Release Date: 09/09/2015
Contact Information: Soledad Calvino, 415-972-3512, calvino.maria@epa.gov
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a settlement with Lynx Enterprises, a metal finishing firm in Tracy, Calif., for its failure to comply with federal hazardous waste management regulations. The company agreed to pay a total of $28,750 in civil penalty and spend an additional $108,000 to develop hazardous waste training materials.
In October 2010, an EPA inspection discovered that the facility was in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In addition to paying the penalty, Lynx has agreed to develop a hazardous waste management training program designed to assist at least 20 metal finishing companies to understand hazardous waste management compliance requirements.
“We are pleased that Lynx Enterprises has adopted an innovative approach to resolve this case,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “The training program will help the metal finishing industry to properly manage hazardous waste to prevent harm to human health and safeguard the environment.”
Lynx, via a qualified independent contractor, will also develop a training video that will summarize federal, state, and local hazardous waste regulatory requirements. The video will be available to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and to 83 local agencies, known as Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA), for their use and distribution and an internet link to a version of the video will be accessible to the general public within a year.
Additionally, Lynx will meet with 29 metal finishing facilities in the San Joaquin County and South San Francisco Bay areas within two years to review all waste streams to evaluate the potential to reduce the amounts and toxicity of hazardous wastes generated; and describe waste minimization measures that could be implemented. The violations uncovered by the inspection included: failure to determine if waste generated by the facility was hazardous; storage of hazardous waste for over 90-days without a permit; open containers of hazardous wastes; and failure to provide adequate aisle space for all hazardous waste accumulation containers. In addition, the facility did not have the proper contingency plan for emergencies or adequate hazardous waste management training for its employees.
The inspection was performed as part of EPA Region 9’s San Joaquin Valley Strategic Plan to ensure that environmental and health standards are being met. The plan prioritizes air and water quality, enforcement of public health standards and environmental justice in the Central Valley, which suffers from some of the most pressing issues in the region. As part of the enforcement initiative, EPA is dedicated to increase public engagement by helping communities better understand federal, state and local roles in environmental rules, permitting, planning, and enforcement.
For more information on EPA’s RCRA, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/laws-regs/index.htm
For more information on the Region’s Strategic Plan for the San Joaquin Valley, please visit: www.epa.gov/region9/strategicplan/sanjoaquin.html
Release Date: 09/10/2015
Contact Information: Jim Murphy, 617-918-1028
EPA has completed a Record of Decision for cleanup of a
major, and final portion of the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund site on
the Blackstone River in Cumberland and Lincoln, R.I. The portion of
the site for the EPA cleanup plan is identified as “Operable Unit 2” of
the site (J. M. Mills Landfill/Nunes Parcel/Unnamed Island).
EPA developed the cleanup plan after considering
widespread input from members of the public about the scope of cleanup
and the eventual end use of the site. EPA’s plan is responsive to these
public concerns. EPA’s cleanup decision addresses contaminated
floodplain soils, sediment, and groundwater within Operable Unit 2 of
the site and also follows a presumptive containment approach to properly
close and cap the two landfills. These two landfills currently hold
large volumes of commingled wastes, including hazardous wastes, and
associated debris fields along the immediate floodplain of the
Blackstone River adjacent to the landfills. Waste material from the
Unnamed Island will also be removed and consolidated into the two
landfills.
The cleanup takes into consideration anticipated future
use of these areas, aesthetics, habit quality, meaningful public input
into the final cap design, and its overall compatibility with the
development of the National Historical Park within the Blackstone Valley
Heritage Corridor.
“EPA is very proud of our cleanup plan for this site,”
said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.
“As always, we will ensure that we are protecting peoples’ health, and
the health of the local environment. We are also very aware of the
desire expressed by the community-at-large to ensure the site continues
to be aesthetically pleasing for recreational use. Environmental
requirements, including those that safeguard our floodplain areas, will
facilitate the reuse of this area for years to come.”
On August 7, 2014, EPA issued a Proposed Plan for the
cleanup of the landfills (Operable Unit 2), initiating a 30-day public
comment period. In order to ensure that all stakeholders had sufficient
opportunity to submit meaningful public comments, EPA extended the
public comment period until January 23, 2015. EPA received many public
comments and appreciate the time and effort that community stakeholders
have spent reviewing and commenting on this important cleanup decision.
To be responsive to the public’s concern about EPA’s
proposed remedy of the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund site, EPA has
developed the final cleanup plan to achieve the following goals:
· Ensure that the remedy protects public health and the sensitive river environment.
· Show flexibility in the design of the engineered caps.
· Incorporate into
the design the aesthetic and habitat qualities of the Blackstone River
Valley National Historical Park and Heritage Corridor, and allow for
future access to the remediated site in the form of scenic paths and/or
river access points.
· Make certain that emergency vehicles continue to have access through the Nunes Parcel to the Blackstone River and Pratt Dam.
· Involve all stakeholders in the process leading up to the final design and during construction of the landfill caps.
Here is what they are saying about the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund cleanup plan:
“EPA has reached a major milestone with the development
of this cleanup plan for the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund site,”
said Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit. “The
plan is protective of public health and the river environment, and
recognizes the importance of preserving the aesthetic qualities in and
around the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. We are
pleased that EPA will hold additional outreach sessions throughout the
design and implementation phases of the project so that public interests
will continue to be heard and considered.”
“We are heartened by EPA’s continued attention to the
sentiment of the communities and residents most directly impacted by the
site’s history and future,” said Meghan Kish, National Park Service
superintendent of the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.
“The agency (EPA) has facilitated public input
opportunities ranging from formal public hearings to informal charrettes
and idea-gathering opportunities. This attention to local and regional
stakeholders ensures both a process and outcome that will bode well for
the environmental, recreational and economic health of the Blackstone
River and the National Heritage Corridor,” said Kish.
It appears that information in the pending ROD is
“completely consistent with the Blackstone Heritage Corridor’s goal for a
safe, clean and accessible Blackstone River,” says Charlene Cutler,
Executive Director Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc.
“Specifically, the ROD will provide for future
recreational use of the site, including pedestrian access. While this
is somewhat complicated due to the myriad of ownership, EPA’s attention
to detail ensures that there are no physical or perceived barriers to
access to and from what has been described as America’s hardest working
river. The provision of the ROD that ensures emergency response access
to the river is also critical, as the property is just up-river of a
high hazard dam, the Pratt Dam,” said Cutler.
More information:
EPA’s Record of Decision for Operable Unit 2 of the
Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund Site will be made available in the
Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund Site repository located at both the
Town of Lincoln and Town of Cumberland Public Libraries, is available
online at EPA’s website.
- EPA’s past and ongoing work at Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund Site (http://www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/peterson)
Release Date: 09/09/2015
Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov
Environmental News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Lenexa, Kan., Sept. 9, 2015) - Cargill, Inc., a Delaware corporation, has reached an administrative civil settlement with EPA over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its Vitamin E manufacturing facility in Eddyville, Iowa.
Cargill’s Eddyville facility uses the hazardous air pollutants methanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether, and formaldehyde to produce Vitamin E and similar compounds from soybean byproducts.
Facility inspections and record reviews by EPA showed Cargill failed to comply with specific requirements of the Clean Air Act’s National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Pharmaceutical Production at the plant. Specific violations included failure to comply with regulations designed to prevent leaks of air pollutants from equipment at the facility, and failure to identify wastewater at the facility subject to air pollutant emission control requirements.
Cargill’s failure to comply with the standards created the potential for excess emissions of hazardous air pollutants at its facility or at additional facilities that handle Cargill’s wastewater.
Under terms of an administrative civil settlement filed by EPA in Lenexa, Kan., Cargill will pay a $110,000 civil penalty to the United States, and will perform an Enhanced Leak Detection and Repair project at the Eddyville facility for a period of one year. The project will raise the quality and effectiveness of the plant’s hazardous air pollutant leak detection program, reducing unanticipated emissions of hazardous air pollutants. Cargill’s program will be subject to third-party auditing.
Additionally, Cargill has agreed to spend at least $155,000 on a supplemental environmental project to incorporate sealless pump technology at its facility. Through this project, Cargill will replace certain mechanical seal pumps that have the potential to leak hazardous air pollutants and/or volatile organic compounds, such as ethanol. The project will be completed within a year.
The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Geotraces science team
have their portrait taken at the North Pole Sept. 7, 2015. Healy
reached the pole on Sept. 5, becoming the first U.S. surface vessel to
do so unaccompanied. Healy is underway in support of Geotraces, an
international scientific endeavor to study the geochemistry of the
world’s oceans. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory
J. Mendenhall)
U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area
Story by Lt. Donnie Brzuska
ARCTIC OCEAN — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, homeported in Seattle, arrived at the North Pole Saturday, becoming the first U.S. surface ship to do so unaccompanied. This is also only the fourth time a U.S. surface vessel has ever reached the North Pole and the first since 2005.
Healy’s crew and science party, totaling 145 people, departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska Aug. 9, in support of GEOTRACES, an historic, international effort to study the geochemistry of the world’s oceans. This National Science Foundation funded expedition is focused on studying the Arctic Ocean to meet a number of scientific goals, including the creation of baseline measurements of the air, ice, snow, seawater, meltwater and ocean bottom sediment for future comparisons.
The United States is an Arctic Nation and the Coast Guard has operated in the Arctic since the 1860s. Reaching the North Pole serves as a testament to the Coast Guard’s continued ability to provide access and presence throughout this increasingly important and operationally challenging region of the world.
Healy is the United States’ newest high-latitude vessel. It is a 420-foot, 16,000-ton, 30,000-horsepower icebreaker, capable of breaking over ten feet of ice. In addition to performing the Coast Guard’s other statutory missions such as law enforcement and search and rescue, Healy is a research platform with extensive laboratory spaces, multiple oceanographic deck winches, and berthing for 50 scientists.
As the Arctic region continues to open up to development, the data gathered onboard Healy during this cruise will become ever more essential to understanding how the scientific processes of the Arctic work and how to most responsibly exercise stewardship over the region.
U.S. Coast Guard Heartland, Eighth District
September! The air begins to chill, summer begins to fade and autumn sets in. Beyond the break in summer heat, September is known for something else:
National Preparedness Month.
The Eighth District spans 26 states, which covers a large span of environments, all of which have their own threats, primarily for our district its hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding.
We at the Eighth District really would like to get the message across to the public and Coast Guard members that National Preparedness Month is a fantastic time to take some time and evaluate how prepared you are for a disaster and how you could improve the chances of you and your loved ones to mitigate damage.
www.ready.gov is a fantastic website that will give you plenty of info on a number of disasters that could strike. "Ready" is a one stop shop, but beyond that there are a number of others, such as:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/
