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1. WHITMAN TO ANNOUNCE NATIONAL AWARDS FOR SMART GROWTH, 2. EPA ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR RESEARCH, 3. SEVEN NEW BROWNFIELDS PROJECTS ANNOUNCED, 4. GEORGIA MAN CONVICTED OF VIOLATING STATE SOLID WASTE LAWS, 5. FOUR COMPANIES FINED $5 MILLION FOR OCEAN OIL DUMPING CONSPIRACY, 6. $3 MILLION ENFORCEMENT SETTLEMENT WILL IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN BOSTON
FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2002 Teresa Libera 202-564-7873/libera.teresa@epa.gov WHITMAN TO ANNOUNCE NATIONAL AWARDS FOR SMART GROWTH EPA Administrator Christie Whitman will announce the winners of EPA’s first National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement on Nov. 18 at the National Building Museum. The awards will recognize state, regional and local governments that promote and achieve smart growth. Smart growth development practices support national environmental goals by preserving open space and parkland and protecting critical habitat; improving transportation choices to reduce emissions from automobiles; promoting Brownfield redevelopment and reducing polluted run-off. One winner will be announced in each of the following categories: 1) Overall Excellence in Smart Growth; 2) Built Projects; 3) Community Outreach and Education and 4) Policies and Regulations. Each award recipient has incorporated principles of smart growth to create places that respect community culture and the environment, foster economic development and enhance quality of life. Winners, who will be announced, achieved smart growth initiatives that could be replicated and effective and appropriately reflect citizen and stakeholder participation and partnership. The awards ceremony is from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and is open to reporters and the public. Advance registration is requested to ensure seating availability. To register, send an email including name and affiliation and the number of persons attending to: smartgrowth.awards@epa.gov. TIME: Monday, Nov. 18, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. LOCATION: National Building Museum, 401 F St. N.W., Washington, D.C. (Judiciary Square Metro) To learn more about EPA’s National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement and other smart growth activities, see: www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards. EPA ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR RESEARCH Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819/ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov As part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, EPA is accepting applications to research new approaches that can lead to the development of high-throughput screening systems to help prioritize chemicals for further screening and testing of their potential as endocrine disruptors. High-throughput screening uses automated processes to quickly test large numbers of samples. There have been concerns that normal endocrine system functions in humans and wildlife might be adversely affected by exposure to various chemical contaminants in the environment. EPA has made screening for possible endocrine disruptors a priority. The Agency is also particularly interested in proposals that will reduce animal use in testing of these chemicals. The deadline for submitting proposals for these research grants is Jan. 29, 2003. For more information on this call for proposals, see: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/current/2003high_throughput.html. SEVEN NEW BROWNFIELDS PROJECTS ANNOUNCED David Deegan 202-564-7839/deegan.dave@epa.gov Speaking before the “Brownfields 2002 - Investing in the Future” Conference in Charlotte, N.C., EPA Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Marianne Lamont Horinko, announced the selection of seven Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Brownfields-Targeted Site Effort projects. These new assistance projects are an outgrowth of EPA’s RCRA Brownfields Prevention Initiative Pilots. Through these pilots, EPA has discovered that RCRA cleanup can be expedited by focusing stakeholder attention on the reuse possibilities of a property, such as conversion to new community parks, office buildings, industrial centers and other new uses. The selected projects are at: 3-D Investments Inc., Alda, Neb.; Gaston Copper Recycling Corp., Gaston, S.C.; Inchelium Wood Treatment Plant, Nespelem, Wash.; Tricil Plant, Muskegon Heights, Mich.; Velsicol Chemical Corp., Memphis, Tenn.; Vision Metals Inc., Rosenburg, Texas and the FMC Site, Pocatello, Idaho. The projects will provide a quick infusion of attention and support to get RCRA sites moving towards cleanup and redevelopment. Each of these sites will receive assistance through an EPA contract, valued between $15,000 and $35,000. This support can take the form of technical assistance for stakeholder outreach, community involvement, reuse options analysis or additional sampling. Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. RCRA was enacted by Congress to require the safe management of municipal and industrial wastes, some of which are defined as hazardous wastes. Additional information about these and other Brownfields projects can be found on EPA’s RCRA Brownfields web site:http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/rcrabf. ENFORCEMENT WRAP-UP Teresa Libera 202-564-7873/libera.teresa@epa.gov GEORGIA MAN CONVICTED OF VIOLATING STATE SOLID WASTE LAWS Ronald E. Crouse was convicted on Oct. 31 in Cobb County Superior Court on 12 counts of violating Georgia’s open dumping and solid waste laws. Crouse, operator of an auto salvage yard in Austell, Ga., collected payment from waste haulers and directed them to dump on a property next to his salvage yard, which was owned by the Jadow Corp. He did not have permission from Jadow Corp., nor did they know he was operating a landfill on their property. Also, Crouse did not have a permit to operate a landfill. The waste, which consists mostly of concrete, bricks and construction and demolition debris, covers an approximate area of four acres by a depth of 20-30 feet. It will cost approximately $1 million to cleanup this illegal dump site. When sentenced, Crouse faces a maximum sentence of up to 35 years in state prison and/or a fine of up to $600,000. The case was investigated by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. It was prosecuted by the Georgia Attorney General’s office with assistance from Cobb Judicial Circuit District Attorney. FOUR COMPANIES FINED $5 MILLION FOR OCEAN OIL DUMPING CONSPIRACY Four maritime companies (Boyang Maritime, Boyang Limited, Trans- Ports International and Oswego Limited) were fined $5 million by U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska in Anchorage on Oct. 23. The four companies were charged for their role in dumping oil from cargo ships that regularly transport frozen seafood and other goods from Alaska to Asia. Of the $5 million, $1 million will go to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to benefit the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses much of Alaska’s offshore islands, including the Aleutians. The companies will set aside an additional $500,000 to develop an environmental compliance plan. In August, the companies pleaded guilty to charges of covering up routine waste oil dumping from their fleet of about a dozen freighters. Boyang Maritime also pleaded guilty to charges it obstructed justice and tampered with witnesses to cover up the dumping. Dumping oil at sea can harm fish and other aquatic life. A ship’s captain and two chief engineers have already been convicted in the dumping. Doo Hyun Kim, captain of the Khana, was sentenced to six months in prison. In Ho Kim, the chief engineer of the Khana, was sentenced to six months in prison. Je Yong Lee, chief engineer of the Sohoh, was sentenced to eight months in prison. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage and the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. $3 MILLION ENFORCEMENT SETTLEMENT WILL IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN BOSTON On Oct. 17, Allied Waste Systems, Inc. reached a settlement, which resolves the government’s claims ALLIED violated the Clean Air Act (CAA). The proposed consent decree requires the company to pay a $782,550 civil penalty and spend $2.3 million on an environmental project that will improve Boston’s air quality at Allied’s Howard Transfer Station in Roxbury. A civil complaint was also filed simultaneously with the consent decree. According to the civil complaint, between July 1997 and August 1998, Allied compacted or crushed discarded appliances collected under the trash pick-up contract with the City of Boston, without either recovering any remaining refrigerant from the appliances, or verifying that the refrigerant was previously evacuated from the appliances. Upon learning of EPA’s inspections, Allied corrected the improper disposal practice. The settlement stems from violations of provisions of the CAA, which are intended to protect the stratospheric ozone layer from the harmful effects of certain chemicals, known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). These chemicals, commonly found in coolants, are known to cause the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects the earth’s surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Under EPA regulations, waste haulers who dispose of household appliances which may contain CFCs or HCFCs, including refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners, must take steps to ensure that these chemicals are not released to the atmosphere. In addition to requiring payment of a substantial civil penalty, the consent decree requires Allied to spend at least $2.3 million on a supplemental environmental project; to comply with Section 608(c) of the CAA; to conduct appropriate training of employees who are engaged in activities concerning the collection and disposal of appliances and to implement a tracking system for all appliances picked up by Allied in the City of Boston in order to ensure future compliance with the regulatory requirements. The case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the office of EPA’s Regional Counsel. R-218 # # # Release date:11/14/2002 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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