Based on recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, and under the guidance of a National Ocean Council, this order, signed by President Obama on July 19, 2010, establishes a national policy to ensure the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources, enhance the sustainability of ocean and coastal economies, preserve our maritime heritage, support sustainable uses and access, provide for adaptive management to enhance our understanding of and capacity to respond to climate change and ocean acidification, and coordinate with our national security and foreign policy interests. This order also provides for the development of coastal and marine spatial plans that build upon and improve existing Federal, State, tribal, local, and regional decisionmaking and planning processes.

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.

(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.

(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.

On October 19, 2009, the White House launched the GreenGov Challenge to ask all Federal and military personnel to share ideas about how the federal community can lead by example, green the govern­ment, and meet the goals of President Obama's Executive Order on Federal Sustainability. The GreenGov Challenge generated more than 5,000 ideas and 165,000 votes from 14,000 federal employees. The top ideas are summarized in the GreenGov Final Report.

The GreenGov Collaborative, an online discussion group hosted by FedCenter.gov, is your opportunity to work with colleagues across the government to put these ideas into action. This private community offers various discussion forums for you to share your best ideas and strategies, ask questions, and recruit allies in your efforts to create a more sustainable Federal Government.

Participation in the forums is offered to all Federal employees.

Click here to view the President's GreenGov Collaborative message.

Go to Join GreenGov to learn more and sign up!

(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.

(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.

EPA has issued a document providing state and local governments technical guidance for methamphetamine lab cleanups. Issues included are best practices for specific items or materials, sampling procedures, and technical resources.

President Obama has issued the new Executive Order 13514 on "Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance", which sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.

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.

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.

(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.

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.

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

This year, 15 winners and 13 honorable mentions were selected from nearly 200 nominations in the areas of environmental management systems, pollution prevention, recycling, green product purchasing, alternative fuels, electronics stewardship and sustainable buildings. Recipients include representatives, teams, and programs from across the DoD and non-DoD agencies. The awards ceremony will be held on June 17, 2009, in the Natcher Auditorium of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Bethesda, MD, to formally recognize the winners and their programs. See the attached press announcement for all the winners and honorable mentions.

On April 15, 2009, the Department of Defense announced the winners of the 2009 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards.

A GAO report released March 13, 2009, addressing the need for greater EPA enforcement and oversight of cleanup operations at DOD sites.

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.

The data in this report was gathered through the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) database. The report summarizes the data collected for 2007. Federal facilities are listed separately in Section C, beginning on page C-27 of the report.

(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.

(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).

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.

(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.

(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.

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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.