Staff Reporter

How Cheap AC Filters Prevent Adequate Office Ventilation? Camfil Air Filtration Expert Explains.

April 7, 2023 by Staff Reporter

Using low-cost AC filters in the workplace can lead to inadequate ventilation and the accumulation of harmful contaminants, resulting in various health issues and reduced employee productivity.

Riverdale, NJ –News Direct– KISS PR Brand Story

A healthy work environment requires adequate office ventilation and air filtration. Unfortunately, many businesses take shortcuts and use low-cost AC filters to save money. While this may appear to be a cost-effective approach, it might have significant implications.

One significant disadvantage of low-cost AC filters is that they do not filter adequately to remove dangerous contaminants from the air. As a result, air toxins can accumulate in the office environment, causing various health issues. CO2 accumulation is one of the most visible signs of a ventilation issue.

According to Mark Davidson, Manager of Marketing and Technical Materials at Camfil USA, “Not only do you have to worry about what the extra CO2 is doing to brain function, but the buildup itself means there could be other harmful air pollutants that are not being efficiently removed from the air supply.”

Aside from low-cost filters, other variables can contribute to poor indoor ventilation. Improperly calibrated systems, changes in occupancy, and changes in the surrounding environment can all lead to a drop in indoor air quality.

Finally, organizations must invest in high-quality air filtration systems designed to remove dangerous contaminants from the air properly. This promotes a healthy work environment but also aids in preventing potential health issues and increases employee productivity.

Anyone wishing to improve their workplace IAQ should begin by locating a business air filtration company that understands the importance of office air quality. Contact Camfil’s air filtration experts to learn more about workplace air filtration and get advice on choosing the type of filter that suits your needs.

Source: Growing Body of Research Reveals Link Between Commercial AC Filters and Employee Brain Function

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Media Contact:

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620

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California’s Legislature can bring us Cleaner Transportation this Year by Passing these Bills

April 7, 2023 by Staff Reporter

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This is the time of year when the California Legislature puts bills through their initial policy committee hearings, and CCA is actively supporting a number of measures to reduce the emissions that cause air pollution and global warming. Since 80% of California’s air pollution, and 50% of its greenhouse pollution, come from transportation, most of our efforts are devoted to cleaning up that sector.

AB 7 (Friedman) aims to reform the selection process for transportation projects so that funding prioritizes safety, accessibility, reconnecting communities, and reducing environmental impacts. The bill is still a work in progress and is being discussed by a broad set of interested parties, but represents an opportunity for the state to fund projects that move people and goods in ways that improve our health and safety rather than endangering us. Previous attempts by Assemblymember Friedman to realign transportation priorities have been vetoed by Governor Newsom, demonstrating the power that entrenched special interests have to block progress.
AB 241 (Reyes) and SB 84 (Gonzalez), would renew funding – from small fees on vehicles and vessels — for programs that support cleaner cars, trucks, and buses. The bills would set an important new standard of requiring that at least half of the Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program dollars directly benefit residents of disadvantaged and low-income communities, something CCA has been advocating for years. The legislation also would continue funding for replacing dirty old cars and trucks with cleaner substitutes.
AB 1267 (Ting) would steer incentives for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to those Californians who are burning the most gasoline, especially those with low and moderate incomes. According to Coltura, the top ten percent of California drivers in terms of gasoline consumption burn 28% of the state’s gasoline, so putting those drivers into ZEVs would maximize the effectiveness of state incentives.
AB 1525 (Bonta), building on the success of laws sponsored by CCA, would direct at least 60% of the state’s transportation funding to projects that provide direct, meaningful, and assured benefits to disadvantaged and low-income communities. This bill, sponsored by the Greenlining Institute, would bring transportation justice to communities that too often have been left out of clean, safe, affordable, and convenient mobility.

We are also supporting many other worthy bills and opposing some that would take us in the wrong direction.

This entry was posted in Advocacy, California government, Clean Air, Clean Cars, Climate Change, Climate Equity, electric vehicles, Legislation, Petroleum Fuel, Transportation and tagged air pollution, California legislature, clean transportation program, energy commision, global warming, legislation, low-income communities, policy, transportation funding, transportation justice, zero-emission vehicles.

Originally Appeared Here

Northeastern U.S. clean hydrogen hub coalition applies for funding

April 7, 2023 by Staff Reporter

(Source: U.S. Department of Energy.)

The States of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts have announced the submission of a proposal for a Northeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The coalition, which in total includes more than 100 partners, is competing for $1.25 billion of the $8 billion in federal hydrogen hub funding available as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Including the federal cost share, the proposal represents a $3.62 billion investment and includes more than a dozen projects to advance clean hydrogen production, consumption and infrastructure.

The Northeast Hub projects include clean electrolytic hydrogen production for use in transportation, high-temp industrial thermal and communal utilities for heat which are each representative of hard-to-decarbonize sectors. The proposed projects would be sited and integrated across the seven states collectively producing and utilizing clean hydrogen and establishing strategic connections to other clean hydrogen hubs.

If selected for an award by DOE, the projects within the NE Hub would be completed over four phases in over the course of 10-12 years. While the department completes the application review process, the full list of projects, locations and organizations included within the proposal will not be made public.

Awards are expected to be announced in 2023.

DOE has indicated that it may use the $8 billion in funding to support as many as ten regional clean hydrogen hubs in the U.S. The hubs would be centers for the production, transportation, storage and end-use of hydrogen.

The department’s goal is to bring the cost of production down by 80% to $1 per kilogram in one decade.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recently mapped and identified leading stakeholders and regions that have responded to the DOE regional hydrogen hub funding notice and intend to submit a full application. You can further explore state and regional application efforts in its new map here.

According to CATF, private equity and venture firms spent over $5 billion on hydrogen-related companies in 2022 alone.

Originally Appeared Here

Biden-Harris Administration Proposes to Strengthen Standards for Chemical and Polymers Plants, Dramatically Reduce Cancer Risks from Air Toxics

April 7, 2023 by Staff Reporter

Proposal would reduce the number of people with elevated cancer risk by 96 percent in communities surrounding chemical plants, cut more than 6,000 tons of toxic pollution per year

April 6, 2023

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to significantly reduce hazardous air pollutants from chemical plants, including the highly toxic chemicals ethylene oxide (EtO) and chloroprene. The reductions would dramatically reduce the number of people with elevated air toxics-related cancer risks in communities surrounding the plants that use those two chemicals, especially communities historically overburdened by air toxics pollution, and cut more than 6,000 tons of toxic air pollution a year.

The proposal advances President Biden’s commitment to ending cancer as we know it as part of the Cancer Moonshot and to securing environmental justice and protecting public health, including for communities that are most exposed to toxic chemicals. Administrator Michael Regan made the announcement at an event in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana – one of the communities the Administrator visited during his November 2021 Journey to Justice tour.

“For generations, our most vulnerable communities have unjustly borne the burden of breathing unsafe, polluted air,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “When I visited St. John the Baptist Parish during my first Journey to Justice tour, I pledged to prioritize and protect the health and safety of this community and so many others that live in the shadows of chemical plants. I’m proud that this proposal would help deliver on that commitment and protect people from toxic air pollution in communities across the country – from Louisiana and Texas, to Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio. Every child in this country deserves clean air to breathe, and EPA will use every available tool to make that vision a reality.”

EPA’s proposal would update several regulations that apply to chemical plants, including plants that make synthetic organic chemicals, and regulations that apply to plants that make polymers such as neoprene. The proposed updates would reduce 6,053 tons of air toxics emissions each year, which are known or suspected to cause cancer and other serious health effects. Those reductions include a 58 ton per year reduction in ethylene oxide (EtO) and a reduction of 14 tons per year in chloroprene.

Other air toxics the rule would reduce include benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. The proposal would also reduce emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds by more than 23,000 tons a year.

Facilities that make, store, use or emit EtO, chloroprene, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride or vinyl chloride would be required to monitor levels of these air pollutants entering the air at the fenceline of the facility, a requirement that would deliver on one of the commitments the Administrator made following his 2021 Journey to Justice tour. This powerful tool would help make sure EPA’s rules deliver: if annual average air concentrations of the chemicals are higher than an action level at the fenceline, owners and operators would have to find the source and make repairs. The proposed action levels vary depending on the chemical. For EtO, EPA is proposing an action level of 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air. For chloroprene, the proposed action level is 0.3 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

In order to ensure this data is transparent and available to communities, EPA would make the monitoring data public through its WebFiRE database tool. These fenceline monitoring provisions are based on similar Clean Air Act requirements for petroleum refineries nationwide, which have been highly successful in identifying and reducing emissions of benzene for more than four years.

The proposal would reduce cancer risks from breathing in toxic air pollutants that are emitted from the specific processes and equipment covered under the rules. These pollutants are linked to a number of cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer, among others. EPA also expects the proposal to benefit children, who are more susceptible to the effects of EtO and chloroprene.

To provide the public with the best possible information about the impact of the proposed updates, EPA has conducted a first-of-its kind community risk assessment. That assessment evaluated the impacts of the proposed emissions reductions from synthetic organic chemical manufacturing on the total air toxics-related cancer risks from all large industrial facilities in an area combined – not just from the equipment and processes covered by today’s proposal. The community risk assessment shows that the numbers of people with elevated cancer risk could drop by 96 percent in communities surrounding chemical plants, if the proposal is finalized.

The community assessment also shows there is more work to do, finding that EtO is the largest driver of the remaining risks. In the coming weeks, EPA expects to announce proposed updates to its regulations for commercial sterilization facilities that emit EtO. In addition, the Agency is working to develop proposed rules for other sources of EtO, including polyether polyols production, hospital sterilizers, and smaller chemical manufacturers known as “area sources.”

EPA will accept written comments for 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register and will hold a virtual public hearing. The Agency also will hold a training for communities on April 13, 2023, to review the proposal and answer questions. Learn more.

Originally Appeared Here

CM approves clean air policy, plastic management strategy

April 6, 2023 by Staff Reporter

LAHORE – Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi Thursday approved the clean air policy and a comprehensive action to reduce air pollution with the active involvement of different provincial departments. While chairing the 7th meeting of the Punjab Environment Protection Council at his office here, the chief minister said that line departments will prepare a working plan while the Punjab government will implement the policy and action plan with the support of the World Bank and the active involvement of the departments of environment, industries, transport, agriculture, local government, housing, urban development, energy and labor. The CM also approved the Punjab plastic management strategy which aims to promote sustainable practices for plastic management by introducing modern recycling technologies and offering incentives for recycling and reuse. Further, the CM said that institutional capacity of the line departments will be strengthened to ensure effective execution. The CM emphasized the importance of creating public awareness regarding the harms of plastic pollution and the benefits of sustainable plastic management. The secretary environment protection department provided a detailed overview of the key features of both the Punjab clean air policy and the Punjab plastic management strategy.

Originally Appeared Here

Montana must include e-cigarettes to Clean Indoor Act – Daily Montanan

April 6, 2023 by Staff Reporter

Clean air and good health, along with freedom and liberty, are Montana values. And they all go together.

Twenty years ago, our state took the lead in highlighting the benefits of smoke-free air in our indoor public spaces, including restaurants, bars and casinos.

Those benefits include reduced risk for heart attacks, lung cancer and asthma attacks. They also include the freedom not to breathe toxic chemicals, and the liberty to do an honest day’s work as a casino employee, waitperson, bartender or dishwasher without putting your life on the line through exposure to deadly smoke.

Not only did we talk about the benefits of smoke-free policies, we also demonstrated them — not just to Montana, but to the entire world.

In 2003, we co-authored “The Helena Heart Attack Study,” a paper published in the British Medical Journal that showed how smoke-free protections have an amazingly rapid effect on preventing heart attacks. This was the first study of its kind and it happened because of Montanans’ fight for clean indoor air.

In Helena, a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance went into effect after a strong “yes for smokefree” vote in June 2002, but was suspended six months later due to a legal challenge from the tavern and casino industries. While we were unhappy about the suspension, this turning off-and-on of the smoke “faucet” provided an unique opportunity to compare local health data from before and after the ordinance went into effect.

What we found was remarkable. Local health records showed that during an average six-month period, the number of hospital admissions for heart attacks in Helena was just under seven per month. However, during the six months that the ordinance was in place, the number dipped to under four per month — a drop of nearly 60 percent. This was a huge improvement in just a short period, and demonstrated how significant smoke-free protections are to preventing death and disease.

Reinstating Helena’s protections and expanding them statewide took several years of outreach and education to Montana citizens, decision makers and businesses. The Montana Legislature finally passed the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act in 2005, making indoor public spaces smoke-free, apart from bars and casinos, which had until 2009 to comply. In that time, the Helena study was replicated in Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Canada as well as in numerous communities in the United States.

We are proud to be a part of this history. Yet we are concerned about the future.

Where Montana once led on clean air, there are now signs of retreat. This legislative session saw three bills aimed at doing away with our smoke-free protections. Thankfully, due to the hard work of health advocates and wiser heads in the Legislature, all three of these bills failed.

However, our state leaders also missed a tremendous opportunity by tabling a good bill by Sen. Willis Curdy that would’ve added e-cigarettes into our smoke-free protections.

Studies show that e-cigarette aerosol contains ultrafine particles linked to cancer, lung and heart disease. E-cigarette aerosol also contains nicotine, which is harmful to adolescent brain development. Contrary to claims otherwise, e-cigarettes do not benefit users by helping them quit. The majority become “dual users” of both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes.

Using recreational marijuana in our public spaces is prohibited, the same should be true of e-cigarettes.

A 2021 poll by the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network showed that 89% of Montana Democratic and Republican voters support our Clean Indoor Air Act and 81% (four in five) support including electronic smoking devices into it.

We urge our elected officials to protect Montanans’ freedom to breathe healthy air by strengthening our Clean Indoor Air Act to include ALL types of smoking.

Richard Sargent, M.D., and Robert Shepard, M.D., of Helena, are co-authors of the Helena Heart Attack Study.

Originally Appeared Here

Administración Biden-Harris anuncia $62 millones para mejoras de infraestructura de agua potable en Puerto Rico

April 6, 2023 by Staff Reporter

Los nuevos fondos disponibles gracias a la agenda titulada Invertir en Estados Unidos del presidente Biden, ayudarán a garantizar que las comunidades tengan acceso a agua potable limpia y segura

April 6, 2023

Contacto: Carlos Vega, (212)-637-3662, [email protected]

NUEVA YORK – (4 de abril de 2023) Hoy, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció $62,283,000 para mejoras esenciales de infraestructura de agua potable en Puerto Rico así como en todo el país a través del Fondo Rotativo Estatal de Agua Potable (DWSRF). Gracias a un impulso de $6 mil millones dado por la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura de la Administración Biden-Harris, la EPA está aumentando las inversiones disponibles para reconstruir la infraestructura de agua del país.

“Cada comunidad merece acceso a agua potable segura y limpia”, comentó el administrador de la EPA, Michael S. Regan. “Gracias a las históricas inversiones en infraestructura del presidente Biden en Estados Unidos, tenemos una oportunidad sin precedentes para revitalizar los sistemas de agua potable de Estados Unidos, apoyar el objetivo de la Administración Biden-Harris de eliminar el 100% de las tuberías de plomo en todo nuestro país y proteger a las comunidades de la contaminación por PFAS”.

“La EPA está aportando los fondos donde existen necesidades prioridades al trabajar con nuestras estatales para servir agua limpia a las comunidades, proteger la salud pública y promover la justicia ambiental en Puerto Rico y todo el país” señaló la administradora regional de la EPA, Lisa F. García. “Este financiamiento forma parte de las inversiones únicas en la vida que estamos haciendo para transformar la infraestructura conforme a la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura”.

“Como gobierno, continuaremos reconstruyendo nuestra infraestructura de agua potable para que sea más sólida y resistente. El apoyo que Puerto Rico está recibiendo del gobierno federal a través de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos con la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura y el Fondo Rotativo de Agua Potable es fundamental para nuestras comunidades más desventajadas y significará una mejor calidad de vida para todos. En nombre de todos los ciudadanos estadounidenses que viven en Puerto Rico agradecemos a la administración Biden-Harris y continuaremos trabajando con la EPA y el gobierno federal por el bienestar de todos los residentes en la Isla”, indicó el Gobernador de Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi.

“Doy la bienvenida a esta nueva asignación de $62.2 millones en recursos federales de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura para mejorar la infraestructura de agua en Puerto Rico. Después del huracán María, vimos la necesidad de fortalecer dicha infraestructura para evitar interrupciones en el servicio de agua y garantizar que nuestras comunidades tengan acceso a agua potable en todo momento”, comentó la Congresista Jenniffer González Colón.

Entre los ejemplos recientes del tipo de trabajo que se financia se incluyen el uso planificado de fondos por parte del gobierno de Puerto Rico en la planificación, diseño, construcción y reemplazo de sistemas elegibles de agua potable que se enfocan en comunidades desventajadas en todas las islas. Además, se realizarán estudios a fin de definir la potencial presencia de plomo para el posible reemplazo de tuberías en toda la Isla. Mientras tanto, los fondos de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura se utilizarán también para evaluar el posible impacto de contaminantes emergentes en 5 sistemas de agua potable propiedad de la Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados de Puerto Rico.

La Administración Biden-Harris está comprometida a fortalecer la infraestructura hídrica del país, proporcionando a la vez recursos significativos para atender retos como el cambio climático, contaminantes emergentes como sustancias perfluoroalquiladas y polifluoroalquiladas (PFAS), tuberías de plomo y seguridad cibernética.

Las asignaciones de DWSRF a los estados se basan en los resultados de la 7maª Encuesta y Evaluación de Necesidades de Infraestructura de Agua Potable (DWINSA) de la EPA. La encuesta, que es requerida por la Ley de Agua Potable Segura de 1996, evalúa las necesidades de infraestructura de los sistemas públicos de agua del país cada cuatro años y los hallazgos se utilizan para asignar subvenciones de DWSRF a los estados. Las utilidades de agua potable necesitan $625 mil millones en inversiones en infraestructura durante los próximos 20 años para garantizar la salud pública, la seguridad y el bienestar económico de la nación.

Bajo la dirección del Congreso, la 7maª Evaluación de Agua Potable de la EPA, por primera vez incluyó preguntas de encuesta centradas en las tuberías de servicio de plomo y está proyectando un total nacional de 9.2 millones de tuberías de servicio de plomo en todo el país. Estas proyecciones a nivel nacional y estatal de los recuentos de líneas de servicio ayudarán a promover una oportunidad única de emplear una fórmula de asignación de tubería de servicio principal separada para el financiamiento de reemplazo de tuberías de servicio de plomo de DWSRF de la Ley de Infraestructura Bipartidista que se basa en la necesidad. Casi $3 mil millones de los fondos anunciados hoy se destinarán específicamente a identificar y reemplazar tuberías de servicio de plomo, dando un paso clave hacia el objetivo de la Administración Biden-Harris de lograr sistemas de agua 100% libres de plomo.

La Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura de la Administración Biden-Harris está invirtiendo más de $50 mil millones en mejoras de infraestructura de agua y aguas residuales en todo el país entre el año fiscal 2022 y el año fiscal 2026. En su segundo año de implementación, habrá $6 mil millones en fondos de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura disponibles para los estados, tribus y territorios a través del DWSRF. De ese financiamiento, la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura invertirá $3 mil millones para identificar y mejorar las tuberías de servicio principales, $800 millones para abordar PFAS y otros contaminantes emergentes, y $2.2 mil millones en otras mejoras críticas del sistema de agua potable. Además, aproximadamente $500 millones estarán disponibles también a través de las asignaciones anuales de DWSRF, establecidas por la Ley de Agua Potable Segura.

La EPA se compromete a garantizar que cada comunidad tenga acceso a esta inversión histórica y ha centralizado la creciente inversión en comunidades desventajadas dentro de su implementación. La implementación de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura requiere una fuerte colaboración, y la EPA continúa trabajando en asociación con los estados, tribus y territorios para garantizar que las comunidades perciban todos los beneficios de esta inversión. Además, la EPA está fortaleciendo sus programas de asistencia técnica de agua para apoyar a las comunidades en la evaluación de sus necesidades de agua y en solicitar su parte justa de esta inversión histórica.

La agenda Invertir en Estados Unidos del presidente Biden está haciendo crecer la economía estadounidense de abajo hacia arriba y desde el medio hacia fuera, desde la reconstrucción de la infraestructura de nuestra nación, hasta la creación de un auge de fabricación e innovación impulsado por empleos bien remunerados que no requieren un título de cuatro años, hasta la construcción de una economía de energía limpia que combatirá el cambio climático y hará que nuestras comunidades sean más resilientes.

Más detalles, incluida la asignación estado por estado de fondos para 2023 e información sobre DWINSA.

Más información sobre la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura.

Transfondo

Las enmiendas de la Ley de Agua Potable Segura (SDWA) de 1996 ordenaron que la EPA realizara una evaluación de las necesidades de infraestructura de los sistemas públicos de agua del país cada cuatro años y utilizara los hallazgos para asignar subvenciones de capitalización de DWSRF a los estados.

Los DWSRF han sido la base de la inversión en infraestructura de agua durante más de 25 años, proporcionando financiamiento de bajo costo para proyectos locales en todo Estados Unidos. Desde su creación, los estados han proporcionado casi $53 mil millones a través de programas de DWSRF a los sistemas de agua para aproximadamente 18,000 proyectos. Cada estado recibe un porcentaje de asignación que se basa directamente en su parte proporcional de la necesidad total de los 50 estados y Puerto Rico. El porcentaje puesto a disposición de cualquier estado individual oscila entre el 1% y casi el 11%, y a cada estado se garantiza un mínimo del 1% de la cantidad total disponible para los estados. Debido a la participación de cualquier estado individual en la necesidad total del estado, algunos estados verán aumentos o disminuciones en el porcentaje de fondos que reciben.

Siga a la Región 2 de la EPA en Twitter y visite nuestra página de Facebook. Para obtener más información sobre la Región 2 de la EPA, visite nuestro sitio web.

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Originally Appeared Here

EPA Region 7 to Present Pollution Prevention Award to Grandview Cabinetry in Parsons, Kansas

April 6, 2023 by Staff Reporter

April 6, 2023

EPA hosts virtual award ceremony, opens application period for 2023 Pollution Prevention Awards

LENEXA, KAN. (APRIL 6, 2023) – Grandview Cabinetry in Parsons, Kansas, has been selected to receive an EPA Region 7 2022 Pollution Prevention Award.

Cabinet manufacturer Grandview Cabinetry is being recognized for their solvent and water conservation practices. The company implemented a solvent-recovery system that repurposes the solvent used while finishing cabinets to clean factory equipment. The system is estimated to save 1,000 gallons of solvent; 1,400 gallons of water; 3.3 tons of volatile organic compounds; and over $15,000 per year.

The award presentation and an informational session on the 2023 Pollution Prevention Award cycle will take place on April 11, 2023, at noon CDT. Registration is required.

“Grandview Cabinetry’s voluntary steps to reduce solvent and water use have decreased pollution while saving this family-owned business money,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “We’re proud to recognize this exemplary work with the EPA Region 7 2022 Pollution Prevention Award. Job well done!”

The Pollution Prevention Awards program is an annual, voluntary, and non-monetary recognition program. Those interested in applying for the 2023 award cycle can submit a complete application describing the organization’s P2 efforts, activities, cost savings, pounds of hazardous chemicals reduced, energy conserved, or gallons of water saved, as well as the replicability of their approach. The 2023 award cycle application deadline is May 19, 2023. For information on the program and how to apply, visit EPA Region 7’s P2 Recognition Awards page.

Background

The United States produces billions of pounds of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced is an important part of advancing a sustainable economic and environmental infrastructure. P2 can lessen exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce financial costs for businesses, particularly costs associated with waste management, disposal, and cleanup. These practices are essential for protecting health, improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities, and preserving natural resources like wetlands, groundwater sources, and other critical ecosystems.

EPA’s P2 program is voluntary and encourages stakeholders to seek innovative ways to prevent pollution from entering waste streams through a competitive grant process and the provision of technical assistance to businesses.

Learn more about P2 Recognition Awards.

Learn more about P2.

# # #

Learn more about EPA Region 7

View all Region 7 news releases

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EPA Orders Valero Refining to Improve Chemical Safety at Benicia, CA Refinery

April 6, 2023 by Staff Reporter

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Valero Refining-California to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act’s Chemical Accident Prevention regulations at their Benicia Refinery. The company will pay a $1,224,550 penalty and make changes to improve process safety at the refinery.

“This settlement sends a clear message that EPA will prosecute companies that fail to expend the resources needed to have a compliant, well-functioning Risk Management Plan to the fullest extent of the law,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

“Failure to properly manage hazardous materials can pose serious risks to our California communities,” said Martha Guzman, Regional Administrator of EPA Region 9. “This settlement will help protect Valero workers, the Benicia community, and the environment more broadly.”

After significant chemical incidents at the Benicia Refinery in 2017 and 2019, a 2019 EPA inspection at the facility identified several areas of noncompliance, including that Valero failed to immediately report releases of hazardous substances, update certain process safety information, adequately analyze certain process hazards, and develop and implement certain written operating procedures.

Under the terms of the settlement, Valero has agreed to make significant chemical safety improvements at the Benicia Refinery. The company has already made several of these changes, related to chemical safety, in response to EPA’s inspection. These improvements include updating and modifying process hazard analyses, modifying operating procedures, modifying reporting policies, and improving employee training. The settlement also requires Valero to modify several pressure-relief valves and update process hazard analyses to consider hazards of power loss at the facility. As part of the settlement, Valero will continue to implement safety improvements through June 2025.

The Benicia Refinery is one of thousands of facilities nationwide that make, use, and store extremely hazardous substances. Reducing the risk of accidental releases at industrial and chemical facilities like the Benicia Refinery is one of EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives. Catastrophic accidents at these facilities can result in death or serious injuries; impacts to the community, including orders to evacuate or shelter-in-place; and other harm to human health and the environment. The Clean Air Act requires that industrial and chemical facilities that store large amounts of hazardous substances develop and implement a Risk Management Plan to reduce the risk of accidental releases.

For more information on the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Plan Program, please visit EPA’s Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule 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 Twitter.

Originally Appeared Here

Caretaker Punjab CM approves Punjab Clean Air Policy along with action plans

April 6, 2023 by Staff Reporter

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has accorded the approval of Punjab Clean Air Policy along with the action plans.

The approval was given in the meeting of Punjab Environment Protection Council held in Lahore today.

He said departments concerned will prepare a detailed working plan for the implementation of the Punjab Clean Air Policy.

He said the Punjab Government will implement the Punjab Clean Air Policy and Action Plan with the support of the World Bank.

The Chief Minister also approved the Punjab Plastic Management Strategy and asked to take immediate steps regarding recycling and reuse of plastic.

Originally Appeared Here