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News Archive: February 2002

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This information is provided for reference. Over time, links to news items may become unavailable, in these cases the item will remain listed, but no link will be provided. Also, please be aware that the information in any particular article may be outdated or superseded by additional information.

February 28
Missouri Company To Pay Over $1.5 Million In Fines, Costs, Restitution
Cargill Pork Inc., which operates a 17,000 pig farming operation in Martinsburg, Mo., pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act and will pay out a total of $1,551,000, including a fine of $1 million, $51,000 in restitution to the State of Missouri for natural resources damages and the costs of investigation and $500,000 in already spent remediation costs. The defendant admitted illegally discharging hog waste from holding ponds at its facility into the Loutre River, which is a tributary of the Missouri River.

Shimberg Appointed EPA Associate Assistant Administrator
Steven J. Shimberg, who has over 20 years experience dealing with environmental matters, including 18 years in federal service, has been appointed as EPA Associate Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

February 27
President Bush Intends To Nominate Suarez To Be EPA Assistant Administrator
President Bush has announced his intention to nominate John Peter Suarez to be EPA Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

February 26
Pittsburgh Company Settles EPA Pesticide Complaint
EPA announced that Kop-Coat, Inc., protective coatings and wood treatments manufacturer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa. will pay a $85,085 penalty to settle allegedly violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

State RFP Survey (PowerPoint) (23 slides, 526K)
This PowerPoint presentation, developed by the Nonpoint Source Grants Management Work Group, provides information on Clean Water Act Section 319 (NPS grants) Request For Proposals (RFPs). The slides give the basic elements of a RFP, as well as examples of eligibility criteria, proposal requirements, evaluation criteria, and other useful information from selected state Section 319 grant RFPs.

February 25
EPA Provides Suggestions for Formatting Comments on Preliminary Organophosphate Cumulative Risk Assessment
EPA has posted suggestions on its Web site on organizing public comment on the preliminary OP cumulative risk assessment.  The goals of these suggestions are to increase the efficiency of the comment process, improve clarity and conciseness of comments, and help ensure well organized comments.

February 22
Guidelines on Awarding Section 319 Grants to Indian Tribes in FY 2002
EPA has developed guidelines for awarding Clean Water Act section 319 nonpoint source grants to Indian tribes in FY 2002. As was the case in FY 2002 and 2001, Congress has authorized EPA to award nonpoint source pollution control grants to Indian tribes under section 319 of the Clean Water Act in FY 2002.

February 15
Tolerance Revocations Proposed for Methyl and Ethyl Parathion
On February 6, 2002, EPA published a proposed rule to revoke 72 tolerances for residues of the insecticides methyl parathion and ethyl parathion. These pesticides are in the first priority group for tolerance reassessment. The 72 tolerances are proposed for revocation because there are no registered uses for methyl parathion or ethyl parathion on these commodities. All uses of ethyl parathion have been canceled. There are 25 remaining crop uses for methyl parathion; the 29 tolerances associated with these uses are not proposed for revocation.

February 12
Whitman Announces Transition From Consumer Use Of Treated Wood Containing Arsenic
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced a voluntary decision by industry to move consumer use of treated lumber products away from a variety of pressure-treated wood that contains arsenic by Dec. 31, 2003, in favor of new alternative wood preservatives. This transition affects virtually all residential uses of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate, also known as CCA, including wood used in play-structures, decks, picnic tables, landscaping timbers, residential fencing, patios and walkways/boardwalks. By Jan. 2004, EPA will not allow CCA products for any of these residential uses.

February 11
New $25 Million State And Tribal Grant Program Launched For Environmental Information Exchange
EPA is providing $25 million for data modernization and information integration efforts to further its working partnership with states and tribes. The National Environmental Information Exchange Grant Program is designed to address several key e-government challenges: improve the quality of environmental data; make the flows of data between EPA, states, tribes,  and other partners more efficient; reduce reporting burden; and improve access to environmental data. The goal of the Exchange Grant Program is to advance the National Environmental Information Exchange Network which will transform and facilitate the exchange of information.

Farm Advocate Appointed To Key Position In EPA Pesticide and Toxics Office
Adam J. Sharp, an official with extensive agricultural experience, has been named Associate Assistant Administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, where he will provide key farmer input into federal oversight of pesticides and toxic substances.

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February 8
Tolerance Revocation Proposed for Oxadixyl
EPA has proposed to revoke all tolerances (pesticide residues allowed to remain in food) for residues of the fungicide oxadixyl, because this pesticide is no longer registered for use in the U.S. EPA must receive any comments on this proposal by April 8, 2002, identified by docket number OPP-301203.

EPA Releases Preliminary Risk Assessments for Lindane
On January 31, 2002, EPA released revised human health and ecological risk assessment documents for a pesticide undergoing reregistration and tolerance reassessment: lindane. These documents include information that was not available in August 2001 when the preliminary risk assessments were released. EPA will accept comments, identified by docket number OPP-34239B, on the new information contained in this risk assessment and on risk management issues until April 1, 2002. Lindane is an insecticide registered for use as an agriculture pre-plant seed treatment on six crops. One proposed new crop also is being considered for addition to the label: canola seed treatment.

Nonpoint Source Minigrants
This report describes mini-grants programs used by various States, local agencies, and non-profit organizations to implement efforts to address nonpoint source pollution and to protect or restore watersheds. Many of these are implemented as sub-awards, through State grant or contract mechanisms, of funds received by the State as part of an EPA grant under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. Others are purely State-funded. In addition, the report closes with some examples of similar mini-grants used by estuary programs in the National Estuary Program under Section 320 of the CWA.

February 1
EPA Proposes To Reduce Nutrients Discharged from Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities
EPA is proposing new wastewater discharge limits for poultry processing facilities and revised wastewater discharge limits for large meat processing facilities. These limits would reduce pollutants, particularly nitrogen, from these facilities by roughly 87 million pounds per year. The proposed standards would apply to facilities that slaughter animals and process meat or poultry into products, including meat cuts, sausage, hams, canned meats and partially cooked products such as chicken nuggets. They also would apply to facilities that render meat and poultry by-products into edible and inedible products such as pet or animal feed. EPA estimates that it will cost the meat and poultry processing industry about $80 million per year to comply.

Small Business Innovation Research Conferences Announced
EPA is sponsoring three workshops designed to help small businesses convert environmental ideas, inventions, innovations, patents, and processes into commercial environmental technologies. Two of the workshops will be held in Boulder, CO, and in Philadelphia, PA, and the third will be conducted over the internet. Detailed information regarding proposal development, topic areas, technical content and selection criteria will be covered.

Administrator Christie Whitman To Announce President Bush's FY 2003 Budget For EPA
On Monday, February 4, 2002, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman will announce President Bush's Fiscal Year 2003 budget request for the Agency to protect public health and the environment.

EPA Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Holds an Online Discussion on Pesticide Issues
The public will have an opportunity to monitor and contribute to an online discussion by EPA's Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), an advisory committee chartered by EPA to obtain advice and input from public stakeholders on pesticide issues. EPA is coordinating this online discussion period as a follow-up to the December 4-5, 2001 PPDC meeting and to consider potential future topics for the next PPDC meeting to be scheduled in the Spring 2002.

Pesticide Registration Requests, Actions, and Tolerance Updates

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