EPA National News: EPA Press Advisory: (1) EPA Adds Nine New Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund National Priorities List; (2) EPA and DHS Accepting Proposals for Research on Microbial Risk Assessment for Homeland Security; (3) EPA Aging Initiative, U.S. COPD Coalition Partner to Protect Older Americans; (4) Two Wisconsin Men Sentenced for Illegal Asbestos Removal
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EPA Press Advisory: (1) EPA Adds Nine New Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund National Priorities List; (2) EPA and DHS Accepting Proposals for Research on Microbial Risk Assessment for Homeland Security; (3) EPA Aging Initiative, U.S. COPD Coalition Partner to Protect Older Americans; (4) Two Wisconsin Men Sentenced for Illegal Asbestos Removal

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

News for Release: (Washington, D.C. - - July 21, 2004)


(1) EPA Adds Nine New Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund National Priorities List


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

EPA is making progress in protecting public health, cleaning up the nation's hazardous waste, and encouraging economic revitalization and land reuse by adding nine final sites to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). EPA's selection of the sites was based on various factors including: risk to human health and the environment; the response urgency needed; maintenance of a strong enforcement program; leverage of other cleanups (polluters wanting to avoid NPL listing can choose to participate in the Superfund Alternative Site cleanup program or enter into a voluntary cleanup agreement with the State); and program management and resource considerations.

The nine sites were proposed in the Federal Register on March 8 for a 60 day public comment period. The proposals received only comments in favor of this NPL listing. The nine sites being added are: Jacobsville Neighborhood Soil Contamination, Evansville, Ind.; Annapolis Lead Mine, Annapolis, Mo.; Picayune Wood Treating, Picayune, Miss.; Grants Chlorinated Solvents Plume, Grants, N. M.; Diaz Chemical Corporation, Holley, N.Y.; Peninsula Boulevard Ground Water Plume, Hewlett, N.Y.; Ryeland Road Arsenic, Heidelberg Township, Pa.; Cidra Ground Water Contamination, Cidra, Puerto Rico; and Pike Hill Copper Mine, Corinth, Vt. With the addition of nine new sites to the NPL, there are now 1,245 final sites on the NPL (1,087 non-Federal sites and 158 Federal facility sites). Additionally, EPA has proposed 56 sites now waiting final agency action (50 non-federal sites and 6 federal facility sites). If these sites are eventually funded, EPA will work with states, tribes, local communities and other partners in identifying land reuse options and opportunities at these sites. Under its Land Revitalization Agenda announced last year, EPA made a commitment that revitalization and reuse will now be a formal part of planning at every site.

Nationally, more than 70 percent of all Superfund sites are cleaned up by those responsible for the pollution; even when EPA has to fund cleanup, the Agency works to get reimbursed from polluters under its cost recovery program. Since the beginning of the Superfund program, more than $22 billion in cleanup commitments and funding have been provided by the parties responsible for toxic waste sites. The NPL serves primarily informational purposes, identifying for the states and the public those sites that appear to warrant remedial actions. For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the nine sites announced today, go to: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm

(2) EPA and DHS Accepting Proposals for Research on Microbial Risk Assessment for Homeland Security


Suzanne Ackerman, 202-564-7819 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, is seeking applications to fund a research center on microbial risk assessment needed to support homeland security objectives. One grant of up to $10 million will be awarded to establish the center. The goal of the new Cooperative Center of Excellence on Microbial Risk Assessment will be to arm policy-makers with the information needed to set decontamination goals. The new Center will address critical data gaps that block completion of credible microbial risk assessments for decontamination. Reliable microbial risk assessments are needed for government agencies to quickly evaluate and communicate real and potential risks for high-priority biological threat agents such as anthrax, smallpox, botulism, plague, viral hemorrhagic fever, and tularemia. The anticipated grant award is $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years of study. The center will be funded through EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program and the Department of Homeland Security’s University Programs. DHS and EPA anticipate
funding one grant to be managed by EPA at the National Center for Environmental Research. Institutions of higher education and not-for-profit institutions located in the U.S. and tribal, state and local governments are eligible to apply. The deadline for receipt of applications is October 20, 2004. Details and application instructions are available at: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/


(3) EPA Aging Initiative, U.S. COPD Coalition Partner to Protect Older Americans

Enesta Jones, 202-564-7873 / jones.enesta@epa.gov


EPA’s Aging Initiative has joined with the U.S. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Coalition to protect the health of older adults. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, claiming approximately 119,000 lives each year. Studies show that the disease is exacerbated by environmental hazards such as air pollution. COPD is particularly common among older adults, and as baby boomers age, the number of older adults affected by COPD is expected to grow significantly. In this partnership, the Aging Initiative will ensure that issues related to the environment and COPD are considered in program development and activities; and provide input and direction, along with other Liaison Partners, in the Coalition’s mission and objectives. Launched in 2002, EPA’s Aging Initiative aims to prioritize and study environmental health threats to older persons; examine the effect that a rapidly growing aging population might have on our environment; and encourage older persons to become involved in their own communities through civic engagement. The U.S. COPD Coalition is a non-profit organization which works to raise awareness about COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. For more information about EPA’s Aging Initiative and efforts to raise awareness about the links between environmental hazards and COPD, visit: http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/epareports.htm#copd

Weekly Enforcement Wrap-up


(4) Two Wisconsin Men Sentenced for Illegal Asbestos Removal


Christopher Lagan, 202-564-7338 / lagan.christopher@epa.gov


Michael L. Smith and Lawrence J. Williams, partners in Smith Renovations in Janesville, Wisconsin, were sentenced for illegal removal of asbestos, a violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin in July, 2002. Smith was sentenced to 6 months of community confinement and 5 years of probation. Williams was sentenced to 3 months of community confinement and 5 years of probation. As part of their sentences, both men were also required to pay $50,380 in restitution to Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mt. Horeb. In April 2002, Smith and Williams were contracted to renovate the church. Despite being informed that the ceiling in the church classrooms contained asbestos, Smith and Williams improperly scraped the ceilings of numerous classrooms. They were stopped by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor who was at the site to perform other work in July 2002. Improper removal and bagging of asbestos can expose workers and others who enter the area to the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers. Inhaled asbestos fibers are a known cause of lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. Sentencing took place on July 14 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in coordination with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Madison.

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