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1. NEW VIDEO DOCUMENTS TWO NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES PROTECTING WATER RESOURCES, 2. PROPOSAL OUTLINES IMPLEMENTATION OF MORE PROTECTIVE NATIONAL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS FOR GROUND-LEVEL OZONE, 3. SOUTH CAROLINA COMPANY OFFICIALS SENTENCED IN CLEAN WATER ACT CASEPress Advisory NEW VIDEO DOCUMENTS TWO NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES PROTECTING WATER RESOURCES John Millet 202 564-7842/millett.john@epa.gov EPA Assistant Administrator for Water G. Tracy Mehan, III, announced the release of a video that documents the successful protection of water quality on Native American reservations. “Our Water Our Future: Saving Our Tribal Life Force Together” shows the efforts of the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation in Washington in developing water quality standards. Tribal elders and leaders and the directors and staffs of tribal environmental departments recount their experiences. The tribes took positive steps to protect present and future generations in adopting water quality standards for their reservations. EPA approved the Pueblo of Acoma’s water quality standards in 2001 and those of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation in 1997. Segments of the video can be viewed online at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience. Tribal-adopted and EPA-approved water quality standards for these two tribes (and for other authorized tribes) are available online at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wqslibrary/tribes.html. EPA is distributing copies of the video to all federally recognized Indian tribes. Copies are also available by contacting Eleanor Jackson at 202-566-0052 or jackson.eleanor@epa.gov. PROPOSAL OUTLINES IMPLEMENTATION OF MORE PROTECTIVE NATIONAL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS FOR GROUND-LEVEL OZONE David Deegan 202-564-7839/deegan.dave@epa.gov EPA is taking an important step in protecting the American public from ground-level ozone pollution by proposing a rule that outlines steps certain polluted areas would have to take to clean up their air. The proposed rule would establish guidelines for state and tribal authorities to implement the 8-hour national air quality standard for ozone, first enacted by EPA in 1997 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2001. The proposal seeks public comment on options for planning and control requirements for states and tribes, as well as on options for making the transition from the 1-hour ozone standard to the 8-hour standard. The new 8-hour standard is more protective of public health than the current 1-hour standard because it more accurately reflects people’s exposure to ground-level ozone. The proposed rule describes options for classifying nonattainment areas; however, the proposal does not make any attainment designations. A nonattainment area violates the ozone standard or contributes to violations of the standard in a nearby area. Designations for nonattainment areas will occur by April 15, 2004 under a separate process. EPA will take comments on this proposed rule for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. The Agency will also hold three public hearings across the country on the proposed rule: Dallas, Texas on June 17; San Francisco, Calif. on June 19; and Alexandria, Va. on June 27. More information is available at: http://www.epa.gov/airlinks . ENFORCEMENT WRAP-UP John Millett 202-564-7842/millett.john@epa.gov SOUTH CAROLINA COMPANY OFFICIALS SENTENCED IN CLEAN WATER ACT CASE On May 5, in the U.S. District Court in Columbia, S.C., James Goldman, former Vice President and Secretary of Tin Products, Inc. of Lexington, S.C., Melanie Purvis, former Environmental Supervisor at Tin Products, and George Metts, former wastewater treatment operator were each sentenced, in a case involving an illegal wastewater discharge from the Tin Products facility. Goldman was sentenced to spend 18 months in prison and serve 100 hours of community service. Purvis was sentenced to five months in prison, five months home detention, and a $7,500 fine. Metts was sentenced to six months home detention, five years probation and 100 hours of community service. Sentencing of Tin Products was stayed because the company is out of business. Tin Products manufactured tin-based compounds known as “organotins” for use in the manufacture of plumbing pipes, glass coatings and fixtures. The charges arose from illegal wastewater discharges of “organotins” from the Tin Products facility into sewers leading to the Two Notch Publically Owned Treatment Works from July 1999 to February 2000. The “organotins” passed through the sewage treatment plant and entered Red Bank Creek, a tributary of the Congaree River, and killed nearly 1,000 fish. The discharges from Tin Products eventually caused the treatment plant to close. The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Protection and the EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbia, S.C., and the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. R138 # # # Release date:05/14/2003 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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