Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
Executive Summary
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A Year In Review
"In the face of unprecedented challenges, the staff and management team of Region 6 showed ingenuity and
dedication to produce impressive environmental benefits for communities across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,
New Mexico, and Texas"
Region 6 Administrator Ken McQueen
Received the National Excellence in Performance Management Award for developing and directing a
voluntary drinking water sampling initiative under the EPA 3T's Guidance (Train, Tell and Take Action)
to address lead exposure in Native American children, protecting more than 4,000 children from the
harmful effects of lead exposure in drinking water.
Negotiated a judicial settlement in the largest Clean Water Act case in the country, with the City of
Houston, Texas, regarding violations of its National/Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
permits, involving 40 wastewater treatment plants and providing for a $4.4 million civil penalty and
injunctive relief extending over the next 20 years.
Led the nation for the seventh year in RCRA enforcement actions and penalties with 38% of the nation's
actions, despite the inability to conduct onsite inspections for half of the year.
Lodged one of the largest sanitary sewer overflows settlement in the nation with the City of Corpus
Christi, with an agreement from the city to pay a civil penalty of $1.14 million and implement injunctive
relief costing $725 million over 15 years.
Lodged a settlement with Churchill Downs, the largest EPA assessed penalty to a concentrated animal
feeding operation facility with a $2.79 million penalty and $5.6 million innovative injunctive relief
measures.
Concluded 24% of all enforcement actions in the nation, with 348 administrative enforcement actions
and three judicial enforcement actions in FY20.
Reduced the backlog of new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to
be issued by 66% and permits to be renewed by 50% and reviewed all NPDES permits for delegated
states in a timely manner.
Accomplished 96 Brownfields assessments in FY20, exceeding the Government Performance and
Results Act goal by 33%.
Awarded the New Mexico Environment Department's first-ever Performance Partnership Grant including
more than $1.6 million in federal funds for its Air, Public Water System Supervision, and Radon
programs.
Led development of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group
restoration plan, including three projects which will restore more than 1,300 acres of wetlands and
incorporate more than 25 miles of linear protection measures, 12.5 miles of which will be oyster barrier
reef (living shoreline).
Coordinated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and New Mexico Environment
Department to identify significant emissions from oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin through 153
off-site Partial Compliance Evaluations, reducing VOCs by 9.5 million pounds.
Completed a multi-year ambient air monitoring project in LaPlace, Louisiana, in the neighborhoods
surrounding the Denka Performance Elastomer Facility, LLC, collecting over 2,500 air samples from six
locations and reducing emissions of chloroprene from the facility by 85%.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021 Page 1
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
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Improve Air Quality
Provide for Clean & Safe Water
Revitalize Land & Prevent Contamination
Ensure Safety of Chemicals in Marketplace
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Enhance Shared Accountability
Increase Transparency & Public Participation
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Create Consistency & Certainty
Prioritise Robust Science
Streamline & Modernize
Improve Efficiency & Effectiveness
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Administrator's Strategic Goals
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A Year In Review
Region 6's accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) are presented according to the FY 2018-
2022 U.S. EPA Strategic Plan Goals, Objectives and Long-Term Performance Goals (LTPGs).
GOAL 1: A CLEANER. HEALTHIER
ENVIRONMENT
OBJECTIVE 1.1: Improve Air Quality
Work with states and tribes to accurately measure air
quality and ensure that more Americans are living and
working in areas that meet high air quality standards.
LTPG-1.1.1 By September 30, 2022, reduce the
number of nonattainment areas to 101.
s Approved five discrete backlogged rule revisions and
updates to the Oklahoma Air Quality SIP.
•/ Approved 100% of air quality data certifications
required for Region 6 states, cities, and tribes.
s Approved rules confirming Reasonably Available
Control Technology was in place in the Houston area
for volatile organic compounds and in the Dallas/Fort
Worth area for nitrogen oxides.
s Approved the Houston Reasonable Further Progress
SIP, ensuring progress in reducing emissions.
•/ Completed evaluation of design value and criteria for
shut down requests of seven Data Requirements Rule
monitors in Louisiana, two in Oklahoma, and one in
Texas.
s Completed five data certifications for air monitoring
data and approved six annual network plans from
state and local air programs, ensuring their monitoring
networks meet requirements.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
S Concurred on four exceptional events demonstration
packages to exclude data for particulate matter from
28 days, citing high wind dust events as causing the
exceedances.
S Confirmed the first valid design value (2017-2019)
occuring for 21 Data Requirements Rule monitors.
s Issued sulfur dioxide national ambient air quality
standards designations for Round 4, working through
issues raised by Texas on the impacts of the decision
(Navarro, Hutchison and Howard Counties).
Published a supplemental notice of final rulemaking
on the Texas Regional Haze sulfur dioxide trading
rule, using a novel approach to address Best Available
Retrofit Technology and extensive coordination efforts.
s Reduced the backlog of Technical Systems Audits from
four to two by implementing modified audits during
COVID-19.
OBJECTIVE 1.2: Provide for Clean & Safe Water
Ensure waters are clean through improved water
infrastructure and, in partnership with states and tribes,
sustainably manage programs to support drinking water,
aquatic ecosystems, and recreational, economic, and
subsistence activities.
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
Conducted two Green Infrastructure Master Plan
projects for the City of Mercedes, Texas, and the
Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas that reduce
stormwater runoff, mitigate localized flooding, stop
contamination of water, and minimize impact on
aquatic biota.
s Developed a comprehensive Green Infrastructure
Master Plan for northern Coahuila to help reduce
pollution to rivers and water bodies due to
sedimentation or sewage overflow during flooding.
s Awarded tribal set-aside program funds for drinking
water projects (serving 6,556 homes) and clean
water (serving 3,077 homes) projects to benefit tribal
members in Region 6.
s Built federal and Region 6 coalitions to sample 57
tribal day cares and schools at 18 tribes for lead in
drinking water and mitigated lead exposure at 100%
of all sites with results above the EPA action level,
protecting more than 4,000 children.
s Completed more than 600 Clean Water Act wetlands
program reviews, a 40% increase in accomplished
actions over FY19.
s Concurred on 14 requests from the Galveston and
New Orleans Districts Corps of Engineers for sediment
disposal from Region 6 critical waterways into our
ocean disposal sites.
s Initiated construction of the Caminada Headlands
Back Barrier Marsh Creation Project to protect 1,000
acres of marsh habitat in coastal Louisiana.
s Initiated engineering design of the Long Point Bayou
Marsh Creation Project designed to create and/
or nourish 392 acres of marsh in coastal Louisiana,
beneficially using material from a maintenance
dredging event on the Calcasieu Ship Channel.
s Issued 17 permits for Class II wells in Osage County,
Oklahoma, averaging 140 days between permit
application receipt and permit issuance, exceeding our
180-day target.
s Issued five new permits, two permit modifications,
and plugged a well as part of a settlement involving
Underground Injection Control wells near Bird Creek in
Osage County, Oklahoma.
s Led development of a Natural Resource Damage
Assessment Louisiana Trustee Implementation
Group restoration plan, including three projects which
will restore more than 1,300 acres of wetlands and
incorporate more than 25 miles of linear protection
measures, 12.5 miles of which will be oyster barrier reef
(living shoreline).
s Leveraged $2.1 million in EPA Clean Water set-asides
to fund projects totaling $3.4 million and $2.2 million
in EPA Drinking Water set-asides to fund projects
totaling $5.7 million for wastewater and water system
infrastructure in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
s Processed five no-migration petition final decisions,
continuing an upward trend in completed reviews due
to streamlining efforts.
s Protected and restored 5,704 acres of habitat in Region
6 national estuaries, helping leverage $1.8 million of
EPA funds with more than $51 million of other funds for
estuary protection.
s Disbursed more than $7 million to border infrastructure
projects that provided first-time water and wastewater
service, improved the quality of existing drinking water,
or improved existing systems to reduce or eliminate
discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States
along the U.S.-Mexico border.
s Developed nine projects from the border water
infrastructure program priority list, certified five projects
with complete designs to begin construction in FY21,
and completed construction of three infrastructure
projects.
s Leveraged $10.2 million in border water infrastructure
program funding for three projects with a total cost of
nearly $56 million, providing new drinking water service
and upgrading an existing system serving more than
4,000 residents and providing wastewater service to
more than 5,000 residents.
s Provided more than $219 million in financial assistance
to states, tribes and non-profits to improve water
quality, finance wastewater treatment infrastructure,
and provide safe drinking water, requiring 121 new
assistance agreements, 180 amendments, and 122
closeouts.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
s Managed more than $1.2 billion in CWA Section 404
assistance agreements to improve water quality, finance
wastewater treatment infrastructure, and provide safe
drinking water.
s Coordinated with Region 6 states on five new grant
programs, including three Water Infrastructure
Improvements for the Nation Act programs.
s Received the National Excellence in Performance
Management Award for developing and directing a
voluntary drinking water sampling initiative under the
EPA 3T's Guidance (Train, Tell and Take Action) to
address lead exposure in Native American children,
protecting more than 4,000 children from the harmful
effects of lead exposure in drinking water.
s Reduced the backlog of new National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to be
issued by 66% and permits to be renewed by 50% and
reviewed all NPDES permits for delegated states in a
timely manner.
s Reduced regulatory uncertainty among industries
and municipalities by eliminating 100% of backlogged
Arkansas water quality standards actions.
s Resolved and mitigated an extensive surface purge of
injected oil field brine wastes on the border between
Blaine and Kingfisher Counties at the request of the
Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
s Met all EPA Lean Management System targets for
NPDES permit quality reviews.
s Won additional Urban Waters Program funding that will
be used for project implementation in San Antonio and
Middle Rio Grande Urban Water areas.
LTPG 1.2.1 By September 30, 2022, reduce the number
of community water systems out of compliance with
health-based standards to 2,700.
s Addressed 575 drinking water priority systems through
formal or information enforcement actions.
OBJECTIVE 1.3: Revitalize Land & Prevent
Contamination
s Accomplished 50 Brownfields Ready for Anticipated
Use (RAU) determinations (exceeding the goal of 48),
representing 1,090 acres that are ready for reuse.
¦s Accomplished 96 Brownfields assessments in FY20,
exceeding the Government Performance and Results
Act (GPRA) goal by 33%.
¦s Accomplished four Brownfields cleanups, meeting
this year's goal.
¦s Brought in 10 successful competitive Assessment,
Cleanup or Revolving Loan Fund grants from the
2020 Brownfields Grant Competition, which doubled
the number of successful grants in 2019.
¦s Completed 539 Ready for Anticipated Use
designations for leaking underground storage tanks.
¦s Completed underground storage tank Re-State
Program Approvals for Texas, Louisiana, and New
Mexico.
¦s Conducted 27 Phase I Targeted Brownfields
Assessments (TBAs) (an 87% increase from FY19)
and completed seven Phase II TBAs.
¦s Constructed final remedies at nine Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities
(exceeding the goal by 29%).
¦s Accomplished 18 facility-wide RAU determinations
(exceeding the goal by 50%) and 15 remediation
complete determinations (exceeding the goal by
15%).
¦s Accomplished the goal of one Human Exposures
Under Control determination.
¦s Completed three Groundwater Migration Under
Control determinations.
¦s Increased the number of acres RAU by more than
222,000.
¦s Completed 15 RCRA permit renewals, exceeding the
GPRA goal by 50%.
¦s Issued 11 Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) approvals,
exceeding the goal by 57%.
¦s Certified 37 cost packages in FY20 for over $16
million in potentially recoverable site costs to be used
by Superfund Program.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
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Negotiated and finalized the Conroe Creosoting bona
fide prospective purchaser agreement to facilitate
reuse of a Superfund site in Texas and prevent further
contamination.
Deployed the Airborne Spectral Photometric
Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft
and the Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) bus,
along with ground teams, to the Port Arthur/Orange,
Texas, area to conduct air monitoring in communities
near impacted industrial facilities following Hurricane
Laura.
Added the Henryetta Iron and Metals site in Oklahoma
and proposed the Northwest Odessa Groundwater site
in Texas to the National Priorities List.
Completed 70% of scheduled Facility Response Plan
inspections during the first two quarters of FY20 at
high risk oil storage facilities to determine compliance
with oil spill preparedness regulations for a total of 28
inspections for the year.
Completed 58% of Spill Prevention, Control, and
Countermeasure inspections at oil storage facilities
to determine compliance with oil spill prevention
regulations during the first two quarters of FY20 for a
total of 73 SPCC inspections during the year.
Completed the Donna Canal Superfund site remediation
under budget and ahead of schedule despite difficulties
associated with COVID-19, removing over 23,000 tons
of PCB-contaminated sediment from the canal which
reduced risks associated with residents eating PCB-
contaminated fish from the canal system.
Recovered costs and negotiated work valued at more
than $35 million for Superfund site cleanups.
Removed 24,000 tons of asbestos containing materials
from B.F. Goodrich asbestos site in Oklahoma and
returned the property for reuse.
Restored 17 acres and removed over 132,000 tons of
chat at the Tar Creek site in Oklahoma and developed
a long-term strategy to address compliance with the
off-site rule that protects human health while minimizing
business impacts to chat processors.
s Deployed personnel and the Airborne Spectral
Photometric Environmental Collection Technology
aircraft (ASPECT) to the response to the explosion
and subsequent fire at the TPC Group facility in Port
Neches, Texas, to monitor for off-site impacts to
air and water and assist the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality with the unified command.
s Deployed technical assistance personnel and
ASPECT to a fire at the Poly America plant in Grand
Prairie, Texas, to conduct air monitoring and provide
data to the unified command.
s Responded to Hurricane Laura by deploying
personnel to the field in Texas and Louisiana and to
virtually staff the Federal Emergency Management
Agency disaster response organization, deploying
EPA Region 7's Mobile Drinking Water Lab to
Lake Charles to support state and local officials
with analysis of drinking water samples, deploying
ASPECT and the Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer
(TAGA) bus to Texas at the request of the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality, and
conducting air monitoring in the Port Arthur/Orange
area in communities near impacted industrial facilities.
OBJECTIVE 1.4: Ensure Safety of Chemicals in
Marketplace
¦s Ensured that more than 1.2 million pounds of
pesticidal products either entered U.S. commerce
legally or were prevented from entering the
country.
¦s Processed almost 11,000 pesticidal product
Notices of Arrival and issued 33 Notice of Refusal
of Admissions and three compliance actions in
FY20, ensuring that more than 467,000 pounds
of illegal pesticide products did not enter US
commerce.
¦s Increased compliance with the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
during the COVID-19 pandemic by issuing
advisory letters to companies using, selling,
distributing, or making claims regarding
unregistered disinfectant products to address
COVID-19, reviewing more than 100 cases and
resolving more than 40.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
GOAL 2: MORE EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS
OBJECTIVE 2.1: Enhance Shared Accountability
s Awarded the New Mexico Environment Department's
first-ever Performance Partnership Grant including
more than $1.6 million in federal funds for its Air,
Public Water System Supervision, and Radon
programs.
s Awarded $8.9 million in Brownfields funds, doubling
successful competitive grant recipients from last
year through extensive outreach to the Brownfields
community.
s Awarded Region 6's first two Direct Implementation
Tribal Cooperative Agreements totaling $70,000 to
Eight Northern Indian Pueblos, Inc. for tribal recycling
and Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
for food waste.
s Coordinated $200,000 in funding to six organizations
in Texas and Louisiana through an Interagency
Agreement with DOE's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory to conduct five Renewable Energy/
Energy Efficiency feasibility studies.
s Led discussions with other EPA regions to provide
programmatic advice on how to more effectively
conduct outreach to the tribes, define EPA
authorities, and use EPA-developed tools to remedy
specific tribal issues.
s Completed two Accredited Renovation, Repair and
Paint training provider approvals with an average of
49 days per approval, exceeding the national target
of 80 days.
s Awarded 610 grants/agreements totaling over $305
million.
s Awarded $336,000, matched by more than $427,000
from recipient institutions, in support of six U.S.-
Mexico border projects that would improve conditions
of 15 million border residents.
s Awarded State Environmental Justice Cooperative
Agreement grants to Louisiana and New Mexico for
$200,000 each for projects to benefit low-income and
minority communities disproportionately impacted by
the global Covid-19 pandemic.
¦/ Visited with tribal leadership at the senior leader level
15 times, highlighting the region's tribal schools safe
drinking water project and other tribal coordination
activities.
s Conducted two Tribal General Assistance Program
grant and Border Environment Infrastructure Fund
project assessments involving approximately
$3,125,000 in Federal funding support and directly
benefitting approximately 14,226 residents.
s Provided flexibility to grantees on CWA grants
management due to project delays caused by
Covid-19, providing more opportunities for grantees to
meet their goals and achieve environmental results.
s Deployed four EPA Drinking Water/Wastewater Subject
Matter Experts to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during
Hurricane Laura to assist FEMA, and coordinated with
Region 7 to deploy the Mobile Drinking Water Lab to
Lake Charles, Louisiana, to support state and local
officials with water analyses.
s Coordinated with the New Mexico Environment
Department regarding the proposed plan and Record
of Decision (ROD) amendment for the Chevron
Questa Superfund site remedy and the Applicable and
Relevant and Appropriate Requirements for the ROD
amendment.
LTPG 2.1.2 By September 30, 2022, increase the
use of alternative shared governance approaches to
address state, tribal and local community reviews.
s Enhanced the partnership between EPA and the states
by implementing 96% of State Review Framework
Round 3 recommendations, exceeding the national
goal of 90%.
OBJECTIVE 2.2: Increase Transparency & Public
Participation - Listen to and collaborate with impacted
stakeholders and provide effective platforms for public
participation and meaningful engagement.
s Awarded an Environmental Workforce Development
Job Training grant of $200,000 to Southern University
in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence Page6
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year,; we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
Recruited and retained 96 partners for the Food
Recovery Challenge, who diverted or recycled nearly
4,128 tons of food waste from landfills.
s Reached thousands of individuals across the country
during America Recycles Week with nearly 20 events
and three tribal recycling videos, which were shown at
the Administrator's America Recycles Day event.
s Conducted a multi-faceted campaign to communicate
appropriate and effective use of disinfectants against
the virus that causes Covid-19, targeting childcare
facilities, K-12 schools, and universities.
s Presented to 125 Realtors in the Greater Albuquerque
Association of Realtors on the Lead Paint Disclosure
Act, Lead Paint Abatement and the Renovation,
Repair, and Painting Rule.
s Conducted or supported seven community Integrated
Pest Management and pesticide safety outreach
events, attracting more than 200 attendees.
s Conducted in-person and virtual workshops with the
Central Texas Council of Governments, the Heart of
Texas Council of Governments, and more than 20
communities to foster a better understanding of the
Brownfields Program and how to capitalize on the
available resources.
s Developed, as an adaptation to Covid-19, the first
virtual Regional Brownfields Conference, which had 75
registered attendees.
s Developed and delivered a virtual Brownfields
presentation to the Austin Area Council of
Governments.
s Created, published and delivered a quarterly Healthy
Schools newsletter to more than 4,000 school staff,
disseminating information on EPA programs relevant to
children's health.
s Helped two tribes complete draft Integrated Pest
Management policies, one for Community Integrated
Pest Management and the other for Integrated Pest
Management and Noxious Weeds.
s Developed and hosted eight in-person presentations
and nine webinars on food waste, reaching more than
500 participants.
s Issued a weekly Brownfields newsletter that reached
over 700 subscribers to promote the program and
provide information on various topics of community
interest.
¦/ Recruited 12 new participants to the Federal Green
Challenge program, which had no new participants in
2019.
s Recognized five Federal Green Challenge awardees
for outstanding leadership in reducing the federal
government's environmental impact.
s Released Region 6's first Lead-Based Paint video
Public Service Announcement during Children's
Health Month and Lead Pollution Prevention Week.
s Responded to citizens' concerns raised at a National
Environmental Justice Advisory Council meeting
in Florida by developing fact sheets that provided
information and a simple description of the process
concerning disaster debris staging areas in the states
of Texas and Louisiana after a natural disaster.
s Worked with the Disaster Debris Recovery Tool
national expansion team to expand the tool into
Region 6 states, and demonstrated the tool's uses
in disaster debris management, green remediation
assistance, and sustainable material management at
the Texas GIS Forum in Austin, Texas.
s Recognized as an Office of Small and Disadvantaged
Business Utilization Star Champion for accomplishing
four out of five small business goals for the majority
of FY20, ranking second in HUBZone achievements
among the regions and fourth in EPA for FY20.
s Hosted EPA's first Virtual Industry Day collaboration
outreach event to the business community and the
first virtual business outreach event to be hosted by
a regional office.
s Conducted a Lower Rio Grande Valley/Northern
Mexico Task Force meeting attended by more than
70 stakeholders to discuss drinking water and
sanitation infrastructure projects in the Gulf of Mexico
region and the Master Water Plan for Northern
Tamaulipas.
s Helped extend the life of a municipal landfill
and create economic opportunities in northern
Tamaulipas through a project promoting collection
and proper disposal of recyclable waste.
s Provided training and public outreach and distributed
15 grease traps to northern Tamaulipas's fats, oil,
and grease commercial generators, to prevent fats,
oil, and grease accumulation in sewage, collapsing
sewage lines and degrading ecosystem.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
s Held a virtual Regional Tribal Operations Committee
meeting and provided regular communication with
tribal nations on pandemic updates and other issues
of concern to them.
s Hosted 15 binational webinars/workshops attended
by more than 360 participants to present the U.S.-
Mexico successor program's framework (Border
2025) and train more than 200 attendees on the
program's Request for Proposals.
s Hosted four Border 2025 program framework
webinars for 26 federally recognized tribes along the
U.S.-Mexico Border.
s Conducted three "Quatromester" binational meetings
of the Joint Advisory Committee for Air Quality
Improvement in the Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, El
Paso, Texas, and Dona Ana County, New Mexico,
region, sharing information with more than 70
stakeholders at each meeting and developing
mechanisms for the binational fund to ensure long
term sustainable support of the area's binational air
quality monitoring network.
s Hosted a state environmental justice training
webinar on Information Systems to Advance
Environmental Justice, which was attended by more
than 1000 attendees from government agencies in all
50 states and the District of Columbia.
s Hosted three Regional Administrator calls with
environmental justice advocates and partners to
address issues and/or questions raised by the
advocates.
s Presented an update on program achievements and
a program assessment at the U.S.-Mexico Border
2020 National Coordinators meeting and developed a
timeline for development of the Border 2025 program.
s Trained more than 600 health care professionals
in children's environmental health through Grand
Rounds webinars.
s Convened a coalition of stakeholders to begin
discussions regarding possible purchase and
redevelopment of part of the Fansteel Superfund site,
including the Oklahoma Department of Environmental
Quality, Port of Muskogee, Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Muscogee Creek Nation, Cherokee
Nation, and Department of Justice.
¦/ Presented regional President's Environmental Youth
Awards in a virtual ceremony for three students,
encouraging interest in environmental science and
technology.
s Expanded risk communication protocols in conjunction
with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
before and during disaster responses by establishing a
procedure to contact representatives in disadvantaged
communities and continue outreach with real-time
updates, and implemented these protocols during the
response to Hurricane Laura in Southeast Texas.
s Organized some of the first virtual public meetings
nationally due to Covid-19 health restrictions, providing
local communities an opportunity to safely participate
in the Superfund remedy selection processes at
the MacMillan Ring Free Oil, Falcon Refinery, and
Homestake Mining sites.
s Funded and developed the virtual Building Blocks Flood
Resilience for Riverine and Coastal Communities to
be presented in FY21 in Liberty County and Wharton
County, Texas.
s Supported 20 Trash Free Waters projects in Louisiana
and Texas that educated the public on the hazards of
aquatic litter and conducted cleanup actions to remove
materials from the land, streams, lakes and estuaries.
s Promoted WaterSense water conservation and program
initiatives with 150 partners, reaching more than 10,000
community members with our water conservation
messages.
s Held two Agriculture Smart Sectors events with
representatives from state agriculture and conservation
agencies, state farm bureaus, agriculture researchers
and agricultural commodity leaders, providing
opportunities for Region 6 senior leadership to directly
dialogue with the agricultural community to promote
collaboration and strengthen partnerships.
s Introduced the Forestry Smart Sectors program
to the Texas Forestry Association, broadening our
interaction with the forestry sector and fostering greater
collaboration as part of the Smart Sectors program
goals.
s Helped the Lane Plating Superfund Site Community
Advisory Group understand technical documents
on human health risk and site cleanup through the
Technical Assistance Service for Communities program.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
Collaborated with Region 5 to develop Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCB) fact sheets and informational
resources that can be used to provide a concise
summary of popular topics related to the PCB
regulatory program, which are now available on EPA's
PCB website.
LTPG 2.2.1 By September 30, 2022, eliminate the
backlog and meet statutory deadlines for responding to
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
S Fielded 4.7% of EPA's FOIA requests in FY 2020 while
accounting for less than 1% of the Agency's backlog.
s Improved quality of eDiscovery searches with a
reduction in nonresponsive records of over 40% in
sampled Relativity workspaces.
¦/ Reduced FOIA backlog by 28% from FY19.
GOAL 3: GREATER CERTAINTY, COMPLIANCE, AND
EFFECTIVENESS
OBJECTIVE 3.1: Compliance with the Law
s Completed review of three state Pesticide Certification
and Training Plans, which is more than any other
Region.
s Provided financial accuracy declaration on over $30
million in site charges as part of the Hudson Refinery
Motion for Summary Judgement.
s Completed Environmental Impact Statement
reviews for 36 significant projects, including the
Farmington Mancos-Gallop Resource Management
Plan Amendment (Chaco Canyon), Lake Ralph Hall
Regional Water Supply Reservoir, Seaport Oil Terminal
(SPOT) Deepwater Port, Osage County Oil and Gas,
Dallas to Houston High Speed Rail, Houston Ship
Channel Expansion Channel Improvement, Mid-Breton
Sediment Diversion, and Texas Gulflink Deepwater
Port.
s Improved compliance with Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA) regulations and applicable state code
for public water systems, addressing maximum
contaminant levels in public drinking water under the
Texas SDWA Initiative.
¦/ Issued 40 Administrative Orders, facilitating access
to drinking water that meets national drinking water
standards for more than 15,000 residents.
s Achieved a 50% reduction in backlogged judicial
referrals, exceeding our 25% goal.
s Assisted local criminal prosecution in Louisiana and
Texas, which secured $62,000 in state fines and 24
months of supervised release.
s Completed an Informal Resolution Agreement with
the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
concerning a 2019 Title VI Complaint filed against
TCEQ.
s Facilitated prosecution of environmental crimes in our
region by Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel re-
appointment as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in two
Districts of Texas.
s Finalized a settlement to resolve Clean Air Act
violations at an Arkansas paper mill, providing for
a $600,000 civil penalty, implementation of three
supplemental environmental projects valued at $1.8
million, and a $2.9 million mitigation project. The state
joined the settlement.
s Negotiated and entered into an administrative
settlement to conduct the feasibility study at the
Homestake Superfund site.
s Negotiated and entered the Griggs & Walnut Superfund
Site consent decree with a settlement of $13 million in
payments and work for the site.
s Negotiated and entered two consent decrees to
settle claims against liable parties in the Ector Drum
Superfund site for a value of over $1.8 million.
s Obtained criminal charges against three separate
individuals in the following Districts: Eastern Louisiana,
Western Louisiana, and New Mexico.
s Obtained more than $3 million in stipulated penalties
for Consent Decree noncompliance, coordinating
with state counterparts and Department of Justice for
stipulated penalty demands.
s Provided for a $257,000 penalty and the
implementation of an enhanced audit procedure at all of
Air Liquide Large Industries' remaining Texas facilities
in a settlement stemming from an explosion and fire at
one of Air Liquide's gas facilities in Texas, which killed
one employee and injured another.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
Negotiated a judicial settlement in the largest CWA
case in the country, with the City of Houston, Texas,
regarding violations of its National/Texas Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System permits, involving 40
wastewater treatment plants and providing for a $4.4
million civil penalty and injunctive relief extending over
the next 20 years.
s Lodged one of the largest sanitary sewer overflows
settlement in the nation with the City of Corpus Christi,
with an agreement from the city to pay a civil penalty
of $1.14 million and implement injunctive relief costing
$725 million over 15 years.
s Resolved several violations of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act through a $728,817
penalty order and a compliance order requiring Hempel
USA and Jones-Blair, LLC, to take the necessary
steps to come into full compliance with the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act.
s Issued 11 administrative orders for emission inventory
cases that are critical for air quality analysis.
s Settled four administrative actions involving pulp and
paper facilities and flaring violations at a refinery.
s Settled three Endangered Species Act mobile source
cases and issued six information requests in a new
innovative mobile source program.
s Evaluated and, after confirming all conditions were
met, terminated two Consent Decrees settled as a
result of EPA's refinery initiative.
LTPG 3.1.1 By September 30, 2022, reduce the
average time from violation identification to correction.
s Completed and transmitted inspection reports to
regulated entities within 70 days 94% of the time,
exceeding the national goal of 75%.
LTPG 3.1.2 By September 30, 2022, increase the
environmental law compliance rate.
s Coordinated with the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality and New Mexico Environment
Department to identify significant emissions from oil
and gas facilities in the Permian Basin through 153 off-
site Partial Compliance Evaluations, reducing VOCs by
9.5 million pounds.
¦/ Successfully refocused inspectors to offsite compliance
monitoring during the Covid-19 pandemic to have a
compliance presence and continue compliance efforts,
including successfully piloting virtual inspections under
the CWA, CAA, and RCRA.
s Completed 359 on-site inspections (60% of targeted
inspections) and 59 on-site inspections (more than
76% of the target of the national compliance initiatives),
surpassing the target of 50% of our goal due to limited
ability to conduct onsite inspections for more than half of
the year.
s Completed 453 offsite compliance monitoring activities
(more than doubling the number in 2019), including 210
in support of national compliance initiatives.
s Led the nation for the seventh year in RCRA
enforcement actions and penalties with 38% of the
nation's actions, despite the inability to conduct onsite
inspections for half of the year.
s Lodged a settlement with Churchill Downs, the largest
EPA assessed penalty to a concentrated animal feeding
operation facility with a $2.79 million penalty and $5.6
million innovative injunctive relief measures.
s Concluded 24% of all enforcement actions in the nation,
with 348 administrative enforcement actions and three
judicial enforcement actions in FY20.
OBJECTIVE 3.2: Create Consistency and Certainty
- Outline exactly what is expected of the regulated
community to ensure good stewardship and positive
environmental outcomes
s Piloted the wastewater treatment plant Circuit Rider
Assistance Program in partnership with Arkansas
Department of Energy and Environment, providing direct
technical compliance assistance to operators of small
wastewater facilities in 10 Arkansas communities.
s Reviewed 14 projects submitted as part of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for program conformity
with applicable hazardous and solid waste regulations
and their potential impacts.
s Provided clarity to the state, tribes, and regulated
community by approving the State of Oklahoma's
request to administer certain environmental regulatory
programs in specified areas of Indian Country in
Oklahoma after the Supreme Court decision in McGirt v.
Oklahoma.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
Refined the prioritization methodology for Tronox
uranium mines, clearing the way for funding
decisions, and participated in the Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs Field Hearing, providing federal
elected officials an update on EPA's progress with the
Tronox Navajo area uranium mines program.
s Supported and applied findings by the U.S. Supreme
Court in favor of EPA in litigation regarding County of
Maui, HI v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund in actions i olving
liability where pollutants were carried, in part, via
groundwater to jurisdictional waters of the United
States.
s Supported litigation efforts to a challenge to EPA's
final Houston and Dallas redesignations to attainment
as a result of South Coast court decision.
LTPG 3.2.1 By September 30, 2022, meet 100% of
legal deadlines imposed on EPA.
s Approved 2018 revisions to the Texas SIP, meeting
requirements for New Source Review Chapter 116.
s Approved 2020 Texas Permitting Construction Prior
to Permit Amendment as a parallel processing
action with TCEQ as it developed and completed its
rulemaking.
s Addressed mandatory duty lawsuit to make intended
designations for 2010 sulfur dioxide national ambient
air quality standards Round 4.
s Fulfilled a court-ordered deadline to issue a final rule
to approve two Clean Air Act 111(d) plans for New
Mexico and Albuquerque.
s Resolved requirements of a consent decree by
finalizing Texas Regional Haze to address Best
Available Retrofit Technology.
OBJECTIVE 3.3: Prioritize Robust Science -
Refocus robust research and scientific analysis to
inform policy-making nalysis to inform policy-making
S Completed a multi-year ambient air monitoring project
in La Place, Louisiana, in the neighborhoods surrounding
the Denka Performance Elastomer Facility, LLC, collecting
over 2,500 air samples from six locations and reducing
emissions of chloroprenefrom the facility by 85%.
S Developed Region 6's ethylene oxide workplan, initiated
technical assessments, and explored communication
tools for communities at 10 high-risk facilities in Texas
and Louisiana.
S Provided data support to the State Implementation Plan
sulfur dioxide transport group in EPA headquarters for
analysis of Texas/New Mexico and Texas/Louisiana cross-
border transport.
S Provided approximately $815,000 in Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act contract technical
support to Region 6 states, helping prevent human
exposures and move sites toward cleanup completion.
S Provided technical review support for Per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) off-site investigation
quality assurance project plans at ten federal facilities to
determine if private drinking water has been impacted.
S Continued technical support and discussions with HQ
and Region 6 states regarding the Coal Combustion Rule
adoption and implementation, resulting in the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality submitting its CCR
Permit Program authorization application currently under
review by EPA.
S Released the Final Report, "A Deeper Look at the Ouachita
River: Ecosystem benefits and approaches to river
maintenance for sustainability and resiliency from flood
disaster impacts," which can serve as a model for other
communities.
S Helped the Oklahoma Department of Environmental
Quality determine test method options to economically
and accurately characterize waste containing mercury.
S Analyzed and provided final analytical reports for 2,086
parameters from 34 sites.
S Provided Contract Laboratory Program oversight of
analysis, data review, and final validation reports for 4,370
total parameters from 34 Superfund sites.
S Completed a Regional Applied Research Effort project
providing emergency responders and others with source
characterization of harmful bacteria in urban areas along
the Gulf during flooding via mobile app.
S Recognized as a Laboratory of Excellence by our
laboratory proficiency authority.
S Helped binational planners understand the different
transportation and economic impacts at the El Paso
International Ports of Entry by assessing strategies to
reduce air emissions and evaluating different ways of
crossing the Juarez/El Paso International Bridges.
S Helped protect Ciudad Juarez community by providing
access to real-time air quality information via a network
of low-cost air quality sensors indicating levels of ozone,
particulate matter, carbon monoxide, temperature, and
relative humidity.
$0 Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
S Provided three Alternative Analysis Memos and many
technical discussions to the Navajo EPA and New Mexico,
addressing ten Tronox Navajo area uranium mines and
cleanup options.
S Provided comprehensive groundwater modeling
assistance to the New Mexico Environment Department
for Kirtland Air Force Base and Los Alamos National
Laboratory.
LTPG 3.3.1 By September 30, 2022, increase the
percentage of research products meeting customer
needs.
¦s Provided technical expertise for two Regional Applied
Research Efforts to evaluate different applications for
field measurements and instruments.
¦s Published paper on field research ("Gaseous Oxidized
Mercury in the Four Corners area") comparing pre- and
post-regulation concentrations of mercury in the Four
Corners area of the Southwest U.S.
OBJECTIVE 3.4: Streamline and Modernize - Issue
permits more quickly and modernize our permitting and
reporting systems
¦s Streamlined our review process of RCRA permits/
applications for Treatment, Storage, and Disposal
facilities, resulting in an increase of 150% of pre-final
(or "real-time") permits reviewed over previous years.
LTPG 3.4.1 By September 30, 2022, reach all
permitting-related decision within six months.
¦s Completed multiple tribal consultations with 10 different
tribal nations for permits issued on tribal lands.
¦s Completed two sets of final draft permits on separate
deepwater port projects and one Notice of Maximum
Achievable Control Technology applicability
determination for public notice and comment.
OBJECTIVE 3.5: Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness
- Provide proper leadership and internal operations
management to ensure that the agency is fulfilling its
mission
¦/ Championed the successful Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act targeting system and enforcement
strategy to all regions, helping the national enforcement
program exceed its 10-year average for enforcement
actions issued.
¦s Ordered and distributed 40 particulate matter samplers
to the performance evaluation program coordinators
in all 10 regions, ensuring EPA has the tools needed
nationally to oversee and implement the Clean Air Act
requirements.
¦s Increased use of the Enforcement Targeting Tool
Assistant by 27%, allowing states and the public to
obtain more accurate information on public drinking
water systems needing enforcement actions.
¦s Hosted four national Enforcement Targeting Tool
Assistant webinar trainings, with 41 of 58 primacy
agencies attending.
¦s Collaborated on the creation of a quality assurance
overview training module for staff, making this training
available online for the first time.
¦s Developed EPA's first SharePoint-based electronic
Grant File that allows oversight of grants processing
from beginning to end and meets EPA's requirements to
become an enterprise application solution that supports
the "Go Paperless" initiative.
¦s Implemented a virtual on-boarding and off-boarding
employee process to ensure regional employees were
provided a smooth transition and all property was
accounted for during the Covid-19 pandemic.
¦s Achieved the highest completion rate among all
regions during the Department of Homeland Security
cybersecurity patching event in January 2020.
¦s Reduced Information Security Plans of Action &
Milestones and Server Vulnerabilities to below- target
levels or zero throughout the year.
¦s Provided training to help regional staff understand
the NEPA review process, improve performance of
associate review functions, and see how NEPA applies
to their projects.
¦s Trained regional response/recovery personnel on
environmental justice issues to ensure that concerns
of vulnerable and underserved communities are
addressed during emergency response efforts.
¦s Collaborated with the EPA Office of Inspector General's
evaluation of the Border 2020 program's management
controls, resulting in five recommendations to be
implemented in the successor Border 2025 program.
Workforce Diversity, Environmental Stewardship, Character, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
January 2021
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Region 6 ¦ 2020 Accomplishments
This past year, we focused our energy, talents, and resources
to accomplish these priorities:
s Created a NEPA Search Tool that has reduced the
workload of one full-time employee by 85%.
s Achieved the first virtual state deployment of EPA's Lean
Management System and trained three teams at the
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
s Supported Texas deployment of EPA's Lean
Management System by training six Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality teams.
s Implemented 228 employee ideas using EPA's Lean
Management System, accounting for 14% of EPA's total.
s Led EPA in deploying the Lean Management System
with 98% of employees trained.
s Developed and finalized more than eight new templates
for Notices of Opportunity to Confer letters under
the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act to
streamline potential administrative actions.
s Developed new model language and procedures to
allow for the electronic filing and signing of documents
to ensure Region 6 could continue to enforce
environmental laws despite the sudden switch to full-time
telework.
s Achieved a 33% reduction in time taken internally
to process Consent Agreement and Final Order
administrative settlements.
s Conducted virtual oversight of construction projects
at Donna Canal, East 67th Street, and Sandy Beach
Ground Water Plume Superfund sites using digital tools.
s Identified five Superfund projects that required transition
from the expiring Remedial Action Contract to the
Remedial Acquisition Framework and accomplished the
transition for all these projects without delays in contract
services.
s Assessed training needs and delivered 27 training
engagements to more than 400 employees.
s Improved the ocean dumping program review and
concurrence process, shortening it by five days.
s Led the effort to establish new metrics to improve
critical processes relating to the national water
programs.
s Developed and conducted regional training on
how to have effective community involvement
during Covid-19 using virtual resources, enabling
public meetings and hearings to continue in the
Superfund, Water Permitting, and Smart Sectors
programs.
LTPG 3.5.3 By September 30, 2022, improve 250
operational processes.
s Improved 123 operational processes in FY20,
accounting for 23% of EPA's total.
s Improved the technical system audit process to
reorganize the pre-audit procedures, allowing the
process to be piloted virtually during Covid-19.
s Increased timeliness of internal Tribal General
Assistance Program grants processing by 63%.
s Streamlined the technical review of Assistance
Agreement and Interagency Agreement deliverables
process, reducing review timeframes and resulting
in 86% of project deliverables being reviewed on
time.
s Consolidated individual programs' Quality
Management Plans into a single Regional Quality
Management Plan, increasing efficiency and
reducing costs.
EPA)
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Progress for a Stronger Future
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January 2021
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