method Plating Company of Worcester has paid a $3,750 penalty and $5,550 in overdue air quality compliance fees to the state Department of Environmental Protection in response to violations found at the company's 43 Hammond St. facility.
(Full Story)
Cleveland manufacturing facility agrees to pay penalty
11/08/2001
Ohio EPA has reached a settlement with Voyale Corporation for violating air pollution control regulations at its automotive parts manufacturing facility located at 4510 East 71st Street in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County). The company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $29,400.
(Full Story)
Report finds increased land reuse nationwide
11/08/2001
More land is being recycled, more people appear comfortable living near or on it and those involved are exercising a lot of creativity in property redevelopment to make it all happen, shows the second annual ECS Land Reuse Report.
(Full Story)
Ineel, contractors settle on asbestos and CFC violations
11/06/2001
Contractors for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) have paid more than $160,000 in penalties for violating federal asbestos and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) emissions laws.
(Full Story)
EPA restricts two agricultural pesticides
11/06/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed new restrictions on the use of two agricultural pesticides, azinphos-methyl and phosmet.
(Full Story)
Idaho refrigeration repair company and owners indicted
11/06/2001
Idaho refrigeration repair company and owners indicted Travis Scott Erickson and Deborah Ann Erickson, owners and managers of Cool Unit, L.L.C. in Post Falls, Idaho, and Cool Unit, L.L.C., were indicted on Oct.16 for conspiracy and for allegedly violating three federal laws, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Act and the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA announces standard for drinking water
11/06/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that the arsenic standard in drinking water will be 10 parts per billion (ppb).
(Full Story)
WasteWise program honors partners at 2001 Awards Ceremony
11/06/2001
What does Eastman Kodak have in common with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation? Or Walt Disney World with Sandia National Laboratories? Each of them, along with 54 other organizations, will be recognized at an awards ceremony in the nation's capital for their extraordinary accomplishments in reducing waste
(Full Story)
Los Angeles smog season ends on high note
11/06/2001
The smog season in the Los Angeles region, which officially ended Wednesday, was the cleanest on record, says the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
(Full Story)
Environmental savings add up for Xerox
11/06/2001
The company's environmental programs are paying off in hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings each year, shows the company's, health and safety progress report for 2001
(Full Story)
Gasoline fuel cells get boost
10/30/2001
The possibility of gasoline-powered fuel cells - a technology that could cut carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles in half - got a boost this week when General Motors Corporation and ChevronTexaco Corporation announced they had formed a pact to speed the development of the technology for automobiles.
(Full Story)
Californian finded for dumping hazardous wastes
10/30/2001
A California man has been sentenced to serve six months home detention for illegally disposing of hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Lab develops unique in situ water monitor
10/30/2001
A new, real time sensor that can be put directly underground to detect chemicals in the soil and groundwater has been developed by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories. This sensor is seen by the researchers as an important tool in efforts to protect the US water supply and all analysis be done without taking any samples to a lab.
(Full Story)
$359 million cleanup aims at Idaho toxins
10/30/2001
Federal officials yesterday proposed one of the most expensive and extensive environmental cleanup jobs in the nation's history to stanch the flow of North Idaho mining wastes that have spread far enough to taint the Spokane River in Eastern Washington.
(Full Story)
CO2 put to use in plutonium cleanup
10/30/2001
A technique that is employed to decaffeinate coffee and dry clean clothes has successfully been used to remove radioactive elements from soil the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) reports.
(Full Story)
Agency proposes fuel program reforms
10/30/2001
EPA transmitted to President Bush its report on the state and local "boutique" clean fuel programs called for by the President's National Energy Policy report issued May 17, 2001. The Agency's report identifies several regulatory changes that can be made in the near term that could help to moderate gasoline price spikes during future transition periods when fuel producers switch from winter to summer grade cleaner-burning gasoline
(Full Story)
Five cities get new smog plan
10/23/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that residents of five major metropolitan areas - Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia - will be able to breathe cleaner air because of smog reduction plans approved by the agency.
(Full Story)
Former Louisiana laboratory office manager pleads guilty
10/23/2001
Jennifer Alexander, former Office Manager for Enviro-Comp Laboratories, Inc., of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty on Sept. 28 to committing perjury before a federal grand jury in a case involving accreditation by a state environmental agency.
(Full Story)
Whitman allays fears for water security
10/23/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman allayed fears for the security of the nation's water systems during a visit to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Consolidated Laboratory in Silver Spring, Maryland. She said EPA believes the possibility of successful contamination of a water system is small.
(Full Story)
Air report shows continued improvement, remaining challenges
10/23/2001
Air quality in the United States maintained its steady improvement through the year 2000, according to EPA's annual summary of air quality trends. This trend toward cleaner air has continued since EPA's formation in 1970, while during the same time, the gross domestic product increased 158 percent, miles traveled by cars and trucks increased 143 percent, and energy consumption increased by 45 percent.
(Full Story)
Alternative fuel brewing in man's backyard
10/23/2001
The slick brown goo that Tom Leue concocts in his backyard chemistry lab isn't as appetizing as the french fries it once cooked, but Leue gets plenty of mileage out of the used restaurant oil
(Full Story)
World's largest meatpacker to resolve environmental problems
10/18/2001
IBP Inc, the world's largest meatpacker, has agreed to pay the United States $4.1 million in penalties for violating the nation's environmental laws.
(Full Story)
EPA approves plan to cut Houston pollution by 75 percent
10/18/2001
A plan that would cut air pollution by 75 percent in Houston, one of the nation's most polluted cities, has been signed by the Environmental Protection Agency after years of haggling with local officials.
(Full Story)
Erie Plating Co. settles EPA hazardous waste case
10/18/2001
Erie Plating Co. will pay a $12,430 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at the company's metal finishing plant in Erie, Pa.
(Full Story)
Toxic coatings banned from California engines
10/12/2001
The California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (ARB) has banned the use hexavalent chromium and cadmium in motor vehicle and mobile equipment coatings.
(Full Story)
DOT proposes higher hazardous materials penalties
10/12/2001
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta sent to Congress proposed legislation that would strengthen security and safety in the transportation of the nation's hazardous materials.
(Full Story)
Facility fined for community right-to-know violations
10/09/2001
EPA announced a settlement with Romic Environmental Technologies, Corp. for alleged right-to-know violations that calls for the East Palo Alto, Calif. facility to pay over $54,000 and complete an additional $295,000 worth of environmental projects to lessen air pollution from the facility.
(Full Story)
Missouri Restaurant,individuals convicted of polluting Mississippi River
10/09/2001
A restaurant company, Venetian Harbor, Inc., of Portage Des Sioux, Mo., together with two of its officials, Warren Spielman of St. Louis, Mo. and Jered Lee Bonbrake of Alton, Ill., and an employee, Rush Templeton of Florissant, Mo., were found guilty on Sept. 20 of conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act and illegally dumping sewage into the Mississippi River. Thea Preston of St. Charles, Mo. previously pleaded guilty to the same crimes.
(Full Story)
CEO of Ohio Company charged with clean water act violation
10/09/2001
Ernest U. Fisco of Beachwood, Ohio, Chief Operating Officer of AAA Pipe Cleaning Corp., was charged on Sept.13 with violating the Clean Water Act. He allegedly directed AAA employees to discharge polluted waste through an illegal pipe into Kingsbury Run, a tributary of the Cuyahoga River.
(Full Story)
Utah man sentenced for state hazardous waste violation
10/09/2001
Keith L. Allred of Cedar City, Utah, was sentenced on Sept. 26 to five years imprisonment and was ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution. Allred has pleaded guilty to the unlawful disposal of hazardous waste, a third degree felony under state law.
(Full Story)
Electronic sniffer could monitor water safety
10/09/2001
A real time gas and water quality monitoring system may become one tool in the effort to protect the nation's water supply.
(Full Story)
Federal cases settled involving lead-based paint hazards
10/09/2001
EPA was involved in several federal government settlements on Oct. 2 with three landlords in Chicago for failure to warn tenants that their apartments may contain lead-based paint hazards. Together with similar cases in New York City and Los Angeles, the settlements by EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice will result in $328,000 in civil penalties and child health improvement projects.
(Full Story)
EPA cites S.H. Bell for clean-air violations
10/04/2001
EPA cited S.H. Bell Co. for alleged violations of federal and state clean-air regulations at two company terminals, one at 2219 Michigan Ave. and another at 1 Saint George St., in East Liverpool, Ohio.
(Full Story)
Nike vows reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
10/04/2001
Nike Inc., an international sporting goods company, pledged Tuesday to slash greenhouse gas emissions across its operations worldwide. Nike also will measure greenhouse gas emissions from contracted manufacturing and shipping operations with the intent to ultimately
(Full Story)
Truck repair facilities ordered to pay penalties for oil dumping
10/02/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it has ordered Cummins Northwest, Inc. and Myrmo Sons, Inc. of Bend, Oregon, to pay penalties for illegally disposing of waste motor oil and other motor vehicle waste fluids directly underground and potentially into underground drinking water sources.
(Full Story)
EPA settles with metalworking lubricants on hazardous waste violations
10/02/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently reached agreement with Metalworking Lubricants Co.for allegedly violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Metalworking paid a $15,000 fine.
(Full Story)
EPA cites GM Delphi on permit violations
10/02/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently filed a complaint against General Motors Corporation-Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems for alleged violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. A $194,876 fine is proposed.
(Full Story)
New dry-cleaning process easy on the environment
10/01/2001
The new procedure - called the GreenEarth Cleaning System - makes the business one of the first in the state to adopt a process that not only is touted to do a better job of cleaning, but also is environmentally friendly.
(Full Story)
Disposing of toxic household waste
10/01/2001
Experts agree the best way to deal with hazardous waste is to generate less. The next best thing is to donate or recycle leftover materials.
(Full Story)
Federal agencies failing to reduce pesticide
10/01/2001
Federal agencies can and should be doing more to encourage farmers to reduce use of toxic pesticides on U.S. crops and farmland, according to the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The agency's report finds that despite federal promises to slash agricultural pesticide use, pesticide use has risen over the past eight years.
(Full Story)
New laboratory to support waste isolation pilot plant
09/28/2001
A new research program for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) will study the chemistry of materials that can affect underground radioactive waste storage sites.
(Full Story)
Minnesota firms charged with polluting wetlands
09/26/2001
Two Minnesota firms and their owners were indicted September 11 for conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act, and for discharging pollutants into wetlands that drain into
(Full Story)
California power plants slash emissions
09/26/2001
Governor Gray Davis announced that California has been successful at meeting the state's energy needs while reducing air pollution from power generators by about 25 percent.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes to reduce pollution from nonroad vehicles
09/24/2001
EPA is proposing to regulate several types of nonroad engines to help reduce hydrocarbons (HC) carbon monoxide (CO) nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the environment. Controlling these pollutants will reduce exposure to CO and air toxics for the operators who work with or near these engines, and help to remove haze from national parks.
(Full Story)
New farm policy emphasizes conservation, not subsidies
09/24/2001
The Bush administration has released a new long term farm policy, which includes new emphasis on conservation, environmental protection and support for alternative fuels. The new agriculture policy could lead to marked reductions in federal subsidies for large farming operations.
(Full Story)
EPA reassures public about environmental hazards
09/20/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman announced Thursday that EPA is taking steps to ensure the safety of rescue workers and the public at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon disaster sites, and to protect the environment. EPA is working with state, federal, and local agencies to monitor and respond to potential environmental hazards and minimize any environmental effects of the disasters and their aftermath.
(Full Story)
Pennsylvania accepts world trade center debris
09/20/2001
Pennsylvania has temporarily suspended its efforts to limit the import of out of state trash, and is prepared to accept massive amounts of debris from the demolished World Trade Center towers.
(Full Story)
U.S. garbage output continues to rise
09/20/2001
The amount of solid waste generated in the United States continued to grow in 1999--reaching nearly 230 million tons, according to the Environmental Protection Agency--but a leading industry trade association says the quantity of garbage produced may flatten out or even decline this year due to a slowing economy.
(Full Story)
EPA reports no risk to disaster workers,
09/20/2001
Results of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests of the air and drinking water near the World Trade Center and Pentagon disaster sites indicate little risk to rescue workers or the public, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced Tuesday.
(Full Story)
Rental company, Lung Association partner for clean air
09/11/2001
In a first of its kind agreement, Environmental Vehicle (EV) Rental Cars and the American Lung Association of California (ALA-C) have partnered to fight air pollution in California.
(Full Story)
Celebrity Cruises settles air quality charges
09/11/2001
Celebrity Cruise Lines has agreed to pay the state of Alaska $55,000 to settle claims of violations of the state's air emission standards during the 2000 cruise season, Attorney General Bruce Botelho announced Wednesday.
(Full Story)
Mississippi company, employees charged with conspiracy
09/11/2001
Mississippi company, employees charged with conspiracy Truck Trailer and Equipment, Inc., of Pearl, Miss., the company owner and president, James W. Fielder, a manager, Edgar A. Fielder, and another employee, Carlos A. Lindsey, were indicted on Aug. 23 for conspiring to violate two federal laws, the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
South Carolina Co., president plead guilty to violations in six states
09/11/2001
James Edward Adams of Inman, S.C., and his firm, Carolina Upgrading of South Carolina, Inc., each agreed to plead guilty on Aug. 26 to 15 violations of federal law.
(Full Story)
EPA and DOE award $319,997 in grants
09/11/2001
EPA and DOE have awarded $319,997 to the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) in Alexandria, Va., to promote more cooperative energy and environmental policies and regulations among state energy and environmental agencies.
(Full Story)
Delaware companies reimburse EPA for superfund cleanup
09/11/2001
Two companies have agreed to reimburse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $798,500 plus interest for the cleanup of the 140 acre National Cash Register (NCR) Superfund Site in Millsboro.
(Full Story)
Campfires contribute to Great Lakes pollution
09/06/2001
Wood smoke from campfires and residential fireplaces is toxic to certain aquatic animals in the Great Lakes and is a source of air pollution in the region, a new study shows.
(Full Story)
Energy department lab develops cleaner fuel
09/06/2001
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) have developed an energy efficient process for producing alkylate - a high octane gasoline blend that is very low in environmental pollutants such as sulfur and benzene.
(Full Story)
Pentagon Criticized for Cleanup Pace
09/06/2001
Thousands of former military sites contaminated by hazardous waste are being cleaned up much more slowly than the Pentagon is claiming, congressional auditors said in a report released Wednesday.
(Full Story)
Workplace air pollution can hurt hearts
09/06/2001
Exposure to occupational and environmental air pollutants can alter heart rates in young, otherwise healthy hearts, researchers report in this week's issue of "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association."
(Full Story)
Businesses report workplace safety delivers a return on investment
09/05/2001
Ninety-five percent of business executives report that workplace safety has a positive impact on a company's financial performance, according to the findings of The Executive Survey of Workplace Safety announced by the Liberty Mutual Group.
(Full Story)
Company pleads guilty to violations
09/05/2001
James Edward Adams of Inman, S.C., and his firm, Carolina Upgrading of South Carolina, Inc., have agreed to plead guilty to 15 violations of federal law. In their plea agreement, the defendants admitted that they conspired and falsified more than 1,500 tests of underground storage tanks to gasoline stations and state and federal facilities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
(Full Story)
State enforcers are missing many water polluters
09/05/2001
State environmental authorities are doing a poor job of enforcing the nation's clean water laws, concludes a new report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
(Full Story)
Global warming: Why businesses are acting now
09/05/2001
A growing number of companies are convinced it is a mistake to ignore the threats - and opportunities -- posed by global warming.
(Full Story)
The EPA receives two arsenic expert panel reports
09/05/2001
In response to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman's request to review public health risks, costs and benefits associated with regulating arsenic in drinking water, two of three expert panels convened last spring have completed their analyses.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes $68,750 civil penalty against Sun Country Airlines
09/04/2001
The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed to assess a $68,750 civil penalty against Sun Country Airlines of Mendota Heights, Minn., for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
(Full Story)
Ohio company executives charged with falsifying pesticide test results
08/30/2001
J.T. Eaton & Co. of Twinsburg, Ohio and two company executives, Stanley Z. Baker and Benjamin H. Baker, were indicted on July 19 for allegedly submitting to EPA falsified test results on a product designed to repel squirrels and birds.
(Full Story)
Whitman announces $4 million pilot project to clean up storage tanks
08/30/2001
Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that EPA will provide $4 million in financial assistance to clean up contamination from leaking underground storage tanks around the nation.
(Full Story)
Price of water increasing worldwide
08/29/2001
According to a survey conducted by NUS Consulting Group, the average price of water increased last year by 3.8 percent worldwide. The survey was conducted in 14 countries throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia and examined the local water prices in these nations.
(Full Story)
Former New Hampshire residents charged in recycling fraud
08/29/2001
Former New Hampshire residents charged in recycling fraud Franklin D. Sales and Debon Sales, formerly of Milford, N.H., were charged with mail and wire fraud in an indictment unsealed on Aug. 16. The defendants owned and operated Consolidated Recycling, Inc. (CRI), a firm which was allegedly in the business of recycling fluorescent ballast waste.
(Full Story)
Californian sentenced for illegal waste transportation
08/28/2001
Gary Rasmussen of San Diego, Calif. was sentenced on Aug. 13 for his conviction on two counts of illegally transporting hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and on one count of conspiracy to violate the law.
(Full Story)
Testing firm admits false reporting on underground tanks
08/28/2001
The former president of an environmental contracting firm pleaded guilty today to several felonies related to his role in an illegal scheme that caused hundreds of people to believe in error that their underground storage tanks were properly tested for leaks of petroleum and other contaminants.
(Full Story)
Pennsylvania cancer center cited for illegal uranium
08/28/2001
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed an $8,800 fine against a Pittsburgh medical facility for violating agency regulations pertaining to the possession and disposal of radioactive material.
(Full Story)
Michigan company officials sentenced in racketeering
08/28/2001
Two men were sentenced on August 9 to over two years imprisonment each and a total $1 million in fines and restitution for committing an environmental offense under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes $78,500 fine against company for hazmat violations
08/27/2001
The FAA has proposed a civil penalty of $78,500 against Novel Tees Wholesale, Salt Lake City, Utah, for hazardous materials violations on a shipment offered for transportation by air on or about November 6, 2000.
(Full Story)
$40 million pledged toward Fox River cleanup
08/27/2001
Federal, state and corporate partners have reached a $40 million interim agreement to fund site cleanup and natural resource restoration projects on Wisconsin's Lower Fox River and Green Bay.
(Full Story)
Central Park Lake contaminated by power plant mercury
08/27/2001
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have linked coal plant emissions to toxic levels of mercury at the bottom of New York's Central Park Lake.
(Full Story)
EPA sued over MTBE requirements in California
08/27/2001
California has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), challenging the agency's decision to deny the state a waiver from federal clean air regulations for gasoline.
(Full Story)
Natural gas facility agrees to control odors
08/27/2001
Air quality officials have secured a stringent agreement with Omnitrans requiring the transit agency to take specific actions to promptly eliminate odors from its San Bernardino natural gas fueling facility.
(Full Story)
EPA estimates costs of clean water TMDL program
08/27/2001
Implementing one of the key tools under the Clean Water Act for cleaning up the nation's waters, called the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, could cost between $900 million and $4.3 billion dollars annually, based on a draft cost study released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and on which public comment is being requested.
(Full Story)
Is perc safe? Two reports come to drastically different conclusions
08/14/2001
Separate reports on perchloroethylene issued by two organizations last month offered divergent views of the widely used dry-cleaning solvent.
(Full Story)
Aerosols cool earth's surface, warm the atmosphere
08/14/2001
New research based upon satellite data and a multinational field experiment shows that black carbon aerosol pollution produced by humans can impact global climate as well as seasonal cycles of rainfall.
(Full Story)
Rhode Island photo supply plant fined for air pollution
08/13/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today it will seek $376,483 in penalties against Arkwright, a photographic film and paper manufacturer in Rhode Island for violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
(Full Story)
EPA seeks to scale back Clinton pollution rule
08/13/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency has decided to scale back a Clinton administration rule aimed at reducing pollution emissions from older coal-fired power plants, the Washington Post reports.
(Full Story)
Coffee company plants trees to limit global warming
08/13/2001
How much heat-trapping carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere to bring coffee into the homes and offices of purchaser of Thanksgiving Coffee? Officials of the northern California gourmet coffee company wanted to know, so they asked a non-profit group that measures greenhouse gases to evaluate its operations.
(Full Story)
FAA proposes $50,000 civil penalty
08/10/2001
he Federal Aviation Administration has proposed to assess a $50,000 civil penalty against Sikorsky Support Services, Inc., of Stratford, Conn., for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.
(Full Story)
Two men indicted in asbestos removal conspiracy
08/10/2001
Two men indicted in asbestos removal conspiracy A federal grand jury in Charlottesville, Va., returned an indictment charging two men with conspiring to illegally remove asbestos from aging buildings. The defendants recruited untrained homeless men to remove asbestos from properties in Staunton, Va., without providing the necessary safety equipment or training.
(Full Story)
Ozone-depleting substances into the U.S.
08/10/2001
A federal grand jury in New Haven, Conn. has returned an indictment charging five men for allegedly engaging in a scheme to trade in chemicals that deplete the Earth's ozone layer and that are strictly regulated in the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA feared ready to weaken clean air rules
08/10/2001
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman is ready to scale back a Clinton era initiative to reduce emissions from coal fired power plants that add new capacity, "after intense lobbying by the utility and refinery industries," the Washington Post reported today. The Next week, the EPA is expected to present to President George W. Bush its proposal to roll back requirements for expensive new pollution control equipment under the New Source Review (NSR) program.
(Full Story)
Get ready for ISO 14000 with environmental management system software
08/08/2001
With the release of the first ISO 14000 voluntary international standards for environmental management systems (EMS) in 1996, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provided the work with a common approach to environmental management. These standards are intended to increase confidence among stakeholders that organizations around the world have an effective EMS that will improve their environmental performance.
(Full Story)
Clean air groups fear Bush retreat on pollution rules
08/08/2001
Clean air advocates have expressed deep concern that the Bush administration is planning to scrap or alter enforcement of the new source review provisions of the Clean Air Act, which limits pollution from rebuilt or expanded operations at power plants and refineries.
(Full Story)
GM seeks to weaken clean air rules
08/08/2001
General Motors Corporation is quietly preparing a push to loosen the nation's clean-air rules to allow wider use of diesel engines as fuel-saving alternatives to thirsty gasoline light-truck engines, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
(Full Story)
Colloidal solution replaces petroleum-based cleaners
08/07/2001
Solution 2000™, a new, Optimized Colloidal Cleaning and Degreasing Agent, has been introduced by EnviroSan Products Ltd. as a safe replacement for most industrial and household cleaning products.
(Full Story)
EPA, Navy sign pact on Alameda Air Station cleanup
08/07/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navy recently signed a legally binding agreement that sets enforceable deadlines and a formal regulatory framework for the Superfund cleanup of the Alameda Naval Air Station in California.
(Full Story)
Report: polluting cars should be target of inspection systems
08/07/2001
According to a report that takes a look at the vehicle inspection system, too many resources are being used on checking newer, "cleaner" vehicles and not enough are being directed towards dealing with the "dirtiest" ones. As a result, an opportunity to achieve cleaner air is being missed.
(Full Story)
DNR releases asbestos NESHAP compliance video
08/06/2001
"Asbestos the Miracle Mineral: Complying with the Asbestos NESHAP" includes remodeling, demolition, training fires and asbestos NESHAP regulations.
(Full Story)
Michigan man indicted on conspiracy
08/06/2001
On June 26, James M. Dolmetsch, of Livonia, MI, was indicted on charges that he conspired to violate the Clean Air Act, that he was involved in illegal monetary transactions, and that he made a false statement to criminal investigators.
(Full Story)
Colorado businessman pleads guilty to illegal waste disposal
08/06/2001
An investigation by a federal/state task force led to a guilty plea without sentencing considerations for unlawful hazardous waste disposal by Bruce Spence, owner of Cooling Systems International, Inc.
(Full Story)
Montana developer convicted of Clean Water Act violations
08/06/2001
In an unprecedented prosecution, David Allan Phillips, a Montana land developer, was convicted on July 12 of felony conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act (CWA), of seven CWA felonies, and of seven CWA misdemeanors. This is the first case where a Federal jury in Montana has convicted an individual of conspiracy to violate the CWA.
(Full Story)
Alcoa subsidiary in Louisiana pleads guilty
08/06/2001
On July 13, Discovery Aluminas, Inc., an Alcoa subsidiary operating in Port Allen, La., pleaded guilty to violating the state water law. The company had previously pleaded guilty to violating the federal Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
EPA calls for reports of ground water contamination by hydraulic fracturing
08/06/2001
As part of its study of the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on ground water, EPA is calling for data or reports of ground water contamination incidents possibly attributable to hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane wells.
(Full Story)
Fuel economy website offers one stop auto information
08/02/2001
Consumers have a new and improved on-line tool to help them select the "perfect" vehicle.
(Full Story)
Bush plan calls for states to enforce environmental laws
08/02/2001
The Washington Post reports that the Bush administration has a plan to increase funding for enforcement of federal environmental laws to states while cutting the federal enforcement budget., despite evidence that some states may be unable or unwilling to take on those responsibilities.
(Full Story)
EPA cites Ashta Chemicals for air pollution and pesticide violations
07/31/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has filed an administrative complaint against Ashta Chemicals Inc. for alleged violations of federal and federally enforceable state clean-air regulations and federal pesticide regulations at the company's chemical plant.
(Full Story)
Indiana man pleads to dumping gasoline into sewer
07/31/2001
Daniel W. Axe of Dugger, Ind., pleaded guilty to charges that he violated the Clean Water Act by pumping liquid containing gasoline from his service station into a city sewer.
(Full Story)
EPA issues water pollution permit to large Arizona feeding operation
07/31/2001
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency today issued a general water pollution discharge permit that will require Arizona's largest animal feeding operations to prevent the discharge of manure and other pollutants into Arizona's rivers, lakes and washes.
(Full Story)
New sensor detects metal pollutants
07/30/2001
Testing for metals in drinking water and waste streams can be labor intensive and slow but thanks to the work of researchers at Brigham Young University, a sensor that can continually measure metals levels in water as it flows by can be created.
(Full Story)
EPA fines Alaska Airlines $84,500 for hazardous waste violations
07/30/2001
EPA announced that it has fined Alaska Airlines $84,500 for hazardous waste violations discovered at its maintenance facility at the Oakland Airport in 1999.
(Full Story)
Manufacturer to pay $225,000 penalty for alleged toxic chemical violations
07/30/2001
EPA announced that Croda, Inc. has settled violations of federal toxic chemical reporting regulations at its manufacturing plant in Mill Hall, Pa. In a consent agreement with EPA, the company has agreed to pay a $225,000 penalty for failing to file required annual reports on releases of toxic chemicals at its organic chemicals manufacturing plant
(Full Story)
Court rules EPA regulations for hazardous waste burners inadequate
07/30/2001
In its ruling this week, the United States Court of Appeals struck down as inadequate and unlawful EPA regulations for incinerators and cement kilns that burn hazardous waste. Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of the Sierra Club in 1999 to challenge the EPA regulations.
(Full Story)
EPA affirms plant-incorporated protectant rules
07/24/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman has signed three final rules, published today in the Federal Register, that clarify and strengthen the framework for EPA to oversee "plant-incorporated protectants."
(Full Story)
Monsanto plant spilled tons of mercury
07/24/2001
Some 40 or 50 tons of liquid mercury were dumped into a storm sewer by a Monsanto Corporation chemical plant in the 1950s and 1960s, an investigation by the "Anniston Star" shows.
(Full Story)
State crackdown on trash haulers finds thousands of violations
07/23/2001
When Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) started its "Operation Clean Sweep" in association with the State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, for nine days trash haulers were inspected at every landfill throughout the state. When it was all said-and-done, more than 40,000 trucks were inspected, resulting in haulers being cited for 11,082 safety and environmental violations.
(Full Story)
To save Gulf of Mexico waters, Midwest needs wetlands
07/23/2001
In order to save the Gulf of Mexico from polluted runoff and reduce the nitrogen levels in its waters, at least five to 13 million acres of wetlands in the Midwest and the lower Mississippi River basin must be restored says a new report.
(Full Story)
Hog farm wastewater cleaned up with innovative technology
07/23/2001
One of the toughest of environmental problems facing the US right now might not be the one that first comes to mind for many of us. Right now, one of the biggest problems is waste flowing out of high-density farming operations, which are becoming more the norm than the "family farm" of yesterday.
(Full Story)
Tennessee businessmen sentenced for hazardous waste violation
07/23/2001
Michael R. Kyle and Edward L. Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn. were sentenced on July 6 for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by abandoning ignitable and/or hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
Perchlorate contamination found in groundwater nationwide
07/19/2001
Sources of drinking water for more than seven million Californians and unknown millions of other Americans are contaminated with a chemical that disrupts child development and may cause thyroid cancer.
(Full Story)
NAACP plans lawsuit over lead paint poisoning
07/18/2001
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced last week that it plans to sue lead paint manufacturers over lead poisoning of minority children.
(Full Story)
Woman sentenced for illegal storage of chemicals
07/18/2001
Liliana Guzman-Haynes, formerly of Miami, Fla., was sentenced for violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to six months home detention and two years probation. She also was ordered to pay restitution of $29,095.54 to the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM) for costs associated with the cleanup and disposal of hazardous chemicals.
(Full Story)
Earthjustice suits challenge defects in federal toxics program
07/18/2001
Earthjustice has filed the first of seven lawsuits challenging the federal government's chronic failure to protect Americans from the health hazards of toxic air pollution.
(Full Story)
San Joaquin air pollution prompts lawsuit
07/18/2001
Medical, community and environmental groups announced today they will file suit over the failure of federal and local authorities to stop the air pollution that threatens the health of San Joaquin Valley residents.
(Full Story)
U.S. reaches clean air settlement with petroleum refiner
07/18/2001
The Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Illinois today announced an agreement with The Premcor Refining Group Inc. that will significantly reduce harmful air pollution, including more than 4,700 tons of sulfur dioxide annually, from Premcor's petroleum refinery in Hartford, Ill.
(Full Story)
Texaco agrees to install pollution control equipment
07/17/2001
The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reached a settlement with Texaco that requires the company to install new pollution control equipment at two of its oil field operations in Kern County, California.
(Full Story)
Washington DC landlord lied about lead paint hazards
07/16/2001
A Washington, DC area landlord has pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and making false statements to federal officials, in order to conceal his failure to notify tenants of the presence and hazards associated with lead based paint.
(Full Story)
North Carolina guidance on electronic equipment disposal
07/16/2001
The NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance (DPPEA), along with the Division of Waste Management (DWM), issued a fact sheet to clarify the duties and responsibilities of both the generators and handlers of electronic discards, especially those containing CRTs. The fact sheet also includes regulatory requirements and provides suggestions for alternatives to disposal.
(Full Story)
CCA- Treated lumber to be labeled as containing arsenic
07/16/2001
CCA- Treated lumber to be labeled as containing arsenic Throughout the summer, expect to find improved safety handling information when using wood pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenicals (CCA), a wood preservative that contains arsenic.
(Full Story)
EPA settles with Pepsi-Cola bottlers
07/16/2001
EPA Region 5 settled an administrative complaint with Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers in Munster, Ind., for alleged violation of federal laws on the reporting of a hazardous chemical release. The company will pay a civil penalty of $23,435 and pay for environmental projects valued at $145,150.
(Full Story)
New York pledges $1 million for Lake Champlain
07/16/2001
New York Governor George Pataki has announced $1 million for three projects in Clinton County to improve and protect the water quality of Lake Champlain.
(Full Story)
EPA creates online greenhouse gas calculator
07/13/2001
Would you like to estimate your household's annual greenhouse gas emissions and learn how you can reduce them? If so, EPA has just the tool for you.
(Full Story)
Greenpeace: dry cleaning chemical linked to deaths
07/12/2001
A new Greenpeace report reveals that customers, dry cleaning workers and the general public are exposed to a cancer causing solvent used to dry clean the majority of clothes in the United States.
(Full Story)
Hog factory farms settle water pollution suits
07/12/2001
Murphy Farms and D.M. Farms of Rose Hill have agreed to take specific measures to prevent future discharges of swine waste at five hog farms in Magnolia and to pay a fine of $72,000 for past water pollution.
(Full Story)
Cleaner diesel fuel could clear Mount Rainier views
07/12/2001
Views of Mount Rainier in Washington state will be clearer and the air will be cleaner as a result of a massive, first of its kind effort to promote the use of cleaner diesel fuel.
(Full Story)
EPA lab settles underground storage tank violations
07/10/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will pay a $2,833 penalty for violations of federal and Virginia regulations designed to prevent leaks from underground storage tanks.
(Full Story)
EPA finalizes program to help reduce the cost of gasoline in the Midwest
07/10/2001
Administrator Christie Whitman yesterday signed a final rule to help reduce costs for blending ethanol into gasoline, an action that formalizes the Agency's March 15 decision
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes $137,000 fine for Connecticut Wetlands oil spill
07/10/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a proposed $137,000 fine against Deep River Oil, Inc. of Deep River, Conn. for an oil spill that polluted a wetland last year.
(Full Story)
Chemicals to be evaluated for risks to children
07/09/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that 36 chemical manufacturers have committed to providing information critical to evaluating the potential health risks to children from 20 commonly used commercial chemicals.
(Full Story)
States call for removal of toxic car part
07/09/2001
Attorneys general from 26 states and territories announced a new effort to encourage the auto industry to replace a car part that has been identified as a significant source of air and groundwater pollution.
(Full Story)
Amtrak will spend millions on environmental upgrades
07/06/2001
Amtrak, the nation's largest passenger rail operator, has signed an agreement to carry out environmental audits at its facilities nationwide and undertake other environmental improvements, including projects to restore wetlands and reduce PCBs in locomotive transformers.
(Full Story)
Speed mercury removal, Ford urged
07/03/2001
State attorneys from around the country are asking Ford Motor Co. to replace light switches containing mercury during the current recall of defective tires. But Ford said that while it will continue to phase out the mercury switches it has no plans to comply with the request by attorneys general.
(Full Story)
PG&E stops irrigating with chromium 6
07/03/2001
The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has stopped irrigating with chromium 6 tainted groundwater after trace amounts of the contaminant were detected in the air in the town made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich.
(Full Story)
Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge winners awarded
07/03/2001
Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Christie Whitman acknowledged the winners of the 2001 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards.
(Full Story)
Virginia Plating Company, former official sentenced
07/03/2001
On June 20, Rehrig International Inc. pleaded guilty to negligently violating the Clean Water Act (CWA).
(Full Story)
U.S. green group sues EPA over arsenic in water
07/03/2001
A major U.S. environmental group, backed by six Democratic senators, filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's decision to suspend stricter limits for arsenic in water.
(Full Story)
HM-215D moves HMR closer to international regulations
07/02/2001
The HM-215D Final Rule doesn't just incorporate the latest international regulations by reference, it actually makes many changes to the US DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), bringing domestic rules in closer alignment with the latest IMDG Code, ICAO Technical Instructions, and UN Recommendations.
(Full Story)
Air liquide agrees to settlement with U.S.
07/02/2001
The Justice Department and EPA announced a ground-breaking Clean Air Act settlement with Air Liquide America Corporation to replace refrigerant chemicals that destroy the earth's stratospheric ozone layer with environmentally friendly alternatives.
(Full Story)
Project to marshal microbes against pollution
06/28/2001
A technologically advanced project to encourage bacteria to literally eat the soil and groundwater clean at a contaminated site in California has been launched by AMEC's Earth & Environmental operations.
(Full Story)
RxP products announces combustion technology reduces oxides of nitrogen
06/27/2001
RxP Products, Inc. President Don Woodward announced today that Arizona-based Supreme Oil has been chosen to market technology used to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from biodiesel.
(Full Story)
EPA issues background paper on administration review of new source
06/26/2001
New Source Review (NSR), requires that an air pollution source install the best pollution control equipment available when it builds a new facility or when it makes a major modification that increases emissions from an existing facility.
(Full Story)
Air pollution policy up for review
06/26/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for public comment on potential revisions to a rule that requires power plants to install the best pollution control technology available.
(Full Story)
Two New York men sentenced for water and hazardous waste crimes
06/25/2001
Francis Kindel of Orchard Park, N.Y. was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment and Robert Zilliox of Buffalo N. Y. to 29 months for violating the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA moves to clean air in parks
06/25/2001
Whitman signed the national park visibility protection proposal, widely known as the “BART” rule, which is nearly the same plan as the one first put forward by the administration of President Bill Clinton.
(Full Story)
Community water systems required to provide consumers annual report
06/25/2001
The July 1,2001, deadline is nearing quickly for community water systems (CWSs) to provide customers the required annual report intended to educate them about the quality of their drinking water and opportunities to participate in its protection.
(Full Story)
Discovery turns paper mill waste into useful product
06/22/2001
A Lehigh University chemical engineering professor has discovered and patented a catalytic process that converts a paper mill waste into a useful product.
(Full Story)
EPA sets standards for nuclear waste repository
06/21/2001
The final health and environmental standards for Yucca Mountain, the proposed repository for spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants, has been released by the US Environmental Protection Agency, addressing all potential sources of radiation exposure.
(Full Story)
Pesticides pact aimed at schools, kids
06/21/2001
The pesticide industry and a leading anti-pesticide environmental group have agreed on legislation requiring that public schools nationwide notify parents about the use of bug-killing chemicals.
(Full Story)
EPA adds to superfund list
06/21/2001
They are among 10 new sites – six in New England – added Thursday to the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund list of most hazardous toxic waste sites in the nation.
(Full Story)
Guide to pay $14.1 mln for water pollution violations
06/21/2001
Guide Corp., a manufacturer of automotive lighting, agreed to pay more than $14.1 million for dumping in an Indiana river toxic wastewater that killed more than 100 tons of fish and other animals.
(Full Story)
Labor secretary announces deadline on ergonomics
06/21/2001
Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced today that she would convene three national public forums on the issue of ergonomics safety in the workplace and that she will identify a final course of action on the issue by September.
(Full Story)
EPA waives $345,105 in penalties for seven companies
06/18/2001
EPA is waiving a potential $345,105 in penalties against seven companies - six in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia -- after they voluntarily reported and rectified their own environmental violations, the agency's mid-Atlantic office recently announced.
(Full Story)
Energy plan is a cool alternative to energy crunch
06/18/2001
The White House energy plan released last month included glossy photomontages of renewable energy sources. Given that emphasis, a photo of President Bush’s Texas ranch — often dubbed the “Texas White House” — would also have been appropriate.
(Full Story)
EPA proposes improved availability of service information
06/18/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to revise the requirements for emissions-related service information for light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty trucks.
(Full Story)
Errors made in water clean-up plan
06/18/2001
The Clinton administration told states to clean up thousands of lakes and rivers without enough evidence to assure the right bodies of water were being targeted, a panel of scientists said Friday.
(Full Story)
Fort St. Vrain power plant reborn after checkered past
06/13/2001
Shortly after dark on May 24, an old steam generator once hitched to Fort St. Vrain's troubled nuclear power plant roared back to full capacity, reborn and repowered by the exhaust of three natural gas-fired turbines.
(Full Story)
Ethanol gets lift from EPA
06/13/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday officially denied California's bid for a waiver from federal clean-air laws, despite a recommendation from its technical staff last year to grant the request.
(Full Story)
Wal-Mart agrees to pay $1 million storm water fine
06/11/2001
The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached an environmental agreement with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to resolve claims the retailer violated the Clean Water Act at 17 locations in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Massachusetts.
(Full Story)
Arsenic in the Water
06/08/2001
If anyone knows about the dangers of poisons, it’s Arthur Furst. The Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco (USF) wrote the first scientific review of the field later known as toxicology, the science of poisons.
(Full Story)
U.S. Report Supports Climate Talks
06/07/2001
A review commissioned by the White House concludes that, while some uncertainties remain, global warming is real and that the United States should continue with the U.N.-led negotiations on a climate change treaty.
(Full Story)
Former Florida Residents Sentenced
06/06/2001
Former Florida residents sentenced for violations dealing with illegal import of freon.
(Full Story)
D.C. Service Station to Pay Penalty
06/06/2001
The owners and operators of Ping Auto Center will pay a $15,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of underground storage tank regulations.
(Full Story)
U.S. Sets Rules for Nuclear Waste Site
06/06/2001
The Bush administration yesterday unveiled final health and safety standards for a proposed nuclear waste depository in the Nevada desert that officials hope will allow construction of the long-stalled project, which is essential to the president’s efforts to rejuvenate the nuclear power industry.
(Full Story)
Wind-Power Advocates Make Case
06/05/2001
Is the answer to the U.S. energy crisis blowing in the wind? The answer is, not quite yet, but it might be soon. Wind power could supply up to 12 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020 if current tax incentives and research funding continue.
(Full Story)
Bush Tours Everglades Amid Criticism
06/05/2001
For the second time in a week, President Bush on Monday visited an American natural wonder — this time the Everglades — to state his commitment to protecting the environment.
(Full Story)
Bacteria Tied to Manmade Marsh
05/31/2001
A team of California researchers may rewrite environmental textbooks after uncovering evidence that a manmade saltwater marsh is a source of potentially hazardous fecal bacteria that is contaminating the swimming and surfing waters of one of California’s most popular beaches. The study suggests that environmental managers should take care in designing artificial wetlands.
(Full Story)
Watch as the Polluted World Turns
05/31/2001
Scientists unveiled the most complete view of global air pollution ever assembled — moving pictures that chart concentrations of carbon monoxide as they pass over oceans and continents. The false-color imagery was captured by a Canadian instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite.
(Full Story)
America Wakes to a Crude Reality
05/30/2001
Hovering in a helicopter over this man-made oil island, the energy dilemma facing the United States is as bracing as the Arctic air rushing through the cabin: If the United States wants to produce more crude domestically, it will need to tap areas like Northstar — areas that involve engineering challenges and environmental gambles.
(Full Story)
EPA Administrator Supports Small Business Liability Protection Act
05/30/2001
The Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Christie Whitman, praised the bi-partisan sponsors of a new bill, the Small Business Liability Protection Act, which was introduced last Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
(Full Story)
Water Woes Reflected in U.S. Desert
05/29/2001
The desert around here, so dry that imported Arizona cactus needs watering, has sprouted a man-made ski lake, 100 lush golf courses, outdoor air conditioning and gardens fit for the tropics. A quarter million residents use an average of 375 gallons of water a day at home, twice the national norm. That costs a household only half as much as cable TV.
(Full Story)
EPA Proposes New Hazardous Waste Manifest
05/29/2001
On May 22, 2001, the Modification of the Hazardous Waste Manifest System Proposed Rule was published in the Federal Register (66 FR 28240).
(Full Story)
New Push to Relicense Nuclear Power
05/29/2001
The Bush administration renewed the pitch for its national energy blueprint, and once again nuclear power was a key selling point.
(Full Story)
Some PC Makers Start Up Recycling
05/24/2001
At Hewlett-Packard Co.’s recycling plant, a giant machine with brick-sized blades thunders away, crushing personal computers, servers and printers to bits. Despite all the noise, the machine is part of a quiet movement in the high-tech world - the recycling of PCs and other electronics, which are filled with toxic chemicals but rarely disposed of.
(Full Story)
EPA Revises Mixture and Derived-From Rules
05/23/2001
On May 16, EPA issued a final rule that retains and slightly modifies the mixture rule and the derived-from rule.
(Full Story)
Whitman Supports Small Business Liability
05/23/2001
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman praised the bipartisan sponsors of a new bill, the Small Business Liability Protection Act, which was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
(Full Story)
Nations Adopt Toxic Chemicals Treaty
05/23/2001
Delegates from 127 countries formally adopted a global treaty banning 12 highly toxic chemicals on Tuesday, but the success was overshadowed by tension between the United States and Europe over environmental policies.
(Full Story)
Minnesota Bans Mercury Thermometers
05/22/2001
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura signed legislation on April 26 that will all but eliminate the sales and distribution of thermometers that contain mercury in Minnesota.
(Full Story)
Oregon Towing Company Fined for Illegal Dumping
05/22/2001
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Mid State Diesel Towing and Repair of The Dalles for burning prohibited material and illegally disposing of solid waste.
(Full Story)
Farmers, Big Oil Battle Over Ethanol
05/22/2001
A corn-based gasoline additive touted in President Bush’s energy plan is also at the center of a tug of war between two of the most powerful political lobbies in Washington: farmers and big oil companies. Farmers want the EPA to force California to use ethanol as a clean-air additive, but the state and oil companies say a cheaper alternative is available.
(Full Story)
Missouri School District Unveils State-of-the-Art Compost System
05/21/2001
Missouri environmentalists, educators and waste management professionals gathered at Rees String High School in Stone County on April 23 to formally dedicate a state-of-the-art in-vessel composting system.
(Full Story)
UN Chief Warns of Global Warming Consequences
05/21/2001
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Sunday that action must be taken now on global warming and called on the United States to resume leadership on the issue.
(Full Story)
Bush Energy Push Eyes More Supply
05/17/2001
Arguing that the nation faces the most serious energy shortage since the 1970s oil embargo, President Bush on Thursday will release a much anticipated plan that would ease regulations and increase incentives to pump up domestic supplies.
(Full Story)
Bush Energy Plan Includes Coal-Burning Power Plants
05/17/2001
President Bush's long-range energy plan includes the use of more coal-burning plants, a proposal that some experts say might help avoid an energy crisis and that critics say would harm the environment.
(Full Story)
College Adopts Unusual Recycling
05/17/2001
Jared Birabeau dropped a dash of ground-up food from the salad bar at Green Mountain College into a tub in the basement at the school. It was the first real test of a prototype organic wastewater system he helped build that will one day treat all of the college’s waste.
(Full Story)
Worker Awarded $8 Million in Asbestos Case Worker
05/16/2001
A jury has awarded $8 million to a former Koch Petroleum Group worker and his family who argued that asbestos at the company's Rosemount refinery caused his cancer.
(Full Story)
EPA Panel Wants Tighter Dioxin Rules
05/16/2001
A long-stalled government study that says dioxin causes cancer in lab animals and possibly in people finally will be sent to federal regulators — and put another major environmental issue in the Bush administration’s lap.
(Full Story)
Firms Aim to Help Environment
05/16/2001
One might think that U.S. industry would be breathing easy now that it has a man in the White House who is cool to environmental concerns about carbon dioxide.
(Full Story)
'Alternative’ View Offered on Battling Climate Change
05/15/2001
In the study in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hansen and colleagues at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies noted that CO2 emissions have been fairly stable in the last 25 years, even with economic expansion around the world.
(Full Story)
Construction Sites Must Manage Storm Water Properly
05/14/2001
Changing the landscape with new and useful buildings, homes and industrial developments is the crux of the construction industry.
(Full Story)
EPA Considers a Standardized Permit for Storage of Hazardous Waste
05/14/2001
EPA is considering allowing a type of general permit, called a standardized permit, for facilities that generate waste and routinely manage the waste on-site in tanks, containers, and containment buildings.
(Full Story)
Fourteen Sentenced for Fraudulent Testing In Pennsylvania
05/14/2001
On May 2, 14 persons from six states-Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas-were sentenced on federal charges arising from the improper testing of gasoline underground storage tanks in Pennsylvania.
(Full Story)
Russia Eyes Antarctica for Oil, Gas
05/14/2001
A Russian prospecting vessel is reported to have just collected data on oil and gas reserves in Antarctica, a global nature reserve where minerals exploitation is forbidden.
(Full Story)
U.S. Announces Clean Air Agreement With Marathon Ashland
05/14/2001
The U.S. EPA and the Justice Department today announced an environmental agreement with Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC that is expected to reduce air emissions from seven petroleum refineries by more than 23,000 tons per year.
(Full Story)
Names of Bush Energy Panal Sought
05/11/2001
The Energy Department has denied a Freedom of Information Act request, arguing that the material is not subject to public disclosure, but previous court rulings might be on the side of the environmental group.
(Full Story)
Experts Seek Burial Grounds for CO2
05/11/2001
THE SCIENTIFIC TERM for trapping CO2 is carbon sequestration, the idea being to dispose of carbon dioxide after it’s produced, rather than trying to hold down the production in the first place. It’s not a new idea, although it hasn’t gotten much public attention in the United States
(Full Story)
Proposed Changes to the Hazardous Materials Regulations
05/10/2001
RSPA again addressed the harmonization of domestic and international regulation by issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register on October 23, 2000.
(Full Story)
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Lead Rule
05/10/2001
On January 8, 2001 EPA published a final rule lowering the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting threshold for lead and lead compounds to 100 lbs per year.
(Full Story)
Army Switching to Environmentally-Friendly Ammunition
05/10/2001
The U.S. military is trying to go green, and not just with berets or fatigues.
(Full Story)
Bottled Water Criticised By Report
05/10/2001
People may be wasting their money and harming the environment every time they purchase bottled water, according to a study commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
(Full Story)
Refiners Producing Low Sulfur Gasoline While Preserving Clean Air Benefits
05/09/2001
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that the Agency is giving two refiners greater flexibility to produce cleaner, low sulfur gasoline.
(Full Story)
Toxic Wastes Found In Fertilizers
05/09/2001
Americans are unknowingly purchasing fertilizers made from industrial toxic waste, turning farms and gardens into dumping grounds for the waste, charges a new report
(Full Story)
More U.S. Areas Flunk Smog Test
05/07/2001
Some 141 million Americans — more than half the nation — live in areas that received an “F” in a report on air quality released Tuesday by the American Lung Association.
(Full Story)
BP Amoco Fined for Clean Water Act Violations in Kansas
05/02/2001
BP Amoco has agreed to pay a $804,700 civil penalty for violating the Clean Water Act by dumping over 162,000 gallons of oil into the Marais des Cygnes River in Osawatomie, Kansas, disrupting the city's water supply for 38 days.
(Full Story)
US Worried About Environment
05/02/2001
Actions taken by the Bush administration that involve the environment have stirred up concerns among Americans who feel the White House is "on the wrong track," according to a nationwide poll released Monday by the Los Angeles Times.
(Full Story)
Trucking Company Owner and Chief Mechanic Sentenced, Fined
05/02/2001
The former owner of a Easton, Pennsylvania trucking firm and his head mechanic have been sentenced to jail terms and fined for conspiracy, falsifying inspection results, and discharging hazardous materials into the Easton sewer system.
(Full Story)
NY Gas Station Owner to Pay $400,000 for Tank Violations
05/02/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Mid-Valley Oil, the New Windsor, New York-based owner of 200 gas stations located primarily throughout central New York State, has agreed to pay a penalty of $400,000 for violations of federal underground storage tank regulations – the highest EPA penalty ever obtained in a settlement of charges of tank mismanagement in New York or New Jersey.
(Full Story)
Lead Reporting Threshold Lowered
04/30/2001
The EPA has lowered the thresholds for lead and lead compounds that are subject to reporting under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and Section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA).
(Full Story)
EPA to Withdraw Proposed Arsenic Standard
04/27/2001
On March 20, 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will propose to withdraw the pending arsenic standard for drinking water that was issued earlier this year.
(Full Story)
Detox Your Home for Earth Day
04/20/2001
More than 7 billion pounds of toxic chemicals, including over 115 million pounds of recognized carcinogens, are released by manufacturing firms into the nation’s environment each year, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.
(Full Story)
Big Muddy is in Big Trouble, Environmentalists Declared
04/11/2001
The Missouri River is dying biologically, and its fate will be decided this summer, an environmental group says.
(Full Story)
Bush Plan Will Limit EPA Enforcement
04/11/2001
The Bush administration would begin to shift some responsibility for enforcing federal environmental protection laws from the Environmental Protection Agency to the states under a plan contained in budget documents just released.
(Full Story)
Huge N.Y. Landfill Closes Its Doors
04/04/2001
The most infamous landfill in the United States closed down March 29, 2001 after 50 years of accepting a growing amount of New York City’s garbage.
(Full Story)
Clean Air Act Agreements Reached with Petroleum Refiners
04/04/2001
Polluted air emissions will be reduced by over 60,000 tons per year at nine petroleum refineries in California, Delaware, Louisiana, Texas and Washington state.
(Full Story)
New Mexico Company, Two Officials Assessed $830,000 Penalty
03/26/2001
The company was charged with five violations of the state Water Quality Act and New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission regulations. Those violations allege failure to file a notice of intent to discharge a water contaminant, discharging used oil below the surface of the ground without a department permit, failure to provide notification of the discharge and corrective actions undertaken, exceeding two human-health based ground-water standards, and failure to remediate the damage caused by the discharge.
(Full Story)
Acid Rain is Still a Major Problem, Study Finds
03/26/2001
Leading acid rain researchers reported Monday that cuts in power plant emissions have not done enough to reduce damage in the Northeast
(Full Story)
EPA Fines 10 Facilities $293,924 For Waste Violations
03/23/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it settled ten hazardous waste enforcement actions with fines totaling $293,924.
(Full Story)
New Jersey Company Sentenced for Illegal Waste Storage in Texas
03/23/2001
A New Jersey company, was sentenced Jan. 30 to a $25,000 fine and a $150,000 community service payment to the Houston Environmental Crime Unit (HECU).
(Full Story)
Tennessee Firm and Officers Plead Guilty to Illegal Waste Disposal
03/23/2001
The president and foreman of a construction company in Cleveland, Tenn. pleaded guilty on Jan. 30 to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA Cuts Cost of Gas By Allowing Higher Emissions
03/21/2001
Gas prices for Chicago and Milwaukee drivers will be less likely to skyrocket this summer because of a rule change by the Environmental Protection Agency that will allow a greater amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to be emitted from exhaust pipes.
(Full Story)
Largest U.S. Hog Producer is Sued
03/01/2001
A coalition of groups opposed to corporate hog farms has filed federal and state lawsuits claiming Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation’s largest hog producer, has broken criminal and civil laws by willfully ignoring environmental regulations.
(Full Story)
Justices Back EPA on Clean Air Act
02/28/2001
In a major victory for environmentalists and a major defeat for industry, the Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to how the Environmental Protection Agency implements the Clean Air Act.
(Full Story)
Annual Air Quality Trends Reports Released
02/26/2001
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released the National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Reports for 1998 and 1999. The reports track six principal air pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. Despite the fact that these reports show overall improvement to air quality in the United States, 62 million Americans in 1999 lived in areas that had unhealthy levels of at least one of six major pollutants.
(Full Story)
EPA Solicits Small Business Research Proposals
02/21/2001
Beginning March 29 and extending to May 24, EPA will issue solicitations for research proposals from science and technology-based small businesses.
(Full Story)
Hazardous Waste Manifest System Streamlined
02/19/2001
This proposed rule affects 92,000 businesses across the country that are responsible for managing hazardous waste. EPA calculates that the proposal could save handlers more than $24 million per year. Simply automating the manifest form could save up to $27 million a year for handlers. EPA also estimates that states could save up to 25 percent in manifest-related costs.
(Full Story)
Power Plant Fined a Total of $1.1 Million for Pollution
02/08/2001
Operators of American National Power's gas-fired power plant in Milford, Mass. have been slapped with a $1.1 million penalty for polluting the air, one of the largest such fines ever imposed by the state.
(Full Story)
Recycling Company Cited By OSHA for 94,880 in Penalties
02/01/2001
The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Hunts Point Recycling Corporation, in Bronx, New York, and proposed penalties of $94,880 against the firm for one alleged willful violation, eleven alleged repeat violations, nine alleged serious violations, and one alleged other-than-serious violation of OSHA standards.
(Full Story)
Morton Agrees to Stiff Fines for Environmental Violations
01/29/2001
Morton International has resolved charges that it violated air, water and hazardous-waste laws at its Moss Point, MS, facility by agreeing to a $20 million civil penalty, which marks the largest civil fine ever paid for environmental violations at a single facility.
(Full Story)
Making an Environmental Management System Part of Your Business Plan
01/29/2001
Those who are responsible for the bottom line of a company are beginning to recognize that a well-designed Environmental Management System (EMS) can have a profound impact on a company. This impact not only extends to the short-term bottom line and public image, but also to the long-term financial health of a company.
(Full Story)
Two Firms Plead Guilty of Illegal Paint Disposal, Fraud
01/29/2001
North American Inc., a defunct company formerly located in St. Albans, WV, and Matthew Taylor and IPI Inc., both of Loundendale, WV, each pleaded guilty in October to various federal crimes associated with a scheme to defraud the government. The activities involved illegally disposing of excess paint, including spraying it into waterways, and then charging the state of West Virginia for the paint after falsely claiming it had been used to paint bridges.
(Full Story)
Bush EPA Faces Lawsuit On Clean Air
01/26/2001
In the first major environmental challenge for the Bush administration, the U.S. oil refiners trade group told MSNBC.com Wednesday they will “in the very near future” sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its rule requiring cleaner diesel fuel — and indirectly cleaner air.
(Full Story)
Metal Products & Machinery Effluent Discharge Guidelines Proposed
01/25/2001
On Jan. 3, EPA proposed effluent limitation guidelines for wastewater discharges into waterways from the metal products and machinery industry. When implemented, the proposals are expected to reduce the discharge of 20 pollutants by 170 million pounds per year, improving water quality in more than 1,100 streams.
(Full Story)
Arkansas Company Hit With Penalties as Part of National Enforcement Effort
01/25/2001
In an administrative enforcement action, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed $314,558 in fines Jan. 3 for an Arkansas company that allegedly failed to properly maintain and operate its underground storage tanks.
(Full Story)
Super Bowl XXXV Tackles Environmental Principles
01/25/2001
Many large events leave quite a mess behind. But the National Football League says the Super Bowl is different.
(Full Story)
Companies Unite Against VOCs
01/25/2001
Sixty-one companies have agreed to install emission controls on about 866 above ground storage tanks, under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Storage Tank Emission Reduction Partnership Program, developed with the American Petroleum Institute.
(Full Story)
TRI Lead Threashold Lowered to 100 Lbs.
01/11/2001
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took action to dramatically expand the information available to the public about lead emissions in their communities. The new rule will require significantly more reporting of environmental releases of lead under EPA's public right-to-know program, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).
(Full Story)
Draft Report Reveals U.S. Global Warming Emissions Are On The Rise
01/11/2001
U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rose 0.9 percent from 1998 to 1999, according to a draft EPA report recently released for public comment. Total GHG emissions of the six main greenhouse gases (weighted to reflect equivalent emissions of carbon dioxide or CO2), rose from 6,689 to 6,748 million metric tons.
(Full Story)
Shareholders Push Coke and Pepsi to Recycle
01/04/2001
A group of shareholders said Nov. 29 that they are pressing The Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. to adopt a comprehensive recycling strategy.
(Full Story)
New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman Nominated as Next EPA Administrator
01/03/2001
The League of Conservation Voters stated that, "we are cautiously optimistic about the direction that Governor Bush appears to be moving with some of his environmental appointments."
(Full Story)
Ten Cheese Companies Correct 264 Environmental Violations
01/03/2001
The Agency waived 100 percent of potential gravity-based penalties in return for the companies' voluntary disclosure of violations and speedy return to compliance.
(Full Story)
Recyclers, Rejoice!
12/21/2000
Reducing, reusing and recycling paper and packaging over the holidays is easier on the environment — and an indirect boon to your health.
(Full Story)
Michigan Man Sentenced for Transporting Illegal Waste
12/19/2000
A Michigan man who violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act has been sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $44,000 in restitution to the U.S. government.
(Full Story)
Appeals Court Strikes Down Challenge to Clean Air Rule
12/19/2000
The U.S. Court of Appeals has denied a challenge to an EPA Clean Air Act architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) rule brought by a group of Southern California paint manufacturers and others.
(Full Story)
Superfund Turns 20 Yet Much Left To Do
12/08/2000
The Superfund program, an ambitious attempt to force polluters to clean up 1,450 contaminated sites across the United States, turns 20 this month. But the federal program, which still has hundreds of areas on its “to do” list, has supporters as well as critics.
(Full Story)
Storm Water General Permit Issued for Use in 8 Regions
11/17/2000
EPA is reissuing the Multi-sector Storm Water General Permit to control storm water discharges from 29 industrial activity sectors and to protect water quality in rivers, lakes, wetlands and marine waters.
(Full Story)
Justices Study Compliance Costs for Clean-Air Rules
11/07/2000
Hearing arguments in a major clean-air case, several Supreme Court justices expressed doubts Tuesday about requiring the government to consider compliance costs -- and not just health benefits -- in setting air-quality limits.
(Full Story)
Pollution Adding to Severe Global Warming
10/27/2000
New evidence shows man-made pollution has “contributed substantially” to global warming and the earth is likely to get a lot hotter than previously predicted, a United Nations-sponsored panel of hundreds of scientists finds.
(Full Story)
Diesel Trucks and Buses Pack a Pollution Wallop
10/20/2000
Although trucks account for less than six percent of the miles driven by highway vehicles in the U.S., they are responsible for one-quarter of smog causing pollution from highway vehicles, more than half the soot from highway traffic, the majority of the cancer threat posed by air pollution in some urban areas, six percent of the nation's global warming pollution, and more than one-tenth of America's oil consumption, the study shows.
(Full Story)
Clinton Calls for Cleaner Schools
10/17/2000
President Clinton said, "We are hopeful that all members of Congress will recognize that, just as they enjoy healthful work places, that all children should have environmentally healthy schools."
(Full Story)
EPA Releases New TRI Search Tool, Data
10/04/2000
The US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has launched a revised version of its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data analysis tool, TRI Explorer, which triples the amount of toxic emissions information previously available and includes data on facility transfers off-site and waste management such as recycling, energy recovery and treatment.
(Full Story)
EPA Honors Clean Air Excellence
09/28/2000
The EPA has awarded its first Clean Air Excellence Awards to 26 local and state governments, industries and citizens groups that have made outstanding and innovative efforts in helping clean the nation's air. Their accomplishments ranged from cost effective approaches to housing design that reduce energy and minimize overall environmental impact, to a program integrating electric vehicles into the average American's lifestyle.
(Full Story)
Bush, Gore Environmental Advisers Square Off
09/28/2000
The debate covered a range of issues from stewardship of federal lands and protection of Northwest salmon to Texas' record in dealing with dirty air and polluted waterways.
(Full Story)
Chevron agrees to pay record $7 million claim
09/25/2000
Chevron U.S.A. Inc. has agreed to pay a record $7 million to settle claims that it violated the Clean Air Act at its offshore loading terminal near El Segundo, Calif., the EPA and the Justice Department announced today. The settlement includes a $6 million penalty, the highest ever paid under the Clean Air Act for a single facility, and environmental improvement projects valued at $1 million.
(Full Story)
Water Company Owners Held Liable for Pollution
09/20/2000
In an unprecedented decision, a U.S. district judge is holding the owners of several California drinking water companies liable for endangering the health of more than 20,000 local residents, by falsifying lab reports to hide high bacteria levels.
(Full Story)
New Report Concludes Nation's Chemicals Can Affect Child Development
09/18/2000
In the first ever effort to comprehensively examine the scope and sources of such pollution, Polluting Our Future: Chemical Pollution in the U.S. that Affects Child Development and Learning claims that U.S. industries reported only 5 percent of estimated total emissions of developmental and neurological toxins-1.2 billion pounds-to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(Full Story)
Michigan Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Waste Transport
09/18/2000
The defendant previously pleaded guilty to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally causing the transportation of paint and solvent wastes to four rural sites in Macomb County, Mich., where they were abandoned.
(Full Story)
Bakery Fined $3.5 M for Clean Air Act Violations
09/13/2000
An Arkansas based bakery company has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle charges that it violated the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.
(Full Story)
Recycling Could Turn Recalled Tires Into Profits
09/12/2000
The recall of millions of defective Bridgestone/Firestone tires will create enormous piles of tires unless they are recycled into useful products.
(Full Story)
Plastic Softener Proposed for Toxic Release Inventory List
09/12/2000
The EPA is proposing to add phthalates to the list of toxic substances included in the annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting. Phthalates, including diisononyl phthalate, are chemical plasticizers used in making flexible vinyl products such as shower curtains, medical devices such as tubing and IV bags, upholstery, raincoats, balls and soft squeeze toys.
(Full Story)
Four Missourians Charged With Illegal Disposal of Drug Lab Waste
09/11/2000
Four men from Missouri were each indicted with two counts of violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by illegally disposing of clandestine drug wastes.
(Full Story)
Business Owners No Longer Have to Dump Old Ceiling Tiles
09/06/2000
A new program has been announced that will allow building owners to recycle their old ceiling tiles rather than dumping them in landfills.
(Full Story)
Minneapolis Company Supplies Recycled-Content Paint for Community Project
09/06/2000
Hirshfield's Paint Manufacturing Inc., Minneapolis, has donated 400 gallons of recycled latex paint to Metro Paint-A-Thon, an annual program in which approximately 200 homes of low-income and disabled people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area are given a new coat of paint.
(Full Story)
Clean Air Groups Challenge U.S. Coal Waste Decision
08/23/2000
A group of clean air activist groups said they filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia objecting to the government's decision last May not to classify waste from coal-fired utility plants as "hazardous".
(Full Story)
Old Rugs Get New Life
08/21/2000
Unfortunately, this story is not about a baldness cure. However, it can save you some money as well as valuable resources when its time to change the carpeting in your office.
(Full Story)
EPA Releases Air Toxic Concentration Data
08/21/2000
EPA posted information on the Internet estimating outdoor concentrations of 32 air toxics nationwide. Air toxics are those pollutants known or suspected of causing cancer or other serious health problems, such as birth defects.
(Full Story)
New Air Quality Resource Guide for Local Governments
08/18/2000
A new air quality resource guide, entitled "Air Quality Tools: Local and Regional Strategies to Reduce Air Pollution," is available free to local governments.
(Full Story)
Coal Fired Power Plants Emitting Clouds of Toxics
08/18/2000
Pollution from electrical generation facilities is more dangerous than the utilities say, claims a U.S. environmental group.
(Full Story)
New EPA Water Pollution Rule May Be Challenged in Court
08/04/2000
A Clinton administration plan to curb water pollution run-off by farmers and other land-owners in defiance of Congress may be challenged in court, industry groups said.
(Full Story)
Clean Air Rules Did Not Cause High Gas Prices
08/04/2000
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says it "seems unlikely" that federal clean air rules led to high gasoline prices in the Midwest.
(Full Story)
Researchers Get to the Root of Soil Remediation
08/04/2000
A research team at Purdue University has pioneered the use of plants to help clean up soil contaminated with petroleum products.
(Full Story)
EPA Mulls How to Limit Output of Riskiest Pesticides
07/21/2000
The Environmental Protection Agency said it will hold a meeting on Sept. 7 to hear from the pesticide industry, academic experts, consumer groups and others on how regulators should limit pesticides linked to health risks.
(Full Story)
Administration Puts Finishing Touches on Plan to Clean Up Water
07/21/2000
The Clinton-Gore Administration is looking to finish the job of cleaning up rivers, lakes and bays throughout the United States.
(Full Story)
EPA Wins Court Decision for Cleaner Eastern Air
07/07/2000
The Environmental Protection Agency said 19 states and the District of Columbia must write plans by Oct. 28 for reducing harmful emissions from coal-burning power plants and other industries by 1.5 million tons starting in the summer of 2003.
(Full Story)
Carbon Dioxide Developed as Air Conditioner Refrigerant
07/07/2000
Researchers are making progress in perfecting automotive and portable air-conditioning systems that use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant instead of conventional, synthetic global warming and ozone depleting chemicals.
(Full Story)
Businesses to Be Rewarded for 'Going the Extra Mile'
07/06/2000
EPA said it will reward companies that exceed minimum regulatory requirements and take extra steps to reduce and prevent pollution. They will be rewarded under the National Environmental Performance Track program.
(Full Story)
Dry Cleaning Goes Green
06/23/2000
There are hopes that the dry-cleaning industry can become more environmentally-friendly, with the use of CO2.
(Full Story)
EPA Studying Streamlined Air-Pollution Permits
06/22/2000
The EPA is reportedly looking into ways to streamline the air-pollution permitting process. Under existing rules, air-pollution permits require a 30-day public-comment period, a detailed inspection and and EPA review.
(Full Story)
EPA: Toxic Dioxins Put Human Health at Risk
06/21/2000
A group of environmental contaminants called dioxins are most dangerous for infants and children, but the health of adults exposed to the chemicals is also at risk, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today in a long awaited reassessment of dioxin toxicity.
(Full Story)
Dursban to Disappear
06/14/2000
EPA has prescribed significant reductions in production and usage of chlorpyrifos, which is sold uner the trade name Dursban.
(Full Story)
EPA, Pollution Control Agency Team Up to Reduce Pollution
06/08/2000
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has teamed up with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and community and local businesses on an environmental project that is designed to reduce pollution.
(Full Story)
Businesses Receive Five New Self-Audit Protocols
06/05/2000
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released five additional protocols for conducting environmental compliance audits under federal regulations.
(Full Story)
Six New EPA Clean Air Excellence Awards
06/05/2000
The EPA recently announced its "Clean Air Excellence Awards Program" designed to recognize and honor outstanding innovative efforts that help to make progress in achieving cleaner air.
(Full Story)
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Transporting Hazardous Waste
05/16/2000
The defendant illegally transported paint and solvent wastes from a painting company to four rural sites, violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(Full Story)
EPA Ranks Pollution by Industries
05/16/2000
For the first time, toxic emissions figures for seven major US industrial sectors have been released, almost tripling the reported amount of toxic releases.
(Full Story)
Obsolete PCs pour into landfills
05/09/2000
Consumers' and businesses' tendency to throw out outdated electronic devices is leading Silicon Valley and the nation toward an e-waste crisis.
(Full Story)
Feds to Address Coal Burning Waste
05/05/2000
The US EPA said it plans to develop national standards to address wastes from coal burning plants that are presently either land disposed or used as fill in mining.
(Full Story)
Database Assists With Clean Air Act Compliance
05/05/2000
Companies seeking information for complying with the Clean Air Act are finding help in a government database posted on the World Wide Web.
(Full Story)
Compliance Program to Reduce Aboveground Storage Tank Emissions
04/26/2000
U.S. EPA has announced a compliance agreement program to reduce, at little or no cost to industry, smog-causing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from aboveground petroleum and organic liquid storage tanks.
(Full Story)
EPA Announces Changes to Self-Disclosure Policies
04/17/2000
EPA has announced the final changes to its Audit Policy and Small Business Compliance Policy.
(Full Story)
TRI Form R Update
04/17/2000
Form R and its instruction manual for reporting under the Toxic Releaes Inventory can be downloaded from EPA's web site.
(Full Story)
Invite EPA to Your Organization
04/05/2000
EPA Region 7's Speakers Bureau travels all over the region to make environmental presentations to groups, organizations and schools.
(Full Story)
Nearly $500,000 Available in PPIS Grants
04/05/2000
EPA Region 7 is offering nearly $500,000 in grant funds to state programs that reduce or eliminate waste and pollution.
(Full Story)
RCRA Training Opportunities
04/05/2000
EPA Region 7 is offering several RCRA training opportunities this spring.
(Full Story)
Storm Water Best Management Practices
03/24/2000
The EPA has released a database that describes storm water best management practices.
(Full Story)
EPA Issues Paper for Facility Security Issues
03/22/2000
The EPA has issued a paper to help facilities improve their safety and prevent accidents. It discusses possible safety threats and solutions for facilities affected by the Chemical Safety, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act.
(Full Story)
RMP Update
03/22/2000
The EPA has published a final rule to codify the Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act.
(Full Story)
EPA's New Audit Policy Partners with Industry
03/20/2000
EPA's revised audit policy will incorporate more flexibility and forgiveness for industry-wide programs that voluntarily disclose environmental violations.
(Full Story)
Online Watershed Management Training
03/10/2000
The EPA is now offering online training modules for watershed management.
(Full Story)
Training Available for Preparing EPCRA Release Reports
03/08/2000
EPA will be conducting workshops across the country this spring to train industry on how to prepare annual chemical release reports.
(Full Story)
WWW-Based Compliance Assistance for Federal Agencies
03/01/2000
EPA has launched its tenth assistance center, but this time it's online and Internet-based.
(Full Story)
HAZMAT 2000 Spills Prevention Conference
03/01/2000
The HAZMAT 2000 Spills Prevention Conference will be held April 4-6 in St. Louis.
(Full Story)
EPA Working on New Federal Coating Regulations
02/25/2000
Small businesses could be subject to new requirements limiting emissions of VOCs under regulations being developed by the EPA.
(Full Story)
Common Sense Plan Benefits Electroplaters
02/25/2000
The Strategic Goals Program for Metal Finishers is working with the electroplating industry to promote pollution prevention and energy efficiency as part of an ongoing approach to environmental management.
(Full Story)
Supreme Court Allows Citizens to Sue Water Polluters
02/25/2000
Last week the Supreme Court upheld the right of private citizens and citizens' groups to sue polluters under the Clean Water Act.
(Full Story)
Hazardous Materials Transportation Registration and Fee Changes
02/24/2000
Changes to the hazardous materials transportation registration and fee assessment program will provide funding for emergency planning and training programs as well as provide relief to small business required to register.
(Full Story)
Laundry Industry Redesigning for the Environment
02/23/2000
The laundry industry is discovering that working with the EPA's Design for the Environment program is not just beneficial to the environment, but also to their reputation and bottom line.
(Full Story)
Wondering if a Chemical is Regulated by EPA?
02/16/2000
EPA's web site lets web surfers determine if and how a chemical is regulated.
(Full Story)
Compliance Assistance, Enforcement Are 2000 Priorities
02/09/2000
The EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance has announced that improving compliance assistance and encouraging self-audits are two of its priorities for 2000.
(Full Story)
403 Companies to Test 2011 Chemicals
02/09/2000
Over 400 companies, acting individually or through 148 consortia, have agreed to provide basic toxicity and fate information on 2011 high volume industrial chemicals.
(Full Story)
New Effluent Limits Apply Only to HW Burners
01/28/2000
A final rule from EPA concerning effluent limits and pretreatment standards for commercial waste combustors will only apply to those that burn hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
RMP Update Could Affect 2,000 Facilities
01/24/2000
Facilities that have already submitted RMPs may be affected by a new rule redefining regulated flammable substances subject to CAA requirements.
(Full Story)
EPA Sets Record for Pollution Penalties
01/21/2000
The EPA says1999 was a record year for environmental fines and penalties.
(Full Story)
Wastewater Recycling Case Studies
01/13/2000
Environmental Technology magazine recently published two case histories from small generators of wastewater (1,000 to 50,000 gallons per month).
(Full Story)
EPA Releases New Rules for Brake, Metalworking Fluids
01/12/2000
Last week, EPA issued 40 new rules for industrial chemicals in brake and metalworking fluids. The rules also regulate petroleum and coal companies.
(Full Story)
'Teacher's Page' Contains Useful Tips for Teaching About Environment
01/11/2000
EPA 's Teacher's Page offers curricula, tips and activities on creative ways to teach environmental topics.
(Full Story)
Project Studies How to Improve Small Business Environmental Compliance
01/06/2000
A new cooperative EPA project is exploring how market-based incentives can improve environmental compliance among small businesses that handle hazardous chemicals.
(Full Story)
Pennsylvania Requires New Equipment, Procedures for Auto Refinishers
01/04/2000
The state's Department of Environmental Protection adopted new regulations that require all automobile refinishers to use new painting equipment and procedures by this November.
(Full Story)
EPA No Longer Considers Emissions When Classifying Waste as Hazardous
01/04/2000
The EPA is no longer considering a chemical's emissions as a property that could trigger classification of it as a hazardous waste.
(Full Story)
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University of Northern Iowa
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