Release Date: 12/14/2011Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Dec. 14, 2011) – Three WasteWise partners in New England were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding achievements as 2011 WasteWise award winners. Nationally, there were 29 winners, with awards in categories including business, government, and educational sectors.
WasteWise is a free, voluntary partnership program that helps businesses reduce their environmental impact and find cost savings through innovative waste reduction and recycling activities.  The 2011 New England awardees are:
Raytheon Company, Mass. – Raytheon Company is the 2011 WasteWise “Very Large Business Partner of the Year.” When Raytheon became a WasteWise partner in 2002, it only included a few sites in New England. Now, the company boasts WasteWise participation across the country, including 45 facilities in 42 locations. In 2010, Raytheon diverted more than 10,000 tons of materials through reuse, donation, and recycling—preventing more than 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent—and saved $2 million through its waste reduction programs. 
Cannon Grange #152 Inc., Conn. – Cannon Grange #152 Inc. is the recipient of the 2011 WasteWise “Nonprofit Organization Partner of the Year” Award. Cannon Grange, a small, nonprofit organization in the town of Wilton, Conn., achieved a 77-percent waste diversion rate in 2010, marking a 5-percent increase from 2009. During business meetings and other events, Cannon Grange ensures that as many materials as possible are recycled or diverted from the waste stream. In 2010, Cannon Grange stopped purchasing polystyrene cups, paper plates and bowls, and plastic cutlery, using china and silverware instead. This switch prevented over 1,500 pounds of waste. The organization also uses washable tablecloths instead of disposable ones.
Genzyme Corporation (Mass.) – Genzyme Corporation has continued to significantly improve its waste reduction efforts and is well deserving of the 2011 WasteWise “Gold Achievement Award for Construction and Demolition Materials Reduction.” As one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme’s objectives for each of its projects is to recycle at least 95 percent of its waste materials. During 2010, the company diverted more than 10,700 tons of waste from landfills, including more than 9,800 tons of construction and demolition materials. These waste reduction efforts resulted in greenhouse gas emission reductions of nearly 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Genzyme also saved nearly $153,000 by purchasing construction materials through its “Construction Waste Management Plan.”
More Information: 
- How to become a WasteWise partner ( http://www.epa.gov/wastewise)
- WasteWise Award Winners and their accomplishments: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/events/2011awardees.htm
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Release Date: 01/05/2012Contact Information: Latisha Petteway (News Media Only), petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355; En español: Lina Younes, younes.lina@epa.gov, 202-564-9924, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing its annual national analysis of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), providing all Americans with vital information about their communities. The TRI program publishes information on toxic chemical disposals and other releases into the air, land and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country. Total releases including disposals for the latest reporting year, 2010, are higher than the previous two years but lower than 2007 and prior year totals. Many of the releases from TRI facilities are regulated under various EPA programs and requirements designed to limit human and environmental harm.

“We will continue to put accessible, meaningful information in the hands of the American people. Widespread public access to environmental information is fundamental to the work EPA does every day,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “TRI is a cornerstone of EPA’s community-right-to-know programs and has played a significant role in protecting people’s health and the environment by providing communities with valuable information on toxic chemical releases.”

Citizens have a right to know what toxic chemicals are being released into their communities. Over the past 25 years, the TRI program has helped citizens, emergency planners, public health officials, and others protect human health and the environment by providing them with toxic chemical release and other waste management data they need to make decisions that affect the safety and welfare of their communities.

The 2010 TRI data show that 3.93 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment nationwide, a 16 percent increase from 2009. The increase is mainly due to changes in the metal mining sector, which typically involves large facilities handling large volumes of material. In this sector, even a small change in the chemical composition of the ore being mined — which EPA understands is one of the reasons for the increase in total reported releases — may lead to big changes in the amount of toxic chemicals reported nationally. Several other sectors also reported increases in toxic releases in 2010, including the chemical and primary metals industries.

Total air releases decreased 6 percent since 2009, continuing a trend seen over the past several years. Releases into surface water increased 9 percent and releases into land increased 28 percent since 2009, again due primarily to the metal mining sector.

EPA has improved this year’s TRI national analysis report by adding new information on facility efforts to reduce pollution and by considering whether economic factors could have affected the TRI data. With this report and EPA’s Web-based TRI tools, citizens can access information about the toxic chemical releases into the air, water, and land that occur locally. Finally, EPA’s first mobile application for accessing TRI data, myRTK, is now available in Spanish, as are expanded Spanish translations of national analysis documents and Web pages.

TRI data is submitted annually to EPA and states by multiple industry sectors including manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities. Facilities must report their toxic chemical releases to EPA under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by July 1st of each year. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires information on waste management activities related to TRI chemicals.

More on the 2010 TRI analysis and TRI Web-based tools: http://www.epa.gov/tri

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Release Date: 01/05/2012Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Jan. 5, 2012) – EPA’s most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2010. TRI reporting provides Americans with vital information about their communities by publishing information on toxic chemical disposals and releases into the air, land and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country. 
In Maine, the reporting data show that overall releases of pollutants to the environment have increased since the previous reporting year (2009). TRI information is a key part of EPA’s efforts to provide greater access to environmental information and get information to the public as quickly as possible. TRI was recently recognized by the Aspen Institute as one of the 10 major ways that EPA has strengthened America.

During 2010, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 20.6 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states, a reduction of about 287,337 pounds. In Maine, 84 facilities reported in 2010 approximately 9.6 million pounds (an increase of 1,140,513 pounds). Approximately 44 percent of releases in Maine were emitted to the air and 33 percent discharged to water during 2010. Across the U.S. in 2010, 3.93 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment, a 16 percent increase from 2009. 

Each year, EPA makes publicly available TRI data reported by industries throughout the United States regarding chemical releases to air, water and land by power plants, manufacturers and other facilities which employ ten or more workers and exceed thresholds for chemicals.  This year, EPA is offering additional information to make the TRI data more meaningful and accessible to all communities.  The TRI analysis now highlights toxic disposals and releases to large aquatic ecosystems, selected urban communities, and tribal lands. EPA has improved this year’s TRI national analysis report by adding new information on facility efforts to reduce pollution and by considering whether economic factors could have affected the TRI data. With this report and EPA’s Web-based TRI tools, citizens can access information about the toxic chemical releases into the air, water, and land that occur locally. Finally, EPA’s first mobile application for accessing TRI data, myRTK, is now available in Spanish, as are expanded Spanish translations of national analysis documents and Web pages.
“We will continue to put accessible, meaningful information in the hands of the American people. Widespread public access to environmental information is fundamental to the work EPA does every day,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “TRI is a cornerstone of EPA’s community-right-to-know programs and has played a significant role in protecting people’s health and the environment by providing communities with valuable information on toxic chemical releases.”

“TRI is an important tool for citizens and communities to have access to information about what chemicals may be in and near their local environment,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA’s New England office.
Reporting includes information on chemicals released at a company’s facility, as well as those transported to disposal facilities off site. TRI data do not reflect the relative toxicity of the chemicals emitted or potential exposure to people living in a community with reported releases.

Facilities must report their chemical disposals and releases by July 1 of each year.  This year, EPA made the 2010 preliminary TRI dataset available in July, the same month as the data were collected.  
Reporting under TRI does not indicate illegal discharges of pollutants to the environment. EPA works closely with states to provide regulatory oversight of facilities that generate pollution to the nation’s air, land and water. Effective review and permitting programs work to ensure that the public and the environment are not subjected to unhealthful levels of pollution, even as agencies work to further reduce emissions of chemicals to the environment.

Further, robust enforcement efforts by EPA and states ensure that facilities that violate their environmental permits are subject to penalties and corrective action. Yearly releases by individual facilities can vary due to factors such as power outages, production variability, lulls in the business cycle, etc., that do not reflect a facility’s pollution prevention program(s).

The top ten chemicals released to the environment on- and off-site during 2010 in Maine were:

1NITRATE COMPOUNDS2,489,989

2METHANOL2,454,010

3ZINC COMPOUNDS1,173,570

4MANGANESE COMPOUNDS1,041,629

5AMMONIA853,310

6HYDROCHLORIC ACID (1995 AND AFTER "ACID AEROSOLS" ONLY)429,881

7ACETALDEHYDE217,141

8CHROMIUM COMPOUNDS(EXCEPT CHROMITE ORE MINED IN THE TRANSVAAL REGION)139,421

9CRESOL (MIXED ISOMERS)86,686

10SULFURIC ACID (1994 AND AFTER "ACID AEROSOLS" ONLY)81,910

The ten facilities that reported the largest quantity of on- and off-site environmental releases in Maine under TRI for 2010 were:

1MCCAIN FOODS USA INC.319 RICHARDSON RD, EASTON MAINE 04740 (AROOSTOOK)  2,276,236

2VERSO PAPER HOLDINGS LLC.ANDROSCOGGIN MILL RILEY RD, JAY MAINE 04239 (FRANKLIN)  1,898,321

3SD WARREN CO.1329 WATERVILLE RD, SKOWHEGAN MAINE 04976 (SOMERSET)  1,688,346

4RUMFORD PAPER CO.35 HARTFORD ST, RUMFORD MAINE 04276 (OXFORD)  1,161,642

5WOODLAND PULP LLC.144 MAIN ST, BAILEYVILLE MAINE 04694 (WASHINGTON)  796,244

6RED SHIELD ACQUISITION LLC.24 PORTLAND ST, OLD TOWN MAINE 04468 (PENOBSCOT)  476,642

7S D WARREN CO.89 CUMBERLAND ST, WESTBROOK MAINE 04098 (CUMBERLAND)  271,940

8LINCOLN PAPER & TISSUE LLC.50 KATAHDIN AVE, LINCOLN MAINE 04457 (PENOBSCOT)  245,829

9KATAHDIN PAPER CO LLC.50 MAIN ST, EAST MILLINOCKET MAINE 04430 (PENOBSCOT)  213,800

10VERSO PAPER BUCKSPORT MILL.RIVER RD, BUCKSPORT MAINE 04416 (HANCOCK)  165,866

TRI was established in 1986 by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and later modified by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.  Together, these laws require facilities in certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal and other waste management activities related to these chemicals.  TRI data are submitted annually to EPA and states by multiple industry sectors including manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities. 
EPA continues to work closely with the regulated community to ensure that facilities understand and comply with their reporting requirements under TRI and other community right-to-know statutes. EPA will once again hold training workshops throughout the New England region during the Spring of 2012. Training sessions will be set up in each state. Further information will be available on our Web site.

More information:

- TRI in Maine Fact Sheet (epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm)

- Additional National information on TRI (epa.gov/tri/)

# # #
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Release Date: 01/05/2012Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Jan. 5, 2012) – EPA’s most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2010. TRI reporting provides Americans with vital information about their communities by publishing information on toxic chemical disposals and releases into the air, land and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country. 
In Maine, the reporting data show that overall releases of pollutants to the environment have increased since the previous reporting year (2009). TRI information is a key part of EPA’s efforts to provide greater access to environmental information and get information to the public as quickly as possible. TRI was recently recognized by the Aspen Institute as one of the 10 major ways that EPA has strengthened America.

During 2010, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 20.6 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states, a reduction of about 287,337 pounds. In Maine, 84 facilities reported in 2010 approximately 9.6 million pounds (an increase of 1,140,513 pounds). Approximately 44 percent of releases in Maine were emitted to the air and 33 percent discharged to water during 2010. Across the U.S. in 2010, 3.93 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment, a 16 percent increase from 2009. 

Each year, EPA makes publicly available TRI data reported by industries throughout the United States regarding chemical releases to air, water and land by power plants, manufacturers and other facilities which employ ten or more workers and exceed thresholds for chemicals.  This year, EPA is offering additional information to make the TRI data more meaningful and accessible to all communities.  The TRI analysis now highlights toxic disposals and releases to large aquatic ecosystems, selected urban communities, and tribal lands. EPA has improved this year’s TRI national analysis report by adding new information on facility efforts to reduce pollution and by considering whether economic factors could have affected the TRI data. With this report and EPA’s Web-based TRI tools, citizens can access information about the toxic chemical releases into the air, water, and land that occur locally. Finally, EPA’s first mobile application for accessing TRI data, myRTK, is now available in Spanish, as are expanded Spanish translations of national analysis documents and Web pages.
“We will continue to put accessible, meaningful information in the hands of the American people. Widespread public access to environmental information is fundamental to the work EPA does every day,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “TRI is a cornerstone of EPA’s community-right-to-know programs and has played a significant role in protecting people’s health and the environment by providing communities with valuable information on toxic chemical releases.”

“TRI is an important tool for citizens and communities to have access to information about what chemicals may be in and near their local environment,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA’s New England office.
Reporting includes information on chemicals released at a company’s facility, as well as those transported to disposal facilities off site. TRI data do not reflect the relative toxicity of the chemicals emitted or potential exposure to people living in a community with reported releases.

Facilities must report their chemical disposals and releases by July 1 of each year.  This year, EPA made the 2010 preliminary TRI dataset available in July, the same month as the data were collected.  
Reporting under TRI does not indicate illegal discharges of pollutants to the environment. EPA works closely with states to provide regulatory oversight of facilities that generate pollution to the nation’s air, land and water. Effective review and permitting programs work to ensure that the public and the environment are not subjected to unhealthful levels of pollution, even as agencies work to further reduce emissions of chemicals to the environment.

Further, robust enforcement efforts by EPA and states ensure that facilities that violate their environmental permits are subject to penalties and corrective action. Yearly releases by individual facilities can vary due to factors such as power outages, production variability, lulls in the business cycle, etc., that do not reflect a facility’s pollution prevention program(s).

The top ten chemicals released to the environment on- and off-site during 2010 in Maine were:

1NITRATE COMPOUNDS2,489,989

2METHANOL2,454,010

3ZINC COMPOUNDS1,173,570

4MANGANESE COMPOUNDS1,041,629

5AMMONIA853,310

6HYDROCHLORIC ACID (1995 AND AFTER "ACID AEROSOLS" ONLY)429,881

7ACETALDEHYDE217,141

8CHROMIUM COMPOUNDS(EXCEPT CHROMITE ORE MINED IN THE TRANSVAAL REGION)139,421

9CRESOL (MIXED ISOMERS)86,686

10SULFURIC ACID (1994 AND AFTER "ACID AEROSOLS" ONLY)81,910

The ten facilities that reported the largest quantity of on- and off-site environmental releases in Maine under TRI for 2010 were:

1MCCAIN FOODS USA INC.319 RICHARDSON RD, EASTON MAINE 04740 (AROOSTOOK)  2,276,236

2VERSO PAPER HOLDINGS LLC.ANDROSCOGGIN MILL RILEY RD, JAY MAINE 04239 (FRANKLIN)  1,898,321

3SD WARREN CO.1329 WATERVILLE RD, SKOWHEGAN MAINE 04976 (SOMERSET)  1,688,346

4RUMFORD PAPER CO.35 HARTFORD ST, RUMFORD MAINE 04276 (OXFORD)  1,161,642

5WOODLAND PULP LLC.144 MAIN ST, BAILEYVILLE MAINE 04694 (WASHINGTON)  796,244

6RED SHIELD ACQUISITION LLC.24 PORTLAND ST, OLD TOWN MAINE 04468 (PENOBSCOT)  476,642

7S D WARREN CO.89 CUMBERLAND ST, WESTBROOK MAINE 04098 (CUMBERLAND)  271,940

8LINCOLN PAPER & TISSUE LLC.50 KATAHDIN AVE, LINCOLN MAINE 04457 (PENOBSCOT)  245,829

9KATAHDIN PAPER CO LLC.50 MAIN ST, EAST MILLINOCKET MAINE 04430 (PENOBSCOT)  213,800

10VERSO PAPER BUCKSPORT MILL.RIVER RD, BUCKSPORT MAINE 04416 (HANCOCK)  165,866

TRI was established in 1986 by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and later modified by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.  Together, these laws require facilities in certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal and other waste management activities related to these chemicals.  TRI data are submitted annually to EPA and states by multiple industry sectors including manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities. 
EPA continues to work closely with the regulated community to ensure that facilities understand and comply with their reporting requirements under TRI and other community right-to-know statutes. EPA will once again hold training workshops throughout the New England region during the Spring of 2012. Training sessions will be set up in each state. Further information will be available on our Web site.

More information:

- TRI in Maine Fact Sheet (epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm)

- Additional National information on TRI (epa.gov/tri/)

# # #
Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
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Release Date: 11/15/2011Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 15, 2011) – A construction crew is expected to begin work this week on removing old security fencing from the Carter Carburetor Site in St. Louis, Mo., so that it can be replaced with a more secure fence designed to keep children, vagrants and vandals off the 10-acre polluted industrial property.

ACF Industries, Inc., (ACF), whose subsidiaries Carter Carburetor Corporation and Carter Automotive Products manufactured carburetors for gasoline- and diesel-powered engines at the site from the 1930s until 1984, has agreed to pay all costs associated with upgrading the fence. Imperial Fence, of St. Louis, will perform the work, which is expected to cost approximately $75,000.

EPA Region 7 is currently negotiating an administrative settlement agreement with ACF to address comprehensive removal or remedial cleanup actions at the site. Separate from that agreement, and in response to complaints from neighborhood residents that the unsecured property was a public nuisance, ACF agreed to replace the site’s aging security fence.

Weather permitting, a crew from Imperial Fence will begin work on Wednesday, November 16, to core-drill or jackhammer existing fence corner posts, remove old sections of fencing and other debris, and prepare the site for installation of new fencing. On Monday, November 21, also weather permitting, the company expects to begin installation of a new galvanized steel chain link fence, which will be at least seven feet high, topped with at least three strands of barbed wire.

When completed, the new fence will run around virtually the entire Carter Carburetor Site, with the exception of a small paved surface parking lot on the northeast corner of the property, at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Dodier Street. The parking lot is used by patrons and visitors of the nearby Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club at 2901 North Grand Avenue.

“EPA promised the community late this summer to get a fence built around that property before the World Series ended,” Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said. “Negotiations and city approvals took a little longer than I thought, but folks who live in that neighborhood can now be assured they and their kids will be safer.”

The primary contaminants of concern remaining at the site are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trichloroethylene (TCE) and asbestos. EPA’s selected removal action for the site involves thermally-enhanced extraction of PCBs and TCE in subsurface soils, the removal of PCBs in two buildings, the removal of asbestos from various structures, and total or partial demolition of various buildings.
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Release Date: 12/16/2011Contact Information: John Martin (212) 637- 3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(San Juan, P.R.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a legal settlement with the developers of the Vanderbilt and La Concha Hotels of San Juan for discharging pollutants into the San Juan stormwater sewer system, which is connected to the Condado Lagoon. The settlement requires the payment of a $472,240 civil penalty and the expansion of an existing artificial habitat for fish in the Condado Lagoon. Under the agreement’s terms, the hotel’s developer, International Hospitality Associates S. en C. por A. (IHA-SE) and its managing partner, International Hospitality Associates, Inc. (IHA-INC), will construct 30 units of reef modules at an estimated cost of $32,000.

“Pollutants, whether carried by uncontrolled stormwater runoff or discharged into waterways, can seriously damage ecosystems," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "I encourage all developers in Puerto Rico to take the necessary precautions to protect rivers, streams and other water bodies from contamination.”

Under the federal Clean Water Act, pollutants may not be discharged into navigable waters of the United States without the proper permit. Developers of sites one acre or larger are required to implement stormwater pollution prevention plans to keep soil and contaminants from running off into nearby waterways. The rate at which water carries soil and contaminants off of construction sites is typically 10 to 20 times greater than that from agricultural lands, and 1,000 to 2,000 times greater than those of forested lands.

EPA inspected the Vanderbilt Hotel and the La Concha Hotels in April and August 2006, and discovered that they had discharged stormwater into the San Juan stormwater sewer system from the construction sites without first applying for the required permit. EPA also found that the developers had discharged water used in the construction into the stormwater sewer system without the proper permit. These discharges led to increased turbidity (water cloudiness) and bacteria in the adjacent Condado Lagoon.

The Condado Lagoon Taino Coral Trail and Reef Enhancement Project is a habitat restoration project consisting of 44 artificial reef modules that was constructed following the Morris J. Berman oil spill of 1994. Since the first phase of the Reef Enhancement Project, the number of fish and other species within the lagoon has increased. The additional 30 reef modules IHA-SE and IHA-INC will construct will further enhance the wildlife and fisheries value of the Condado Lagoon.

The artificial reef construction funded by IHA-SE and IHA-INC is considered by EPA to be a supplemental environmental project, which is an environmentally-beneficial project that a violator voluntarily agrees to undertake in partial settlement of violations, and it must be a project that a violator would not otherwise be required to perform.

For more information about requirements of the Clean Water Act and how EPA protects the nation’s water, visit http://www.water.epa.gov/

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

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Release Date: 12/14/2011Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Dec. 14, 2011) – Three WasteWise partners in New England were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding achievements as 2011 WasteWise award winners. Nationally, there were 29 winners, with awards in categories including business, government, and educational sectors.
WasteWise is a free, voluntary partnership program that helps businesses reduce their environmental impact and find cost savings through innovative waste reduction and recycling activities.  The 2011 New England awardees are:
Raytheon Company, Mass. – Raytheon Company is the 2011 WasteWise “Very Large Business Partner of the Year.” When Raytheon became a WasteWise partner in 2002, it only included a few sites in New England. Now, the company boasts WasteWise participation across the country, including 45 facilities in 42 locations. In 2010, Raytheon diverted more than 10,000 tons of materials through reuse, donation, and recycling—preventing more than 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent—and saved $2 million through its waste reduction programs. 
Cannon Grange #152 Inc., Conn. – Cannon Grange #152 Inc. is the recipient of the 2011 WasteWise “Nonprofit Organization Partner of the Year” Award. Cannon Grange, a small, nonprofit organization in the town of Wilton, Conn., achieved a 77-percent waste diversion rate in 2010, marking a 5-percent increase from 2009. During business meetings and other events, Cannon Grange ensures that as many materials as possible are recycled or diverted from the waste stream. In 2010, Cannon Grange stopped purchasing polystyrene cups, paper plates and bowls, and plastic cutlery, using china and silverware instead. This switch prevented over 1,500 pounds of waste. The organization also uses washable tablecloths instead of disposable ones.
Genzyme Corporation (Mass.) – Genzyme Corporation has continued to significantly improve its waste reduction efforts and is well deserving of the 2011 WasteWise “Gold Achievement Award for Construction and Demolition Materials Reduction.” As one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme’s objectives for each of its projects is to recycle at least 95 percent of its waste materials. During 2010, the company diverted more than 10,700 tons of waste from landfills, including more than 9,800 tons of construction and demolition materials. These waste reduction efforts resulted in greenhouse gas emission reductions of nearly 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Genzyme also saved nearly $153,000 by purchasing construction materials through its “Construction Waste Management Plan.”
More Information: 
- How to become a WasteWise partner ( http://www.epa.gov/wastewise)
- WasteWise Award Winners and their accomplishments: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/events/2011awardees.htm
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Release Date: 11/15/2011Contact Information: Stacy Kika, Kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – Edward Wyman, 64, from Reseda, Calif. has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally storing toxic and explosive hazardous wastes in his backyard, materials that posed an imminent danger to nearby residents. The sentence is the longest handed down by a California federal judge in a hazardous waste case.

“Illegally storing toxic and explosive hazardous wastes is a crime and in this case a very dangerous one," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s sentence shows that there are consequences to breaking the law and putting the public at risk."

"Today’s sentence demonstrates the serious nature of federal environmental crimes," according to United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. "Federal environmental regulations exist to protect both public safety and the environment. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the environment and to prosecuting persons who threaten the community through their illegal actions."

Wyman was convicted of the felony environmental crime on April 5, 2011, by a federal jury following a five-day trial. In addition to convicting Wyman of violating the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the jury made a special finding that the defendant’s conduct knowingly placed another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.

Wyman was also ordered to pay $800,000 to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9 Emergency Response Office for costs associated with a 47-day clean-up. During the clean-up, EPA contractors were forced to call out the Los Angeles Police Department Bomb and Arson Squad seven times to deal with possible explosives mixed into the burned debris.

Wyman was charged in June 2009, after firefighters responded to a report of a fire and explosions at Wyman’s residence. Because of the ammunition that was being “cooked off” in the fire, firefighters had to wear bullet proof vests. Investigators at the scene discovered a large cache of toxic materials, including thousands of rounds of corroded ammunition, highly reactive lead-contaminated waste from shooting ranges, hundreds of pounds of decades-old gunpowder and military M6 cannon powder, and industrial solvents that contained 1,1,1-trichloroethane and tetrachloroethylene, two potent chemicals that are listed as hazardous substances under federal law. Wyman did not have a permit to store any of the materials.

The case was investigated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

More information on EPA’s criminal enforcement program: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/criminal/index.html
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Release Date: 11/18/2011Contact Information: Dave Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – November 18, 2011) – The City of Danbury, Conn. will pay a $30,000 fine and perform a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) at a cost of approximately $48,000 to resolve federal Clean Water Act (CWA) violations related to the operation of its wastewater collection and conveyance system.

The case stems from an inspection of the City’s Collection System in the spring of 2009. The inspection revealed many instances of releases of untreated sewage. As a result of these releases (aka “bypasses”), sewage backed up into the basements of private homes and businesses, and poured through manhole openings into streets.

Such bypasses of the Collection System are prohibited by the permit issued to the City by the Conn. Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. In some instances, the City violated requirements that these bypasses be verbally reported to CTDEEP within two hours, and written reports provided within five days.
EPA alleged in its complaint that the City of Danbury failed at least 27 times to notify CTDEEP of such bypasses. In addition, untreated sewage entered storm water drainage systems, and flowed into nearby streams at least 15 times in Danbury, according to EPA’s complaint.

EPA also alleged that the City lacked a structured record-keeping and reporting program, which compromised the accuracy and reliability of its compliance with permit requirements, particularly those related to reporting bypasses to CT DEEP. EPA issued a compliance order to the City in Sept. 2009, requiring correction of these deficiencies and implementation of measures to prevent future bypasses.
Releases of untreated sewage from any municipal system represent a risk to nearby bodies of water. Sewage backups into homes and other structures can also damage property and threaten the public health.

EPA also alleged in its complaint that the City of Danbury failed to fully implement a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure plan at its Department of Public Works complex. These plans lay out specific measures for preventing and responding to spills at facilities that store oil above threshold amounts and help ensure that a tank failure or oil spill does not lead to oil reaching bodies of water. EPA penalized Danbury in 2007 for similar violations at the same facility.

In addition to paying a $30,000 penalty, the City will perform a Supplemental Environmental Project.  The SEP will consist of habitat restoration work along Lake Kenosia, in Danbury.  The City will spend $48,000 to remove invasive species and plant native species to help slow down “eutrophication,” which occurs when runoff from human development, such as fertilizer, increases the rate of aging of a lake by causing excessive plant growth in the lake, causing it to fill in more quickly than under natural conditions.  The SEP will also result in the enhancement of habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife.

More Information:

EPA’s Clean Water Enforcement in New England (epa.gov/region1/enforcement/water)
 
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View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.