EPA approves air permit for construction activity of Revolution Wind offshore wind project
BOSTON (Sept. 29, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its approval of the final Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf air quality permit for Revolution Wind, LLC. The permit includes air pollution control requirements for the construction and operation of a windfarm of up to 880 megawatts. EPA's approval is in concert with other federal approvals for the project, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) Record of Decision.
"When built, the 880-megawatt Revolution Wind energy project will contribute to the Biden-Harris administration's goal of generating 30 gigawatts of clean, abundant energy from offshore wind by 2030, contributing to our clean energy future, growing clean tech jobs, and making sure our communities most overburdened by air pollution can breathe clean air," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "The approval of this Clean Air Act permit means construction can begin and that we will ensure the best available technology is used to reduce air pollution associated with construction activity and ongoing operation of the wind farm."
The permit regulates pollutants from "Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sources," such as jack-up barges that will construct each wind turbine and the electrical service platforms. Additionally, emissions associated with air-emitting devices used during the operation of the windfarm, i.e., generators used as a source of back-up electricity for space conditioning where sensitive electronics are housed, are also regulated.
The permit allows construction to begin on the offshore "wind development area" (WDA) located in federal waters, approximately 7.5 nautical miles south of Nomans Land Island, Massachusetts. The WDA facility will consist of up to 100 offshore wind turbine generators and their foundations, two Offshore Substations, and inter-array cables.
More information
Electronic copies of the permit, fact sheet and all supporting materials, on EPA's website at: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/epa-issued-caa-permits-region-1.
Clean Air Act Permitting by EPA: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting
"When built, the 880-megawatt Revolution Wind energy project will contribute to the Biden-Harris administration's goal of generating 30 gigawatts of clean, abundant energy from offshore wind by 2030, contributing to our clean energy future, growing clean tech jobs, and making sure our communities most overburdened by air pollution can breathe clean air," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "The approval of this Clean Air Act permit means construction can begin and that we will ensure the best available technology is used to reduce air pollution associated with construction activity and ongoing operation of the wind farm."
The permit regulates pollutants from "Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sources," such as jack-up barges that will construct each wind turbine and the electrical service platforms. Additionally, emissions associated with air-emitting devices used during the operation of the windfarm, i.e., generators used as a source of back-up electricity for space conditioning where sensitive electronics are housed, are also regulated.
The permit allows construction to begin on the offshore "wind development area" (WDA) located in federal waters, approximately 7.5 nautical miles south of Nomans Land Island, Massachusetts. The WDA facility will consist of up to 100 offshore wind turbine generators and their foundations, two Offshore Substations, and inter-array cables.
More information
Electronic copies of the permit, fact sheet and all supporting materials, on EPA's website at: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/epa-issued-caa-permits-region-1.
Clean Air Act Permitting by EPA: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting
MEDIA ADVISORY: Public meeting scheduled to address cleanup plan for Applegate Lane property in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 29, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the Louisville Metro Emergency Services (LMES) and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KYDEP), will host a public meeting on Thursday, October 5, 2023, to introduce the plan to clean up hazardous materials found at a home on Applegate Lane in Louisville and answer questions.
Protecting the health and safety of workers and surrounding residents during this process is the top priority for the agencies involved. EPA, in coordination with LMES and KYDEP, plans to demolish the property using a controlled, mechanical approach that will remove and destroy the hazardous materials. EPA will discuss the plan and will also address safety measures being taken to ensure the community is protected.
WHO: EPA, LMES and KYDEP
WHAT: Public meeting
WHEN: Thursday, October 5, 2023, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Highview Baptist Church
7711 Fegenbush Lane
Louisville, KY 40228
***5:30 p.m. - Press Availability*** Interested credentialed media should e-mail an RSVP to region4press@epa.gov. Please include your name, media affiliation and contact information.
Protecting the health and safety of workers and surrounding residents during this process is the top priority for the agencies involved. EPA, in coordination with LMES and KYDEP, plans to demolish the property using a controlled, mechanical approach that will remove and destroy the hazardous materials. EPA will discuss the plan and will also address safety measures being taken to ensure the community is protected.
WHO: EPA, LMES and KYDEP
WHAT: Public meeting
WHEN: Thursday, October 5, 2023, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Highview Baptist Church
7711 Fegenbush Lane
Louisville, KY 40228
***5:30 p.m. - Press Availability*** Interested credentialed media should e-mail an RSVP to region4press@epa.gov. Please include your name, media affiliation and contact information.
SC Ports turns to US Supreme Court in bid for relief over Leatherman dispute
While the South Carolina Ports Authority cited the “urgency and importance” of the Leatherman terminal issue to the state and regional economies, getting on the Court’s docket is a daunting task.
Biden-Harris Administration Makes Available Historic $3 Billion for Climate-Smart Practices on Agricultural Lands Through Investing in America Agenda
WASHINGTON, September 28, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making more than $3 billion in funding available for agricultural producers and forest landowners nationwide to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices in fiscal year 2024 as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The announcement comes as the Biden-Harris Administration hosts the first-ever White House Climate Resilience Summit.
USDA, Other Agencies Clarify Protections in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to Better Protect Against Antisemitism, Islamophobia and Related Forms of Discrimination
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is fulfilling one of its many commitments to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of discrimination and bias and better protect the civil rights of all Americans. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s U.S.
USDA Launches Nutrition Hub to Combat Diet-Related Diseases in Underserved Communities
ALEXANDRIA, La., Sept. 28, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the opening of a pilot Nutrition Hub under the Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) initiative.
EPA Reaches Agreement with Navajo Tribal Utility Authority to Improve Wastewater Treatment
FLAGSTAFF – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two settlements with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) to address non-compliance with its Clean Water Act wastewater programs. NTUA operates the Shiprock and Window Rock wastewater treatment plants, which discharge treated wastewater within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation.
The two treatment plants collect and treat sewage from five communities in the Navajo Nation, serving over 13,000 people. The Shiprock plant serves the community of Shiprock, and discharges treated water into the San Juan River, while the Window Rock plant serves the communities of Fort Defiance, St. Michaels, Tse Bonito, and Window Rock and discharges treated wastewater into Black Creek.
“Through these compliance orders, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority will work to improve the operation and maintenance of its UV disinfection systems at the Shiprock and Window Rock treatment plants,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA is working with the Authority to ensure wastewater discharges meet the highest standards, protecting the San Juan River and Black Creek and safeguarding the health of Navajo Nation communities.”
Following an August 2021 inspection of the Shiprock plant, EPA determined that NTUA’s wastewater treatment did not comply with federal Clean Water Act regulations. The plant discharged wastewater that exceeded the permitted limit for E. coli concentrations. These exceedances were caused by inadequate operation and maintenance of the ultraviolet disinfection system.
After completing a November 2021 inspection, EPA similarly determined inadequate operation and maintenance of the ultraviolet disinfection system at the Window Rock plant caused multiple exceedances of the limit for E. coli concentrations between April 30, 2020, and June 30, 2022.
Wastewater with high concentrations of E. coli discharged into waters such as the San Juan River and Black Creek poses risks to public health. Coming into contact with water containing elevated levels of E. Coli can cause illnesses that induce vomiting and diarrhea and may indicate the presence of other disease-causing viruses and bacteria.
Learn more about EPA enforcement requirements and wastewater management under the Clean Water Act on EPA’s Water Enforcement webpage.
For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA’s enforcement reporting website.
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on X.
The two treatment plants collect and treat sewage from five communities in the Navajo Nation, serving over 13,000 people. The Shiprock plant serves the community of Shiprock, and discharges treated water into the San Juan River, while the Window Rock plant serves the communities of Fort Defiance, St. Michaels, Tse Bonito, and Window Rock and discharges treated wastewater into Black Creek.
“Through these compliance orders, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority will work to improve the operation and maintenance of its UV disinfection systems at the Shiprock and Window Rock treatment plants,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA is working with the Authority to ensure wastewater discharges meet the highest standards, protecting the San Juan River and Black Creek and safeguarding the health of Navajo Nation communities.”
Following an August 2021 inspection of the Shiprock plant, EPA determined that NTUA’s wastewater treatment did not comply with federal Clean Water Act regulations. The plant discharged wastewater that exceeded the permitted limit for E. coli concentrations. These exceedances were caused by inadequate operation and maintenance of the ultraviolet disinfection system.
After completing a November 2021 inspection, EPA similarly determined inadequate operation and maintenance of the ultraviolet disinfection system at the Window Rock plant caused multiple exceedances of the limit for E. coli concentrations between April 30, 2020, and June 30, 2022.
Wastewater with high concentrations of E. coli discharged into waters such as the San Juan River and Black Creek poses risks to public health. Coming into contact with water containing elevated levels of E. Coli can cause illnesses that induce vomiting and diarrhea and may indicate the presence of other disease-causing viruses and bacteria.
Learn more about EPA enforcement requirements and wastewater management under the Clean Water Act on EPA’s Water Enforcement webpage.
For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA’s enforcement reporting website.
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on X.
New EPA Strategy Directs All EPA Enforcement and Compliance Programs to Help Tackle the Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy, directing all enforcement and compliance programs to address climate change, wherever appropriate, in every matter within their jurisdiction. To meet this challenge, EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance will incorporate where appropriate climate-related solutions and measures to reduce, prevent, and prepare for the impacts of climate change in its criminal, civil, cleanup, and federal facility enforcement actions.
“The threats posed by climate change have never been greater, as we mark the warmest year on record, with more billion-dollar weather events than any year in U.S. history,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA’s climate enforcement and compliance strategy reflects the urgency of holding polluters accountable for unlawful emissions that contribute to climate change, as well as the importance of incorporating climate resilience and adaptation requirements in our cases. These efforts are particularly necessary in overburdened and marginalized communities that are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”
The Climate Strategy directs all EPA criminal, civil, cleanup and federal facilities activities to apply the following: (1) prioritize enforcement and compliance actions to mitigate climate change; (2) include climate adaptation and resilience requirements in case conclusions whenever appropriate; and (3) provide technical assistance to achieve climate-related solutions and build climate change capacity among EPA staff and its state and local partners.
Last month, EPA announced EPA’s first-ever national enforcement and compliance initiative (NECI) on climate change, which will target methane emissions from oil and gas facilities and landfills as well as illegal importation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in violation of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (the AIM Act), which phases down production and consumption of HFCs, consistent with the Kigali Amendment. The Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy announced today builds on EPA’s climate change NECI and goes further by requiring EPA’s enforcement and compliance programs to fairly and vigorously enforce the full array of EPA’s current and future climate rules, including, but not limited to, greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting requirements and limits on other climate pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. In addition, the Strategy directs EPA staff to “embrace climate-related solutions, whenever appropriate…so that entities in both criminal and civil enforcement matters factor climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience into their operations.”
EPA’s Climate Strategy is consistent with and supports President Biden’s Executive Order 14008, which calls on all federal agencies to implement a whole of government approach to tackling the climate crisis. It also supports EPA Administrator Regan’s decision to designate addressing the climate crisis as the top cross-cutting goal in EPA’s Strategic Plan.
Read EPA’s Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy.
“The threats posed by climate change have never been greater, as we mark the warmest year on record, with more billion-dollar weather events than any year in U.S. history,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA’s climate enforcement and compliance strategy reflects the urgency of holding polluters accountable for unlawful emissions that contribute to climate change, as well as the importance of incorporating climate resilience and adaptation requirements in our cases. These efforts are particularly necessary in overburdened and marginalized communities that are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”
The Climate Strategy directs all EPA criminal, civil, cleanup and federal facilities activities to apply the following: (1) prioritize enforcement and compliance actions to mitigate climate change; (2) include climate adaptation and resilience requirements in case conclusions whenever appropriate; and (3) provide technical assistance to achieve climate-related solutions and build climate change capacity among EPA staff and its state and local partners.
Last month, EPA announced EPA’s first-ever national enforcement and compliance initiative (NECI) on climate change, which will target methane emissions from oil and gas facilities and landfills as well as illegal importation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in violation of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (the AIM Act), which phases down production and consumption of HFCs, consistent with the Kigali Amendment. The Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy announced today builds on EPA’s climate change NECI and goes further by requiring EPA’s enforcement and compliance programs to fairly and vigorously enforce the full array of EPA’s current and future climate rules, including, but not limited to, greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting requirements and limits on other climate pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. In addition, the Strategy directs EPA staff to “embrace climate-related solutions, whenever appropriate…so that entities in both criminal and civil enforcement matters factor climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience into their operations.”
EPA’s Climate Strategy is consistent with and supports President Biden’s Executive Order 14008, which calls on all federal agencies to implement a whole of government approach to tackling the climate crisis. It also supports EPA Administrator Regan’s decision to designate addressing the climate crisis as the top cross-cutting goal in EPA’s Strategic Plan.
Read EPA’s Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy.