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Significant Developments and Activities Report
LAND AND CHEMICALS DIVISION
Weekly Significant Developments and Activities Report
February 20, 2009
Region 5 Participates in Planning Meeting for Chicago Metro Community Summit on Healthy Homes with a Focus on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
On February 18, 2009 Maryann Suero participated in a planning meeting for an upcoming summit on lead poisoning prevention for targeted communities in the metropolitan Chicago area. The meeting was hosted by the Loyola University, Civitas ChildLaw Center, which convenes Lead Safe Illinois and Lead Safe Chicago, which are campaigns to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by raising awareness and advocating for legislation and policy reform to promote lead poisoning prevention in Illinois and Chicago, respectively.
The summit builds on a successful community lead poisoning prevention meeting held in 2001 and a Chicago-wide strategic planning summit of 2003. The 2009 summit, tentatively scheduled for September, will focus on healthy homes, with a special emphasis on lead poisoning prevention. Leaders from communities in Chicago and Cook County that continue to have high numbers of children being harmed by lead will be invited. Sessions will include a “report card” of efforts since the last summit as well as community-level planning sessions for developing strategic plans to achieve the elimination of lead poisoning and opportunities to access resources related to healthy homes.
Other participants included representatives of Chicago Department of Public Health, Cook County Department of Public Health, Metropolitan Tenants’ Organization, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Salud Latina/Latino Health.
Contact: Maryann Suero, 312-886-9077, Chemicals Management Branch
Region 5 Participates in Planning and Resource Call for the Ongoing Environmental and Health Investigation of Childhood Cancers in Clyde, OH
Sandusky County Health Department (SCHD) hosted a teleconference on the ongoing interagency investigations being conducted to help elucidate any possible association between environmental exposures and the high incidence of childhood cancers in the Clyde, OH area. Other agencies represented included Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. In addition, the Great Lakes Center for Children’s Environmental Health, the Region 5 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit located at University of Illinois, School of Public Health, participated in the call. Additional researchers and environmental health experts from Findlay University and Bowling Green State University also participated in the call.
The purpose of the call was to describe ongoing activities including air and water sampling and a spatial analysis of cancer cases and controls as well as to identify future sediment and fish tissue monitoring. Another goal of the call was to brainstorm additional environmental assessments that may be useful and to seek input on an expanded questionnaire being created that may provide insight into prenatal and early childhood exposures.
Contacts: Maryann Suero, 312-886-9077; Edward Master, 312-353-5830, Chemicals Management Branch
Chemicals Assessment and Management Program (ChAMP) and Great Lakes Initiatives
On February 9, 2009, LCD's Toxics Section and GLNPO staff met with Environment Canada’s (EC's) Chemicals Management Program (CMP) staff to discuss and explain methods of linking chemicals identified by both nations and their respective regulatory and voluntary programs to programmatic, monitoring, surveillance, research and voluntary strategies employed in the GLBTS and other divisions. Through this listing and priority refinement, EPA and EC will be able to link priority grouping to GLBTS sources or sectors of interest. This effort is intended to reduce duplication of Region 5 program areas, while also enhancing Region 5 programs overall. This project will continue throughout the year 2009.
Contact: Bradley Grams, 312-886-7747, Chemicals Management Branch
State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement Solicitation
The State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement (SEJCA) Request for Applications (RFA) was published on February 12, 2009. The deadline for applications is April 10, 2009. State governments are eligible to submit one application each for the $160,000, three-year cooperative agreements, however, tribes are not eligible for these grants. The program provides funding so that States may work collaboratively with an affected community to understand, promote, and integrate approaches for providing meaningful and measurable improvements to the environment and/or public health. You can view the RFA (PDF) (41pp, 319K) at www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ej/grants/rfa-state-grant-2-12-09.pdf
There are two national outreach calls scheduled for February 25, 2009 and March 18, 2009 (see page 20 of the RFA for additional information).
Contact: Margaret Millard, 312-353-1440, Program Services Branch
CARE Site Visit to Milwaukee
The CARE Collaborative in Milwaukee, Wisconsin held its first partnership meeting on February 16, 2009 at the Silver Spring Community Center located in the Westlawn neighborhood. Margaret Millard represented EPA, Region 5 and shared information on how to expand the partnership, EPA's role in the partnership, and provided an overview of the Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE-EH) and how it relates to the CARE process. A presentation of the Westlawn Story DVD produced by Dr. Laura Anderko was provided. Also, there was discussion on what is each partners "stake" in the community and in the CARE project, what are the expectations of the CARE Collaborative, and what are some preliminary environmental health issues to explore together. The next meeting will be held on March 20, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Contact: Margaret Millard, 312-353-1440, Program Services Branch
EPA Region 5 Awards Funds to Metropolitan Tenants Organization for Environmental Justice Project
EPA awarded $19,940 to the Metropolitan Tenants Organization’s Environmental Justice for Renters which will address public health and environmental health issues concerning rental housing. The project will educate tenants around the dangers of home based lead hazards and the health risks of pesticide use in the home. In addition, the project will provide training on the use of Integrated Pest Management Systems.
Contacts: Denise Reape, Project Officer, 312-353-7925; Margaret Millard, Technical Contact, 312-353-1440, Program Services Branch
EPA Region 5 Awards Funds to Women’s Environmental Institute for Environmental Justice Project
EPA awarded a project grant in the amount of $20,000 to the Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) which allows WEI to complete an Environmental Justice project in minority and low-income neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This project will include education and outreach on asthma triggers and planning around asthma intervention strategies.
Contacts: Denise Reape, Project Officer, 312-353-7925; Margaret Millard, Technical Contact, 312-353-1440, Program Services Branch
EPA Region 5 Awards Funds to People for Community Recovery for Environmental Justice Project
On February 5, 2009, EPA awarded People for Community Recovery (PCR) $19,966. This project is an Environmental Justice Project in the predominantly African-American community of Altgeld Gardens in Chicago, Illinois. Using this grant, PCR will create the Environmental Education and Exploration program (EEE) which will educate students about the harmful effects of environmental hazards, expose them to environmental job opportunities, and engage the community at large on local and national environmental justice issues. The program will involve classroom instruction, hands-on activities, and community educational training.
Contacts: Rita Garner, Project Officer, 312-886-2440; Margaret Millard, Technical Contact, 312-353-1440, Program Services Branch
EPA Region 5 Awards Funds to City of Milwaukee for Environmental Justice Project
On February 5, 2009, EPA awarded to the City of Milwaukee $20,000 to fund the "Keep It Clean and Clear Project (KICCP). The KICCP will provide training, education, and implement best practices on stormwater management, water conservation, and increase the knowledge and understanding of the role of water in Milwaukee and its impact upon health.
Contacts: Sharon Kiddon, Project Officer, 312-886-6173; Margaret Millard, Technical Contact, 312-353-1440, Program Services Branch
RCRA Corrective Action Training: Getting to Yes
The Region has hosted and successfully completed a 3-day training on the subject of RCRA Corrective Action program implementation from February 10-12, 2009. The training was developed by the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) to train federal, state and industry project managers in the latest information and techniques for achieving characterization and clean-up at RCRA regulated Corrective Action sites. The training course was focused on strategies for meeting the Agency's 2020 goals and vision, and also provided specific guidance, tools, and approaches to assist in achieving RCRA Corrective Action results. Approximately 81 participants attended the training, representing about 35 Region 5 corrective action staff, 11 state staff from three states (IN, MI and OH) and 35 regulated industries and various environmental consultants. Margaret Guerriero, Director, LCD gave welcoming remarks to the participants.
Contact: Hak Cho, 312-886-0988, Remediation and Reuse Branch
Region 5 files a Complaint and a Consent Agreement/Final Order to Commence and Conclude a Case against Anderson Development Company, Adrian, Michigan
On February 10, 2009, Region 5 filed a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO), resolving an administrative penalty action against Anderson Development Company (ADC) for allegedly violating Section 3008(a) of the Solid Waste Disposal Act. On February 10, 2009, Region 5 issued ADC an administrative complaint for failing to comply with conditions for an operating license exemption. Specifically, Region 5 cited ADC for failing to obtain a written assessment for its tank systems, failing to meet tank system requirements and failing to maintain a volatile organic air emission recordkeeping program. Region 5 also alleged that ADC failed to properly label tanks and containers, failed to maintain aisle space, and failed to maintain hazardous waste container requirements. As a result of the Region’s action, ADC modified its tank system to meet requirements at a cost of approximately $500,000 and came into compliance with the other conditions for the license exemption. The tank systems treated / accumulated over 3 million pounds of hazardous waste (hazardous waste hexane and hexane sludge) in 2007. In the CAFO, ADC agreed to complete two Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) to offset a portion of the $221,200 penalty calculated for the violations. ADC agreed to purchase emergency equipment for the Adrian Fire Department and sponsor two Household Hazardous Waste Collections in the area. The SEPs reduced the penalty $68,100, for a total civil penalty of $153,100.
Contact: Paul Atkociunas, 312-886-7502, RCRA Branch
RCRA File Review at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management
On February 9-11, 2009, the RCRA Branch conducted an on-site file review at the Indianapolis Office of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The review focused on records related to inspection and enforcement activities conducted by IDEM to enforce the hazardous waste regulations of RCRA, and covered the first half of IDEM's 2009 State Fiscal Year (July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008). This was a routine annual review. The review of certain electronic records supplied by IDEM is currently in progress. A report summarizing the findings is expected by mid-March.
Contact: Todd Brown, 312-886-6091, RCRA Branch
Clinton Landfill Site Visit and TSCA Permit Meeting
On February 12, 2009, Steve Johnson met with the Vice-President of Clinton Landfill Inc., Chris Coulter, staff and consultants for Shaw Environmental at their landfill site in Clinton, Illinois as follow-up to EPA’s Notice of Deficiency letter of January 6, 2009 (application for a TSCA Chemical Waste landfill, Oct. 17, 2007).
The purpose of the meeting was to examine the site and discuss a draft response document received from Shaw Environmental on February 10, 2009. The outcome of the meeting was to establish that the site was favorable and that it was reasonable to expect a TSCA public meeting even if the State of Illinois does not hold one. Field inspection showed the TSCA cell had not been started but that field conditions would allow construction to start soon. A potentially significant public relations issue was addressed with the discovery that shallow groundwater channels avoid the landfill site and flow directly to the nearby state park.
Contact: Stephen Johnson, 312-886-1330, RCRA Branch