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Adler Pollock & Sheehan welcomes IRA LEIGHTON USEPA Deputy Regional Administrator

Adler Pollock & Sheehan welcomes IRA LEIGHTON USEPA Deputy Regional Administrator. Regional Focus and Priorities for 2006/07. Ira Leighton Deputy Regional Administrator EPA New England Environmental Business Council November 8, 2006. EPA New England Focus and Priorities for 2006/07’.

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Adler Pollock & Sheehan welcomes IRA LEIGHTON USEPA Deputy Regional Administrator

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  1. Adler Pollock & Sheehan welcomesIRA LEIGHTONUSEPA Deputy Regional Administrator

  2. Regional Focus and Priorities for 2006/07 Ira Leighton Deputy Regional Administrator EPA New England Environmental Business Council November 8, 2006

  3. EPA New England Focus and Priorities for 2006/07’ • National Coordination of Homeland Security and Science Efforts • Environmental Justice (EJ) and Urban Agenda • Green Team • Continued Support of Existing Programs, Current Initiatives and Priorities

  4. National Coordination of Homeland Security and Science Efforts • EPA New England has been designated to play a primary coordinating role for national efforts in the following areas: • Homeland Security/Preparedness • Science/Research and Development

  5. Regional Focus onEmergency Preparedness • Working with States to improve Debris Management Plans in the event of a Northeast Hurricane • Planning for pandemic influenza or avian flu outbreak

  6. EPA Debris Management Meeting Planned for Each New England State • First meeting held in Connecticut on September 13, 2006. • Found that debris management plans were still in formative stages (i.e., identified criteria for staging areas but did not secure agreements for actual staging or disposal sites). • Meeting with RIDEM on November 27

  7. Bulk construction and debris materials Asbestos containing waste Vegetative debris White goods Fuels and oils Hazardous materials Ammunition Scrap metals Animal carcasses Pre-determine categories of waste to be separated. Important Elements of a Debris Management Plan

  8. EPA New England Pandemic Preparedness Efforts What have we done? • Developed and continually update Draft Pandemic Action Plan to ensure continuity of operations in the event of pandemic; • Engaged external partners and internal workgroup; • Convened EPA team of Drinking Water managers and staff; • Identified essential agency functions and key personnel; • Bolstered remote access capabilities for key personnel.

  9. Additional Information Websites www.pandemicflu.gov www.epa.gov/avianflu www.epa.gov/safewater www.usda.gov/birdflu www.epa.gov/ne www.waterisac.org

  10. Environmental Justice (EJ) and Urban Agenda • Regional EJ Newsletter • Recent EJ Training on Community Involvement held in RI on Oct 26th. • Using EPA tools to solve local urban environmental and health problems • 2 $30K Grants to RI community groups on managing community gardens and improving quality of urban soils • Southern RI Conservation District • Southside Community Land Trust

  11. Green Team • Walking the Talk • Energy Efficiency • 19% year over year increase in efficiency at lab • Fleet fuel efficiency gone from 21 mpg to 30 mpg in 4 years • Environmental Management System (EMS) Implementation • Recycling • External website being developed to communicate accomplishments • Green Expo

  12. Cleanup and Land Revitalization • Cleanup and Revitalization Efforts in these areas: • Superfund • Brownfields • RCRA Corrective Action • Emergency Response/Removal • Underground Storage Tanks (UST)

  13. Land Revitalization:Successes in RI • Providence • Meeting Street National Center of Excellence • Olneyville – distressed neighborhood along Woonasquatucket River • Ongoing assessments of 3 sites adjacent to Riverside Mills – Brownfield site converted into a park • Trust for Public Land converting another vacant property in Olneyville into a park that will be part of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway. • Cranston • Brownfield grant to city to assess 103 properties totaling 25 acres along the Pawtuxet River • Pawtucket • Formery Armory – Now Arts Exchange

  14. Brownfields 2006 - Boston, MA November 13-15, 2006 • 11th annual national conference • Education and training event: transaction forum, mobile workshops, film series and much more! • 5,000+ participants expected • Over 50% of the participants are from within a 500 mile radius • The conference is FREE

  15. Currently >14,000 facilities in New England ME, NH, RI & VT may meet inspection requirement with in-house staff and 3rd party inspections CT & MA are responsible for ~8,000 facilities and are considering 3rd party inspections to meet the three year requirement New England States perform ~1,500 inspections per year UST/LUST – New Energy Bill Requirements for 2007

  16. Tough Enforcement Alive and Well in New England – FY’06 • Inspections up at least 70% • $434 million injunctive relief (work required to bring facilities into compliance) – Highest ever in Region • Civil judicial referrals nearly doubled • Administrative penalty cases at 2nd highest level in 5 years • Value of Supplemental Environmental Projects up 25% to $1.6 million • More than 60 facilities voluntarily disclosed and corrected violations

  17. “Shore Thing” in Rhode Island • RI has 233 coastal beaches – only 69 licensed beaches are monitored • In FY06 RI received a $212.6K EPA beach grant • RI Flagship Beaches: Goddard Memorial State Park, Warren Town Beach, Scarborough State Beach

  18. Beach Closures in Rhode Island • 23 coastal beaches closed in ’06 – total of 254 days • 10 freshwater beaches closed in ’06 – total of 95 days • Total closure days in ’06: 349 • Previous years: ’05: 65 ’04: 122 ’03: 459

  19. Activities for FY06 • Update mapping with storm water discharge locations at beaches • Sanitary surveys and wet weather sampling at Goddard Memorial State Park • Continued investigations at Scarborough and Easton’s Beach in Newport • Improve and update web site www.ribeaches.org • (The web site includes an annual report) Photo Courtesy RI DOH

  20. Continued Progress • Now using EPA’s recommended bacteria indicator (Enterococcus) for coastal waters • First phase of major CSO remediation project due for completion next year • Controlling recently identified bacteria sources at Scarborough Beach • RI DOH developed a web site that provides real-time beach information

  21. Volunteer Monitoring in RI • Volunteer monitoring data: • Collected in 120 sites in 28 RI cities and towns • Include water quality parameters: temperature, pH, nutrients, DO, bacteria, turbidity, and salinity • Starting to include other important environmental indicators such as habitat and riparian integrity • Increased reliance on use of volunteer data requires increased quality assurance and development of sophisticated, accurate, and user-friendly equipment and technology

  22. Lead Paint Hazards Federal Lead Paint Disclosure Rule and Lead Pre-Renovation Rule • 70 inspections covering close to10,000 housing units across New England • Rhode Island Highlights • Topik Enterprises – Lead Disclosure - $220 K settlement • Peter Marinucci – Lead Disclosure in 51 apartment units • $6,000 fine and $60K in lead abatement projects

  23. Health Care Industry Initiative designed to increase compliance • Outreach assistance – workshops, list server • Grant funds provided to: • Develop pamphlet on BMP’s for pharmaceutical waste management for hospitals – distributed June 06 • Train inspectors from JCAHO to incorporate environmental compliance and pollution prevention into accreditation process • EPA’s Audit Policy • encouraging facilities to voluntarily self-police • 30 hospitals submitted audit disclosures – None in RI • 159 Hospitals for Healthy Environment partners, including 5 in RI, have reduced mercury use by 380 pounds www.epa.gov/region1/healthcare

  24. Marinas & Boatyards • Integrating both assistance & enforcement • Recent Enforcement • Conanicut Marina – RCRA/CWA violations • New England Boatworks, CT - $52,300 in penalties for HW and CWA violations • Assistance – 4 years of assistance and outreach • September 06 HW Management workshop n Naragansett RI – 70 attendees • RI Clean Marina Program – Launched in 2006 by RI CRMC, DEM, and EPA • Critical Issues • Hazardous Waste Management, Management of Pressure Wash Water • www.epa.gov/region1/marinas

  25. ENERGYNew England Pollution Profile • Energy use largest single source of air pollution • Electric generation 48% SO2 and 8% NOx • GHG emissions up by 16% since 1990 per April 2006 US GHG emission inventory report • Transportation sources 53% NOx and 21% VOC • Mobile sources particulates high asthma rates

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