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Release Date: 04/11/2012Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA – Today, the city of Tampa was listed as 1 of 25 cities with the greatest number of energy-efficient buildings that earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star certification in 2011.

Energy Star labeled buildings in Tampa achieved significant reductions in their energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. These buildings represent more than 14 million square feet and will save nearly $15 million annually in energy costs while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions of 2,200 homes a year. Energy Star buildings and plants are America’s energy all-stars – they save more, use less and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

By the end of 2011, the nearly 16,500 Energy Star certified buildings across America have helped save nearly $2.3 billion in annual utility bills and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from the annual energy use of more than 1.5 million homes.

First released in 2008, the list of cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings continues to show how cities across America, with help from Energy Star, are embracing energy efficiency as a simple and effective way to save money and prevent pollution. Los Angeles has remained the top city since 2008, while Washington, D.C. continues to hold onto second place for the third year in a row. Atlanta moved up from the number six spot in 2010 to third place this year and Boston and Riverside broke into the top ten. Tampa, Fla., Colorado Springs, Colo. and Salt Lake City all are new to the list in 2011. California has six cities on the 2011 list—more than any other state.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s Energy Star must perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide and must be independently verified by a licensed professional engineer or a registered architect. Energy Star certified buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings. Fifteen types of commercial buildings can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, and retail stores.

Launched in 1992 by EPA, Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. This year marks Energy Star’s 20th anniversary. Over the past 20 years, with help from Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved about $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon pollution. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products and more than 1.3 million new homes.

More on the 2011 top cities: http://www.energystar.gov/TopCities

More on Energy Star certified buildings: http://energystar.gov/buildinglist

More about earning the Energy Star for commercial buildings: http://energystar.gov/labeledbuildings

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Release Date: 02/28/2012Contact Information: John Martin (212) 637- 3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the 2010 list of waters in New Jersey that are considered either impaired or threatened by pollutants. An impaired water body is one that does not meet federal water quality standards even after pollution controls have been put in place. A threatened water body is one that is expected to be impaired within two years. The list helps establish priorities for addressing threats from water pollution.

“Identifying and prioritizing the state’s most seriously polluted waters are important steps in our work to reduce water pollution,” said Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "New Jersey faces serious water quality challenges including the need to reduce pollution from combined sewer systems that allow raw sewage to flow into waterways when it rains. By upgrading old infrastructure and implementing green infrastructure strategies, New Jersey communities can improve water quality.”

The Clean Water Act requires states to assess the quality of their waters and to report their findings to the EPA every two years. The list is compiled by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and is a valuable tool for reaching the Clean Water Act goal of “fishable and swimmable” waters for all of New Jersey.

The list specifically includes impaired waters for which the development of budgets for the amount of water pollution allowed is necessary. The budgets define the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. They are developed by states and approved by the EPA once the agency determines that the budget will allow the water body to achieve water quality standards.

The most common pollutants causing impairment in New Jersey water bodies include PCBs (8.33%), dissolved oxygen (8.19%), phosphorus (7.86%), pH (7.62%), and arsenic (6.89%). New Jersey’s 2010 list identifies 2,112 instances in which a pollutant is causing an impairment of a water body that keeps it from supporting its “designated use” for drinking water, swimming and recreation, fishing or other activities specified by the state.

The list also notes the most common sources of water pollutants, which include urban/stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflows from systems that capture both domestic sewage and stormwater, and air pollution, including acid rain. A pollutant may come from more than one source.

In 2010, new pollutants were included for waters in the basins of the Hudson River, the Passaic River, the Raritan River, the Delaware Bay, and others. The EPA will continue to work with state and local governments to ensure that impaired waters are cleaned up.

A complete list of impaired waters in New Jersey is available at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/water/waterbodies.

Follow the EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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Release Date: 01/23/2012Contact Information: David Deegan, 617-918-1017

(Boston—January 23, 2012)  Carole Fowler, an Environmental Technician with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, is being honored with a "2011 Regional State Wastewater Operator Certification Provider Excellence Award" by EPA.   
Ms. Fowler was nominated by a number of wastewater professionals in the state of Vermont and in New England.   The EPA award program recognizes personnel in the wastewater field who have provided invaluable operator training and professional certification assistance to wastewater treatment operators throughout New England.   Ms. Fowler has been with the Vermont DEC for 27 years and has been overseeing the State of Vermont Wastewater Operator Certification Program since 1994.  She has done an outstanding job to provide assistance to wastewater treatment operators throughout the state.
"I am proud to acknowledge Ms. Fowler’s contributions to ensure that municipal wastewater treatment professionals continue to acquire the proper training and maintain the necessary certification so they may be able to better protect water quality and public health,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA’s New England Office.                                                                       
EPA’s New England office will formally acknowledge Ms. Fowler for her exceptional work during the annual New England Water Environment Association Conference in Boston on January 25th.  In addition, another opportunity to honor Ms. Fowler will be at the Green Mountain Water Environment Association Spring Conference scheduled in May of 2012 to be held in Killington, Vermont.
For more information: http://www.epa.gov/ne/topics/water/wwater.html and

http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/intnet.htm

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Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
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Release Date: 03/27/2012Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – March 27, 2012) – CSG Holdings, Inc. of Columbia, N.H. faces a possible fine of up to $532,500 from EPA for allowing polluted stormwater and process water from its Columbia facility to flow into nearby waters, in violation of the Clean Water Act.  CSG Holdings is the former operator of Columbia Sand and Gravel, a mining facility on the banks of the Connecticut River.
According to allegations in the complaint, CSG Holdings discharged process waste waters and stormwater from the facility without proper permits and violated the federal Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations by failing to prepare and implement a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan. The recent complaint against CSG Holdings states that the violations were discovered by EPA’s New England office in 2010.
Stormwater monitoring by CSG Holdings confirmed that stormwater discharges from its sand and gravel mining and aggregate processing operations contain total suspended solids at levels that exceed permit benchmarks for their industrial sector.  When a facility’s stormwater discharges exceed benchmark levels, the facility must review its stormwater control measures to determine if changes are necessary and make these changes as needed.
The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of process waste waters without a permit. The law also requires that industrial facilities, such as sand and gravel facilities, have controls in place to minimize pollutants from being discharged with stormwater into nearby waterways. Each site must have a stormwater pollution prevention plan that sets guidelines and best management practices that the company will follow to prevent runoff from being contaminated by pollutants. Without on-site controls, runoff from sand and gravel facilities can flow directly to the nearest waterway and can cause water quality impairments such as siltation of rivers, beach closings, fishing restrictions, and habitat degradation. As stormwater flows over these sites, it can pick up pollutants, including sediment, used oil, and other debris. Polluted process water discharges or stormwater runoff can harm or kill fish and wildlife and can affect drinking water quality.
Every year, thousands of gallons of oil are spilled from oil storage facilities, polluting New England waters. Even the effects of smaller spills add up and damage aquatic life, as well as public and private property. Spill prevention plans are critical to prevent such spills or, if they do occur, adequately address them.
In May 2011, CSG Holdings sold its Columbia, N.H. facility to another owner/operator. The new owner maintains the facility’s stormwater management system and is authorized to discharge stormwater under a general permit covering discharges from industrial facilities.
More information: Stormwater control for Industrial facilities (http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/indust.cfm)
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More info on EPA’s Environmental Results in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/results/index.html)

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Release Date: 01/11/2012Contact Information: David Deegan, 617-918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Jan. 11, 2012) – Central Connecticut State University was among five schools nationwide to win the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2011 Game Day Challenge, a competition among colleges and universities nationwide with the goal of lowering waste generated at college football games and increasing participation in waste reduction programs.
As part of the challenge, seven schools in New England and more than 75 schools across the nation designed a waste reduction plan for one 2011 regular season home football game, measured their results and submitted them to EPA.

“When academic institutions reduce, reuse, and recycle at their ball games, they can lead the way for the rest of the campus in showing they have the tools and resources to reduce waste across all campus activities and beyond,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.

Central Connecticut State University won in the Waste Minimization category, meaning they had the least amount of waste generated per attendee. Each attendee generated an average of .059 pounds of waste at the game. Yale University came in second with an average of 2.19 pounds of waste per attendee.
“The bottle bill in Connecticut makes a difference and I realized our food service uses tissues for everything, no trays or heavy dishes,” said Domenic Forcella, director of environmental health and safety at Central Connecticut State University. “Plus, there’s a limited menu so there’s no popcorn boxes and basically everything we serve comes wrapped in tissue.”
Other schools that participated in New England were Harvard University; the Campus Sustainability Initiative at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst; Brown University; the University of Rhode Island, and Bryant University.
Other categories and the winners were:
Diversion Rate Champion (Highest combined recycling and composting rate) – University of California, Davis
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Champion (Greatest greenhouse gas reductions from diverting waste) – University of Virginia
Recycling Champion (Highest recycling rate) – University of Virginia
Organics Reduction Champion (Highest organics reduction rate) – Marist College
Participating colleges and universities, including 2.7 million fans, diverted more than 500,000 pounds of waste from football games this fall, preventing nearly 810 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the annual emissions from 159 passenger vehicles.
These colleges and universities and their fans took one step further to green the gridiron and help build awareness around the importance of recycling, reducing, and reusing. In 2010, Americans kept 85 million tons of waste out of landfills by recycling and composting, boosting the national recycling rate to 34 percent. Out of the 165 million tons of waste that went into landfills, food scraps made up 20 percent. Food is the single largest waste stream that ends up in landfills.
To address food waste, EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge under the Sustainable Materials Management program encourages schools to donate surplus and wholesome fresh food from sporting venues and cafeterias, instead of throwing it away. EPA is hosting a webinar on this topic on Thursday Jan. 19 for colleges and universities. Those who want to participate can go to http://www.epa.gov/osw/rcc/web-academy/.
The competition was sponsored by EPA’s WasteWise program, a voluntary program through which organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the environment.

More information:
Participant results: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/challenge/gameday/results.htm
How the results are determined:

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/challenge/gameday/measure.htm

List of participating schools: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/challenge/gameday/schools.htm
EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge: http://www.epa.gov/foodrecoverychallenge
EPA’s WasteWise Program: http://www.epa.gov/wastewise
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Release Date: 02/06/2012Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Daytona Beach, FL will receive technical assistance through the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program. Nationally, 56 communities in 26 states will each receive the assistance from EPA-funded private-sector experts. The technical experts will work with the communities on actions they can take to improve the economy, the environment, and quality of life. Some examples may include improving pedestrian access and safety, incorporating green infrastructure, or conducting an economic and fiscal health assessment.

Daytona Beach is receiving assistance in the development of a walking audit, which will help form a vision for short and long-term improvements to sidewalks and streets.
Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities is a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities among EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently. The partnership is helping communities across the country create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses.

This announcement marks the second round of Building Blocks assistance. Thirty-two other communities were named in the first round in April 2011. EPA selected the 56 communities from 350 applicants through a competitive process in consultation with EPA’s regional offices, HUD, DOT, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

More information on the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm

More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov

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Release Date: 02/22/2012Contact Information: James Pinkney, (404) 562-9183, pinkney.james@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – February 22, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 regarding the Holcomb Creosote Company Site in Yadkinville, NC. The public meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Yadkin County Volunteer Fire Dept., 729 State St., Yadkinville, NC.

EPA, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR) and the North Carolina Division of Public Health will provide information about the site. The purpose of the public meeting is to update the community on the EPA emergency removal activities, which took place in 2011, and to discuss the potential proposal of the Site to the National Priorities List (NPL).

The Holcomb Creosote Site is located in Yadkinville, Yadkin County, North Carolina on Highway 601. It is situated between the highway and a tributary of Deep Creek. The Holcomb Creosote Company was a creosote wood treating company. It began operations in the 1950s and closed in February 2009. Tanks containing creosote sludge, diesel fuel, and oil, and an open concrete pit containing waste creosote and wastewater treatment sludge were left on site. The facility consisted of a warehouse, office, and a boiler room in one building, one pressure vessel and a 50’ x 80’ metal building that covered the drip pad, and a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) closed impoundment area and RCRA land farm.
Community members interested in obtaining additional information are encouraged to contact Sherryl A. Lane, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, at (770) 608-1747.
ATTENTION: A media availability session will be held at the Yadkin County Volunteer Fire Dept., 729 State St., Yadkinville, NC, from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. EPA, NCDENR and NCDPH will be available to answer media questions concerning the emergency removal activities and the potential proposal of the Site to the National Priorities List.

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