This letter transmits the EPA Administrator Jackson's decision in the CERCLA federal Facility Agreement related to the former Naval Ammunition Depot in Hasting, NE.
A 30-day public comment period began July 19, 2010 for a Remedy Selection Plan outlining the proposed alternative for addressing groundwater contamination at the J-1 Range on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). The public comment period runs through August 17. The Remedy Selection plan outlines the alternatives presented in the J-1 Range Feasibility Study for addressing groundwater contamination at the site, along with the alternative recommended by the EPA and the reasons for its selection. The plan proposes remedies for the J-1 Range northern plume which contains RDX and perchlorate, and the J-1 Range southern plume which contains RDX. POC is Jeanethe Falvey, (857) 366-0627.
(Kansas City, Kan., June 24, 2010) - Results from March air sampling at a child care center and an adjacent building at the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City do not reveal health concerns at the facilities related to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), EPA Region 7 officials announced today. The results include tests for 209 different forms of PCBs in indoor air samples and from air samples taken from beneath the concrete floor slabs of Buildings 50 and 52.
The U.S. EPA Region 4 today has approved the Tennessee Valley Authority's
(TVA) selected cleanup plan for the next phase of coal ash removal at the TVA Kingston site in Roane County, Tenn. The cleanup plan, one of three alternatives proposed to the public earlier this year, requires TVA to permanently store on site all of the ash being removed from the Swan Pond Embayment, which includes land and bodies of water adjacent to the TVA coal ash disposal area. The embayment area will then be restored to conditions that protect human health and the environment. The cleanup plan approved by EPA in a signed Action Memorandum (AM) was chosen above the others because of its protectiveness, ease of implementation and cost effectiveness. POC is Davina Marraccini, (404) 562-8293,
marraccini.davina@epa.gov.
EPA Region 7 and GSA Heartland have signed an Environmental Working Agreement that outlines a plan to further investigate and manage environmental conditions at GSA-managed facilities within the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City, Mo. As part of the combined effort to improve environmental management at the Bannister Federal Complex, EPA and GSA also announced the activation of a community advisory panel which will provide input to a newly created Interagency Environmental Leadership Council on environmental and redevelopment issues.
EPA Region 7 announced it is going to reassess the entire Bannister Federal Complex for possible inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL). The Sierra Club and Physicians for Social Responsibility sent a request April 15 asking Region 7 to "conduct a full and complete reinvestigation and reassessment of the entire Bannister Federal Complex." The original EPA assessment was conducted in 1987.
EPA and DOE will hold the first public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage on May 6, 2010, in Washington, D.C.
EPA is seeking input on an environmental review of 16 Camp Edwards sites scheduled for use in a Massachusetts National Guard Training exercise in June 2010. The EPA is overseeing an ongoing cleanup of sites within the Camp Edwards Training Area.
This interactive site provides basic information about smaller Clean Water Act direct dischargers. Information includes: how many permits have been issued; how frequently sampling data is reviewed to determine if violations occurred; and frequency of violations.
(Kansas City, Kan., April 26, 2010) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 announced it is going to reassess the entire Bannister Federal Complex for possible inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is EPA's list of the most serious hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term remedial response under Superfund.
(San Juan, P.R. - March 25, 2010) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will pay a $13,000 fine and hold training sessions on storage tank regulations to settle a complaint issued by EPA over a failure to monitor, inspect and maintain records for underground petroleum and diesel storage tank systems at a San Juan, P.R. facility.
Results of recent air monitoring in and around a child care facility and an adjacent building at the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City do not reveal health concerns with indoor air at the facilities. This round of sampling involved tests of indoor air, as well as supplemental tests of outdoor air and air samples taken from beneath the concrete floor slabs of both buildings. Indoor air samples showed no indication of health concerns related to volatile organic compounds. Results of the related sampling do not indicate migration from beneath the building that would pose health risks.
Results of recent air monitoring in and around a child care facility and an adjacent building at the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City do not reveal health concerns with indoor air at the facilities. This round of sampling involved tests of indoor air, as well as supplemental tests of outdoor air and air samples taken from beneath the concrete floor slabs of both buildings. Indoor air samples showed no indication of health concerns related to volatile organic compounds. Results of the related sampling do not indicate migration from beneath the building that would pose health risks.
Results of recent air monitoring in and around a child care facility and an adjacent building at the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City do not reveal health concerns with indoor air at the facilities. This round of sampling involved tests of indoor air, as well as supplemental tests of outdoor air and air samples taken from beneath the concrete floor slabs of both buildings. Indoor air samples showed no indication of health concerns related to volatile organic compounds. Results of the related sampling do not indicate migration from beneath the building that would pose health risks.
(New York, N.Y. - 02/23/2010) The U.S. Army and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service failed to comply with critical environmental laws related to underground tanks used to store diesel fuel, gasoline and used oil at the West Point Garrison in New York, according to a complaint issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both military branches failed to monitor, test and keep records for their underground petroleum storage tanks. Leaking underground storage tanks pose significant threats to soil, surface water and ground water across the nation. EPA is requiring the two parties to comply with regulations and is seeking a $167,116 penalty.
The Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Medical Center has partnered with the EPA Region 6 to recycle lead batteries throughout its hospital facilities located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This effort is being done as part of the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP). The hospital will increase its recycling from 640 pounds to 1,000 pounds by September 2010.
(Boston, Mass. – January 13, 2010) – Three entities involved in a demolition project at the Newport Navy Base in Newport, R.I. have agreed to pay a penalty for alleged violations of Federal requirements for the safe handling and disposal of asbestos during demolition activities.
(Seattle, Wash.--Jan. 12, 2010) The Federal Aviation Administration has pledged to permanently close over two dozen motor vehicle waste disposal wells in Alaska. The FAA action resulted from an administrative order on consent issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released enforcement results for fiscal year 2009, and has developed a new Web-based tool and interactive map that allows the public to get detailed information by location about the enforcement actions taken at approximately 4,600 facilities. In FY2009, EPA concluded enforcement actions requiring polluters to invest more than $5 billion on pollution controls, cleanup, and environmental projects. Civil and criminal defendants committed to install controls and take other measures to reduce pollution by approximately 580 million pounds annually once all required controls are fully implemented. The new mapping tool allows the public to view the locations of facilities that were the subject of those enforcement actions on interactive maps of the U.S. and territories. The maps show facilities where civil enforcement actions were taken for environmental laws for air, water, and land pollution, and a separate map shows criminal enforcement actions.
A proposed administrative order on consent about portions of the McClellan Air Force Base Superfund Site ("Site")has been negotiated by the EPA and McClellan Business Park, LLC. The Air Force has prepared a Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer (FOSET). The Air Force will submit the FOSET to the EPA, Region 9, and the State of California for approval and upon approval, the Air Force will transfer portions of the Site to the County of Sacramento, which will then transfer those portions to McClellan Business Park, LLC. The Air Force and the County of Sacramento have entered into an Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement requiring the County of Sacramento to perform certain CERCLA response actions on the transferred portions of the Site. The proposed administrative order on consent requires the McClellan Business Park, LLC prepare and perform removal actions, one or more remedial investigations and feasibility studies and one or more remedial designs and remedial actions for certain contaminants present on the transferred portions of the Site. Written comments are due on or before January 14, 2010. POC is Sarah Mueller, Assistant Regional Counsel (ORC-3), Office of Regional Counsel, U.S. EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105; E-mail:
mueller.sarah@epa.gov(
Federal Register: December 15, 2009 [Notices], Page 66354-66355).
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a complaint to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, part of the U.S. Air Force, for improperly managing underground tanks used to store diesel fuel and gasoline at its facility in Toa Baja. Leaking underground storage tanks pose significant threats to soil, surface water and ground water. EPA cited the Puerto Rico Air National Guard for failing to properly monitor its storage tanks for leaks and maintain records of release detection for two underground storage tank systems; the Agency is seeking a civil penalty of $154,353.
(Seattle, Wash. – November 23, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required the U.S. Navy to consider more rigorous cleanup options for residential and shoreline property near the Jackson Park Housing Complex in Bremerton, Washington. The Navy is currently in the initial stages of a Superfund cleanup at the 232-acre property.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with four other federal agencies, the Navajo Nation, congressional staff, academia, state, tribal and local government representatives, community members and nongovernment organizations are meeting to discuss the progress of the five-year plan to address uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announces President Obama's selections for EPA Regions
2,
6 and
9.
On July 6, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would develop an action plan to enhance public transparency regarding clean water enforcement performance at federal and state levels, to strengthen that performance, and to transform EPA's water quality and compliance information systems.
(New York, NY, October 13, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Department of Energy (DOE) covering federal facilities, which details responsibilities for the cleanup of a contaminated site in Middlesex, New Jersey. The federal facilities agreement specifies that USACE is responsible for cleaning up the site and DOE is responsible for long-term surveillance after the cleanup. The property was used by the Atomic Energy Commission as part of the nation's early atomic energy program to handle various radioactive ores.
An inter-agency agreement with the U.S. Air Force for the cleanup of the McGuire Air Force Base Superfund Site in New Hanover Township, New Jersey has been signed by Air Force and EPA officials. The federal facility agreement signed ensures that cleanup activities proceed under EPA oversight and in a manner that protects the public health and the environment.
PHILADELPHIA (September 16, 2009) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's mid-Atlantic region announced 10 winners of its second annual environmental achievement awards including two from Maryland – the Solid Waste Management Division of Cecil County government and the National Security Agency facility in Fort Meade.
WASHINGTON – Federal agencies today released the seven draft reports required by President Obama's executive order on the Chesapeake Bay, which contain a range of proposed strategies for accelerating cleanup of the nation's largest estuary and its vast watershed.
The draft reports collectively call for increased accountability and performance from pollution control, habitat protection and land conservation programs at all levels of government, including an expanded use of regulatory authorities to address pollution control and additional voluntary and market-based solutions – particularly when it comes to habitat protection and land conservation programs. Federal agencies are also proposing new ways to harness the latest innovations in science and technology. The proposed actions are in response to overwhelming scientific evidence that the health of the Chesapeake Bay remains exceptionally poor, despite the concerted restoration efforts of the past 25 years.
The EPA completed its multi-year review of the Army's closure and sampling reports and through the EPA's own analyses considers the JACADS facility to have met all of its permit requirements for closing the facility.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants your help to chart a new course in the 2011-2013 fiscal years. They are interested in hearing your views on areas to focus enforcement and compliance activities in the future. You have a unique opportunity to share your views through this new EPA blog.
(Kansas City, Kan., August 18, 2009) - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Eastern Kansas Health Care System has agreed to pay a $51,501 civil penalty and spend nearly a half-million dollars on a plan to manage pharmaceutical and chemical wastes, all in an agreement to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste laws at its hospitals in Leavenworth and Topeka, Kan.
(New York, N.Y.) In order to help ensure that underground tanks used for storing diesel fuel, oil and gasoline are properly managed in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding safety violations. According to the settlement, USDA will pay $30,000 in penalties and is required to comply with federal underground storage tank requirements.
This agreement on the 62-acre site at McClellan Air Force Base creates the first privatized clean-up of a Superfund site in the nation.
The USDA's Beltsville Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Md. has settled alleged violations of UST and hazardous waste regulations. EPA cited USDA for failing to conduct release detection every 30 days, failing to perform annual line leak detection tests, and failing to perform annual line tightness tests. The alleged RCRA violations included operating a facility for the storage, treatment and/or disposal of hazardous waste without a permit, failing to clearly label containers of accumulated hazardous waste, not maintaining records of hazardous waste training for facility personnel and failing to determine if the solid waste generated by the facility was hazardous waste, specifically, used aerosol cans generated from the facility's machinery shop.
PHILADELPHIA (June 22, 2008) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today an inter-agency agreement among four federal agencies for the cleanup of the Fort George G. Meade Superfund site in Maryland.
This Federal Facility Agreement -- signed by officials from the EPA, U.S. Army, U.S. Department of the Interior / Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Architect of the Capitol – ensures that ongoing cleanup actions proceed under appropriate enforceable EPA oversight, in a manner that protects the community and the environment. The Army could face penalties of up to $10,000 a week if it fails to comply with the terms of this agreement.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an extension of the public comment period on the Administrative Record for the Administrative Order and Agreement on Consent (AOC) entered into between EPA and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) regarding the TVA Kingston Fossil Fuel Plant Release Site, in Roane County, Tenn.
The Administrative Record file includes the AOC itself, as well as the documents which support the AOC. All interested persons are encouraged to review and comment on the documents.
WASHINGTON – Obama Administration officials announced today that they are taking
unprecedented steps to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop coal mining in the six
Appalachian states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West
Virginia through a coordinated approach between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Department of the Interior (DOI) and Army Corps of Engineers.
Two federal entities will pay a fine and enhance how they manage underground storage tanks at a facility in Puerto Rico to settle a case with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Puerto Rico Army National Guard and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service will together pay a $69,000 fine and ensure the underground storage tanks at their Camp Santiago facility in Salinas, P.R. comply with Puerto Rico underground storage tank requirements. The Guard will also install a system to conserve water and reduce pollution at the facility, estimated to cost $670,000. These actions resolve complaints issued by EPA to the two entities in August 2008.
An underground storage tank system commonly stores petroleum or hazardous wastes. There are about 625,000 systems nationwide, and they can harm the environment and human health if their contents are released.
Under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) is required to take action to reduce the amount of copper in its wastewater and comply with its federal Clean Water Act permit requirements.
According to the Navy's own discharge reports, from May 2003 to July 2008, PSNS frequently violated its federal wastewater permit by discharging copper in excess of allowable levels. The shipyard's wastewater is discharged into Sinclair Inlet.
The U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H. will pay $89,500 for violations of federal and state hazardous waste management laws.
Following an EPA inspection in 2007, EPA alleged that the facility failed to determine whether numerous containers held hazardous wastes and failed to properly label hazardous wastes containers. Additionally, EPA alleged that the facility accumulated hazardous waste in an area with a floor drain without taking measures to prevent a leak or spill. The facility is currently in compliance with these RCRA requirements.
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an enforceable agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to oversee the removal of coal ash at the TVA Kingston Fossil Fuel Plant in Roane County, TN, where more than five million cubic yards of coal ash spilled. Under the Administrative Order and Agreement on Consent (order) which was entered into under the Superfund law, EPA will oversee the cleanup and TVA will reimburse EPA for its oversight costs
The alleged violations involved 28 underground tanks at the Aberdeen facility that were used to store gasoline, fuel oil, diesel fuel, and JP-8 jet fuel and ranged in capacity from 600 gallons to 25,000 gallons. To settle the alleged violations, the U.S. Army has agreed to pay a $29,928 civil penalty and to perform a supplemental environmental project (SEP) at a cost of $209,432. The SEP involves the removal of the underground storage tanks and the installation of above-ground tanks.
PHILADELPHIA (April 8, 2009) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced the addition of the Fort Detrick Area B Ground Water Site in Frederick, Md. to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).
The national priorities list is a national list of sites where hazardous contaminants could impact public health and/or the environment. NPL sites undergo a thorough investigation to determine the full nature and extent of contamination. EPA or the parties responsible for the contamination then address whatever risks the sites pose to human health and the environment.
(San Francisco, Calif. -- 04/01/09) DOE will pay a $165,000 fine for shutting down the cleanup systems at Lawrence Livermore and failing to restart them as requested by the EPA in January 2009. Recent sampling showed that the closure of a large treatment unit on the perimeter of the site had resulted in a loss of control of the contaminated groundwater plume offsite. Some of the systems at the site have already been restarted and DOE is regaining control of contaminated groundwater. The remaining facilities that need to be restarted are subject to an agreed upon schedule that is enforceable by the EPA under a Federal Facility Agreement. The EPA and DOE have also agreed to re-evaluate the cleanup in areas where it is no longer effective, and will involve state regulatory agencies and community stakeholders in the decision-making.
(Honolulu, HI - April 2, 2009) Under an agreement signed with the U.S. EPA and the State of Hawaii's Department of Health, the Navy will address any remaining investigation and clean up issues at the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific in Central Oahu and the Navy Radio Transmitter Facility at Lualualei near the Navy Munitions Command base in Leeward Oahu. Soil contaminants at the sites include PCBs, volatile organics, semi-volatile organics and metals.
Boston, Mass. – Feb. 6, 2009) – EPA has approved a second pilot program for the Massachusetts National Guard to further evaluate a lead bullet capture system on two additional small arms ranges, and has also extended the duration of the initial small arms range pilot project which began in August 2007. The pilot program is taking place at Camp Edwards, at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) in Bourne, Mass.
The authorization for lead ammunition training at the three ranges, which expires at the end of 2009, calls for regular testing of soil and water resources with reporting to state and federal environmental officials to ensure that land and water resources are not significantly impacted by the reintroduction of lead bullets to the ranges.
(Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 3, 2009) - EPA Region 7 has reached a legal settlement that paves the way for environmental cleanup work to be completed at a contaminated landfill and lagoon facility on the grounds of the 2,445-acre former Des Moines Ordnance Plant in Ankeny, Iowa.
(San Francisco, Calif. -- 01/07/08) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has notified the Department of Energy that they must immediately resume cleanup activities at its Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., or face escalating penalties.
Under the terms of a consent agreement, GSA will bring the facilities into compliance with federal regulations, either by upgrading or permanently closing and replacing old systems with new ones. In addition, GSA has agreed to voluntarily provide release detection for tanks that store fuel solely for use by emergency power generators and pay a $70,000 penalty.
(12/01/08) HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently issued a Finding of Violation to the U.S. Navy Base Guam for permit violations under the federal Clean Water Act.
In July, EPA inspectors discovered the violations during inspections covering several different federal environmental statutes and programs.
"Department of Defense facilities on Guam must be in compliance with all environmental requirements," said Alexis Strauss, EPA's Water Division director for the Pacific Southwest region. "EPA will work with Guam EPA and DOD to ensure construction and ongoing operations comply fully with environmental requirements to protect and restore Guam's environment."
(San Francisco, Calif. -- 11/19/08) As part of the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today honored the Pacific Area of the U.S. Postal Service for its commitment to voluntarily replace all lead wheel weights for approximately 31,000 fleet delivery vehicles -- removing more than 8,000 pounds of lead from its workplace operations and potential deposition into the environment.
(11/17/08) HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, working with Guam Environmental Protection Agency staff, inspected 19 petroleum underground storage tank facilities and issued citations at two facilities for underground storage tank violations.
(Boston, Mass. – October 28, 2008) – An EPA Administrative Complaint alleges multiple violations of federal hazardous waste laws by the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, based in Hanover, N.H. The facility may be subject to penalties of nearly $113,000 for violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
(New York, N.Y. -- October 20, 2008) With the goal of going above and beyond their legal environmental requirements, five U.S. Postal Service facilities in New York have joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Environmental Performance Track program. The facilities include processing and distribution centers in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester and Utica.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard have settled alleged violations of hazardous waste and Clean Air Act regulations at the Coast Guard's Integrated Support Command facility in Portsmouth, Va. In addition to a $9,280 civil penalty, the Coast Guard has agreed to spend $89,290 on a project that will provide environmental and public health benefits. The Coast Guard will purchase a new digital x-ray machine for its dental clinic. The new digital machine will replace an x-ray machine that uses solutions that generate hazardous waste. This project will eliminate 906 pounds of hazardous waste annually.
PHILADELPHIA (September 3, 2008) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the addition of the Fort Detrick Area B Ground Water Site in Frederick, Md. to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).
A federal facility inter-agency agreement between the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. EPA has been signed for the cleanup of the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard Superfund site in Anne Arundel County, MD. The agreement requires that the Coast Guard thoroughly investigate environmental impacts associated with past activities, and that appropriate actions be taken in order to protect the community and the environment. The agreement identifies roles, responsibilities, processes, and schedules EPA will follow to protect the environment and support approved land uses.
The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System has agreed to pay a $32,544
penalty for violations of federal environmental regulations at its Palo Alto,
CA teaching hospital.
The facility was inspected on March 21, 2007 and charged with the following
counts:
* Storage of hazardous waste without a permit,
* Open containers,
* Inadequate facility maintenance,
* Ignitable waste within 50' of property line,
* Failure to make a hazardous waste determination.
(Washington D.C. -- August 20, 2008) David G. Williams, a former Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and main propulsion assistant for the Coast Guard Cutter Rush, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hawaii for making a false statement to federal criminal agents investigating allegations of potential discharges of oil-contaminated waste from the cutter into the Honolulu Harbor, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. Williams was sentenced to pay a $5,000 fine, serve 200 hours of community service and serve two years of probation.
(San Juan, P.R. - August 19, 2008) EPA has issued administrative complaints against three federal government entities over violations related to the management of underground storage tanks (USTs) in Puerto Rico. EPA issued an 11-count complaint to the Puerto Rico National Guard and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service for violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act at Camp Santiago in Salinas, P.R. EPA also issued a complaint against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for alleged violations of the Solid Waste Disposal Act at two facilities in Puerto Rico.
Release date: 08/12/2008
Contact Information: Mary Simms, (415) 760-5419,
simms.mary@epa.gov
$100 Million Privatized Cleanup Effort Will Address Dangerous Munitions and Explosives Simultaneously During Redevelopment
WHAT: No longer an infantry training area, Northern California's Fort Ord Army post has quickly become a national model for how to expedite cleanup and reuse activities. An innovative legal framework coupled with an aggressive cleanup strategy will allow for rapid cleanup and redevelopment of the Fort Ord area, in Monterey Calif. Through its pioneering cleanup approach, extensive public involvement program, and close regulatory interface, the program will save millions of dollars while continuing to advance property reuse.
WHY: With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's concurrence on the early transfer package, an event this evening will celebrate and mark the transfer of the final 3,337 acres to the local community at this closing 28,000 acre installation.
(Los Angeles – July 28, 2008) Under the terms of a recently signed interagency agreement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will perform a radiological background study at the Santa Susana Field Lab, located near Los Angeles, Calif., using $1.5 million provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. In addition to the radiological study, the EPA will develop a scope of work, schedule, and cost estimate for a radiological survey of a 290 acre portion of the site referred to as Area IV and the adjacent buffer zone.
(Seattle, Washington – June 9, 2008) The Department of Energy and CH2M Hill, their cleanup contractor for the Hanford Facility, have agreed to pay a $6800 penalty to the United States Environmental Protection Agency for failing to immediately notify the National Response Center following a spill of radioactive waste at the Facility in 2007. In addition to the penalty, the Company will spend $24,000 to provide new equipment for local emergency responders.
(Washington State Dept of Ecology, April 24) - The Department of Energy has agreed to a $250,000 fine imposed by the Washington Department of Ecology in connection with a spill of 80 gallons of radioactive and hazardous waste during waste retrieval work on underground single-shell storage tanks in July 2007 at the Hanford Site. The violations of the cleanup agreement involved inadequate engineering design and faulty engineering reviews of the systems being used to move waste out of the single-shell underground tanks--many of which are leaking--into double-shell tanks. The remaining $250,000 from the original fine of $500,000 will be suspended as long as the Energy Department and contractor take corrective actions and complete one year and 360 hours of tank waste retrieval without similar incidents.
PHILADELPHIA (April 3, 2008) – The U.S. Army's Transportation Center at Fort Eustis, located at Newport News, Va., has settled alleged violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.
Boston, Mass. – April 1, 2008) – The U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton Conn., will pay a cash penalty and perform an additional environment project, in settlement of EPA allegations of improper storage and management of hazardous wastes.
Under the settlement, the Base will pay $37,059 in penalties, and will undertake a $114,000 project to install solar-powered air conditioning in a storage bay where ignitable hazardous wastes are stored, within the Base's permitted hazardous waste treatment and storage facility. The air conditioning required in the settlement will help keep the storage bay from becoming overheated. An overheated storage bay could pose a hazard associated with ignitable hazardous wastes.
(San Juan, P.R.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the finalization of a federal facility inter-agency agreement (FFA) with several agencies and jurisdictions for the cleanup of portions of the Island of Vieques and its surrounding waters. The agreement is between EPA, the U.S. Department of Navy, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and it lays out the roles that the various agencies will play as the cleanup continues. EPA's Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg was joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Donald R. Schregardus, as well as Carlos W. López Freytes, President of the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board and Susan Silander, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Leader for the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, at EPA's offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico to mark the finalization of the agreement.
The U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Architect of the Capitol, the National Park Service, and the Fort Myer Military Community have been cited by the EPA for primarily failing to test for fuel leaks from USTs. The inspections performed by EPA at these facilities were required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which mandated that all federal USTs, not inspected since December 1998, be inspected by the August 2007 deadline. In 2007, 11 UST violations at federal facilities in the U.S. were settled for a total civil penalty of $48,288. These enforcement actions prevented 72,775 gal of contaminants from release into soil and groundwater. In settlement agreements with EPA, the cited agencies neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations, but did certify compliance with applicable UST regulations.
U.S. EPA settles action against the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for violations of hazardous waste rules regarding fluorescent light bulb disposal at a GSA building on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. GSA agreed to complete arrangements within one year to recycle the various kinds of mercury- and other toxic metal-containing bulbs used in 50 buildings, and pay a $23,000 penalty for the violations.
EPA and the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) won an Environmental Business Journal, Business Achievement Award for developing a region-wide waste tracking system as the supplemental environmental project (SEP) in an EPA enforcement action. The EPA-VA demonstrated "uncommon willingness and ability to treat obstacles as challenges and not barriers" in the development of a system that comprehensively tracks chemical purchase, use, storage and disposal at the VA New England facilities. If successful, the management system could be applied to other VA hospitals and health centers across the country.
For more information please go to:
http://ebiusa.com/EBJAwards.html.
(Seattle, Wash. – December 20, 2007) – Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) and its project contractor, Wheeler Electric, have agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $61,000 for mishandling waste contaminated with Polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), near Arco, Idaho.
(Philadelphia, PA - December 5, 2007) The Perry Point Veterans Administration Medical Center will pay a $9,865 penalty to settle a lawsuit alleging underground storage tank violations. The medical center includes both a hospital and nursing home in Perry Point, Md.
(Atlanta, Ga. – November 21, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking a major step toward cleaning up Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla., by compelling the Air Force to properly conduct the cleanup. EPA is issuing an Order under Section 7003(a) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which requires the Air Force to investigate contamination at the base and take action to clean it up.
(Richland, Wash. – Nov. 20, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have reached an agreement to address violations of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (commonly referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement or TPA). The violations by DOE and its contractor, Washington Closure Hanford, LLC (WCH), occurred at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility or ERDF landfill at the Hanford Superfund site, located in eastern Washington.
(Washington, D.C. - Nov. 15, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's enforcement program achieved historic results to protect the nation's air, water, and land in fiscal year 2007. Industries, government agencies and other regulated entities agreed to spend a record $10.6 billion in pollution controls and environmental projects, exceeding the previous record of $10.2 billion set in 2005.
(Boston, Mass. –November 7, 2007) Recent EPA inspections at the John W. McCormack building in downtown Boston identified noncompliance issues with Clean Air Act regulations regarding the proper handling and disposal of asbestos materials in demolition and renovation operations.
(Seattle, Wash. – Nov.1, 2007) Fluor-Hanford (Fluor), the primary clean-up contractor at the Department of Energy's Hanford Reservation, and Twin City Metals(TCM), a Richland, Washington, metal recycler, have agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a combined total of $84,800 in penalties for mis-handling PCB-contaminated transformers.
PHILADELPHIA (October 11, 2007) – The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Prison Industries have paid a $38,100 penalty to settle a lawsuit alleging hazardous waste and Clean Air Act violations at the Lewisburg Federal Prison, in Union Co., Pa.
(Portland, Oregon - Oct. 24, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an Order to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), to provide a framework for the ongoing environmental investigation at the U.S. Moorings facility, located within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. The Unilateral Administrative Order was issued Tuesday under Section 3013(a) of the Resource Recovery and Conservation Act.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a proposed federal facility inter-agency agreement (FFA) with several agencies and jurisdictions for the cleanup work on the Island of Vieques in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The proposed agreement is between EPA, the U.S. Department of Navy, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Commonwealth. The agencies will take input from the public on the agreement for 45 days and make any necessary adjustments before finalizing it.
PHILADELPHIA (August 27, 2007) - Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered the Department of the Army to move forward with the cleanup of 14 hazardous waste sites on the Fort George G. Meade military base in Anne Arundel County, MD, and adjacent property previously transferred by the Army to the U.S. Department of Interior and now part of the Patuxent Research Refuge.
(Boston, Mass. - Aug. 2, 2007) - Two contractors for a construction site at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn. are liable for $17,000 in penalties for violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
PHILADELPHIA (July 24, 2007) – More than a dozen federal prisons -- housing an estimated 20,000 inmates in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia -- will undergo an environmental check to see if they are meeting regulations for controlling air and water pollution, hazardous waste and other environmental risks.
(July 13, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking a major step toward a cleanup of the McGuire Air Force Base in New Hanover Township, New Jersey by compelling the Air Force to conduct the cleanup. EPA is ordering the Air Force to study contamination at its base and take steps to clean it up. This far-reaching order spells out the timeframe for the steps, from study to cleanup measures. Along with the technical work that needs to be done, the Air Force will be required to develop a plan of work with the surrounding community to get input into the process.
(July 13, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today ordered the Raytheon Company and the U.S. Air Force to clean up a migrating plume of contaminated groundwater at the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site.
Bethesda, MD (June 4, 2007) In a ceremony held today in Bethesda, MD, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s leading medical research agency, for its environmental stewardship in reducing mercury and promoting resource conservation principles that will better protect human health and the environment.
(April 23, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 9) has ordered the Navy to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act at its naval auxiliary landing field on San Clemente Island, located off the coast of San Diego, California. The order requires the Navy to reduce levels of total trihalomethanes - byproducts of the water disinfection process – in the drinking water system that serves approximately 700 people on the island.
(March 27, 2007) EPA Region 10 (Seattle) has calculated stipulated penalties totaling $1.14 million against the U.S. Department of Energy for violations of the Hanford cleanup agreement.
(January 26, 2007) The U.S. EPA reached an agreement with the U.S. Navy that will govern all current and future environmental cleanup work at the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads base in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which closed in March 2004. The agreement follows a process in which EPA and the Navy held a public meeting and received and responded to multiple public comments.
(January 24, 2007) In a settlement with EPA, the U.S. Veterans Administration Healthcare System has committed to implement a comprehensive hazardous waste and chemicals management inventory system at all Veterans Administration (“VA") facilities in New England. The VA is developing the system to settle a 2005 EPA enforcement action for hazardous waste violations at the VA’s medical center in White River Junction, Vermont.
(12/05/2006) The U.S. EPA recently ordered KBR Inc. and the U.S. Department of the Navy to reduce the levels of total trihalomethanes - byproducts of water disinfection - from drinking water available at the Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.
(November 8, 2006) In a settlement with the U.S. EPA, McGuire Air Force Base in New Hanover Township, New Jersey has agreed to comply with federal requirements to prevent leaks of underground storage tank (UST) systems at the base. The U.S. Air Force, New Jersey Air National Guard and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service will also pay a penalty of $115,000 for the violations.
Executive Order 13514
