LA-LB port interests spar with agency over emissions rule under development
The regional air quality board is pushing back against what it says is “grossly inaccurate rhetoric” from transport interests who say a cap on Southern California cargo volumes may be on the horizon.
Trade News Snapshot – Volume 5, Issue 6
EAC's Message
Summer has just flown by, and we’re already in the midst of back-to-school season!
It's an exciting time for students and parents alike, but also a time that requires us to be especially vigilant. As we go about…
Summer has just flown by, and we’re already in the midst of back-to-school season!
It's an exciting time for students and parents alike, but also a time that requires us to be especially vigilant. As we go about…
QB 23-305 2024 Specialty Sugar Period 1
Commodity:
Specialty Sugar provided for in Chapter 17, Additional U.S. Note 5
Quota Period:
October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024
Opening Date:
Monday, October 2, 2023 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) for all time zones. …
Specialty Sugar provided for in Chapter 17, Additional U.S. Note 5
Quota Period:
October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024
Opening Date:
Monday, October 2, 2023 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) for all time zones. …
Nevada-Based Thatcher Agrees to Pay Penalty, Undertake Project for Fire Department to Settle Claims of Chemical Safety Violations
RENO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Thatcher Company of Nevada, Inc. to resolve claims of Clean Air Act and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act violations at the company's Sparks-based facility. At the time of EPA’s inspection, the facility stored and redistributed chemicals including chlorine and sulfur dioxide, regulated toxic substances.
Based upon information obtained during a November 2021 inspection and subsequent investigation, EPA determined that the facility did not have the required safety information for equipment inside of its chemical storage and repackaging warehouse, such as information to show that its ventilation system complied with industry standards and safety information for its scrubber to mitigate potential hazardous releases. EPA also determined that Thatcher failed to check the safety performance history of its contractors before selection, had inconsistencies between written and actual operating procedures, and needed to implement the recommendations from its analysis of hazards in its chemical processes.
"It's essential that facilities properly handle regulated toxic substances," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "EPA will not hesitate to enforce federal laws designed to prevent chemical accidents that endanger public safety."
As part of the settlement, Thatcher will pay a $69,396 penalty. In addition, the facility agreed to complete a supplemental environmental project valued at $110,756 to purchase emergency response equipment for the Sparks Fire Department. Specifically, the company will buy portable shelters and shelter accessories that can be used to respond to emergencies involving hazardous materials.
The facility has returned to compliance with the violations observed during EPA's inspection.
About Clean Air Act Section 112(r):
Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act requires companies that use regulated flammable and toxic substances to develop and implement a Risk Management Program. An adequately designed Risk Management Program includes the following:
A hazard assessment that details the potential effects of an accidental release, an accident history of the last five years, and an evaluation of worst-case and alternative accidental release scenarios.
A prevention program that includes safety precautions and maintenance, monitoring, and employee training measures.
An emergency response program that spells out emergency health care, employee training measures, and procedures for informing the public and response agencies (e.g., the fire department) should an accident occur.
Supplemental Environmental Projects:
A supplemental environmental project is an environmentally beneficial project or activity that is not required by law, but that a party agrees to undertake as part of the settlement of an enforcement action. Such projects or activities go beyond what could legally be required of the defendant, and secure environmental and/or public health benefits in addition to those achieved by compliance with the law.
For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA's enforcement reporting website.
For more information on industry reporting requirements for the storage, use, and releases of certain chemicals to federal, state, tribal, territorial, and/or local governments, visit EPA’s Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act webpage.
For more information on Clean Air Act Section 112(r), visit the website of the EPA's Fact Sheet: Clean Air Act Section 112(r): Accidental Release Prevention / Risk Management Plan Rule.
Learn more about EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on X.
Based upon information obtained during a November 2021 inspection and subsequent investigation, EPA determined that the facility did not have the required safety information for equipment inside of its chemical storage and repackaging warehouse, such as information to show that its ventilation system complied with industry standards and safety information for its scrubber to mitigate potential hazardous releases. EPA also determined that Thatcher failed to check the safety performance history of its contractors before selection, had inconsistencies between written and actual operating procedures, and needed to implement the recommendations from its analysis of hazards in its chemical processes.
"It's essential that facilities properly handle regulated toxic substances," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "EPA will not hesitate to enforce federal laws designed to prevent chemical accidents that endanger public safety."
As part of the settlement, Thatcher will pay a $69,396 penalty. In addition, the facility agreed to complete a supplemental environmental project valued at $110,756 to purchase emergency response equipment for the Sparks Fire Department. Specifically, the company will buy portable shelters and shelter accessories that can be used to respond to emergencies involving hazardous materials.
The facility has returned to compliance with the violations observed during EPA's inspection.
About Clean Air Act Section 112(r):
Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act requires companies that use regulated flammable and toxic substances to develop and implement a Risk Management Program. An adequately designed Risk Management Program includes the following:
A hazard assessment that details the potential effects of an accidental release, an accident history of the last five years, and an evaluation of worst-case and alternative accidental release scenarios.
A prevention program that includes safety precautions and maintenance, monitoring, and employee training measures.
An emergency response program that spells out emergency health care, employee training measures, and procedures for informing the public and response agencies (e.g., the fire department) should an accident occur.
Supplemental Environmental Projects:
A supplemental environmental project is an environmentally beneficial project or activity that is not required by law, but that a party agrees to undertake as part of the settlement of an enforcement action. Such projects or activities go beyond what could legally be required of the defendant, and secure environmental and/or public health benefits in addition to those achieved by compliance with the law.
For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA's enforcement reporting website.
For more information on industry reporting requirements for the storage, use, and releases of certain chemicals to federal, state, tribal, territorial, and/or local governments, visit EPA’s Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act webpage.
For more information on Clean Air Act Section 112(r), visit the website of the EPA's Fact Sheet: Clean Air Act Section 112(r): Accidental Release Prevention / Risk Management Plan Rule.
Learn more about EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on X.
Final Oil and Gas Lease to be Relinquished in Montana’s Badger-Two Medicine Area
WASHINGTON – The Departments of Agriculture and the Interior today announced that, as part of a settlement with the sole remaining lessee, the final federal oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area will be relinquished. This significant milestone, decades in the making, will help ensure that the natural and cultural resources on the ancestral homelands of the Blackfeet Nation are protected.
QB 24-502 2024 Tobacco
Commodity
Tobacco
Quota Period
September 13, 2023 through September 12, 2024
Opening Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2023
Restraint Levels
Country
Restraint Level
UOM
Argentina
10,750,000
Kilograms
Brazil
80,200,000…
Tobacco
Quota Period
September 13, 2023 through September 12, 2024
Opening Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2023
Restraint Levels
Country
Restraint Level
UOM
Argentina
10,750,000
Kilograms
Brazil
80,200,000…
CMA CGM closes deal for two New York-New Jersey marine terminals
The completion of the terminal acquisitions gives the carrier a stronger footprint in the US’s largest East Coast gateway.
Biden-Harris Administration Invests $20M for Research on Restoration of Degraded Forests, Grasslands, and Watersheds
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2023 – Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is investing $20 million to fund 30 research studies to develop new technologies and data that will increase restoration of degraded forests, grasslands, and watersheds.