Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Region 9 Strategic Plan, 2011-14
Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention
Materials and products in our everyday lives, from the homes we live in to the food we eat, contain chemicals that create environmental impacts. Our goal is to reduce or eliminate lifecycle impacts during their processing, manufacture, use, and disposal. EPA’s primary tools for ensuring the safety of chemicals are the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
- Conduct inspections, compliance outreach, state and tribal oversight, and initiate appropriate enforcement actions.
- In 2012, work with states and tribes to conduct over 100 federal inspections to ensure pesticides on the market are legally registered with EPA. Region 9 will work with states to ensure pesticide products do not make illegal public health claims. Our long-term goal is to ensure the Region is notified of all pesticide imports and that all products sold to consumers are properly registered with EPA and have the correct directions for use, to reduce risks from using pesticides.
- By the end of 2012, work with Contractors State Licensing Boards to educate more than 500,000 registered contractors in Region 9 who may be affected by new Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule through direct mailings, trade journal articles, newsletters and email notifications.
- In 2011-2012, conduct inspections, compliance outreach, data analysis, and initiate appropriate enforcement action to ensure the integrity and public availability of chemical release information through the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). We ensure the integrity of the data by verifying release reports submitted by regulated facilities and identifying and correcting reporting discrepancies.
- Conduct inspections of federal facilities, a national enforcement priority, to ensure leadership in environmental compliance and take appropriate enforcement action for non-compliance.
- In 2012 conduct inspections of regulated federal facilities and initiate appropriate enforcement action.
- Deploy pollution prevention strategies to reduce or eliminate the life cycle impacts of products.
- Co-Chair the National Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) TV Workgroup. Complete a green standard for TVs by mid-2012 to reduce use of energy and toxics and promote product stewardship.
- Serve as the EPA representative to the Underwriters Laboratories Environment (ULE) Technical Panel developing a green standard for cell phones to reduce use of energy and toxics and promote product stewardship. A published standard is expected by the end of 2012.
- Identify and promote safer alternatives to copper-based boat hull coatings in California by working with California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Port of San Diego. Complete pilot testing of coating alternatives and an educational video by 2012.
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