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From the Regional Administrator
Dear Readers,
Environmental progress has always depended on the efforts of citizens, government, businesses
and other institutions to move us forward, whether through bold action or small steps.
As EPA begins our fifth decade of work to protect human health and the environment, we
salute the many partners whose focus and determination have joined with ours to bring about
real change, one step at a time.
We strive to use our oversight responsibilities to encourage innovation while steadfastly
upholding environmental laws - from energy projects in sensitive desert ecosystems, to metal
plating shops in residential neighborhoods, to military expansion on Pacific islands.
We invite your input on our work and your help in protecting the environment of this vast,
magnificent region.
We have made great strides over the past four decades, and we must continue our collaborative
efforts to protect human health and the environment.
Jared Blumenfeld
Regional Administrator
EPA Pacific Southwest Region
Cover: Window Rock on the Navajo Nation
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Minimizing
Impacts of
Military Buildup
in Guam
Cleaning
the Air at the
Gila River Indian
Community
Honolulu
Upgrades
Sewage
Treatment
Table of Contents
Clean Air.
Clean Water.
Clean Land ..,...,...,...,...,.. 10
Communities & Ecosystems 16
Compliances Stewardship 20
EPA in Your Life Centerfold
Contact Information Inside Back Cover
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CL EAN AIR
Clearing the Skies in Arizona
For decades, people moved to Arizona for their health, but air
pollution grew along with cities and power plants. EPA is
working with state, local and tribal partners to make Arizona's
air clean and healthful again.
Phoenix dust causes health problems
Coarse particulate pollution (known as PM-10) reached
unhealthy levels in Phoenix, the nation's fifth-largest city, 11
times in 2008. These particles, 1/7 the width of a human
hair, can worsen asthma and cause heart and respiratory
ailments, especially in children and the elderly.
In January 2011, Arizona withdrew its existing PM-10
control plan to work with EPA and local governments to
strengthen it even further. Controls on sources of dust in
the Phoenix metro area remain in effect.
"Working with Arizona state and regional agencies, we
can develop a practical plan that protects public health,"
said Colleen McKaughan, EPAs Arizona-based regional
associate director. EPA provides Arizona $30 million
annually for air quality.
www.epa.gov/region9/air/phoenixpm
Healthier air at Gila River
In January 2011, EPA approved the 600-square-mile Gila
River Indian Community's blueprint for better air quality.
The plan includes specific ordinances for industries like
aluminum extrusion plants, an explosives manufacturer,
sand and gravel operations, and chemical supply companies,
as well as regulations on dust, a permit program, enforce-
ment, and air monitoring.
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"This plan can serve as a model to tribes
nationwide," said EPA Regional Administrator
Jared Blumenfeld, at a signing ceremony with
Gila River Governor William Rhodes.
www.epa.gov/region9/air/actions/gila-river.html
Clearing the air at Four Corners
Pollution from coal-burning power plants affects
public health and obscures the landscape in the
scenic Four Corners region, home to 16 national
parks and wilderness areas. In October 2010 EPA
proposed to require the most stringent air
pollution controls possible on all five units of the
Four Corners Power Plant on the Navajo Nation,
to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 80%.
The power plant owners suggested an
alternative that would reduce emissions even
more by 87% and prevent any job or revenue
loss to the Navajo Nation. EPA then proposed
this alternative in February 2011. Under the
alternative, this facility, the nation's largest source
of NOx, would cut emissions from 45,000 to
5,800 tons annually.
In addition to reducing visibility, NOx forms
ozone (smog) and particles. Children, the elderly,
people with asthma, and outdoor workers are at
risk from these pollutants.
www.epa.gov/region9/air/navajo
Hawaii Takes on Climate Change
In Hawaii, oil accounts for 95% of all energy use.
Switching to clean, renewable local energy sources
will help achieve energy security, create jobs, and
address climate change.
The State of Hawaii's goals are to achieve 70%
clean energy by 2030, with 30% from efficiency
ASIAYEARY
Asia Yeary is supporting
Hawaii's clean energy goals
by creating a sustainability
j internship program. She co-
founded the RISE program
with Shanah Trevenna of the University of Hawaii's
"Sustainable UH." Currently, Asia is working to get
more agencies, schools, non-profits, and companies
involved by hosting or funding clean energy, trans-
portation, sustainable agriculture, water, waste,
recycling, and composting internships.
and 40% from clean renewable sources, while
reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to
1990 levels by 2020.
The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a
collaborative effort by government agencies,
organizations, and businesses, has three priorities:
Transforming the regulatory environment for
clean energy development, collaborating with
utilities to increase renewable energy generation,
and getting renewable energy into utility grids.
EPA's Asia Yeary helped create the Rewarding
Internships for Sustainable Employment (RISE)
program to support Hawaii's energy, climate
change, and green workforce development goals.
RISE is administered by Kupu (a nonprofit that
runs the Hawaii Youth Conservation Program),
the UH Community College system, and the
State Energy Office. Funding for interns and
projects comes from EPA, the Hawaii Depart-
ment of Health, the state Department of
Education, and Honolulu Clean Cities (a U.S.
Department of Energy initiative).
RISE provides job training, workshops, speakers,
outreach events and field trips to engage and
motivate interns. Current projects include renewable
energy permit streamlining, GHG reporting and
energy assessments.
www.hawaiicleanenergyinitiative.org
San Joaquin Plants Cut Emissions
Two biomass plants are found to be violating rules
in California's Central Valley, home to some of the
state's worst air quality.
EPA and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District took enforcement actions in
February 2011 against two bio mass-burning
power plants in Chowchilla and El Nido (south
of Merced), Calif. resulting in emissions
reductions of up to 545 tons per year and fines
totaling $835,000 for violations of Clean Air Act
and District rules.
An investigation by EPA and the District had
found that the two facilities were violating their
air emission permits.
As a result of these actions, the plants have
installed controls that reduce nitrogen oxide
(NOx) emissions a precursor to smog by up
to 180 tons per year and carbon monoxide up to
365 tons per year. Fine particulates are also being
reduced.
"These enforcement actions are a victory for
human health," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's
Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator.
Biomass power plants use green waste from
farms that would otherwise be subject to open
burning, and construction debris that might have
gone to a landfill, to generate power.
Fines paid by Ampersand Chowchilla Biomass
and Merced Power, located within 12 miles of
each other in the San Joaquin Valley, were
$343,000 and $492,000, respectively.
The ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland
are major sources of air pollution from ships, trains,
trucks, and harbor equipment moving a never-ending
stream of shipping containers to and from the ports.
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CL EAN WAI
Honolulu to Upgrade Sewage Treatment
In Honolulu, sewage spills resulting from failure of old,
deteriorating infrastructure have at times fouled canals and
closed beaches. Quick fixes are insufficient to prevent these
spills, which threaten the health of near-shore waters.
In August 2010, EPA, the State of Hawaii, three environ-
mental groups and the City and County of Honolulu
reached a legal settlement requiring Honolulu to upgrade
wastewater collection and treatment systems to prevent
sewage spills and to discharge cleaner water from the city's
two major sewage treatment plants.
The settlement includes a schedule for upgrading the
city's wastewater collection system by June 2020, and
upgrading the Honouliuli treatment plant to secondary
treatment by 2024, and the Sand Island plant by 2035.
Initial work includes rehabilitation and replacement of
aging sewer pipes, repairs to pump stations, backup
strategies to minimize risks offeree main spills, ongoing
cleaning and maintenance to prevent blockages, and
improved efforts to keep fats, oils and grease from entering
sewers from restaurants.
The agreement will significantly reduce both the public
health risk from pathogens in raw sewage and the amount
of harmful pollutants in near-shore waters, benefiting Oahu
residents as well as visitors to its beaches. The multi-year
schedule lets the city spread the costs over time.
Honolulu also paid a fine of $1.6 million to resolve
violations of state and federal water pollution laws, such as
the March 2006 force main break that spilled about 50
million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal,
which resulted in the closure of nearby Waikiki Beach.
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Protecting Coastal Waters
Long after land-based pollution of California's
coastal waters had been strictly limited, ships
offshore must meet a higher standard.
In September 2010, in response to a request from
the State of California, EPA moved to stop large
cruise ships and other commercial vessels from
discharging sewage within three miles of the
California coast and inland waterways, creating
the nation's largest coastal No Discharge Zone.
The action will triple the area of protected
coastal waters from 1,755 square miles to 5,222,
protecting California's coastline from pathogens and
other sewage contaminants discharged by ships.
In addition to the coastline, the rule applies to
San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, the Sacramento-
San Joaquin Delta, San Pedro Bay, San Diego Bay,
Santa Cruz Harbor, and Humboldt Bay on the
North Coast. It will prohibit discharge of about
22.5 million gallons of treated vessel sewage
currently allowed in state waters annually enough
to fill a line of tanker trucks over 29 miles long.
The rule complements a recent ban on sewage
discharges from ships in California's four National
Marine Sanctuaries (Gulf of the Farallones,
Cordell Bank, Monterey Bay, and Channel
Islands), as well as existing, small No Discharge
Zones that apply to all vessels.
Hundreds of large cargo and cruise ships travel
through California waters each year. The state has
three of the nation's busiest cargo ports Los
Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland and three of
the busiest cruise ship ports Los Angeles, Long
Beach, and San Diego. Other ports subject to the
regulation include San Francisco, Stockton, West
Sacramento, Port Hueneme, and Humboldt Bay.
Banning sewage discharges from large ships
will help protect the health of swimmers, surfers,
SUE KEYDEL
& GAIL LOUIS
Sue Keydel (left) and Gail
i Louis (below) work with EPA
colleagues, Oregon's Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality, California's North
Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, and five
California tribes in the Klamath River watershed to
set pollutant limits and develop .
watershed restoration strategies. 4
They are part of a multi-agency
team helping to enforce the
Clean Water Act, place warnings
about toxic algae blooms, and
develop a water quality monitor-
and beachgoers, as well as California's unique
marine ecosystems and wildlife, fishing, shellfish,
and tourism. Economic impacts to the shipping
industry will be minimal.
Restoring California's Rivers
California's rivers range from the wild and scenic
Klamath in the rural north to the urban Los Angeles
in the south. Both suffer from pollution.
In December 2010, EPA approved California's
Klamath River water quality plan, the culmina-
tion of 13 years of efforts by EPA and the state to
limit pollution in 17 North Coast rivers. The
Klamath River plan will reduce phosphorus
(57%), nitrogen (32%), and biochemical oxygen
demand (16%).
The Klamath, which once supported the
nation's third largest salmon runs, still has
California's highest diversity of migratory fishes
salmon, cutthroat trout, steelhead trout and
sturgeon. In 2002, there was a massive die-off of
33,000 adult salmon.
The Karuk, Yurok, Hoopa Valley, Quartz
Valley, Resighini Rancheria, Modoc and Klamath
tribes have relied on the river for subsistence for
thousands of years.
The Klamath River has been degraded by
dams, agricultural diversions, nutrients, and toxic
algae blooms.
Pollution limits for other California Klamath
Basin waters the Trinity, Scott, Shasta, and Lost
Rivers are also being implemented.
www.epa.gov/region9/water/watershed/klamath.html
An urban river
In July 2010, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
announced a decision to protect the Los Angeles
River as a "Traditional Navigable Water."
"We want the L.A. River to demonstrate how
urban waterways can serve as assets in building
stronger neighborhoods, attracting new businesses
and creating new jobs," said Jackson.
EPA's designation will help federal, state and
local agencies protect natural streams, wetlands,
and other waters in the LA. Basin, as well as
reduce polluted stormwater runoff.
Much of the river is accessible through highways,
streets, parks and a 49-mile bicycle trail. People use
it for boating, fishing, education, bird watching, art
festivals, and other community events.
www.epa.gov/region9/newsletter/sept2010/la-river.html
O EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld signs the
proposed No Discharge Zone rule to protect California's
coastal waters. ©Among the beneficiaries: Sea mammals
like this sea lion swimming near the pier shown in photo
A. 0 A restoration proposal (bottom) for the Los Angeles
River would create a riverside park from a vacant rail yard
(top). O Near the Klamath River, a member of the Yurok
Tribe cooks salmon steaks over a fire in the traditional
way. O A quiet spot on the Salmon River, a tributary to
the Klamath, near California's northern border.
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CL EAN .AND
Spurring Development and Green Jobs
Former military bases often require extensive cleanup before
they can be put to productive reuse. EPA is working with the
military and regional agencies to advance cleanup, clearing
the way for more sustainable development.
Redevelopment at the McClellan Air Force Base Superfund
site took a major step forward in 2010 with the transfer of
more than 80 parcels, totaling 560 acres, to Sacramento
County, Calif.
The county transferred the parcels to a developer,
McClellan Business Park, which is now responsible for
cleanup. Among its tenants are businesses supporting
hundreds of green jobs. The Sacramento Region now ranks
#1 in California clean-tech job growth.
The Department of Defense is funding cleanup of
contaminated groundwater and soil at the former McClel-
lan Air Force Base. EPA, the California Department of
Toxic Substances Control and the Central Valley Regional
Water Quality Control Board are overseeing cleanup by
McClellan Business Park to ensure protection of public
health and the environment.
In April 2011, EPA will propose the cleanup plan for 51
parcels transferred last year. Plans have already been
approved and are being implemented by McClellan
Business Park for some of the other transferred sites.
Among the green tech companies on the recently
transferred McClellan Business Park property:
ZETA Communities, makers of ultra energy-efficient
modular homes, added 200 jobs. ZETAs state-of-the-
Story continues, p. 14
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:?s
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Air quality
standards protect
public health from
smog, dust, smoke,
and other particulate
pollution.
..
EPA's Superfund
Program cleans
up abandoned mines
and industrial sites
that threaten nearby
communities.
Water quality
standards keep
waterways safe for
fishing, swimming,
and recreation.
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art, 91,000-square-foot facility serves the
entire Western region.
N Solar Inc., part of South Korea-based
Millinet Solar, is setting up its U.S.
manufacturing plant, creating 150 jobs.
Advanced Data Center's new LEED-certified
building will use 67% less energy than the
industry average.
Underground Tanks in Indian Country
EPA works with tribes in the Pacific Southwest to
assess and clean up abandoned underground fuel
storage tank (UST) sites.
Since 2005, EPA has assessed more than 300
tribal UST sites in the region and removed more
than 150 tanks plus 15,000 cubic yards of
contaminated soil.
In 2010, these efforts were boosted by $3.1
million from the 2009 American Recovery and
CARL WARREN
Carl Warren has headed
up the Underground
Storage Tank (UST) Tribal
Cleanup Program since
2004, playing a key role
* in closing over 200 aban-
doned LIST sites on tribal
lands. Carl engages the community by meeting with
tribal leaders and environmental representatives for
all sites where cleanups are occurring.
Reinvestment Act. EPA cleaned the land while
creating jobs, contracting the work to Bristol
Environmental Remediation Services, LLC, a
100% Native American-owned firm and funding
about 20,000 man-hours of work. Subcontractors
including Native-owned companies on the Hopi
Reservation, Navajo Nation, and Hoopa Valley
Indian Reservation are also involved.
Input and assistance from tribes has been
crucial. EPAs tribal UST program, led by Carl
Warren, has consulted with more than 50 tribes
in the Pacific Southwest to identify and select
sites for assessment and cleanup. EPA also
oversees cleanups done by responsible parties.
The Agency collaborates with tribes to build
capacity by providing training in UST compli-
ance, inspections, and oversight. Several tribes in
the region now have their own UST staff.
Results include:
Funding for the Navajo Nation to perform
preliminary investigation activities at about
50 sites.
Installing a soil vapor extraction system and
removing more than 50,000 pounds of
hydrocarbons at the Arizona Traders site on
the Gila River Indian Community.
Removing a tank and 260 cubic yards of
contaminated soil just 850 feet from
Hotevilla Spring, a Hopi water source.
Installing a remediation system and removing
3,700 cubic yards of contaminated soil at the
White Eagle site in Shiprock, NM.
This projBCl is lunCted by the American
Recovery and RelnvQStmont Act.
- EPfc contracted wtth Bristol lo remediate
*&***} underground storage tanks
tut
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Cleanup is underway or completed at several
sites on the Navajo Nation, Yurok Reservation,
and Hoopa Valley. EPA will continue to work
with tribes to clean up about 110 remaining sites
in the Pacific Southwest.
REVITALIZING ROUTE 66
Leaking underground storage tanks are a hazard
in many places - including Winslow, Arizona.
Recovery Act funding through EPA helped clean
them up, creating jobs and spurring revitalization.
Watch the video:
www.epa.gov/region9/
brownfields/66
V,
Cleaning Up the Anaconda Mine
In an arid landscape southeast of Reno, Nevada,
EPA is overseeing cleanup of a five-square-mile
mining site.
Millions of tons of mineral-rich ore were
processed at the Anaconda Mine, leaving tailings
heaps and leach ponds contaminated with
elevated levels of copper and uranium. These
compounds can contaminate ground water and
windblown dust. Since 2005, EPA has overseen
more than $ 10 million worth of cleanup work at
the site.
The mine began operation around 1918 and
was acquired in 1953 by Anaconda Minerals.
From 1977 to 1982 the mine was owned by
ARCO, and later sold to Arimetco Inc., which
recovered copper from ore heaps in the 1990s
before going bankrupt in 1999. Mining raised
levels of copper and uranium at the ground
surface. Low pH fluids in the heap leach ponds
can harm water birds and other wildlife.
Since 2004, EPA has conducted five actions to
reduce imminent health and environmental
threats while studies of permanent solutions are
underway. These cleanup actions included
capping more than 70 acres of mine tailings to
prevent erosion and windblown dust, removing
transformers containing PCBs, building a large
evaporation pond to contain heap leach fluids,
and closing and repairing other heap leach ponds.
In 2010, EPA oversaw further cleanup work
by ARCO under a legal agreement with EPA,
including:
Covering former evaporation ponds to
prevent windblown dust and contaminated
water
Removing radioactive materials to a safe
level for site workers
Abating threats from abandoned electrical
systems
Removing asbestos-laden pipes
Operating the heap leach fluid collection
system to prevent catastrophic acid
discharges.
www.epa.gov/region9/anaconda
O A new business location on the
former McClellan Air Force Base
near Sacramento. 0 An EPA-funded
underground fuel tank cleanup
underway on the Navajo Nation. Q A
former copper mining pit that has filled
with groundwater at the Anaconda
Mine site in Nevada. 0 EPA's Tom
Dunkelman oversees cleanup work
at the Anaconda Mine site.
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COMMUNITIES
& ECOSYSTEMS
Creating a Healthier San Joaquin Valley
California's 250-mile-long San Joaquin Valley, home to more
than four million people and still growing, is severely
threatened by air and water pollution.
This is the state's top agricultural region, with more than
250 crops, including much of the nation's fruits, vegetables,
and nuts. Dairy products are California's most valuable
agricultural commodities; about 75% of the state's dairy
cows are here. Total production is more than $24 billion
annually.
The valley owes its agricultural success to a remarkable
water system. The federal Central Valley Project delivers
fresh water from the Delta and San Joaquin River to farms.
The State Water Project brings Delta water to farms and
cities. Most of the water is used for agriculture. Valley
communities rely mostly on ground water to drink. Surface
waters support wetlands critical for wintering waterfowl.
The human and environmental toll
The valley's unique topography and wind patterns trap air
pollution. The California Air Resources Board estimates
that 2,400 deaths each year are associated with fine
particulate air pollution here. The valley has some of the
state's highest rates of childhood asthma. Transportation,
specifically diesel trucks, is the largest air pollution source.
Dairies and feedlots generate large quantities of manure,
and agriculture uses toxic pesticides. Farms, wetlands, and
communities contend with poor water quality. The San
Joaquin River boasted one of California's largest salmon
runs before nearly 95% of its water was diverted for
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irrigation. The salmon are gone, and the river and
its wetlands, once teeming with wildlife, are a
small remnant compared with a century ago.
The valley has high rates of poverty and
unemployment. One bright spot: a recent study
found that renewable energy and High Speed Rail
development could create more than 100,000 jobs.
Solutions underway in 2011
EPA and state and local partner agencies are
finding solutions for the valley's severe environ-
mental and health challenges. The Agency's work
of issuing permits for facilities that affect air and
water quality, oversight of state regulators,
reviewing Environmental Impact Statements, and
environmental cleanup is guided by principles of
environmental justice, partnership, transparency,
and vigorous environmental law enforcement.
One goal is to reduce the valley's fine particu-
late air pollution through regulatory action and
accelerating adoption of clean air technologies and
cleaner transportation. EPA is working with
California and the San Joaquin Valley Air District
to reduce this pollution 34% from 2009 levels, to
attain the federal clean air standard by 2014. New
regulations on air emissions will affect industrial
boilers, refineries, paints, and consumer products.
To help restore fish and wildlife, EPA is
working with state and federal partners to update
regulations to reduce toxic selenium in the Delta,
and initiate regional water quality monitoring.
Fifty miles of the San Joaquin riverbed, bone dry
half the year since 1940 due to water diversions,
is now being restored by new, legally mandated
water releases from Friant Dam.
EPA and its state and federal partners are
reducing environmental impacts of animal waste
and agriculture by supporting adoption of clean
technologies such as dairy waste digesters and
NOEMI EMERIC-FORD
Noemi Emeric-Ford is
Brownfields Coordina-
i tor in EPA's Southern
California Field Office. She
J has created collaborative
partnerships to revitalize
communities across the Pacific Southwest, oversee-
ing assistance to states, tribes, municipalities and
nonprofits, such as the Reno Sparks Indian Colony
project, funded by the first brownfields loan to a
tribal community in the West. Before coming to the
region, Noemi was in EPA's Chicago office, where
she organized the nation's first Superfund Job Train-
ing Initiative for communities near cleanup sites.
conservation tillage, which minimizes pollution from
dust and diesel while saving energy and money.
EPA is an active partner in ongoing state and
community efforts to spur sustainable economic
development in the valley's Fresno, Kings, and
Kern Counties. This includes working with
federal housing and transportation agencies and
the California High Speed Rail Authority to plan
development along future rail routes and stations,
as well as helping the South Kern community and
The California Endowment to reduce public
health risks.
Growing Sustainable Communities
EPA collaborates with state and local governments
to clean up abandoned industrial sites - brown-
fields - and return them to productive use.
EPA's top priorities for brownfields assistance are
under-served and economically disadvantaged
neighborhoods with environmental justice issues,
where jobs and cleanups are most needed.
In National City (San Diego County), Calif,
EPA is working with the Department of Housing
and Urban Development and the Department of
Transportation, through the Interagency
Partnership for Sustainable Communities, to help
the city meet sustainability goals, and generate
affordable housing and transportation.
In 2010, EPA awarded a $1 million Brown-
fields revolving loan to National City, and a
$300,000 Community Action for a Renewed
Environment (CARE) grant to the Environmen-
tal Health Coalition (EHC) for work there and in
Barrio Logan, a San Diego neighborhood. This
funding is helping clear the way for National
City's planned Westside Affordable Housing
Transit Oriented Development.
"National City's old industrial base presents a
myriad of challenges," says Mayor Ron Morrison.
The city will use the loan to clean up sites
contaminated with oil and toxics. Earlier EPA
funding helped the city develop green building
standards and assess contamination on vacant
properties.
The CARE grant enables EHC to address air
pollution in Barrio Logan and National City from
the nearby port and industries. The nonprofit
builds grassroots campaigns to improve public
health by dealing with pollution, discriminatory
land use, and unsustainable energy policies.
"Unjust land use plans have allowed pollution
to burden the health of our communities," says
Diane Takvorian, EHC's Executive Director.
"Now we can create community plans that lead to
cleaner, healthier neighborhoods."
VIDEO: www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields/natlcity.html
O A Tohono O'odham officer patrols tribal lands near the
U.S.-Mexico border. ©The San Joaquin Valley's bowl-
shaped topography tends to trap air pollutants to create
smog. O EPA Brownfields grants and loans help speed
cleanup and redevelopment of former industrial sites.
O EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (center) and Congress-
woman Barbara Lee (left) tour Oakland, Calif. EPA's Idalia
Perez visits a fertilizer plant in a San Joaquin Valley town.
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COMPLIANCE
& STEWARDSHIP
Renewable Energy Projects Get a Close Look
New solar power installations are generating more clean
power in the Pacific Southwest every year. Before construc-
tion starts, each must be scrutinized to minimize environ-
mental impacts.
In 2010, EPA's Pacific Southwest Environmental Review
Office Energy Team staff reviewed 50 detailed plans for 39
energy projects, sending comments back to the authorizing
agencies on how best to minimize impacts. Several of these
reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) included site visits and meetings with the federal
and state agencies involved.
Under NEPA, when a federal agency makes a decision
with significant environmental impacts such as approving
a right-of-way to build an energy project the agency must
first publish a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. EPA
reviews it, and returns it with suggestions on how to avoid or
mitigate the impacts. These comments become part of the
public record.
The 39 proposed energy projects EPA reviewed in the
Pacific Southwest last year included 20 solar, 7 wind, 2
geothermal, 2 hydroelectric, 1 carbon sequestration, 1 coal,
3 transmission lines, and 3 other renewable energy projects.
EPAs comments helped bring about improvements such as:
Switching the 250-megawatt (MW) Genesis Solar
project from wet to dry cooling, reducing water use
nearly 90%.
Reconfiguring the 709-MW Imperial Valley Solar
project to reduce impacts on wetlands (including
ephemeral streams) from 177 to 38 acres.
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RCRA Inspection* «t Metal Finifthen
XUI-HLD
More mitigation for impacts to the
threatened desert tortoise at the 45-MW
Lucerne Valley Solar project.
Considering reduced acreage alternatives for
the 400-MW Ivanpah Solar project.
Planning two transmission lines together in
the Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP-South)
corridor, rather than in separate corridors.
www.epa.gov/region9/nepa
Focusing on Neighborhood
Metal Platers
Metal plating shops are often located in low-
income neighborhoods where people already face
disproportionate environmental risks.
Over the last two years, EPA mapped the
locations of metal plating shops in Los Angeles
County and inspected 62 of them to ensure
compliance with federal hazardous waste laws.
Inspections continue in these and other areas.
Plating shops are usually small, low-tech
industries that generate hazardous wastes like
acids and sludges containing toxic heavy metals
like chromium, cadmium, and lead; spent plating
solutions containing metals or cyanides;
flammable liquids; and corrosive liquids.
EPA took enforcement action against nine
metal finishers in Los Angeles, Rosemead, Sun
Valley, Compton, Van Nuys, South El Monte and
Santa Clara. All returned to compliance and paid
fines ranging from $2,000 to $48,500. One is
sending employees to hazardous waste manage-
ment training.
O Fort Soledad in the U.S. territory of Guam. Results
of inspections at metal finishers is available at www.epa.
gov/region9/waste/enforcement/metalfinishermap.html
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Two of the shops are in Compton, one of
several densely populated communities next to
the 1-710 freeway, where the effects of pollution
are disproportionately higher than elsewhere in
Los Angeles County. Approximately 1 million
people, of whom 70% are minority and low-
income households, are affected by pollution
from industries here and goods movement along
the 1-710.
Government agencies have formed an
Enforcement Collaborative to ensure that
industries in the 1-710 corridor comply with
environmental laws. Participants include EPA,
Cal/EPA, the California Department of Toxic
Substances Control, the Los Angeles Regional
Water Quality Control Board, the California Air
Resources Board, and local governments.
www.epa.gov/region9/ej/enforcement.html
Recognizing sustainable business practices
EPA honored Fresno's Valley Chrome Plating,
Inc. (VCP) for eliminating highly toxic lead and
chromium from its industrial processes. VCP
made these changes as a participant in EPAs
National Partnership for Environmental
Priorities.
An innovator in "going green," VCP produces
chrome-plated semi-truck bumpers and stainless
truck accessories. By 2008, it was already a
zero-discharge facility committed to recycling all
materials.
By 2010, VCP reduced its use of lead by
3,000 pounds and hexavalent chromium by 6,000
pounds. With a staff of 75, this family-run
company is a great example of a business that's
protecting the environment while strengthening
its bottom line.
Minimizing Impacts of
Military Buildup in Guam
The U.S. Department of Defense is planning a
significant military expansion on the 30-mile-long
U.S. island territory of Guam.
Guam's current population of 178,000 is expected
to jump at least 25% in the next several years, and
infrastructure needs drinking water, wastewater
treatment, power generation, solid waste disposal
and recycling, housing, roads, and the port will
need to absorb this rapid population growth.
As the Department of Defense (DoD) has
planned for the realignment of Naval, Marine,
and Army forces to Guam, EPA has commented
extensively on the project's environmental impacts
and is working with Guam's Government, DoD,
and other federal partners to minimize impacts.
DoD committed to take a unique mitigation
approach for construction impacts and the
associated population influx. DoD will coordinate
with the Government of Guam and federal
agencies to identify steps that can be taken to
avoid significant impacts to the environment,
infrastructure, and social services. A key element
of this approach was EPAs coordinated work with
DoD to identify $1.3 billion in drinking water
and wastewater infrastructure needs and DoD's
commitment to seek that funding.
Meanwhile, EPA partnered on Guam to intro-
duce ultra-low-sulfur diesel, standard in the U.S.
since 2007 but virtually unavailable on Guam.
Beginning in September 2010, Guam phased out
the exclusive use of high-sulfur diesel, reducing
sulfur dioxide emissions by 99% a significant
health benefit. EPA also provided technical assis-
tance to Guam in developing a Bottle Bill, which
would require beverage container recycling and
divert a significant waste stream.
MICHAEL MANN
Michael Mann first went
to Guam as an EPA
H employee for six months
in 2000. He returned in
2002 on "loan" to Guam
f EPA. Two months later,
Supertyphoon Pongsona
hit, breaking all the windows in his home - while
he was there. Over the next four years, he was
involved in many local environmental issues, from
marine debris to sustainable development. Today
he's back in San Francisco, working with several
EPA colleagues on minimizing impacts from Guam's
impending U.S. military buildup.
In addition, EPA is:
continuing efforts to ensure that Guam
complies with existing wastewater treatment
and discharge limits at its largest treatment
plants, and provides safe drinking water.
providing technical review of plans for
opening the new Layon landfill and closing
the old Ordot dump.
working with DoD and Guam EPA to
advance a framework for zero waste
management and to measure and increase
the island's recycling rates.
collaborating with DoD and Guam on safe
reuse and recycling of construction and
demolition debris, greenwaste, and other
materials, and the development of compliant
solid waste facilities.
working with DoD and other agencies on
avoidance and mitigation efforts for a
proposed aircraft carrier berth that would
impact some 70 acres of coral reefs.
working with DoD, Guam, and contractors
to ensure compliance with stormwater rules
that help protect Guam's marine environment
and surface waters from polluted runoff.
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Shrinking Our Footprint
We at EPA's regional office for the Pacific
Southwest have set a ZERO WASTE goal and are
striving to REDUCE our footprint.
Overall EPA Region 9 Paper Use
49% reduction
2003/04
2009/10
Our Waste Diversion in 2010 = 83%
paper, glass, metal, plastic Recycle &
& food waste Compost
other Disposal
This Publication's Paper Use
57% reduction
EPA PROGRESS
REPORT 2010
2011
How We Cut Paper Use by 57%
Smaller size
report
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency I Pacific Southwest/Region 9 Contacts
Offices
EPA Pacific Southwest Region
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA94105
415.947.8000
EPA Pacific Islands Contact Office
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5124
Honolulu, HI 96850
808.541.2710
EPA San Diego Border Office
610 West Ash St., Suite 905
San Diego, CA92101
619.235.4765
EPA Southern California Field Office
600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1460
Los Angeles, CA90017
213.244.1800
Phone Inquiries
415.947.8000
or 866.EPAWEST
(toll-free)
Email Inquiries
r9.info@epa.gov
EPA Website
wwwr.epa.gov
For Pacific Southwest Issues
www.epa.gov/region9
To Obtain This Report
Order from EPAs Environmental
Information Center at
866.EPA.WEST (toll-free), email
r9.info@epa.gov or view in English
and Spanish on the Web at
www.epa.gov/region9/annualreport
Want to stay informed?
Keep up with EPA's work in the Pacific Southwest and other environmental stories by
subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter at www.epa.gov/region9/newrsletter
f/EPA
7& Printed on 100% recycled paper, more than
vv
^ 50% post-consumer contentprocess chlorine-free
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:
2011-771-321
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We printed 3,000 copies of this report using soy-based inks on paper made with 100% recycled fiber and an average of
60% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free. By using this paper, we saved:
5 trees
F£l 2,182 gallons
of water
1.3 million
BTUs of energy
132 IDS of
solid waste
453 Ibs of
greenhouse gases
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Pacific Southwest/Region 9
EPA-909-R-11-001
Look
inside this back cover to learn more about our shrinking footprin
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