First Chlorpyrifos Ban Approved in Hawaii

Hawaii’s legislature approved a state ban on chlorpyrifos, a highly dangerous restricted use pesticide (RUP) widely used in industrial farming. Besides phasing out all chlorpyrifos uses by 2023, this comprehensive bill puts in place robust pesticide reporting, prohibits the use of the most toxic pesticides within 100 feet of schools during normal school hours, requires a pesticide drift monitoring pilot study, and beefs up funding for the state’s pesticide enforcement. Governor David Ige could sign the bill into law in the coming days.

Chlorpyrifos has been linked to reduced IQ and attention deficit disorder in children, and is highly toxic to farmworkers, some of whom have been poisoned by it on multiple occasions on Hawaii farms in recent years. Last year, the EPA refused to ban chlorpyrifos, claiming the science is “unresolved” and decided it would study the issue until 2022.

The following statement is from Paul Achitoff, Earthjustice managing attorney:

“We applaud the Hawaii legislature for passing this important bill and commend Senators Russell Ruderman and Mike Gabbard, as well as Representatives Richard Creagan and Chris Lee, for their leadership on this issue. Banning this nerve agent from our food and farms is critical to protecting children, workers, and countless communities that face the dangers of pesticide drift every day. We urge the governor to sign the first chlorpyrifos ban in the nation and rid Hawaii of this dangerous chemical once and for all.”

Hilton Head Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Hilton Head, SC on May 22-24 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Baton Rouge Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Baton Rouge, LA on June 5-7 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Chattanooga Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Chattanooga, TN on June 12-14 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Free Air Quality Alerts for Smog Season

With the coming warm weather months, the EPA and New England states offer free resources for the public to monitor the latest air quality forecasts. These tools help people be aware of the increased risk of ground-level ozone and fine particle air pollution (when combined, often referred to as smog), and take health precautions when smog levels are high.

"Thanks to the hard work of EPA and our state partners, we know that over the long-term, New England has experienced a large decrease in the number of unhealthy ozone days. This trend towards healthier air quality is because of reductions in emissions that form ozone," said Alexandra Dunn, Regional Administrator of EPA's New England Office. "On days when unhealthy air quality is predicted, we can all take individual actions to help reduce the air emissions that contribute to air pollution."

Ground-level Ozone air pollution can be a significant public health issue in New England, especially for people who suffer from respiratory problems. EPA and medical experts recommend that people limit their strenuous outdoor activity on air quality alert days.

Air quality forecasts are issued daily by the New England state air agencies. Current air quality conditions and next day forecasts for New England are available each day at EPA's web site. People can also sign up to receive "Air Quality Alerts." These alerts, provided free by EPA through the EnviroFlash system, in cooperation with the New England states, automatically notify participants by e-mail or text message when high concentrations of ground-level ozone or fine particles are predicted in their area.

Warm summer temperatures aid in the formation of ground-level ozone. The current ozone standard is 0.070 parts per million (ppm) on an 8-hour average basis. Air quality alerts are issued when ozone concentrations exceed, or are predicted to exceed, this level. EPA New England shares the list of exceedances of the ozone standard, by date and monitor location, on our web site.

Although the number of days with unhealthy air quality may vary from year to year due to weather conditions, the long-term trend is that New England now experiences far fewer air quality alert days. In 1983, New England had 118 unhealthy days (based on the current ozone standard), compared with 25 in 2017.

Poor air quality affects everyone, but some people are particularly sensitive to air pollutants, including people who are active outdoors, and people with respiratory diseases such as asthma. When air quality is predicted to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, EPA and the States will announce an air quality alert for the affected areas. EPA recommends that people in these areas limit strenuous outdoor activity. On these days, the public and businesses can take actions that will help reduce air pollution and protect the public health. Everyone can reduce air pollution through the following actions:

• Use public transportation, or combine errands and car-pool to reduce driving time and mileage
• Use less electricity by turning air conditioning to a higher temperature setting
• Use less electricity by turning off lights, TVs, and computers when they are not being used
• Avoid using small gasoline-powered engines, such as lawn mowers, string trimmers, chain saws, power-washers, air compressors and leaf blowers on unhealthy air days

The post First Chlorpyrifos Ban Approved in Hawaii appeared first on Environmental Resource Center.

Ban on HFC Refrigerants Adopted

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted a regulation prohibiting the use of specific refrigerants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful chemicals that trap heat in the atmosphere at a rate thousands of times that of carbon dioxide, the most common of the climate-changing gases. The action was taken to preserve and continue in California some of the federal EPA prior prohibitions on HFCs. Last year, a decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals limited EPA’s authority in this area.

“The Board’s action today preserves the federal limits on the use of these powerful chemicals and refrigerants, and provides more certainty to industry,” Board Chair Mary D. Nichols said. "We applaud the actions of many industries, which already have made significant investments in developing and using more climate-friendly alternatives to the high-global warming HFCs.”

California is experiencing the effects of climate change and has committed to take action in order to meet state and federally mandated emissions reduction goals. Under Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), a law authored by Senator Ricardo Lara in 2016, California must reduce HFC emissions by 40% below 2013 levels by 2030. California already has established an approach to reduce super-pollutants, the short-lived climate pollutants that include methane, black carbon and a range of powerful climate-changing chemicals and refrigerants, such as HFCs.

CARB was relying substantially on EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) rules to help meet California’s emission reduction goals for HFCs. HFC emission reductions are important to ensure California ultimately meets its larger climate goals. As a result of the recent court decision, California had to pass its own regulation to ensure it could meet those goals.

The regulation affects certain stationary refrigeration and foam end-uses. It preserves emission reductions from specific sectors with past or shortly upcoming compliance deadlines and will prevent manufacturers from backsliding to start using high-global warming HFCs again. Most manufacturers already have transitioned, or begun the transition, to alternatives that have less of an impact on climate, that is, substances with much lower global warming potential.

The regulation adopted today applies mainly to equipment manufacturers, which cannot use prohibited HFCs in new refrigeration equipment or foams. Prohibited HFCs cannot be used in new equipment and materials in California for the following end-uses:

• Supermarkets and Remote Condensing Units, which are small refrigeration systems used by convenience stores;
• Refrigerated Food Processing & Dispensing Equipment, for example Slurpee machines and frozen yogurt dispensers;
• Stand-alone, or small self-contained refrigeration units;
• Refrigerated vending machines; and
• Foams used in buildings and other places.

Also under the new regulations, manufacturers are responsible for a disclosure statement that must certify the product uses only compliant refrigerants or foam expansion agents. The regulation makes some of the partially vacated SNAP prohibitions enforceable in California, and will lead to in an estimated 3.4 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emission reductions annually by 2030. While more reductions are necessary for California to meet its legal mandate imposed by SB 1383, this regulation is a good start.

San Diego Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training 

Register for California Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in San Diego, CA, on April 10-12 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Virginia Beach Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Virginia Beach, VA, on April 17-19 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

St Louis Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training 

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in St Louis, MO on May 8-10 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Read more on Ban on HFC Refrigerants Adopted.

Environmental Review Process Accelerated for Infrastructure Projects

Twelve federal agencies, including the EPA, signed the One Federal Decision Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU establishes a coordinated and timely process for environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects.

The MOU reduces the environmental review and permitting process for major infrastructure projects. Under the MOU, a lead federal agency will be designated to guide each major infrastructure project through the environmental review and permitting process. It directs federal agencies to agree on a permitting timeline with the goal of completing the entire process within two years, to work together to conduct environmental review and authorization decisions concurrently, and to develop a single record of decision.

This MOU supports President Trump’s One Federal Decision (OFD) policy established in Executive Order 13807. The E.O. directed the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Council on Environmental Quality to develop a framework for implementing the OFD policy. EPA and the other federal agencies have agreed to an unprecedented level of cooperation that will allegedly lead to better-informed permitting decisions about major infrastructure projects in a more timely and transparent manner. Following the procedures outlined in the MOU, federal agencies will work together to eliminate duplication and costly delays within the environmental review and permitting process.

In addition to EPA, the MOU was signed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council.

St Louis Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training


Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in St Louis, MO on May 8-10 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Hilton Head Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Hilton Head, SC on May 22-24 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Baton Rouge Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Baton Rouge, LA on June 5-7 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

First State Controlled Underground Injection Control Program to Store CO2 Approved

EPA announced it has approved the State of North Dakota’s request to implement and enforce its own Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. This marks the first time any state has received primacy for Class VI UIC wells, which are used for the long-term storage of carbon dioxide captured from industrial and energy related sources.

“The State of North Dakota is a proven partner in the safe and responsible development of our country’s natural resources,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “We are practicing cooperative federalism and increasing the state’s involvement in local environmental protection. EPA will work with the state to ensure a smooth transition and that all North Dakotans continue to have safe drinking water.”

After taking public comments and conducting a thorough review, EPA determined that the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) was capable of enforcing its Class VI UIC program in a manner consistent with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and all applicable regulations to protect underground sources of drinking water. EPA’s approval allows NDIC to implement and enforce its Class VI program and issue Class VI permits. EPA will continue to administer the UIC Program for wells on Indian lands per the SDWA.

Read more on Environmental Review Process Accelerated for Infrastructure Projects.

Lower Fuel Economy Standards Ahead

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the completion of the Midterm Evaluation (MTE) process for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2022-2025, and his final determination that, in light of recent data, the current standards are not appropriate and should be revised. Administrator Pruitt also announced the start of a joint process with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a notice and comment rulemaking to set more appropriate GHG emissions standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA sets national standards for vehicle tailpipe emissions of certain pollutants. Through a CAA waiver granted by EPA, California can impose stricter standards for vehicle emissions of certain pollutants than federal requirements. The California waiver is being reexamined by EPA.

“Cooperative federalism doesn’t mean that one state can dictate standards for the rest of the country. EPA will set a national standard for greenhouse gas emissions that allows auto manufacturers to make cars that people both want and can afford — while still expanding environmental and safety benefits of newer cars. It is in America's best interest to have a national standard, and we look forward to partnering with all states, including California, as we work to finalize that standard,” said Administrator Pruitt.

As part of the 2012 rulemaking establishing the model year 2017-2025 light-duty vehicle GHG standards, EPA made a regulatory commitment to conduct a MTE of the standards for MY 2022-2025 no later than April 1, 2018. This evaluation would determine whether the standards remain appropriate or should be made more, or less stringent.

EPA and the DOT announced a reestablishment of the MTE process in March 2017. And, in August 2017, EPA reopened the regulatory docket and asked for additional information and data relevant to assessing whether the GHG emissions standards remain appropriate, including information on: consumer behavior, feedback on modeling approaches, and assessing advanced fuels technologies. EPA also held a public hearing on this topic.

Virginia Beach Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Virginia Beach, VA, on April 17-19 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

St Louis Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training 

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in St Louis, MO on May 8-10 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Hilton Head Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Hilton Head, SC on May 22-24 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

New Report on Threats of Chemical Disasters

Community, environmental, health, workers, and scientist groups released a report highlighting their concerns about the EPA’s delay of the Chemical Disaster Rule. The one-year review spotlighted some of the serious chemical incidents that have occurred while the rule has been on hold over the last year.

The report outlines dozens of examples of chemical disasters that have occurred since the rule was first delayed, including the Arkema explosion that took place in Texas in August 2017 and the ExxonMobil Refinery fire in Louisiana in November 2017. The report also details the personal accounts of those who found themselves in harm’s way, but as local communities often do not receive complete or timely information regarding the flames they see and odors they smell coming from oil refineries and other chemical facilities, these incidents provide only part of the picture. No comprehensive list is available of all of the incidents or resulting harm that have occurred at covered facilities during the delay in part because EPA has not released such a list.

The EPA reported that about 177 million Americans live in the worst-case scenario zones for chemical disasters.  At least one in three schoolchildren attends a school within the vulnerability zone of a hazardous facility, as well. The percentage of African Americans living in fence line zones around 3,433 of the most dangerous facilities is 75% greater than for the US. as a whole, and the percentage of Latinos in these zones is 60% greater.

The Chemical Disaster Rule includes much-needed improvements to the EPA’s Clean Air Act Risk Management Program (RMP) and would prevent and reduce chemical disasters, hazardous releases and resulting chemical exposures, while strengthening emergency preparedness and coordination with local first responders. When developing the rule, the EPA determined that prior protections failed to prevent over 2,200 chemical accidents around the country during a 10-year period, including about 150 incidents per year that caused reportable harm.

The frequency of toxic releases and constant threat of fires and explosions increase even more during hurricane season in the Gulf, where there is a large concentration of oil refineries and chemical facilities. Many of these reported toxic releases and other safety problems during Hurricane Harvey in August. The next hurricane season is scheduled to begin in the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center, but the Chemical Disaster Rule remains delayed.

Read more on Lower Fuel Economy Standards Ahead.

New Information on Chemically Induced Hearing Loss

Each year, about 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels at work. Over 30 million U.S. workers are exposed to chemicals, some of which are harmful to the ear (ototoxic) and hazardous to hearing. In addition to damaging workers’ quality of life, occupational hearing loss carries a high economic price to society.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and OSHA published a bulletin, titled “Preventing Hearing Loss Caused by Chemical (Ototoxicity) and Noise Exposure,” warning of a potentially serious workplace hazard. The bulletin provides recommendations to employers and safety professionals about identifying ototoxicants in the workplace and establishing hearing conservation programs in workplaces where these chemicals cannot be replaced.

The NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure is 85 decibels, A-weighted, as an 8-hour time-weighted average (85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA) using a 3-dB exchange rate. Exposures at or above this level are considered hazardous.

Use the NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls to reduce workplace noise to below the NIOSH REL whenever possible. Use hearing protection when hazardous noise levels cannot be adequately reduced.

Virginia Beach Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training 

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Virginia Beach, VA, on April 17-19 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

St Louis Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training 

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in St Louis, MO on May 8-10 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

Hilton Head Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training

Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Hilton Head, SC on May 22-24 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.

New Nanotechnology Workplace Design Recommendations

NIOSH recently launched four new products intended to provide options to companies for controlling possible exposure of their workers to nanomaterials on the job. The documents provide recommendations on minimizing exposures during common processes and tasks.

• Protecting Workers during the Handling of Nanomaterials
• Protecting Workers during Nanomaterial Reactor Operations
• Protecting Workers during Intermediate and Downstream Processing of Nanomaterials
• Questions to Ask Before You Start Working with Nanomaterials

Read more on New Information on Chemically Induced Hearing Loss.