Envirobytes

EnviroBytes, a Summary of Issues and Events for the Week Ending June 23, 2006

EPA REGION 3 POSTS ITS FIRST SPANISH LANGUAGE WEBPAGE DEALING WITH AIR PROTECTION ISSUES

Region 3's web site now features a Spanish language web page. It features, in Spanish, the popular consumer tip: "Don't Top Off Your Gas Tank!" Topping off the gas tank while filling up may cause the extra gas to evaporate into a vehicle's vapor collection system causing the vehicle to run poorly; extra gas may cause spillage, adding to the price; and evaporation from the spilled gas can contribute to the release of gasoline vapors into the air. Click here for the new web site: http://www.epa.gov/donttopoff/indexspan.htm.

EPA HEADQUARTERS DEMONSTRATES EPA'S PATENTED HYDRAULIC HYBRID TECHNOLOGY AT REGION 3

The new EPA-patented hydraulic hybrid technology was showcased at an informational seminar June 22 in Philadelphia, on two UPS delivery vehicles. Tests showed that the hybrid hydraulic vehicles achieve more than 60-70 percent better fuel efficiency and 40 percent lower CO2 greenhouse gas emissions than conventional diesel delivery UPS trucks. The hydraulic hybrid technology can also save a fleet owner up to 1,000 gallons of fuel each year per vehicle. More information available at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/#hydraulic.

REGION 3 EMPLOYEE WINS NATIONAL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AWARD

Charles Root of EPA Region 3's Hazardous Sites Cleanup Division was awarded the national remedial project manager award for excellence in community involvement at the National Association of Remedial Project Managers Conference in New Orleans on June 21. He was cited for his excellent work with the communities that were affected by the Palmerton Zinc Superfund site in Palmerton, Pa. Parts of Blue Mountain, all of Palmerton and parts of surrounding townships in Pennsylvania were declared federal Superfund sites by EPA because of the ground contamination caused by the plant.

REGION 3 POSTS GROUNDBREAKING REPORT ON ASSESSMENT OF LAND USE AND REUSE AT CLEANUP SITES

Region 3 has posted the Region 3 Hazardous Waste Cleanup sites Land Use & Reuse Assessment Report on the web. It is a comprehensive review of land use occurring on hazardous cleanup sites in the Mid-Atlantic region. The report's results serve as a baseline from which the region can better evaluate trends in the reuse of cleanup sites. Brownfield News, a national publication targeted at developers, has also released an article on the highlights of the report in their June issue.

THE PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DELAWARE ESTUARY RELEASES "GUIDE TO THE NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE DELAWARE ESTUARY"

The newly-released "Guide to the Natural Communities of the Delaware Estuary," provides ecosystem restoration practitioners with the necessary information to help them protect and restore vulnerable habitats in the Delaware Estuary watershed. It is organized by ecological system and describes 35 systems and the natural communities associated with them. It is available at the Delaware Estuary Partnership web site at: http://www.delawareestuary.org/pdf/ScienceReportsbyPDEandDELEP/GuideNaturalComm_v1.pdf

EPA GRANT PREVENTS ACID MINE DRAINAGE DISCHARGE INTO CATAWISSA CREEK (PA)

EPA staff attended a ceremony in Schuylkill County, Pa. on June 17, dedicating the recently-completed treatment system to minimize acid mine drainage from the Audenreid Mine. EPA was cited for awarding a $1.5 million grant to the Catawissa Creek Restoration Association to help treat the acidic and aluminum-laden drainage from the abandoned mine, and for restoring water quality and fisheries in Catawissa Creek. The water quality improvement has led to fish being spotted in a previously biologically-dead stretch of water.

PA CONTRIBUTES TO IMPROVE MARYLAND BEACH PROGRAMS

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson presented a check for $269,250 to Maryland State Governor Robert Ehrlich under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act, at an event on June 19 at Ocean City, Md. The funds will be used to improve water quality testing for pathogens at the beach and help beach managers better inform the public about water quality problems.

MINE BACKFILL INJECTION WELLS

The EPA Region 3 underground injection control program staff will be making a presentation at an upcoming workshop in Morgantown, W.V. on July 25-26. The workshop, hosted by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is a two-day technology transfer workshop for state and federal regulators and industry representatives on issues associated with underground injection into deep mines.

REGION 3 STATES DEVELOP BEST WATERSHED-BASED PLANS IN THE NATION

Federal guidelines under the Clean Water Act assure that states and local communities establish effective watershed-based planning and develop watershed-based plans that effectively meet federal clean water quality standards. With EPA's regional nonpoint source program's assistance, the Region 3 states developed watershed plans that rated very high compared to those of other regions. The Corsica River Watershed Plan (Md.) was reviewed agencywide as being among the best watershed-based plans in the nation.

EPA REGION 3'S MARTIN HARRELL NOMINATED AS A FINALIST FOR A 2006 SERVICE TO AMERICA MEDAL

Martin Harrell of the Office of Regional Counsel at EPA Region 3 was selected as a finalist for the justice and law enforcement medal to be presented by the Service to America Medal program. The nomination recognizes Harrell's work as lead prosecutor in the Pyramid Chemical Sales Co. and Nittany Warehouse LP (Pottstown, Pa.) case, which involved the illegal storage of hazardous waste in the U.S. and the export and abandonment of 29 sea containers of hazardous chemicals in the Netherlands. As a result, the U.S. and the Netherlands recovered their environmental costs, and an international issue was resolved.

EPA SCIENTISTS HELP TEACHERS EARN CREDIT AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WATERSHEDS

Terra Alta Mountain Nature Camp is a training curriculum for high school teachers to gain college credits in environmental science and natural history. This year, biologists Lou Reynolds (USEPA Region 3 Freshwater Biology Team) and Jim Green (USEPA, retired) led a field trip to four sites on a stream, from its headwaters to the mouth, examining the macroinvertebrate and fish and fauna changes that occur. The river continuum concept helped the teachers understand the workings of a watershed.

To subscribe to eBytes send a blank email to:
join-usepar3news@lists.epa.gov

To unsubscribe, send a blank email to:
leave-usepar3news@lists.epa.gov

Follow us on Twitter

Envirobytes

Local Navigation