Significant Developments and Activities Report

LAND AND CHEMICALS DIVISION
Weekly Significant Developments and Activities Report
September 12, 2008

EPA Awards Funds to Midwest State Health Departments for Lead Programs

EPA awarded Fiscal Year 2009 funding to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Indiana State Department of Health, Michigan Department of Community Health, Minnesota Department of Health, Ohio Department of Health, and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services to continue to develop and implement administrative and enforcement capabilities for their States’ lead programs and to implement the federally authorized state program, which is patterned after the Training and Certification Program for Lead-Based Paint Activities. The grant awards provide funding for the licensing of individuals and certification of firms, administration of independent examinations, performing inspections of work sites and to enhance the State's infrastructure toward the development of a renovation education program. Total overall funding was $1,917,630. Ethel Crisp is the Project Officer for these grants, State and Tribal Services Section. Emma Avant, David Turpin, Marlyse Wiebenga and Ludmilla Koralewska serve as the Technical Contacts, Toxics Section.
Contact: Ethel Crisp, 312-353-1442

Data Quality Check of 2007 Toxic Release Inventory Data

The TRI Program identified a group of the TRI reporters to provide them with an opportunity to re-check their TRI data submitted for reporting year (RY) 2007, aimed to clarify potential data quality issues and enhance TRI compliance by the affected facilities.

Twenty facilities were contacted. Specific problems with their TRI Forms R or Forms A for RY 2007 were identified in a spreadsheet. The affected facilities were emailed a special Questionnaire which contained specific "action" codes and their descriptions to be acted upon by the facilities.

The activity outcome: nineteen facilities responded; of these, seven facilities reported that they need to re-check their TRI data and will make prompt changes to the submitted TRI Reports. A total of 12 facilities reported that they need not make changes to the as-submitted TRI data. One facility could not be reached due to defective email address and nonfunctional telephone number. A few email addresses [shown on HQ's target list] were outdated and were corrected on a spreadsheet entry column. The activity completion report was sent to HQ's TRI Program for consolidation by similar efforts conducted by the other Regions.
Contact: Frank Gabrielow, (312) 886-0404

Defining Your Lean and Clean Workplace Competencies” Workshop, Grand Rapids, MI

MMB staff participated in “Defining Your Lean and Clean Workplace Competencies” workshop in Grand Rapids, MI on September 8, 2008 hosted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The focus of the workshop was to review and discuss competency expectations of lean and pollution prevention practitioners, and how these expectations and requirements should be used in a competency based training (CBT) program. Activities were conducted on aspects of CBT including developing a body of knowledge (BOK), and refining interviewing/information gathering techniques. In addition to MMB staff, approximately 20 industry representatives and 5 MDEQ employees were present. The training succeeded in introducing industry representatives to ideas on pollution prevention and lean management practices, fostering communication and cooperation between industry and other federal agencies, emphasizing the significance of competency based training to industry representatives, and increasing MMB staff understanding of industry perspective on pollution prevention and lean practices.
Contacts: Rebecca Geyer, 312-353-8314; Michelle Heger, 312-886-4510

Material Management Branch Meets with Composting Stakeholder Group

On Thursday, September 4, 2008, staff of the Materials Management Branch attended a meeting hosted by the Chicago Botanic Garden about how they, and other area companies, can increase the amount of organic waste, such as food scraps or landscape trimmings that they compost. In attendance at this first meeting were over twenty participants from regional corporations, museums, composters, and not-for-profits. Topics that were discussed included issues that attendees were having with composting food and yard waste, some technical details about composting, and possible next steps. The group expects to reconvene in the future for more discussion on the topic, and follow up on to-do items.
Contact: Christopher Newman, 312-353-8402

Grand Calumet River Feasibility Study (FS) and Environmental Impact Study (EIS)

On September 4, 2008, Region 5 hosted a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the response to U.S. EPA's comments on the draft Grand Calumet River FS and EIS reports. The FS is a partnership between the USACE, IDEM, IDNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement, U.S. EPA is a cooperating agency. The FS and EIS present and evaluate five alternatives (including No Action) for accomplishing the environmental restoration goals and objectives of the proposed project. The preferred alternative consists of removing three feet of contaminated sediment from the river and associated wetlands, disposing of the material in the East Chicago confined disposal facility, and capping the residual contamination with an engineered cap. A number of issues were discussed at the meeting including funding, partial project analysis, long-term effectiveness, recontamination, PCB characterization and removal, human health risk assessment and air quality impacts. The parties agreed to address a number of the issues raised. A revised FS/EIS report will be provided to the Region in early October 2008. The Region will be requested to review and comment on the revised plan within 60 days. The draft EIS is tentatively scheduled for public release and review in January/February of 2009. Participants in the meeting were L. Lodisio, M. Mikulka, T. Ohl, D. Petrovski, C. Lambesis (LCD); R. Nagle and M. Fulghum (ORC); S. Cieniawski, S. Ireland (GLNPO); J. Dorkin (WD); G. Bollweg, P. Nguyen (ARD), K. Kowal (OECA).
Contact: Laura Lodisio, 312-886-7090

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