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United States Environmental Protection Agency
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. . . to protect human health and the environment
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Partnership to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gas Nov 16 - Administrator Leavitt joined representatives from 13 other nations to create the Methane to Markets Partnership, a new global initiative to recover and use the greenhouse gas methane as a valuable clean energy source. Potential annual program reductions could equal the removal of 33 million cars from roadways.
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Pollution Reduction
(billions of pounds)
  
2000
0.7
 
2001
0.7
 
2002
0.3
 
2003
0.6
 
2004
1.0
 
2004 enforcement cuts pollution by one billion pounds Nov 15 - EPA used many different approaches, including helping companies comply with environmental laws, requiring additional pollution controls, promoting environmentally beneficial projects as part of settlements, and filing criminal charges. As a result of activities in 2004, companies will spend a record $4.8 billion reducing pollution. Strong enforcement improves and protects the environment and people's health.
News release | Details | Case Highlights

Agreement with major airlines to protect drinking water Nov 9 - EPA announced commitments from 12 major U.S. passenger airlines to implement new aircraft water testing and disinfection protocols. The action follows testing that found water quality problems on 12.6 percent of domestic and international passenger aircraft tested at U.S. airports. EPA also announced a new round of airline water testing.
News release | comunicado de prensa | More ...

 
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 Other News
National First Children's Health Award
National Power plant settlement cuts 29k tons of NOx emissions
Regional New England had fewer poor air quality days in summer
Regional  EPA partners to safeguard Potomac drinking water
CA Mobil to pay for water violations on Navajo lands
CT Landlord fined for not notifying tenants of lead paint
MA Four towns to end illegal discharges into Charles
NC Brownfields grant $ to help downtown Raleigh
NY $4.8 million cleanup at Ithaca Gun completed
NY Colonial Acres is first golf course in Performance Track
NY Vassar to cut lab waste; train other schools
RI $16.9 Million for drinking water, sewage treatment
VA $4.5m EPA grant to help control stormwater runoff
VT Cleanup complete at Pownal Tannery Superfund site
WV Grant to help students manage asthma triggers

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The Benefits of Recycling
three children collecting soda cans for recycling

Americans generate nearly 4.5 pounds of trash per person every day - more than 230 million tons per year. The good news is that less and less of it ends up in landfills. Each year, recycling diverts more than 68 million tons of waste away from landfills.

You can help by buying recycled products, composting yard waste, and recycling bottles and plastics according to your local recycling program. Visit EPA's Reduce, Reuse Recycle Web site for more recycling basics.

Highlighted Program

Great Lakes Collaboration
Members of the President's Cabinet, the Great Lakes Governors, the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation, Mayors and Tribal Leaders will meet December 3rd in Chicago to forge an intergovernmental partnership and develop a coordinated strategy to further protect and restore the Great Lakes. The Interagency Task Force, chaired by EPA, is helping to convene this meeting to establish a long term, multi-jurisdictional collaboration to address key environmental issues.
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Test Your Enviro-Q
How do children become lead poisoned?
a. Put their hands or other objects covered with lead dust in their mouths.
b. Consume paint chips or soil that contains lead.
c. Breathe in lead dust (especially during removal of old paint).
d. All of the above

Previous questions

Keeping Kids Healthy
There are easy things you can do to protect children at home and school. Make sure kids can't reach baits and traps. Store pesticides and other chemicals in a locked cabinet. Never ever put chemicals in containers children could mistake for food or drink.

Celebrate Children's Health Month | Learn how you can protect kids from pesticides

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