Latinos In America

Release Date: 03/28/2013Contact Information: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $82,000 to encourage careers in environmental protection among Bronx high school students. The funding will be used to educate New York City high school students about water quality and wastewater treatment and prepare them for environmental careers.

“The EPA encourages young people to learn more about their local environment and get involved in projects to protect it,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "This grant will give participating students the tools to work in the environmental field.”

The New York City "Youth in the Environment" initiative will place high school students in a mentored summer work program with New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection. The students will work in the DEP’s wastewater division, where they will be trained in health and safety, and will learn about educational and career opportunities in environmental fields. This program will provide the students with the workforce skills needed in the fields of water and wastewater treatment, while reinforcing interests in math, science, technology and teamwork.

This grant will also provide opportunities for up to six New York City college students to serve as youth mentors for the program’s high school students.

For more information on water pollution control program grants, visit: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/cwf/pollutioncontrol.cfm

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2

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Release Date: 05/08/2013Contact Information: U.S. EPA: Richard Mylott, 303-312-6654; Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes: Rich Janssen, 406-883-2888

(Denver. Colorado—May 8, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation as the recipient of $400,000 in Brownfields assessment grants. Today’s announcement is part of $62 million in EPA Brownfields funds awarded to 240 grant recipients across the nation to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties.

"EPA Brownfields grants open doors by helping communities transform blighted properties into public and economic assets," said EPA acting regional administrator, Howard Cantor. "These investments will address contamination and create new opportunities for people to live, play, and do business.”

The community-wide hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct a dozen or more environmental site assessments at properties that have been identified as priorities by the Tribes. These sites include former gas stations, dumps and junk yards, and mill sites where soil and groundwater contamination are obstacles to redevelopment.

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. Under EPA’s Brownfields program, more than 20,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 850 properties have been cleaned up. EPA’s Brownfields investments have also leveraged more than $19 billion in overall cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. These investments resulted in approximately 87,000 jobs nationwide. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent.

More information on Brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More Brownfields information:
Program http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Success Stories http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

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Release Date: 05/01/2013Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – May 1, 2013) – With the onset of warmer weather, EPA urges New Englanders to be aware of the increased risk of ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution (when combined, often referred to as smog), and take health precautions when smog levels are high.
Air quality forecasts are issued daily by the New England state air agencies. In cooperation with the New England states, EPA has set up an “Air Quality Alerts” system, provided free through the EnviroFlash program, where people can sign up to receive e-mails or text messages when high concentrations of ground-level ozone or fine particles are predicted in their area. Daily air quality forecasts are available each day at EPA’s air quality web site for New England. People can also stay informed about air quality in New England states by following EPA New England on Twitter.
“Air pollution is a significant public health concern in New England," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England Office. “New Englanders should pay close attention to air quality alerts and limit strenuous outdoor activity on air quality alert days. Also, when air quality is poor, we can all take simple actions to help reduce the amount of pollution being released into the air.”
Warm summer temperatures aid in the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution. In 2008, EPA strengthened the ozone air quality health standard to 0.075 parts per million (ppm) on an 8-hour average basis. Air quality alerts are issued when ozone concentrations exceed, or are predicted to exceed, this level.
Poor air quality affects everyone, but some people are particularly sensitive to air pollutants, including children and adults who are active outdoors, and people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma. When air quality is predicted to be unhealthy, EPA and the states will announce an air quality alert for the affected areas. EPA recommends that people in these areas limit strenuous outdoor activity and EPA asks that on these days, citizens and businesses take actions that will help reduce air pollution and protect the public health. Everyone can help reduce air pollution by taking the following steps:
- use public transportation or walk whenever possible;
- combine errands and car-pool to reduce driving time and mileage;
- use less electricity by turning air conditioning to a higher temperature setting, and turning off lights, TVs, radios and computers when they are not being used; and
- avoid using small gasoline-powered engines, such as lawn mowers, chain saws, power-washers, generators, string trimmers, compressors and leaf blowers on unhealthy air days.
Cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses are a primary source of the pollutants that make smog. Fossil fuel burning at electric generating stations, particularly on hot days, also generate smog-forming pollution. Other industries, as well as smaller sources, such as gasoline stations and print shops, also contribute to smog. In addition, household products like paints and cleaners, as well as gasoline-powered yard and garden equipment, also contribute to smog formation.
The Clean Air Act has led to significant improvements in ozone air quality over the past 30 years and EPA continues to take steps to further reduce air pollution. For example, since 2004, new cars, sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and mini-vans are meeting stringent new emission standards. The requirements have resulted in new vehicles that are 77 to 95 percent cleaner than older models. Also, EPA’s standards for new (starting with model year 2007) diesel trucks and buses are estimated to reduce NOx and fine particle emissions by up to 95 percent.
In addition, EPA has recently proposed even tighter standards for future new cars and trucks. The automobile rule, known as Tier 3, will help lower automobile pollution by a significant margin. Starting in 2017, Tier 3 would set new vehicle emissions standards and lower the sulfur content of gasoline. Compared to current automobile standards, the proposed tailpipe standards for cars represent approximately an additional 80% reduction from today’s fleet average for ozone causing pollution.
Free Air Quality Resources:
EPA’s air quality web site for New England (http://www.epa.gov/ne/aqi)
Air Quality Awareness Week (http://www.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/index.html)
Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/EPAnewengland)
# # #

Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland)
More info on EPA’s Environmental Results in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/results/index.html)

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Release Date: 04/19/2013Contact Information: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400 (main), marraccini.davina@epa.gov

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across the country celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were smothered in smog and polluted American rivers caught fire.

What started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a global campaign to protect our environment. Earth Day is now celebrated in more than 192 countries across the world.

Environmental problems in our country and abroad have changed since the first Earth Day. Today, we face severe energy challenges that pose a great threat to our global environment, international security and the worldwide economy.

Some of President Obama’s top priorities are to end our addiction to foreign oil, double renewable energy generation by 2020, double energy productivity by 2030, and confront global climate change.

EPA is taking a number of sensible steps to address climate change through standards that reduce carbon pollution from the largest sources. These standards will prevent harmful pollution from our power plants, and cars and trucks, while saving consumers money at the pump and building a strong, clean-energy economy.

Internally EPA is also doing its part to reduce energy, water and fuel use, along with associated emissions, at its facilities—including the regional office in Atlanta and satellite locations throughout the Southeast. Our agency-wide goals are to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015 and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

In February, EPA released its Draft Climate Change Adaptation Plan, which examines the ways our programs are vulnerable to a changing climate and how the agency can adapt to continue meeting its mission of protecting human health and the environment.

Earth Day is a great time to reflect on individual actions to help protect the environment. Driving a car, using electricity to light and heat your home, and throwing away garbage all lead to greenhouse gas emissions.

You may wonder what you can do to address the energy challenges we face and slow the pace of climate change. You can reduce emissions through simple actions like changing a light bulb, powering down electronics, using less water, and recycling.

Use EPA’s personal greenhouse gas emissions calculator on EPA’s climate change website, www.epa.gov/climatechange, to estimate your household’s annual emissions and find ways you can cut emissions. There is even a calculator for kids at www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids.

Detailed information and resources are also available for state and local governments interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions at: www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate

We all contribute to climate change, and we must all be part of the solution.

For more information about the Earth Day activities in the Southeast, go to: www.epa.gov/region4/earthday

–By Gwen Keyes Fleming, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator for the Southeast

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Release Date: 03/18/2013Contact Information: Enesta Jones (News Media Only)
Jones.enesta@epa.gov
202-564-7873
202-564-4355

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today launched the TRI University Challenge, a new initiative designed to use academic partnerships to find innovative uses for Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data. TRI gives all Americans access to information about toxic chemicals in the environment as a tool to better protect health and the environment.
“For more than 20 years, individuals, organizations and communities have relied on TRI as a powerful tool for environmental protection,” said Malcolm D. Jackson, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Environmental Information and Chief Information Officer. “Now, EPA is encouraging students and professors to submit ideas for new projects that will increase the knowledge, use, and understanding of TRI data.
EPA will accept TRI University Challenge applications between March 18 and May 13, 2013 for projects that will begin this fall. Two informational webinars about the challenge are planned for April.
Institutions whose project proposals are selected will become TRI University Challenge partners. Partners gain practical experience collaborating with EPA to understand and solve local environmental challenges and may receive national recognition for their efforts. While no monetary assistance is available as part of this challenge, partners will receive direct support and guidance from EPA TRI experts.
Priority will be given to projects related to one or more of the following four topics: pollution prevention and sustainability, stakeholder engagement, technology and data mashups, and environmental education.

TRI helps industry, government, non-governmental organizations and the public make environmentally responsible decisions .by providing them with information about toxic chemical releases into the air, water and land.,

More information on the Challenge, webinars and sample project ideas: www.epa.gov/tri/university

More information about the Challenge: http://challenge.gov/

More information about TRI: www.epa.gov/tri

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Release Date: 04/22/2013Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8327 (Main), harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present the 2013 Energy Star Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence award to Toyota Manufacturing in Blue Springs, Miss. The award ceremony will coincide with Toyota’s Earth Day celebration and the official “turn on” of its new 50kW solar array, one of the largest in the state of Mississippi.

WHO:
Beverly Banister, EPA Regional Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Director
Trudy Fisher, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Masa Hamaguchi, President, Toyota Mississippi

WHAT:
2013 Energy Star Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence award

WHEN:
Monday, Apr. 22, 2013, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:
1300 Magnolia Way
Blue Springs, Miss.

Toyota will be recognized for its promotion of energy management among manufacturing industries and for continued support of the ENERGY STAR program.

For more than two decades, American consumers and businesses have continued to save energy and protect the environment through the Energy Star program. In 2012 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $24 billion on their energy bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 41 million vehicles. To date, more than 1.3 million new homes and nearly 20,000 office buildings, schools, and hospitals have earned the Energy Star. Since 2000, more than four billion Energy Star certified products have been sold.

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @USEPASoutheast

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Release Date: 02/25/2013Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Feb. 25, 2013) – New Hampshire Plate Glass Corp., based in Portsmouth, N.H., faces a penalty of up to $90,750 for allegedly violating requirements designed to protect children from exposure to lead-based paint during painting and other renovation activities.
The alleged violations occurred during a window renovation project performed by the company at the former Frisbee School in Kittery, Maine. The Kittery site was, at the time of the renovation, a child-occupied facility subject to EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule.
The violations were brought to EPA’s attention via an anonymous tip, after which EPA and Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection performed an inspection of the site in February 2012. Based on the inspection, EPA determined that the company had not complied with the required work practice requirements of the RRP Rule, including failure to assign a certified renovator to the work site; failure to cover ground with plastic sheeting; and failure to contain waste from the renovation activity.
EPA’s RRP Rule is designed to prevent exposure to lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards. The rule requires individuals performing renovations for compensation at most pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities to be properly trained. There are certification and training requirements for individual renovators and firms performing renovations to ensure that safe work practices are followed during renovations. The rule became effective on April 22, 2010 and allows for the assessment of penalties that may reach up to a maximum of $37,500 per violation per day.
Infants and young children are especially vulnerable to lead paint exposure, which can cause developmental impairment, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. Adults with high lead levels can suffer difficulties during pregnancy, high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory problems and muscle and joint pain.
More information:
- Lead paint RRP Rule (http://www.epa.gov/lead/rrp/index.html)
- Why lead is a health hazard (http://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead.html)
# # #
Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland)
More info on EPA’s Environmental Results in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/results/index.html)

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View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.