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1. EPA RELEASES 1999 POLLUTION ABATEMENT COSTS AND EXPENDITURES DATA, 2. CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR HOMELAND SECURITY DECONTAMINATION TECHNOLOGIES, 3. PROPOSAL OUTLINES APPROACH FOR FIELD IMPLEMENTATION OF PESTICIDE-RELATED ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION PROGRAM, 4. CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR TECHNOLOGIES TO REMOVE ARSENIC FROM DRINKING WATER, 5. VEHICLE EXHAUST EMISSION STANDARDS AMENDMENTS ISSUED
more information on any of these subjects, call the appropriate contact. FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2002 EPA RELEASES 1999 POLLUTION ABATEMENT COSTS AND EXPENDITURES DATA Teresa Libera 202-564-7873/libera.teresa@epa.gov EPA announces the availability of 1999 Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures (PACE) data through the U.S. Bureau of Census. The PACE survey is the only comprehensive source of information on pollution abatement expenditures for U.S. manufacturing, mining and electric utility industries. The survey reports 1999 pollution treatment, disposal and recycling capital expenditures and operating costs totaled $6.2 billion and $16.8 billion, respectively. Additionally, pollution prevention expenditures totaled $2.8 billion; outlays for pollution prevention are reported as totals only. Additional details, by environmental medium and industry group, also are available. The expenditures reported are for U.S. manufacturing, mining and electric utility industries, and do not include depreciation, research and development expenditures, or lost productivity. The survey was conducted by the Bureau of Census, with EPA sponsorship, and is available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/ma200-99.pdf. CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR HOMELAND SECURITY DECONTAMINATION TECHNOLOGIES Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819/ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov As part of its commitment to homeland security, EPA announced contract awards totaling $350,000 to five small businesses to develop technologies that remove biological contaminants that pose a threat to public health. Continuum Dynamics Inc. of Ewing, N.J., will develop a portable decontamination unit for high-value objects that uses electrically charged oxygen to destroy pathogens without harming the contaminated object, operator or environment. Successful completion of this project may be applied to commercial sterilization equipment for the food and health care industries. Oliver Exterminating Corp. of Lauderhill, Fla., will employ techniques adapted from pest-control fumigation to remove microbial contaminants from buildings. Foster-Miller Inc. of Waltham, Mass., will work on electrically charged aerosol decontamination techniques, which minimize response personnel’s exposure through shorter decontamination times and greater penetration of cracks and crevices. PlasmaSol Corp. of Hoboken, N.J., will create a portable decontamination unit that is capable of sterilizing buildings at normal air temperatures instead of requiring very high temperatures. Compact Membrane Systems Inc. of Wilmington, Del., will develop a protective coating for windows, surfaces and walls effective against a variety of microbial contaminants. In the future, this technology could be introduced into heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to reduce the incidence of infection in hospitals and other buildings. The contracts were awarded through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for commercial ventures that protect the environment and quality of life, increase productivity and economic growth and improve the international competitiveness of the U.S. technology industry. To learn more about these projects, see: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.researchCategory/rcname/Clean%20Air. Additional information about EPA’s SBIR program is available at: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/. PROPOSAL OUTLINES APPROACH FOR FIELD IMPLEMENTATION OF PESTICIDE-RELATED ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION PROGRAM Dave Deegan 202-564-7839/deegan.dave@epa.gov EPA has proposed and is seeking public comment on a field implementation plan for its Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP). The proposal, published in the Federal Register on Dec. 2, describes how the Agency will ensure that appropriate protection measures are implemented for federally-listed endangered and threatened species, in compliance with both section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the law that governs regulation of pesticides in the United States. Field implementation of the ESPP is proposed to be accomplished by completing and upgrading county-specific bulletins, amending pesticide labels to reference these county bulletins and by enhancing monitoring programs to ensure that lawful pesticide use does not adversely affect listed species. The goal of the program is to carry out the Agency’s responsibilities under FIFRA in compliance with the ESA, while at the same time not placing unnecessary burdens on agricultural and other pesticide users. Comments on the Agency’s proposed implementation of the ESPP will be accepted until March 2, 2003. The public docket for this notice includes a summary of the current technical review and consultation approaches employed by the Agency and the standard evaluation procedure used for ecological risk assessments. Through a separate Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking expected to be issued soon, EPA along with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce will be seeking public input on ways that the ESA consultation process can be improved with respect to pesticide registrations. Resulting from this process, policies and procedures under the ESA or under FIFRA may be revised to ensure a more effective program. Details regarding the proposed field implementation approach and the 90-day comment period are available at: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/index.htm. More information on EPA’s Endangered Species Protection Program is available at: http://www.epa.gov/espp/. CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR TECHNOLOGIES TO REMOVE ARSENIC FROM DRINKING WATER Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819/ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov EPA has awarded $800,000 to eight small businesses to develop cost-effective methods for removing arsenic from drinking water to meet the Agency’s new arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion. The contracts will particularly benefit smaller systems serving less than 10,000 people that have limited funds for contaminant removal. More than 4,000 systems need to install new technologies by January 2006 to comply with the standard. ADA Technologies Inc. of Littleton, Colo., will combine an arsenic adsorbent with an arsenic monitoring sensor and alarm for in-home use. Argonide Corp. in Sanford, Fla., will use molecular or nano-technology to create a filter using a new form of activated aluminum. Daniel B. Stephens & Associates Inc. of Albuquerque, N.M., will apply current techniques for removing iron and manganese from water to underground arsenic removal. Microporous Oxides Science and Technology of Oregon, Wis., will develop an arsenic removal process that uses a thin, light-activated film material. HydroPure Technologies of Powell, Ohio, HydroTech Engineering of Rapid City, S.D., Materials Modification Inc. of Fairfax, Va., and VEETech in Aiken, S.C., will all develop new adsorbent materials to remove arsenic from drinking water. The contracts were awarded through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for commercial ventures that protect the environment, increase productivity and economic growth and improve the international competitiveness of the U.S. technology industry. To learn more about these projects, see: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/awards/2003_water.html. Additional information about EPA’s SBIR program is available at: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/. VEHICLE EXHAUST EMISSION STANDARDS AMENDMENTS ISSUED Cathy Milbourn 202-564-7824/milbourn.cathy@epa.gov EPA is issuing amendments to clarify the “Tier 2” light-duty vehicle exhaust emission standards. These amendments will provide additional options for light-duty automobile manufacturers to meet the Tier 2 standards in the early years of the program, until low-sulfur diesel fuel becomes widely available. The Tier 2/Gasoline Sulfur program will significantly reduce the emissions from new passenger cars and light trucks. These reductions will provide for cleaner air and greater public health protection, primarily by reducing ozone and particulate matter pollution. The program, which begins in 2004, treats vehicles and fuels as a system, combining requirements for much lower emitting vehicles with requirements for much lower levels of sulfur in gasoline. Several automobile manufacturers have requested EPA to make these changes, which will enable them to certify light-duty diesels meeting the Tier 2 interim standards in 2004. The amendments issued will result in the introduction of cleaner diesel vehicles sooner. R-232 # # # Release date:12/04/2002 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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