&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA 905R20005
2019 Region
5 Highlights
February 2020
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/\f EPA Region 5 we are dedicated to the proposition expounded by President Trump and
EPA Administrator Wheeler that we don't have to choose between a healthy economy and Yesterday, epa Region
a healthy environment— we can have both. We do that by offering our state, tribal and
business partners and the general public certainty in the way we operate and fulfill our
mission to protect the environment and safeguard human health.
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Certainty from regulators gives the American public the ability to do what they do best:
innovate, create, and produce cleaner and safer technologies. EPA is working hard
to provide certainty to our stakeholders throughout the six states of Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
We had many accomplishments in 2019. This report highlights a few that demonstrate
our commitment to achieving certainty for our stakeholders, effective economic
revitalization, and cleaner air, water, and land.
Cleaner Air
Nowhere were Region 5's accomplishments more important than our contributions
to cleaner air. We completed five air quality re-designations (a third of the nation's
total) and are on track for an unprecedented 15 more areas to be re-designated in
2020.
In 2019, the Region had the privilege of helping Columbus, Ohio, celebrate
becoming the nation's first nonattainment area to meet the 2015 ozone air quality
standard—delivering cleaner air for 4 million people.
Great Lakes Restoration
Region 5 and Canada share the responsibility of protecting North America's inland seas,
which provide drinking water to 40 million people.
Failure is simply not an option when it comes to protecting and restoring the Great Lakes.
During 2019, the Region 5-based Great Lakes National Program Office, through the Sustain
Our Great Lakes partnership, funded 26 restoration projects across the basin totaling $6.9
million with non-federal investments totaling $8.1 million. We removed nine beneficial use
impairments at five Areas of Concern in five states, putting them on the path to recovery and
de-listing, and promoting revitalization in surrounding communities.
Another noteworthy project: The GLRI provided $11.5 million in grant funding for 21 projects
to reduce nutrients throughout the basin. In 2019, a new grant category was announced
featuring five innovative, market-based water-quality trading projects that will receive
funding totaling $2 million.
The Great Lakes National Program Office will also be the leader ofEPA's new Trash-Free
Great Lakes grant program, which was kicked off in mid-December. The program will make
$2 million available for beach, shoreline, and waterway cleanups throughout the Great
Lakes basin.
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Region 5 Administrator Stepp was
joined by @RepDebDingell and
@MichiganEGLE to announce that
the former McLouth Steel Corp. site
in Trenton, Mich., has been added to
the Superfund National Priorities List,
epa.gov/newsreleases/e...
(Continued on back) . Rep. Debbie Dingeii
5:03 PM • 5/13/19 from Trenton, Ml • Twitter Web
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2014	2014
Fiscal Year
Removing Beneficial Use Impairments
In FY19, removed nine Beneficial Use Impairments at five Areas
of Concern in five states, bringing cumulative BUI removals since
the start of the Great Lakes Restoration initiative to 79. The BUI
removals will help delist these AOCs and promote community
revitaiization.
USS Lead Superfund Site
Expedited response at the USS Lead Site in East
Chicago, IN in targeting remaining properties
in Zones 2 and 3. E xcavated and restored 220
properties, now totaling 96% of properties o
verall, as well as the former Elementary School
in Zone 1. Issued a Proposed Plan for Zone 1.
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Trash-Free Waters
In June, AdministratorWheeler launched the
Great Lakes Trash-free Waters program. For the
first time, EPA will be requesting competitive
applications for GLRI funding for trash-free
water project grants in the Great Lakes.

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Sustaining Our Great Lakes
Funded, through the Sustain Our Great Lakes
program, 26 restoration projects totaling $6.9
million (with recipient matches of $8.1 million),
including projects to: 1) recover native fish
populations; 2) control invasive species and
improve wildlife habitat; and 3) reduce more
than 21 million gallons of storm water runoff
from entering waterways and install more
than 99,000 square feet of green stormwater
infrastructure to reduce loadings of sediment,
nutrients, toxic contaminants, and pathogens to
Great Lakes tributaries and nearshore waters.
Legend
Re m ova l_Co m p I etio ns
SOGL_Restoration_Projects
NPL_Sites_Delisted
USS_Lead_Site
Air_Redesignations
AOCs_BUIs Removed
GL_AOC
Opportun ity_Zones
Tribal Lands
Air Redesignations
REGION 5 POLLUTION CONCENTRATION TRENDS 2008-201S
(100 = STANDARD)
GLRI Action Plan III
Administrator Andrew Wheeler
unveiled an updated and aggres
sive action plan under the Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative,The
GLRI Action Plan III will guide the
actions of federal agencies and
their many partners over the next
5 years to protect and restore the
Great Lakes — fueling local and
regional economies and commu
nity revitaiization efforts across
the basin.
GREAT LAKES
RESTORATION INITIATIVE
ACTION PLAN III
I ' S
Superfund Cleanups
Region 5 continued to chip away at the Mid-
west's legacy of industrial pollution. EPA deleted
six Region 5 sites from the National Priorities
List, completed remedy construction at 16 sites,
and determined 26 sites are now ready for re-
use. We also completed 50 emergency removals
to address immediate threats to public health
(exceeding the target for completed emergency
removals by 47%). At the time of this writing,
Region 5 had deployed staff to 36 emergency
response sites involving hazardous waste or oil
cleanups.
Opportunity Zones and Redevelopment
Created by PresidentTrump's 2017 Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act, the 1,051 Opportunity Zones in
Region 5 offer incentives for long-term capital
investments in low-income census tracts where
investment has been sparse, and business
growth has been minimal. EPA's Brownfields
grants will be an effective tool to spur redevel-
opment in Opportunity Zones during 2020.
Region 5's success in economic development
is remarkable. We leveraged more than $559
million in outside investment for cleanups and
redevelopments in R5 communities, which in
turn created 2,963 new jobs. Redevelopment of
37 acres at RACER Trust auto sector sites is pro-
jected to result in $17.5 million in investments
and 38 new jobs.
Capitalizing on significant reductions in air pollution levels across the region,
Region 5 developed a three-year Air Attainment Strategy to redesignate more
than 20 areas to attainment of the NAAQS. In 2019, Region 5 redesignated seven
areas, including the first redesignation for the 2015 ozone NAAQS in the country
(Columbus, Ohio) and five redesignations in opportunity zones.

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Smart Sectors
Region 5 held several Smart Sector events in December 2019 to launch a permanent
Smart Sectors regional team to work with trade associations on identifying opportunities
for environmental improvement in 2020. These successful events allowed the Smart
Sectors team to put plans into motion to serve as ombudsmen within the Agency,
conduct educational site visits, host additional roundtables with EPA leadership, and
deliver solutions for environmental improvement throughout the coming year.
In December, Region 5 heard from each state chamber of commerce directly about their
priorities for current and future topics to explore in 2020. At a separate event, Regions 5
and 7 jointly conducted an initial Smart Sectors meeting for the agriculture industry on
renewable fuels. Participants found these roundtable events worthwhile as opportunities
to discuss EPA connections to a wide range of current and emerging issues.
Lean Management
Region 5 is well-positioned to meet these ambitious goals thanks to the staff's embrace
of the principles of lean management and continuous improvement. In 2019, Region 5
became the first EPA Region to meet the national goal of 80% of personnel trained in the
ELMS, the EPA Lean Management System.
Our commitment to ELMS shows in these dramatic numbers: Region 5 reduced its permit
backlog by a whopping 89% during the last fiscal year; Region 5 reduced the backlog of
FOIA responses by more than 50%; we are now meeting our target of sending complete
inspection reports back to companies within 70 days more than 80% of the time, up from
less than 50%; and the regional laboratory issues lab audit reports in an average of 90
days, down from 240 days.
These process advances were fully implemented by a team in the Region 5 Air and
Radiation Division. Their use of lean management tools cut the approval process for
routine air permits by more than half. This innovative process improvement resulted in
the team receiving a Gears of Government national award, which recognize individuals
and teams across the Federal workforce whose dedication supports exceptional delivery
of key outcomes for the American people,.
These are significant improvements. While the substance of the work is the same, we are
adding a greater focus on delivering EPA's actions and services in a timelier manner. This
will serve our partners, stakeholders, and the public well as EPA continues its core mission
in 2020.
Conclusion
We have accomplished much this past year, but the work of environmental protection
never ends. Looking ahead to 2020 and beyond, the managers and staff of Region 5 intend
to build on their successes and continue to improve our efforts to form closer partnerships
and streamline our processes in order to serve the taxpayers in the most efficient way
possible.
\ EPA Great Lakes O
IS ©EPAGreatLakes
Today, Regional Administrator Cathy
Stepp met with the directors of state
environmental agencies for Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio
and Wisconsin at EPA's Cincinnati
laboratory. #EarthWeek epa.gov/
newsreleases/e...
Iep AAd:srorAndrewwhe--
Today, @EPA announced a new 5
year action plan to restore the
#GreatLakes. Under President
Trump, we are taking action to
improve water quality while boosting
local economies. Today's plan will
accelerate this work & benefit
millions of Americans living In &
visiting the region.
12:09 PM. 10/22/ig from 		
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EPA Great Lakes O
@EPAGreatLakes
EPA announces $13.8 million
cleanup in Superior, Wis. Region 5
Administrator Stepp: "The Howards
Bay project is another example of
progress being made through
public-private partnerships under
the Great Lakes Restoration
Initiative." epa.gov/newsreleases/e...

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604
phone: 312-353-2000
https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-5
• Wisconsin DNR
8:01 AM • 5/8/19 • T™«er Web Client
P3 @EPAGreatLakes
o @EPAGreatLakes

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