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Press Advisory: (1) Voluntary Programs Prevent Greenhouse Gases, EPA Reports; (2) Fuel Suppliers Preparing to Meet Future Low-Sulfur Diesel Requirements; (3) Latest Notifications Page Added to Recalls.gov; (4) New Enforcement Initiative Encourages Cleanup and Reuse of Contaminated Property; (5) Connecticut Man Sentenced for Clean Water Act ViolationPress Advisory - EPA's latest developments ENERGY STAR and other voluntary programs prevented 48 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2003, up from 43 million in 2002, EPA reports. Protecting the Environment-Together: ENERGY STAR and Other Voluntary Programs catalogues the environmental and economic benefits of a range of EPA energy-efficiency and climate protection programs. With ENERGY STAR, Americans prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 18 million automobiles and saved $8 billion on their energy bills. Also through the combined efforts of the methane programs, U.S. methane emissions are expected to be kept below 1990 levels through 2012. More than 2,000 builders have constructed over 200,000 ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, locking in financial savings for homeowners that exceed $60 million annually. About 5,000 homes have been improved through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, which continues to grow with the addition of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored pilot programs in a number of cities. Through EPA's Green Power Partnership, more than 230 partners have committed to purchasing more than 1 billion kilowatt-hour of green power. The voluntary climate change programs include initiatives that develop clean energy solutions, increase the capture and use of methane gas, minimize emissions of other non-carbon dioxide gases, and provide opportunities for corporate partners to develop long-term comprehensive climate change strategies. Copies of the 2003 annual report are available by calling the ENERGY STAR Hotline at 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937) or at: http://www.epa.gov/cppd . (2) Fuel Suppliers Preparing to Meet Future Low-Sulfur Diesel Requirements Contact: John Millett 202-564-7842 / millett.john@epa.gov Refiners remain on target to supply significantly cleaner highway diesel fuel over the next five years, according to EPA's analysis of industry reports released today. EPA has been working collaboratively with both the engine manufacturers and fuel refiners in preparation for EPA's new clean diesel engine and fuel standards. When fully implemented, EPA's Clean Diesel Program, will reduce 2.6 million tons of smog-causing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel exhaust each year, thus providing the cleanest running heavy-duty trucks and buses in history. The action will produce the clean-air equivalent of eliminating air pollution from 13 million trucks. To ensure these cleaner-running vehicles, the program requires that sulfur in diesel fuel be reduced by 97 percent. The reports provide the clearest snapshot currently available of the highway diesel fuel market. Similar to the projections that refiners made last year, it is anticipated that 95 percent of the nearly 3 million barrels of highway diesel produced per day will meet the 15 parts per million (ppm) standard in 2006. EPA's analysis of information from more than 120 refineries shows that fuel suppliers are positioned to comply with the 15 ppm highway diesel sulfur standard on time; highway diesel fuel production will be sufficient to meet demand; and 15 ppm sulfur highway diesel fuel will be widely available nationwide. Reducing the sulfur content in diesel will enable advanced emission control technology in diesel engines and substantially contribute to air quality improvement. Under the EPA's Highway Clean Diesel Rule, any refiner or importer planning to produce or import highway diesel fuel in 2006-10 is required to submit annual "pre-compliance reports" to EPA. The reports are due June 1 of each year; the first was due June 1, 2003 and the last report will be due in 2005. For a copy of the Summary and Analysis of the 2004 Highway Diesel Fuel Pre-compliance Reports and additional information about the Highway Diesel Rule, go to: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel.htm . For information about EPA Clean Diesel Program, go to: http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/ . (3) Latest Notifications Page Added to Recalls.gov Contact: Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819/ ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov A new feature, "Recent Recalls," has been added to Recalls.gov, the multi-agency web site created to provide better service in alerting the American people to unsafe, hazardous or defective products. As part of the federal electronic government (E-Government) Initiative, Recalls.gov was developed to provide links to all federal agencies with programs to combine their information for this web site. Under leadership provided by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), six agencies worked collaboratively across traditional boundaries to accomplish this. "Recent Recalls" displays on one page the latest recalls from EPA, CPSC, Food and Drug Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and Department of Agriculture. This includes consumer goods, automobiles, boats, drugs, cosmetics, pesticides and environmental product recalls. Technical support from EPA's Office of Environmental Information created direct feeds that update this web page automatically with pesticides and vehicle emissions notices. E-Government is part of the President's Management Agenda, which seeks to have the federal government focus more on citizens and results. The 24 E-Government Initiatives use Internet-based technology to make it easier and faster for citizens and businesses to interact with the government. The new web site is at: http://www.recalls.gov/recent.html . Enforcement and Compliance Wrap-Up Contact: John Millett 202-564-7842 / millett.john@epa.gov (4) New Enforcement Initiative Encourages Cleanup and Reuse of Contaminated Property EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has launched a new initiative to promote safe, sustainable reuse and redevelopment of contaminated property. Environmentally Responsible Redevelopment and Reuse (ER3) will provide incentives to developers who commit to the best sustainable environmental practices in the redevelopment and reuse of contaminated properties. The ER3 initiative will encourage green building design, construction, and operation; energy efficiency; use of renewable energy sources; environmental management systems; storm water and wastewater management; pollution prevention; waste minimization and recycling; healthy building; design for the environment; industrial ecology; sustainability; and smart growth. Incentives include Prospective Purchaser Agreements, which provide liability relief on Superfund property, and Comfort/Status Letters, which describe the likelihood of EPA involvement at a property, or clarify the cleanup progress at a site. ER3 aims to leverage resources from other federal agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations and private organizations to expand the environmentally sound reuse and redevelopment of contaminated sites. For more information on ER3, go to: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/brownfields . (5) Connecticut Man Sentenced for Clean Water Act Violation Daniel R. Callahan of Broad Brook, Conn., was sentenced on Sept. 9 to serve three years probation, the first six months of which will be spent in home confinement. He was also ordered to pay a $4,000 fine and perform 150 hours of community service when he appeared before the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in Hartford. The defendant violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) by falsifying reports submitted to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Callahan was formerly the Director of Environmental Health and Safety for the Stafford Division of Tyco Printed Circuit Group (TCPG). TCPG is a subsidiary of Tyco International. One of Callahan's primary responsibilities was to oversee the operation of Tyco's waste treatment facility at its factory in Manchester, Conn. In February 2001, Callahan assisted in the fabrication of reports submitted to DEP concerning the Manchester facility. The reports failed to include the fact that a waste treatment "batch tank" had been discharged into the Manchester public sewer system. Tyco's DEP permit required that discharges from the tank be reported. Instead, Callahan reported that the tank had not been discharged. As a result, the wastewater discharged from the factory exceeded the levels of copper allowed in the factory's discharge permit. Copper is a toxic metal which can, if passed through sewage treatment plants, harm fish, aquatic life, wildlife and humans who come into contact with copper-contaminated surface waters downstream from sewage treatment facilities. Two other defendants in this case, Anthony Dadalt and Robert Smith, were sentenced to probation for violating the CWA. TCPG was ordered to pay a $6 million fine and spend an additional $4 million on environmentally beneficial programs as a result of its CWA conviction in this case. The case was investigated by the New Haven Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the Connecticut DEP with the assistance of EPA's National Enforcement Investigations Center. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Bridgeport, Conn. R178 ### Release date:09/23/2004 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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