EPA Issues Order to Gold Eagle Co. and West Marine Products Inc. to Stop the Sale of Unregistered Pesticide Product in Troy, Michigan
In April, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Gold Eagle Co. and West Marine Products Inc. to stop the sale of “303 2-in-1 Mold & Mildew Cleaner + Blocker” distributed by Chicago company Gold Eagle and sold at West Marine’s retail location in Troy, Michigan. The order will prevent the illegal distribution and sale of this unregistered pesticide product by both companies at their respective retail locations and websites.
The product, “303 2-in-1 Mold & Mildew Cleaner + Blocker,” is a mold and mildew remover also marketed to prevent mold and mildew from returning. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, products that claim to kill, destroy, prevent, or repel pests, which include mold and mildew, are pesticides. All pesticides distributed or sold in the United States are required to be registered by the EPA to ensure the products perform as intended and will not harm people, non-target species, or the environment when used as directed. Mold and mildew are pests of public health concern and exposure can lead to health effects like coughs, allergies, or asthma. Consumers who rely on ineffective or unregistered products to remove mold and mildew may face an increased risk of exposure.
The EPA will be in contact with Gold Eagle and West Marine to determine next steps.
For more information on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, visit the EPA’s website.
For more information about the EPA’s enforcement program, visit the EPA’s website.
The product, “303 2-in-1 Mold & Mildew Cleaner + Blocker,” is a mold and mildew remover also marketed to prevent mold and mildew from returning. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, products that claim to kill, destroy, prevent, or repel pests, which include mold and mildew, are pesticides. All pesticides distributed or sold in the United States are required to be registered by the EPA to ensure the products perform as intended and will not harm people, non-target species, or the environment when used as directed. Mold and mildew are pests of public health concern and exposure can lead to health effects like coughs, allergies, or asthma. Consumers who rely on ineffective or unregistered products to remove mold and mildew may face an increased risk of exposure.
The EPA will be in contact with Gold Eagle and West Marine to determine next steps.
For more information on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, visit the EPA’s website.
For more information about the EPA’s enforcement program, visit the EPA’s website.
EPA Partners with Webster County to Support Community-Driven Energy Transition and Economic Revitalization Goals
EPA Partners with Webster County to Support Community-Driven Energy Transition and Economic Revitalization Goals
Contact: EPA Region 4 Press Office - (404) 562-8400, region4press@epa.gov
LOUISVILLE, KY (May 1, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Webster County, Kentucky will receive technical assistance through the Energy Communities Technical Assistance Pilot program. EPA and recipient communities such as Webster County will work together to develop implementable action plans that promote environmental and economic revitalization as part of their energy sector transformation.
“The Inflation Reduction Act provides historic incentives to increase the supply of low-carbon and renewable energy generation for the national electric grid, and many energy communities can benefit from this complementary support to plan for and develop diversified economies,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “Our Energy Communities pilot is delivering assistance to communities to help make their vision a reality.”
“Our community has taken several strides toward revitalization and through the Energy Communities Pilot, we’re hoping to take steps toward giving current residents and future generations reason to stay in Webster County and have choices for a thriving economic future,” said Steve Henry, Webster County Judge Executive.
Since 2021, EPA’s Office of Policy has played a leading role in the implementation of work conducted by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization in coal-impacted communities, supporting Rapid Response Teams in six regions of the country.
The technical assistance will enhance community planning capacity to respond to urgent needs related to the energy transition, including leveraging private sector and philanthropic funding assistance, cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned power plant and mining areas, expanding community economic revitalization opportunities, workforce transition, and improving overall quality of life. The project will help communities develop the necessary planning to:
Safely and equitably reuse and redevelop sites after coal mine and power plant closures.
Boost opportunities for workforce development, training and apprenticeships.
Improve partnerships between local and tribal governments, organizations, residents and the private sector to ensure local investments in clean energy and manufacturing are aligned with the community’s energy transition goals.
As part of the technical assistance, EPA staff will support projects in Webster County and one other community, including convening federal, state, regional and local partners and providing contractor support for two-day in-person workshops. After holding two workshops and having conversations with all the Rapid Response Teams, EPA will develop a playbook for use by any energy community during transition planning and implementation. The playbook will identify initial steps that communities can take to plan their energy sector transition and economic diversification to create a more resilient and robust local economy.
Webster County, KY will use the Energy Communities Pilot to identify and leverage resources and partnerships to encourage new and diverse economic opportunities. Webster County is still experiencing the economic effects of its last mine closure in 2019 and is home to extensive abandoned mine land, which the community would like to see rehabilitated and put to alternative uses.
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Contact: EPA Region 4 Press Office - (404) 562-8400, region4press@epa.gov
LOUISVILLE, KY (May 1, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Webster County, Kentucky will receive technical assistance through the Energy Communities Technical Assistance Pilot program. EPA and recipient communities such as Webster County will work together to develop implementable action plans that promote environmental and economic revitalization as part of their energy sector transformation.
“The Inflation Reduction Act provides historic incentives to increase the supply of low-carbon and renewable energy generation for the national electric grid, and many energy communities can benefit from this complementary support to plan for and develop diversified economies,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “Our Energy Communities pilot is delivering assistance to communities to help make their vision a reality.”
“Our community has taken several strides toward revitalization and through the Energy Communities Pilot, we’re hoping to take steps toward giving current residents and future generations reason to stay in Webster County and have choices for a thriving economic future,” said Steve Henry, Webster County Judge Executive.
Since 2021, EPA’s Office of Policy has played a leading role in the implementation of work conducted by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization in coal-impacted communities, supporting Rapid Response Teams in six regions of the country.
The technical assistance will enhance community planning capacity to respond to urgent needs related to the energy transition, including leveraging private sector and philanthropic funding assistance, cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned power plant and mining areas, expanding community economic revitalization opportunities, workforce transition, and improving overall quality of life. The project will help communities develop the necessary planning to:
Safely and equitably reuse and redevelop sites after coal mine and power plant closures.
Boost opportunities for workforce development, training and apprenticeships.
Improve partnerships between local and tribal governments, organizations, residents and the private sector to ensure local investments in clean energy and manufacturing are aligned with the community’s energy transition goals.
As part of the technical assistance, EPA staff will support projects in Webster County and one other community, including convening federal, state, regional and local partners and providing contractor support for two-day in-person workshops. After holding two workshops and having conversations with all the Rapid Response Teams, EPA will develop a playbook for use by any energy community during transition planning and implementation. The playbook will identify initial steps that communities can take to plan their energy sector transition and economic diversification to create a more resilient and robust local economy.
Webster County, KY will use the Energy Communities Pilot to identify and leverage resources and partnerships to encourage new and diverse economic opportunities. Webster County is still experiencing the economic effects of its last mine closure in 2019 and is home to extensive abandoned mine land, which the community would like to see rehabilitated and put to alternative uses.
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United States and California Take Enforcement Action Against San Francisco for Violations of the Clean Water Act
SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Attorney General of California, on behalf of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, filed a civil complaint in federal court today against the City and County of San Francisco for claims of Clean Water Act violations spanning the last decade. The complaint seeks financial penalties and improvements to remedy San Francisco’s repeated and widespread failures to operate its two combined sewer systems and three sewage treatment plants in compliance with the Clean Water Act and its permits. San Francisco failed to operate its combined sewer systems in a manner that keeps untreated sewage out of San Francisco Bay and its tributaries, streets, beaches and other areas with risk of human contact.
“Protecting San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean and public health are critical priorities for EPA, and this complaint is a major step to improve how the San Francisco sewer system is managed,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA and our partners are committed to ensuring San Francisco comes into compliance with the Clean Water Act to protect clean water and local communities.”
“San Francisco’s aging wastewater system has exposed the public to risks for too long,” said Alexis Strauss, Chair of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “This is the time to commit to an outcome which reduces sewage overflows and builds upgraded wastewater infrastructure. Our goal is to help San Francisco achieve a healthy Bay and coastline, which can be enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors every day."
The United States and the San Francisco Water Board request that the Court order the City of San Francisco to cease further violations of the Clean Water Act and its permits and complete all actions necessary to ensure that the City complies in the future. On average each year since 2016, San Francisco has discharged more than 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage from its combined sewer systems into creeks, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean, including areas popular for wading, swimming, surfing, kayaking and fishing. San Francisco is served by two combined sewer systems that collect domestic sewage, industrial and commercial wastewater, and stormwater in the same pipes. During heavy rains, when the sewage treatment plants are at maximum capacity, combined sewage is discharged from near-shore outfalls to creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean without receiving disinfection treatment.
San Francisco’s failure to take steps to minimize these discharges or provide disinfection treatment interferes with the state’s designated uses for these water bodies, which include water contact recreation and protection of aquatic life. Untreated sewage contains pathogens such as E. coli, which can cause severe illness if ingested. Children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women have a higher risk for adverse consequences from such illness than the general population.
In addition, San Francisco’s combined sewer systems are in a state of disrepair, and the City’s failure to properly operate and maintain them has led to additional combined sewage discharges that has put members of the public at risk for unknowingly coming into contact with untreated sewage. San Francisco has also consistently failed to properly notify the public about the presence of untreated sewage at popular water recreation locations, overflows from manholes onto sidewalks and streets and the risks of coming into contact with untreated sewage.
EPA has brought enforcement actions to require municipalities across the country to update their sewer systems and address similar Clean Water Act violations. Nationally, EPA has been working with states, municipalities, and trade organizations to develop tools to help communities work towards compliance with Clean Water Act requirements, including meeting applicable water quality standards.
The State Water Board and nine regional boards administer and enforce the Clean Water Act in California, improving water quality for communities and the environment while working with wastewater systems to help bring them into compliance. In 2023, the Water Boards took 260 wastewater enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act, with over six million dollars in assessed penalties.
San Francisco is one of approximately 750 communities in the country with combined sewer systems but is only one of two such systems in California. San Francisco began planning to address its combined sewer overflows in the 1970s and completed construction of planned controls over 25 years ago. Since completion of those controls, no significant upgrades or updates have been made to the system to reduce combined sewer overflows and currently, the controls are insufficient to meet the requirements in San Francisco’s Clean Water Act permits.
Read the complaint on EPA’s website.
Learn about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
“Protecting San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean and public health are critical priorities for EPA, and this complaint is a major step to improve how the San Francisco sewer system is managed,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA and our partners are committed to ensuring San Francisco comes into compliance with the Clean Water Act to protect clean water and local communities.”
“San Francisco’s aging wastewater system has exposed the public to risks for too long,” said Alexis Strauss, Chair of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “This is the time to commit to an outcome which reduces sewage overflows and builds upgraded wastewater infrastructure. Our goal is to help San Francisco achieve a healthy Bay and coastline, which can be enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors every day."
The United States and the San Francisco Water Board request that the Court order the City of San Francisco to cease further violations of the Clean Water Act and its permits and complete all actions necessary to ensure that the City complies in the future. On average each year since 2016, San Francisco has discharged more than 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage from its combined sewer systems into creeks, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean, including areas popular for wading, swimming, surfing, kayaking and fishing. San Francisco is served by two combined sewer systems that collect domestic sewage, industrial and commercial wastewater, and stormwater in the same pipes. During heavy rains, when the sewage treatment plants are at maximum capacity, combined sewage is discharged from near-shore outfalls to creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean without receiving disinfection treatment.
San Francisco’s failure to take steps to minimize these discharges or provide disinfection treatment interferes with the state’s designated uses for these water bodies, which include water contact recreation and protection of aquatic life. Untreated sewage contains pathogens such as E. coli, which can cause severe illness if ingested. Children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women have a higher risk for adverse consequences from such illness than the general population.
In addition, San Francisco’s combined sewer systems are in a state of disrepair, and the City’s failure to properly operate and maintain them has led to additional combined sewage discharges that has put members of the public at risk for unknowingly coming into contact with untreated sewage. San Francisco has also consistently failed to properly notify the public about the presence of untreated sewage at popular water recreation locations, overflows from manholes onto sidewalks and streets and the risks of coming into contact with untreated sewage.
EPA has brought enforcement actions to require municipalities across the country to update their sewer systems and address similar Clean Water Act violations. Nationally, EPA has been working with states, municipalities, and trade organizations to develop tools to help communities work towards compliance with Clean Water Act requirements, including meeting applicable water quality standards.
The State Water Board and nine regional boards administer and enforce the Clean Water Act in California, improving water quality for communities and the environment while working with wastewater systems to help bring them into compliance. In 2023, the Water Boards took 260 wastewater enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act, with over six million dollars in assessed penalties.
San Francisco is one of approximately 750 communities in the country with combined sewer systems but is only one of two such systems in California. San Francisco began planning to address its combined sewer overflows in the 1970s and completed construction of planned controls over 25 years ago. Since completion of those controls, no significant upgrades or updates have been made to the system to reduce combined sewer overflows and currently, the controls are insufficient to meet the requirements in San Francisco’s Clean Water Act permits.
Read the complaint on EPA’s website.
Learn about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Adding Folic Acid to Corn Masa Flour May Prevent Birth Defects
When consumed by women before and during pregnancy, folic acid, a B vitamin, may help prevent neural tube defects (NTDs).
Hapag-Lloyd adds space guarantee fee for India-US loads amid sailing cuts
One forwarder that had a recent cargo sail from Mundra complained that loading was only confirmed subject to the additional charges being paid.
Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Ban on Most Uses of Methylene Chloride, Protecting Workers and Communities from Fatal Exposure
WASHINGTON – Today, April 30, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, cancer of the blood, and cancer of the central nervous system, as well as neurotoxicity, liver harm and even death. Ending most uses of methylene chloride will save lives and complements President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, a whole-of-government initiative to end cancer as we know it.
EPA’s final action, also known as a risk management rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), will protect people from health risks while allowing key uses to continue safely with a robust new worker protection program. This is the second risk management rule to be finalized using the process created by the 2016 TSCA amendments.
“Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long, including some who saw loved ones go to work and never come home,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s final action brings an end to unsafe methylene chloride practices and implements the strongest worker protections possible for the few remaining industrial uses, ensuring no one in this country is put in harm’s way by this dangerous chemical.”
“The USW applauds EPA’s final rule banning certain uses of methylene chloride and lowering allowable workplace exposure levels. More than 100,000 workers die from occupational disease each year, including those sickened by harmful chemical exposures. Our union fought for the updated Toxic Substances Control Act so that we could ensure that worker exposures to harmful substances like methylene chloride are appropriately assessed and regulated at harmful levels. Now, thanks to the current administration, workers are safer and better protected,” said David McCall, International President, United Steelworkers.
“Today’s announcement to ban most commercial uses of the toxic chemical methylene chloride in paint strippers is a significant step to protect more workers from this deadly chemical,” said Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President for Healthy Communities at Environmental Defense Fund. “We are honored to stand beside the Hartley family, who has bravely shared their story to encourage this long overdue action that will save lives.”
Methylene chloride is used by consumers for aerosol degreasing and paint and coating brush cleaners, in commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants, and in industrial settings for making other chemicals. For example, methylene chloride is used in the production of more climate-friendly refrigerant chemicals.
“My son, Kevin, died in 2017 from methylene chloride exposure from refinishing a bathtub at work. I am pleased that the EPA is finally taking action and banning methylene chloride as a commercial bathtub stripper. This is a huge step that will protect vulnerable workers,” said Wendy Hartley, mother of Kevin Hartley, who died from methylene chloride poisoning.
Since 1980, at least 88 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride, largely workers engaged in bathtub refinishing or other paint stripping, even, in some cases, while fully trained and equipped with personal protective equipment. While EPA banned one consumer use of methylene chloride in 2019, use of the chemical has remained widespread and continues to pose significant and sometimes fatal danger to workers. EPA’s final risk management rule requires companies to rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses, including its use in home renovations. Consumer use will be phased out within a year, and most industrial and commercial uses will be prohibited within two years.
EPA’s methylene chloride rulemaking also establishes landmark worker protections under the nation’s premier chemical safety law. For a handful of highly industrialized uses, EPA has created a Workplace Chemical Protection Program. This workplace chemical protection program has strict exposure limits, monitoring requirements, and worker training and notification requirements that will protect workers from cancer and other adverse health effects caused by methylene chloride exposure.
Uses that will continue under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program are highly industrialized and important to national security and the economy. These are uses for which EPA received data and other information that shows workplace safety measures to fully address the unreasonable risk could be achieved. These uses include:
Use in the production of other chemicals, including refrigerant chemicals that are important in efforts to phase down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons under the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.
Production of battery separators for electric vehicles.
Use as a processing aid in a closed system.
Use as a laboratory chemical.
Use in plastic and rubber manufacturing, including polycarbonate production.
Use in solvent welding.
Additionally, specific uses of methylene chloride required by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration will also continue with strict workplace controls because sufficient reductions in exposure are possible in these highly sophisticated environments, minimizing risks to workers.
For uses of methylene chloride continuing under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program, most workplaces will have 18 months after the finalization of the risk management rule to comply with the program and would be required to periodically monitor their workplace to ensure that workers are not being exposed to levels of methylene chloride that would lead to an unreasonable risk. In consideration of public comments on the proposal, EPA extended the compliance timeframe to give workplaces ample time to put worker protections in place. EPA also revised several other aspects from the proposal including ensuring the Workplace Chemical Protection Program applies to the same uses whether they are federal or commercial uses, establishing a de minimis concentration, and provisions to strengthen and clarify aspects of the Workplace Chemical Protection Program such as monitoring requirements.
EPA will also host a public webinar to explain what is in the final rule and how it will be implemented. The agency will announce the date and time in the coming weeks.
For more information, please read the Risk Management for Methylene Chloride page.
EPA’s final action, also known as a risk management rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), will protect people from health risks while allowing key uses to continue safely with a robust new worker protection program. This is the second risk management rule to be finalized using the process created by the 2016 TSCA amendments.
“Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long, including some who saw loved ones go to work and never come home,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA’s final action brings an end to unsafe methylene chloride practices and implements the strongest worker protections possible for the few remaining industrial uses, ensuring no one in this country is put in harm’s way by this dangerous chemical.”
“The USW applauds EPA’s final rule banning certain uses of methylene chloride and lowering allowable workplace exposure levels. More than 100,000 workers die from occupational disease each year, including those sickened by harmful chemical exposures. Our union fought for the updated Toxic Substances Control Act so that we could ensure that worker exposures to harmful substances like methylene chloride are appropriately assessed and regulated at harmful levels. Now, thanks to the current administration, workers are safer and better protected,” said David McCall, International President, United Steelworkers.
“Today’s announcement to ban most commercial uses of the toxic chemical methylene chloride in paint strippers is a significant step to protect more workers from this deadly chemical,” said Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President for Healthy Communities at Environmental Defense Fund. “We are honored to stand beside the Hartley family, who has bravely shared their story to encourage this long overdue action that will save lives.”
Methylene chloride is used by consumers for aerosol degreasing and paint and coating brush cleaners, in commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants, and in industrial settings for making other chemicals. For example, methylene chloride is used in the production of more climate-friendly refrigerant chemicals.
“My son, Kevin, died in 2017 from methylene chloride exposure from refinishing a bathtub at work. I am pleased that the EPA is finally taking action and banning methylene chloride as a commercial bathtub stripper. This is a huge step that will protect vulnerable workers,” said Wendy Hartley, mother of Kevin Hartley, who died from methylene chloride poisoning.
Since 1980, at least 88 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride, largely workers engaged in bathtub refinishing or other paint stripping, even, in some cases, while fully trained and equipped with personal protective equipment. While EPA banned one consumer use of methylene chloride in 2019, use of the chemical has remained widespread and continues to pose significant and sometimes fatal danger to workers. EPA’s final risk management rule requires companies to rapidly phase down manufacturing, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses, including its use in home renovations. Consumer use will be phased out within a year, and most industrial and commercial uses will be prohibited within two years.
EPA’s methylene chloride rulemaking also establishes landmark worker protections under the nation’s premier chemical safety law. For a handful of highly industrialized uses, EPA has created a Workplace Chemical Protection Program. This workplace chemical protection program has strict exposure limits, monitoring requirements, and worker training and notification requirements that will protect workers from cancer and other adverse health effects caused by methylene chloride exposure.
Uses that will continue under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program are highly industrialized and important to national security and the economy. These are uses for which EPA received data and other information that shows workplace safety measures to fully address the unreasonable risk could be achieved. These uses include:
Use in the production of other chemicals, including refrigerant chemicals that are important in efforts to phase down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons under the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.
Production of battery separators for electric vehicles.
Use as a processing aid in a closed system.
Use as a laboratory chemical.
Use in plastic and rubber manufacturing, including polycarbonate production.
Use in solvent welding.
Additionally, specific uses of methylene chloride required by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration will also continue with strict workplace controls because sufficient reductions in exposure are possible in these highly sophisticated environments, minimizing risks to workers.
For uses of methylene chloride continuing under the Workplace Chemical Protection Program, most workplaces will have 18 months after the finalization of the risk management rule to comply with the program and would be required to periodically monitor their workplace to ensure that workers are not being exposed to levels of methylene chloride that would lead to an unreasonable risk. In consideration of public comments on the proposal, EPA extended the compliance timeframe to give workplaces ample time to put worker protections in place. EPA also revised several other aspects from the proposal including ensuring the Workplace Chemical Protection Program applies to the same uses whether they are federal or commercial uses, establishing a de minimis concentration, and provisions to strengthen and clarify aspects of the Workplace Chemical Protection Program such as monitoring requirements.
EPA will also host a public webinar to explain what is in the final rule and how it will be implemented. The agency will announce the date and time in the coming weeks.
For more information, please read the Risk Management for Methylene Chloride page.
EPA Announces Start of Cleanup at the Velsicol Burn Pit Superfund Site in St. Louis, Michigan
CHICAGO (April 30, 2024) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the start of cleanup at the Velsicol Burn Pit Superfund site, in St. Louis, Michigan. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is kickstarting this innovative cleanup, in which an in-place thermal treatment system will remove contamination from 1.4 acres of soil.
“Thanks to the resources provided by the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA can clean up these sites much faster than we otherwise could,” Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said. “For too long the residents of St. Louis have had to live with this contamination in their community.”
This site is one of many across the country to receive funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invested $3.5 billion in environmental remediation at Superfund sites. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has enabled these cleanup activities to move forward.
The in-place thermal treatment system uses heaters in the contaminated ground to warm soil and groundwater to remove contaminants more easily. First, this system allows heavier oil-like liquid contaminants to be extracted and transported off-site for proper disposal. The heaters also vaporize contaminants in the groundwater into gases. This steam will then be transported—via piping along a newly constructed temporary pontoon bridge across the Pine River—to the vapor treatment system located at the sister Velsicol Superfund site, also known as the Former Plant site. The system is expected to operate for one year and will then be deconstructed when cleanup is complete. Reuse of the treatment system, along with the previously established utility connection, enables a savings of $2 million in construction costs.
The historic investment made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law strengthens every part of the Superfund program, making a dramatic difference in EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment. In addition to funding cleanup construction work, the investment is enabling EPA to increase funding and accelerate essential work needed to prepare sites for construction and to ensure communities are meaningfully involved in the cleanup process. In 2023, EPA continued to fund Superfund pre-construction activities such as remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial designs, and community involvement at double pre-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law levels.
To learn more, visit EPA’s Burn Pit website.
“Thanks to the resources provided by the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA can clean up these sites much faster than we otherwise could,” Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said. “For too long the residents of St. Louis have had to live with this contamination in their community.”
This site is one of many across the country to receive funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invested $3.5 billion in environmental remediation at Superfund sites. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has enabled these cleanup activities to move forward.
The in-place thermal treatment system uses heaters in the contaminated ground to warm soil and groundwater to remove contaminants more easily. First, this system allows heavier oil-like liquid contaminants to be extracted and transported off-site for proper disposal. The heaters also vaporize contaminants in the groundwater into gases. This steam will then be transported—via piping along a newly constructed temporary pontoon bridge across the Pine River—to the vapor treatment system located at the sister Velsicol Superfund site, also known as the Former Plant site. The system is expected to operate for one year and will then be deconstructed when cleanup is complete. Reuse of the treatment system, along with the previously established utility connection, enables a savings of $2 million in construction costs.
The historic investment made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law strengthens every part of the Superfund program, making a dramatic difference in EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment. In addition to funding cleanup construction work, the investment is enabling EPA to increase funding and accelerate essential work needed to prepare sites for construction and to ensure communities are meaningfully involved in the cleanup process. In 2023, EPA continued to fund Superfund pre-construction activities such as remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial designs, and community involvement at double pre-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law levels.
To learn more, visit EPA’s Burn Pit website.
EPA Highlights Biden-Harris Administration’s New National Security Memorandum on Critical Infrastructure
WASHINGTON – Today, April 30, 2024, the White House issued a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) to secure and enhance the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure. The NSM will replace a decade-old presidential policy document on critical infrastructure protection and launch a comprehensive effort to protect U.S. infrastructure against all threats and hazards, current and future.
“Cybersecurity and climate change threats pose serious risks to the drinking water and wastewater services that people in this country rely on every day, and recent cyber attacks on water systems underscore the urgency of increased and coordinated action to protect public health and the environment,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “The Biden-Harris Administration is leading a comprehensive effort to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure against all threats, and the efforts outlined in the new National Security Memorandum are vital to ensuring that EPA and other federal entities are taking the necessary steps to safeguard public health and our economy.”
The NSM will help ensure U.S. critical infrastructure can provide the nation a strong and innovative economy, protect American families, and enhance our collective resilience to disasters before they happen – strengthening the nation for generations to come. This NSM specifically clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the lead federal agencies identified to improve the resilience of our critical infrastructure sectors against all hazards. EPA is the official sector risk management agency with respect to the water sector. The NSM also implements a coordinated national approach to assess and manage sector-specific risks.
Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, as well as the emergence of new technologies, America has a historic opportunity to build for the future. Good investments require taking steps to manage risk, and for our water infrastructure, that means building in resilience to all hazards upfront and by-design. Through the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced nearly $50 billion to modernize the nation’s water infrastructure. These resources, including more than $23 billion in drinking water and clean water State Revolving Funds, can be used to support a broad range of approaches to build resilience to all hazards, including climate resilience and cybersecurity threats.
The nation faces an era of strategic competition where state actors will continue to target American critical infrastructure – and tolerate or enable malicious activity conducted by non-state actors. In the event of crisis or conflict, America’s adversaries may attempt to compromise our critical infrastructure to undermine the will of the American public and impede the projection of U.S. military power abroad. Resilience, particularly for our most sensitive assets and systems, is the cornerstone of homeland defense and security.
Further, the growing impact of climate change, including changes to the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, as well as supply chain shocks and the potential for instability, conflict, or mass displacement, places strain on the infrastructure that Americans depend upon to live and do business.
National Security Memorandum
2023 National Intelligence Strategy
EPA Cybersecurity for the Water Sector
“Cybersecurity and climate change threats pose serious risks to the drinking water and wastewater services that people in this country rely on every day, and recent cyber attacks on water systems underscore the urgency of increased and coordinated action to protect public health and the environment,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “The Biden-Harris Administration is leading a comprehensive effort to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure against all threats, and the efforts outlined in the new National Security Memorandum are vital to ensuring that EPA and other federal entities are taking the necessary steps to safeguard public health and our economy.”
The NSM will help ensure U.S. critical infrastructure can provide the nation a strong and innovative economy, protect American families, and enhance our collective resilience to disasters before they happen – strengthening the nation for generations to come. This NSM specifically clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the lead federal agencies identified to improve the resilience of our critical infrastructure sectors against all hazards. EPA is the official sector risk management agency with respect to the water sector. The NSM also implements a coordinated national approach to assess and manage sector-specific risks.
Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, as well as the emergence of new technologies, America has a historic opportunity to build for the future. Good investments require taking steps to manage risk, and for our water infrastructure, that means building in resilience to all hazards upfront and by-design. Through the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced nearly $50 billion to modernize the nation’s water infrastructure. These resources, including more than $23 billion in drinking water and clean water State Revolving Funds, can be used to support a broad range of approaches to build resilience to all hazards, including climate resilience and cybersecurity threats.
The nation faces an era of strategic competition where state actors will continue to target American critical infrastructure – and tolerate or enable malicious activity conducted by non-state actors. In the event of crisis or conflict, America’s adversaries may attempt to compromise our critical infrastructure to undermine the will of the American public and impede the projection of U.S. military power abroad. Resilience, particularly for our most sensitive assets and systems, is the cornerstone of homeland defense and security.
Further, the growing impact of climate change, including changes to the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, as well as supply chain shocks and the potential for instability, conflict, or mass displacement, places strain on the infrastructure that Americans depend upon to live and do business.
National Security Memorandum
2023 National Intelligence Strategy
EPA Cybersecurity for the Water Sector