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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $150,000 to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The funds will be used by LDEQ to reduce asbestos exposure in schools and state buildings through compliance monitoring, compliance assistance and public outreach, inspections, enforcement, and ensuring asbestos abatement workers are property trained and accredited.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $2,024,378 to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. LDEQ will use these funds to administer the state’s water quality program which aims to prevent, reduce, and eliminate water pollution through standard-setting, monitoring, permitting and enforcement activities. These funds will also assist LDEQ in administering the state’s environmental management programs which monitor, abate and control hazardous and solid waste and air pollution.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $600,000 to the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP). The funds will implement recommendations of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan regarding restoration of disappearing coastal habitats of the Coastal Bend Estuaries along the central Texas coast through tasks outlined in the CBBEP annual work plan. The CBBEP plan includes the following categories of actions: human uses; maritime commerce and dredging; habitat and living resources; water and sediment quality; freshwater resources; and public education and outreach.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $166,588 to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The funds will be used by the Tribe to operate and maintain environmental programs including staff training, development of an air monitoring program, maintenance of quality assurance documents, development of a recycling program and clean up of four open dump sites.

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The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced the Van der Horst USA Corporation site in Terrell, Texas, has been proposed to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites.

The Van der Horst USA site, located in a commercial warehouse district, is an inactive chromium and iron plating facility that began operations in the 1950s and operated until December 2006. Finished products associated with these plating operations included natural gas pipeline cylinders for the transportation of natural gas and cylinder bores for large diesel engines such as railroad locomotive engines. As part of the plating operations, the facility generated spent kerosene, wastewater treatment sludge, and chromium contaminated wastewater and soil. When the site was abandoned in April 2007, these wastes remained on-site in two underground sumps, 27 various-sized vats, and 450 55-gallon drums. A residential neighborhood lies less than one mile to the southeast of the facility.

“Adding this site to the Superfund list makes federal money available, allowing EPA and the TCEQ to speed cleanup and meet our commitment to protecting public health and the environment,” said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Lawrence E. Starfield. “EPA and TCEQ are committed to work together to clean up this site quickly and efficiently.”

In May 2008, a small fire occurred in the main building at the facility and under an emergency action the TCEQ and EPA responded. EPA is currently conducting a cleanup of the site to segregate, classify, and dispose of hazardous wastes. Due to the large amount of waste and groundwater contamination present, the short term cleanup will not fully remediate the site, making it necessary to propose it to the NPL.

Other sites proposed to the national cleanup list include the following: Salt Chuck Mine, Outer Ketchikan County, Alaska; Millsboro TCE Site, Millsboro, Delaware; JJ Seifert Machine Company, Ruskin, Florida; Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation, Jacksonville, Florida; Chemetco Site, Madison County, Illinois; Gratiot County Golf Course, St. Louis, Michigan; Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation, Navassa, North Carolina, Newtown Creek Brooklyn/Queens, New York; and Black Butte Mine, Cottage Grove, Oregon.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has fined Seaway Marina of Lafitte, Louisiana, $2,250 for violating federal Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure regulations outlined under the Clean Water Act. A federal inspection of a bulk storage facility located at 5057 Kenal Road, Lafitte, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on May 6, 2009, revealed the facility had no SPCC plan required by federal regulations. The inspection also found secondary containment of bulk storage areas to be inadequate, containment bypass valves were not closed when not draining rainwater, and valves used for drainage from diked storage areas were not controlled to prevent a discharge of oil. As part of an Expedited Settlement Agreement with EPA, the facility has provided certification that all identified deficiencies have been corrected.

SPCC regulations require onshore production and bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness and response to prevent oil discharges. The SPCC program helps protect our nation’s water quality. A spill of only one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of water.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $8,146,000 to the New Mexico Finance Authority. The funds will be used to provide loan assistance to eligible public water systems for infrastructure improvements needed to ensure safe drinking water for New Mexico residents. The funds will also be used to provide local assistance, small systems/technical assistance and state program management.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has fined Marina Del Rey of Madisonville, Louisiana, $900 for violating federal Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure regulations outlined under the Clean Water Act. A federal inspection of a bulk storage facility located at 100 Marina Del Rey Drive, Madisonville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, on May 14, 2009, revealed the facility’s SPCC plan did not conform to federal requirements, had inadequate or no description of the physical layout of the facility, inadequate or no information and procedures for reporting an oil spill, and inadequate or no description and procedures to use when oil spills occur. The inspection also found the SPCC plan had inadequate or no discussion of site security and the facility was not fully fenced and entrance gates were not locked or guarded when site was unattended. As part of an Expedited Settlement Agreement with EPA, the facility has provided certification that all identified deficiencies have been corrected.

SPCC regulations require onshore oil production or bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness and responses to prevent oil discharges. The SPCC program helps protect our nation’s water quality. A spill of only one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of water.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $200,000 to the City of Waco, Texas. The city will use the EPA Brownfields award to clean up the former Southwest Spraying and Chemical Company site located at 901 Peach Street. The five acre site was used by the company from approximately 1950 to 1968 to mix agricultural pesticides and herbicides. Additional environmental concerns include areas surrounding an onsite railroad spur where bulk chemicals were delivered and stored. The Southwest Spraying and Chemical Company property, also known as the “blue building” is part of an overall effort to revitalize the Brazos River Corridor. After the cleanup is complete, the city will actively engage the community in determining the specific redevelopment of the site.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $133,775 to the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. The Tribe will use the funds to provide continued support for their water pollution control program. Surface water sampling on Tribal lands will continue for the purpose of compiling data which may show changes over time to determine if a more thorough watershed management program is needed to develop water quality standards. Data obtained after water sampling will determine whether water quality needs of the Tribe are being met, note any changes in the quality or condition of the Tribe’s water, and understand and define the function and health of water stream ecosystems.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has fined Carlo Ditta, Incorporated of New Orleans, Louisiana, $2,250 for violating federal Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure regulations outlined under the Clean Water Act. A federal inspection of bulk storage facilities located at 1585 Techoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, and 1445 MacArthur Avenue, Harvey, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on May 22, 2009, revealed the facilities SPCC plans did not conform to federal requirements, had inadequate or no information and procedures for reporting an oil spill, inadequate or no description and procedures to use when oil spills occur, and inadequate or no prediction of equipment failure which would result in discharges. Personnel working at the sites had no training on the operation and maintenance of equipment to prevent discharges, no training on discharge procedure protocols, and spill prevention briefings were not scheduled and conducted periodically. The inspections also revealed the facilities SPCC plans had inadequate or no discussion of site security, site drainage, or bulk storage tanks. As part of an Expedited Settlement Agreement with EPA, the facilities have provided certification that all identified deficiencies have been corrected.

SPCC regulations require onshore oil production or bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness and response to prevent oil discharges. The SPCC program helps protect our nation’s water quality. A spill of only one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of water.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $200,000 to the City of Bryan, Texas. The city will use the EPA Brownfields award to clean up hazardous contaminants at 600 North Main Street in Bryan. The site is the former location of a cotton gin, battery repair shop, service station and dry cleaners. The City of Bryan will carry out community activities to encourage redevelopment of the site once cleanup activities are complete.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $82,420 to Oklahoma State University. OSU will use these funds to validate and evaluate an ecologically-based canola aphid management program that will significantly reduce insecticide use on canola crops in Oklahoma and other regions of the Southern Plains. Based on prior research and utilizing replicated trials, OSU will quantify how seed treatments, economic thresholds, and available foliar insecticides influence aphid management and environmental impacts.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $10,229,000 to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. The funds will be used to provide loan assistance to eligible public water systems for infrastructure improvements needed to ensure safe drinking water for Arkansas residents. The funds will also be used to provide local assistance, small systems/technical assistance and state program management.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded four hundred fifty two thousand dollars to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. These funds will be used by ADEQ to support the permitting, enforcement and program management of hazardous waste activities. ADEQ will also use the funds to conduct inspections, oversee corrective action and the closure of hazardous waste facilities.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $322,000 to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to implement the Louisiana BEACH monitoring program. LDHH will use the funds to implement the coastal monitoring and notification program of the coastal swimming beaches of Louisiana, and will contract with local entities to monitor public bathing beaches and notify the public of monitoring results.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a cease and desist administrative order to the Robinowitz Oil Company of Osage County, Oklahoma, for violations of the federal Clean Water Act.

An August 21, 2009, EPA inspection of the company’s oil field production facility in Osage County, Oklahoma, found an unauthorized discharge of oil field brine generated by production activities into Little Hominy Creek. The inspection also revealed that water located at the discharge point of entry into Little Hominy Creek was contaminated from brine discharges and salts.

Based on these findings, the Robinowitz Oil Company has been ordered to cease all discharges of pollutants from the facility, remove all brine and contaminated soils from the flow path located between the facility and Little Hominy Creek, and within 30 days provide written certification to EPA that these activities have been completed.

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The Environmental Protection Agency today announced the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo has joined the El Paso, Texas, Sunland Park, New Mexico, and the Municipality of Juarez, Chihuahua, Sister City Plan under the U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Emergency Preparedness Program. In signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Cross Border Communications and Emergency Response Strategies: Binational Hazardous Materials Emergency Plan Modification, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo becomes the first Native American Tribe along the borders of New Mexico and Texas and their corresponding Mexican States to participate in this emergency preparedness program.

This agreement creates a tri-national task force to develop joint emergency preparedness strategies, develop a tri-national emergency communications and notification plan, and exchange information on hazardous waste to identify threats to the region.

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EPA today proposed to disapprove key aspects of the Texas clean-air permitting program that do not meet federal Clean Air Act requirements followed by other states. Final decisions about changing the program will be made under an expedited schedule agreed to under a recent settlement with Texas businesses. During that time EPA intends to work with the state and interested parties to quickly identify and adopt changes that will better protect air quality for all Texans.

The Clean Air Act ensures that businesses across the country operate efficiently and cleanly. States have flexibility in carrying out the Act's requirements, but states must still adhere to standards of public process, transparency, and public health protection. The Act does not allow an undue advantage for one state over another, ensuring a level playing field among industry.

Under the Clean Air Act, all states must develop plans approved by EPA for meeting federal requirements to protect pubic health. Since EPA approved Texas’ major clean-air permitting plan in 1992, the state has submitted over 30 regulatory changes to the EPA approved plan. The proposals being made by EPA represent some of the agency’s main concerns with the state’s air-permitting program and the need to more effectively work toward improved air quality as required by law.

Also, in November 2008, EPA issued a Federal Register Notice proposing to disapprove some of the state’s public participation program. The state’s proposed program provided inadequate opportunities for the public to review permit decisions in Texas, as compared with public participation opportunities provided by other states. EPA will issue its final decision on this proposal by November 30, 2009.

EPA has less than one year to issue its final decisions on the three remaining proposals outlined above, finalizing the Qualified Facilities revision, Flexible Permit revision, and New Source Reform revision no later than March 2010, June 2010, and August 2010 respectively.

EPA is required to complete action on all 30 of the state’s proposed regulatory changes by December 31, 2013.

The public will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposals after they appear in the Federal Register.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $7,456,000 to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). These funds will be used by the State of Louisiana to provide loans and other types of financial assistance to local communities and intermunicipal and interstate agencies for wastewater improvements. The effect of the financing will be improved water quality in streams, lakes, rivers and bays with resulting benefits to aquatic life and for use as drinking water sources, as well as the elimination of health hazards from raw sewage discharges.

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EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership announced its 2009 partner awards this week, and among the awardees are: Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods, and Hill Phoenix. An EPA cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry, the GreenChill Partnership works with supermarkets to reduce their emissions of ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas refrigerants.

Sprouts Farmers Market, which owns stores across California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, received a New Partner Award.

“We look forward to a productive and mutually beneficial partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market,” said Keilly Witman, GreenChill Program Manager. “The public wants to do business with companies that share their environmental values. By joining GreenChill, Sprouts Farmers Market is proving to consumers that they care about the Earth’s ozone layer and climate system.”

New partners pledge to go above and beyond regulatory requirements by measuring and tracking refrigerant emissions that affect climate change and the Earth’s ozone layer, and then setting reduction targets for these emissions. Partners also agree to use only ozone-friendly alternatives in all new and remodeled stores.

“Whole Foods has really focused on reducing refrigerant emissions this past year, and GreenChill’s Most Improved Emissions Rate Award is the result of that effort,” Witman said. “As a GreenChill Founding Partner, Whole Foods shares GreenChill’s mission to minimize supermarkets’ impact on the Earth’s ozone layer and on climate change.” Refrigeration manufacturer Hill Phoenix also earned a Distinguished Partner Award for its advanced refrigeration technology, including compact chillers and secondary loop systems.

GreenChill’s founding food retail partners created baseline measurements of corporate-wide refrigerant emissions in 2007 and set goals to reduce those emissions in 2008. These partners reduced their aggregated total corporate emissions rate from 13 percent to 11.9 percent in 2008, an emissions reduction of 8.5 percent in one year.

GreenChill now has a total of 46 partners, including 37 food retail partners with over 6,500 stores in 47 states.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $450,000 to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). These funds will be used by NMED to support the permitting, enforcement, and program management of hazardous waste activities. NMED will also use the funds to conduct facility inspections, oversee corrective action and the closure of hazardous waste facilities.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $650,000 to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). These funds will be used by NMED for long-term cleanup activities at the North Railroad Avenue Plume Superfund site in Espanola, New Mexico. NMED proposes to continue the cleanup of chlorinated solvent contaminated ground water, and will assign a long-term contractor to implement the cleanup systems. These activities will restore the site to productive use.