Green Building News
Green homes red-hot
California
At the direction of Governor Schwarzenegger, California is leading by example on energy efficiency and conservation, sustainability, green building and green purchasing practices.
Through Executive Order S-20-04, known as the "Green Building Initiative," and the accompanying Green Building Action Plan, the governor calls for state buildings to be 20 percent more energy efficient by 2015 and encourages the private sector to do the same.
Green California is your gateway to the latest information about how the state of California is working to reduce energy and resource consumption in state buildings, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and creating healthier environments in which to work, live and learn.
Sustainable or "green" building
Capitol Area East End Complex,
Sacramento
Sustainable or "green" building is the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and removing buildings in ways that conserve natural resources and reduce their impact on climate change.
Through his Green Building Initiative, Governor Schwarzenegger has committed California to leading by example in improving the energy and environmental performance of existing and new state-owned buildings. By implementing sustainable practices in the facilities it owns, leases, retrofits or maintains, California can cut energy use, conserve resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Executive Order S-20-04, calls for reducing electricity consumption in state buildings 20 percent by 2015. Reaching that goal will include a combination of benchmarking the energy efficiency of state buildings, and retro-commissioning and retrofitting facilities to ensure that energy systems are operated as efficiently as possible.
As part of the Green Building Order, California is embracing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The state is pursuing LEED-New Construction certification for its major construction and renovation projects.
In addition, the state is seeking LEED-Existing Building certifications for existing facilities in order to ensure energy efficient building operations and maintenance practices.
California is also encouraging and enabling schools built with state funds to be resource and energy efficient.
Title: Green homes red-hot: 17% of new builds get Energy Star seal
Author: Wendy Koch
Source: USA Today
Date Written: 12/4/2009
The home building industry is struggling, but one sector is booming: green homes.
The number of homes winning the government's Energy Star designation since the program began in 1995 has crossed the 1 million mark. Despite an overall housing slump, 75,000 have been added so far this year for a total of 1,024,200.
Last year, Energy Star homes accounted for nearly 17% of all single-family homes built, up from 12% in 2007.
The Energy Star label means a house is at least 20% more energy-efficient than other new homes.
"They are better homes," with more efficient windows, lighting, appliances, insulation, heating and cooling, says Maria Vargas of the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program.
Private programs that certify homes as environmentally friendly also report growth, despite a 30% plunge in new homes started or completed in the year ending in October, the last month for which Census data are available.
"There's an awakening going on," says Nate Kredich of the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit group whose rating criteria are stricter than Energy Star. Kredich says its number of certified homes, which increased from 1,151 last year to 3,050 so far this year, is a small but growing share of all new homes.
"The interest in green building is driven by consumers. More people are doing it to save money on their heating bills," says Kevin Morrow of the National Association of Home Builders, whose green certifications jumped from 99 homes last year to at least 564 this year.
Existing homes are going green, too: 68% of people surveyed by USA TODAY took steps this year to make their homes more energy-efficient. Of those who did, 71% said it was "mostly to save money" and 26% "mostly to save the environment."
The poll of 1,017 adults, taken Nov. 20-22, has a margin of error of +/-4 percentage points.
Green features that sell best are those that pay for themselves quickest as consumers focus on price, says Kermit Baker, chief economist of the American Institute of Architects. Baker expects energy costs to help fuel green home building.
"Consumer acceptance has been outstanding," says Walter Cuculic of Pulte Homes, which has built 120,000 Energy Star homes. He says people are starting to look at "the miles per gallon for their home."
In Las Vegas, Pulte is building 185 homes that each will have solar-paneled roofs and certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Curtis Jones, who bought one in May, says other similar homes cost less, but he expects to save money long-term on lower utility bills.
Jones, 55, a literacy educator, says he feels good about helping the environment.
"I'm not a purist," he says, "but I think we all need to do our part."
For the latest news, visit the EPA Newsroom
Administrator Jackson Tours Recovery Act-Funded “Green Street”
Release date: 11/24/2009
(WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2009) – EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson joined federal, state, and local officials today for the ground-breaking of the region’s ‘greenest’ street, a Recovery Act-funded project that’s transforming a Prince George’s County neighborhood and creating jobs.
The reconstruction of Decatur Street, in the Prince George’s County Town of Edmonston, will make it an environmentally-responsible street saving energy, reducing water pollution to the Anacostia River and Chesapeake Bay, and improving local air quality.
“President Obama’s Recovery Act is creating jobs today and setting the stage for prosperous, sustainable communities in the years ahead,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is real recovery for Main Street. We're putting people to work by building one of the greenest neighborhoods in the country, and showing America how sustainable development can lower energy bills, foster healthier communities, and keep pollution out of the air, land, and local water sources.”
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said, “Edmonston's 'green street' is just one of nearly 100 new job-creating and job-saving projects across Maryland getting underway thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- projects that will help to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways and protect our drinking water. We thank the Obama Administration, the EPA, and Maryland's Congressional Delegation for this much-needed funding.”
Edmonston’s Mayor Adam Ortiz hosted the event, which included a walking tour along Decatur Street with its residents, business owners and local workers employed by the project. He said the $1.1 million in Recovery Act funding from EPA will make Decatur Street the greenest on the East Coast. Plans for the mile-long street include planting dozens of native trees, installing rain gardens and porous paving to filter rainwater and reduce flooding, building bike lanes, improving pedestrian safety, and using energy-saving street lights powered by wind.
Mayor Ortiz explained, “This project shows how a committed group of people working together can transform a community. From President Obama and EPA to local nonprofits and residents of this small town, we are able to set an environmental example nationwide. It may be unusual for a small, working class, majority-minority community like ours to build a sustainable street like this. But if we can, anyplace can - and everyplace should. Our main objective is that other towns and cities will ‘steal’ these ideas and replicate and improve on them.”
“The Chesapeake Bay Trust is proud to partner with EPA, Maryland Department of Environment, and the Town of Edmonston in bringing much needed Recovery Act funds to local communities,” said Allen Hance, Executive Director of the Trust. “This is exactly the kind of ‘green infrastructure’ project we need to become the rule rather the exception if we’re going to advance local economic recovery and the recovery of the Anacostia River and Chesapeake Bay.”
President Barack Obama directed that the Recovery Act funds be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability.
EPA Meets Day 200 Recovery Act Commitment, Promoting Green Jobs and Healthier Communities / Agency announces it has accelerated or begun cleanup on 20 contaminated U.S. sites
Release date: 09/03/2009
Contact Information: EPA Press Office, press@epa.gov, 202-564-6794
WASHINGTON – Two-hundred days after passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that the agency has met its goal to initiate or accelerate cleanup work at 20 contaminated Superfund sites from the National Priorities List. Superfund sites are often found in industrial areas hit hardest by the recession and pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. The Superfund program received $600 million in recovery act funds and, as of day 200, EPA has obligated more than $400 million. The funding will accelerate ongoing cleanup activities or initiate new construction projects, boosting local economies by creating and maintaining jobs while also protecting human health and the environment.
“Two-hundred days after Congress passed the recovery act, EPA projects are up and running and creating jobs across the country. We’re providing real solutions for struggling communities and steadily working to pull our country out of the worst economic downturn in a generation,” said Administrator Jackson. “This is how we build a new foundation for prosperity – by making our communities cleaner, safer places to live, work and grow a business.”
To view a video message from Administrator Jackson on how EPA recovery act projects are creating green jobs and cleaner communities across the country, click here: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/MMwebcon.nsf/HTML/KMON-7VHQ5M?OpenDocument
The swift allocation of recovery act funds has helped spur new jobs and economic opportunities in sites across the country. In New Bedford, Mass., the recovery act is accelerating the pace of the harbor cleanup that was scheduled to take almost four decades. This cleanup, at one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports, will create and save jobs, and generate potential for millions of dollars in economic activity in tourism, development, and shipping in the years ahead.
At the Iron Mountain Mine in Redding, Calif. – one of the nation’s most polluted sites – EPA is using recovery funds to halve the time needed for cleanup. Prior to EPA action, more than one ton of toxic materials were discharged from the Iron Mountain Mine into the waters of the Sacramento River every day. The cleanup will create or save close to 250 jobs in the area. Once completed, the local hydroelectric power plant will use the restored waters to produce more clean energy for the area.
In February, President Obama signed the ARRA. EPA manages more than $7 billion in projects and programs that will invest in environmental protection and provide long-term economic benefits to aid recovery efforts across the nation. As of September 2, EPA has obligated 92 percent of its ARRA program dollars. This means that EPA has doubled its obligations and seen a steady increase in “shovels in the ground” projects since day 100 in May 2009.
President Obama has directed that the recovery act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at recovery.gov and for EPA specific projects visit: http://www.epa.gov/recovery
Broken part at wastewater treatment plant leaves Green Plains buying water elsewhere
By TESS GRUBER NELSON, Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, August 15, 2009 12:22 AM CDT
Shenandoah’s City Council heard a waste water treatment plant update from Councilmember Don Gibson Tuesday.
Gibson said there is a major problem with a component at the plant that breaks down solid waste.
“Our separator that takes out over 60 percent of the solids out of the system is broken down and we’re having to bypass,” said Gibson. “The main problem we have is we shut the flow of water off to Green Plains (Renewable Energy) by doing this.”
Gibson said it will take two to three weeks to get the clarifier repaired. He added in the meantime Green Plains is buying water elsewhere to keep processing. The breakdown in the system does not affect residential water services.
Until the problem is fixed, it is unknown how much the repair will cost, however Harris said the money would come from the wastewater treatment plant’s reserve funds and the broken part wasn’t included in the recently completed renovation project.
Settlement of Clean Air Act violations costs firms $7 million
Posted: Friday, January 22, 2010 12:00 am
Two companies -- one with a facility in Dolton -- entered into settlements with the federal government over Clean Air Act violations, officials said Thursday.
Muncie-based Saint-Gobain Containers Inc. and Herndon, Va.-based Lafarge North America Inc. and two subsidiaries agreed to pay civil penalties and reduce air emissions from certain plants, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lafarge is nation's second largest Portland cement manufacturer and Saint-Gobain is the second largest manufacturer of container glass. Saint-Gobain has a facility in Dolton with three glassmaking furnaces near 138th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.
The facilities are expected to reduce an estimated 41,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter annually. Those emissions can trigger respiratory difficulties and asthma and environmental harms such as acid rain, visibility impairments and water quality impacts, the EPA said.
Saint-Gobain has agreed to upgrade 15 plants with $112 million in pollution control equipment and pay $2.25 million in civil penalties. Lafarge agreed to buy and install $170 million of equipment upgrades and pay $5 million in penalties.
Ignacia Moreno, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department, called the settlements a "win-win" for residents and said they were the result of aggressive enforcement and businesses deciding to comply with regulations.
Latest guidance document focuses on combustible dust hazards
OSHA published a new document titled "Hazard Communication Guidance for Combustible Dusts" that helps chemical manufacturers and importers recognize the potential for dust explosions, identify appropriate protective measures, and fulfill the requirements for disseminating this information on material safety data sheets and labels.
EPA chemical database rules a political hazard, critics say
Obama has invited politics into scientific task to update the catalog and assess the danger of industrial chemicals, some say.
By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten
June 12, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration promised to end political meddling in scientific decisions, but some critics say the White House botched an early test on a key question of public health: how to assess the danger of industrial chemicals.
At issue is a government catalog of toxic substances that guides regulators, industries and the public on the dangers posed by certain chemicals. Environmentalists think the hazards should be assessed solely by scientists free from political influence.
But guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Agency last month carve out a role for "White House officials" -- which could give presidential aides the ability to influence scientific deliberations.
Critics blame the George W. Bush administration for undermining the EPA's toxic chemical database by delaying the process and injecting its policy preferences.
The database, known as the Integrated Risk Information System, was created in 1985 to provide regulators with reliable scientific information on the risks of exposure. It covers more than 500 chemicals that could affect public health -- including dioxin, perchlorate and formaldehyde.
The Obama administration says the new rules simply allow White House scientists to contribute to the discussion.
But critics say they had hoped President Obama would do more.
"Instead of leaving scientists free to do their work, the Obama administration has invited interference from people interested in politics and economics," said Rena Steinzor, a law professor and chairwoman of the Center for Progressive Reform, which issued a report about the database this week. "The Obama White House has just provided a back door for special-interest obstruction."
"Why would they want to politicize it that way?" asked Francesca Grifo, director of the Scientific Integrity program with the Union of Concerned Scientists, which had criticized the Bush administration's use of science and has generally lauded Obama's approach.
House and Senate Democrats, including California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who leads the Environment and Public Works Committee, are requesting clarification of the role Obama aides might play in evaluating chemical hazards.
"The ultimate question is whether EPA scientists are controlling this or whether it's the political guys" at the White House, said Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.), chairman of a House science subcommittee.
But Miller and Boxer said that, overall, they were pleased with Obama's rules on the catalog of chemicals. The guidelines, issued May 20, were designed to speed the updating of the database and to require more transparency.
A report released Thursday by Miller’s subcommittee charged that, largely because of political influence during the Bush administration, the database had been damaged. The listings do not provide basic information about some of the most common chemical-related health threats, the report says.
The study by the Center for Progressive Reform, a nonprofit that works on health and environmental issues, found that the database lacked current information on a majority of hazardous pollutants, even those Congress identified for quick regulatory action in 1990 -- nearly 20 years ago.
Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office listed White House interference among the factors hampering regulation of toxic chemicals.
John D. Graham, who led the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under President George W. Bush, disputed those conclusions. In an e-mail exchange this week, he said flawed EPA scientific protocols deserved a good part of the blame for the delays.
A spokesman for the Obama White House, Kenneth Baer, said the new rules provided transparency as well as a timetable for completing assessments of chemicals. The rules, he said, simply allow scientists, even those in the White House, to contribute to the discussion.
"The rule refers to White House staff who have scientific credentials," he said. Besides, he said, "their comments will be made public. So there is a level of transparency that will guard against the type of outcomes the critics are worried about."
EPA Administrator Pledges Strong Federal Cleanup Presence at Dow Dioxin Site in Michigan and Accelerated Assessment of Dioxins’ Human Health Impacts
Release date: 05/26/2009
(Washington, D.C. – May 26, 2009) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today committed to a federal leadership role in expediting the ongoing cleanup of the Michigan Dow Dioxin site and an acceleration of the Environmental Protection Agency’s overall scientific review of dioxins.
“EPA is stepping up our commitment to this site, in partnership with the state of Michigan, so that we can accelerate this cleanup and deal with the pressing threats to human health and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We are also redoubling our efforts to provide guidance on the science of dioxin health effects to inform cleanup decisions at this site and protect other communities, in Michigan and across the country, facing dioxin contamination.”
Dioxins, a class of hundreds of chemicals that are difficult to remove from water and soil, are produced by industries that incinerate waste or manufacture chemicals and pesticides. The Dow Chemical site in Midland, Michigan contains significant dioxin contamination that extends for 50 miles down the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers and into the Saginaw Bay.
In a letter to community members affected by the contamination, Administrator Jackson announced today that EPA, working closely with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, will take lead responsibility for cleanup efforts in significant portions of the Saginaw Bay watershed under the federal Superfund program. She said that EPA would commit the resources and expertise necessary to accelerate site investigation and cleanup and protect human health and the environment.
EPA has developed milestones and schedules for achieving a comprehensive and expeditious cleanup and will present them at a public meeting in Michigan on June 17.
As one part of its overall cleanup plan, EPA will continue to negotiate an agreement requiring Dow to sample the rivers and bay for dioxin contamination and identify options for cleanup. Administrator Jackson pledged an unprecedented degree of transparency during these negotiations so the public has a full opportunity to be heard. Once the agreement is in place, EPA will implement a comprehensive public involvement plan going forward.
While EPA hopes to work cooperatively with the company, Jackson said that the agency will not hesitate to use all tools at its disposal – including a wide range of penalties and sanctions – to ensure Dow Chemical upholds its responsibility to clean up this site. If Dow fails to meet its responsibilities, EPA will conduct the cleanup at the company’s expense.
Administrator Jackson also announced today that the EPA will accelerate the long-delayed scientific process to complete the assessment of the health risks dioxins pose to the public at the Dow site and many other sites around the country. The administrator committed to releasing a draft report by December 31, 2009 and a final report and assessment by the end of 2010.
The draft report, which will be subject to public comment and peer review, will address the latest science on the issue and respond to concerns raised by the National Academies of Science in 2006 about a previous EPA draft dioxin assessment.
To provide more immediate guidance at the Dow site and elsewhere, the administrator also said that, based on a comprehensive review of state cleanup levels and the relevant science, EPA will announce interim cleanup goals by the end of the year and would review a Dow-funded study on dioxin exposure by September 30.
Houston Will Spend $30M on Regional Stormwater Solutions
HOUSTON, Texas, May 28, 2009 (ENS) - The City of Houston plans to invest about $30 million during the next fiscal year on regional stormwater detention projects to reduce the risk of flooding. The projects also will add green space, improve water quality through the use of wetland plants and enhance recreation opportunities throughout the city.
About $10 million from the city's Capital Improvement Plan fund plus $20 million in federal Hurricane Ike relief funding will be used to purchase land and design and build the stormwater basins, says Houston Mayor Bill White.
Mayor White and Harris County Flood Control Officials announced the expansion of their flood control partnership May 18 at one of the region’s newest stormwater detention ponds, the Meyer Basin project on Brays Bayou in southwest Houston.
The expanded partnership, supported by detailed regional and sub-regional detention studies conducted by the city and the flood control district, will accelerate mitigation of stormwater flooding in flood prone areas. The regional approach is also expected to help address flooding problems outside of the regulatory floodplain.
“We’ve worked very hard and invested in a long-term plan to better control Houston’s flooding, and it’s beginning to pay off,” said Mayor White.
As a result, said the mayor, the city's Community Rating in the National Flood Insurance Program, has been upgraded to a Class 5 from Class 6, which will reduce the rates that property owners pay for flood insurance.
The upgrade will provide a five percent reduction in rates for citizens in flood prone areas. Policy holders who are in the 100-year flood plain will save a total of more than $2 million, the mayor said.
Houston, which has more than 140,000 policy holders, is the largest city in the nation to have received the rating of Class 5 on a scale of one to 10, where 10 is the worst rating and one is the best. The ratings are based on adequacy of public information, mapping and regulations, flood damage reduction and flood preparedness.
Regional stormwater detention is one of the best tools to reduce the risk of flooding in Houston, city and county officials say. A regional stormwater detention basin is a large excavated area that extends over hundreds of acres adjacent to a bayou. The basin is designed to collect and hold an above-normal volume of rainwater - typically more than three to four inches.
While other methods such as channel modifications, diversions and bypasses do reduce flood risk, the officials say regional detention provides more versatile opportunities for the community.
The Meyer Basin detention pond, adjacent to Brays Bayou, extends over 200 acre feet to protect against flooding in the Texas Medical Center and Kirby Drive and Museum District areas.
The City of Houston together with the Federal Emergency Management Agency invested over $80 million to acquire the land and build the detention pond.
The Meyer Basin is part of the $500 million Project Brays under construction in southwest Houston by the Harris County Flood Control District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The goal is to reduce flooding for tens of thousands of homes and businesses across .
At Keith Weiss Park in north Houston over 900 acre feet of detention was created at a cost of $10 million by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and Harris County Flood Control District working together.
The facility includes 112 acres of park space, including trails, footbridges, a wetlands boardwalk and fishing pier. The stormwater project preserved old forest along the bayou and constructed wetlands that improve water quality and wildlife habitat.
The result has been reduction in flood levels along Halls Bayou.
Meyer Basin and Keith Weiss Park are examples of the successful regional approach but over the last few decades, the City of Houston typically has addressed potential flooding on a project-by-project basis through small detention basins or by expanding the size of storm sewer lines. Both approaches are expensive compared to regional stormwater detention.
Regional solutions are more efficient, officials say and several regional strategies are currently underway using the city's Capital Improvement Plan funds.
Multi-use facilities similar to Keith Weiss Park will be developed along White Oak Bayou, Vogel Creek, Hunting Bayou, Greens Bayou and downstream of Keith Weiss Park along Halls Bayou. Land acquisition to make these projects a reality is in the works.
In total, the construction of these facilities will accommodate five times the stormwater detention volume that the Keith Weiss Park detention facilities now provide.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.
EPA Invites the Public to “Pick 5 for the Environment”
Release date: 04/22/2009
(Washington, D.C. - April 22, 2009) As part of its Earth Month outreach efforts, EPA today launched “Pick 5 for the Environment,” encouraging the public to commit to taking at least five actions to protect the environment. Pick 5 helps people identify ways they can protect their environment and makes use of social media sites to allow them to share their tips and stories.
Since April 1, EPA has issued daily green tips via podcasts and email subscription. EPA is asking the public to pick 5 of the 10 actions listed below and then to share their own thoughts by using a variety of social media sites.
After signing up on EPA’s Web site, people can share tips and stories on Facebook, photos on Flickr, and videos on YouTube. A Facebook application will make it easy for members of that site to sign up and encourage their friends to participate. People can also sign up for email updates from EPA.
The 10 actions are:
1. Use less water.
2. Commute without polluting.
3. Save electricity.
4. Reduce, reuse and recycle.
5. Test your home for radon.
6. Check your local air quality.
7. Use chemicals safely.
8. Reuse and recycle electronics.
9. Enjoy the outdoors safely.
10. Spread the word to family and friends.
Start on the Pick 5 for the Environment Web site:http://www.epa.gov/pick5
EPA Proposes to Slash Mercury Emissions from Cement Plants
Release date: 04/21/2009
(Washington, D.C. – April 21, 2009) EPA is proposing to significantly reduce mercury emissions from Portland cement kilns, the fourth-largest source of mercury air emissions in the U.S. The proposal would set the nation’s first limits on mercury emissions from existing Portland cement kilns and would strengthen the limits for new kilns.
The proposed standards also would set emission limits for total hydrocarbons, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide from cement kilns of all sizes, and would reduce hydrochloric acid emissions from kilns that are large emitters.
“We can save more than a thousand lives each year, sharply reduce mercury and other toxins in our air and water, and work with industry to encourage innovations and good ideas that are already out there,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Mercury and other chemicals flowing into these communities are health hazards for children, pregnant mothers, local residents and workers - people who deserve protection.”
Mercury in the air eventually deposits into water, where it changes into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish. Americans are primarily exposed to mercury by eating contaminated fish. Because the developing fetus is the most sensitive to the toxic effects of methylmercury, women of childbearing age and children are regarded as the population of greatest concern.
The majority of the toxic emissions at cement kilns come from the burning of fuels and heating of raw materials. When fully implemented in 2013, EPA estimates that this rule would reduce annual emissions by at least:
Mercury – 11,600 pounds, a reduction of 81 percent
Total hydrocarbons – 11,700 tons, or 75 percent
Particulate matter – 10,500 tons, or 96 percent
Hydrochloric acid – 2,800 tons, or 94 percent
Sulfur dioxide – 160,000 tons, or 90 percent
EPA estimates the benefits of this proposed rule will significantly outweigh costs.
The proposal is in response to a request to reconsider the December 2006 emissions standards for Portland cement manufacturing facilities.
EPA will take public comments on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. EPA will hold a public hearing on the proposal if one is requested. Hearing requests must be received within 15 days of publication in the Federal Register.
EPA Administrator Reinstates Full TRI Reporting Requirements
Release date: 04/21/2009
(Washington, D.C. – April 21, 2009) EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed a final rule to reinstate stricter reporting requirements for industrial and federal facilities that release toxic substances that threaten human health and the environment.
“People have a right to information that might affect their health and the health of their children -- and EPA has a responsibility to provide it,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Restoring the TRI reporting requirements assures transparency and provides a crucial tool for safeguarding human health and the environment in our communities.”
The final rule reinstates Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting requirements that were replaced by the TRI Burden Reduction Rule in December 2006. The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, signed by President Obama on March 11, 2009, mandated that prior TRI reporting requirements be reestablished.
These changes will apply to all TRI reports due July 1, 2009.
TRI is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries as well as federal facilities.
The December 2006 TRI Burden Reduction Final Rule expanded Form A eligibility for non-Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic (non-PBT) chemicals to 5,000 pounds and allowed use of Form A for the first time for PBT chemicals under limited circumstances. This rule was met with concern over the availability of required data under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and resulted in a lawsuit by 13 states to restore the TRI Form A thresholds and usage to what they were prior to the 2006 rule.
Following the rule signature, all reports on PBT chemicals must be submitted on the more detailed Form R. For all other chemicals, the shorter Form A may only be used if the annual reporting amount is 500 pounds or less and less than 1 million pounds of the chemical was manufactured, processed or otherwise used during the reporting year.
TRI-ME software and other reporting assistance materials are being revised and will be available soon. TRI reports for 2008 are due on July 1, 2009.
EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases Pose Threat to Public Health, Welfare / Proposed Finding Comes in Response to 2007 Supreme Court Ruling
Release date: 04/17/2009
(Washington, D.C. – April 17, 2009) After a thorough scientific review ordered in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding Friday that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare.
The proposed finding, which now moves to a public comment period, identified six greenhouse gases that pose a potential threat.
“This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations. Fortunately, it follows President Obama’s call for a low carbon economy and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation,” said Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This pollution problem has a solution – one that will create millions of green jobs and end our country’s dependence on foreign oil.”
As the proposed endangerment finding states, “In both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem. The greenhouse gases that are responsible for it endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act.”
EPA’s proposed endangerment finding is based on rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis of six gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride – that have been the subject of intensive analysis by scientists around the world. The science clearly shows that concentrations of these gases are at unprecedented levels as a result of human emissions, and these high levels are very likely the cause of the increase in average temperatures and other changes in our climate.
The scientific analysis also confirms that climate change impacts human health in several ways. Findings from a recent EPA study titled “Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone,” for example, suggest that climate change may lead to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant. Additional impacts of climate change include, but are not limited to:
- increased drought;
- more heavy downpours and flooding;
- more frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires;
- greater sea level rise;
- more intense storms; and
- harm to water resources, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.
In proposing the finding, Administrator Jackson also took into account the disproportionate impact climate change has on the health of certain segments of the population, such as the poor, the very young, the elderly, those already in poor health, the disabled, those living alone and/or indigenous populations dependent on one or a few resources.
In addition to threatening human health, the analysis finds that climate change also has serious national security implications. Consistent with this proposed finding, in 2007, 11 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a report from the Center for Naval Analyses stating that climate change “presents significant national security challenges for the United States.” Escalating violence in destabilized regions can be incited and fomented by an increasing scarcity of resources – including water. This lack of resources, driven by climate change patterns, then drives massive migration to more stabilized regions of the world.
The proposed endangerment finding now enters the public comment period, which is the next step in the deliberative process EPA must undertake before issuing final findings. Today’s proposed finding does not include any proposed regulations. Before taking any steps to reduce greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, EPA would conduct an appropriate process and consider stakeholder input. Notwithstanding this required regulatory process, both President Obama and Administrator Jackson have repeatedly indicated their preference for comprehensive legislation to address this issue and create the framework for a clean energy economy.
The Great Smog Of London Leads To The First Clean Air Act
By Lara Ellington-Brown
Published: February 28 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 28 2009 02:00
On December 5 1952, a thick and putrid smog engulfed London, reducing visibility to a few feet in many parts of the capital.
Buses and cars were abandoned in the streets and Heathrow airport closed. Robbers preyed on people fumbling their way home in the gloom and doctors were forced to move patients as the smog seeped into hospital wards. At Sadler's Wells theatre, audience members stumbled coughing and spluttering on to the street midway through a performance of La Traviata when the smog found its way into the auditorium, and it was reported that some cattle had suffocated in their pens at Smithfield meat market.
But what no one noticed immediately was that during the following four days, before winds blew the smog out to sea, at least 4,000 people died. This only became apparent as undertakers began to run out of coffins and florists found themselves ordering extra flowers to cope with demand. Fatalities resulting from bronchitis and pneumonia increased sevenfold as the already diseased lungs of the infirm and elderly succumbed. Death rates among those aged 45 to 64 rose threefold and twice as many babies as usual died.
London was used to fog and smog, but what became known as the Great Smog of 1952 was different. The winter had been exceptionally cold and Londoners heaped coal on to their fires, adding even more smoke to an already polluted atmosphere. High pressure, near-freezing temperatures and light winds compounded the situation.
When the authorities realized how many people had died, London's growing pollution problem could be ignored no longer and in 1956 the first Clean Air Act came into force. The Act sought to cut down domestic smoke pollution by introducing smokeless zones around the country. In 1968, the Act was revised with fuel-intensive industries ordered to use taller chimneys.
These Acts prefigured the work of the modern environmental movement and much more legislation has been passed since - often to the inconvenience of motorists and industrialists. But before we bemoan the burden of such restrictions, we should spare a thought for all those who perished 56 years ago.
Fuel-storage company pleads guilty in smog case
Bob Egelko
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Shore Terminals, which runs an oil products terminal in Selby, north of Rodeo on San Pablo Bay, has pleaded guilty to lying to air-quality regulators to conceal emissions of smog-causing chemicals, federal prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said emissions-control devices on the company's fuel trucks malfunctioned and were shut down for a year starting in December 2005, allowing the release of organic compounds that turn to ozone in sunlight.
The company admitted submitting false reports to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claiming it was complying with the Clean Air Act, prosecutors said.
The crime is punishable by a fine of up to $500,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 14.
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