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Showing posts with label industrial pollution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label industrial pollution. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

There Are 1,401 Uninspected High-Risk Oil and Gas Wells. Here's Where They Are.

Today's post was shared by Mother Jones and comes from www.motherjones.com

In May, the Government Accountability Office estimated that an even larger share of new wells on federal land—57 percent—were not inspected. While the revised 40 percent figure, which was first reported by the Associated Press, is lower, it's "still not a very good number," acknowledged BLM spokesperson Bev Winston.

Between 2009 and 2012, the BLM tagged 3,486 new oil and gas wells as "high-priority," meaning they are deserving of special scrutiny because of their proximity to ecologically sensitive areas like watersheds and forests, or because they tap into geologically volatile formations that increase the likelihood of an explosion or toxic gas leak. The data includes both conventional and unconventional wells and does not indicate how many of the wells were hydraulically fractured, or fracked.

"We're scattered, and you can't be everywhere at once," a top BLM official said.

According to the GAO report, the agency's own rules call for all high-priority wells on federal and Native American land to be inspected during the drilling stage. That's the only time when key facets of a well's construction—whether the well casing is properly sealed, or whether a blowout preventer is correctly installed, for example—can be adequately inspected. Once the well is drilled, retroactive inspection becomes difficult or impossible, according to a BLM engineer.

Because the window for drilling inspections at any given well opens and...
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Friday, August 30, 2013

Two California Firms and Owner Agree to Settle Clean Air Act Violations Stemming From Illegal Import of Vehicles

Today's post was shared by US EPA News and comes from yosemite.epa.gov


Two Los Angeles-based consulting firms, MotorScience Inc., and MotorScience Enterprise Inc., (MotorScience) and their owner, Chi Zheng, have agreed to settle alleged Clean Air Act (CAA) violations stemming from the illegal import of 24,478 all-terrain, recreational vehicles into the U.S. from China without testing to ensure emissions would meet applicable limits on harmful air pollution, announced the Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB).

MotorScience and Zheng have agreed to have a stipulated judgment entered against them for a $3.55 million civil penalty and to pay an additional $60,000 civil penalty within six months. The United States will receive 80 percent of collected penalties, and California will receive the remaining 20 percent.


“This illegal importation of over 20,000 vehicles evaded federal emission standards, jeopardizing human health,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Engines operating without proper emissions controls can emit excess carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen which can cause respiratory illnesses, aggravate asthma and contribute to the formation of ground level ozone or smog.”

“Vehicles and engines that are...
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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

EPA Provides Funding Community Groups to Educate About River Contamination from Abandoned Industrial Facilities

The legacy of toxic pollution generated from abandoned industrial facilities located on the NJ Passaic River, and other urban waters,  concern the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency will be providing grants to educate the communities, including the former workers of the facilities.

Many of the toxic substances that companies dumped in to the Passaic River have resulted in occupational illnesses that have taken decades to manifest. Claims for industrially-induced occupational diseases are probably the greatest economic burden upon the compensation system at this time. The epidemiological predictions of the manifestation of occupational disease in the 21st century are for numbers of "epidemic" proportion.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing a $60,000 grant to the Ironbound Community Corporation, a community organization in the Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey, to educate the community about the history and ecology of the Passaic River and what can be done to protect it. The funding is part of the EPA’s Urban Waters program, which supports community efforts to restore and revitalize local canals, rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays and ocean areas and provide access to them. The Ironbound Community Corporation is the largest comprehensive social service provider in the area.

"Urban waterways like the Passaic River have been battered by toxic and sewage pollution for too long," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "By providing these grants, the EPA is supporting efforts to educate the public about the history of the Passaic River and the need to work together to clean it up.”

The Ironbound Community Corporation will offer a series of river tours and “walkshops” to introduce Newark residents to the Passaic River’s history and ecosystem. The programs will include a series of walks along the river’s edge to celebrate the river and educate participants about what they can do to improve the river. The Ironbound Community Corporation will also produce a Back to the River brochure and map depicting the history and current state of the Lower Passaic River.

Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by sewage, runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help local businesses grow and enhance educational, recreational, employment and economic opportunities in nearby communities. By promoting public access to urban waterways, the EPA is helping communities become active participants in restoration and protection.

Through the Urban Waters program, the EPA is awarding grants ranging from $30,000 to $60,000 to 46 organizations throughout the nation. The projects selected for the funding will promote the restoration of urban waters through community engagement and outreach, water quality monitoring and studies, and environmental education and training. To view a list of the grant recipients, visit: http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/funding.Information on the EPA’s Urban Waters program: http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/index.html.

Information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership: http://urbanwaters.gov/
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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.


More Blogs About the Passaic river Pollution
Jun 21, 2012
Seventy Companies Reach Agreement with EPA to Remove Highly Contaminated Mud from Lyndhurst Section of the Passaic River; Cleanup work estimated to cost $20 million. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ...
May 09, 2012
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will discuss plans to address high levels of contaminants, including PCBs, mercury and dioxin, which are present in Passaic River mud adjacent to Riverside Park in Lyndhurst, New ...
Feb 28, 2012
In 2010, new pollutants were included for waters in the basins of the Hudson River, the Passaic River, the Raritan River, the Delaware Bay, and others. The EPA will continue to work with state and local governments to ensure ...
Dec 28, 2011
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Creamer Sanzari Joint Venture of Hackensack for seven alleged serious safety violations found at the Passaic River bridge project in ...