EPA910-K-09-007 I December 2009
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 10
Office of Air,
Waste and Toxics
Accomplishments Report
for Fiscal Year 2009
EPA Region 10
Office of Air, Waste and Toxics
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Region 10 Office of Air, Waste and Toxics
Accomplishments Report for Fiscal Year 2009
The Office of Air, Waste and Toxics in EPA Region 10 works in close partnership with
States, local, Tribes, and communities to promote protect air quality, control toxics, and
manage waste to achieve a healthy environment in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
This report highlights some of our most significant accomplishments over the past year.
Rick Albright, Director
Jan Hastings, Associate Director
Kathy Veit, Associate Director
Priority Areas:
• Enhancing Tribal Environments 2
• Reducing Greenhouse Gases, Reaching for Sustainability 5
• Protecting Clean Air 7
• Advancing Waste Management 10
• Contacts for More Information 13
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Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Enhancing Tribal Environments
Air Tribal Strategic Plan Addressing Tribal Needs:
In March 2009, the State and Tribal Air Programs Unit finalized a strategic plan to
improve air quality in Indian country by directing EPA resources to critical areas.
I The strategic plan identifies over sixty projects in critical focus areas including
I particulate matter and burning, air toxics, and indoor air. The plan will also help
j improve information quality, interagency communication, and data sharing between
EPA Region 10 staff and Tribes over the next two to five years.
FARR Program Continues to Help Tribes Improve Air Quality on
Reservations and Beyond:
The Federal Air Rules for Reservations
(FARR) is a unique program established
by Region 10 to establish air quality
programs on Indian Reservations
in the Pacific Northwest, including a
comprehensive program for regulating
agricultural burning. Accomplishments
during the past year include:
• Renewing one Title V permit, issuing
four other non-Title V permits, and two
Notices of Violations,
• Calling ten burn bans,
• Hosting a FARR Complaint Response
Workshop and responding to 43
complaints,
• Registering approximately 120 air
pollution sources,
• Providing targeted open burning compliance assistance to mint growers on the
Yakama Reservation,
• Meeting with five fire departments that serve four reservations to discuss the
implementation of the FARR, and
• Developing model fugitive particulate matter plans to educate sources on the
requirement to perform surveys and develop plans under the FARR.
Under the FARR, the Nez Perce Tribe issued burn permits for 45,611 agricultural acres,
775 piles and 285 acres of forestry burning, 118 large open burns, and 1,050 small
open burns; and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation issued
over 100 open burning permits.
The FARR regulates agricultural burning of orchard
debris.
Reaching Out to North Slope Communities:
^V In May 2009, over 25 tribal community
members attended the stakeholder
meetings on permits for oil and gas
exploration on Outer Continental Shelf
of Alaska's arctic region. Region
10 managers and staff traveled to
Kotzebue and Barrow, Alaska, to conduct
stakeholder meetings, a workshop, and
an open house to discuss EPA's planned
outreach activities for Outer Continental
oil and gas exploration, air and water
permitting, and hear native communities
Whaling is critical to tribal members in Barrow, concerns about the proposed exploration
Alaska and development. In September 2009,
we returned to the North Slope hosting a
series of public meetings, public hearings and consultations with Tribal governments.
Study Shows Open Dumps in Indian Country Increasing:
In 2009, EPA Regional Offices and the
Indian Health Service worked together
to complete a national inventory of open
waste dumps in Indian Country. The update
shows that the number of open dumps has
climbed from 1200 in 1998 to above 3000
in 2009. The updated inventory presents
highly credible and current information that
will inform a variety of efforts and initiatives
for closing open dumps. The inventory
includes 578 dumps in Region 10, 69 of
which are ranked as high health threats.
This is an outcome of our effort working
with the Indian Program Policy Council and
other Regional offices to get new national
Government Performance Results Act
(GPRA) measures adopted which includes the closure, clean-up and upgrade of open
dumps in Indian Country.
Tribes and EPA Partner to Deliver Big on Solid Waste Targets:
In Fiscal Year 2009, the Tribal Solid and Hazardous Waste Team and Region 10 tribes,
building on a track record of significantly exceeding commitments, reported strong
results at improving tribal solid waste sanitation. The results include:
• Cleaning up 10 tribal open dumps;
• Developing 12 integrated Tribal waste management plans;
• Providing technical assistance to 96 tribes;
• Investigating an illegal dumping case; and
• Conducting 31 inspections or compliance assistance visits with tribes.
Updated data will allow EPA to track open dumps
surrounding many Alaska tribal housing areas.
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Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Tribal Solid Waste Liaisons Ride the Circuit:
| As part of the Solid Waste Circuit
Rider programs, solid waste liaisons Al
LaTourette and Ted Jacobson visited
19 villages and reservations throughout
Region 10, working one-on-one with
I tribal staff to build capacity to improve
! solid waste sanitation. The liaisons
visited landfills and dump sites and
provided technical assistance on how
i to improve solid waste systems. Al
I and Ted have nearly 30 years of
Nineteen students part,c,pated m the St. Mary's Rural combined experience working in waste
Alaska LandM Operators class. management Al LaTourette has also
built considerable expertise in geographic information systems - locating and mapping
dozens of dump sites in the Pacific Northwest region and training tribal staff to do the
same. Ted Jacobson is an experienced trainer for the Rural Alaska Landfill Operators
Training Course (RALO) - this year Ted served as a trainer at three training courses,
training representatives from 24 villages in Alaska on best management practices.
Interagency Efforts to Control Makah Warmhouse Beach Dump Site:
In response to a citizen complaint
about the Makah Warmhouse Beach
dump site, EPA and the Makah
tribe hosted a meeting with other
Federal agencies including Indian
Health Service, US Department of
Agriculture-Rural Development,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Army Corps
of Engineers, and the Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry to share information and
explore potential ways to address
the historically uncontrolled dump
site. At the meeting, Acting Regional
Administrator Michelle Pirzadeh
reaffirmed EPA's trust responsibility
as lead regulatory agency on waste
management and the Army Corps
of Engineers explained how to request that the dump site be re-examined for eligibility
under the Formerly Used Defense Sites clean up program. As a result of the meeting,
the Makah tribe is working with agencies in a more systematic and coordinated way
to address the serious waste problem, and has now signed a funding agreement with
USDA-Rural Development to construct a solid waste transfer station on the reservation
Multi-Agency efforts will help the Makah Tribe address the
Warmhouse Beach Dump Site issues.
Reducing Greenhouse Gases, Reaching for Sustainability
Region 10 Walks the Talk on Green Purchasing:
To help the Region walk the talk on reducing greenhouse gases through energy
efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy technologies, the Region 10 Pollution
Prevention Team:
• Developed a new purchasing mechanism for the Region's Renewable Energy
Credits,
• Investigated the possible use of ZipCar for EPA use, and
• Benchmarked region-wide employee air travel to inform policy development,
recommend reduction goals, and offset the resulting greenhouse gas emissions
during Fiscal Year 2009.
Newly Formed West Coast Forum Urges Governments to Integrate Waste
Management into Climate Change Efforts:
In the fall of 2008, EPA along with interested state and local governments formed the
West Coast Forum which resulted in benefits including increased government and
cross-regional coordination, clarity on new policy options, and increased visibility
for Materials Management as a Greenhouse Gas reduction opportunity. The West
Coast Forum urges government agencies to move forward on integrating materials
management into climate change discussions, and integrating climate change into
waste and materials management program planning. Together, these governments
have prioritized their activities and formed networks of committed professionals to
work in specific areas including communications, research, and Greenhouse Gas
inventories. In 2009, we have worked with Regions 1 and 2 to support the launching of
a similar East Coast working group. We look forward to seeing greater partnership with
other regions on the workgroups, additional work integrating materials management
into the national programs under development, and significant progress on integrating
materials management into the local government protocols and inventories in Fiscal
Year 2010.
www.epa.gov/region10/westcoastclimate
Twenty Agencies Accept Challenge to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint:
Twenty agencies representing hundreds of facilities participated in the Federal Green
Challenge to reduce their carbon footprint by 5% in one year. We launched the Federal
Green Challenge as a partnership between EPA Region 10 and the Office of Federal
Environmental Executive challenging Federal facilities to reduce their carbon footprint
in 4 high priority areas: energy, transportation, waste and water. The program has
been a huge success with partners, as it has given them a framework to increase
environmental and Environmental Management System work in their facilities. The first
year results will be available in November 2009. Region 10 has worked with several
other regions to adopt the program and is in discussions with EPA Headquarters about
incorporating the Federal Electronics Challenge and expanding the Federal Green
Challenge to a national program.
www.epa.gov/federalgreenchallenge
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Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Federal Symposium on Sustainable Practices Attracts Over 300
Participants:
More than 300 participants attended 117 separate training tracks on sustainable
practices at the June, 2009 Federal Environmental Symposium West at Bellevue,
Washington, co-chaired by our office and the Office of Federal Environmental
Executive, Council of Environmental Quality. The symposium is a technical training
aimed at helping federal practitioners gain expertise in sustainable practices. The
training targeted the practices and technologies for on recycling, waste and pollution
prevention, green purchasing, sustainable buildings, energy efficiency, renewable
energy, water conservation, fleet management, and electronics stewardship. The event
also included educational visits to: Mercer Island Slough and Environmental Education
Center; Cedar Hills Regional Landfill gas to energy project; Cedar River Watershed;
and Seattle City Hall and Fire Station, both LEED facilities.
Fifty-one Agencies Gathered by Video conference to Collaborate on
Climate Change:
The Climate Air Quality Conference
• was a multi-site (6 locations in
4 states) video conference held
by our office and the Office of
Environmental Assessment
1 convening 51 Federal/State/Local/
Tribal partners to discuss Air Quality and Climate Change. The conference objectives
were to share the latest information on the projected effects of climate change on air
quality in the Pacific NW and Alaska, to share the latest information on air quality/
greenhouse gas or climate change linkages and to showcase examples of tools and
discuss challenges and opportunities related to controlling greenhouse gases while
controlling criteria pollutants and air toxics in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. By
convening the multi-site video conference, the partners were able walk the talk in
reducing each agency's travel related carbon footprint.
Clean and Green Policy Promotes Sustainable Cleanups in Region 10:
I Our office director and the Directors
of Offices of Environmental
Cleanup and the Office of
i Compliance and Enforcement
signed EPA Region 10's Clean and
Green Policy on August 13, 2009.
The goal of the Policy is to enhance the environmental benefits of federal cleanup
programs by promoting technologies and practices that are sustainable. The Policy
applies to all Superfund cleanups including those performed by Potentially Responsible
Parties, States or Tribes through Cooperative Agreements, EPA and/or the Army Corps
of Engineer contractors, and Federal Facilities; Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act corrective action cleanups performed under EPA oversight; EPA-led Leaking
Underground Storage Tank cleanups; and cleanup activities implemented through
EPA's Brownfields grant program. Region 10 also intends to promote this policy for
inclusion in state-authorized and state-led cleanup programs.
Protecting Clean Air
Working with Communities to Improve Fine Particulate Air Pollution:
In 2008 we designated five new nonattainment areas in the region as failing to comply
with the 2006 fine particulate matter (PM25) standards. Our goal is to ensure that all
areas meet the PM25 standard by the statutory deadline resulting in improved health
for the citizens of these communities. States, local agencies, and tribes have been
working with the affected communities to help them attain the standards. Many of
these PM25 nonattainment areas in our region are rural, isolated, sparsely populated
communities. In many of these communities, woodstoves and other wood burning
sources contribute to fine particulate pollution. Reducing emissions from such sources
will be a key to helping them attain the standards. To this end, the region is already
working to promote woodstove change-out programs and outreach campaigns in all of
these communities.
Georgia Basin - Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy Enhancing
Interagency Relationships:
Begun in 2001 as a multi-agency,
cooperative effort to address air quality
management in the transboundary
region, the International Airshed
Strategy Coordinating Committee
includes members from federal,
provincial, state, and regional air/
health agencies as well as First
Nations and Tribes. Topics have
included governmental climate
initiatives, assessment of climate
change impacts and regional air
quality, as well as climate change/
greenhouse gas initiatives as they
relate to the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler
Olympics, and sustainable community
design. Environment Canada Pacific
Yukon Region and EPA Region 10
have been serving as the secretariat
for the International Airshed Strategy
and continue coordinating semiannual
meetings of the Strategy Coordinating
Committee and facilitating the work
of the six working group initiatives
in Fiscal Year 2009. Recent
accomplishments include:
Multi-Agency collaborative efforts will address air
quality issues in the Puget Sound Georgia Basin
Port terminals using biodiesel blends in cargo handling equipment,
Shipping lines using distillate fuels while docking,
Recycling programs in agricultural plastics burning, and
Multi-agency cooperative outreach efforts in wood stoves upgrades.
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Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Taiwan-U.S. Bilateral Cooperation Improving Ports Air Quality:
U.S. and Taiwan officials working together to improve ports air quality.
Taiwan EPA has announced plans to establish emissions inventories for port air
pollutants, draft appropriate management policies for both mobile and stationary
sources of port air pollutants, and develop domestic regulations in alignment with
Annex 6 of MARPOL. This is a result of the fall 2008 U.S.-Taiwan Bilateral
Environmental Cooperation Port Air Quality Partnership Conference co-sponsored
by EPA Region 10. The EPA Region 10 Diesel Program supported this conference
by staffing a delegation that included the U.S. EPA, Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma
and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The emissions inventory work is currently well
underway, and a follow-up meeting is slated for November 2009 that will focus on
management policies.
waste water from the collision repair industry with the added co-benefit of significant
cost savings for auto body shop owners. This approach has made the Region 10
Collision Repair Campaign one of the most successful in the nation. The Campaign
Team was recognized with both a national silver medal and regional bronze medal for
their innovative approaches and national leadership in collaborative problem solving
and achieving environmental results in sensitive communities.
Diesel Program Awards 15 Grants to Help Reduce
Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
The West Coast Collaborative
and Region 10 Diesel Program
awarded over 15 grants funded
by the Diesel Emission Reduction
Act 2008 and the American
Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009. These grants will
conserve diesel fuel and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions as
the Diesel Program moves toward integrating diesel emissions reduction goals with
climate change mitigation goals. This "co-benefits" approach is a result of the Annual
West Coast Collaborative Partners Meeting that included a strong focus on the nexus
between climate protection and diesel emissions reduction, including a discussion of
multi-pollutant reduction strategies, the role of black carbon and the projected impact of
climate change on air quality.
WEST COAST COLLABORATIVE
Public-private partnership to reduce diesel emissions
Five Schools in Region 10 Chosen as Air Toxics Monitoring Stations:
EPA staff working with State and local air agencies responded to over 100 inquiries
from concerned citizens, media, and state and local partners on air toxics monitoring at
four Region 10 schools. EPA developed outreach and education material, conducted
public meetings, and site visits for the schools covering topics that included air
monitoring and analysis, indoor air quality, and children's health.
EPA launched the School Air Toxics Initiative to provide air toxics monitoring at 62
selected schools nationwide in response to a series of USA Today articles on air
quality at schools. The schools identified in Region 10 are: Concord Elementary
in Seattle, WA; St. Helen's in Longview, WA, Harriet Tubman in Portland, OR, and
Toledo Elementary in Toledo OR. In addition, a school on the Nez Perce Reservation
was chosen as one of five tribal schools identified nationally for air toxics monitoring.
Monitoring has begun at all the sites, and data will be posted within a month of initial
samples being collected.
Collision Repair Campaign Saves Business Over $2 Million;
Results in 84,000 Ibs of Toxic Emission Reduction:
The Region 10 Collision Repair Campaign resulted in over $2 million in cost savings
for area businesses and 84,000 Ibs in air toxics emission reductions. In Fiscal Year
2009, the Region 10 Collision Repair Campaign Team applied exceptional energy,
intelligence, and creativity in collaborating with over 40 public and private sector
organizations. This collaboration has resulted in an innovative approach to "beyond
compliance" assistance that has reduced harmful air emissions, hazardous waste, and
First-Ever Round of Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Funds
Awarded:
In FY2009, the Region
10 Diesel Team together
with the Region 9 Diesel
Team and the West Coast
Collaborative distributed
just under $5.4 million
dollars to eight projects
across the two regions
under the 2008 DERA
competition. In Region
10, $1.85M in grant award
funding was extended to
the City of Portland, Idaho
Dept. of Environmental
Quality and the Puget
Sound Clean Air Agency for projects to clean up construction equipment, school buses,
and port-side cargo handling equipment, respectively. Taken collectively, the projects
are expected to reduce PM emissions by approximately 21 tons and NOx emissions by
approximately 14 tons, over the lifetime of the retrofits. And additional $200K DERA
allocation grants were awarded to environmental agencies in Region 10 states in early
2009, funding a variety of diesel emissions reduction projects, including school bus
retrofits, cargo-handling retrofits and public fleet retrofits.
North Star retrofitted ship. Diesel retrofit projects will reduce PM
emissions by 21 tons and NOx emissions by 14 tons.
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Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Recovery Act Injects Additional $6.5 million to Region 10 Diesel Emission
Programs:
In the spring of 2009, our Diesel Program awarded an additional $1.73M in allocation
funding per state designed to bolster state diesel emissions reduction programs
and four competitively selected projects totaling $6.5M as part of the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
The state diesel funding will allow states to retrofit, repower or replace dirty diesel
engines that operate in poor air quality areas and/or affect sensitive populations such
as children. In many cases, projects will also improve fuel efficiency and/or conserve
diesel fuel creating a win-win-win strategy in that it decreases criteria pollutants to
improve air quality and public health; reduces greenhouse gas emissions to combat
global climate change; and saves partners money to aid in economic recovery.
The competitive awards included the following programs:
• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency working with BNSF Railroad to repower three
locomotive switcher engines;
• Port of Tacoma will work with the TOTE shipping line to electrify a major shipping
terminal;
• Cascade Sierra Solutions will work directly with truckers and trucking firms along
major goods movement corridors in Region 10 to install aerodynamic fittings on
long-haul trucks; and
• City of Portland expanding its project to retrofit construction equipment contracted
on public works projects in urban neighborhoods.
Advancing Waste Management
Commingled Recycling Standard and Guidelines will Increase Recycling,
Reduce Carbon:
In coordination with Washington and Oregon stakeholders, we developed standards,
guidelines and an evaluation protocol for commingled recycling systems in Fiscal
Year 2009. Both Oregon and Washington have launched state efforts to take the
standards and put them into their local government contracts. Both states are using
the evaluation protocols as part of their waste composition studies and as part of
their recycling program evaluations. We have succeeded in winning stakeholder
commitment to increase recycled material yields by 7% over 3 years. This will result
in 325,000 tons of increased recycling. In terms of climate change, this is a savings of
963,422 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTC02E), which is comparable to
the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 176,451 passenger vehicles. Importantly,
the process also promises to make recycling systems more efficient and save taxpayer
money. This innovative approach is paving the way for other states and communities
grappling with the same recycling program problems.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/homepage.nsfAopics/ccrs
Region 10 Awards Nation's First Lead Renovation Repair and Painting
Trainer Accreditation:
In Fiscal Year 2009, we accredited five Lead Renovation Repair and Painting training
providers including RGA Environmental in Seattle and Western Regional Lead Training
Center in Portland. RGA Environmental was the first RRP accreditation awarded
nation-wide. We will also begin certifying firms that provide lead renovation, repair, and
painting services. This is a result of the April 22, 2008 EPA Lead Renovation Repair
and Painting final rule published in the Federal Register which:
• Established lead safe work practices for renovation, repair, and painting projects in
housing and child-occupied facilities constructed prior to 1978,
• Required training for renovators performing this work,
• Established an EPA accreditation process for training providers who train lead
renovators and dust sampling technicians, and
• Required lead-safe work practices starting April 22, 2010.
Working with States, Advancing Waste Management:
During Fiscal Year 2009, we received and granted final approval to the State of Idaho
for all delegable Federal hazardous waste regulations, enabling the State of Idaho to
control hazardous waste from the time it is generated until its ultimate disposal.
The state coordinators also negotiated and renewed the Performance Partnership
Agreement with the State of Washington. The new agreement reduces administrative
burdens and costs to the State of Washington in managing the hazardous waste
program.
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Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Highlights in Fiscal Year 2009
Permitting and Corrective Action Making Significant Progress:
EPA and Region 10 States have been making significant progress on contaminated
site cleanup and permitting at Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Treatment, Storage and Disposal facilities. Fiscal Year 2009 accomplishments include:
• Evaluated and determined that nine (9) facilities are successful in controlling human
exposures to hazardous waste;
• Evaluated and determined that ten (10) facilities are successful in mitigating the
migration of contaminated groundwater;
• Verified construction of a final remedy at three (3) facilities; and
• Achieved new or updated controls at two (2) facilities via permitting actions.
First-ever Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Standardized Permit:
I In Fiscal Year 2009, the RCRA Corrective
I Action and Permits team requested
5? public review and comment on the Draft
Standardized Hazardous Waste Storage
a Permit (Permit) for the BP Exploration
1 (Alaska), Inc. (BPXA) Prudhoe Bay facility.
" The Permit is the first RCRA standardized
permit to be issued in the nation allowing a
more efficient and streamlined process for
future RCRA permits. The Permit includes
requirements for the clean up of hazardous
• waste releases, and incorporates by
jf reference BPXA's RCRAAdministrative
Si Order on Consent, dated October 3, 2007
The BPXA Prudhoe Bay facility was first to receivf as the corrective action requirements,
a RCRA standardized permit. allowing BPXA to generate and store
wastes related to oil and gas production,
and continue to store hazardous waste in containers at their Prudhoe Bay facility.
For More Information
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like to learn more
about our programs. We appreciate your comments and your continuous efforts in
promoting clean air, controlling toxics, and managing waste for a healthy environment.
Rick Albright, Director
Office of Air, Waste and Toxics
Phone: 206-553-1847
Email: Albright.Rick@epa.gov
Janis Hastings, Associate Director
Office of Air, Waste and Toxics
Phone: 206-553-1582
Email: Hastings.Janis@epa.gov
Kathy Veit, Associate Director
Office of Air, Waste and Toxics
Phone: 206-553-1352
Email: Veit.Kathleen@epa.gov
Laura Castrilli, Contact
Corrective Action Permits Team
Phone: 206-553-4323
Email: Castrilli.Laura@epa.gov
Christina Colt, Unit Manager
Solid Waste and Toxics Unit
Phone: 206-553-0058
Email: Colt.Christina@epa.gov
Nancy Helm, Unit Manager
Federal and Delegated Air Programs Unit
Phone: 206-553-6908
Email: Helm.Nancy@epa.gov
Mahbubul Islam, Unit Manager
State and Tribal Air Programs Unit
Phone: 206-553-6985
Email: lslam.Mahbubul@epa.gov
Lisa McArthur, Unit Manager
Resource Management and State
Programs Unit
Phone: 206-553-1814
Email: Mcarthur.Lisa@epa.gov
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