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Envirobytes - An Environmental Newsletter
EnviroBytes, a Summary of Issues and Events for Week Ending March 7, 2008
EPA ANNOUNCES BROWNFIELDS JOB TRAINING GRANT
EPA awarded a $197,000 brownfields grant to the Heritage Health Foundation Inc., of Braddock, Pa. to train 60 low income students living near the brownfields impacted neighborhoods for employment in the brownfields redevelopment, assessment, and cleanup fields. Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh commented how the grant will not only provide training for environmental careers but will help improve the economy of the affected communities. For further information, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at www.epa.gov/brownfields
PENNSYLVANIA BOROUGH FIRST IN NATION TO REQUIRE ENERGY STAR DESIGNATION FOR TALL BUILDINGS
West Chester, Pa. has became the first borough in the country to pass an ordinance stipulating that private commercial buildings higher than 45-feet must by law conform to EPA Energy Star building standards. It is a route for municipal leaders and township managers to follow to ensure their buildings can also become energy efficient. Improving building design reduces energy demand and cuts global warming pollution. For more information, go to http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus_bldgs#how_apply
REGION PUBLISHES HELPFUL GUIDES FOR MANAGING STORMWATER
EPA Region 3 has developed guides to assist municipalities implement their municipal stormwater management programs under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System – NPDES (which authorizes discharges from point sources to U.S. waters). The guidelines address the following key program areas: protect impaired waters by addressing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) requirements; evaluate the effectiveness of storm water controls; incorporate environmentally sensitive design into municipal stormwater programs; and fund stormwater programs. The documents are posted on EPA's web at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/municipal .
CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON STORMWATER RUNOFF FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES TO PROTECT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
The impact of construction site stormwater runoff into the Chesapeake Bay was the focus of a recent conference at the University of Maryland School of Law. The "Get the Dirt Out, Chesapeake" conference co-sponsored by Waterkeepers Chesapeake, promoted a new bay restoration initiative to reduce stormwater runoff from construction sites. The group learned to pinpoint violations at construction sites by learning to identify poor erosion control, sediment control and poorly maintained best management practices, to improve compliance with stormwater regulations.
WORKSHOP PROMOTES FOOD WASTE COMPOSTING ON FARMS
The Chester County (Pa.) Solid Waste Authority, EPA and MACREDO (a recycling consortium) 
held a workshop at the Chester County Government Services Center. Attendees included representatives from PADEP, several local food stores (Wegmans, Giant and Acme Markets), and area farmers. The goal of the workshop was to tout the benefits of composting food waste rather than sending it to landfills. To learn how EPA promotes waste composting to prevent pollution, go to http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/composting/benefits.htm PADEP has a composting website for farmers who seek permits or grants: http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/Compost_sum/GP-farm.htm
DELAWARE SEEKS STATIONARY GENERATOR EMISSIONS CONTROL APPROVAL
EPA is proposing (in the March 5 Federal Register) to approve Delaware’s regulation to control emissions from stationary generators including new, existing, emergency, and distributed stationary generators. The regulation will ensure that air emissions from new and existing stationary generators will not contribute to ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter pollution in the air, and adversely impact public health. Public comments are due on or before April 4. To read the Federal Register proposal, go to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html (type stationary generators where indicated).
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