Tuesday, April 30, 2024

EPA to host public forum in Africatown, Alabama to discuss environmental and health challenges, solutions

Mobile, Ala. (April 30, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local stakeholders will host a public forum on Saturday focused on advancing environmental justice and revitalizing Africatown, Alabama. The meeting is open to Africatown residents, non-profit organizations, local and state government, academia, churches, business owners and others.

Participants will have the opportunity to discuss community environmental concerns, including public health and air quality issues, and also learn about federal, state and local ideas to respond to the concerns raised. Pre-registration is encouraged (see link below).

WHO:             EPA and local Africatown partners

WHAT:            Africatown Community Conversation

WHEN:            Saturday, May 4, 2024, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CST

WHERE:         Robert Hope Community Center, 850 Edwards St, Mobile, AL

REGISTER:     https://app.mirialiti.net/surveys/ad93d0e3-9e2c-44a4-90eb-9dc0776c0422

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EPA Highlights Biden-Harris Administration’s New National Security Memorandum on Critical Infrastructure

WASHINGTON – Today, April 30, 2024, the White House issued a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) to secure and enhance the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure. The NSM will replace a decade-old presidential policy document on critical infrastructure protection and launch a comprehensive effort to protect U.S. infrastructure against all threats and hazards, current and future.

“Cybersecurity and climate change threats pose serious risks to the drinking water and wastewater services that people in this country rely on every day, and recent cyber attacks on water systems underscore the urgency of increased and coordinated action to protect public health and the environment,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “The Biden-Harris Administration is leading a comprehensive effort to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure against all threats, and the efforts outlined in the new National Security Memorandum are vital to ensuring that EPA and other federal entities are taking the necessary steps to safeguard public health and our economy.”

The NSM will help ensure U.S. critical infrastructure can provide the nation a strong and innovative economy, protect American families, and enhance our collective resilience to disasters before they happen – strengthening the nation for generations to come. This NSM specifically clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the lead federal agencies identified to improve the resilience of our critical infrastructure sectors against all hazards. EPA is the official sector risk management agency with respect to the water sector. The NSM also implements a coordinated national approach to assess and manage sector-specific risks. 

Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, as well as the emergence of new technologies, America has a historic opportunity to build for the future. Good investments require taking steps to manage risk, and for our water infrastructure, that means building in resilience to all hazards upfront and by-design. Through the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced nearly $50 billion to modernize the nation’s water infrastructure. These resources, including more than $23 billion in drinking water and clean water State Revolving Funds, can be used to support a broad range of approaches to build resilience to all hazards, including climate resilience and cybersecurity threats.

The nation faces an era of strategic competition where state actors will continue to target American critical infrastructure – and tolerate or enable malicious activity conducted by non-state actors. In the event of crisis or conflict, America’s adversaries may attempt to compromise our critical infrastructure to undermine the will of the American public and impede the projection of U.S. military power abroad. Resilience, particularly for our most sensitive assets and systems, is the cornerstone of homeland defense and security.

Further, the growing impact of climate change, including changes to the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, as well as supply chain shocks and the potential for instability, conflict, or mass displacement, places strain on the infrastructure that Americans depend upon to live and do business.

National Security Memorandum

2023 National Intelligence Strategy

EPA Cybersecurity for the Water Sector



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Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Ban on Most Uses of Methylene Chloride, Protecting Workers and Communities from Fatal Exposure

WASHINGTON Today, April 30, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, cancer of the blood, and cancer of the central nervous system, as well as neurotoxicity, liver harm and even death. Ending most uses of methylene chloride will save lives and complements President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, a whole-of-government initiative to end cancer as we know it.

EPA’s final action, also known as a risk management rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), will protect people from health risks while allowing key uses to continue safely with a robust new worker protection program. This is the second risk management rule to be finalized using the process created by the 2016 TSCA amendments.

“Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long, including some who saw loved ones go to work and never come home,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s final action brings an end to unsafe methylene chloride practices and implements the strongest worker protections possible for the few remaining industrial uses, ensuring no one in this country is put in harm’s way by this dangerous chemical.”

“The USW applauds EPA’s final rule banning certain uses of methylene chloride and lowering allowable workplace exposure levels. More than 100,000 workers die from occupational disease each year, including those sickened by harmful chemical exposures. Our union fought for the updated Toxic Substances Control Act so that we could ensure that worker exposures to harmful substances like methylene chloride are appropriately assessed and regulated at harmful levels. Now, thanks to the current administration, workers are safer and better protected,” said David McCall, International President, United Steelworkers.

“Today’s announcement to ban most commercial uses of the toxic chemical methylene chloride in paint strippers is a significant step to protect more workers from this deadly chemical,” said Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President for Healthy Communities at Environmental Defense Fund. “We are honored to stand beside the Hartley family, who has bravely shared their story to encourage this long overdue action that will save lives.”

Methylene chloride is used by consumers for aerosol degreasing and paint and coating brush cleaners, in commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants, and in industrial settings for making other chemicals. For example, methylene chloride is used in the production of more climate-friendly refrigerant chemicals.

“My son, Kevin, died in 2017 from methylene chloride exposure from refinishing a bathtub at work. I am pleased that the EPA is finally taking action and banning methylene chloride as a commercial bathtub stripper. This is a huge step that will protect vulnerable workers,” said Wendy Hartley, mother of Kevin Hartley, who died from methylene chloride poisoning.

Since 1980, at least 88 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride, largely workers engaged in bathtub refinishing or other paint stripping, even, in some cases, while fully trained and equipped with personal protective equipment. While EPA banned one consumer use of methylene chloride in 2019, use of the chemical has remained widespread and continues to pose significant and sometimes fatal danger to workers. EPA’s final risk management rule requires companies to rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses, including its use in home renovations. Consumer use will be phased out within a year, and most industrial and commercial uses will be prohibited within two years.

EPA’s methylene chloride rulemaking also establishes landmark worker protections under the nation’s premier chemical safety law. For a handful of highly industrialized uses, EPA has created a Workplace Chemical Protection Program. This workplace chemical protection program has strict exposure limits, monitoring requirements, and worker training and notification requirements that will protect workers from cancer and other adverse health effects caused by methylene chloride exposure.

Uses that will continue under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program are highly industrialized and important to national security and the economy. These are uses for which EPA received data and other information that shows workplace safety measures to fully address the unreasonable risk could be achieved. These uses include:

  1. Use in the production of other chemicals, including refrigerant chemicals that are important in efforts to phase down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons under the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.
  2. Production of battery separators for electric vehicles.
  3. Use as a processing aid in a closed system.
  4. Use as a laboratory chemical.
  5. Use in plastic and rubber manufacturing, including polycarbonate production.
  6. Use in solvent welding.

Additionally, specific uses of methylene chloride required by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration will also continue with strict workplace controls because sufficient reductions in exposure are possible in these highly sophisticated environments, minimizing risks to workers. 

For uses of methylene chloride continuing under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program, most workplaces will have 18 months after the finalization of the risk management rule to comply with the program and would be required to periodically monitor their workplace to ensure that workers are not being exposed to levels of methylene chloride that would lead to an unreasonable risk. In consideration of public comments on the proposal, EPA extended the compliance timeframe to give workplaces ample time to put worker protections in place. EPA also revised several other aspects from the proposal including ensuring the Workplace Chemical Protection Program applies to the same uses whether they are federal or commercial uses, establishing a de minimis concentration, and provisions to strengthen and clarify aspects of the Workplace Chemical Protection Program such as monitoring requirements.

EPA will also host a public webinar to explain what is in the final rule and how it will be implemented. The agency will announce the date and time in the coming weeks.

For more information, please read the Risk Management for Methylene Chloride page.



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Monday, April 29, 2024

State of Washington, federal agencies agree on future of tank waste cleanup at Hanford Site

Hanford Tri Parties Header

State of Washington, federal agencies agree on future of tank waste cleanup at Hanford Site

Proposed amendments to cleanup agreements to go out for 60-day public comment period May 30.

SEATTLE -- Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a landmark agreement that proposes a realistic and achievable course for cleaning up millions of gallons of radioactive and chemical waste from large, underground tanks at the Hanford Site.

Following voluntary, mediated negotiations that began in 2020, also known as Holistic Negotiations, the agencies have signed a settlement agreement and are proposing new and revised cleanup deadlines in the Tri-Party Agreement and Washington v. Granholm consent decree. The proposed changes uphold a shared commitment to the safe and effective cleanup of tank waste.

Highlights of the proposed modifications include the following:

  • Maintaining existing timeframes for starting treatment of both low-activity and high-level waste by immobilizing it in glass via vitrification
  • Using a direct-feed approach for immobilizing high-level waste in glass, similar to the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program
  • Building a vault storage system and second effluent management facility to support treating high-level waste
  • Retrieving waste from 22 tanks in Hanford’s 200 West Area by 2040, including grouting the low-activity portion of the waste for offsite disposal
  • Designing and constructing 1-million gallons of additional capacity for multi-purpose storage of tank waste
  • Evaluating and developing new technologies for retrieving waste from tanks

Under the settlement agreement, USDOE has also committed to refrain from applying its interpretation of what constitutes “high-level waste” when disposing of treated waste or closing tank systems at Hanford.

Proposed changes to the Tri-Party Agreement and consent decree will go out for a 60-day public comment period May 30. During the comment period, the three agencies will hold regional public meetings in Washington and Oregon. Detailed information on these meetings will be available when the comment period begins.

Changes to milestones and deadlines are not final until the public comment period is complete, a response to comments is issued, the federal district court accepts the proposed amendments to the consent decree, and the agencies implement the proposed revisions.

Statements from TPA agency leadership:

“We have alignment on a plan that lays out a realistic and achievable path forward for Hanford’s tank waste mission,” said Brian Vance, Hanford’s DOE manager of the River Protection and Richland Operations offices. “Our One Hanford team is ready to get down to the business of more fully conducting the tank waste mission resulting in benefits for the environment, the people of Washington state and the nation.”

“We’ve negotiated a durable framework that aligns our agencies and accelerates work while maintaining a robust and safe cleanup. The communities we all serve deserve no less,” said Ecology Director Laura Watson. “This agreement will get more tank waste retrieved, treated, and disposed of on schedule and gives us a roadmap for Hanford cleanup through 2040 and beyond.”

“The disposal of tank waste is a critical component of the complex, site-wide cleanup efforts at Hanford,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “This agreement builds on decades of work and collaboration between the Department of Energy, State of Washington, and the EPA, and will guide the tank waste mission as it enters a new phase of operation. We encourage all impacted Tribes, community members, and other stakeholders to participate in the public review process.”

Background

Producing plutonium at the Hanford Site left a legacy of about 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste stored in 177 underground tanks. USDOE is responsible for the Hanford Site and its cleanup. Ecology and EPA are regulatory agencies overseeing USDOE’s cleanup under the Tri-Party Agreement, a judicial consent decree, and various permits.

For background information on Hanford, visit USDOE’s Hanford website and Ecology’s website.

Media Contacts



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EPA salutes citizen scientists' water quality monitoring of the Merrimack

BOSTON (April 29, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined safe water guardians along the banks of the Merrimack River to acknowledge their water quality protection efforts and share results of water sampling data collected by so many. Those who participated in the routine monthly water testing today included scientists, stewards, and students from Lawrence High School.

"Without good science, how can we protect human health and the environment? It's an extraordinary effort to collect water samples, take field measurements, and get the samples to EPA's North Chelmsford laboratory within six hours for accurate analysis, all under strict quality assurance protocols every month," said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "The collaborative efforts of all the volunteers and the Merrimack River Watershed Council are invaluable."

"We can't manage what we don't measure, and we can't treat what we don't know. That's why this citizen science water sampling effort will unlock the knowledge necessary to help safeguard the Merrimack River for decades to come. I thank all the volunteers, from students to stewards, for helping make Massachusetts a cleaner, healthier place," said Senator Ed Markey.

Merrimack River Watershed Council Executive Director Curt Rogers underscored the importance of their partnership with EPA, "We simply could not do our intensive water monitoring program without EPA's robust collaboration – from assisting in drafting the sampling protocols to running the lab analysis throughout the year. This sampling program identifies areas of high concern for pathogens,    such as E. coli and Enterococcus, which gives us a better understanding of the impacts on recreation and wildlife."

The Merrimack River and its watershed is one of New England's iconic waterways. The watershed is a recreational resource for nearly 200 communities and 2.6 million people and is the primary drinking water source for about 550,000 people in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The vast two-state watershed covers 5,010 square miles and is home to a variety of sensitive species and habitats.

EPA created an interactive StoryMap that highlights maps and important themes such as flooding risk, water quality risks from developed land, and a new section on water quality monitoring resources for the Merrimack River Watershed.

EPA and partners have been working to improve the ease with which organizations large and small can store their water quality monitoring data in the Water Quality Portal by submitting data to EPA's Water Quality Exchange (WQX). Once there, data become accessible to scientists, government policy makers, and the public in a permanent archive. From the Portal, data can be integrated into a variety of viewers, data analytical tools, portals, and data assessment products.

For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/merrimackriver/water-quality-monitoring-resources-merrimack-river.



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EPA Issues Consent Order to MAX Environmental Technologies to Ensure Compliance with Hazardous Waste Rules at Yukon, PA, Facility

PHILADELPHIA (April 29, 2024) - Max Environmental Technologies, Inc. (MAX) has agreed to several actions to ensure compliance with federal and state hazardous waste safeguards at the company’s waste facility in Yukon, PA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. 

MAX owns and operates a 160-acre facility, surrounded by agricultural and residential properties, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA in Westmoreland County. According to EPA, this site is an area with potential environmental justice concerns. MAX conducts waste operations under permits issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA is the principal federal hazardous waste storage and disposal statute.

Among the hazardous wastes at the MAX facility are wastewater treatment sludge, corrosives, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium, silver, electric arc furnace dust, and waste acid/pickle liquor.  Waste management units include five closed impoundments, an active solid waste landfill, waste storage tanks and containers, hazardous waste treatment units, and a leachate management system that generates sludge from wastewater treatment.

EPA officials inspected the facility in March 20-24, 2023, to determine MAX’s compliance with environmental regulations, including the terms of its PA DEP-issued CWA and RCRA permits. According to EPA, its inspectors documented several RCRA permit violations, including but not limited to: (1) unlawful disposal of hazardous waste in the solid waste landfill at the facility, (2) failure to maintain a containment building, and (3) failure to keep the hazardous waste containers closed to prevent hazardous waste release.

The Consent Order announced today addresses RCRA and state hazardous waste requirements.  MAX has agreed to immediate measures to eliminate the potential release of solid and hazardous waste into the environment and to ensure that future ongoing operations do not cause or contribute to releases at the facility.   The RCRA consent order requirements include, but are not limited to:   

  • Prohibition of disposal of untreated and treated hazardous waste in the facility’s landfill unless it has been reviewed and analyzed by a third-party auditor and unaffiliated PA DEP-accredited laboratory.  
  • Retention of an EPA approved third party Professional Engineer to perform a structural evaluation and recommendations to repair or modify the containment and processing building and containment pads.
  • Monitoring and sampling of residential wells adjacent to the facility.
  • Monthly progress reports and meetings with EPA project managers to evaluate the compliance actions stated in the Consent Order 

EPA worked closely with PA DEP in investigating conditions and negotiating this consent order that addresses compliance with RCRA and state hazardous waste compliance.  EPA and PA DEP are currently reviewing MAX’s compliance with its CWA permit.  



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Friday, April 26, 2024

EPA Celebrates Earth Week and Agency Efforts to Prevent Plastic Pollution

WASHINGTON – Today, April 26, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is wrapping up Earth Week by highlighting the work the agency is doing to prevent plastic pollution. 

“Plastic waste is growing and so is the impact it has on public health and the environment,” said Cliff Villa, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management. “This Earth Week, I challenge everyone to do their part to reduce plastic waste to protect our health and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy a safe and healthy planet.”

Together, everyone can prevent plastic waste from entering the environment by reducing the waste they generate, reusing or recycling plastic products, and picking up littered materials. EPA strongly supports an innovative, equitable and circular approach to preventing plastic pollution from harming human health and the environment, particularly in already overburdened communities.

The agency’s Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, together with the National Recycling Strategy, identifies actions that governments, businesses, industry, and nonprofits in the U.S. can take to:

  • Reduce pollution from plastic production.
  • Decrease plastic waste generation by encouraging reuse.
  • Capture and remove plastics and other materials from the environment, including waterways and oceans.
  • Expand markets for recycled goods.
  • Improve materials management infrastructure and increase collection.
  • Reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream.

Recently, the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided the largest EPA investment in recycling in 30 years, supporting improvements to waste management systems and programs. Just this past year in September, EPA selected 25 communities to receive grants totaling more than $73 million under the newly created Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling funding opportunity. In addition, EPA made available about $32 million for states and territories to improve solid waste management planning, data collection and implementation of plans.

In November, the agency announced 59 selectees to receive over $60 million in SWIFR grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia and 25 selectees to receive over $33 million in Recycling Education and Outreach grants. These grants will expand recycling infrastructure and education for waste management systems across the country. EPA also created a Model Recycling Program Toolkit to help communities increase participation in recycling programs and reduce contamination in the recycling stream.

Everyday ways to combat plastic pollution

  • Support policies and programs that aim to reduce plastic pollution.
  • Purchase products that are designed to be easily reusable or recyclable.
  • Participate in community recycling programs if they are available and learn which types of materials the local recycling program accepts.
  • Pick up litter in the environment and make sure it can be collected for recycling or proper disposal.
  • Reduce and reuse materials in everyday life. The most effective way to prevent plastic pollution is to not create plastic waste in the first place.

Additional Information on Plastic Waste

Plastic is one of the most prevalent materials in daily life—most people don’t go a single day without encountering plastic. And while it’s a valuable resource that can be put to so many uses (and reuses), it’s also a key contributor to pollution. EPA’s estimates show that plastic waste generation in the United States increased from 0.4% of total municipal solid waste generated in 1960 to 12.2% in 2018. Plastic waste that does not make it into the U.S. waste management system often ends up in the environment as plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution is particularly concerning because plastic materials do not fully biodegrade in the environment. Land-based sources account for up to 80% of plastic waste that pollutes waterways and oceans. Plastic pollution has been found in a wide range of organisms and habitats, including coral reefs, estuaries, beaches, and the deep sea. Since plastic material does not decompose, it accumulates in landfills and in the environment. Plastic products also contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycles, with most of these emissions coming from the production and conversion of fossil fuels into new plastic products. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that in 2019, plastic products were responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycles, with 90% of these emissions coming from the production and conversion of fossil fuels into new plastic products.

Visit EPA’s Trash Free Waters program webpage to learn more. 



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Thursday, April 25, 2024

Американское Агентство по охране окружающей среды объявило о создании онлайн-коллекции ресурсов по вопросам экологической справедливости

ВАШИНГТОН — Сегодня, 23 апреля, Агентство по охране окружающей среды США (АООС) объявило о создании Справочно-информационного портала по вопросам экологической справедливости – первой в своем роде онлайн-коллекции ресурсов, посвященных проблеме экологической справедливости. Созданный в соответствии с указом президента Байдена об активизации приверженности нашей страны экологической справедливости для всех Справочно-информационный портал по вопросам экологической справедливости призван обеспечить общественности доступ к федеральным и нефедеральным онлайн-ресурсам в рамках амбициозной программы Администрации Байдена-Харрис по обеспечению экологической справедливости.

«Воплощение в жизнь амбициозной программы Администрации Байдена-Харрис по обеспечению экологической справедливости требует совместной приверженности налаживанию тесного сотрудничества и реализации программ, ориентированных на решение экологических проблем. Справочно-информационный портал по вопросам экологической справедливости – это принципиально новое справочное пособие, призванное помочь нам достичь общеорганизационных целей в области экологической справедливости», – Тереза Сеговия, первый заместитель помощника директора Управления по вопросам продвижения экологической справедливости и защиты гражданских прав. «Наличие легкодоступной информационной онлайн-библиотеки позволит всем участникам и сторонникам экологической справедливости иметь под рукой ресурсы со всей страны. И она будет только расширяться благодаря инициативам американского народа».

Управление по вопросам продвижения экологической справедливости и защиты гражданских прав АООС будет непрерывно пополнять справочно-информационный ресурс новыми материалами и приветствует любые инициативы со стороны общественности для рассмотрения и возможного включения.

Изначально в Справочно-информационный портал по вопросам экологической справедливости были включены ресурсы, представленные федеральными ведомствами, включая возможности финансирования, инструменты анализа и планирования, а также техническую помощь. В Справочно-информационном портале по вопросам экологической справедливости предусмотрены категории для поиска, что упрощает получение результатов для общественности и обеспечивает более эффективный и доступный процесс получения информации, касающейся экологической справедливости. 

«Президент Байден поручил всему федеральному правительству устранить барьеры на пути к ресурсам и информации, которые помогают сообществам добиваться экологической справедливости. Справочно-информационный портал АООС по вопросам экологической справедливости станет полезным онлайн-инструментом, объединяющим многочисленные источники информации, чтобы все, кто проявляют интерес к проблеме экологической справедливости, могли найти материалы на одном сайте», – отметила д-р Джалонн Л. Уайт-Ньюсом, главный федеральный специалист по вопросам экологической справедливости Совета Белого дома по качеству окружающей среды.

Посетите веб-сайт АООС, чтобы ознакомиться со Справочно-информационным порталом по вопросам экологической справедливости или представить потенциальный ресурс.

Предпосылки

21 апреля 2023 года президент Байден подписал Указ № 14906 «Об активизации приверженности нашей страны экологической справедливости для всех», который предусматривал создание Справочно-информационного портала по вопросам экологической справедливости в качестве общедоступного, общеправительственного справочного онлайн-ресурса, содержащего доступные и приемлемые в культурном и языковом отношении материалы, касающиеся экологической справедливости, в том числе:

  • Информацию о деятельности членов Межведомственного совета Белого дома по вопросам экологической справедливости, направленной на решение вопросов, связанных с экологической справедливостью.
  • Информацию о технической помощи, инструментах и ресурсах для оказания помощи сообществам, сталкивающимся с проблемами экологической справедливости, в создании потенциала для вовлечения общественности.
  • Копии учебно-методических материалов, разработанных Межведомственным советом Белого дома по вопросам экологической справедливости или его членами с целью помочь отдельным лицам и сотрудникам разобраться в вопросах экологической справедливости и осуществлять деятельность в этой области.
  • Любую другую информацию, которую Администратор АООС сочтет необходимой, в координации с Межведомственным советом Белого дома по вопросам экологической справедливости.

Подробнее об экологической справедливости в АООС можно узнать здесь.

Узнайте больше о Межведомственном совете Белого дома по вопросам экологической справедливости и об общеправительственной приверженности Администрации Байдена-Харрис к принципам экологической справедливости.

Чтобы получить актуальную информацию о возможностях финансирования, мероприятиях и вебинарах по вопросам экологической справедливости, подпишитесь на рассылку Управления по вопросам продвижения экологической справедливости и защиты гражданских прав, отправив пустое электронное письмо по адресу: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov. Следите за нами в социальной сети X (бывший Twitter) @EPAEnvJustice.



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EPA(美國國家環境保護局)發布線上環境正義資源集合

華盛頓特區—今天(4 23 日),EPA 宣布成立 Environmental Justice Clearinghouse(環境正義資訊交換中心),這是首個集結所有環境正義相關資源的線上中心。根據拜登總統重振國家對全民環境正義承諾的行政命令,環境正義資訊交換中心將協助大眾在線上取得聯邦與非聯邦資源,以此作為拜登與賀錦麗政府遠大的環境正義計畫的舉措之一。

「推動拜登與賀錦麗政府的遠大環境正義計畫,需要大家一同決心締結更穩固的關係,以及解決方案導向的計畫。環境正義資訊交換中心提供開創性的資源指南,旨在幫助我們實現全機構共同的環境正義目標。」—The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights(環境正義與外部公民權利辦公室)首席副總德瑞莎·賽葛維亞 (Theresa Segovia) 表示。「建立容易存取的線上資訊庫,可確保所有環境正義相關人士和倡議者只需動動手指即可輕鬆取得全國資源。且在納入美國人民的建議後,這項資訊庫將變得更加強大。」

EPA 環境正義與外部公民權利辦公室會持續在資訊交換中心增添資訊,也歡迎大眾提供意見和任何資訊以供審查,以及可收錄其中的潛在資訊。

環境正義資訊交換中心所列的初步資源由各聯邦政府機構提交,包含資金補助機會、篩選與製圖工具還有技術協助。環境正義資訊交換中心提供可搜尋的分類,以簡化結果,讓大眾能更有效率也更輕鬆地存取環境正義相關資訊。 

「拜登總統要求聯邦政府上下打破資源和資訊藩籬,幫助社群追求環境正義。EPA 的環境正義資訊交換中心將成為實用的線上工具,整合多種資訊來源,讓所有對環境正義有興趣者,皆可在網站上找到資源。」White House Council on Environmental Quality(白宮環境品質委員會)聯邦環境正義官員雅隆·L·懷特-紐斯姆 (Jalonne L. White-Newsome) 博士說道

請造訪 EPA 網站,查看環境正義資訊交換中心或提交潛在資源

背景

2023 4 21 日,拜登總統簽署了重振國家對全民環境正義承諾的 14906 號行政命令,其中包括成立「環境正義資訊交換中心」,此為公開的線上全政府資訊交換中心,其中收錄的環境正義相關資料不僅兼具文化和語言適當性且容易取得,包括:

  • White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council(白宮環境正義跨部門委員會)成員的環境正義相關活動資訊。
  • 協助有環境正義疑慮的社群培養公眾參與能力的技術支援、工具和資源等資訊。
  • 白宮環境正義跨部門委員會或其成員制定的訓練素材,可協助個人與員工理解和落實環境正義活動。
  • EPA 局長與白宮環境正義跨部門委員會協調後認為適當的任何其他資訊。

詳細瞭解 EPA 在推動環境正義方面的措施

參閱白宮環境正義跨部門委員會以及拜登-賀錦麗政府的整體政府環境正義承諾。

如需環境正義資金補助機會、活動與網路研討會的最新資訊,請將自己加入環境正義與外部公民權利辦公室的郵寄名單,方法為寄送空白電子郵件至 join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov。在 X(前身為推特)上追蹤 @EPAEnvJustice



from EPA News Releases https://ift.tt/kZBK6LN

EPA Công Bố Thu Thập Trực Tuyến các Tài Nguyên Công Lý Môi Trường

WASHINGTON — Hôm nay, ngày 23 Tháng Tư, Cơ Quan Bảo Vệ Môi Trường Hoa Kỳ (EPA) đã công bố Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường, một sự thu gom tài nguyên trực tuyến đầu tiên thuộc loại này liên quan đến công lý môi trường. Được Chỉ Đạo bởi Tổng Thống Biden Sắc Lệnh Hành Pháp về việc Hồi Sinh Cam Kết của Quốc Gia Chúng Ta về Công Lý Môi Trường cho Tất Cả Mọi Người, Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường sẽ giúp công chúng tiếp cận trực tuyến các nguồn tài nguyên liên bang và phi liên bang như một phần trong chương trình nghị sự công lý môi trường đầy tham vọng của Chính Quyền Biden-Harris.

“Việc thực hiện chương trình nghị sự về công lý môi trường đầy tham vọng của Chính Quyền Biden-Harris đòi hỏi sự cống hiến chung để xây dựng các mối quan hệ bền chặt và các chương trình hướng tới giải pháp. Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường là một hướng dẫn tài nguyên mang tính biến đổi được xây dựng để giúp chúng tôi hoàn thành các mục tiêu công lý môi trường trên toàn cơ quan của mình,” Theresa Segovia, Phó Trợ Lý Giám Đốc Văn Phòng Công Lý Môi Trường và Quyền Dân Sự Đối Ngoại cho biết. “Việc có một thư viện thông tin trực tuyến, dễ dàng truy cập sẽ đảm bảo rằng các nguồn lực từ khắp đất nước luôn nằm trong tầm tay của tất cả các bên liên quan và người bênh vực công lý môi trường. Và nó sẽ chỉ trở nên mạnh mẽ hơn nhờ những gợi ý từ người dân Mỹ.”

Văn Phòng Công Lý Môi Trường và Quyền Dân Sự Bên Ngoài của EPA sẽ tiếp tục bổ sung thông tin cho cơ sở dữ liệu trên cơ sở luân phiên và hoan nghênh ý kiến ​​đóng góp cũng như mọi ý kiến ​​đệ trình từ công chúng để xem xét và có tiềm năng đưa vào.

Các nguồn lực sơ bộ được liệt kê trên Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường được đệ trình bởi các cơ quan từ khắp chính phủ liên bang, bao gồm các cơ hội tài trợ, công cụ sàng lọc, và lập bản đồ cũng như hỗ trợ kỹ thuật. Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường có các đặc trưng danh mục có thể tìm kiếm để đơn giản hóa kết quả cho công chúng nhằm đảm bảo quy trình truy cập thông tin liên quan đến công lý môi trường hiệu quả và dễ tiếp cận hơn. 

“Tổng Thống Biden đã giao nhiệm vụ cho toàn bộ chính phủ liên bang nhằm phá bỏ các rào cản đối với các nguồn lực và thông tin giúp cộng đồng theo đuổi công lý môi trường. Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường của EPA sẽ là một công cụ trực tuyến hữu ích tổng hợp nhiều nguồn thông tin để những người quan tâm đến công lý môi trường có thể tìm thấy các tài nguyên trên một trang web,” Tiến Sĩ Jalonne L. White-Newsome, Giám Đốc Tư Pháp Môi Trường Liên Bang Của Hội Đồng Nhà Trắng về Chất Lượng Môi Trường Cho Biết.

Truy cập trang web của EPA để xem Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường hoặc gửi nguồn tài nguyên tiềm năng.

Quá Trình

Vào ngày 21 Tháng Tư, 2023, Tổng Thống Biden đã ký Sắc Lệnh Hành Pháp 14906 Hồi Sinh Cam Kết Của Quốc Gia Chúng Ta về Công Lý Môi Trường cho Tất Cả Mọi Người, trong đó bao gồm việc thành lập Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu Công Lý Môi Trường để trở thành Cơ Sở Dữ Liệu công cộng, đặt nền tảng trên internet, của cơ sở dữ liệu toàn chính phủ, bao gồm các tài liệu phù hợp về mặt văn hóa và ngôn ngữ và có thể truy cập được liên quan đến công lý môi trường bao gồm:

  • Thông tin mô tả hoạt động của các thành viên Hội Đồng Liên Cơ Quan Công Lý Môi Trường của Nhà Trắng nhằm giải quyết các vấn đề liên quan đến công lý môi trường.
  • Thông tin về hỗ trợ kỹ thuật, công cụ và nguồn lực để hỗ trợ các cộng đồng có quan ngại về công lý môi trường trong việc xây dựng năng lực cho cộng đồng tham gia.
  • Bản sao tài liệu đào tạo do Hội Đồng Liên Cơ Quan Công Lý Môi Trường của Nhà Trắng hoặc các thành viên của Hội đồng này phát triển để giúp các cá nhân và nhân viên hiểu và thực hiện các hoạt động công lý môi trường.
  • Bất kỳ thông tin nào khác được Quản trị viên EPA cho là phù hợp, phối hợp với Hội Đồng Liên Cơ Quan Công Lý Môi Trường của Nhà Trắng.

Tìm hiểu thêm về công lý môi trường tại EPA.

Đọc về Hội Đồng Liên Cơ Quan Công Lý Môi Trường của Nhà Trắng và cam kết của toàn chính phủ của Chính Quyền Biden-Harris đối với công lý môi trường.

Để biết thông tin cập nhật về các cơ hội tài trợ, sự kiện và hội thảo trực tuyến về Công Lý Môi Trường, hãy đăng ký danh sách của Văn Phòng Công Lý Môi Trường và Quyền Dân Sự Bên Ngoài bằng cách gửi một email trống tới: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov. Theo dõi chúng tôi trên X (trước đây là Twitter) @EPAEnvJustice.



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Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Suite of Standards to Reduce Pollution from Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants

WASHINGTON – Today, April 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a suite of final rules to reduce pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants in order to protect all communities from pollution and improve public health without disrupting the delivery of reliable electricity. These rules, finalized under separate authorities including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, will significantly reduce climate, air, water, and land pollution from the power sector, delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protect public health, advance environmental justice, and confront the climate crisis.

By announcing these final rules at the same time, EPA is following through on the commitment that Administrator Michael S. Regan made to industry stakeholders at CERAWeek 2022 to provide regulatory certainty as the power sector makes long-term investments in the transition to a clean energy economy. The standards are designed to work with the power sector’s planning processes, providing compliance timelines that enable power companies to plan in advance to meet electricity demand while reducing dangerous pollution.

“Today, EPA is proud to make good on the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision to tackle climate change and to protect all communities from pollution in our air, water, and in our neighborhoods,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans.”

“This year, the United States is projected to build more new electric generation capacity than we have in two decades – and 96 percent of that will be clean,” said President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “President Biden’s leadership has not only sparked an unprecedented expansion in clean electricity generation, his leadership has also launched an American manufacturing renaissance. America is now a magnet for private investment, with hundreds of billions of dollars committed and 270,000 new clean energy jobs created. This is how we win the future, by harnessing new technologies to grow our economy, deliver environmental justice, and save the planet for future generations.”

The suite of final rules includes:

  • A final rule for existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired power plants that would ensure that all coal-fired plants that plan to run in the long-term and all new baseload gas-fired plants control 90 percent of their carbon pollution.  
  • A final rule strengthening and updating the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants, tightening the emissions standard for toxic metals by 67 percent and finalizing a 70 percent reduction in the emissions standard for mercury from existing lignite-fired sources. 
  • A final rule to reduce pollutants discharged through wastewater from coal-fired power plants by more than 660 million pounds per year, ensuring cleaner water for affected communities, including communities with environmental justice concerns that are disproportionately impacted.
  • A final rule that will require the safe management of coal ash that is placed in areas that were unregulated at the federal level until now, including at previously used disposal areas that may leak and contaminate groundwater.

Delivering Public Health Protections for Communities, Providing Regulatory Certainty for the Industry, and Ensuring the Power Sector Can Provide Reliable Electricity for Consumers

Finalizing these four rules delivers on the Administration’s commitment to providing health protections for all communities, including communities with environmental justice concerns, many of which are located near power plants. At the same time, EPA is providing a predictable regulatory outlook for power companies, including opportunities to reduce compliance complexity, and clear signals to create market and price stability. Administrator Regan outlined this approach in 2022 when he committed to transparency and open dialogue so that state and federal energy regulators, power companies, and grid operators have clear information on which to base decisions.

EPA conducted regulatory impact analyses for each rule, showing that this suite of standards will deliver hundreds of billions of dollars in net benefits. EPA also performed a sensitivity analysis exploring the combined effect on the power sector of the carbon pollution, air toxics, and water rules, as well as EPA’s recent rules for the transportation sector. The projections regarding changes in electricity supply and demand align with recent reports from the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory and peer-reviewed research in showing that the sector can meet growing demand for electricity and provide reliable, affordable electricity at the same time as it reduces pollution in accordance with these rules to protect health and the planet.

With the announcement today, the power sector can make planning decisions with a full array of information. In fact, the agency’s analysis indicates that issuing these rules at the same time is likely to create more efficiency for facilities that are now able to evaluate compliance steps together rather than only for each rule in isolation. Therefore, adding the cost of the rules modeled independently would likely reflect an overestimate of total costs.

“The new rules to clean up air pollution from power plants are good news for everyone, especially if there is a power plant near where you work, live or study. The American Lung Association applauds Administrator Regan and the entire team of professionals at the EPA for their resolute commitment to public health and environmental justice,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Burning fossil fuels in power plants harms people’s lungs, makes kids sick and accelerates the climate crisis. The stronger clean air and climate protections will save lives.”

“These rules call on utilities and states to be full partners in making this transition fair for energy workers and communities,” said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh. “It also complements the historic federal investments made by the Biden-Harris administration and the previous Congress, which provide a toolbox of critical investments targeted to the workers and communities experiencing the economic impacts of energy transition.”

Stronger Carbon Pollution Standards for New Gas and Existing Coal Power Plants

EPA’s final Clean Air Act standards for existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired power plants limit the amount of carbon pollution covered sources can emit, based on proven and cost-effective control technologies that can be applied directly to power plants. The regulatory impact analysis projects reductions of 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution overall through 2047, which is equivalent to preventing the annual emissions of 328 million gasoline cars, or to nearly an entire year of emissions from the entire U.S. electric power sector. It also projects up to $370 billion in climate and public health net benefits over the next two decades.

The rule addresses existing coal-fired power plants, which continue to be the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, and ensures that new natural gas combustion turbines, some of the largest new sources of greenhouse gases being built today, are designed using modern technologies to reduce climate pollution.

The climate and health benefits of this rule substantially outweigh the compliance costs. In 2035 alone, the regulatory impact analysis estimates substantial health co-benefits including:

  • Up to 1,200 avoided premature deaths
  • 870 avoided hospital and emergency room visits
  • 1,900 avoided cases of asthma onset
  • 360,000 avoided cases of asthma symptoms
  • 48,000 avoided school absence days
  • 57,000 lost workdays

The final emission standards and guidelines will achieve substantial reductions in carbon pollution at reasonable cost. The best system of emission reduction for the longest-running existing coal units and most heavily utilized new gas turbines is based on carbon capture and sequestration/storage (CCS) – an available and cost-reasonable emission control technology that can be applied directly to power plants and can reduce 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from the plants.

Lower costs and continued improvements in CCS technology, alongside tax incentives from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act that allow companies to largely offset the cost of CCS, represent recent developments in emissions controls that informed EPA’s determination of what is technically feasible and cost-reasonable. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also includes billions of dollars to advance and deploy CCS technology and infrastructure. EPA projects that the sector can comply with the standards with negligible impact on electricity prices, thanks to cost declines in CCS and other emissions-reducing technologies. EPA analysis also finds that power companies can comply with the standards while meeting grid reliability, even when considering increased load growth.

The final rule includes requirements to help ensure meaningful engagement with affected stakeholders, including communities with environmental justice concerns, overburdened by pollution and climate change impacts, as well as the energy communities and workers who have powered our nation for generations. The standard also requires states to provide transparent data on compliance pathways and timelines through the state planning process, ensuring that workers and communities have the best-available information to plan for changes in the sector. President Biden’s Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization has identified historic resources for energy communities to invest in infrastructure, deploy new technologies that can help clean up the electric power sector, support energy workers, and spur long-term economic revitalization. The final rule also follows guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that deployment of CCS technologies is done in a responsible manner that incorporates the input of communities and reflects the best available science.

In addition to finalizing these rules, EPA has opened a non-regulatory docket and issued framing questions to gather input about a comprehensive approach to reduce GHG emissions from the entire fleet of existing gas combustion turbines in the power sector. EPA is committed to expeditiously proposing GHG emission guidelines for these units, as part of a comprehensive approach to the regulation of climate, toxic and air pollution from combustion turbines. 

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants webpage.

Strengthening Mercury and Air Toxics Standards

EPA is strengthening and updating the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants, achieving important hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions reductions and ensuring that the standards reflect the latest advancement in pollution control technologies. This final rule under the Clean Air Act is the most significant update since MATS was first issued in February 2012, building on highly successful and cost-effective protections.

EPA projects the final rule will reduce emissions of mercury and non-mercury metal HAPs, such as nickel, arsenic, and lead. Controlling these emissions from power plants improves public health for all Americans by reducing the risk of fatal heart attacks, cancer, developmental delays in children, and also reduces adverse environmental impacts. The final rule will also result in substantial co-benefits, including reductions in emissions of fine particulate matter (“soot”), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide nationwide. These public health improvements are especially important for children and communities with environmental justice concerns and others who regularly consume fish that accumulate high levels of pollutants from power plants.  

The final rule reduces the mercury emissions limit by 70 percent for lignite-fired units and reduces the emissions limit that controls for toxic metals by 67 percent for all coal plants—while also requiring the use of continuous emission monitoring systems to provide real-time, accurate data to regulators, facility operators, and the public to ensure that plants are meeting these lower limits and that communities are protected year-round from pollution exposure.

EPA projects that the final MATS limits will result in the following emissions reductions in the year 2028: 

  • 1,000 pounds of mercury
  • At least 7 tons of non-mercury HAP metals
  • 770 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
  • 280 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx)
  • 65,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)

EPA’s final rule projects $300 million in health benefits and $130 million in climate benefits over the 10-year period from 2028-2037. Reductions in non-mercury HAP metal emissions are expected to reduce exposure to carcinogens such as nickel, arsenic, and hexavalent chromium, for residents living in the vicinity of these facilities.

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards webpage.

Stronger Limits on Water Pollution from Power Plants

EPA is strengthening wastewater discharge standards that apply to coal-fired power plants, finalizing a rule that follows the latest science and applies EPA’s longstanding authority under the Clean Water Act to reduce discharges of toxic metals and other pollutants from these power plants into lakes, streams, and other waterbodies. When implemented, this action will annually prevent more than 660 million pounds of pollution per year from being discharged to our nation’s waters—protecting freshwater resources that provide sources of drinking water for communities, support economic development, enhance outdoor recreation, and sustain vibrant ecosystems.

Power plants that burn coal to create electricity use large volumes of water. When this water is returned to lakes, streams, and other waterbodies it can carry pollutants, including mercury, arsenic, selenium, nickel, bromide, chloride, and iodide, and nutrient pollution. Exposure to these pollutants can harm people and ecosystems by contaminating drinking water sources, recreational waters, and aquatic life.

EPA’s final rule establishes technology-based discharge standards—known as Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs)—that will apply to four types of wastewater:

  • Flue gas desulfurization wastewater
  • Bottom ash transport water
  • Combustion residual leachate
  • “Legacy wastewater” that is stored in surface impoundments (for example, coal ash ponds)

The agency’s final rule includes implementation flexibilities for power plants. For example, the final rule creates a new compliance path for electricity generating units that permanently stop burning coal by 2034. These units will be able to continue meeting existing requirements instead of the requirements contained in this final regulation. In a separate action finalized last year, EPA updated but maintained an existing provision allowing units to comply with less stringent standards if they will permanently stop burning coal by 2028.

Following rigorous analysis, EPA has determined that this final rule will have minimal effects on electricity prices. EPA’s analysis shows that the final rule will provide billions of dollars in health and environmental benefits each year. These water quality, health, and environmental improvements will benefit environmental justice communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution from coal-fired power plants.

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Steam Electric Power Generating Effluent Guidelines webpage.

Latest Action to Protect Communities from Coal Ash Contamination

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, EPA is finalizing a rule to protect communities and hold polluters accountable for controlling and cleaning up the contamination created by the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR or coal ash), which can cause serious public health risks. The agency is finalizing regulations that require the safe management of coal ash at inactive surface impoundments at inactive power plants and historical coal ash disposal areas.

Coal ash is a byproduct of burning coal in power plants that, without proper management, can pollute waterways, groundwater, drinking water, and the air. Coal ash contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic which are associated with cancer and various other serious health effects. EPA’s final rule expands protections for the communities and ecosystems near active and inactive coal burning power plants, ensuring that groundwater contamination, surface water contamination, fugitive dust, floods and impoundment overflows, and threats to wildlife are all addressed.

Inactive coal ash surface impoundments at inactive facilities, referred to as “legacy CCR surface impoundments,” are more likely to be unlined and unmonitored, making them more prone to leaks and structural problems than units at facilities that are currently in service. To address these concerns, EPA established safeguards for legacy coal ash surface impoundments that largely mirror those for inactive impoundments at active facilities, including requiring the proper closure of the impoundments and remediating coal ash contamination in groundwater. EPA analysis shows the final rule will reduce existing disproportionate and adverse effects on communities with environmental justice concerns.

In addition, through implementation of the 2015 CCR rule, EPA found “historic” disposal units that are leaking and contaminating groundwater at currently regulated power plants, but which were exempt under the original 2015 regulations. These are areas where coal ash was placed directly on the land, such as coal ash in surface impoundments and landfills that closed prior to the effective date of the 2015 CCR Rule and inactive CCR landfills. This final rule extends a subset of EPA’s existing CCR requirements to these historic disposal units that will ensure any contamination from these areas is remediated, and will prevent further contamination. These requirements will apply to all active CCR facilities and inactive facilities with legacy CCR surface impoundments.

EPA does not expect this rule to affect the current operations of power plants, and therefore anticipates no impacts to electricity generation or grid reliability. This rule reflects the Administration’s commitment to reduce pollution from the power sector while providing long-term regulatory certainty and operational flexibility.

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Legacy Coal Combustion Residuals Surface Impoundments and CCR Management Units webpage.



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Wednesday, April 24, 2024

EPA, CalEPA Release Plan for Joint Enforcement Work to Protect California Communities Overburdened by Pollution

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) today released a two-year action plan to collaboratively address environmental justice issues across California by enforcing laws that protect public health and the environment.

In 2021, EPA and CalEPA signed a five-year, first-of-its-kind agreement to expand joint federal-state activities for reducing pollution burdens, increasing environmental compliance and improving public health outcomes in overburdened California communities. In late 2022, the agencies released a 2023 Action Plan, and today they are releasing a 2024/25 action plan under the initial agreement, which builds on feedback from community partners and helps guide the agencies’ shared civil and criminal enforcement approaches through 2025.

“We are proud to continue this groundbreaking partnership with CalEPA to help ensure cleaner air, water and land for underserved communities across California,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Enforcement of environmental laws has an enormous potential to address environmental justice issues, and working collaboratively with a committed state partner like CalEPA allows both agencies to focus our resources more narrowly on addressing community priorities.” 

“CalEPA has long committed to working closely with community partners to understand and best respond to enforcement and compliance challenges impacting their health and wellbeing. We are excited to continue our first-of-its-kind partnership with U.S. EPA and leverage our shared resources to improve air, water, and soil quality and hold corporate polluters accountable,” said CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia.

Focal areas under the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Action Plan include:

  • A renewed commitment to enhanced, sustained engagement with the five community forums in Los Angeles, Fresno County, Kern County, the Eastern Coachella Valley and the Bayview-Hunters Point community in San Francisco, which were piloted under the 2023 action plan.
  • Continued use of rapid response task forces.
  • Increased transparency and access to environmental compliance information for the public.
  • Strengthened connections, including enhanced opportunities for information sharing across communities and improved communication among program areas within agencies.

Through partnerships in each of these areas, EPA and CalEPA start with a community-first approach for strategic targeting and enforcement. The agencies convene monthly meetings to understand community concerns, follow up on all complaints, work across environmental areas (e.g., air, soil, water) and levels of government to seek solutions, and regularly communicate with the forum’s participants regarding their progress and any challenges. EPA and CalEPA may use civil and criminal enforcement tools at their disposal to determine the most appropriate actions to hold facilities accountable or, when needed, refer them to the most appropriate authority.

Local successes and commitments from this partnership include:

  • Response to fire at Radius Recycling in Oakland – In August 2023, a fire was reported at Radius Recycling (formerly known as Schnitzer Steel) in Oakland. After the fire was extinguished, the community had questions about persisting environmental threats from the incident. In response, EPA and CalEPA set up a rapid response task force to coordinate and expedite investigations, negotiate corrective actions, and demand accountability for environmental non-compliance. It also compiled and consolidated information and distributed it to regulators and to the public. The task force now serves as the prototype for the agencies’ new rapid response task force tool.
  • Illegal Dumping in Fresno County – Communities in Fresno, like many across the state, are burdened by illegal dumping. After learning from community members about a large and longstanding illegal dumpsite in Lanare, an unincorporated community in Fresno County, EPA and CalEPA engaged the relevant state and local agencies to remove and clean up the illegal dumpsite. These efforts wrapped up in February of 2023. Under the federal-state partnership, as part of ongoing action to enhance and sustain engagement with community forums, the agencies continue to partner with the Fresno IVAN (Investigating Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) to address illegal dumping elsewhere in the county.
  • Del Amo Action Committee Participation in Emergency Response DrillThe Del Amo Action Committee, a key community partner in Los Angeles, has long expressed concerns about JCI Jones, a chemical facility located immediately adjacent to residential neighborhoods in Torrance, California. Residents wanted to have a voice in emergency response planning, in the event of a chemical release. Acting on these requests, EPA and CalEPA worked with JCI Jones and local emergency responders to conduct an emergency response drill with community participation. As a result, the community is working on an emergency response plan for their community that they expect to release by early 2025.
  • Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles – As part of EPA’s national priority enforcement initiatives, the Agency has committed to identifying and taking action in focus areas with environmental justice concerns across the country. One of those areas is the Mid-Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles, a 35-square-mile area with nearly half a million residents. EPA will engage with environmental and community groups in the area to receive input on challenges and investigate specific facilities or areas of concern. EPA will partner with relevant California state and local partners as part of this effort.

Read the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Action Plan on EPA’s website.

Read about implementation of the previous Action Plan on CalEPA’s website.

Learn about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on FacebookInstagram, and X.



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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion in Grants to Invest in America’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Transition

DENVER (April 24, 2024) — Today, April 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the launch of the nearly $1 billion Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program to fund the replacement of certain polluting heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles. Funded through the Inflation Reduction Act under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, EPA will award competitive grants for projects that will reduce climate and air pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, support good-paying jobs and improve air quality for communities across the country, particularly those overburdened by air pollution.

“President Biden and his entire administration are working to ensure every community can breathe clean air. EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will slash climate and air pollution and enhance the country’s infrastructure by funding the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles and installation of supporting infrastructure,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The program’s historic investment in zero-emission vehicles will secure our nation’s position as a global leader in clean technologies that address the impacts of climate change.”

“In addition to all the progress we’re making to electrify light-duty vehicles, today's funding from the EPA will catalyze projects that bring electric school buses, garbage trucks, and delivery vans to neighborhoods across America—reducing pollution in our communities and creating good-paying manufacturing jobs,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.

The 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will support the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles while also funding zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure and workforce development and training. Across the nation, over 3 million Class 6 and Class 7 vehicles are currently in use, spanning a wide variety of vehicle types and vocations, including school buses, refuse haulers, and utility and delivery trucks.

The Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will help advance the President’s commitment to environmental justice and the Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments in climate, clean energy, and other areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution, including air pollution.  

In the United States, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and a leading source of health-harming pollution. Most of the vehicles eligible for replacement are powered by internal combustion engines that pre-date recent EPA emission standards. These vehicles emit harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter, and greenhouse gases. Pollution from these vehicles is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems. Children, older adults, those with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, and those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable and are at a higher risk for these health impacts.

The implementation of the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program is designed to help applicants across the country transition to zero-emission vehicles and reduce air pollution, which will result in improved health outcomes, less noise pollution, and the creation of good-paying clean energy jobs.

To meet the needs of diverse potential recipients and encourage participation in this grant opportunity, EPA is providing two separate sub-program competitions under this single Notice of Funding Opportunity:

  • The School Bus Sub-Program for applicants replacing school buses.
  • The Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program for applicants replacing non-school bus Class 6 and 7 vehicles – including box trucks, refuse haulers, dump trucks, street sweepers, delivery trucks, bucket trucks, and utility trucks.

EPA anticipates approximately 70% of available funding will be for projects under the School Bus Sub-Program and approximately 30% of available funding will be for projects under the Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program.

Eligible applicants for both competitions include States, municipalities (including school districts), Indian Tribes, territories, and nonprofit school transportation associations. EPA anticipates awarding at least 15 grants to eligible applicants from Tribes and territories. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act statute requires that at least $400 million of the program’s funding go to projects that will serve one or more communities dealing with significant pollution as defined by EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

This funding opportunity builds on the success of previous programs implemented by EPA, including the historic Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, which reduces harmful emissions from older diesel engines, and the Clean School Bus Program, which funds clean and electric school buses under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additionally, EPA recently announced the launch of the $3 billion Clean Ports Program to help tackle emissions from ports, including the movement of heavy-duty vehicles both in and out of communities surrounding U.S. ports.

The deadline to apply for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program is July 25, 2024. EPA expects to announce awards by the end of this year.

To learn more about the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, applicant eligibility, selection process, and informational webinar dates, please visit the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program webpage.

Questions may also be directed to cleanhdvehicles@epa.gov.

For further information and to stay up to date on matters related to our office, sign up for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles listserv.



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