A Legacy of Progress
Environmental Results in the Rocky Mountains and Plains Region 2001-
-2008

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Welcome to EPA's Legacy Report, a summary of
EPA's achievements in the Rocky Mountains and
Plains since 2001.
EPA Region 8 — the Mountains and Plains region —
encompasses some of the nation's most vibrant landscapes
and communities. Over the past eight years, the 700
employees who work in our Denver headquarters,
Golden, Colorado laboratory, and Helena, Montana field
office have worked to maintain the integrity of those
landscapes and communities by taking actions that protect
human health and the environment.
We have done so in many ways — some dramatic and
well-publicized, some smaller, but no less meaningful. We
have taken actions to control emissions from oil and gas
production activities that protect air quality, human health
and the vistas that define the West. We have made
progress cleaning up some of the most dangerous
hazardous waste sites in the nation and set them firmly on
the path to productive reuse. We have leveraged
enforcement agreements with companies that reduce
pollution and provide a deterrent against future violations
of environmental laws. We have cleaned up harmful
emissions from school buses and have removed
dangerous chemicals from schools. We have delivered
safe drinking water to rural communities and farm worker
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camps and reduced exposure to toxics in environmental
justice communities. These, and the projects included in
this report, are representative of a long list of results-
oriented successes.
This report is a testimony to the power of collaboration.
While the EPA employees I have the privilege of working
with are dedicated and skilled professionals, they will be
the first to acknowledge that our Agency's success
depends on the commitment of all the citizens, business
owners, and partners in other agencies and organizations
across our six states and 27 tribal nations. Without the
efforts and commitment of many, none of the successes
outlined in this report would have been possible.
Looking back at the past eight years, 1 have no doubt that
we all have made significant progress in securing cleaner
air, water and land. Today, more than ever, our success as
an Agency depends on finding new ways to collaborate
with citizens and partners. By working together, we
will define the environmental progress we will
celebrate tomorrow.
Carol Rushin
EPA Acting Regional Administrator
Denver, Colorado
EPA's Region 8
office works to
protect human
health and the
environment in
Colorado, Montana,
North Dakota,
South Dakota,
Utah, Wyoming
and 27 sovereign
tribal nations.
CONTENTS
Hazardous Waste
Cleanups	Page 3
Partnerships and
Collaboration	Page 7
Enforcement, Compliance
and Environmental
Justice 	Page 11

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EPA has reached several
milestones in the Clark Fork
River watershed, including the
removal of the Milltown Dam.
The breaching of the dam and
removal of contaminated
sediments is improving water
quality and habitat for fish
and wildlife.
SECTI O N
Hazardous Waste Cleanups
EPA has made progress on several large, high-profile hazardous waste sites since 2001.
These successes include addressing threats to communities and ecosystems through
Superfund, Brownfields and other programs.
Hazardous Waste Cleanups
Dismantling a Dam and Restoring a River
EPA has made remarkable progress restoring water quality and
river habitat in the Clark Fork watershed in Montana — an area
with a long history of pollution associated with hard-rock mining.
One long-awaited milestone was achieved in 2008, with the
dismantling of the Milltown Dam near Missoula. This dam had
become a significant problem due to large amounts of metals from
historic upstream mining activity that had accumulated in the
reservoir and sediments. Over time, arsenic leached into the
Milltown aquifer, polluting the local drinking water supply. In
addition, copper would periodically scour from reservoir
sediments and kill fish downstream of the dam.
On March 28, 2008, the Milltown Dam was officially breached, a
big step in restoring the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers to a
natural and free-flowing state for the first time in 100 years. As of
July 2008, more than one million tons of sediment have been
removed from the former reservoir bed. Fish continue to move
upstream in the water flowing through the former dam site.
EPA has also secured legal
settlements that have made
cleanup actions along the Clark
Fork River possible. In 2005, the
Atlantic Richfield Company and
the NorthWestern Corporation
agreed to complete the $100
million-plus cleanup of the
Milltown Reservoir. In February
2008, EPA reached a separate $186
million agreement with Atlantic Richfield on the Clark Fork River
site, an area covering more than 120 miles of the river
contaminated with cadmium, arsenic, lead, copper and zinc. This
cleanup will remove 167 acres of polluted soils, treat 700 acres of
soil in place, establish 50-ft. wide riparian areas, replant native
willows, dogwood and cottonwood, and stabilize 56 miles of
stream bank against further erosion. Collectively, these actions are
reviving an entire watershed and restoring a recreational and
aesthetic amenity for the citizens of Montana.
Cleanup actions along the Clark Fork
River are benefiting native trout
and other species who depend on the
river, such as the bald eagle and
northern river otter.

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Addressing a Health Crisis in a Montana
Since 2000, EPA has spent nearly $220 million on the cleanup of
asbestos in and near the town of Libby, Montana, where the
W.R. Grace Company operated a vermiculite mine and processing
facilities from 1963 to 1990. Beginning in the late 1990s, news
reports and site investigations revealed that the vermiculite ore
was contaminated with a dangerous form of asbestos that causes
lung cancer and mesothelioma, a lethal tumor of the lining of the
chest and abdominal cavities. Libby Amphibole Asbestos has been
found in homes, businesses and outdoor areas. The impacts to
human health in the community have been significant.
To date, over 1,000 properties have been cleaned up, and 500,000
cubic yards of asbestos-contaminated soil have been removed.
This work includes material from homes, yards, businesses,
schools, the high school track and other sources. In June 2008,
EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services
announced an intensive $8 million research effort to study the
EPA has been successful in pursuing the legal case against W.R. Grace.
In March 2008, the company agreed to pay the government $250
million, the highest sum in the history of the Superfund program.
This money will be used for future cleanup actions.
Reducing Lead Risks in Eureka
EPA has been addressing health and environmental concerns
at the Eureka Mills Site, a former silver and gold mining area
in Juab County, Utah, since 2002. The site includes extensive
lead and arsenic contamination of properties in Eureka —
population 800 — and adjacent mining areas. EPA has taken
actions to cap large mine waste piles throughout the mining
district and remove lead-contaminated soils at
approximately 700 residential properties. The total cost for
the nearly completed project will be $80 million.
Health concerns associated
with lead exposure have
driven EPA's cleanup goals
at Eureka. In 2006, EPA
began a program to sample
tap water, household dust
and paint for lead in
homes. The results are
providing residents with
information about reducing
potential lead exposures in
the home.
Blood-lead levels in Eureka are decreasing. Follow-up testing has shown!
a steady decline in people with blood-lead levels above the Centers for
Disease Control standard of 10 micrograms per deciliter (ug/l).
Hazardous Waste Cleanups
Safer Neighborhoods in NE Denver
An extensive
lead-paint	,
abatement
program helped
eliminate
sources of
i
exposure
throughout NW
Denver
neighborhoods
at the VB-I70 site i
The investigation and cleanup of lead and arsenic in residential soils
at the Vasquez Boulevard & 1-70 site near downtown Denver was
completed in August 2006 at a cost of $30 million. This residential
soils project encompassed more than four square miles and
approximately 4,500 properties. EPA took 30 soil samples at each of
4,315 residential yards and removed, replaced and re-landscaped
yards at 761 contaminated properties. This effort included the
removal of 91,000 cubic yards of soil and the installation of 1.5
million square feet of clean sod.
Removal of soils
at a residence in
Libby. EPA has
addressed
contamination
at more than
1,000 properties.
Community
specific health effects of Libby Amphibole Asbestos and inform
future cleanup actions.

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The "Most Dangerous Site in the Nation" Comes in Clean and Under Budget
Demolition of the "most dangerous building" in America
EPA's partnership
with the State of
Colorado and the
Department of
Energy cleaned the
Rocky Flats site at a
cost of $7 billion —
$30 billion under
original estimates
and 13 years ahead
of schedule.
Closed in 1994,
the former Lowry
Air Force Base is
now a thriving
urban mixed-use
development.
From Chemical Waste Dump to
World-renowned Soccer Complex
The former Rocky Mountain Arsenal site encompasses 17,000
acres northeast of Denver that were used to manufacture
chemical weapons and agricultural pesticides from 1942-
1982. Waste disposal practices during these years resulted in
extensive contamination of structures, soils, surface water,
and groundwater with aldrin, dieldrin, dibromochloro-
propane and arsenic.
EPA has achieved several significant goals at the Arsenal
since 2001, including the transfer of over 13,000 acres of the
17,000 acre site for reuse. The Department of Defense
transferred 12,000 acres that are now a wildlife refuge visited
by over 30,000 people each year. The refuge is home to more
than 330 species of wildlife, including the bald eagle and a
buffalo herd that is thriving in the wetlands and short-grass
prairie habitat. In 2004, 917 acres of the Arsenal site were
transferred to Commerce City — this property houses a new
city hall and the world's f
largest soccer complex.
Former Defense Facilities
Enjoy a Renaissance
EPA has worked with the Department of Defense and state
agencies to secure the cleanup and redevelopment of several
former military facilities in Region 8. Of the five Base
Realignment and Closure sites in the region, four have
transferred 100% of their property for redevelopment.
Since 2006, the redevelopment of the once-contaminated
Lowry Air Force Base has included 3,500 homes and
apartments for approximately 8,300 residents. Over 100
employers now call Lowry home, providing 7,000 jobs and
adding 3.4 million square feet of commercial space to
Denver's tax base. The City estimates that the
redevelopment has provided an economic benefit of
$5.7 billion.
For nearly 40 years, the U.S. government manufactured
nuclear weapons components at the 6,500-acre Rocky Flats
site northwest of Denver. In 1989, production was halted,
leaving large portions of the site's structures, soils and
groundwater contaminated with highly radioactive
materials. EPA and its partners have taken steps to
transform what was once notoriously considered one of
the most contaminated places on earth. Removal actions
included removing and safely disposing of 565,000 cubic
meters of radioactive waste and 820,000 cubic meters of
sanitary wastes. In July 2007, the Department of Energy
transferred 4,000 acres of the Rocky Flats for use as a
National Wildlife Refuge.
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a
20,000-seat stadium for the
Colorado Rapids soccer club,
is a symbolic centerpiece of
the now revived Rocky
Mountain Arsenal.
Hazardous Waste Cleanups

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Cleanup Programs in Action: Protecting the Poudre River From Coal Tar Waste
Tar sludge in riverbank
Installation of barrier wall
Aztlan Community Center
In 2003, the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, applied for an EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant to investigate a property along
the Poudre River - an important recreational amenity and
fishery. The property, located close to downtown, was the site of
a former landfill and a manufactured gas plant that operated
from 1900 to 1930. A major byproduct from the plant's operation
was coal tar, which over the course of several decades had
migrated slowly in an underground plume to the river.
Contaminants associated with both the landfill and the coal
tar were identified in groundwater and in the river.
EPA was a partner in extensive cleanup activities at the site,
which were completed in 2007. The remedy included removing
contaminated sediment and bedrock from a 500-foot stretch of
the Poudre River and building a permanent, underground
barrier wall. The barrier wall system includes groundwater
control wells, pumps and an on-site water treatment system that
will prevent the coal tar from moving toward the river.
Following the installation of the wall, EPA and partners restored
the river channel and reintroduced native vegetation.
The property itself has been revitalized as a thriving asset.
Today, the 19-acre property includes the Northside Aztlan
Community Center, a United Way facility, a park, playground
and bike path. The restoration of the site and the river provides
public access to the river and is protecting recreational users,
fish and wildlife habitat.
, i

BY THE numbers Small Cleanup Grants Leverage Big Community Benefits
EPA's Brownfields program provides grants and loans that help communities revitalize blighted areas where
environmental contamination is an obstacle preventing productive use. Results since 2001 include:
658
new jobs
leveraged
$296 million leveraged
for cleanup and
redevelopment
Hazardous Waste Cleanups

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n
Solar panels at Yellowstone
Partnerships and Collaboration	SECT
EPA's success depends on building effective partnerships with government agencies, nonprofit
organizations, businesses and citizens. Region 8 supports these partnerships with grants, technical
expertise and other forms of assistance. Over the past eight years, these efforts have secured cleaner air
and water resources, improved human health, and encouraged resource-saving practices.



EPA's "greening" efforts are helping a diverse set of facilities. A partnership with Yellowstone National Park has leveraged significant
energy savings and a nearly achieved goal of diverting 90 percent of the park's solid waste. The Pepsi Center's participation in EPA's
Energy Star, Climate Leaders and Waste Wise programs has reduced waste volumes sent to landfills, cut annual energy
consumption by 40,000 kilowatt hours, and reduced 8,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The Pepsi Center now recycles 100
tons of cardboard annually and buys renewable energy certificates for power use.
Promoting Green Practices Through Voluntary Partnerships
Region 8 has taken a leadership role in helping other federal
agencies and businesses reduce energy and water consumption,
solid waste production, and toxic chemical use.
This includes helping the National Park Service reduce the impacts
of providing services in some of our nation's most ecologically
sensitive places. With EPA's assistance, Yellowstone National Park
has developed a state-of-the-art environmental management
system. Eighty percent of the waste generated by Yellowstone's
3.5 million annual visitors is now being recycled as part of the
Park's "recycle on the go" campaign. This includes a model
program to recycle disposable propane bottles. EPA is also
helping Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park, an area with
access to significant renewable geothermal and solar power. EPA
has assisted with a greenhouse gas analysis and emission
reduction plan to help Great Sand Dunes become the nation's first
carbon-neutral park.
Region 8 is also helping Colorado businesses adopt green
practices. A recent effort with Denver's 19,000-seat Pepsi Center
has bolstered the facility's "Play Clean" program — a
comprehensive commitment to energy and water conservation,
green products procurement, resource conservation and recycling,
reduced use of toxics, and transportation. Highlights include a
10-kilowatt solar array installed on the roof that produces 13,000
kilowatt-hours of energy annually and a recycling effort that
diverts 20,000 pounds of material from landfills each year.
Partnerships and Collaboration

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Advancing "Good Samaritan" Mine Cleanups
EPA has made steady progress promoting the cleanup of
abandoned mines that contribute to water quality degradation
throughout the Rocky Mountains. Over the past years, Region 8
has been a leader in using grant programs and new partnerships to
assess and cleanup mines and has advanced a framework for
liability relief that encourages "Good Samaritans" to take on
cleanup activities.
In one example, EPA's collaboration with U.S. Forest Service and
Trout Unlimited led to the restoration of a stretch of the American
Fork River in Utah. This effort removed contaminated mine
tailings near the river and restored several acres of public and
private land. Following an initial removal of waste from public
lands, Trout Unlimited, in partnership with Snowbird Ski Resort
and the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, removed 33,000 cubic yards of
Acid mine
drainage
near Utah's
American
Fork River.
waste rock and tailings with elevated levels of heavy metals at
mines on private property. These wastes are now safely
encapsulated in a permanent repository. As a result of these
actions, water quality is protected and the river now supports a
rare, native cutthroat trout in a 10-mile stretch downstream of the
mine site.
Addressing Air Deposition in
Rocky Mountain National Park
Alpine wallflower in Rocky Mountain National Park.
EPA is working with partners to assess and respond
to nitrogen deposition in the Park. Water quality
changes, fewer tundra wildflowers and spruce tree
vulnerability to drought and insects are among the
impacts being studied.
EPA Region 8, the Colorado Department of Public
Flealth and Environment, and the National Park
Service are implementing an innovative project to
address air quality issues and nitrogen deposition in
Rocky Mountain National Park. EPA's involvement
has helped establish a consensus-based strategy to
evaluate and solve the problem. This includes
developing scientific data and building agreement
on levels of acceptable deposition and interim goals
to drive an adaptive management response.
Partnerships and Collaboration
Encouraging Safer Alternatives to Pesticides
EPA's Strategic Agriculture Initiative is helping agricultural producers
transition from using higher risk pesticides to sustainable, reduced-risk
practices such as biological pesticides, advanced pest monitoring, and other
integrated pest management practices. Since 2002, the initiative has funded
23 projects totaling $850,000 and helped implement reduced-risk pest
management strategies on over 500,000 acres of farmland and rangeland.
Ridding Schools of Toxic
EPA Region 8 continues to work with
schools in Indian Country to clean out
hazardous and toxic chemicals from
school laboratories, utility and storage
areas, and other sources. These include
laboratory chemicals, old paints, used oil,
pesticides and landscaping products and
other potentially hazardous substances.
Chemicals include corrosives,
flammables, and suspected and known
carcinogens like ammonium hydroxide,
hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, methanol,
hexane, mercury, formaldehyde, and
potentially toxic vapors like ammonia
and cyanide compounds.
(
To date, 50,000 pounds of
hazardous chemicals
have been removed and
safely disposed at 119
schools in Region 8.

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The Old Fort Totten
Hospital — one of
several contaminated
buildings targeted for
cleanup by the Spirit
Lake Tribe.
Cleaning Up Sick Buildings in Fort Totten
In 2005, EPA provided the Spirit Lake Tribe with an $800,000 Brownfields
cleanup grant to target several hazardous buildings in Fort Totten, North
Dakota. These funds are being used to dispose of asbestos, lead-based paint,
and other sources of contamination at approximately 20 homes, the Old Fort
Totten Hospital, the Old Fort Totten Community Center and the Saint
Michaels Mission School. EPA's Brownfields job training program resulted
in the successful hire of tribal graduates to conduct the specialized cleanup
work that is restoring these buildings for eventual reuse.
Building a Green Luxury
Resort in Park City
EPA's
agreement
with DV Luxury
Resort has
secured a mine
site cleanup
and the
construction of
a LEED-certified
Silver ski
resort complex.
In 2007, EPA, local officials, and DV Luxury Resort
kicked off the first "Environmentally Responsible
Redevelopment and Reuse" program project in the
nation in Park City, Utah. The project involves the
construction of a luxury hotel, spa and condominium
complex at the Daly West Mine Site. DV Luxury Resort
is contributing to the cleanup of contamination at the
former mine site and will incorporate extensive
sustainable features into the design, construction and
operation of the resort.
Specific features include a conservation easement for
2,800 acres of open space in Park City, the application of
energy and water-saving features in the resort's design,
recycling of unused building materials, use of
sustainable exterior building materials, use of a
constructed wetland to treat runoff, the use of native
vegetation, the purchase of wind-generated power, the
implementation of indoor air quality performance
standards, and the use of chlorine alternatives for
disinfecting pools and spas.
Harnessing Landfill Gas to Power
Homes in Salt Lake City
In 2006, EPA and partners launched the Salt Lake Valley Landfill Gas
Energy Project, a clean-energy effort that is bringing power to homes in
Utah. This project captures landfill gas from the Salt Lake Valley Solid
Waste Management Facility and uses it to power three reciprocating
engines that produce three megawatts of clean power — enough
electricity to power over 2,500 homes in Murray City. EPA's Landfill
Methane Outreach Partnership prevents emissions of methane, a
greenhouse gas, and develops clean power sources through landfill gas
energy projects.
Advancing Environmental Protection
Through Tribal Delegations
Members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe
and the Tongue River. In 2006, the
Northern Cheyenne assumed responsibility
for setting and managing water quality
standards in Reservation waters. EPA
Region 8 encourages and assists Tribes in
developing the capacity to manage
environmental programs.
EPA continues to strengthen tribal sovereignty and improve
environmental protection by delegating key environmental
responsibilities to tribes. Since 2005, EPA has approved the Northern
Cheyenne (Wyoming) and Ute Mountain Ute (Colorado) applications for
Treatment in a Manner Similar to a State for purposes of establishing
water quality standards and issuing water quality certifications under the
Clean Water Act. In 2008, EPA proposed approval of the Fort Peck
(Montana) Tribes' Class II Underground Injection Control program, a step
that would give the tribe the responsibility for controlling underground
discharges from oil and gas operations. If approved later this year, Fort
Peck will be the first tribal government in the nation to implement its own
U1C program.
Partnerships and Collaboration

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Improving Watershed Health
EPA supports water quality
protection by funding large,
multi-year watershed
projects throughout Region 8.
In recent years, EPA has
provided grants to
Colorado's South Platte
River, Montana's Clark
Fork-Pend Orielle watershed,
and Utah's Bear River and
Sevier River.
In 2003, EPA awarded the Coalition for the Upper South Platte
River $600,000 to enhance fire recovery and restoration, protect
streams and wetlands, and promote volunteer cleanup efforts
following the Hayman Fire — one of the largest forest fires in
Saving Money and Preventing
Air Pollution through Energy Star
Western history. The grant has helped revegetate critical areas,
reduce runoff and erosion, and improve water quality and
fisheries throughout the watershed. These activities have also
protected a primary drinking water source and water treatment
facilities that serve hundreds of thousands of residents and
businesses in the Denver area.
In 2005, EPA awarded $600,000 for water quality improvement
efforts in Utah's Upper Sevier River watershed. This grant,
managed by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, is
reducing sediment and nutrient pollution and establishing a Blue
Ribbon trout fishery by restoring impacted river reaches and
encouraging the use of more efficient irrigation and grazing
practices. The ongoing project is improving stream channel
condition and restoring habitat in 24 miles of river.
Improving Solid Waste Management
in Indian Country
A farmer takes a catch cup
sample to assess irrigation
needs and reduce runoff to
Utah's Upper Sevier River.
Region 8's Energy Star-labeled buildings leverage
significant pollution reductions and cost savings.
aa
SS is 210 buildings

' P
			_
37 million square feet of floor space )

704 million pounds of greenhouse gas
3 emissions reduced annually
EPA's Energy Star program continues to help buildings and
facilities improve energy efficiency and reduce air pollutant
emissions throughout Region 8. As of 2007, more than 200
buildings representing 37 million square feet of floor space
in Region 8 have earned the Energy Star for steps facility
managers have taken to reduce energy use through
improvements to lighting, building design features,
operational adjustments, HVAC efficiency, and other
measures. EPA's Energy Star program has rated more
than 3,000 buildings in the Region, providing a
benchmark for facility managers investing in energy
efficiency improvements.
Partnerships and Collaboration

EPA's collaboration with the Indian Health Service and other federal
partners has led to improved solid waste management, including the
cleanup of dozens of hazardous open dumps, in reservations
throughout North and South Dakota. This $1.3M waste transfer
station was built at Spirit Lake in 2008.
More than 400 open dumps contribute to environmental and public
health issues on Region 8 Tribal lands. EPA Region 8 is addressing
this pressing issue by providing financial and technical resources to
build self-sustaining solid waste utilities. Recent successes have
been leveraged through solid waste circuit riders that help secure
waste management training, environmental assessments and
cleanup actions, and infrastructure and equipment - such as
collection trucks, dumpsters, roll-offs, recycling equipment and
garbage carts.
In one recent example, EPA worked with the Indian Health Service,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Agency
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to build a solid waste program at
the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. The partnership
has successfully closed an open dump, built a waste transfer
station, constructed a landfill for construction and demolition
materials and cleaned up 20,000 tons of waste.

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Enforcement, Compliance Assistance,	section
Environmental Justice Actions
EPA enforcement actions ensure compliance with federal laws and improve environmental quality. Over
the past eight years, EPA Region 8 actions have prevented hundreds of millions of pounds of pollutants
from reaching our land, air and water and secured millions of dollars in pollution control investments. In
2007 alone, Region 8 actions led to more than 28 million pounds of pollutant reductions, cleaned up
nearly 100 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and water, and compelled regulated parties to spend
$20 million in control and cleanup activities.
Utah's picturesque and
ecologically rich Uinta Basin
is benefiting from recently
negotiated controls at gas
operations in Utah and
Colorado.
Reducing Emissions at Colorado and Utah Natural Gas Facilities
In 2007, EPA and the Department of Justice reached a precedent-
setting Clean Air Act settlement with Kerr-McGee Corporation to
reduce harmful emissions and conserve natural gas at production
facilities across Utah and Colorado. Kerr-McGee will spend $18
million on control measures and operational improvements that
are expected to reduce annual emissions of air pollutants by more
than 5,500 tons per year. The agreement also required the
company to pay a $200,000 penalty and spend $250,000 on a
project to reduce dust emissions from company service roads in
Utah and an effort to retire polluting cars and trucks in the
Denver area.
The total expected annual emission reductions from the pollution
controls and environmental projects include 1,750 tons of nitrogen
oxides, 1,156 tons of carbon monoxide, 686 tons of sulfur dioxide,
and 2,195 tons of volatile organic compounds. The action will
save enough natural gas to heat 7,200 homes per year and reduce
the impact on climate change equivalent to the planting of more
than 60,000 trees. The efficiencies achieved by these controls will
also bring more gas to market. Kerr-McGee's fields will return an
estimated 456 million standard cubic feet of natural gas to the
marketplace in the first year following implementation of
pollution control measures.
Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

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Pollution reductions at RMSM
The Gallatin River.
Wetlands play an
important role in the
watershed by providing
wildlife habitat,
absorbing flood runoff,
filtering pollution and
protecting downstream
riparian areas.
Cutting Pollution at
Rocky Mountain Steel
Mills, Pueblo, Colorado
In April 2003, EPA reached an agreement with
Rocky Mountain Steel Mills to invest $25
million to modernize its Pueblo, Colo., facility
and pay a $450,000 penalty. The mill installed
upgrades and pollution control equipment
which have cut air pollution by approximately
50 percent. More than 750 tons of carbon
monoxide, 200 tons of sulfur dioxide and 130
tons of nitrogen oxide emissions have been
reduced annually. Annual reductions of
particulate matter emissions are about 100
tons, including 800 pounds of lead. The
company has since spent another $435,000 on
community projects focused on addressing
lead risks in homes, providing outreach on
asthma and other childrens health issues.
Protecting Wetlands in NW Montana
Over the past several years, EPA has conducted a series of Clean Water Act
wetlands enforcement actions in the Gallatin River watershed in Montana. In
August 2004, the Yellowstone Mountain Club, a residential and recreational
development near Big Sky, was fined $1.8 million by EPA for 60 unpermitted
construction activities, the largest ever in a wetlands case. Violations consisted of
dumping fill or dredged mud into federally protected wetlands and streams in
the Gallatin River, causing serious erosion and deep gullies. The settlement also
required wetland restoration and mitigation projects covering 6.5 acres.
In 2005, EPA reached a settlement with the Lone Moose Meadows development
that included a $165,000 penalty and restoration work after the developers
destroyed wetlands while building a ski-in/ski-out village. Dredged fill mud
was discharged into wetlands near the Gallatin River, culverts and a sewer line
were installed in wetlands, and two bridges were built across the river — all
without permits.
Protecting Agricultural Workers in Colorado
In 2003, EPA issued administrative complaints against five
Colorado growers for violations of the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Worker Protection Standard
(WPS), a regulation that requires actions that reduce the risk of
pesticide poisonings and injuries to agricultural workers and
pesticide handlers. The complaints included more than 220
violations at Colorado's David Petrocco Farms and proposed the
largest federal WPS misuse penalty in EPA history. In 2005, a
judge issued a decision against Petrocco representing an
important precedent and deterrent against future WPS violations.
Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

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Cleaning up Groundwater at Utah's Bingham Canyon Mine
The Bingham
Canyon mine,
one of the
largest
man-made
excavations on
earth, has
produced nearly
20 million tons of
copper and
other metals
since 1903.
In 2007, EPA and the State of Utah reached a $197 million
settlement with Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. to clean up
an aquifer contaminated by mining activities at the
mammoth, open-pit Bingham Canyon Mine. The
agreement requires Kennecott to treat a 20-square mile
groundwater plume contaminated with high
concentrations of sulfates and metals. Under the
agreement the company must extract and monitor
groundwater to reduce pollution levels and prevent the
plume from moving. The company will also prevent
recontamination by intercepting and containing source
area waters and maintaining a system to prevent leaks
into the aquifer.
Improving Human Health in Environmental Justice Communities
EPA's mobile lab
provides drinking
water information and
test kits in the largely
Hispanic San Luis
Valley. Of 400
households
participating, more
than 70% have taken
steps to treat their
drinking water.
Region 8 has implemented targeted efforts to improve human
health conditions in environmental justice communities. The
EJ program has developed several effective partnerships
focused on drinking water, exposure to lead and toxics, air
quality and other issues.
In 2006, EPA's San Luis Valley Drinking Water Well project
provided free sampling and analysis of drinking water from
private household wells in an agricultural area in southern
Colorado. About 30% of San Luis Valley area residents obtain
their water from these household wells and are not served by
regulated public water systems, making them more at risk for
drinking water-related health issues.
EPA's initial testing in the San Luis Valley revealed that nearly
1/3 of household wells were positive for bacteria. Other
contaminants detected included arsenic, uranium, fluoride,
nitrates and lead. Participants with positive bacteria test
results were shown how to apply a simple shock-chlorination
technique to make their drinking water safe. Residents were
also given information on point-of-use treatment systems, such
as reverse osmosis, that remove other potential contaminants.
Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

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The M.R. Young
Power Station in
North Dakota has
spent $100 million
on controls that
are reducing air
emissions by
more than 33,000
tons per year.
Reducing Pollution from Power Plants
EPA Region 8 has reached several significant Clean Air Act
settlements with power plants that reduce emissions and secure
environmentally beneficial projects. In 2006, EPA concluded a
settlement with Minnkota Power and Square Butte Electric to
control pollution at the M.R. Young Station - a power plant that
ranked second in the nation for nitrogen oxide pollutants. The
agreement, the first New Source Review settlement with power
utilities in the western United States, is reducing sulfur dioxide
emissions by 23,000 tons per year and nitrogen oxide emissions
by nearly 10,000 tons per year. Pollution control measures at the
plant cost $100 million and the utilities are also providing
$5 million for renewable energy projects.
Providing Compliance Assistance to Governments and Businesses
EPA Region 8 has initiated several successful efforts to increase
compliance with federal environmental laws and protect human
and environmental health. This compliance assistance includes
visits, phone calls, workshops and written materials that provide
detailed guidance to thousands of regulated entities each year. In
2007 alone, half of the 4,888 regulated entities provided assistance
took some steps to improve compliance. Highlights over the past
several years include a 2003 effort to reach more than 6,000
regulated entities with information on Clean Water Act oil
pollution compliance. In 2004, the Region implemented
integrated strategies for the Auto Service and Local Government
sector areas. More recent activities have focused on Tribal
Schools and Clean Water Act stormwater regulations.
by the numbers Securing Environmental Results under NEPA
Since 2001, EPA Region 8 has reviewed more than 1,000 federal actions under the National Environmental
Policy Act. These reviews ensure the disclosure and mitigation of significant environmental impacts
associated with energy development, water diversions and reservoirs, forest management activities,
highways and roads, and other federal projects with the potential to impact the environment.
2004
226 total
NEPA-related actions
2003
156 total
NEPA-related actions
2007
171 total
NEPA-related actions
2006
132 total
NEPA-related actions
2002
163 total
NEPA-related actions
2005
132 total
NEPA-related actions
Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

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A New Highway and Nature Preserve Near Salt Lake City
EPA helped
identify an
environmentally
preferable
alternative for the
Legacy Parkway
that protected 900
acres of wetlands
and created a
nature preserve.
In 2001, the Federal Highway Administration and the Utah
Division of Transportation developed an Environmental Impact
Statement for a proposed highway near Salt Lake City. Though
designed to alleviate congestion along the growing Wasatch Front,
the original proposal presented major impacts to ecologically
valuable wetlands adjacent to the Great Salt Lake. EPA's
involvement led to a 2005 decision to route the highway in a way
that minimized impacts to wetlands and created a 2,100-acre
preserve. This area is now preserved in perpetuity, and the
highway is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.
Reducing Emissions in Wyoming's Jonah Gas Field
In 2005, EPA's review of the Jonah Infill gas
development project in central Wyoming led to
mitigation measures to protect air quality in a pristine
wilderness area just north of the gas field. EPA
worked closely with BLM and the Wyoming
Department of Environmental Quality to develop a
strategy to reduce projected pollution emissions by
80% and minimize visibility impacts in the Class I
Bridger Wilderness. These measures include pacing
gas development over time and reducing emissions
from diesel-powered drilling rigs.
n®	
EPA's review of
the Jonah Infill
gas project led to
measures to
protect air quality
in the community
of Pinedale and
the Bridger
Wilderness.
Habitat in St. George, Utah
site adjacent to the new highway and the local airport. Results
include a savings in water use, infrastructure costs, and energy,
and the creation of open space. The plan also helped preserve
habitat for several plants and animals, including two
endangered plants.
Reducing Resource Use and Protecting
EPA's review of the Southern Corridor Highway project in St.
George, Utah, led to measures that significantly reduced
environmental impacts associated with the highway and related
developments. EPA worked with the Federal Highway
Administration and the Utah Department of Transportation to
secure funding for a grant that helped plan a 26-acre mixed-use
f
Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

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U.S. EPA Region 8
1595 Wynkoop St.
Denver, Colorado 80202
On the Web:
www.epa .gov/region8
Phone: 800.227.8971
or 303.312.6312
A
Colorado Montana North Dakota South Dakota Utah Wyoming 27 Tribal Nations
EPA moved into a new headquarters at 1595 Wynkoop St. in January
2007. The building achieved a Gold Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) certification, making it one of the
"greenest" buildings in the United States.
The EPA building includes 292,000 square feet of office and
commercial space and is located in the heart of Denver's growing
public transit district. Opus Northwest developed the building is
leasing the property to EPA through the U.S. General Services
Administration.
EPA partnered with Opus and GSA to ensure the integration of
green features in the building's design, construction and operating
systems. Energy-saving features include a solar panel array, a
nine-story atrium with reflective sails, and an innovative underfloor
air delivery system for workspaces.
The building also employs exemplary resource conservation
measures in other areas. High efficiency plumbing fixtures are
reducing water use by nearly 50% compared to an average building.
Recycled- content materials are used in everything from rugs, floors
and furniture to counter-tops and work-station surfaces.
5 00 AM 7:00 AM 9:00 AM 1 1:0O AM I .OOPM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM T I 00 PM
EPA's green roof uses native vegetation to manage and clean rain water,
reduce heating and cooling costs, reduce urban heat island effects, and
improve air quality by soaking up carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

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