State of the New England Environment
1970-2000
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
REGION 1
\ S ? 1 CONGRESS STREET. SUITE 1 1 00
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 021 1 4-2023
April 25, 2000 OFFICE OF THE
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
Dear New Englander:
As the new Regional Administrator of EPA-New England, I am extremely grateful to have the
opportunity to work with you to protect our region's environment and public health. I am excited
about what we can achieve together in the coming months and beyond. During the past six years, we
have together set a course for EPA-New England that has achieved tangible environmental results.
We will continue in this new direction, while constantly seeking ways to innovate and build on our
past successes. Though we have changed leadership at EPA-New England, we have not changed
our course.
I am pleased to provide you with a copy of our 2000 State of the Environment Report. This year's
report, published as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Earth Day, outlines many of our
accomplishments over the past year, and over the past 30 years. It is chock full of information, both
about our priorities and programs at EPA New England, and year-to-year environmental trends in
ozone air pollution, drinking water compliance, mercury contamination, and numerous other
environmental indicators in New England. I strongly encourage you to read the report and use it as a
reference tool.
I also encourage you to share the report with others. The public can receive the report by accessing
it on the Internet - www.epa.gov/region 1 - or by calling us on our toll free telephone number,
1-888-372-7341.
Thank you for your interest and please feel free to contact us on our toll free telephone number,
1-888-372-7341 - if you have questions or thoughts about the report.
I look forward to working with you to tackle the environmental problems of the next decade.
ffe. Lubber
Regional Administrator
Enclosure
Internet Address (URL) • http://www.epa.gov/region1
Recycled/Recyclable • Printed with Vegetable Oil Bund Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum 30% Postcomumer)
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"©PA was bom 30 years ago at a 'time when rivers eaught fire and eities
were hidden under dense clouds of smoke. We've made remarkable
progress since then. But we can't rest on our sueeess.
©ur mission to protect the environment, and to protect public health, is a
mission without end. New challenges loom over the horizon as surely as
the new day.
We must continue our work to ensure that with each new dawn, the sun
shines through clear skies and upon elean waters-—and all our families
enjoy the blessings of good'health."
— Carol M. Browner, ®PA Administrator
'Coverphotographs: Sieve Belahey
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This report is dedicated to the memory of
U.S. Senator John H. Chafee of Rhode Island
1922 - 1999
One of this country's great champions of environmental protection.
Because of his tireless leadership, Americans breathe cleaner air, drink
safer water and are far less threatened by toxic wastes. This generation
and future generations of Americans are deeply indebted to him.
dedication
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table of contents
open letter to the people of new england 3
introduction 4
protecting public health 6
new england's ecosystems 14
creating healthy conMnunities 20
promoting environmental stewardship 28
challenges in the next century 32
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it x the only
thing that ever has " —Margaret Mead
It has often been said that a nation's most valuable asset is its people. We at EPA New England know this to be
true and our work is guided by that premise.
The most important action we can take to protect our environment is to build and expand the partnerships we
have with the people of New England. Whether it's state agencies, tribes, municipal governments, businesses.
nonprofit organizations or individual citizens, the bonds that we forge with these groups will be critical in our
success or failure in improving our environment.
This 40-page report on the State of the New England Environment is part of that effort. Well-informed citizens and
communities are the foundation for clean water, healthy air and green vibrant landscapes.
This year being the 30>h anniversary of EPA and Earth Day, we've made a special effort in this report to examine
not only today's environment but how it compares to 1970 when the environmental movement in this country
was launched.
This report will show that we've made enormous progress. In one generation, we have reversed the effects of
more than a century of industrial pollution and environmental degradation. We're also well on our way to
restoring our treasured natural resources. And we have accomplished all of this while building the strongest
economy in the nation's history.
But our work is far from finished. Many communities and neighborhoods—especially in our cities—have yet to
share fully in the benefits of our environmental progress. We also face environmental problems that were
scarcely understood 30 years ago - issues like sprawl, nonpoint source pollution and global climate change. EPA
New England is tackling these challenges with a vengeance and has become a leader in finding new-1 innovative
ways to deal with them.
Much of what we have accomplished is a credit to John P. DeVillars, who ran EPA New England for six years
before departing in January, and to those regional administrators who preceded him. Even more credit should go
to the EPA New England staff who for years have worked long and hard to carry out the agency's mission. The
outstanding work of these public servants has yielded huge dividends for our environment and I have every
intention of carrying that momentum forward in the years to come.
But, in the end, we at EPA do not hold the key to protecting our environment. As you will see in this report, the
common thread in all of our successes is strong cooperation and support from outside the agency—people like
you who have taken up the challenge of achieving a better environment. And I am confident that the people of
New England will continue to take up that challenge for the next 30 years, and for the generations to come.
Thank you!
dy S. Lubber
Regional Administrator, EPA New England
open letter to the
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introduction
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As we celebrate the arrival of a new millennium, we are also heralding the 30th anniversary of Earth Day
and the 30th birthday of the EPA. It seems an appropriate time to look at the victories we have won and the
challenges that lie ahead.
As we close out the 20th century, we can be proud that efforts to protect and enhance our environment are
paying substantial dividends. In fact, the environmental protection movement has been arguably the most
effective public policy initiative of our generation. Throughout New England, the air we breathe is cleaner,
the water we drink and play in is healthier and the land we live on is safer.
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Evidence of our success is at the doorstep of New
England's hub. Fifteen years ago, Boston Harbor was
among the nation's dirtiest. Today, after billions of dollars
of investment, eight miles of beaches are open to swim-
mers, seals and porpoises have returned and the harbor's
commercial lobster and shellfish industry is contributing
more than $ 10 million annually to the local economy.
We've made great strides not just in Boston Harbor
but across New England. Our rivers have been trans-
formed from veritable sewers to recreational havens
for anglers, boaters and tourists. River fronts, too, have
been transformed into bikeways, parks and greenways.
And in all corners of the region, we're breathing cleaner
air no longer tainted by lead.
As we enter the new millennium, we need to be
mindful, despite our success, that the environmental
protection job is far from done. Moreover, we must
recognize that the strategies that have brought us
so much over the past 30 years need to be constantly
refined in order to meet new and changing circum-
stances. To that end, EPA New England, in concert
with our many partners, has developed a set of new
and promising initiatives.
Central to these new strategies is forging strong alli-
ances with those who live in the communities we're
working hard to protect. This collaborative approach
has proven particularly effective in densely-popu-
lated urban areas—communities which have, frankly,
been under-served by EPA in the past.
One example is the Clean Charles 2005 initiative. By
bringing together a diverse coalition of environmental
groups, state and municipal agencies, businesses,
universities and others who live and work near the
Charles River, we have made enormous progress in
achieving our goal of making the lower Charles River
fishable and swimmable by Earth Day 2005.
We're also applying this teamwork approach to busi-
nesses, public agencies, universities and others that
EPA regulates. By using new technologies and old
fashioned Yankee ingenuity, EPA and our partners
can often help these institutions prevent pollution
well before it becomes a problem—and at much
less cost to consumers and taxpayers alike.
Market-based pollution trading programs represent an-
other promising, innovative environmental initiative.
In Manchester, NH and Wayland, MA, for example.
EPA New England has worked with elected repre-
sentatives, environmentalists, business leaders and
community activists to achieve greater reduc-
tions in pollution at significantly less cost than
would have been achieved through traditional
regulatory approaches.
None of these collaborative or market-based solu-
tions will work, however, without the use of a more
traditional weapon in our arsenal—strong enforce-
ment actions against those who fundamentally seek
to ignore their environmental obligations. We have
made this clear from Pittsfield, MA, in our case
against General Electric for polluting the Housatonic
River, to Cape Cod where we have issued three
unprecedented orders halting training and requiring
cleanup work at the Massachusetts Military Reser-
vation which has endangered part of the Cape's sole
source drinking water aquifer.
As we enter the new millennium, we should remind
ourselves of the values and traditions that make New
England so unique. Among those traditions is New
England's long history of active citizen involvement.
EPA New England places enormous value on this
tradition and has actively fostered and nurtured public
involvement in all of its programs. We hope that this
report will galvanize even greater participation in our
environmental protection efforts.
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protecting public health
Every American has a right to healthy air, clean drinking water and freedom from toxic chemicals. Since 1970, we've
made exceptional progress toward achieving this basic right for New England's residents. Our air is substantially cleaner,
our rivers no longer run with untreated sewage and our drinking water is safer. We've also curbed numerous health
threats like lead in gasoline and bacteria in swimming areas.
We need to do more, however, to reduce threats from smog, airborne toxics, acid rain and radon. We need to stop
childhood lead poisoning and asthma. In tackling these challenges, we will adapt our strategies to reflect the changing
patterns of New England's society. And, more importantly, we will continue to forge strong alliances with all of those in
New England who we are working to protect.
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Reducing Smog
New England has made great strides in combating summer-
time smog. In 1983, air quality in New England violated
ground-level ozone health based standards on 90 days.
During 1999, air quality violated those standards on only 35
days. This progress has been achieved thanks to major
improvements at power plants, the use of cleaner-burning
fuels for most vehicles, stricter tailpipe standards and a new
generation of standards for trucks, buses and marine
vessels (Figure 1).
But there is more work to be done. Since passage of the last
Clean Air Act in 1990, EPA has tightened the health-based
standards for smog to ensure the protection of children, the
elderly and those with certain illnesses. To meet these
standards in New England, we'll need to further reduce emis-
sions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and certain organic
compounds that react to form ground level ozone, a harmful
component of smog (Figure 2). And, given that much of the
region's air pollution blows in from other parts of the
country, the cutbacks will need to come both in New
England and in upwind states outside of New England.
One tool in our arsenal is a new rule, to be implemented in
2003, that will require a 25 percent reduction of NOx
emissions in 22 states in the eastern half of the country. EPA
is encouraging states to meet the reduction by adopting a
cap and trade program for large NOx sources, following a
model approved last summer by a group of states, including
four in New England. That program will halve emissions of
NOx from utilities and large boilers in participating states,
with trading reducing the cost by $ 179 million.
EPA also filed a lawsuit last year against power companies
in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states, accusing them of
illegally expanding and rebuilding their older plants without
installing strict pollution control devices that are required
for new or expanding power plants. The lawsuit comes amid
a wave of deregulation in the electric industry which is
encouraging more use of older, more polluting plants—many
of them in New England.
EPA New England will continue to communicate with the
public about air quality conditions. EPA's World Wide Web
site on ozone and air quality, www.epa.gov/region01/oms.
tracks smog levels from May through September, showing
whether the air on a particular day is unhealthy and
forecasting conditions for the next day. We also provide a
free smog alert service, available through the web site or by
calling 1-800-821-1237.
Transportation: Miles To Go
Clean air is directly related to cleaner vehicles and cleaner
fuels. On both of these fronts, we've made huge progress.
Today's new cars operate 90 percent cleaner than they did
30 years ago. And we've slashed lead levels in the air by
Figure 1. New England's Historical Trends in
Healthy Air Quality Days
350
300
'88
Burlington, VT
Providence, Rl
Portland, ME
'90
•92 '94 '96 '98
•- Manchester, NH
Boston, MA
»- New Haven, CT
(Based on County-wide Air Quality)
•air pollutant levels lower than 50% of the air quality standards
source: EPA AIRS
January 1, 1970
National Environmental Policy Aet (NEPA) requiring
an Environmental Impact Statement for every large project
approved or funded by the federal government.
1.970's..
December 1970
Clean Air Act, amending previous air laws, setting
auto emission standards & requiring state imple-
mentation plans to achieve air quality standards.
April 22, 1970
First Earth Day raises
awareness of threats to the
environment.
Decembers, 1970 • • • •
U.S. EPA Established signed
into law by President Nixon.
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Figure 2. Progress in Cleaning and Protecting New England Air Quality
Trends in Emissions 1960 - 1997
^ 1200
e 1000
Trends in Air Quality 1983 - 1998
Participate MaHer (ug/m3) Current Standard = 50ug/m3
~*— Carbon Monoxide (ppb x 100)
-•— Sulfur Dioxide (ppb x 10) Current Standard = 80ppb
source: EPA AIRS
98 percent due to the 27-year-old ban on leaded gasoline.
Still, cars and trucks continue to be the region's largest
source of air pollution, emitting about one-third of all
volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and air toxics
into our air. The reason is simple: there are more cars on the
road and the number of miles we're driving is skyrocketing.
In just 30 years, the total number of vehicle miles driven
in New England has nearly doubled. And the trend is
accelerating (Figure 3).
EPA has launched a program to make our cars and trucks
run even cleaner. Late last year, EPA finalized regulations
that will result in cleaner gasoline and require for the first
time that cars and light trucks meet the same emission
requirements. The tougher light truck requirement is par-
ticularly important because it will bring popular sport utility
vehicles (SUVs), which are classified as light trucks, under
tighter air emission standards. The new standards, which
will be phased in starting in 2004, are expected to produce a
77 percent reduction in car emissions and as much as a 95
percent reduction in truck and SUV emissions. Additional
cutbacks will also be achieved through new vehicle
inspection and maintenance programs recently imple-
mented in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Indoor Air Quality and Asthma
The quality of the indoor air we breathe is an important
health factor. Most people spend 90 percent of their time
indoors, making indoor air pollution a serious issue in homes,
schools, factories and offices. EPA studies have shown that
indoor pollution levels may be as much as five times greater
than outside levels. Sources of indoor air pollution include:
burning fuels which result in elevated levels of carbon
monoxide; tobacco smoke; pesticides; and biological con-
taminants such as dust mites, bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Children are especially vulnerable to harmful indoor air
pollution because they breathe more air relative to their body
1972
Low Sulfur Fuel Reductions by New
England States Begin, significantly
lowering sulfur dioxide emissions.
1972
EPA Bans Use of DDT, a widely-used
pesticide found to be cancer-causing
and accumulating in the food chain.
1971
Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Act
restricts lead-based paints in
residential structures & bans lead
paint on cribs and toys.
October 18, 1972
Federal Water Pollution Control Act requires states to establish
water quality standards and reduce pollution from point sources through
NPDES permits. EPA embarks on a major national commitment to
upgrade sewage treatment facilities.
8
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Keeping Kids Lead Safe
Eliminating lead from gasoline was a giant step forward in the
country's battle to combat lead poisoning. However, exposure
to lead-based paints continues to be a major problem in New
England, especially in our urban areas where the housing is
older. Despite banning lead-based paints in 1978, New
England still has cities and tribal reservations where one-third
of the children under the age of six have harmful lead levels in
their blood, causing learning and behavior disorders. EPA New
England has developed many initiatives to help residents and
the regulated community prevent and reduce childhood lead
poisoning, including:
•"Keep It Clean," a campaign informing "do-it-yourself
home renovators about the risk of lead poisoning in
children and adults during the renovation and repainting
of older homes.
•A Lead Safe Renovation interactive CD-ROM designed to
meet federal training requirements for renovators and,
"IMPACT', an interactive lead awareness training course
on lead safe renovation for high schools and vocational and
technical colleges.
•"First Steps Day Care Provider Training" manuals, videos
and CD-ROM available in English, Spanish, and a spe-
cialty-designed Native American version, which explain the
importance of blood lead screening, a healthful diet and
basic preventive steps.
•"English as a Second Language-A Curriculum for Urban
Living," was designed for adult education and other
students whose primary language is not English and
includes a major emphasis on lead poisoning prevention.
•"Community-Based Environmental and Lead Assessment
and Educational Demonstration Program" which provides
information to residents about lead in soil and low cost
landscaping techniques for minimizing lead exposure.
For more information on lead safety, call EPA's lead hotline at
1-800-424-LEAD (1-800-424-5323) or
EPA New England at 1-800-252-3402
Figure 3. Vehicle Emissions Decrease &
Vehicle Use and Population
Increase in New England
Miles Traveled
(up 86.7%)
Population
[up 12.4%)
NOx Emissions
(up 1%)
VOC Emissions
(down 53.7%)
70 75 '80 '85 '90 '95
sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census and
U.S. Federal Highway Administration
weight. That's why we've focused so much attention on air
quality in schools. For the past five years, EPA New
England has distributed thousands of our popular "Indoor
Air Quality Tools for Schools" Action Kits to help school
officials improve their indoor air quality. Last year we trained
hundreds of school officials—including 300 in Massachusetts
alone—and more than 100 schools in the region imple-
mented air quality management plans.
Asthma is one of the most serious environmental health
issues facing New Englanders today, particularly among
our children where it is the leading cause of chronic illness.
One-third of all pediatric emergency room visits are due to
asthma. The problem is especially severe in large urban
cities where there are higher concentrations of low-quality
housing and air pollution, hi Boston's Roxbury neighbor-
hood, for example, an estimated 15 to 20 percent of teenag-
ers are affected by asthma, five times the state average.
1972
Federal Environmental Pesticide
Control Act requires manufacturers to
provide lexicological information and
register pesticides with EPA.
1973
Endangered Species Act establishes procedures for list-
ing species as endangered or threatened, and requiring
that federal agencies do not initiate or proceed with projects
that "jeopardize the continued existence" of such species.
1972
EPA Provides Water and Wastewater
Infrastructure for Tribal Housing
in tandem with HUD and EDA.
1973
EPA Begins Ban To Phase Out Lead in Gasoline,
resulting in 98% reduction in lead levels in air, and helping to
reduce blood lead levels in children by 75%.
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EPA New England has been very active on this issue.
We are working with community-based coalitions in
Lowell. Hartford, Boston and a half-dozen other cities
to reduce asthma through "Healthy Homes" assessments
and other outreach efforts. We've joined with the Physi-
cians for Social Responsibility to create a curriculum
for primary' care physicians on environmental asthma
triggers. And, in coordination with three Boston-area
universities, we've launched a pilot project to study
nine asthmatic families living in Boston public housing
to evaluate the causes of the asthma and the barriers
and benefits to intervention.
Drinking Water Protection
Drinking water supplies in New England are safer now than
they've ever been (Figure 4). Currently, 96 percent of the
region's 12,000 public water supply systems are meeting
drinking water quality standards, up from 94 percent a year
ago. Our success in this area is a direct result of the Safe
Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which promotes a "multiple
barrier" water protection approach combining source water
protection, filtration, chemical disinfection and distribution
systems safeguards.
EPA New England has been very aggressive in making sure
that all of these protection measures are being utilized. For
example, we provided $66 million last year to help New
England communities fund improvements in drinking water
treatment and distribution systems. We've also used our
enforcement "stick" when we've had to. In fact, two of the
Agency's biggest ongoing battles evolve around drinking
water: our lawsuit to force the Massachusetts Water
Resources Authority to provide drinking water filtration for
two million Boston-area residents and our enforcement or-
ders halting military training at the Massachusetts Mili-
tary Reservation on Cape Cod due to groundwater
protection concerns.
Among our newer priorities is the Source Water Protection
Program designed to ensure the long-term protection of
water supplies. A new requirement under the SDWA, the
source water protection program requires all suppliers, in
Figure 4. New England Public Water Systems
Meeting Drinking Water Quality Standards
Radionuclides 0.7%
Organics 1.3%
Inorganics 1.3%
Bacteria 96.7%
source: EPA Safe Drinking Water
Information System, 1999
cooperation with the states, to identify and assess
potential contamination threats to their drinking water
supplies. As these assessments are completed, states,
suppliers and citizens will work on ways to better protect
those drinking water supplies.
We're also working closely with businesses and teachers
to heighten their awareness about drinking water. For busi-
nesses, we've launched an awards program to recognize
those that have voluntarily worked to protect drinking
1973
Energy Crisis Grips the World,
exacerbated by an oil embargo by
Arab nations. .
1974
First National Standards Limiting
Industrial Water Pollution Set By EPA
December 1974
Safe Drinking Water Act—EPA begins setting
health-based standards and physical/chemical
treatment requirements for drinking water.
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Fighting for Cape Cod's Drinking Water
Protecting Cape Cod's drinking water continues to
be one of our biggest battles. The Massachusetts
Military Reservation (MMR), a 22,000-acre property
that has been used for military training activities
since 1911, is located over a sole source aquifer that
provides drinking water for 200,000 year-round and
500,000 seasonal residents of Cape Cod. Parts of
the aquifer have been contaminated by fuel spills
and other past practices at MMR's Otis Air Force
Base. Otis is currently being cleaned up as a
Superfund site.
Fearful that military training was causing even more
damage to the groundwater, EPA New England in May
1997 suspended military training at Camp Edwards,
including all use of live explosives, propellants, flares
and lead bullets. It was the first time in our country's
history that military training activities had been halted
due to environmental and public health concerns.
That same year, we ordered a series of groundwater
studies that have produced evidence of serious
groundwater and soil contamination.
As a result of these studies, EPA this year ordered the
military to begin the process for the removal of
unexploded ordinance from the base and to clean up
contaminated groundwater and soils (available at:
www.epa.gov/regionl). The order, the first of its kind in
the country, was issued under emergency provisions
of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The federal law is
specifically designed to protect underground
drinking water supplies such as Cape Cod's aquifer.
water supplies. This year, we'll also be distributing flyers to
businesses to highlight the importance of drinking water
protection and provide examples of best management
practices. We've also developed a groundwater curriculum
for schools and an awards program for teachers who are
doing exemplary work.
Last year was also the first year in which drinking water
consumers all across the country received Consumer Con-
fidence Reports from their community water suppliers. These
easy-to-read reports tell consumers about the source of their
water, the distribution system and compliance with drinking
water rules. Consumers can expect to receive these
reports in the mail every year, with the next reports due
out by July 1,2000.
Pesticides and Public Health Protection
Pesticides are widely used to control bacteria, bugs and
other pests that can damage agricultural crops. At the
same time, pesticides pose potential threats to human
health, and in the environment can damage the fragile
balance of our ecosystems.
EPA has placed a special emphasis on protecting our
children from pesticides. A major milestone in this regard
was working on, winning, and implementing the Food
Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 that for the first time
puts emphasis on protecting the health of infants and
children from pesticide risks.
The FQPA paved the way for new regulations to better en-
sure that pesticides are used in ways that are more sensitive
to human health and our ecosystems. In concert with those
efforts, EPA has launched a Reduced Risk Initiative which
encourages manufacturers to develop alternative pesticides
that pose less risk to human health and to encourage fann-
ers and others who use pesticides to find safer alternatives.
Implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act has
already resulted in cancellation of some pesticide products
and implementation of new restrictions on other pesticides.
1975
Energy Policy and Conservation Act includes
provision establishing fuel economy standards
for passenger cars and trucks in the U.S.
1976
The Argo Merchant Runs Aground off Nantucket,
spilling 7.6 million gallons of oil.
1975
Car Makers Begin Installing Catalytic
Converters In New Vehicles to meet
EPA emission standards.
1976
Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA)
mandates cradle-to-grave regulation of
hazardous waste.
11
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New England's unique
geology has resulted in
some of the highest
radon concentrations
in the country.
Last year also was marked by the first-time distribution of
an EPA Pesticides and Food Consumer Right-To-Know
brochure, which was widely distributed in large
supermarkets. The brochure is available on EPA's website
at: www.epa.gov/pesticides/food
In the year ahead, we will continue our efforts to encourage
manufacturers to develop pesticides with reduced risks to
the public. We will do this by speeding up the registration
process for certain pesticides and through other incentives.
As part of our effort to make sure pesticides are adequately
controlled and studied, we will also focus on better
consumer labeling, children's health affects and develop-
ing new groundwater protection rules.
A Comprehensive Approach to Radon
Radon is a serious public health issue, particularly in New
England. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that
comes from the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium
in the ground. It can seep into basements and accumulate in
indoor air. It can also be found in groundwater. When radon-
containing groundwater is used for showers and other
domestic purposes, the material is released to the air, poten-
tially contributing to the risk of lung and stomach cancer.
Breathing radon in indoor air is the second leading cause of
lung cancer in the United States, causing about 20,000 cases
a year. Radon in drinking water is far less significant,
causing an estimated 168 cancer deaths a year.
How do I get more information
about radon?
Questions about radon in air can be answered by call-
ing EPA New England (1-888-EPA-7341), the Radon
Hotline (1-800-SOS-RADON), or the New England state
programs. The website www.epa.gov/laq/radon also has
valuable information. For information on radon in
groundwater, contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline
(1-800-426-4791) and EPA's Office of Drinking and
Ground Water Internet site at:
www.epa.gov/safewater/radon.htral
New England State Radon Programs
Connecticut (860)509-7367
Maine (800)232-0842
Rhode Island (401)222-2438
Vermont (800)439-8550
Massachusetts (413)586-7525
and(800)RADON95
New Hampshire (800)852-3345
,.. ext.4674
New England's unique geology has resulted in some of
the highest radon concentrations in the country. About
one in four New England homes has indoor radon levels
above the recommended action level of 4 pCi/1. In
addition, almost half of the region's population gets its
drinking water from groundwater.
EPA has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing
radon risk. Because the risk from radon in indoor air is so
much greater, the Agency's new proposed radon stan-
dards for drinking water encourage states and communi-
ties to address radon in indoor air before pursuing ex-
pensive strategies to reduce radon in drinking water. EPA
New England will also continue to support the state radon
and drinking water programs with technical assistance
and financial grants.
October 12, 1976
Toxic Substances Control Act sets stage for
EPA's ban that will phase out production and
use of cancer-causing PCBs.
August 1978
Love Canal in New York Found
to be Contaminated by buried
leaking chemical containers.
March 28,1979
Accident at Three Mile Island
Nuclear Power Plant in
Pennsylvania
1977
First Sign of Improvement in Waters
As Dischargers Comply With NPDES
Permit Requirements
1978
EPA & Other Federal Agencies Ban
Use of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
as a propellent in most aerosol cans.
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new er>gland tribes
EPA New England and the nine sovereign Tribes in the
region have forged elose relationships, resulting in enhanced
environmental proteetion on tribal lands and better coop-
eration on issues that cross boundaries. Among the high-
lights of this improved partnership was the New England
Tribes and 13 federal natural resource agencies in the region
signing a Memorandum of Understanding last year in which
they agreed to work as equal partners in protecting the
Tribes' natural resources. EPA New England's Emergency
Response Team was also the first in the nation to bring
Tribal members into response team operations.
Many of the collaborations between EPA and the Tribes
are focused on public health and ecosystem proteetion. In
what will provide the first regional, centralized look at air
quality on Tribal lands, EPA is providing funds for Tribes
to deploy air monitoring equipment in Maine and on
Martha's Vineyard to collect and analyze mercury, acid rain
and partieulate matter data. EPA is also collaborating with
the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Tribes to study liver
tissue in moose and deer to monitor toxics accumulation in
subsistence game. A pilot mercury project with EPA and
the Wampanoag and Passamaquoddy Tribes has also been
launched to collect fish tissue to determine the health risks
to Tribal members from eating fish. EPA is also assisting
the Bureau of Indian Affairs with a mulnVpartner collabora-
tive study to evaluate if dioxin, furans, and PCBs in the
Penobseot River pose public health andenvironmental risks.
Recognizing that environmental proteetion of Tribal trust
natural resources is critical for protecting each Tribes' tra-
ditions, culture and history, EPA will continue to provide
increased funding for these and other proteetion efforts.
Last year EPA New England provided $2.3 million in funds
to assist the Tribes in these activities.
Aroostook Band of Micmacs
Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians
Indian Township Reservation
Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians
Pleasant Point Reservation
Penobscot Indian Nation
Mohegan Tribe
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
Narragansett Indian Tribe
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
1981
Interagency Task Force on Aeid Precipitation
reports aeid rain problem is intensifying in Northeast
part of U.S. and Canada.
1980's
1982
Nuclear Waste Policy Act to provide long-term,
safe disposal of the most dangerous radioactive waste
from nuclear power plants and weapon production.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act, referred to as Superfund, establishes a national
program fortoxic waste cleanups and requires EPA to establish lists of
Hazardous substances and fhe most hazardous toxic sites in the U.S.
1983
Superfund Issues First National
Priorities List (NPL) - 406 sites
nationwide, 38 in New England.
13
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new
a B*
i
New England's ecosystems are our most valuable natural assets. The richness of our waterways provides
opportunities to see remarkable creatures such as bald eagles, striped bass and humpback whales. The
northern forest provides habitat for bear, moose and hundreds of species of birds. And, of course, many of
our ecosystems are prized for recreational and commercial activities.
But human activities can also significantly alter environmental conditions for better or worse. By taking a
look at the condition of our waters, wetlands, air quality and species of interest, we can see the progress
we've made in protecting our ecosystems after 30 years and the challenges that remain.
-------
Aquatic Ecosystems
In 1970, many of our rivers, estuaries and harbors were
environmental nightmares. Sewage and industrial wastes
transformed our waterways into waste dumps with almost
no life at all, except perhaps noxious algae blooms. Rivers
ran red, blue, or green depending on what dyes were used
by mills upstream. Our region's largest river, the Connecti-
cut, was openly referred to as a "landscaped sewer." It was
no wonder many New England cities and towns turned their
backs on their rivers and harbor fronts, paving them over or
walling them from view.
Thanks to federal initiatives such as the Clean Water Act,
water quality is much improved. As we see the dramatic
results of our investments in pollution controls and sewage
treatment, we are rediscovering our rivers and waterfronts.
Witness the hugely popular Waterfire events during the
summer on Providence's Woonasquatucket River—a river
that was once mostly paved over in the city—or canoeists
on the Connecticut, no longer a sewer, but home to bald
eagles and a small, but rising, stock of wild salmon.
But new pollution challenges lie ahead. In the 1970s, waste-
water treatment plants and other "point" sources comprised
nearly 50 percent of the identified sources of pollution.
Today that figure is less than 20 percent. This explains why
we are focusing substantially more attention now on con-
trolling nonpoint pollution sources such as stormvvater, fail-
ing septic systems and atmospheric deposition (Figure 5).
Eutrophication - The Big Challenge
The biggest problem today for many New England water
bodies is not toxic chemicals, but high amounts of phos-
phorus and nitrogen coming from runoff from over-fertil-
ized lawns and farms, municipal discharges, failing septic
systems and atmospheric deposition. These nutrients "over-
feed" our waters, accelerating an aging process, known as
eutrophication, that normally takes hundreds or thousands
of years. Increased levels of nutrients cause high growth of
unwanted algae and other aquatic plants. Such overgrowth
creates odor and visibility problems, clogs waterways and—
as it dies and decomposes—uses up oxygen in the water.
Figure §. Water Quality Conditions in New England
(Reported As Percent of Assessed Waters)
Supports Designated Uses Rivers/Streams (mi.)
Lakes/Ponds (acres)
Estuaries (sa.mi.
Healthy Aquatic Life 96%
Swimming 96%
Fish Consumption 1 7%"
Shellfish Consumption —
"primarily due to statewide mercury advisories
Leading Sources
of Pollution
1970s Municipal Point Sources
Industrial Point Sources
89%
96%
15%'
1990s
97%
97%
I 7%'
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers
Industrial Point Sources
Hydromodification
Leading Types 1970s Pathogens
of Pollution Toxic Chemicals
Nutrients/Low Dissolved Oxygen
sources: State CWA§305(b) Water Quality Inventory Reports, ASIWPCA, Amer-co's Clean Water, 1983
1990s Pathogens
Low Dissolved Oxygen
Nutrients, Metals, Flow Alteration
1983
U.S. vs. A.C. Lawrence Leather Co. of
Winchester, NH is one of the first criminal
enforcement cases for Clean Water Act and
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act violations.
1984
Amendments to the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act establish the Underground
Storage Tank Program and RCRA Corrective
Action Program.
1985
Giant Hole in Earth's Protective
Atmospheric Ozone Layer over Antarctica
is reported by British scientists.
1984
Union Carbide Plant in Bhopal, India
Releases Methyl Isocyanate killing more
than 2000 people.
15
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This leads to low oxygen levels in water and poor habitat that
sensitive fish species cannot tolerate. Currently, 31 percent of
New England^ lakes and ponds are eutrophied.
Phosphorus is the chief cause of eutrophication in most
New England lakes and streams while nitrogen is the main
contributor in estuaries and coastal areas such as Long
Island Sound. In the summer, rivers usually have lower
water levels due to less rainfall. This, along with higher
summer temperatures and high phosphorus levels, create
optimal conditions for algae and nuisance plants to thrive.
In the past, to control the discharge of phosphorus from
wastewater treatments plants, permits have included limits
of one milligram per liter (mg/1). Now limits lower than 1 mg/1 are
being explored and implemented, where necessary.
EPA, states and tribes are studying many impaired rivers
and lakes to determine the amount of nutrients and other
pollutants they can handle from point and nonpoint sources
before they become unhealthy. The results—known as Total
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)—will be used in issuing future
permits for wastewater treatment plants and other point-source
dischargers, as well as in controlling nonpoint pollution sources.
Managing Stormwater
Urban Stormwater continues to be a major source of water
pollution in New England. When it rains, oil, grease and
other contaminants from roadways and parking lots wash
into storm drains which lead directly to rivers and estuaries.
Last fall, EPA finalized new regulations requiring cities and
construction sites to implement Stormwater management
plans to minimize pollution to waterways. The regulations
will require cities to include such measures as regular street
sweeping, ensuring that sewers are not connected to storm
drains and educating residents to refrain from dumping oil
and other pollutants into storm drains.
Stormwater runoff is a major pollution source in non-urban
areas as well. EPA New England and our partners are work-
ing closely with agricultural, forestry and local communities
to establish Best Management Practices (BMPs) to elimi-
nate nutrients and toxic substances in Stormwater runoff.
Restoring Tidal Wetlands
Tidal wetlands have a critical role in New England's envi-
ronment, providing important habitat and nurseries for birds
and fish and improving water quality by filtering out pollut-
ants and sediment. Coastal salt marshes are among the most
biologically productive ecosystems in the world, rival-
ing tropical rainforests in the amount of plant material
produced each year.
For many decades, the importance of tidal wetlands was
unappreciated or not understood. As a result, thousands of
acres of tidal marshes in New England were filled for devel-
opment, used for garbage disposal, or drained to control
mosquito populations. Laws passed in the early 1970s halted
large-scale loss of tidal marshes by requiring permits for
activities in these areas.
Restoring degraded tidal wetlands is another priority in New
England. The Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection has won national recognition for helping to re-
store more than 1,500 acres of tidal wetlands since 1980.
Similar efforts are underway in Massachusetts—among
those, a state/federal/local partnership to restore 100 acres
of salt marsh in Rumney Marsh north of Boston. Massa-
chusetts also has launched an innovative wetlands restora-
tion and banking program involving public agencies and
major corporations, such as Gillette.
Losing freshwater wetlands due to activities not reported
through permitting programs remains a major concern.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, one acre of
wetlands can filter toxins, sediment and other pollutants
from 7.3 million gallons of water runoff annually. New
England states estimate that up to 250 acres of wetlands per
state are being lost or altered each year. Efforts to eliminate
wetland loss and restore this valuable ecosystem will be-
come increasingly important in the face of continuing popu-
lation growth and development pressure.
The National Estuary Program
When the National Estuary Program (NEP) was established
by Congress in 1985, three of the original four estuaries
December 1985
EPA and U.S. Department of Justice
file lawsuit against the State of
Massachusetts for illegal discharges of
sewage into Boston Harbor.
1986
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
requires states to designate emergency planning districts and
industries to retain safety data sheets for hazardous substances
and report releases of hazardous substances.
1985
EPA's National Estuary Program lists Long Island
Sound, Buzzards Bay and Narragansett Bay among
first estuaries in country.
1986
Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (SARA)
creates mechanisms to speed cleanups.
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The Kennebec River:
Removing a Dam and Restoring a Fishery
The Edwards Dam on the Kennebee River in Augusta, Maine
was breached last summer, allowing water to run freely on a
17-mile stretch of the river for the first time in 162 years. The
breaching—and subsequent removal of the dam last fall—was
the result of a preeedentsetting decision by the Federal En-
ergy Regulatory Commission (FERC) which found that the
environmental benefits of removing the dam outweighed the
economic benefits of re-licensing the dam. The dam's removal
has already resulted in striped bass returning to this area of the
river and, eventually, nearly a dozen migratory fish species are
expected to return, including Atlantic salmon, shad, alewife
and Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. As fish populations re-
boundj other wildlife dependent on a healthy fishery will also
benefit, including eagles andosprey.
The removal of the dam culminated a decade-long battle that
began with the formation of the Kennebee Coalition, which
includes groups such- as American Rivers, the Atlantic Salmon
Federation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Trout
Unlimited'and its Kennebee Valley Chapter. State and federal
agencies, including EPA New England; joined the coalition in
calling on FERC to take whatever action was necessary, in-
cluding the dam's removal, to restore historic fish populations
to the Kennebee above the dam. Before the dam was built in
1837, the Kennebee River was home to the state's largest
population of resident striped bass.
^6j?K7ar^e/enee'rnagazme'reeognizedsthe;deeomrnissioning of
the dam' with a 1'999 "Best of What's New" award to the
Kennebee Coalition and FERC.
targeted for attention were in New England — Long Island
Sound, Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay, Since then,
Caseo Bay, Great Bay and Massachusetts Bays have been
added. All of New England's estuaries faee common envi-
ronmental concerns such as habitat loss, pollution from
nutrients, bacteria and toxic chemicals, and adverse impacts
from increasing development.
Each of the NEP estuaries has a management plan for ad-
dressing these and other problems unique to their areas. In
Narragansett Bay, for example, the NEP kick-started a pro-
gram to stop the discharge of boater waste (treated and
untreated) into the bay, which resulted in designation of all
Rhode Island marine waters as a "No-Discharge" area. In
Buzzards Bay, the estuary program is tackling the nitrogen
pollution problem head-on, resulting in more than 4,000 acres
of shellfish beds being reopened. Efforts also are underway
for Buzzards Bay to become a No-Discharge area. In Long
Island Sound, the NEP has focused major attention
on upgrading wastewater treatment plants to reduce
nitrogen inputs.
Contaminated Sediments
While we've worked successfully over the past 30 years to
reduce pollutant discharges into our waters, bottom sedi-
ments in many areas continue to show the ill effects of con-
tamination. Nutrients, PCBs, mercury and other heavy met-
als are among the substances that bottom sediments store
and eventually release into the environment through natu-
ral decay, heavy rains or uptake by bottom feeding organ-
isms. EPA's National Sediment Inventory shows that sedi-
ment contamination is widespread in many New England
watersheds. About 40 percent of southern New England's
small coastal estuaries have bottom-dwelling organisms
impacted by sediment contamination.
On a positive note, however, federal assessments of con-
taminant concentrations in New England mussels show that
levels of PCBs, copper and the pesticide chlordane are de-
clining. One estuary, Boston Harbor, has seen a 20-fold drop
in hydrocarbon levels in mussels and a 10-fold drop in PCB
levels in flounder in just the past 10 years.
Air Quality's Influence
New England's terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are greatly
influenced by the air that passes over the region. Pollutants
deposited on our land and water can disrupt chemical bal-
ances, making trees more susceptible to disease and insect
infestation. Acid precipitation can increase the acidity of
rivers and lakes, making them uninhabitable for desirable
species offish. Higher acidity also increases the likelihood
of high levels of dissolved metals in our waters which, in
April 26, 1986
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Blows Up, causing
thousands of deaths, large scale evacuation and
significant long-term effects on surrounding environment.
1987
Clean Water Act requires states to
upgrade state water quality standards
and focus attention on nonpoint source
pollution.
1986
Safe Drinking Water Act Amended
tO'promote protection through Well Head
Protection Program.
1986
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
(AHERA) to protect school children and employees
from exposure to asbestos in school buildings.
1987
Montreal Protocol, signed by U.S.
and 23 other nations, pushes for
phase out of production of CFCs.
17
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Figure 6. Atmospheric Deposition in New England
1979 - 1998
Sulfato
Nitrate
'80 '83 '86 '89 '92 '95 '98
source: EPA AIRS
turn, can enter the food web offish, wildlife and people.
"Greenhouse" gases and paniculate matter in the atmo-
sphere also play a role in long term changes in New
England's climate.
Acid rain first came to light as a problem in the late
1970s and is still a major concern for New England. The
primary sources of acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitro-
gen oxide from coal-fired power plants and other com-
bustion sources, which precipitate as sulfate and ni-
trate (Figure 6). Reduced sulfur dioxide emissions have
resulted in lower levels of acidity in New England rain-
fall and some recovery of fresh water lakes. Still, de-
cades of acid rain have diminished our soil's ability to
neutralize acid, particularly in northern New England.
We'll need further reductions in acid rain for significant
recovery of lakes and forests.
Many scientists also believe that atmospheric deposition is
a primary source of mercury in New England waters. The
impact of mercury deposition on our fish and wildlife popu-
lations is not yet known. Mercury concentrations in fish
tissue prompted five of the six New England states to issue
statewide fish consumption advisories, limiting fish
consumption for children and pregnant or nursing women.
EPA, states, tribes, the Eastern Canadian Provinces and other
partners are collaborating in studies and regulatory efforts to
reduce mercury transport into our waters and ecosystems.
A Clear View
One of EPA's air pollution goals is to preserve the air qual-
ity—in particular, visibility—in our national parks. Without
pollution, the natural visual range in the eastern United States
is 90 miles. But over the years, air pollution has reduced
that range to between 14 and 24 miles. Last spring, EPA
announced a program to tackle the haze problem, with a
goal of restoring clear skies to 156 national parks and wil-
derness areas across the country, including the Presidential
Range in New Hampshire, Acadia National Park in Maine
and the Lye Brook Wilderness Area in Vermont.
Birds & the Environment
Birds are excellent environmental indicators, providing us
with a long-term perspective about the health of our eco-
systems. With the increase in development in New England,
birds that are well adapted to living with humans, such as
grackles and starlings, seem to be stable in their abundance.
However, birds requiring meadows, shrubland and other
grassy open areas are dropping in numbers—among those,
bobolinks and meadowlarks. The dramatic reforestation of
New England's landscape, after the nearly complete defor-
estation by agriculture and timber production in the 19"1 and
early 20* centuries, is bringing back a large number of wood-
land birds such as owls and woodpeckers (Figure 7).
Neotropical migratory birds such as warblers, cuckoos,
vireos and hawks are under severe stress, both in New
England and other North American breeding grounds and
in their Latin American wintering grounds. Many neotropical
migrant species, including warblers and flycatchers, have
declined dramatically over the last two decades. Twenty-
two species that breed in New England and then fly to
Central and South America for the winter have suffered popu-
lation drops due to fragmentation and loss of forest and
grassland habitat, pesticide poisoning, predation, adverse
land use practices and habitat changes along migratory routes.
September 1988
EPA & U.S. Surgeon General
Urge Homeowners to Test for
Radon
1988
10G'h Emergency Removal Action
completed in New England.
May 1988
First National Volunteer Monitoring Conference
held at University of Rhode Island. Today, there are more
than 20,000 volunteers monitoring New England's waters.
March 24, 1989
Exxon Valdez Spills almost 11 million
gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince
William Sound.
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Figure 7. Birds as Indicators of Land Use Change
Northern
New England
New England's Declining Breeding Birds 1966 - 1998
Urban
Brush/Scrub
Woodland
Neotropical
Urban
Brush/Scrub
Woodland
Neotropical
Land Use Change
Southern
New England
0 5 10 15 20
number of species declining
Northern New England
(ME, NH, VT)
'45 '54 '64 74 '87 '97
Southern New England
(CT, MA, Rl)
I agriculture urban
'45 '54 '64 74 '87 '97
forest
sources: USGS-8RD, Powtuxot Wildlife Research Station,
Brooding Bird Survey, ERS - USDA Major Land Use Database
(Based on over 31.5 mil. acres in Northern New England and 8.8 mil. acres in Southern New England.
The difference between total acreage and the sum of these 3 usos is other types of land use.)
Bald Eagle: A Cautious Success Story
When Europeans first arrived in North America, there were
approximately 100,000 bald eagles living in what was to
become the lower 48 states. By 1967, the population had
plummeted to less than 500 breeding pairs. This was due to
habitat loss and the effects of the pesticide DDT in the fish
that eagles were eating, which caused eggshell thinning. In
1972, DDT was banned and habitat conservation efforts
were launched. Bald eagle populations have since rebounded
to a current level of 5,748 breeding pairs and continue to
improve in the lower 48 states. In New England, there are
currently 215 known nesting sites. Although proposed for
removal from the federal Endangered Species List, bald
eagles remain vulnerable to contaminants in the food chain
and to habitat loss.
Bald Eagle Nesting in New England
1970-1998
250
70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '98
source: USFWS, 1999
1989
The World Prodigy runs aground off Newport,
Rhode Island, spilling 420,000 gallons of oil.
19907s
1990
National Environmental Education Act
makes EPA the lead federal agency for promoting,
supporting & encouraging environmental education.
1989
Toxics Release Inventory is available, allowing public
to know the location and nature of toxic chemical releases
from specific industrial facilities in communities.
Pollution Prevention Act encourages
industry to reduce toxic emissions through
cost-effective changes in production.
19
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creating healthy
As we look back on what we've accomplished over the past 30 years, we have come to realize that we need
to bring our environmental protection efforts closer to home. We now recognize that preserving the environ-
ment isn't simply about protecting a beautiful far away place such as a forest or a beach. It is about
enhancing our communities—the places where we live and raise our families.
Over the past five years, EPA New England has been a national leader in finding new ways to give our
communities the tools they need to address the environmental and public health problems that threaten
them. And the benefits are being felt in all corners of the region, from Burlington, VT and Bridgeport, CT to
Providence, Rl and Presque Isle, ME.
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Revitalizing our Urban Neighborhoods
Residents in urban areas throughout New England are ex-
posed to a disproportionate share of environmental and
public health hazards, ranging from asthma and lead poi-
soning to air toxics and contaminated industrial sites. The
effects of these hazards are further compounded by limited
economic development opportunities, social ills and, often,
little political power. In 1995, EPA New England launched a
pilot program, the Urban Environmental Initiative fUEI), to
tackle the complex challenge of making environmental and
public health improvements in our urban cities.
The UEI program is all about community-based environ-
mental protection. Focusing on neighborhoods in Boston,
Hartford and Providence, the UEI team has made public
involvement the foundation of its efforts to help commu-
nity partners build their capacity for solving their own envi-
ronmental problems. Some of UEI's urban environment and
public health projects include:
•In Providence, which has among the highest lead
poisoning rates in the country, we've tested more than
100 vacant lots for lead contamination. The sampling
effort is being coordinated with a city program to sell
vacant lots to neighborhood residents for S1.
•In Boston, we've helped launch an award-winning
program in Dorchester that trains local youths in lead
testing and abatement for residential properties, thus
providing both environmental improvements and job
training. We're also helping to restore waterfront prop-
erties on Chelsea Creek in East Boston and Chelsea.
•In Hartford, we've trained community educators on
lead poisoning and asthma prevention, efforts that
have reached thousands of children and their parents.
To obtain more information about UEI. visit our web site:
www.epa.gov/region01/eco/uei
Brownfields
Ail across New England abandoned industrial sites plague
our cities and towns and hinder revitalization. For years and
sometimes decades, these Brownfield properties have sat
dormant due to fears of environmental contamination and
the potential costs of cleaning the sites up.
EPA's Brownfields Program is reversing this trend, benefit-
ting both our cities and our rural areas which are scrambling
to protect precious open space. Through grants, site evalu-
ations and other assistance. EPA New England has helped
Protecting Neighborhoods Near Logan Airport
Residents of Chelsea, East Boston, Somerville, Winthrop and Roxbury know all too well what it is like living near Logan Airport. Hour
after hour, day after day, year after year, the airport generates noise, traffic congestion and compromised air quality. Last year. EPA
New England set an important precedent by opposing construction of a new runway at Logan largely on the grounds that it would,
once again, unfairly and disproportionately burden neighboring communities.
Citing environmental justice issues, we told the Federal Aviation Administration that communities around Logan should not be asked
to accept the impacts of further expansion unless and until Massport, the airport's operator, takes specific steps. In particular, we
asked Massport to reduce noise and traffic impacts from the airport's current operations and to work harder to shift more of Logan's
customer base to regional airports and rail alternatives.
EPA's strong opposition to the runway played a major role in the FAA's decision in January to delay any approval of the runway. As
a result of that decision, Massport will be required to do additional environmental studies on whether and how a new runway can be
built without placing an unfair burden on Boston's neighborhoods.
1990
The World's Largest Oil Spill is Caused during the Gulf War
when five tankers and hundreds of storage tanks and oil wells are
blown up in Kuwait by Iraq, releasing a total of 294 million
gallons of crude oil.
1990
Merrimack River Watershed Initiative
is launched, using National Estuary
Program os a model.
1990
The Ocean Liner Bermuda Star and Barge
Bouchard run aground off Falmouth, MA in
separate incidents, spilling a total of 107,000
gallons of oil.
November 15, 1990
Clean Air Act Amended, with
major new programs addressing
smog, acid rain and air toxics.
21
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clean up dozens of contaminated properties, resulting in
thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars of tax
revenues tor municipal coffers. Since the start of the pro-
gram in W5, nearly $30 million in federal funds has been
invested in identifying, investigating and cleaning up these
properties in New England.
Much of the Brownfields redevelopment has been in the
cities that need the most help. In Bridgeport, CT and Lowell,
MA, residents are flocking downtown to see the Bridgeport
Bluefish and Lowell Spinners minor-league baseball teams
play in stadiums built on former Brownfield sites. At both
locations, EPA grants were used to evaluate the sites for
contamination. In Warwick, RJ, the T.H. Bayliss site was
assessed with EPA funds, leading to a decision to use the
property for a new intermodal rail station linked toT.F. Green
Airport. And in Stamford, CT, the city recently issued the
first low-interest loan of its kind in the country—a loan
made possible from an EPA grant—that will help a devel-
oper clean up a property along Long Island Sound for new
housing and a waterfront walkway.
Wrestling with MTBE Pollution
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), a compound used in
reformulated gasoline (RFG), has been found at low levels
in about 15 percent of the drinking water wells tested in
New England. Although the air quality benefits of using
reformulated gasoline have been significant - a35 percent
reduction of air toxics and up to a 20 percent reduction in
smog-forming pollutants—MTBE is about 30 times more
Underground Storage Tanks In New England:
A Success Story
New England has been a national leader in complying
with federal regulations requiring that underground stor-
age tanks (USTs) be upgraded, removed or replaced to
prevent leaks and spills. All six of the New England
states have compliance rates exceeding 90 percent.
Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island lead
the pack at 97 percent compliance or better. The compli-
ance push has resulted in nearly 70,000 USTs being
closed in the region since 1986 when the UST program
began. The 38,000 tanks still in service are state-of-the-
art, leak-resistant tanks.
1991
First Completed Construction of Cleanup
Remedy at an NPL site in New England-
Cannons Engineering, Bridgewater, MA.
1992
Ban on Dumping of Sewage Sludge
into ocean and coastal waters.
1991
EPA Coordinates Use of Recycled and
Recyclable Products by Federal Agencies
where possible.
1992
United Nations Earth Summit Conference
on Environment and Development in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil.
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Getting to Yes:
The Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund
Site Agreement
"This agreement proves that communities can play a crucial
role in solving these difficult issues and that the federal govern-
ment is willing to listen." — Vermont Governor Howard Dean
Last fall, EPA New England finalized a first-of-its-kind agree-
ment with 23 parties responsible for contamination at the Pine
Street Barge Canal Superfund site in Burlington, VT. Crafted
by a first-in-the-nation citizen council, the $7.3 million agree-
ment addresses environmental risks to Lake Champlain,
provides for projects to compensate for past resource damages
and allows for commercial redevelopment of the site.
The agreement came six years after EPA withdrew its original
$50 million cleanup proposal due to local opposition and initi-
ated a consensus-building process. Together, we developed a
cleanup strategy that both protects the environment and is
acceptable to the community. The responsible parties collec-
tively agreed to participate in cleaning up the site and under-
take a wetland enhancement project at a nearby farm. They
also agreed to voluntarily spend up to $3 million on additional
environmental projects in the Burlington area.
Progress in Superfund Site Cleanups
Today, there are more tfian 1,200 Superfund sites on EPA :
National Priorities List (NPL) nationwide, 100 of which are in
New England. Study or cleanup is underway at all of
these sites. At 38 of the 100 sites, EPA has completed all
construction associated with the cleanup.
Cleanup Construction Completed
(38 Sites - 7 Deleted from NPLI
Investigation/Design Phase
(30 Sites)
Cleanup Construction Underway
(32 Sites)
source: EPA New England
Raymark: Turning a Superfund Site into a Wal-Mart
"Redevelopment initiatives have become a chief goal of Superfund cleanups and now the Raymark site is a shining star of those
efforts. " — Editorial in The Connecticut Post
The former Raymark waste site in Stratford, CT will soon be a linchpin of the local economy thanks to an EPA cleanup that is being
touted as a national model. EPA New England's Superfund team designed the cleanup from the very beginning to allow for retail
redevelopment of the 34-acre property. Among the design features was incorporating pilings into the protective cap so that the site
could support the weight of a shopping center.
This past January, three mega-retailers—Wal-Mart, Shaw's Supermarkets and the Home Depot—offered a winning bid of S24 million
for the commercially prime property adjacent to Interstate 95. The money will help offset the substantial cost of cleaning up the site.
The retail complex will contribute up to 800 permanent jobs, $1 million in local property taxes and $4.5 million a year in retail sales
taxes to Connecticut's economy. And, by building the shopping center in downtown Stratford instead of on the outskirts, sprawl has
been avoided and open space preserved.
1992
Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act
directed EPA to promulgate regulations for lead based
paint activities.
1993
Curbside Recycling Triples
Recycling Rate for Nation's Trash
from 7% in 1 970 to nearly 22%
1993
EPA's Common Sense Initiative shifts from pollutant-by-pollutant regulatory
approach to industry-by-industry approach to achieve better results in a more
efficient cost-effective manner for businesses and taxpayers.
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Using Enforcement to Protect Workers and Jobs
Protecting both worker safety and job stability, EPA New England negotiated an innovative settlement last year that
requires Aerovox Inc. of New Bedford to address widespread PCB contamination problems at its manufacturing
facility along the Acushnet River. The agreement required the company to take immediate actions to reduce employee
exposure to PCBs, close and relocate its operation within 16 months, and undertake a comprehensive cleanup of its
nine-acre property. In addition to protecting workers and the environment, the agreement helps preserve hundreds of
jobs in the community. Aerovox has already begun relocating its operations to a new industrial park in the city. A
groundbreaking ceremony was held in the summer of 1999.
soluble in water than most other components of gasoline.
Therefore, it moves through the groundwater at a very rapid
rate. MTBE creates an unpleasant taste and smell in drink-
ing water even at low levels, and is a possible human
carcinogen. Sources of MTBE in drinking water wells are
most likely to be gasoline releases from point sources such
as pipelines and underground storage tanks or gasoline
spills —including small spills of less than 10 gallons.
EPA is concerned about the detections of MTBE in drinking
water and is moving aggressively to phase out the use of
MTBE as an oxygenate in gasoline. In order to phase out
the use of MTBE, Congress must modify current statutory
requirements mandating a 2 percent oxygenate level in RFG,
a requirement which has been met primarily through the
addition of MTBE. EPA's goal is to protect public health
and the environment by ensuring that Americans have
both cleaner air and water—and never one at the expense
of the other.
Keeping Track of Toxics
EPA is strongly committed to expanding the amount of en-
vironmental information available to citizens and communi-
ties. One of the first right-to-know programs at EPA is the
Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) started in 1988. TRI requires
facilities using or manufacturing any of 650 chemicals to
report how much they released into the air, water or transfer
waste offsite (Figure 8). This information is available in
an electronically accessible national database at:
Figure 8. Trends in Toxic Releases
{Total to Land, Air and Water)
100
'88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98
VT • Rl • NH
• ME • MA • CT
source: EPA Toxic Roloaso Inventory
1994
First Completed Construction of
the Remedy at a RCRA Site in New
England- IBM, Essex Junction, VT
July 1995
Recovery of American Bald Eagle
population allows upgrade from
Endangered to Threatened Species
1994
Brownfields Program Launched to help
communities revitalize abandoned, contaminated
sites so they con be returned to productive use.
1994
List of Toxic Chemicals Reported
to Public under Community Right-
To-Know Lows doubles
October 1995
EPA New England Launches Charles River
"Fishable & Swimmable by 2005" Program,
Gives River Water Quality a Grade of D.
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www.epa.gov/tri and is also being used by many groups to
compile their own publicly available scorecards.
The TRI program has been hugely successful, spurring
dramatic reductions in the use and discharge of toxics all
across the country. From 1988 to 1998, TRI manufacturing
facilities nationwide reduced their onsite and offsite envi-
ronmental releases by 45.3 percent. Over the same period,
New England manufacturers reduced their releases of toxics
to the environment by 80 percent; decreases in air releases
accounted for 90 percent of these reductions.
EPA has expanded the program several times to include ad-
ditional chemicals and types of facilities that must report
and, recently, seven "new sectors" began reporting to the
TRI. A new class of TRI chemicals, known as persistent,
bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs), was also added to the
inventory. EPA is continuing to find more ways of giving
people and communities the information they need to be
informed about their environment and to be effective in
protecting it.
Recycling Results
Twenty years ago, when less than 10 percent of the region's
trash was being recycled, most of our waste was being
trucked to ever-scarce landfills and a spate of new incinera-
tors which posed air pollution concerns. Today, New
England states have some of the highest recycling rates in
the nation—and they're still going up. Most communities
have achieved 25 percent recycling rates and some national
role models in our region—the City of Worcester, for ex-
ample—have reached over 50 percent. Over nine million
people in New England recycle their trash.
EPA New England is working to further expand the
frontiers of recycling so that electronic products (comput-
ers, monitors and televisions), construction debris, food
waste and other materials can also be diverted from land-
fills and incinerators. Over the past four years, these
efforts in creating new markets have resulted in more than
200,000 tons of recyclable materials being recovered and
200 new jobs being created.
We are also promoting a new concept in waste management
called Pay-As-You-Throw. Under this new system, trash
collectors (typically towns or cities] charge customers
according to each bag of trash that they generate. This
encourages residents to recycle more and throw away less.
The boost in recycled materials also boosts revenues, which
can result in lower property taxes that pay for trash
collection. EPA's national goal is to reach a 35 percent
recycling rate by 2005. That would mean reducing the
amount of trash generated to 4.3 pounds per person per
day. By implementing new recycling incentives and
supporting and expanding recycling markets, New England
is well on its way toward reaching this goal.
Restoring Troubled Waters
Over the past 30 years, states, tribes and federal gov-
ernments have successfully rallied to meet challenges of
improving polluted waterways. These often require
unique approaches, but to be successful, they all need
the involvement and support of local communities.
Three examples in New England are presented here.
The Charles River Initiative
EPA New England's campaign to make the Charles River
fishable and swimmable by Earth Day 2005 continues to
make remarkable progress (Figure 9). Due to a variety of
efforts by a broad coalition of river advocates, the river met
boating standards 91 percent of the time and swimming
standards 75 percent of the time during 1999. That's com-
pared to only 39 percent and 19 percent compliance.
respectively, in 1995.
Various activities are underway to cut the flow of pollut-
ants into the river. Seven communities along the river have
nearly completed the removal of illegal connections be-
tween sewer and storm drains, stopping the discharge of
over a million gallons of untreated sewage into the river
every day. All 10 communities on the Lower Charles have
developed stormwater management plans that have been
reviewed by national urban stormwater experts. And last
year, the Clean Charles Coalition, a consortium of 15 pri-
vate institutions on the river, launched a public awareness
effort to focus energy and attention to the river cleanup.
1995
2 out of 3 Metropolitan Areas—
unhealthy in 1990—now meet Air
Quality Standards
1995
EPA's Project XL is Launched to help companies,
facilities, communities and states develop innovative
ways to achieve exemplary environmental results in
common-sense and cost-effective ways.
November 1995
EPA New England Expands Indian Program by
appointing EPA Tribe Coordinators for each of the
nine tribal governments.
1995
National Marine Fisheries Service is forced to impose severe
fishing and catch limits for cod and other groundfish on Georges
Bank, as a result of depleted fish stocks
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As the turnaround continues, the Charles is receiving more
and more notoriety not just as a rowing mecca but as a
national model for restoring highly urbanized rivers.
The Woonasquatucket:
A River on the Rebound
The Woonasquatucket River, which flows 18 miles from
North Smithfield to Upper Narragansett Bay, is the focal
point of Rhode Island's urban revitalization efforts, par-
ticularly in downtown Providence where the river is the
centerpiece for the nationally-acclaimed Waterfire
shows. After years of neglect during and after the In-
dustrial Revolution, the Woonasquatucket is now be-
ing targeted for cleanup activities and a "greenway." In
August 1998, the river received national recognition
when it was designated as an American Heritage River.
EPA New England has been actively involved with the
Woonasquatucket since 1996, when the agency's Urban
Environmental Initiative team first learned that urban resi-
dents were subsistence fishing and eel trapping in parts of
the river. A subsequent EPA-sponsored sampling effort
revealed dioxin contamination in the lower river, which led
to a "catch and release" fish advisory that has been in place
since fall 1996.
EPA New England is now working with state and local part-
ners to determine the extent of the dioxin contamination and
how it should be cleaned up. With strong local support, the
site was recently named to the federal Superfund list which
will ensure additional resources for a comprehensive
cleanup. In the meantime, the UEI team has contacted thou-
sands of residents about the "Do's and Don'ts for the
Woonasquatucket River" to keep families safe. For more
information, access our website at:
www.epa.gov/region01/ra/woonas/
Boston Harbor: An Environmental Success
In the 1980's, Boston Harbor was nationally renowned as
one of the most polluted water bodies in the country.
Billions of gallons of untreated sewage and industrial wastes
spilled into the harbor every year, killing and contaminating
marine life, closing beaches to swimming and causing odor
problems for surrounding neighborhoods. Sewage treatment
Figure 9. Progress in the Charles River Basin - Samples Meeting Fecal Coliform Standards
100
J 80
a.
S 60
f 40
ll
'96 '97 '98
Dry Weather
'96 '97 '98
Wet Weather
Swimming
Boating
source: Charlos Rivor Watershed Association
January 1 996
North Cape Oil Barge Spills
over 800,000 gallons off Rhode
Island's coast.
August 1996
Food Quality Protection Act changes the way EPA
regulates pesticides. Requirements include a new safety
standard—a reasonable certainty of no harm—that must
be applied to all pesticides used on foods. .
1996
EPA Takes Action to Prevent Development
of Sears Island, Maine, the largest undeveloped
island on the entire East Coast.
1996
Amendments to Safe Drinking Water Act
establishes State Revolving Funds to help
communities pay for water protection measures.
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facilities were built in the 1950s and 1960s, but they fell into
disrepair due to underfunding.
In 1985, EPA New England sued the Metropolitan District
Commission and the Massachusetts Water Resources
Authority (MWRA) for widespread violations of the Clean
Water Act. The lawsuit resulted in a court order requiring
the MWRA to build a secondary wastewater treatment sys-
tem for 43 Boston-area communities. The new Deer Island
treatment facility—easily recognizable by its futuristic look-
ing egg-shaped sludge digesters—relies on aggressive indus-
trial pretreatment and creative approaches to wastewater treat-
ment, such as conversion of sewage sludge to fertilizer.
Benefits from the improved wastewater treatment have been
enormous. The harbor's water is noticeably clearer.
porpoises and harbor seals have returned to the area and
concentrations of pollutants in fish and shellfish are down
dramatically. We're also seeing more and more beaches open
for swimming.
Energy Conservation
• Paint your walls in a light color so more light is reflected
• Open blinds instead of turning on lights
• Dress warmly in winter so you can turn the heat down
• Reduce the temperature on your water heater
• Make sure your home is well insulated
• Turn off lights, fans, computers and the TV when
they're not being used
• Use rechargeable batteries
• If it's not far, avoid using the car
• Use your clothesline as often as possible instead
of a dryer
•Try carpooling or public transportation, even ONE
day a week
Bathroom
• Take shorter showers and use less water for baths
• Turn off the water while brushing teeth, shaving, etc.
• Check your toilet for "silent" leaks by placing food color-
ing in the tank and seeing if it leaks into the bowl
• Install a low-flow shower head and water-saver dam in the
toilet tank
Water Conservation in Your Home
Heating and pumping water requires energy. Energy, in turn,
creates pollution such as acid rain and mercury emissions.
If we can reduce the energy we use to pump and heat water,
we can reduce pollution—and save money.
things you can do...
pollution prevention tips
Kitchen or Laundry
• Make sure your dishwasher and washing machine
only run with full loads
• Compost your food scraps rather than using a garbage
disposal
• Wash vegetables in a pan of water rather than under the
faucet
• Use that same pan of water to pre-clean dishes after eating
• Keep a gallon of drinking water in the refrigerator rather
than running the tap for cold water.
• Insulate your water pipes to save hot water
Outdoors
• Wash your car with a bucket of soapy water rather than
running the hose
• Keep a spring-loaded nozzle on the hose
• Wash your car less often or wash it at a car wash where
they clean and recycle the water
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean off your driveway
or sidewalk
May 1997
EPA New England Issues Unprecedented
Order Halting Military Training at
Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cope
Cod due to groundwater protection concerns.
February 1998
EPA Announces Clean Water Action Plan
emphasizing collaborative watershed-based
strategies to attain fishable and swimmable waters.
1997
EPA Establishes Children's Health
Protection Office to make protection
of children's health a fundamental goal.
January 1998
Eklof Marine Pays a $7 Million Criminal Fine for the
1996 North Cape Oil Spill off Rhode Island's coast -
the largest oil spill fine ever in the continental United States.
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promoting environmental stewardship
Ensuring compliance with environmental laws and regulations is a foundation of our work. Whether it's a
large corporate polluter or a small municipal garage, EPA New England will never let anyone shirk their
responsibilities for environmental protection and will use all means possible to bring civil and criminal viola-
tors to justice. Our commitment to strong enforcement was clearly evident in our 1 999 enforcement
results, which included more judicial referrals and more administrative penalty actions than at any time in
the past eight years.
But we also realize that legal action is but one in an armory of tools to reach our ultimate goal of a cleaner
and safer New England. One of our newer tools is to nurture and promote an environmental ethic in
corporate America, an increasingly important activity as pollution sources become more diffuse and more
difficult to regulate. We're also putting more emphasis on integrated strategies that link enforcement with
compliance assistance tools.
And, lastly, we're targeting specific sectors where compliance is particularly nettlesome, and specific geo-
graphic areas where environmental improvements would provide an especially big public benefit. With all of
these tools, we are committed to finding innovative solutions that will combine strong environmental protec-
tion with smarter, more efficient regulation.
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Tackling Tough Cases
EPA New England and EPA's Criminal Investigation Divi-
sion have invested significant resources in large complex
cases with important environmental benefits for our natural
resources. A few of the cases are particularly noteworthy
for advancing our protection of estuaries, air quality and
drinking water supplies. Among those successes:
•Northeast Utilities pleaded guilty last year to 25 felony
counts for widespread environmental and nuclear violations
at two of its power plants in Connecticut. The criminal vio-
lations, including the discharge of toxic chemicals into Long
Island Sound and submitting misleading monitoring data.
resulted in $6.7 million in fines, the largest criminal env iron-
mental fine in Connecticut history.
•Saybolt Inc., a petroleum testing laboratory, was convicted
for falsifying test results on reformulated gasoline and home
heating oil, thereby undermining efforts to achieve clean
air. The case was notable both for its S4.9 million fine - the
largest criminal environmental fine in Massachusetts his-
tory - and for signaling increased scrutiny of the petroleum
testing and inspection industry.
•Pfizer Inc., a pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Groton.
CT, agreed to settle a civil enforcement action alleging vio-
lations of hazardous waste, clean water and right-to-know
requirements. Under the settlement, Pfizer paid a penalty of
S625.000. and will spend approximately S150.000 on two en-
vironmental projects aimed at improving hazardous waste
management at schools and universities.
Sector-Based Strategies
A key component of our compliance strategy is integrating
enforcement, assistance and pollution prevention in order
to maximize environmental results. We're focusing these
efforts on specific sectors where non-compliance is perva-
sive and the environmental benefits would be highest.
Among the sectors we've targeted is the region's univer-
sities and colleges. Upon noticing a widespread pattern of
non-compliance during inspections, we decided last year
to launch a coordinated enforcement.compliance assis-
tance effort aimed at reaching all 258 universities and col-
leges in the region. We kicked off the initiative with a si-
multaneous announcement of a major enforcement action
against the University of New Hampshire and mailing of
enforcement warning letters to all of the region's univer-
sity presidents. Apparently our message has been heard:
more than 300 participants attended two assistance work-
shops we co-sponsored last year for university environ-
mental managers.
We're also applying this targeted approach to the metal and
wood finishing industries, auto body and repair shops and
public agencies. Our auto sector initiative has relied heavily
Consent Decree with General Electric
Berkshire County and the City of Pittsfield have long struggled with the legacy of PCBs left by General Electric. To address this
serious public health and environmental problem, EPA New England steadfastly pursued a negotiated agreement for a comprehensive
cleanup of Pittsfield and the Housatonic River. Last fall, those efforts paid off.
After two years of intense negotiations, EPA. GE and various other parties signed a landmark settlement that will assure the cleanup
of the Housatonic, GE's 250-acre property in Pittsfield, Silver Lake and floodplain properties along the river. Spelled out in a
proposed Consent Decree lodged in federal court, the settlement also requires GE to fund a S21 million natural resource damage
package. GE has also agreed to spend S45 million for the cleanup and revitalization of its Pittsfield property - among the largest
investments of its kind in the nation. The settlement with GE has received widespread notoriety both as a mediation model for
complex cleanup cases and for showing the benefits of strong public involvement in cleanup decisions.
AA\ERIO\N HKKITAC.I-: K1VHRS
1998
7,500lh Underground
Storage Tank Cleanup
completed in New England.
July 1998
Designation of 14 American Heritage Rivers,
including the Blackstone, Woonasquatucket and
Connecticut Rivers in New England.
1998
350th Emergency Removal Action
completed in New England.
June 1998
Transportation Equity Act For the 21" Century, TEA-21,
provides record levels of funding to continue rebuilding highways
without compromising environmental protection.
29
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on technical assistance and pollution prevention. In just
the past year, we've held 32 workshops, conducted 88
on-site visits and sent 45,000 mailings targeted at the
auto industry.
We've also expanded assistance programs for public agen-
cies. One assistance program aimed at DPW facilities in
New England reached about 240 municipal officials. In a
survey of attendees after several workshops in Massachu-
setts, 88 percent indicated greater awareness of environ-
mental problems, 50 percent took some kind of compliance
related corrective action and 25 percent implemented a pol-
lution prevention activity. To make sure public agencies are
complying, we've continued our aggressive campaign of
inspections and enforcement actions. In just the past six
years, we've taken more than 300 enforcement actions
against municipal, state and federal agencies for environ-
mental non-compliance.
Fostering Creative Solutions
By focusing more attention on the environmental outcomes
of our work, we've learned that creative alternatives to tra-
ditional regulatory approaches can often yield far better
environmental results at less cost. Three examples of this
are worth noting:
•Tackling CSOs in New England - Finding innovative
solutions will be critical in tackling one of New England's
biggest remaining water quality challenges—a requirement
that cities and towns eliminate thousands of miles of com-
bined sewer overflow pipes. Built to carry both sewage and
storm water, CSOs overflow directly into our waterways
after heavy rains, causing widespread pollution problems.
Cities from Hartford to Providence to Chicopee have all been
ordered to eliminate or treat hundreds of millions of gallons
of untreated sewage from these combined sewers that
discharge into our rivers. EPA New England recognizes the
significant financial burden these CSO abatement programs
will place on communities—about $4 billion in New England
alone—and is working with communities to develop cost
effective plans. EPA's CSO agreement with Manchester, NH
is a good example of what we're trying to accomplish. The
By allowing the CSO work
to be done in phases,
EPA was able to negotiate
another $5.6 million in
other environmental
improvements.
agreement, which has received the enthusiastic support of
environmental groups as well as state and local leaders,
requires the city to invest $52 million in the first phase of a
project to control CSOs along the Merrimack River. By
allowing the CSO work to be done in phases, EPA was able
to negotiate another $5.6 million in other environmental
improvements, including nonpoint pollution controls along
the river, the purchase of important wetland areas in the city and
a program to reduce childhood asthma and lead poisoning.
•The University Lobs XL Project - Project XL, which stands
for "excellence in Leadership," is a national EPA program
designed to experiment with new regulatory schemes that
could achieve better environmental results at less cost. With
seven XL projects in various stages of implementation, EPA
New England has been a national leader in this effort. One
of our more exciting projects is the New England University
Labs XL Project aimed at finding more efficient ways of
regulating and managing hazardous waste at university labo-
ratories. Our University Labs project will give the three
participating universities - Boston College, U-Mass Boston
and the University of Vermont - more latitude in managing
hazardous waste materials which, in turn, will better enable
them to boost recycling efforts and slash the amount of
hazardous waste they generate. A key piece of the project is
the adoption of a new site-specific rule, applicable only
to the three universities, that allows changes in the fed-
eral requirements for storing and handling hazardous
September 1998
EPA Adopts Rule calling for 22 eastern states
to substantially reduce nitrogen oxide emissions
to address ozone transport problems.
April 1999
Charles River Receives an
Improved Grade of "B-" on
Water Quality Conditions.
February 1999
EPA Launches a Smart Growth
Initiative to combat sprawl in
New England.
July 1999
Edwards Dam is Removed from the Kennebec River in Maine -
the first hydroelectric dam in the country ordered removed by the U.S.
government due to environmental protection concerns.
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waste materials. The project's goal is to increase recycling
by 20 percent and cut the amount of waste generated by
10 percent.
•StarTrack - Our StarTrack Program has been enormously
successful in encouraging companies and agencies to
voluntarily assess and improve their environmental perfor-
mance. Fourteen companies and organizations in New
England are currently participating in StarTrack. All have
agreed to audit their environmental management and
compliance performance each year, prepare and publish a
comprehensive environmental performance report annually,
and have their audit results reviewed and certified by an
independent third party every three years.
STARTRACK
Certified Environmental
Performance
StarTrack Participants in 1999
BOC Gases
Clairol
Dexter Corporation
EG &G Electro-Optics
Environmental Soil Management, Inc.
GAP Materials Corporation
International Paper Company-Androscoggin Mill
Sanders, A Lockheed Martin Co.
Spalding Sports
Texas Instruments, Materials & Control Group
Toray Plastics
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station
U.S. Postal Service
Unilever HP
Supplemental Environmental Projects
(SEPs)
EPA New England has a strong commitment to negotiating
innovative environmental projects - known as Supplemen-
tal Environmental Projects (SEPs) - in settling enforcement
cases with violators. Last year, we negotiated 18 SEPs that
funded more than S7.7 million of projects, including a mer-
cury reduction program at Massachusetts hospitals and a
statewide lead abatement initiative for Rhode Island daycare
centers. Under any settlement that includes a SEP, the vio-
lator has to pay a cash penalty and correct the violation in
addition to performing projects that will produce concrete
environmental and human health benefits. Among the SEP
projects negotiated last year:
•Tackling Mercury Emissions
In settling a case against a North Andover-based trash incin-
erator, Massachusetts Refusetech, EPA allowed the company
to spend S91,000 to reduce mercury from the waste stream at
a dozen hospitals and health clinics north of Boston. Such
reductions will, in turn, reduce mercury emissions from area
incinerators. The project includes a specific goal of substan-
tially reducing mercury-containing products used in hospi-
tals and health care clinics within one year. The company will
work with hospitals and clinics to promote the use of mer-
cury-free equipment and to recycle mercury-containing items
that cannot be replaced.
•Exploring Innovative Technologies & Restoring
Tidal Marshes
In settling an enforcement case involving violations at mul-
tiple facilities around the region, the United Technologies Cor-
poration (UTC) agreed to spend more than 5500,000 over the
next two years to perform two environmental improvement
projects. One project involves a full-scale test of an environ-
mentally-friendly technology that could replace current
chrome-plating operations at a manufacturing plant in Con-
necticut. If successful, the technology could be used in other
chrome-plating industries as well. The company also agreed
to work with The Nature Conservancy to restore 200 acres of
tidal marsh along the Connecticut River in Old Lyme, CT.
The agreements stem from independent environmental audits
completed by UTC under terms of an earlier enforcement
settlement and reflect major environmental strides made by
the company in the 1990's.
October 1999
U.S. vs. Morelite Development and Construction, Inc.
of New Haven, CT. results in nine criminal
convictions stemming from Mexican immigrants being ordered
to remove large quantities of dry asbestos, which was later
dumped in poor New Haven neigborhoods.
January 2000
EPA New England Orders the National Guard to Clean
Up Unexploded Ordinances and other contamination at the
Massachusetts Military Reservation.
2000
October 1999
EPA New England Finalizes Proposed
Consent Decree requiring General Electric
to undertake cleanup of PCB contamination in
the Housatonic River and Berkshire County.
February 2000
Centredale Manor and Portions of
Woonasquatucket River Added to Superfund
NPL, the 100th NPL site in New England.
31
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challenges in the next century
New Englanders should be proud of their environmental
protection achievements over the past 30 years. From
Lubec to Lakeville, we have cleaner water, air, land-
scapes and neighborhoods. We're also seeing the eco-
nomic benefits of these improvements - benefits such
as flourishing tourism along the Blackstone and Con-
necticut Rivers and urban vitality in Bridgeport and
Lowell, both cities where residents are flocking to mi-
nor league baseball stadiums built on former contami-
nated industrial parcels.
As EPA and our many local partners look to the fu-
ture, we see plenty of challenges ahead. We are con-
fronted with environmental issues that know no bor-
ders - interstate air pollution, regional growth challenges
and, most daunting of all, the specter of global climate
change. We're also confronted with local challenges
like abandoned properties, polluted stormwater and
lead-contaminated soils.
We can't predict what New England's environment
will be like in 30 years, but we do know our progress
will be based on many of the lessons we've learned so
far. Among the most important lessons we've learned
is the value of a strong commitment to public involve-
ment and close collaboration with our partners. We've
also learned the importance of sharing public informa-
tion and making sure that information is useful for New
Englanders trying to lead healthier lives - especially
our children. Science and technology have opened huge
doors to increase public knowledge, but we've only
touched the tip of the iceberg.
With our experience and hard-won knowledge, we
are confident that together we'll find new and suc-
cessful ways of protecting our health and the envi-
ronment in the next century.
Global Climate Change:
Finding Solutions in New England
In 1987, widespread concerns about ozone-destroying
CFCs prompted the first truly global response to a glo-
bal environmental problem. Thirteen years later, we
face another global air challenge - the prospect of
worldwide climate change caused by the accumula-
tion of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
While scientists do not know the exact causes of cli-
mate change, we do know that humans are contribut-
ing to the proliferation of greenhouse gases through
the widespread burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide
from burning fossil fuels is a chief component of green-
house gases.
Three years ago, EPA New England launched an
ambitious plan to increase public understanding of cli-
mate change and reduce actual greenhouse gas emis-
sions across the region. Through such programs as
Green Lights, EnergyStar Buildings and Climate Wise,
we've greatly expanded voluntary energy efficiency
and pollution prevention efforts around the region to
curb greenhouse gas emissions. These voluntary pro-
grams have already resulted in a reduction of 1.3 mil-
lion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the equiva-
lent of taking 46,000 vehicles off the road. Participat-
ing companies also lowered their energy bills by more
than $22 million annually.
EPA funding has enabled five New England states to
complete greenhouse gas emission inventories and two
of the states are moving forward with climate change
mitigation plans—a step-by-step set of measures to
reduce greenhouse emissions. EPA is also committed
to educating New Englanders on this important issue.
This spring, as part of Earth Day 2000, dozens of EPA
staffers will be visiting our elementary schools to teach
students about climate change and what they can do
at school and at home to reduce the pollution that may
be causing it.
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If your family followed the tips below, you could cut CO2 emissions by more
than 11,000 Ibs/year! You can get more information on what you can do at
www.epa.gov/globalwarming/actions/individual
global warming tips:
10 ways you can help
O Plant two additional trees around
your home...
© Use a push lawn mower instead
of a power mower...
© Replace your home's refrigerator
with a high-efficiency model...
O Buy food and other products
with reusable or recyclable pack-
aging instead of nonrecyclable
packaging...
© Replace your current washing
machine with a low-energy, low-
water use machine...
© Install a solar hot water system
to help provide your hot water...
© Recycle all of your home's waste
newsprint, cardboard, glass, and
metal (recycling plastic will
further increase the reduction)
© Leave your car at home two days
a week by carpooling, walking,
biking or using public transpor-
tation to. get to work...
© Insulate your home, tune up your
furnace, and install energy-
efficient shower heads...
© Purchase a fuel-efficient car
(rated at 32 mpg or more) to
replace your most frequently
used automobile...
CO2 reduction
20Lbs/Year
80Lbs/Year
220Lbs/Year
230Lbs/Year
440 Lbs/Year
720Lbs/Year
850Lbs/Year
1,590 Lbs/Year
2,480 Lbs/Year
5,600 Lbs/Year
Protecting Communities from Sprawl
Among the region's most daunting challenges is reju-
venating our urban centers and reversing the spread
of sprawl, which is devouring open space, clogging
highways, worsening water pollution and eating away
at the sense of community that helps define us as New
Englanders.
EPA New England has taken a lead in tackling the
sprawl issue. Our smart growth conference last year
in Boston attracted more than 1,000 environmental-
ists, civic leaders, planners and developers from across
the region. At the conference, we unveiled a S1.5 mil-
lion action plan aimed at preserving open space, revi-
talizing urban areas, and empowering communities and
local groups to better manage growth.
The program is off to a good start. Our Brownfields
and Urban Environmental Initiative (UEI) programs
are making our cities more livable and economically
vibrant and we recently awarded our first round of
Livable Community Grants—a package of seven
grants totaling $226,000. We're also moving forward
with a training program for community officials and
with a federal agency partnership that will identify smart
growth solutions in such areas as Hartford, the
Woonasquatucket River and Boston's South Shore.
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Protecting the health
of our children
is one of our top
priorities.
Lastly, we continue to use our regulatory authority to
fight poorly planned development projects. Last sum-
mer, we opposed a rwo-million-square-foot "super"
retail mall in South Weymouth due to traffic and water
shortage concerns. We also threatened to veto an ill-
conceived highway in Conway, NH, an action that
prompted the town to approve various environmental
controls to protect wetlands and limit sprawl in the
area. Creating truly livable communities for all of New
England's residents will take a tremendous effort by
all of us, but we have made a good start.
Children's Health
Protecting the environment and health of our children
is one of our top priorities. Children are more vulner-
able to environmental risks than most adults and we
need to be mindful of this every time we apply our
rules and regulations. Such was the case, for example,
when we turned up the pressure on General Electric
to move more quickly to clean up the PCB-contami-
nated Housatonic River. We will continue to expand
innovative projects such as our award-winning lead
testing and abatement programs, our healthy schools
air quality programs, and our Manchester, NH Child
Health Champion pilot project, an initiative to train lo-
cal residents to help families change their home envi-
ronments so they are safer for children. And, lastly,
we'll rely on education and empowerment to protect
our youngsters. As a kick-off to this commitment, we
are planning a "Youth Summit" for Earth Day 2000,
which will bring together 500 of the region's young
environmental leaders from area high schools for a
day of learning and training. All participants will be
encouraged to sign a pledge card to protect the envi-
ronment through their work.
Getting Quality Information to the Public
Citizens must be informed about environmental condi-
tions that can impact their health - conditions such as
high smog levels that increase respiratory problems,
water bodies that are unsafe for swimming and lead-
contaminated soils that compromise children's learn-
ing abilities. EPA New England will use any and all
means to meet this challenge whether it's door-to-door
pamphlet drops, neighborhood meetings or posting in-
formation on the World Wide Web. Strong science must
also be the foundation for all of our work. We will con-
tinue to use high-quality science and the latest available
technologies in measuring our environmental results and
in rapidly reporting that information to local communi-
ties. Many of our most promising efforts in this regard
have been through Environmental Monitoring for Pub-
lic Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT), a new
national program providing select New England cities
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with "real-time" information about local water quality
conditions, local air conditions and, in some cases, local
soil conditions. Already we're using EMPACT to train
Boston residents on using hand-held sensors to do
on-the-spot lead soil sampling in residential backyards.
We're also using EMPACT to keep swimmers, boaters
and fishermen on Long Island Sound updated daily and
hourly about changing water quality.
Partnerships for the Future
Perhaps the most important characteristic of the
environmental protection work we do over the next
30 years will be the partnerships we create. Quite
simply, EPA New England cannot do it alone. Much
of our success so far is due to the dedication and
effectiveness of the many New Englanders who have
worked with us in finding smart and effective environ-
mental solutions. In the years ahead, we will be build-
ing on these relationships to find other innovative ways
for protecting our shared environment.
EPA New England owes a debt of gratitude to tribal
governments, state and local agencies, and private
businesses throughout the region who are raising the
bar for environmental protection. We also are grateful
to residents in all corners of New England who have
joined us in the common goal of a healthy
environment.
In the past 30 years, we have helped to bring about
significant improvements in our environment. We are
ready to face the challenges of the next century and
find new ways of reaching our environmental goals.
But only by working together will we succeed. The
environment is not just in the hands of EPA New
England. It is in the hands of all of us.
Tread Lightly: Getting Our Own House in Order
On Earth Day last year, EPA New England announced our Tread Lightly Project, an effort designed to
address the environmental impacts of our office operations, with a special emphasis on reducing green-
house gas emissions. In order to set annual goals for our Boston office, we converted the environmental
impacts of our activities (such as electricity and heating usage for our offices, solid waste produced by our
offices, and employee travel) into units of carbon dioxide emissions, the principal greenhouse gas. Before
the program began, EPA New England was produc-
ing 14,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per
person per year from heating, cooling and lighting our
offices, paper consumption, travel and other activi-
ties. We set a goal of a 20% reduction by Earth Day
2002. During the first two quarters of last year,
the project achieved an impressive reduction of
nearly 1'A million pounds a year of CO2 emissions,
a 13% cut, due largely to a new office recycling
program that resulted in a 23% increase in recycling.
TREAD
Reducing Our Environmental Footprint
35
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.credits
For general information, customer assistance, to
report a tip or complaint about a potential environ-
mental violation or to request assistance from the New
England Environmental Assistance Team:
Customer Assistance Line:
(888)EPA-REG1 (888-372-7341)
Emergency Response:
(for reporting spills/environmental incidents):
(800)424-8802
Criminal Investigation Division (24 hours):
(617)-918-2300
EPA New England Library:
(888) EPA-LEBR(888-372-5427)
The 2000 State of the New England Environment Report
is published by:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England
1 Congress St. Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Project Managers
Maureen Hilton, Diane Switzer and Carol Wood
Editors and Public Affairs Coordinators
Andrew Spejewski and Peyton Fleming
Editing
Tatiana Brailovskaya, Nereus Communication, Inc.
Graphic Design
LizPucci,SES,Inc.
Initial Design Concept
Munroe Creative Partners
Philadelphia, PA
Library Services
Peg Nelson, Garcia Consulting, Inc.
All data is from EPA or individual New England states
unless otherwise noted.
Special thanks to the following:
The Nature Conservancy
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Charles River Watershed Association
Thanks to EPA's New England Office staff for their
contribution, including the following members of the
2000 Workgroup:
Lois Adams, Margery Adams, Rob Allison, Peggy Bagnoli,
Andrea Beland, Norm Beloin, Joel Blumstein, Richard
Burkhart, Jim Cabot, Theresa Carroll, Lucy Casella, Bob
Cianciarulo, Tim Conway, Dave Conroy, Brooke Chamberlain
Cook, Don Cooke, Mel Cote, Roy Crystal, Martha Curran,
Jane Downing, Valerie Ferry, Paula Fitzsimmons, George
Frantz, Lynn Gilleland, Don Grant, Nancy Grantham, Cynthia
Greene, Dave Guest, Brenda Haslett, Mona Haywood,
Dennis Huebner, Kira Jacobs, Roger Janson, Robert Judge,
Amelia Katzen, Susan Kulstad, Michael Kenyon, Peter
Kenyon, Rob Koethe, Ted Lavery, Matt Liebman, Lisa
Marchant, Katie Mazer, Bob McConnell, Wendy McDougall,
Rosemary Monahan, Thelma Murphy, Josh Nemzer, Tom
Olivier, Bryan Olson, Margo Palmer, Dwight Peavey, Kristi
Rea, Marv Rosenstein, Andrea Simpson, Gina Snyder,
Maggie Theroux, Bill Torrey, Andy Triolo, David Turin, Alan
VanArsdale, Eve Vaudo, Mike Wagner, Bill Walsh-Rogalski,
Fred Weeks, Norman Willard, Paul Wintrob
Photographs courtesy of:
U.S. EPA employees, Documerica, and the City of Lowell
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