Chemicals | YPGG - Why Green?

Gould Electronics Helps Repay Cost of Drinking Water Lines in Atkinson, New Hampshire

August 25, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

MASSACHUSETTS – Under an agreement with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) New England Office, Gould Electronics Inc., has paid $1.9 million to EPA for the Agency's costs to construct drinking water line extensions to homes with contaminated wells at the New Hampshire Dioxane Site located in Atkinson, New Hampshire. EPA constructed the drinking water line extensions in 2014.

"This settlement demonstrates EPA's effort to provide safe drinking water to the residents of Atkinson without taxpayers having to bear this burden alone," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Alexandra Dunn. "When EPA is able to recover federal cleanup costs from entities responsible for pollution, it saves taxpayer dollars."

The site includes a residential neighborhood in Atkinson, and extends to include property in Hampstead. From about 1984 to about 2004, Johnson and Johnston Associates, Inc., manufactured metal foil products for the circuit board industry here. EPA has alleged that Gould is the legal successor to Johnson and Johnston, which Gould bought in 1999.

Groundwater sampling in 2011 and 2012 by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services found hazardous substances, including elevated levels of 1,4 dioxane, in nearby residential drinking water wells. This synthetic industrial chemical, used as a stabilizer in solvents, can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation and is a likely human carcinogen.

In June 2013, EPA determined that groundwater contamination at the manufacturing location exceeded EPA's acceptable standards and posed a threat to human health in the nearby drinking water wells. A response action over the next year extended a drinking water line and connected homes with residential wells containing 1,4 dioxane above the state standard.

More information: Administrative Record for the removal action: https://semspub.epa.gov/src/collections/01/AR/NHN000106120

EPA Completes Cleanup of Chemical Hazard in Tonawanda New York

July 3, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

Contact: Michael Basile, (716) 551-4410, basile.michael@epa.gov

NEW YORK, NY - Removing a significant threat to public health and safety, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed its cleanup of improperly stored hazardous materials at the Morgan Materials, Inc., facility in Tonawanda, New York.

"This array of improperly stored chemicals posed a real danger to the local community,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “In just a year and a half, EPA worked with 36 different chemical manufacturers and companies who had legally sold materials to Morgan Materials and got them to recycle thousands of drums and containers totalling some nine million pounds of materials, saving tax-payers approximately $8 million in cleanup costs.”

“New York State is committed to ensuring that businesses across the state are operating in a responsible way that is protective of public health and our environment,” said State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Abby Snyder. “It is our priority to provide a safe and clean environment for residents and to protect our natural resources. Working with EPA, DEC helped ensure the cleanup at Morgan Materials meets state and federal standards and the site has been fully remediated.”

Town of Tonawanda Supervisor, Joseph Emminger, said “The cleanup of this site represents a significant improvement for the residences and businesses in the neighborhood, as well as the nearby schools, since this was a disaster waiting to happen. We applaud the efforts of the EPA in doing the cleanup in a timely manner and look forward to the repurposing of the site.”

Morgan Materials, located in northern Erie County at 380 Vulcan Street, Tonawanda, purchased and was improperly storing both hazardous and nonhazardous materials. EPA’s Superfund cleanup activities began in late November 2016 and concluded this month.

EPA’s Superfund cleanup activities began in late November 2016 and concluded this month. The Agency’s cleanup efforts recycled approximately nine million pounds of materials and saved $8 million in cleanup costs.

Morgan Materials, located in northern Erie County at 380 Vulcan Street, Tonawanda, purchased and improperly stored both hazardous and nonhazardous materials. The site consists of a series of seven connected warehouse buildings, on eight acres, located in a mixed industrial and residential neighborhood and near two schools.

Background:

EPA’s efforts began in July 2016 when EPA and New York State (NYS) DEC conducted a joint inspection with officials from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, Buffalo Sewer Authority, and the Town of Tonawanda. EPA also collaborated with New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services’ Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

EPA found chemical containers throughout the site, often unlabeled, leaking or stored improperly, including flammables, corrosives, and oxidizers, which could have leaked or caused fires. Results of EPA’s initial testing showed that the facility was full of hazardous substances, such as volatile organic compounds and heavy metals.

In November 2016, NYS DEC ordered Morgan Materials to address conditions that presented an imminent danger. Morgan Materials did not comply. EPA then assumed responsibility for security, utilities, and fire control systems. To ensure public safety, EPA established air monitoring stations throughout the site.

EPA contacted companies who had sold chemicals to Morgan Materials, resulting in substantial quantities of materials being recycled. Materials that were not recycled were disposed of at off-site permitted disposal facilities.

For further information, please visit our website: https://www.epa.gov/ny/morgan-materials-site-town-tonawanda-new-york

Under Administrator Pruitt’s leadership, the Superfund program has reemerged as a top priority to advance the Agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment. EPA established a Superfund Task Force in May 2017 to provide recommendations for improving and expediting site cleanups and promoting redevelopment.

The task force’s recommendations focused on five overarching goals: expediting cleanup and remediation, reinvigorating cleanup and reuse efforts by potentially responsible parties, encouraging private investment to facilitate cleanup and reuse, promoting redevelopment and community revitalization, and engaging with partners and stakeholders.

The Superfund Task Force Recommendations can be viewed at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations

EPA Announces Cleanup Proposal for American Cyanamid Superfund Site in Bridgewater Township, NJ Community

May 23, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

NEW YORK - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Pete Lopez was joined by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Deputy Commissioner Debbie Mans and Bridgewater Township Director of Human Services Kristen Schiro to announce the cleanup proposal for the final portion of the American Cyanamid Superfund site in Bridgewater Township, NJ. This Superfund site is on both the National Priorities List (NPL) and Administrator Pruitt’s list of Superfund sites targeted for immediate and intense attention released in December 2017.

“After three decades of studies, we are exercising leadership and taking important action by proposing to remove and treat 55,000 cubic yards of acid tars and chemicals from the floodplains of the Raritan River,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “EPA has heard the concerns and recommendations of the communities surrounding this toxic threat, and we will move purposefully and quickly to address them.”

The $74 million cleanup proposal involves excavation and dewatering of contaminated material within two waste disposal areas (impoundments), followed by shipment out of the area to a facility, for treatment and disposal. Soil or clay impacted by the impoundment contaminants would also be treated, using on-site stabilization or solidification. Surrounding “berm materials” that do not require treatment would be used as backfill. It is estimated that more than 44,000 tons of hazardous waste would be permanently destroyed, and approximately 2.3 million gallons of contaminated liquid would be collected and treated.

“Administrator Pruitt has restored Superfund to its rightful place as a core mission of the Agency,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “This cleanup, along with the groundwater treatment plant that is currently under construction, will result in positive outcomes for the people of Bridgewater and will help keep harmful contaminants like benzene from reaching the Raritan River or migrating to other off-site areas.”

“Working with the staff at EPA Region 2 is critical for addressing New Jersey’s Superfund sites,” said NJDEP Deputy Commissioner Debbie Mans. “The American Cyanamid site has been contaminated for far too long, impacting the environment and the residents of this area. The cleanup proposal that EPA is announcing today is a step in the right direction and targets the only remaining portion of this site which does not have a cleanup plan.”

“The health and safety of our residents is our primary concern and we support the efforts to address this superfund cleanup under the watchful guidance of the EPA,” said Mayor Daniel J. Hayes Jr. “The EPA and Pfizer have conducted thorough research to come up with a method that will treat the most difficult impound areas in a safe and efficient manner. We greatly appreciate their diligence and emphasis on safety.”

The EPA will hold a public meeting on June 12, 2018 to explain the cleanup proposal and other options considered and to take public comments. An informal public information session will be held at 6:00 p.m. and the public meeting will begin at 7:00pm at Bridgewater Township Municipal Building, 100 Commons Way, Bridgewater, N.J.

Comments will be accepted until June 28, 2018.

Written comments may be mailed or emailed to:

Mark Austin, Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
290 Broadway, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10007
Email: austin.mark@epa.gov

Background

The American Cyanamid Superfund Site has a history of industrial pollution dating back to 1915. For nearly 100 years, prior owners used the location for manufacturing chemicals. A number of impoundments were constructed and used for waste storage and disposal throughout this period of time, which eventually resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater with chemicals and heavy metals. The site was placed on the federal Superfund list in 1983.

In 1999, EPA removed a portion of the Superfund site from the NPL, freeing it up for redevelopment and reuse. In 2012, the EPA selected a cleanup plan to address contaminated soil, groundwater and six waste disposal areas (called impoundments 3, 4, 5, 13, 17 and 24) at the site. That phase of cleanup, which is currently ongoing and being performed by Wyeth Holdings LLC, involves collecting and treating groundwater contaminated primarily with benzene. The groundwater pump and treat system prevents contaminated water from seeping into the nearby Raritan River, Cuckels Brook and Middle Brook.

To view the EPA’s cleanup plan and site history, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/american-cyanamid.

Follow EPA Region2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – III

October 4, 2014 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

A fire and some 30 related explosions at a Halliburton fracking site in rural Clarington, Ohio this past July rained shrapnel over the neighboring area and resulted in the release of tens of thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into a tributary of the Ohio River located less than 10 miles upstream from a public water intake on the West Virginia side of the river. It took firefighters a full week to put out the conflagration, and the chemical spill caused a massive fish kill and untold damage to the ecosystem, not to mention the strong likelihood of local drinking water contamination. Yet, as efforts to contain the blaze were ongoing, public safety officials were kept in the dark as to exactly what chemicals and toxins they were actually dealing with. Not only did this hamper their ability to function efficiently, it exposed everyone involved, including residents of the surrounding area, to a laundry list of chemical poisons including diesel fuel, hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol and radioactive celium-137. Officials only ordered the evacuation of residents within a one-mile radius of the fire but, in hindsight, the evacuation should have been far wider.

Why weren’t more people evacuated? Why did it take a whole week to control the blaze? Why didn’t local and regional officials know exactly what chemicals and toxins were involved in the disaster? The answer is, in large part, that energy companies are routinely given a pass on transparency and accountability when it comes to fracking “accidents.” Whether this is due to their cozy political ties, the utter ineptitude (dare I imply corruption?) of those charged with regulating the industry and protecting the citizenry, or a combination of both, I can’t say for certain. However, according to an Ohio law which is mirrored on the books of many other states where fracking is lucrative, an energy company’s right to protect its proprietary trade secrets (i.e., the mix of chemicals it uses to extract natural gas from the earth) outweighs the public’s right to access the information necessary to protect itself. Shockingly, of the 30 states where fracking occurs, only six require the advance disclosure of fracking chemicals that will be used.

In the aftermath of the massive Halliburton fire and fish kill, Ohio Governor and long-time fracking supporter John Kasich has gone on record as favoring changes in his state’s fracking laws. Governor Kasich now finds it “unacceptable for emergency responders, including federal and Ohio EPA officials, not to know the full list of chemicals that might have spilled into the river.” No kidding! Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – II

October 4, 2014 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

As we discussed last time, fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is the business of creating fractures in shale formations by drilling first vertically, then horizontally into the earth and then injecting a high-pressure mixture of chemicals, sand and water into the well to create fissures in the rock formation, allowing the natural gas trapped inside to be released into the wellbore, where it can then be extracted and processed. Championed by many as a “transitional solution” to our nation’s energy dilemma that pits traditional fossil fuel usage against ever-increasing evidence of global warming and the urgency to devote resources to the development of sustainable energy sources, natural gas is anything but a “bridge fuel.” Studies have shown that the fracking process causes as much harm to the environment as does burning coal, and that’s certainly not all. At least nine states have reported the fracking-related contamination of surface, ground and drinking water, and in Pennsylvania alone, over 1400 environmental violations have been attributed to fracking wells. Furthermore, pollution and chemical contamination with resultant ecological damage and destruction are routinely found in areas where fracking has occurred.

Witness a July, 2014 occurrence in Clarington, a rural community in southeastern Ohio where a fire erupted at a fracking site owned by energy giant Halliburton. The flames caused numerous tanker trucks containing chemicals and fracking wastewater to explode, spilling thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into a tributary of Opossum Creek, which flows into the Ohio River and supplies drinking water for millions of residents. Upwards of 70,000 fish died in a massive resultant fish kill, and the fire took a week to extinguish. Astoundingly, it also took a full five days for the EPA to obtain a list of exactly which chemicals had been spilled into this drinking water source! Why? Because the fracking companies have managed to secure legislation that protects their trade secrets, including the poisons they pump into the ground to get at the natural gas.

As explained in a MotherJones.com piece, “Halliburton was under no obligation to reveal the full roster of chemicals. Under a 2012 Ohio law … gas drillers are legally required to reveal some of the chemicals they use, but only 60 days after a fracking job is finished. And they don’t have to disclose proprietary ingredients, except in emergencies.” Can you believe it? According to the EPA, this particular debacle spilled more than 25,000 gallons of chemicals, diesel fuel and God-knows-what else, killing fish and other wildlife for miles along the river. Time was of the essence to contain the damage and protect the populace, yet Halliburton put its “trade secrets” ahead of all else and only divulged limited information to selected recipients who, presumably, could be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Meanwhile, local water authorities were kept completely in the dark, and the State of Ohio not long afterward declared that the water was safe to drink. Think Dick Cheney would drink it? More next time.

Tag: Chemicals (page 2 of 2)

Gould Electronics Helps Repay Cost of Drinking Water Lines in Atkinson, New Hampshire

EPA Completes Cleanup of Chemical Hazard in Tonawanda New York

EPA Announces Cleanup Proposal for American Cyanamid Superfund Site in Bridgewater Township, NJ Community

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – III

Fracking Our Way into Oblivion, One Ecological Disaster at a Time – II

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