Hazardous waste

CHICAGO, June 23, 2008 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 asks the public to provide information that could affect its decision to approve a request from AK Steel Corp. AK Steel wants an exemption that allows the company to continue to dispose of hazardous waste from its steelmaking operations into two existing underground injection wells on its property in Middletown, Ohio. The original exemption from federal restrictions on land disposal of hazardous waste was approved in 1990.

EPA tentatively plans to re-issue the exemption pending public comment. It has reviewed information provided by the company that shows the waste will not move out of the underground layers of rock where it will be confined when it is disposed in the deep wells.    » read more »

Governor signs two bills brought forward by West Branch Middle School Students

May 12, 2008 -- (Des Moines) – Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed two bills into law brought forward by West Branch Middle School Science teacher Hector Ibarra and his students who were looking at ways to take hazardous materials out of landfills and the environment. House File 2668 focuses on recycling used oil filters and House File 2669 addresses recycling mercury thermometers.    » read more »

March 27, 2008 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending the 2005 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) rule for new and existing hazardous waste combustors.

The EPA has revised or clarified several compliance and monitoring provisions and has also corrected several omissions and typographical errors. This action will reduce compliance uncertainties and will improve understanding of the final rule requirements.

The rule should be published in the Federal Register within the next two weeks.

More information on the NESHAP amendments: epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/combust/finalmact/index.htm

Source: EPA

Company also agrees to spend over $68,000 for local environmental projects

03/25/08, HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a $20,000 settlement with Pacific Marine and Industrial Corp., for used oil and hazardous waste management violations at its power plant facility in Puerto Rico, Saipan.

The company corrected the violations and also agreed to spend over $68,000 to conduct a series of environmental projects that will focus on used oil management including storage and spill prevention at commercial facilities.    » read more »

Bausch & Lomb, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Xerox, and Others Required to Reimburse the State for Cleanup Costs

ROCHESTER, NY (January 16, 2008) – New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a settlement with eight private and public entities requiring them to reimburse the State of New York nearly $1.6 million for costs from the cleanup of the Rochester Fire Academy, a hazardous waste site in Monroe County. The eight entities, including Bausch & Lomb, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, and Xerox, disposed of hazardous waste at the site from 1954 to 1980.    » read more »

Chicago, Ill., Nov. 9, 2007 -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 today notified Dow Chemical Co. that it has found potential clean-air and hazardous waste violations at the company's Midland, Mich., facility.

EPA issued a finding of violation under the Clean Air Act and a notice of violation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. It also issued requests for information under both acts.    » read more »

August 30, 2007 -- AUGUSTA—Hundreds of Maine citizens live unaware of a quiet crisis lurking in or near their homes. In barns, basements, sheds, or garages throughout the state reside tons of banned and unusable pesticides: old chemicals with infamous names like DDT, lead arsenate, 2,4,5-T, and chlordane.

Often, new owners of older homes or farms discover they have inherited hazardous waste. When they do, citizens face a dilemma: hire an expensive hazardous waste disposal service or dump the chemicals illegally, inviting harm to the environment and public health.    » read more »

6/26/2007 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today signed into law House Bill 36, “An act to improve the oversight of hazardous waste facilities, as recommended by the Governor’s Hazardous Materials Task Force.” The legislation will require companies that store hazardous waste to provide more information to state and local governments and details on these facilities and the waste being stored are easily available.    » read more »

May 18, 2007 -- Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today called on the GAO to review TSA's standards for granting "Hazardous Materials Endorsements," which allow truckers to transport hazardous materials.    » read more »

May 16, 2007 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Gina McCarthy today announced legal action to force cleanup of dangerous hazardous waste at an illegal dump in Plainville.

Shultz Salvage, Inc. at Cronk Road in Plainville has illegally operated as a waste facility for decades without a permit, discharging various forms of pollution into soil and groundwater.    » read more »

May 9, 2007 -- AUGUSTA—Hundreds of Maine citizens live unaware of a quiet crisis lurking in or near their homes. In barns, basements, sheds, or garages throughout the state reside tons of banned and unusable pesticides: old chemicals with infamous names like DDT, lead arsenate, 2,4,5-T, and chlordane.

Often, new owners of older homes or farms discover they have inherited hazardous waste. When they do, citizens face a dilemma: hire an expensive hazardous waste disposal service or dump the chemicals illegally, inviting harm to the environment and public health.    » read more »