EPA National News: EPA Press Advisory: (1) Air Pollution Control Technologies Grants Awarded; (2) EPA Offers Communities New Tool for Achieving Smart Growth and Water Quality Goals; (3) Connecticut Plating Company and General Manager Plead in Clean Water Act Case; (4) EPA Lifts Stop Sale on Three 1st EnviroSafety Products
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EPA Press Advisory: (1) Air Pollution Control Technologies Grants Awarded; (2) EPA Offers Communities New Tool for Achieving Smart Growth and Water Quality Goals; (3) Connecticut Plating Company and General Manager Plead in Clean Water Act Case; (4) EPA Lifts Stop Sale on Three 1st EnviroSafety Products

      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. -- Wednesday, July 7, 2004)

(1) Air Pollution Control Technologies Grants Awarded

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

To develop effective pollution control technologies that are economically viable, EPA awarded $700,000 to three companies for development and commercialization of air pollution control technologies through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. ADA Technologies, Inc. of Littleton, Colo. will develop and test new mercury absorption materials derived from silica for use in removing mercury from power plant emissions. This new technology could potentially have a significant cost advantage over currently used activated carbon technology, as the new sorbent is less expensive and it removes mercury while still allowing utilities to sell fly ash as a concrete additive. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. of Wilmington, Del. is developing a new fiber optic membrane technology to recover volatile organic compounds from underground gasoline storage tanks. This technology will allow rapid air venting while retaining gasoline and can be used
for other applications, such as dry cleaning and offshore oil operations. Sorption Technologies, Inc. of Newark, Del. will investigate new flue-gas purification technologies designed to remove sulfur dioxide, mercury and fine particles from the emissions of coal-burning power plants. This technology removes multiple pollutants from flue gases and may provide a more efficient and cost effective alternative to current technologies. SBIR was created in 1982 to give small businesses a greater role in federal Research and Development and to increase U.S. technical innovation. An SBIR business must have fewer than 500 employees and at least 51 percent of the business must be owned by U.S. citizens. For more information go to: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir.

(2) EPA Offers Communities New Tool for Achieving Smart Growth and Water Quality Goals

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

EPA has released a new report that will help communities protect water resources and achieve smart growth. Some of the adverse effects of growth and development include: loss of woodlands, meadowlands, and wetlands, and increased polluted run-off. Smart growth is development that is good for the economy, public health and the environment. The report documents 75 innovative approaches -- including redeveloping abandoned properties, encouraging rooftop gardens, creating shared parking, and promoting tree planting -- that state and local governments and water quality professionals can use to achieve their smart growth and water quality goals. To receive a free copy of the report, send an email to: ncepimal@one.net or call 1-800-490-9198 and request EPA publication 231-R-04-002. The report and more information about smart growth are also available at: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth.

Weekly Enforcement and Compliance Wrap Up

(3) Connecticut Plating Company and General Manager Plead in Clean Water Act Case

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

Aluminum Finishing Company, Inc., of Bridgeport Conn., and Duane Bass, Aluminum Finishing’s General Manager, both pled guilty on June 21 in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in New Haven to violating the Clean Water Act (CWA). Aluminum Finishing performs electroplating, painting, anodizing and chromating a variety of metal products for industry. The company had a permit to discharge treated process wastewater into the Bridgeport sewer system, which in
turn discharges into Long Island Sound. Aluminum Finishing pled guilty to repeated violations of its discharge permit from October 27, 2000 to January 5, 2001. Specifically, the government stated that the company discharged wastewater which exceeded its CWA discharge permit levels for pH, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc. The government further alleged that Aluminum Finishing was in the practice of discharging approximately 8,000 gallons of unpretreated wastewater on Friday evenings. Defendant Bass was charged with an illegal discharge on January 5, 2001. The discharge of wastewater containing contaminants above permitted levels has the potential to interfere with municipal sewage treatment processes. The case was investigated by the Boston Area Office EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Bridgeport’s treatment works. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Haven.

(4) EPA Lifts Stop Sale on Three 1st EnviroSafety Products

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

On June 24, EPA lifted a restriction on the sale of three products made by 1st EnviroSafety Inc. of St. James, Fla. The company complied with a June 2 Order and removed all references to pesticidal properties from the products’ labels and removed all pesticidal claims from the company’s website. Specifically, the restriction on the sale and distribution of “Organic Cleaner/Degreaser (Military Strength); Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser; and ECCO Commercial All Purpose Colloidal Cleaner” has been lifted. The June 2 Order remains in place for the following products: “Organic Veggie Wash; Yacht & Boat Bath (Organic); Any Floors #123; ECCO Dishwashing Machine Concentrate; Organic - Bath & Tile; Organic - Pet Care; and Organic - Multi-Purpose.” Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), products claiming to prevent, destroy, or repel pests, including anthrax bacteria, are considered pesticides and must be registered with the EPA. The pre-market registration process requires a company to prove the product is safe and effective for consumer use before a legal claim can be made that it protects people and pets from illness caused by pests. EPA-registered products must bear the registration number on labeling, along with directions for use and any safety precautions. The stop sale order requires 1st EnviroSafety Inc. to remove all pesticide claims from its advertising and labeling and to notify EPA within 30 days of the steps they have taken to do so. EPA, with the assistance of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, will be monitoring compliance with this stop sale order and will continue to monitor the Internet for illegal pesticide sales.

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Release date:07/07/2004 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email

 

 
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