EPA National News: 1. EPA IMPROVES AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE AND REPAIR INFORMATION FOR VEHICLES WITH ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD) SYSTEMS, 2. MORE PUBLIC COMMENTS SOLICITED ON ENVIRONMENT AND AGING AGENDA; DEADLINE EXTENDED, 3. NASA HONORS EPA ADMINISTRATOR, REGIONAL EMPLOYEES FOR RECOVERY WORK ON COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE CRASH, 4. NORTH CAROLINA OIL REFINERY PRESIDENT SENTENCED IN OIL POLLUTION/TAX EVASION CASE, 5. ALABAMA GASOLINE REFINER FALSIFIES CLEAN AIR REPORT, 6. OHIO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT SUPERINTENDENT PLEADS GUILTY
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1. EPA IMPROVES AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE AND REPAIR INFORMATION FOR VEHICLES WITH ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD) SYSTEMS, 2. MORE PUBLIC COMMENTS SOLICITED ON ENVIRONMENT AND AGING AGENDA; DEADLINE EXTENDED, 3. NASA HONORS EPA ADMINISTRATOR, REGIONAL EMPLOYEES FOR RECOVERY WORK ON COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE CRASH, 4. NORTH CAROLINA OIL REFINERY PRESIDENT SENTENCED IN OIL POLLUTION/TAX EVASION CASE, 5. ALABAMA GASOLINE REFINER FALSIFIES CLEAN AIR REPORT, 6. OHIO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT SUPERINTENDENT PLEADS GUILTY

Press Advisory

Following are some Agency developments which may interest you. If you need
more information on any of these subjects, call the appropriate contact.



FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2003
EPA IMPROVES AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE AND REPAIR INFORMATION
FOR VEHICLES WITH ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD) SYSTEMS

Cathy Milbourn 202-564-7824/milbourn.cathy@epa.gov



Final revisions to EPA’s Service Information Rule will make vehicle repair information for passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks more accessible to service and repair technicians. All 1996 and newer passenger vehicles are required to have On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) systems. Under the revisions, all heavy-duty trucks beginning in 2005 will be required to have OBD systems. The system is designed to trigger a “check engine” light on the dashboard of a vehicle or truck if the various pollution control devices are not functioning properly. Today’s action will also improve the quality of the scan tools used to diagnose OBD-equipped vehicles. This rule will require that the repair information be readily available on the Internet. To effectively service OBD-equipped vehicles and trucks, independent auto technicians will have access to the same emissions-related repair information and in the same manner as the manufacturer’s franchised dealerships. Consumers will have more choices on where their vehicles will be serviced. For more information, go to: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/vehserv.htm .


MORE PUBLIC COMMENTS SOLICITED ON
ENVIRONMENT AND AGING AGENDA; DEADLINE EXTENDED
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818/hester.luke@epa.gov
Wanda Loving 202-564-7822/loving.wanda@epa.gov



EPA is extending the public comment period to Sept. 30 to encourage the public to submit more comments on the planned National Agenda for the Environment and the Aging. The Agenda is a significant component of the Aging Initiative launched in October 2002, to identify research gaps and to examine the potential environmental impact of the rapidly increasing population of the elderly. The National Agenda will lay out a strategy that combines research and educational programs to prevent environmental health hazards that affect the elderly. Comments received during the six “listening sessions” held earlier this spring around the country will be included with any further comments received before Sept. 30. Further information is available at: www.epa.gov/aging A notice in the Federal Register extending the comment period was published on May 20.


NASA HONORS EPA ADMINISTRATOR, REGIONAL EMPLOYEES
FOR RECOVERY WORK ON COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE CRASH

Dave Ryan, 202-564-7827/ryan.dave@epa.gov



The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gave special recognition in a ceremony on May 27 in Dallas to EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and two EPA emergency response employees, Jim Mullins and John Martin, for their removal work to retrieve material from the space shuttle Columbia. EPA responded to reports of hazardous materials, cleaned up any contamination and protected the public from toxic exposure. Administrator Whitman received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of her leadership. The entire EPA team included approximately 1,900 personnel, including about 650 field personnel and 80 “on scene coordinators” from other regional offices around the country. Mullins and Martin received NASA's Exceptional Achievement Medal for their outstanding personal dedication and expertise in the recovery efforts. Mullins was instrumental in coordinating EPA's equipment and personnel in the field. Martin was one of the first EPA responders to arrive at the scene and helped establish the recovery field office. In addition, EPA has honored about 400 of its employees for their work. In response to nearly 200 calls, EPA recovered 76 percent of the hazardous containers and 20 percent of the pyrotechnic devices from the shuttle. For more information, go to: http://www.epa.gov/columbia

ENFORCEMENT WRAP-UP

John Millett 202-564-7842/millett.john@epa.gov
NORTH CAROLINA OIL REFINERY PRESIDENT
SENTENCED IN OIL POLLUTION/TAX EVASION CASE



Andrew Jackson Simmons, Jr., of Wilmington, N.C., President of High Rise Services Company, Inc., was sentenced to two years in prison, three years supervised release, a $50,000 fine and to pay the costs of his prosecution on the income tax charges by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Wilmington. Simmons previously pled guilty to violating the Clean Water Act and to income tax evasion. High Rise Services is in the business of re-refining used oils into useable products and cleaning storage tanks. Illegal operations at the company led to the discharge of oil into the Cape Fear River. Releasing oil into surface waters can make the waters unfit for recreation and drinking and can cause significant harm to fish and wildlife. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, the U.S. Coast Guard Criminal Investigation Division, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

ALABAMA GASOLINE REFINER FALSIFIES CLEAN AIR REPORT


Jet-Pep, Inc., a gasoline refiner located in Holly Pond, Ala., pled guilty on May 30 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, to violating the Clean Air Act. The company failed to perform a chemical analysis of the components of its gasoline and then report to EPA that the tests had been done. Chemical analyses are required on gasoline to ensure that their components do not produce unacceptably high levels of pollution when they are burned in internal combustion engines. Higher than permitted levels of emissions can contribute to the development of respiratory diseases and can increase the severity of respiratory distress in people who already suffer from diseases of the lungs. When sentenced, Jet-Pep faces a maximum sentence of up to five years probation and/or a fine of up to $500,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and EPA’s Office of Inspector General in Atlanta, Ga. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Birmingham and U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

OHIO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT SUPERINTENDENT PLEADS GUILTY


J. Kevin Vaughn, Superintendent of the Millersburg, Ohio, wastewater treatment plant, pled guilty on May 27, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio to making false statements to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). The defendant admitted that between February 1998 and August 2000, he submitted 19 monitoring reports which contained 80 false statements concerning the amount of pollution discharged from the Millersburg treatment plant. Specifically, he falsified the amount of total suspended solids (TSS) and carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) being discharged into Killbuck Creek. Discharging higher than permitted amounts of CBOD and TSS from a wastewater treatment plant is harmful to fish and aquatic life and can make waters unsafe for recreation and drinking water uses. When sentenced, Vaughn faces a maximum possible sentence of up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the Ohio EPA. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Ohio.


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