This page provides access to a listing of some of the recent additions and new materials made available on the EPA Web site within the past six weeks.

December 22, 2009

• Draft National Lakes Assessment Report available for public comment - EPA and its state and tribal partners have conducted a survey of the nation's lakes, ponds and reservoirs. This National Lakes Assessment is designed to provide statistically valid regional and national estimates of the condition of lakes. It uses a probability-based sampling design to represent the condition of all lakes in similar regions sharing similar ecological characteristics. Consistent sampling and analytical procedures ensure that the results can be compared across the country. The National Lakes Assessment helps build state and tribal capacity for monitoring and assessment and promotes collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries in the assessment of water quality (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds).

• New from the Office of Transportation and Air Quality:

  • MOVES2010 is now available for analysis of air pollution emissions from highway vehicles - EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) is developing the MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES). This new emission modeling system will estimate emissions for on-road and nonroad mobile sources, cover a broad range of pollutants, and allow multiple scale analysis.

  • Final Rule: Control of Emissions from New Marine Compression-Ignition Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder - On December 22nd, EPA announced final emission standards under the Clean Air Act for new marine diesel engines with per-cylinder displacement at or above 30 liters (called Category 3 marine diesel engines) installed on U.S.-flagged vessels.  The final engine standards are equivalent to those adopted in the amendments to Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (a treaty called "MARPOL").
• National Water Program Research Strategy - EPA’s National Water Program published it first strategy identifying the research needed to achieve its goals, meet statutory obligations, and fulfill court mandates. Communicating water research needs to current and potential collaborators aligns water programs with the Administrator’s desire for transparency in EPA’s actions, involvement of a broader research community in Agency science, and the use of well considered science in Agency decisions. By expanding the science base of the program, we will increase program credibility, expedite the production of the needed tools, and accelerate and better quantify water quality environmental outcomes. The Strategy also provides a means for the National Water Program to manage its research portfolio and evaluate the progress being made in critical research areas (Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water).

December 18, 2009

• EPA Action Needed to Ensure Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Projects Meet the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Deadline of February 17, 2010 (PDF) - We conducted this audit to determine how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is ensuring compliance with American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct of 2009 (ARRA) requirements. Specifically, we reviewed: (1) whatimpediments exist to havingprojects under contract orconstruction by February 17, 2010; and (2) what steps EPA has taken to ensure projectsmeet this deadline. A 53 pp, 319K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• 2009 Tribal Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program Allotments posted - Every year, Congress appropriates funds to assist eligible states, territories and Indian tribes in carrying out Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) programs. The funds set-aside to support tribal PWSS programs are allotted among EPA's Regional Offices, which in turn are responsible for managing a tribal program in their Region (Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water).

• Notice: IRIS Toxicological Review of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane: External Peer-Review Panel Workshop Announcement - EPA announces the details of an external peer review workshop to be held on January 27, 2010. This draft assessment, Toxicological Review of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) was previously provided for public viewing and comment (Integrated Risk Information System program).

• decaBDE Phaseout - Principal manufacturers of decaBDE, Albemarle Corp. and Chemtura Corp., and the principal importer, ICL Industrial Products, Inc., announced their commitment to a three-year phase-out of decaBDE (Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics).

• Solvent Contaminated Wipes Rule NODA Comment Period Extension - EPA is seeking comment on an updated risk analysis for solvent contaminated industrial wipes. Comments were originally due by December 28, 2009. We received a request to extend the comment period to allow time for stakeholders to review the available information. We also recently updated the contacts list we use to notify stakeholders when we publish Federal Register Notices about our rulemaking activities (Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery).

December 16, 2009

• Report: Lack of Final Guidance on Vapor Intrusion Impedes Efforts to Address Indoor Air Risks - We conducted this review to determine what actions the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken, both general and site-specific, to identify and mitigate human health risks from chemical vapor intrusion that can be associated with contaminated sites. When EPA had not taken site-specific actions, we examined the reasons why. A 23 pp, 169K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• Publication: Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Particulate Matter (PM) Final Report - EPA is annoucing the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Particulate Matter (PM) Final Report. This is EPA’s latest evaluation of the scientific literature on the potential human health and welfare effects associated with ambient exposures to PM. The development of this document is part of the Agency's periodic review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and will provide the scientific basis to inform EPA decisions related to the review of the current PM standards (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

• Pesticide Establishment Registration and Reporting - Facilities that produce pesticides or devices must report to EPA by March 1, 2010. Get the new reporting form and instructions for 2010 (Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance).

• New from the Office of Pesticide Programs:

  • Registration Decisions Opened for Public Comment for the Week of December 14, 2009: 2-Methyl-1-butanol and Calcium Acetate - Registration Decisions Opened for Public Comment for the Week of December 14, 2009.

  • Citric Acid Final Registration Review Decision Available - This notice announces the availability of EPA's final registration review decision for the pesticide citric acid, case 4024.

December 14, 2009

• Report: EPA Needs Procedures to Address Delayed Earmark Projects (PDF) - We performed this audit toquantify unused Special Appropriation Act Project (SAAP) funds and todetermine whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded funds and grantees used the funds ina timely manner. A 25 pp, 362K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• Science Notebook: Indoor Air Quality - A scientist's notebook is a career staple. Home to ideas, questions, drawings and data, it's a treasure trove of information about the scientific process. EPA's Science Notebook offers a similar view into science at EPA, featuring stories, scientist interviews, videos, podcasts and more.

• Registration Review Final Work Plan for Fosthiazate and Methyl Parathion - Final Work Plans available (Office of Pesticide Programs).

December 11, 2009

• Request for Comment (PDF) - Please comment, by February 1, 2010, on a draft document concerning the control and mitigation of drinking water losses in distribution systems. A 128 pp, 2.3MB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water.

• EPA Releases Section 438 Guidance to Help Federal Facilities Better Manage Stormwater - EPA worked closely with other federal agencies to develop technical guidance which provides background information, key definitions, case studies, and guidance on meeting the new requirements (Nonpoint Source Control Branch).

• Field Monitoring Study of Artificial-Turf Playing Fields and Playgrounds - The study will be used to help determine possible next steps to address questions regarding the safety of tire crumb infill in recreational fields (Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics).

• EPA Finalizes Rule Implementing the Next Step in the Phaseout of HCFCs - In December 2009, EPA published two rules that together restrict the availability and use of HCFCs (including R-22) in 2010. One rule allocates allowances for the production and import of HCFCs. The other rule bans the sale or distribution (including import and export) of pre-charged air-conditioning and refrigeration products and components containing HCFC-22 or HCFC-142b (Stratospheric Protection Division).

December 9, 2009

• EPA Needs Procedures to Address Delayed Earmark Projects (PDF) - We performed this audit to quantify unused Special Appropriation Act Project (SAAP) funds and todetermine whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded funds and grantees used the funds ina timely manner. A 25 pp, 362K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• Proposed Revision to Enforcement Response Policy for the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program under the Safe Drinking Water Act and Implementation of the Enforcement Targeting Tool (PDF) - EPA is proposing a new approach for enforcement targeting under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for Public Water Systems. The new approach is designed to identify public water systems with violations that rise to a level of significant noncompliance by focusing on those systems with health-based violations and those that show a history of violations across multiple rules. A 16 pp, 951.4K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

• Worker Risk Assessment - EPA is inviting comment on a new policy that will strengthen the Agency's assessment of pesticide health risks to workers, including farmworkers, and children of workers in agricultural fields, as well as risks posed by pesticides not used on food (Office of Pesticide Programs).

• Tribal Waste Journal: What is an Integrated Waste Management Plan (IWMP)? (PDF) - This issue includes sections on funding Integrated Waste Management Plans, Five Elements of a Successful IWMP, a New IWMP Tool for Alaska Tribes and Native Villages, and more. A 32 pp, 4.6MB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.

 

December 8, 2009

• Publication: ICLUS v1.2 GIS Tools and User's Manual: ArcGIS Tools and Datasets for Modeling US Housing Density (External Review Draft) - EPA is announcing a 30-day public comment period for the external review draft report titled, ICLUS v1.2 GIS Tools and User's Manual: ArcGIS Tools and Datasets for Modeling US Housing Density (External Review Draft) (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

December 4, 2009

• Updated Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCP) Literature References - The listing of literature references to Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the environment, believed to be one of the largest EndNote databases in the world, has been updated (Office of Research and Development).

December 3, 2009

• 2010 Post-Doctoral Research Program Opportunities Announced - NERL is accepting applications beginning November 2, 2009 through January 11, 2010 for approximately 10 federal, three-year post-doctoral research positions. NERL has opportunities for conducting high priority research that contributes to protecting human health and the environment (National Exposure Research Program).

• New from the Office of Transportation and Air Quality:

  • Summary and Analysis of the 2009 Nonroad Diesel Fuel Pre-compliance Reports - Refiners and importers that are planning to produce or import 15 ppm nonroad, locomotive, and marine (NRLM) diesel fuel after 2010 are required to submit annual pre-compliance reports to EPA. This document provides a summary and analysis of the reports that were received in June 2009, including some comparisons to the NRLM pre-compliance reports received in June 2008.

  • Summary and Analysis of the 2009 Gasoline Benzene Pre-compliance Reports - This document provides a summary and analysis of the reports that were received in June 2008.

December 1, 2009

• Report - ENERGY STAR Program Integrity Can Be Enhanced Through Expanded Product Testing (PDF) - We initiated this evaluation to independently test ENERGY STAR products to determine whether their energy-efficient performance complied with the ENERGY STAR program’s required specifications. A 20 pp, 163K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• Publication: A Framework for Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to Climate Change (External Review Draft) - EPA announces the release of the draft report, A Framework for Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to Climate Change (External Review Draft) in a November 25, 2009 Federal Register Notice. This draft report is provided for public viewing and comment. Public comments received on the draft report within 30 days after the release of the FRN will be considered by EPA in their revisions (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

• Notice of Receipt of a Clean Air Act Waiver Application to Increase the Allowable Ethanol Content of Gasoline to 15 Percent; Letter to Petitioners - EPA sent a letter to Growth Energy describing the status of EPA's review of their waiver request for ethanol blends up to 15 volume percent (E15) (Office of Transportation and Air Quality).

• Rodenticides; Product Cancellation Order and Correction - A Rodenticides Product Cancellation Order and a Correction to that order has been issued (Office of Pesticide Programs).

• Final Effluent Guidelines for Construction Sites - On November 23, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) and new source performance standards (NSPS) to control the discharge of pollutants from construction sites (Office of Science & Technology, Office of Water).

November 24, 2009

• Legacy Act Project Sets Stage for Revitalized River Neighborhood - The Kinnickinnic River project removed around 167,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with PCBs and PAHs (polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) between Becher Street and Kinnickinnic Avenue on the south side of Milwaukee. Dredging began June 1 and as of the end of October all major field operations were completed (Great Lakes National Program Office).

November 23, 2009

• Enforcement Discretion Guidance Regarding the Applicability of the Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Definition in CERCLA Section 101(40) to Tenants: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) - Question and answers related to the January 2009 guidance on the applicability of the bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP) definition to tenants. A 4 pp, 46.9K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance.

November 18, 2009

• Fiscal Year 2009 Federal Information Security Management Act Report: Status of EPA’s Computer Security Program (PDF) - The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) Fiscal Year 2009 Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) Reporting Template, as prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A 23 pp, 237K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• Publication: Report on the Environmental Indicators: An Uncertainty and Scaling Pilot Study (Final Report) - EPA is announcing the release of the Report on the Environmental Indicators: An Uncertainty and Scaling Pilot Study. This final report provides an analysis of uncertainty and scaling for seven of the Report on the Environment (ROE) indicators. The purpose of the ROE is to provide a reliable set of indicators for year-to-year comparisons and to inform Agency planning and decision-making, making the treatment of uncertainty critical (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

• New from the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance:

  • Enforcement Discretion Guidance Regarding the Applicability of the Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Definition in CERCLA Section 101(40) to Tenants: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) - Question and answers related to the January 2009 guidance on the applicability of the bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP) definition to tenants. A 4 pp, 46.9K, Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

  • Environmentally Responsible Redevelopment and Reuse (ER3) (PDF) - Fact sheet describes the ER3 initiative, pilot projects, partnerships and incentives to promote sustainable development and responsible redevelopment and reuse of contaminated properties. A 2 pp, 380.6K, Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

  • Promoting Responsible Redevelopment at the American Barrell Site (PDF) - Fact sheet highlights responsible redevelopment and reuse at the American Barrell Company Superfund site. A 2 pp, 176.4K, Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

• Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends Report released - This report provides data on the fuel economy, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and technology characteristics of new light-duty vehicles (cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks) for model years 1975 through 2009 (Office of Transportation and Air Quality).

• Addendum to the Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Xylene - The addendum to the RED for Xylene is available (Office of Pesticide Programs).

November 17, 2009

• Audit of EPA’s Fiscal 2009 and 2008 (Restated) Consolidated Financial Statements (PDF) - We performed this audit in accordance with the Government Management Reform Act, which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prepare, and the Office of Inspector General to audit, the Agency’s financial statements each year. A 145 pp, 630K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

November 16, 2009

• EPA Signs Proposed Rule for 2010 Critical Uses of Methyl Bromide - Each year, EPA solicits applications for CUEs from methyl bromide users. The U.S. Government, after reviewing the applications, seeks authorization for those uses from the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. Once the Parties authorize critical uses and an amount of methyl bromide for those critical uses, EPA publishes a rule allowing for the production of critical use methyl bromide (Stratospheric Protection Division).

November 13, 2009

• Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) - Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) system access, user guides and training information are available. ICIS is a web-based system providing information for the federal enforcement and compliance and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) programs (Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance).

• National Lake Fish Study Final Report - This study is a national screening-level survey of chemical residues in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in the conterminous United States (lower 48 states), excluding the Laurentian Great Lakes and Great Salt Lake. It is unique among national assessments of fish contamination in lakes because the sampling sites were selected according to a statistical (random) design. Study results allow EPA to estimate the percentage of lakes and reservoirs in the United States with chemical concentrations in fish tissue that are above levels of potential concern for humans or for wildlife that eat fish (Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water).

November 12, 2009

• New from the Office of Inspector General:

  • EPA Needs to Comply with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and Improve Its Oversight of Exported Never-Registered Pesticides (PDF) - We initiated this review to evaluate whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has properly implemented Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 17(a) with respect to the Foreign Purchaser Acknowledgement Statements (FPASs), and whether controls are in place to ensure the safety of imported foods. A 36 pp, 399K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

  • Congressionally Requested Inquiry into EPA’s Response to a Report of a Leaking Well in North Carolina and the National Response Center Hotline (PDF) - Representative Heath Shuler requested that we investigate the events surrounding a response to an April 25, 2009, telephone report of a leaking well in Skyland, North Carolina. We conducted this review to determine whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) receipt and disposition of that telephone call followed applicable policies and procedures. A 15 pp, 124K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.
• New publication - Developing and Implementing an Airport Recycling Program (PDF) - Airports throughout the United States are “greening” their operations. They are installing solar panels and energy efficient light fixtures, using low-emission vehicles in their fleets and changing their waste management programs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed this guide to help airport managers who want to create a more environmentally-friendly waste operation. The EPA hierarchy of waste management prioritizes source reduction, then reuse, recycling and finally disposal in landfills. However, this guide focuses on recycling as a positive first step for airports to take as they conquer their waste issues. A 42 pp, 1.4MB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.