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Envirobytes - Archive
EnviroBytes, a Summary of Issues and Events for Week Ending May 14, 2010
REGION 3 LAUNCHES HEALTHY WATERS BLOG
EPA's mid-Atlantic regional office has launched its first "Healthy Waters of the Mid-Atlantic" blog and is inviting the public to share its ideas and perspectives on water protection. Let's start a dialogue today so that we can better protect and conserve our precious water resources for future generations. We value your feedback and look forward to reading your comments. Visit the blog's first entry on how rain gardens can help reduce runoff into streams and rivers: http://blog.epa.gov/healthywaters.
SMALL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL BUSINESSES RECOGNIZED FOR DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
EPA awarded nearly $2.5 million under its 2010 EPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program solicitation to help firms develop and market their innovative technologies. AccuStrata, Inc. of College Park, Md. received $70,000 in the innovation and manufacturing category for its thin film solar panel manufacturing process (EPD10011). Other research proposal categories include air emissions, biofuels, green buildings, drinking water, hazardous waste, water infrastructure, homeland security, and nanotechnology.
GOVERNMENT ISSUES NEW STRATEGY TO PROTECT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
EPA released a new federal strategy to better protect the Chesapeake Bay region's health and environment including more rigorous regulations and enforcement approaches. EPA will implement the Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load (TMDL) "pollution diet," expand regulations for stormwater and concentrated animal feeding operations, increase enforcement/funding for state regulatory programs and farm conservation, expand oyster aquaculture, support green jobs, and develop a marketplace to trade pollution credits. To view the strategy, go to http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net
EPA RELEASES LAND MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE TO HELP REDUCE CHESAPEAKE BAY NON-POINT SOURCE WATER POLLUTION
In addition to the new Chesapeake Bay strategy, EPA also announced guidance to help federal facilities reduce their non-point source pollution to the Bay and help restore and protect the Bay's waterways. The guidance provides federal land managers with the most cost-effective tools and practices and the most current scientific, technical and state-of-the-art approaches to reduce water pollution from non-point sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION SCHOOLS EXCEL IN RECYCLEMANIA 2010 COMPETITION
Results are in on the 2010 Recyclemania competition conducted between January17 and March 27 and supported by EPA's WasteWise Program. Region 3 schools collected/recycled approximately 10,620,525 pounds of materials. EPA will present an Award of Excellence to the top school in each state who ranked Number 1 in the "Per Capita Classic" category, namely: University of Delaware; American University (D.C.); Loyola University (Md.); Ursinus College (Pa.); Emory and Henry College (Va.); and Alderson Broaddus College (W. Va.). For complete RecycleMania 2010 results, go to https://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/solidwastemania.htm
VA GOVERNOR ACKNOWLEDGES EPA'S BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT GRANT AS CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN REUSE OF FORMER FOUNDRY
Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia announced that Virginia Casting Industries will purchase the former Intermet Foundry facility in the city of Radford, Va. to manufacture cast-iron components for the automotive industry. The governor credited the purchase to EPA's $250,000 stimulus grant which funded a Targeted Brownfields Assessment of the property greatly enhancing its marketability. Virginia Casting's investment of $9.1 million in improvements will result in the creation of 300 jobs for Radford. For information on the Targeted Brownfields Assessment process, go to https://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr/technicalassistance.html
