Sunday, March 31, 2024
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Friday, March 29, 2024
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
EPA Announces a $4,000,000 Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant to the City of Austin
USEPA News Release:
EPA Announces a $4,000,000 Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant to the City of Austin
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 27, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing that the City of Austin will receive a Solid Waste Infrastructure Grant (SWIFR) of $4,000,000 to construct and maintain a new reuse warehouse. The warehouse will be an onsite space for redistributing used furniture and building materials and hosting programming. As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, this grant will improve recycling systems in Austin.
“Through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, EPA has given more than $100 million to cities like Austin to ensure underserved areas can increase their capacity for solid waste recycling and reuse,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Today’s grant will help our partners in Austin extend the life of furniture and building materials, prevent more landfill waste, and help families in need.”
“EPA is proud to support the City of Austin in its efforts to provide its citizens with valuable goods that might otherwise end up in a landfill,” said Cliff Villa, Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. “By redistributing used furniture and building supplies, Austin’s new reuse warehouse will help reduce waste, assist those transitioning out of homelessness, create a circular economy, and build a more resilient community.”
“Reduce, reuse, recycle: Austin is moving closer toward achieving our long-term goal of zero waste. By preventing usable yet bulky furniture from overwhelming our landfills, we can help our most vulnerable neighbors get back on their feet and create a welcoming home for themselves and their families. The Infrastructure Law I supported is delivering for Central Texas, and I look forward to continue working to obtain additional federal resources for our community,” said Congressman Doggett (TX-37).
“Right now, far too many materials are wasted when they could be recycled and reused by people in need. Improved recycling not only lets these items have a second life — but they’ll be a lifeline to struggling Austinites,” said Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35). “I’m grateful for the Biden Administration supporting this creative way of reducing waste while helping people get back on their feet.”
“Through this grant, Austin will be able to get good used furniture out of our landfills and into the homes of folks transitioning out of homelessness. It’s an innovative and sustainable approach to reducing waste in our city and helping those most vulnerable create a stable home. Thank you to our congressional delegation for your work,” said Mayor Watson.
“We are excited that the EPA has selected our initiative for their grant program,” says Richard McHale, Director of Austin Resource Recovery. “The reuse warehouse will connect valuable items, like furniture, to Austinites who can use them. It will also keep these items out of the landfill as we continue to work toward zero waste.”
The City of Austin has a surplus of valuable goods that are going to the landfill due to space constraints and limited reuse. Austin Resource Recovery, a department of the City of Austin, intends to use the EPA grant funding to permanently fill the resource gap by opening a new reuse warehouse. The new warehouse will accept and redistribute used furniture at no cost to nonprofits and their clients, with a focus on furnishing the homes of those transitioning out of homelessness. The warehouse will eventually expand to also accept building materials. The overall goal of this project will be to reduce the amount of furniture and building materials sent to landfills annually.
This grant reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to tackling environmental justice and the climate crisis. Many communities with environmental justice concerns carry a disproportionate environmental and human health burden from waste management. Last year, EPA announced over $105 million for the selectees of the historic SWIFR grants for states and communities. These improvements support a circular economy and help lower greenhouse gas emissions, while rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, powered by well-paying jobs that don’t require four-year degrees.
Visit EPA’s website to learn more ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Gulf of Mexico Alliance receives EPA funding for water quality improvement in Louisiana
USEPA News Release:
Gulf of Mexico Alliance receives EPA funding for water quality improvement in Louisiana
$1.4 million in funding will help area farmers reduce runoff
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 27, 2024) – The Gulf of Mexico Alliance recently received a grant for more than $1.4 million from the Gulf of Mexico Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will be used to improve water quality in northeast Louisiana.
As part of the project, farmers will learn how to adopt innovative farming practices, that can decrease nutrient runoff while also enhancing the farmers’ cash crop. When excessive runoff from farms enters into local waterways, it can negatively impact wildlife, human usage (such as fishing and swimming) and water quality down to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Using rice as a cover crop also has the added benefit of creating habitat for waterfowl.
This project will take place in the Bayou Lafouche watershed, along Upper Bayou Galion, and Bayou Coulee and will continue through 2026.
In addition to local farmers, the Alliance is working with state agency partners to implement the project, including the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry/Office of Soil and Water Conservation, and Morehouse Soil and Water conservation District.
The project will also include educational components as well as research into how to prevent runoff from contributing to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.
“This funding will bring critical health protections and economic opportunities to the communities in the Gulf who have been overburdened by pollution,” said Acting Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne M. Gettle. “We look forward to seeing transformative projects that will work to advance protection and restoration of vital watersheds.”
“The Gulf Coast communities understand the environmental issues impacting this watershed and they are eager to develop innovative solutions to safeguard this resource,” said Region 6 Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “This funding will implement climate resilience strategies, provide improvements in water quality, and ensure that coastline habitats continue to thrive. I would like to thank all the parties involved in this announcement for ensuring this critical watershed is maintained and protected.”
“A multi-faceted project like this touches on several of our priority issues, from improving water quality in and around the Gulf to supporting underserved communities and creating habitat for wildlife,” said Laura Bowie, executive director for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. “Thank you to EPA and to our partners for supporting important projects like this.”
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a regional partnership focused on enhancing the environmental and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico through increased collaboration. Led by the five Gulf states, our network includes over 150 participating organizations from state and federal agencies, tribal governments, communities, academia, non-governmental organizations, and industry. Priority issues addressed by the Alliance include coastal community resilience; data and monitoring; education; habitat; water resources; wildlife and fisheries; and marine debris. gulfofmexicoalliance.org
The Gulf of Mexico Division is a non-regulatory program of EPA founded to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the region. To carry out its mission, the Gulf of Mexico Division continues to maintain and expand partnerships with state and federal agencies, federally recognized tribes, local governments and authorities, academia, regional businesses and industries, agricultural and environmental organizations, and individual citizens and communities.
For more information visit: www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico
Monday, March 25, 2024
EPA invites applications to serve on advisory council for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions
USEPA News Release:
EPA invites applications to serve on advisory council for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 25, 2024) – Today, March 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will be seeking applications to serve on the newly established Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council (HBCU-MSI AC). The HBCU-MSI Advisory Council will provide independent advice and recommendations to Administrator Michael S. Regan and future Administrators on how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) can help identify any barriers to equal employment opportunity, nurture the next generation of environmental leaders, and ensure that these vital institutions of higher learning have the resources and support to thrive for generations to come.
"We are embarking on a transformative journey by establishing the first ever HBCU-MSI Advisory Council, a major step forward in our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at EPA. By harnessing the unique insights and energy of students and faculty from HBCUs and MSIs, we are ensuring the future of environmental leadership is diverse and dynamic,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This council will be instrumental in shaping our policies and priorities, keeping the voices of the next generation at the heart of our mission to protect the environment and public health. It’s a critical move towards building a workforce that truly reflects the diversity of America, and I am excited for the innovative solutions and fresh perspectives that will emerge from this collaboration."
Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are institutions of higher education and include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AAPISIs). This federal advisory committee is part of EPA’s comprehensive effort to advance equity in economic and educational opportunities for all Americans while protecting public health and the environment.
On June 21, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14035 to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal workforce. This Executive Order reaffirmed that the United States is at its strongest when our nation’s public servants reflect the full diversity of the American people. The HBCU-MSI AC furthers the work being done at EPA and across the administration to ensure all persons receive equal treatment under the law and that our federal workforce draws upon all parts of society because our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse perspectives are brought to bear to overcome our greatest challenges.
EPA is soliciting applications to fill 15-20 vacancies on the HBCU-MSI AC from a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, representatives from business and industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and local, county, and Tribal governments that have experience working at or in partnership with HBCUs and/or MSIs. Selected applicants will be appointed by the Administrator to serve a 2-year term and contribute to a balance of perspectives, backgrounds, and experience of the council.
Applications to the HBCU-MSI AC are due by Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To apply for appointment, the below information is required:
- Contact information
- Resume OR CV
- Statement of interest
Visit the EPA HBCU-MSI Advisory Council webpage for more information on the council and how to apply. EPA will host two virtual webinars to provide more information about this call for applications. These webinars will be a space for the public to ask their questions live to EPA staff.
These webinars will be on Zoom and will be hosted at the following time:
- Tuesday, April 09, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET // Register here
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET // Register here
Wednesday: EPA to Announce a $4,000,000 SWIFR Grant for the City of Austin
USEPA News Release:
Wednesday: EPA to Announce a $4,000,000 SWIFR Grant for the City of Austin
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 25, 2024) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance will be joined by EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator Cliff Villa, Mayor of Austin Kirk Watson, Director of Austin Resource Recovery Richard McHale, Congressman Greg Casar and Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s staff to celebrate EPA’s SWIFR grant of $4,000,000 to the City of Austin to construct a new reuse warehouse.
Members of the media are invited to attend, please RSVP to R6Press@epa.gov.
DATE: Wednesday, March 27th
LOCATION: Austin City Hall – Press Room 301 W. 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701
TIME: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
WHO:
- Dr. Earthea Nance, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 6
- Cliff Villa, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Land and Emergency Management, EPA HQ
- Kirk Preston Watson, Mayor, City of Austin
- Richard McHale, Director, Austin Resource Recovery (ARR)
- Greg Casar, Congressman, House of Representatives – TX35
- Staff from Lloyd Doggett, Congressman, House of Representatives – TX37
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Friday, March 22, 2024
Thursday, March 21, 2024
EPA Requires Arkansas Midland Railroad Company to Pay $910K for Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations
USEPA News Release:
EPA Requires Arkansas Midland Railroad Company to Pay $910K for Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 20, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized a settlement with the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company over alleged hazardous waste violations at a private rail track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The company illegally stored more than 750,000 gallons of highly flammable hazardous waste in rail cars near homes, a school, and waterways. Under the settlement, the company must pay a civil penalty of $910,985. Under direction from EPA, the waste was removed and disposed of in a permitted facility.
“Residents of Hot Springs or any community should not have to live with the threat of toxic material just steps from their homes and schools,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “EPA and our partners are here to hold companies accountable when they fail to comply with the hazardous waste regulations that keep people and our natural resources safe from exposure and contamination.”
The waste material, o-Chlorotoluene, was stored in up to 34 unsecured, unsupervised rail cars along Spring Street for at least two years. It is classified as a hazardous waste under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for its highly flammable and toxic properties. EPA worked to ensure the material was removed and shipped to an appropriate disposal facility while settlement negotiations were still ongoing. Fortunately, no evidence of leaks or exposure was found.
The state of Arkansas discovered the backlog of waste material as part of an investigation of another facility, and referred the case to EPA. The generator of the waste informed EPA of the rail cars in response to EPA’s formal request for information during the investigation.
Under RCRA, EPA and states with delegated authority enforce requirements regarding the safe handling, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. RCRA requirements and permits are essential to preventing accidental releases and exposures, and costly cleanups.
For more on EPA’s RCRA programs, visit https://www.epa.gov/rcra.
For more on EPA’s work in Arkansas, visit https://www.epa.gov/ar.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Monday, March 18, 2024
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Friday, March 15, 2024
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Opportunity for Press: Senior EPA Officials Visit Navajo Nation, Highlight Superfund Sites List Addition
USEPA Press Release:
PRESS INVITED
Opportunity for Press: Senior EPA Officials Visit Navajo Nation, Highlight Superfund Sites List Addition
COVE – On March 15, in an event open to the media, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Martha Guzman will join EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator Cliff Villa, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Carl Slater, Navajo Nation EPA Director Stephen Etsitty, other experts, and community leaders to discuss abandoned uranium mine cleanups under the EPA Superfund Program. The Lukachukai Mountain Mining District was recently added to the National Priorities List as a Superfund site and is the first in the Navajo Nation.
Who:
- EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management Cliff Villa
- EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman
- Navajo Nation Council Delegate Carl Slater
- Navajo Nation EPA Director Stephen Etsitty
What: A press event to highlight additions to the Superfund Sites List. Following remarks, Deputy Assistant Administrator Villa and Regional Administrator Guzman will be available for questions from the press.
Where: Cove, Arizona (Apache County)
Note: Location will be provided upon RSVP.
When: Friday, March 15, TBD am, Arizona Time.
RSVP: Credentialed media are asked to confirm attendance with Josh Alexander, alexander.joshua@epa.gov, by 4 p.m. Arizona Time, Thursday, March 14, 2024.
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Friday, March 8, 2024
Thursday, March 7, 2024
EPA Adds Louisiana Superfund Site to the National Priorities List
USEPA News Release:
EPA Adds Louisiana Superfund Site to the National Priorities List
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 6, 2024) —The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding the Louisiana Superfund site Exide Baton Rouge to the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a list of known sites throughout the United States and its territories where releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants pose significant threats to human health and the environment. By adding this site to the NPL, EPA can continue to assess the human health and environmental risks associated to the site and determine if remedial action is needed.
“Updating the National Priorities List is a critical component of EPA's comprehensive approach to protecting human health and the environment from contamination, including in communities overburdened by disproportionate environmental impacts,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Cleaning up contaminated land and groundwater and returning them for productive use to communities, especially those which have borne the brunt of legacy pollution, is a win for public health and local economies.”
“By prioritizing the Exide Baton Rouge site, we are addressing the contamination and pollution that has been affecting the East Baton Rouge community,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Adding this site to the National Priorities List will allow for additional remediation, outreach, and cleanup efforts as well as additional funding from President’s Biden Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I would like to thank our state partners for their previous work on the site and to thank the residents for their patience as we work to remove these hazardous chemicals from the area.”
The Exide Baton Rouge site is a former secondary lead smelter and refinery. The proposed National Priorities List site covers 33 acres next to Baton Rouge Bayou. High concentrations of antimony, arsenic, lead, manganese and zinc have been found in groundwater and soils on the site, with unlined waste piles and open surface impoundments contributing to discharges of contaminated ground and surface water. An onsite system is in place to collect and treat contaminated leachate. The state of Louisiana referred the site to EPA in 2022 to ensure continued operation of the wastewater treatment system.
EPA is adding three other Superfund sites to the National Priorities List:
- Former Exide Technologies Laureldale in Laureldale, Pennsylvania.
- Acme Steel Coke Plant in Chicago, Illinois.
- Lot 46 Valley Gardens TCE in Des Moines, Iowa.
EPA is proposing to add the following sites to the National Priorities List:
- Gelman Sciences Inc in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Afterthought Mine in Bella Vista, California
- Upper Columbia River in Stevens County, Washington
The five added sites and one of the sites being proposed (Upper Columbia River) to the National Priorities List are located in communities historically overburdened by pollution. These sites raise potential environmental justice concerns based on income, demographic, education, linguistic, and life expectancy data. By taking action to add and propose to add these six sites to the National Priorities List, EPA is working to protect communities in the greatest need.
Past activities at the sites announced include uranium, copper, zinc, lead, silver and gold mining; lead smelting and refining; coke, molten iron and steel production; and battery manufacturing and recycling. Site contaminants are numerous and include lead, mercury, zinc and other metals; radium 226; chlorinated solvents; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Contamination affects surface water, groundwater, soil, air and sediment.
President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to accelerate EPA’s work to clean up NPL sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund remedial program. The law also reinstated the Superfund chemical excise taxes to help clean up such sites, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. Due to this historic funding, EPA has been able to provide as much funding for site cleanup work in the past two years as it did in the previous five years.
Background
The National Priorities List includes sites with the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. This list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at non-federal sites included on the National Priorities List are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.
Before EPA adds a site to the National Priorities List, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA may add the site to the National Priorities List if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.
Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has followed through on commitments to update the National Priorities List twice a year, as opposed to once per year. Today’s announcement is the first time EPA is updating the National Priorities List in 2024.
Learn more about Superfund and the National Priorities List.
For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the National Priorities List and proposed sites, please visit:
New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
EPA Proposes to Add Afterthought Mine in Shasta County, Calif. to Superfund National Priorities List
USEPA News Release:
EPA Proposes to Add Afterthought Mine in Shasta County, Calif. to Superfund National Priorities List
Contact Information
Joshua Alexander (alexander.joshua@epa.gov)
415-214-5940
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed to add Afterthought Mine near Bella Vista in Shasta County, Calif. to the to the Superfund National Priorities List. The NPL is a list of known sites throughout the United States and its territories where historic releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants pose significant threats to human health and the environment.
Afterthought Mine operated from 1862 to 1952, producing copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold. Historic mine features and structures remain onsite, and these mining efforts contaminated the site’s soil and nearby waterways. Contaminated soil and sediment are in direct contact with Little Cow and Afterthought creeks. Little Cow Creek is used for fishing and provides wetland habitat including critical habitat for steelhead trout. EPA will evaluate these areas to better understand the contamination, and if and how the Agency can clean it up.
“The proposal of Afterthought Mine to the National Priorities List is a vital step in EPA’s work to assess contamination in the area and how best to address it,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Cleaning up contaminated land and water and returning them for productive use to communities, especially those which have borne the brunt of legacy pollution, is a win for public health and local economies.”
EPA is accepting comments on the proposal to add the Afterthought Mine to the Superfund NPL from March 7 until May 6, 2024. The public can submit comments online or by mail:
- Online (preferred): Visit www.regulations.gov and search “Afterthought Mine” or “EPA-HQ-OLEM-2024-0066”
- Mail: Send comments to:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center Superfund, [EPA-HQ-OLEM-2024-0066], Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460
Background:
The National Priorities List includes sites with the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. This list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at non-federal sites included on the National Priorities List are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.
Before EPA adds a site to the National Priorities List, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA may add the site to the National Priorities List if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.
Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has followed through on commitments to update the National Priorities List twice a year, as opposed to once per year. Today’s announcement is the first time EPA is updating the National Priorities List in 2024.
Learn more about Superfund and the National Priorities List.
For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the National Priorities List and proposed sites, please visit: New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region x. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
EPA Adds Sites to the Superfund National Priorities List, including the Lukachukai Mountains Mining District in Navajo Nation
USEPA News Release:
EPA Adds Sites to the Superfund National Priorities List, including the Lukachukai Mountains Mining District in Navajo Nation
March 5, 2024
Contact Information
Joshua Alexander (alexander.joshua@epa.gov)
415-214-5940
SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding five sites and proposing to add three sites to the Superfund National Priorities List. The NPL is a list of known sites throughout the United States and its territories where historic releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants pose significant threats to human health and the environment.
“Updating the National Priorities List is a critical component of EPA's comprehensive approach to protecting human health and the environment from contamination, including in communities overburdened by disproportionate environmental impacts,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Cleaning up contaminated land and groundwater and returning them for productive use to communities, especially those which have borne the brunt of legacy pollution, is a win for public health and local economies.”
“This is historic for the Navajo communities of Cove, Lukachukai, and Round Rock, and the whole Navajo Nation,” said Cove Chapter President James Benally. “It’s reassuring to know the Superfund designation will expand the remediation of the abandoned uranium mine sites on our sacred mountain. We fully support the NPL listing, on behalf, our grandchildren, and generations to come, and the environment.”
“Adding the Lukachukai District to the National Priorities List is a significant milestone in EPA's work to address uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation,” said EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “The District’s cleanup will now be eligible for federal funding through the Superfund program, enabling EPA to provide additional resources to protect the health of the Navajo people.”
Sites Proposed for Addition to the NPL:
The Lukachukai Mountains Mining District is one of five sites added to the National Priorities List and is located in communities historically overburdened by pollution. The site raises potential environmental justice concerns based on income, demographic, education, linguistic, and life expectancy data. By taking action to add this site to the National Priorities List, EPA is working to protect communities in the greatest need.
The Lukachukai Mountains Mining District (LMMD) site is located primarily in the remote Cove, Round Rock, and Lukachukai Chapters of the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. The site includes a hundred mine waste piles from former uranium and vanadium mines. Waste from these piles contains radium 226, uranium and other metals. The waste has migrated downstream in washes and surface water and may have impacted groundwater. Many Navajo families reside on the Lukachukai Mountains and use the land for livestock grazing, recreation, and hunting. It is a sacred area of the Navajo Nation, providing plants for traditional medicinal and ceremonial uses. The mountains provide habitat for several sensitive species, including the federally threatened Mexican spotted owl.
President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to accelerate EPA’s work to clean up NPL sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund remedial program. The law also reinstated the Superfund chemical excise taxes to help clean up such sites, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. Due to this historic funding, EPA has been able to provide as much funding for site cleanup work in the past two years as it did in the previous five years.
Background:
The National Priorities List includes sites with the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. This list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at non-federal sites included on the National Priorities List are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.
Before EPA adds a site to the National Priorities List, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA may add the site to the National Priorities List if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.
Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has followed through on commitments to update the National Priorities List twice a year, as opposed to once per year. Today’s announcement is the first time EPA is updating the National Priorities List in 2024.
Learn more about Superfund and the National Priorities List.
For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the National Priorities List and proposed sites, please visit:
Learn more about New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.
Learn more about Navajo Nation: Cleaning Up Abandoned Uranium Mines.
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region x. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Monday, March 4, 2024
EPA Awards the Fort Sill Apache Tribe with a $66,000 Air Sensor Monitoring Grant
USEPA News Release:
EPA Awards the Fort Sill Apache Tribe with a $66,000 Air Sensor Monitoring Grant
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 4, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Fort Sill Apache Tribe with a $66,360 grant to conduct air sensor monitoring for particulate matter (PM), a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets that can cause serious health concerns once inhaled. With this grant funding, the Fort Sill Apache Tribe will be able to develop air monitoring strategies to combat harmful emissions found in the surrounding area.
The Tribe will purchase three Purple Air PM2.5 monitoring sensors to monitor for hazardous emissions such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds on Tribal property. The Tribe can use data from these stations to create air monitoring strategies and improve air quality.
The grant will also fund outreach and education to improve residents’ understanding of outdoor and indoor air quality by working with local and national environmental groups who will offer new and innovate ways to conduct air monitoring. The overall outcome of this project is to ensure the Fort Sill Apache Tribe are maintaining ambient air monitoring sites/stations for their residents while addressing hazardous air pollutants within the territory.
The Fort Sill Apache Tribe spans several Southwest Oklahoma counties including Caddo, Comanche, and Grady Counties. Since 2007, the Tribe has worked with EPA to establish an environmental office to combat illegal dumping, provide more recycling opportunities, and to educate the public on local environmental issues.
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Merriam Woods Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms After Shooting at Police During High-Speed Chase
PRESS RELEASE
Merriam Woods Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms After Shooting at Police During High-Speed Chase
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Merriam Woods, Mo., man who shot at a police officer during a high-speed pursuit has been sentenced in federal court in two separate cases for illegally possessing firearms.
Blake Christopher Basten, 34, was sentenced on Tuesday, Feb. 27, by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Feb. 21, 2023, Basten pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in two separate and unrelated cases.
The first case began when Springfield police officers executed a search warrant at another defendant’s residence on June 29, 2022. While conducting surveillance on the residence, a vehicle in which Basten was a passenger pulled up to the residence. Officers searched Basten and found a loaded Kel-Tec pistol in his waistband. Basten told investigators that he traded drugs for the handgun, which he carried because he had recently been shot at.
The second case began when a Springfield police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a black Nissan Sentra, in which Basten was a passenger, on Aug. 18, 2022. When the officer pulled behind the Sentra in a hotel parking lot and activated his lights, the driver put the car in reverse and rammed the officer’s vehicle, pushing it back several feet. The officer got out of his vehicle, pulled his duty weapon, and ordered the vehicle’s occupants to stop. The driver instead drove forward slightly, then put his Sentra in reverse and rammed the officer’s car again before fleeing the parking lot.
A police pursuit ensued, with the Sentra travelling at a high rate of speed in a residential neighborhood. The pursuit ended when the Sentra crashed into a Jeep SUV at an intersection. While the Jeep suffered significant damage, the innocent driver appeared to be unharmed. The rear end of the Jeep had heavy damage, the rear passenger tire was missing, and the airbags had been deployed. Basten fled from the crash on foot.
Officers searched the vehicle and found two handguns on the front passenger side floorboard – a Smith & Wesson pistol, and a loaded Taurus pistol. The Smith & Wesson had no ammunition, and the slide was locked back, which was either because the slide was locked back manually or after all of the ammunition was fired. Witnesses reported that Basten was seen shooting a gun during the pursuit.
Shortly after the crash, Basten was found hiding under a car and arrested by deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. One witness provided surveillance video that showed the Sentra travelling at a high rate of speed, followed by four audible gunshots. Shell casings and damage from gunfire were located throughout the neighborhood.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearms or ammunition. At the time of his arrest, Basten was on parole for involuntary manslaughter after he threatened his ex-girlfriend with a firearm, and then engaged in a high-speed chase where he pursued her in his vehicle and caused the death of an innocent bystander. Basten, who fled from police in a stolen vehicle after that incident, has eight prior felony convictions.
These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. They were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.