EPA Awards Over $80,000 to Adamah Detroit for Climate Education Program
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $80,748 to Adamah Detroit (formerly known as Hazon Detroit) in Detroit, Michigan as part of the Environmental Education Grants Program. The funding will be used to support an interfaith climate education project.
“We know that climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time, and it demands bold and innovative solutions,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This year’s grant recipients represent some of the brightest minds from across the country, and they demonstrate what it means to couple the power of environmental education with a commitment to creating a future with clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet for all.”
“Climate impacts are affecting our daily lives like never before, yet research shows that a minority—just over 1 in 3—of us is talking about climate, even occasionally,” said Adamah Detroit Director Amit Weitzer. “Together as partners engaging diverse communities of faith, Adamah Detroit and Michigan Interfaith Power & Light are excited to use Climate Conversations as a tool to help congregations move through barriers, like feelings of powerlessness and doom, and put their collective love for Earth and their neighbors into action”.
Adamah Detroit and its partner, Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, will conduct an educational series that includes 20 climate workshops. More than 240 people will participate, with members drawn from synagogues, churches and other religious groups. This educational series will discuss the realities of climate change and its disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities as well as provide a framework for individual and collective actions.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 million and $3.5 million in EE grant funding each year, for a total of over $91.3 million supporting more than 3,922 projects. The program traditionally provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques. For more information, visit the Environmental Education webpage.
To learn more about current and past award winners, or to apply for future EE grant competitions, visit the Environmental Education Grants webpage. This page is updated as future competitions are announced and additional grants are awarded.
“We know that climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time, and it demands bold and innovative solutions,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This year’s grant recipients represent some of the brightest minds from across the country, and they demonstrate what it means to couple the power of environmental education with a commitment to creating a future with clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet for all.”
“Climate impacts are affecting our daily lives like never before, yet research shows that a minority—just over 1 in 3—of us is talking about climate, even occasionally,” said Adamah Detroit Director Amit Weitzer. “Together as partners engaging diverse communities of faith, Adamah Detroit and Michigan Interfaith Power & Light are excited to use Climate Conversations as a tool to help congregations move through barriers, like feelings of powerlessness and doom, and put their collective love for Earth and their neighbors into action”.
Adamah Detroit and its partner, Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, will conduct an educational series that includes 20 climate workshops. More than 240 people will participate, with members drawn from synagogues, churches and other religious groups. This educational series will discuss the realities of climate change and its disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities as well as provide a framework for individual and collective actions.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 million and $3.5 million in EE grant funding each year, for a total of over $91.3 million supporting more than 3,922 projects. The program traditionally provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques. For more information, visit the Environmental Education webpage.
To learn more about current and past award winners, or to apply for future EE grant competitions, visit the Environmental Education Grants webpage. This page is updated as future competitions are announced and additional grants are awarded.
EPA Proposes to Remove Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Superfund Site in Kittery, Maine from Superfund List
BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to remove the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, located in Kittery, Maine, from the National Priorities List (NPL), commonly referred to as Superfund. EPA has determined that the site cleanup is complete, and no further remedial action is required. Operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities will continue at the site as needed, as well as five-year reviews to ensure the remedies continue to protect human health and the environment. The agency will accept public comments on the proposed deletion until September 15, 2023.
Site Background:
The 278-acre Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a restricted access military facility located on Seavey Island in the Piscataqua River at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor between Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Shipbuilding activities in Portsmouth Harbor date back to 1690. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established as a government facility in 1800. The first government-built submarine was designed and constructed there during World War I, and a large number of submarines have been designed, constructed, and repaired at this facility since 1917. Today, the shipyard employs approximately 5,000 civilians and approximately 200 active-duty military personnel with the primary mission being the conversion, overhaul, and repair of submarines for the US Navy.
Contamination at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard resulted from shipbuilding and submarine repair work, landfill operations, spills and leaks from industrial operations and piping, storage of batteries and other materials, filling of land, and outfalls to the river. Seven areas on and around the Shipyard have been identified for investigation. Contamination detected in groundwater, soils, and sediments include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), metals, and benzene. After the site was added to the NPL in 1994, extensive cleanup work was conducted over the following decades to address contamination issues, which have now been completed. The State of Maine has reviewed and commented on this action and concurs with EPA’s proposed deletion of this site from the National Priorities List.
Proposed Deletion Information and How to Comment:
Long-term stewardship will be ongoing to maintain institutional controls, security and ensure future land use is consistent with the remediation. EPA will continue to assess the environmental remediation work performed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Superfund Site every five years to ensure the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment, as required by the Superfund law. A proposed or final deletion does not prevent future actions under the Superfund law.
The NPL tracks the nation’s most contaminated sites that threaten human health or the environment. Sites on the list are eligible for cleanup under the Superfund program and once all the remedies are successfully implemented, EPA removes sites or parts of sites from the list.
EPA’s 30-day public comment period on the proposed deletion will begin August 16, 2023, and will end on September 15, 2023. The public or other interested parties may submit comments by mail or email:
Mail:
Robert Lim
US EPA Region 1 Mail code: 07-1
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Email: lim.robert@epa.gov
The Administrative Record on the Proposed Deletion can be found here: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Business-Lines/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Mid-Atlantic/Portsmouth-NSY/Administrative-Record/
All Site related materials can be found on at: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Business-Lines/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Mid-Atlantic/Portsmouth-NSY/
Materials can also be accessed at:
Rice Public Library
8 Wentworth Street
Kittery, ME 03904
(207) 439-1553
Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 427-1540
For more information or to have a hard copy sent to you, please contact: Charlotte Gray, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, gray.charlotte@epa.gov, Office: 617-918-1243, Toll free: 1-888-372-7341 ext. 8-1243
Aerial view of Portsmouth Naval Station
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Site Background:
The 278-acre Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a restricted access military facility located on Seavey Island in the Piscataqua River at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor between Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Shipbuilding activities in Portsmouth Harbor date back to 1690. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established as a government facility in 1800. The first government-built submarine was designed and constructed there during World War I, and a large number of submarines have been designed, constructed, and repaired at this facility since 1917. Today, the shipyard employs approximately 5,000 civilians and approximately 200 active-duty military personnel with the primary mission being the conversion, overhaul, and repair of submarines for the US Navy.
Contamination at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard resulted from shipbuilding and submarine repair work, landfill operations, spills and leaks from industrial operations and piping, storage of batteries and other materials, filling of land, and outfalls to the river. Seven areas on and around the Shipyard have been identified for investigation. Contamination detected in groundwater, soils, and sediments include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), metals, and benzene. After the site was added to the NPL in 1994, extensive cleanup work was conducted over the following decades to address contamination issues, which have now been completed. The State of Maine has reviewed and commented on this action and concurs with EPA’s proposed deletion of this site from the National Priorities List.
Proposed Deletion Information and How to Comment:
Long-term stewardship will be ongoing to maintain institutional controls, security and ensure future land use is consistent with the remediation. EPA will continue to assess the environmental remediation work performed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Superfund Site every five years to ensure the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment, as required by the Superfund law. A proposed or final deletion does not prevent future actions under the Superfund law.
The NPL tracks the nation’s most contaminated sites that threaten human health or the environment. Sites on the list are eligible for cleanup under the Superfund program and once all the remedies are successfully implemented, EPA removes sites or parts of sites from the list.
EPA’s 30-day public comment period on the proposed deletion will begin August 16, 2023, and will end on September 15, 2023. The public or other interested parties may submit comments by mail or email:
Mail:
Robert Lim
US EPA Region 1 Mail code: 07-1
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Email: lim.robert@epa.gov
The Administrative Record on the Proposed Deletion can be found here: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Business-Lines/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Mid-Atlantic/Portsmouth-NSY/Administrative-Record/
All Site related materials can be found on at: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Business-Lines/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Mid-Atlantic/Portsmouth-NSY/
Materials can also be accessed at:
Rice Public Library
8 Wentworth Street
Kittery, ME 03904
(207) 439-1553
Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 427-1540
For more information or to have a hard copy sent to you, please contact: Charlotte Gray, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, gray.charlotte@epa.gov, Office: 617-918-1243, Toll free: 1-888-372-7341 ext. 8-1243
Aerial view of Portsmouth Naval Station
# # #
EPA to Host a Virtual Public Meeting on BASF North Works Site Cleanup in Wyandotte, Michigan
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a virtual public information session on August 23 to discuss cleanup progress at the BASF North Works site in Wyandotte, Michigan. BASF, the responsible party, is conducting the cleanup under the direction of EPA.
During the session, EPA and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) will provide updates on the cleanup and provide information on groundwater contamination, PFAS site sampling data, and potential impacts on the Detroit River.
The information session will begin with a brief presentation, followed by questions and answers:
When: 6-7 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 23
Link to event: Microsoft Teams Meeting Link
BASF is currently operating two wells to extract and treat groundwater which is contaminated with PFAS and PFOS before pumping it to the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority. BASF has also proposed installing perimeter barriers and a groundwater pump-and-treatment system as interim steps while EPA and EGLE evaluate final remedy options. The federal and state agencies anticipate that these measures will become a major part of any final cleanup action for site.
Spanning roughly 230 acres, the BASF North Works facility is bound to the east by the Detroit River and is used to manufacture chemical products. The site has been used for industrial operations since the late 1800s when Detroit River marshland was drained and filled.
For more information on the BASF North Works RCRA cleanup site, click here.
During the session, EPA and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) will provide updates on the cleanup and provide information on groundwater contamination, PFAS site sampling data, and potential impacts on the Detroit River.
The information session will begin with a brief presentation, followed by questions and answers:
When: 6-7 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 23
Link to event: Microsoft Teams Meeting Link
BASF is currently operating two wells to extract and treat groundwater which is contaminated with PFAS and PFOS before pumping it to the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority. BASF has also proposed installing perimeter barriers and a groundwater pump-and-treatment system as interim steps while EPA and EGLE evaluate final remedy options. The federal and state agencies anticipate that these measures will become a major part of any final cleanup action for site.
Spanning roughly 230 acres, the BASF North Works facility is bound to the east by the Detroit River and is used to manufacture chemical products. The site has been used for industrial operations since the late 1800s when Detroit River marshland was drained and filled.
For more information on the BASF North Works RCRA cleanup site, click here.
EPA removing portion of Jackson Ceramix Site from list of nation’s most contaminated sites
PHILADELPHIA (August 16, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deleted an eight-acre portion of the Jackson Ceramix Superfund Site from the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a list of the nation’s most contaminated hazardous sites. Portions of sites can be removed from the NPL after investigations conclude that no further action is needed to address public health.
The Jackson Ceramix Superfund Site is approximately 233 acres in both Jefferson and Clearfield Counties, Pennsylvania. EPA added the Site to the NPL in 2005 to address contamination from a former facility that manufactured china from 1917 to 1985. The portion of the Site removed from the NPL is known as the Baseball Field Area, located wholly in Jefferson County. It was initially identified as an area of concern because evidence suggested that china was buried in or near this portion during facility operations. However, after conducting a remedial investigation of the Baseball Field Area, EPA found that contaminants were not found in soils or the unsaturated subsurface at concentrations that would pose a risk to human health or the environment.
When a site - or portion of a site - meets the criteria for deletion from the NPL, EPA works with its state government partners on concurrence. In this instance, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection concurred with the partial deletion. EPA announced its intent to partially delete a portion of the Site on February 22, 2023, beginning a 30-day public comment period during which EPA received no significant comments.
EPA will use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to continue working on the remedial actions for the Site. Additional information and updates can be found by visiting the Jackson Ceramix Superfund webpage, https://www.epa.gov/superfund/jacksonceramix.
The Jackson Ceramix Superfund Site is approximately 233 acres in both Jefferson and Clearfield Counties, Pennsylvania. EPA added the Site to the NPL in 2005 to address contamination from a former facility that manufactured china from 1917 to 1985. The portion of the Site removed from the NPL is known as the Baseball Field Area, located wholly in Jefferson County. It was initially identified as an area of concern because evidence suggested that china was buried in or near this portion during facility operations. However, after conducting a remedial investigation of the Baseball Field Area, EPA found that contaminants were not found in soils or the unsaturated subsurface at concentrations that would pose a risk to human health or the environment.
When a site - or portion of a site - meets the criteria for deletion from the NPL, EPA works with its state government partners on concurrence. In this instance, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection concurred with the partial deletion. EPA announced its intent to partially delete a portion of the Site on February 22, 2023, beginning a 30-day public comment period during which EPA received no significant comments.
EPA will use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to continue working on the remedial actions for the Site. Additional information and updates can be found by visiting the Jackson Ceramix Superfund webpage, https://www.epa.gov/superfund/jacksonceramix.
EPA Removes Part of Aircraft Components Inc. Site in Benton Harbor, Michigan, from Superfund List
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the removal of the radiation operable unit, or OU1, portion of the Aircraft Components Inc. Superfund site in Benton Harbor, Michigan, from the National Priorities List, or NPL. Cleanup is complete in this part of the site, but groundwater treatment and monitoring at the chemical operable unit will continue until no further cleanup is needed.
“Removing a portion of this site from the National Priorities List makes it available for redevelopment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. “This site already supports a thriving business community and will continue to as we proceed with the remaining cleanup. EPA is proud to work with communities to help transform contaminated eyesores into flourishing commercial centers.”
EPA deletes sites or parts of sites from the NPL only when no further cleanup is required, and the area is ready for productive use. The 17-acre Aircraft Components Superfund site is located next to the Paw Paw River in Benton Harbor. Several manufacturing companies operated on site, including an airplane parts resale business. These aircraft parts had deteriorated, raising concerns of radioactive paint and dust in the environment.
In 2003, EPA cleaned up this portion of the Superfund site, which involved removing and disposing radiologically contaminated soil and demolishing buildings, utilities, and foundations. The chemical operable unit of the site, or OU2, will remain on the NPL until ongoing groundwater treatment and monitoring show that all regulatory standards are met.
The site is part of a community-wide redevelopment project that includes a craft brewery warehouse and hole 14 of the Harbor Shores Golf Course. The course is also connected to the local arts community and features sculptures at each hole created by area artists.
Sites on the NPL include the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of hazardous substances. EPA deletes sites or parts of sites from the NPL when no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment.
EPA encourages site reuse and deleting a site from the NPL can help revitalize communities, raise property values, and promote economic growth by signaling to potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup is complete.
Visit EPA’s website for more information.
“Removing a portion of this site from the National Priorities List makes it available for redevelopment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. “This site already supports a thriving business community and will continue to as we proceed with the remaining cleanup. EPA is proud to work with communities to help transform contaminated eyesores into flourishing commercial centers.”
EPA deletes sites or parts of sites from the NPL only when no further cleanup is required, and the area is ready for productive use. The 17-acre Aircraft Components Superfund site is located next to the Paw Paw River in Benton Harbor. Several manufacturing companies operated on site, including an airplane parts resale business. These aircraft parts had deteriorated, raising concerns of radioactive paint and dust in the environment.
In 2003, EPA cleaned up this portion of the Superfund site, which involved removing and disposing radiologically contaminated soil and demolishing buildings, utilities, and foundations. The chemical operable unit of the site, or OU2, will remain on the NPL until ongoing groundwater treatment and monitoring show that all regulatory standards are met.
The site is part of a community-wide redevelopment project that includes a craft brewery warehouse and hole 14 of the Harbor Shores Golf Course. The course is also connected to the local arts community and features sculptures at each hole created by area artists.
Sites on the NPL include the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of hazardous substances. EPA deletes sites or parts of sites from the NPL when no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment.
EPA encourages site reuse and deleting a site from the NPL can help revitalize communities, raise property values, and promote economic growth by signaling to potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup is complete.
Visit EPA’s website for more information.
U.S. EPA Completes Typhoon Mawar Recovery Mission Assignments in Guam
TAMUNING, GUAM – In response to Typhoon Mawar, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mission assignments to support the restoration of water infrastructure, including both safe drinking water and wastewater systems, and the collection and proper disposal of hazardous waste and oil on Guam.
Completion of these two mission assignments would not have been possible without the efforts of over 100 personnel from EPA, support contractors both on- and off-island, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel that deployed on-island and virtually, as well as the efforts of Guam EPA, Guam Department of Education, Guam Department of Health and Social Services (Guam DPHSS), and Guam Water Works Authority (GWA).
“EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, and responding to disasters is a critical part of that,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Superfund and Emergency Management Division Director Mike Montgomery. “Close coordination with the Government of Guam, as well as our federal and local partners, resulted in the restoration of safe drinking water, sanitation services and the removal of dangerous waste.”
Recovery efforts required collaboration from all levels of government
EPA’s water infrastructure efforts focused primarily on working with Guam EPA, Guam DPHSS, and GWA to restore safe drinking water, sample and assess water vending machines, and inspect wastewater treatment facilities immediately after the typhoon.
Water sampling efforts
For the hazardous waste and oil mission, EPA's focus was the sorting of materials at the three debris collection sites in Dededo, Barrigada, and Tamuning. This potentially dangerous material secured and removed included paint, petroleum products, pesticides, fluorescent lightbulbs, batteries, and electronics. Two additional important elements of this mission were the assessment and removal of hazardous waste and ewaste from 41 public schools, which was critical to efforts to reopen schools in August, and damage assessments at over 150 facilities permitted to store hazardous materials. Critical support from contractors and the U.S. Coast Guard was a key piece of this mission.
Waste collection site – pictured here are pallets of car batteries in the foreground and white goods/household appliances in the background
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Completion of these two mission assignments would not have been possible without the efforts of over 100 personnel from EPA, support contractors both on- and off-island, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel that deployed on-island and virtually, as well as the efforts of Guam EPA, Guam Department of Education, Guam Department of Health and Social Services (Guam DPHSS), and Guam Water Works Authority (GWA).
“EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, and responding to disasters is a critical part of that,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Superfund and Emergency Management Division Director Mike Montgomery. “Close coordination with the Government of Guam, as well as our federal and local partners, resulted in the restoration of safe drinking water, sanitation services and the removal of dangerous waste.”
Recovery efforts required collaboration from all levels of government
EPA’s water infrastructure efforts focused primarily on working with Guam EPA, Guam DPHSS, and GWA to restore safe drinking water, sample and assess water vending machines, and inspect wastewater treatment facilities immediately after the typhoon.
Water sampling efforts
For the hazardous waste and oil mission, EPA's focus was the sorting of materials at the three debris collection sites in Dededo, Barrigada, and Tamuning. This potentially dangerous material secured and removed included paint, petroleum products, pesticides, fluorescent lightbulbs, batteries, and electronics. Two additional important elements of this mission were the assessment and removal of hazardous waste and ewaste from 41 public schools, which was critical to efforts to reopen schools in August, and damage assessments at over 150 facilities permitted to store hazardous materials. Critical support from contractors and the U.S. Coast Guard was a key piece of this mission.
Waste collection site – pictured here are pallets of car batteries in the foreground and white goods/household appliances in the background
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
FACT SHEET: Marking One Year of the Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON, DC, August 16, 2023 – One year ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes the largest investment in climate action in history. As a core pillar of Bidenomics and the President’s Investing in America agenda, the law is lowering energy costs, bringing opportunity to communities across America and tackling the climate crisis through investments in agriculture, forest restoration, and rural communities.
New ships coming to trans-Pacific expected to overwhelm rate gains
A sharp increase in new vessel deliveries over the coming weeks is forecast to put more pressure on ocean carriers to blank sailings — or face falling rates.