![[logo] US EPA](../gif/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Envirobytes - Archive
ENVIROBYTES, A SUMMARY OF ISSUES AND EVENTS FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
EPA GRANT WILL HELP NORTHAMPTON COUNTY REDEVELOP MORE PROPERTIES
On Sept. 14, EPA awarded an EPA brownfields grant to Northampton County, Pa., to clean up contaminated properties for potential redevelopment. “I’m pleased to present Northampton County this $650,000 grant to clean up contaminated sites,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “This new funding will plant the seeds for the next round of cleanup and eventual reuse of more brownfields sites in the Lehigh Valley, leveraging private investment and creating new jobs.” For a list of all awarded brownfields grants by state, go to http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/.
CHANGES TO MARYLAND’S WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
On Sept. 5, Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin signed the approval letter for recent changes Maryland made to its Water Quality Standards, including new and revised restoration variance in tidal segments of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. These revisions, based on Chesapeake Bay Program Office TMDL modeling, reflect a more refined understanding of projected long-term conditions in the Chesapeake Bay.
GRANT PROVIDED TO INTERSTATE COMMISSION ON THE POTOMAC RIVER BASIN TO CONTROL POTOMAC WATERSHED POLLUTION
EPA Region 3 provided a $700,000 Clean Water Act grant to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin to control Potomac Watershed pollution. The work will lead to water quality improvements, such as assisting in developing Total Maximum Daily Load allocations, working with watershed groups and stakeholders, improving monitoring and stream assessments, and providing public information
.
NOV. 19 DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR 2013 EPA BROWNFIELDS FUNDING
EPA is encouraging eligible parties to apply now through Nov. 19, 2012, for 2013 Brownfields funding. These grants can be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances or other pollutants. For more information on the EPA Brownfields grant application guidelines, go to www.epa.gov/brownfields/news. Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields Program
EPA ADDS 12 HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES TO SUPERFUND’S NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST / EIGHT OTHER SITES PROPOSED
On Sept. 13, EPA announced it has added 12 new hazardous waste sites to the National Priorities List (NPL) for cleanup under the Superfund program and also proposing to add another eight sites to the list. No Region 3 sites qualified to be included in these lists. For more information, go to https://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm
Information about how a site is listed on the NPL: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl_hrs.htm
PITTSBURGH’S GIANT EAGLE AMONG 2012 GREENCHILL AWARDS WINNERS
In 2012, Pittsburgh’s Giant Eagle was among the many supermarkets to have won EPA’s GreenChill awards for using more environmentally friendly refrigerants to reduce emissions and protect the ozone layer. This is Giant Eagle’s fourth award in achieving the lowest corporate-wide emissions rate of all GreenChill supermarket companies. Learn more about EPA’s approach to ozone layer protection.
UNITED STATES AND CANADA SIGN AMENDED GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT TO PROTECT THE WORLD’S LARGEST FRESHWATER SYSTEM
On Sept. 7, former EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Canada’s Minister of the Environment Peter Kent signed the newly amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The new provisions address aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation and the effects of climate change, and existing threats to people’s health and the environment in the Great Lakes Basin such as harmful algae, toxic chemicals, and vessel discharges. To view the text of the agreement: http://www.binational.net/home_e.html
EPA SETS BIO-BASED DIESEL VOLUMES FOR 2013
On Sept. 14, EPA took action to establish the amount of bio-diesel products required to be included in diesel fuel markets in 2013. Bio-diesel products are derived from sources that include vegetable oils and wastes oils from renewable sources. This final action follows a review of comments and additional information received since EPA proposed the volume in 2011. For more information, go to
https://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/regulations.htm
https://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm
HEALTHY WATERS BLOG CURRENT HIGHLIGHT
Reviving Urban Waters
The Urban Waters program has been established to help communities unlock the potential of their waterways and the surrounding land, and to reverse the legacy of pollution from sewage and runoff and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Find out how projects are reviving urban waters and give us your perspective, at http://blog.epa.gov/healthywaters/2012/09/reviving-urban-waters/
