Archive: June 17, 2022

EPA Advances Superfund Cleanup Work at TechCity in Ulster County, New York

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, [email protected]

Ulster County, New York (April 21, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has demolished an asbestos-contaminated building and removed approximately 200 tons of contaminated debris at an industrial park in the Town of Ulster, Ulster County, New York. Exposure to asbestos can lead to a debilitating lung disease called asbestosis, a rare cancer of the chest and abdominal lining called mesothelioma, and various other cancers.

“EPA’s work at TechCity is an example of the Superfund program performing at its best,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “Working in partnership with Ulster County, the Town of Ulster, and New York State, we have taken decisive action to address the threat to public health from asbestos at this site and get this property on the path to productive reuse.”

“After years of stalemate and stalling by the property owner, we are now starting to see real positive change at TechCity. I’m grateful to EPA Regional Administrator Peter Lopez and Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, who have been terrific partners in generating the support and resources we needed to begin work. The abatement and demolition work we are announcing today is big step forward, and a refreshing demonstration of what government can accomplish when it’s energized and coordinated,” said Town of Ulster Supervisor James E. Quigley

“From day one, I’ve pushed aggressively to turn around the situation at Tech City and I’m proud of our continued progress. I want to thank EPA Regional Administrator Peter Lopez for taking swift action on the asbestos abatement at the site, which will both help alleviate public health risks and better position the property for the future. This collaborative effort between federal, state, and local governments will allow us to finally turn the corner and start to reimagine this property. I am committed to continuing to do the work to ensure that we can make Tech City a valuable part of our economy once again,” said Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan.

(Photo: Courtesy of EPA. Site of EPA Cleanup at former Tech City site in Ulster, N.Y.)

The TechCity Site (Site) is a former IBM production facility that had been in operation for more than 30 years at 300 Enterprise Drive in the Town of Ulster. The Site has been used as an industrial park since 1998.  The Site contains several buildings, two of which were contaminated with asbestos-containing material (Buildings 1 and 2). The Site also contains three large piles of Regulated Asbestos Containing Material (RACM) that are currently covered.  After receiving a request for assistance from Ulster County officials and attempts to negotiate with potentially responsible parties to remove asbestos from the Site, EPA mobilized to the site in March to undertake a portion of the removal work. EPA’s actions included:

• Demolition of an asbestos-contaminated, partially-demolished structure identified as Building 2 and disposal of approximately 200 tons of asbestos-contaminated material;
• Decontaminating 150 tons of steel, which was shipped off-site for recycling; and
• Securing the exterior of Building 1 by repairing barriers, installing temporary fencing, and posting asbestos warning signs.

On December 11, 2019, EPA issued notice of potential liability letters to five potentially responsible parties, which are current or former owner/operators of the site requesting that they consent to perform a removal action that included the above actions taken by EPA. The parties are: TechCity Properties, Inc., Mr. Alan L. Ginsberg, A.G. Properties of Kingston, LLC, Ms. Stephanie Laskin, and A2 Environmental Solutions, LLC. When none of these parties agreed to perform all the requested removal activities, EPA undertook the actions that presented the most immediate threats to public health and the environment.

Whether a site is being addressed under EPA’s shorter-term cleanup program, the Superfund removal program, as is the case with TechCity, or whether it is handled through the EPA National Priorities List for longer-term cleanups, the basic principles are the same. The responsible party should pay or perform cleanups, but EPA can and will step in to address immediate risks. EPA’s enforcement efforts at this site are ongoing.

To learn more about the Superfund program, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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DALLAS (April 21, 2020) —  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the 2019 winners of the national WasteWise awards. EPA Region 6 recognized Owens PLLC, a law firm based in DeSoto, Texas, as a regional winner for its achievements in greatly reducing paper use and other waste. EPA also recognized the outstanding accomplishments of 11 WasteWise partner organizations with national awards.

After reviewing filing, documentation, billing, and other office processes, the Owens firm found ways to reduce paper use by 25 percent and reduced overall waste by about 90 percent. Some steps the firm took include refining the documentation process; transferring subscriptions, billing, and other paper-dependent items to online versions; and creating a comprehensive, online filing system. These steps resulted in reduced waste as well as reduced costs and less need for recycling.

“As we begin to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, it is fitting to highlight these WasteWise partners for their dedication to waste reduction, environmental stewardship and sustainable materials management,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These efforts not only provide environmental and cost savings benefits, but they also increase the efficiency of these businesses and organizations positioning them for greater success.”

This year’s winners used innovative best practices and tailored efforts to help them prevent and reduce waste from going into landfills and incinerators, such as:

• Converting excess materials into new products.
• Providing specialized training for staff on waste prevention and diversion.
• Recycling numerous materials including pallets, scrap metal, paper, cardboard boxes, automotive fluids and parts, styrofoam and plastic bags.
• Composting on-site and returning grass clippings back onto lawns.

One of this year’s winners collected plastic stretch film that was then recycled into trash can liners, which the winner purchased for use on their campus, providing the feedstock and market for that material. Another winner worked with a vendor to convert over 200,000 pounds of unusable liquid soap product into a commercial floor cleaner, achieving source reduction, the highest level of the waste management hierarchy. 

WasteWise is one of EPA’s longest-running voluntary programs and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. EPA’s WasteWise program encourages organizations to achieve sustainability and to reduce waste. In 2018, our WasteWise partners, including today’s award winners, collectively reported preventing and diverting more than 1.9  million tons of municipal solid waste that would otherwise be disposed in landfills or incinerated, saving close to 100 million dollars in avoided landfill tipping fees. Of this amount, WasteWise partners reported preventing (also called source reducing) more than 890,000 tons of waste, meaning that no waste was created in the first place, EPA’s most preferred waste management method.

Every year EPA recognizes WasteWise partners in several categories who report the best overall improvement in waste prevention and recycling activities when compared to the previous year.

The 2019 national award winners are:

College/University Category

Partner of the Year: Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Local Government Category

Partner of the Year: City of Chesapeake Garage, Chesapeake, Virginia

Honorable Mention: Sand Creek Station Golf Course, Newton, Kansas

Tribal Government Category

Partner of the Year: Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California

Non-profit Organization Category

Partner of the Year: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Small Business Category

Partner of the Year: Ravitz Family Markets, Price Rite Supermarkets, Inc., Camden, New Jersey

Honorable Mention: Home Market Foods, Norwood, Massachusetts

Large Business Category

Partner of the Year: Rooms to Go, Seffner, Florida

Honorable Mention: Peace Dining Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Very Large Business Category

Partner of the Year: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Honorable Mention: L Brands, Inc., Columbus, Ohio

More information about each winner’s efforts and results is available at: https://www.epa.gov/smm/wastewise#AwardsandAwardWinners

Background:

The WasteWise program is part of EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management efforts that promote the use and reuse of materials more productively over their entire life cycles. All U.S. businesses, governments, academic institutions and non-profit organizations can join WasteWise as a partner, an endorser or both. Partners demonstrate how they reduce waste, practice environmental stewardship and incorporate sustainable materials management into their waste management practices. Endorsers promote enrollment in WasteWise as part of a comprehensive approach to help their stakeholders realize the economic benefits to reducing waste.

For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/smm/wastewise

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6 

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6

About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central  

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

EPA Expands Research on COVID-19 in the Environment

Contact Information: [email protected]

Environmental News
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., April 20, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to make COVID-19 issues a top priority. The Agency has been actively supporting response efforts across the country to protect public health. As part of these efforts, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is asking for a rapid review with the Science Advisory Board (SAB) to provide feedback on research needs identified by EPA’s researchers. This research will enhance and build on the Agency’s capabilities to address the environmental and human health impacts from the virus that causes COVID-19.

“EPA’s world-class researchers are building on their already expansive body of knowledge to help mitigate the environmental and public health impacts from COVID-19,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Our scientists have identified a number of research areas to focus on to further help combat and diminish the spread of COVID-19 including environmental cleanup and disinfection techniques, virus behavior in wastewater and the air, and procedures for disinfecting personal protective equipment.”

A Federal Register Notice (FRN) notifying the SAB of the charge questions and the two public meetings will be published this week. Comments from the SAB will inform and help guide the Agency as it enhances its capabilities to address the environmental and human health impacts from COVID-19.

Current EPA Research on the virus that causes COVID-19

Funded primarily through the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, EPA researchers have already begun increasing the Agency’s knowledge. For example, we have begun evaluating disinfectant efficacy on different types of surfaces in public areas that are frequently touched by multiple people, such as in subway cars.

In addition, EPA researchers are collaborating with CDC researchers in several other areas, such as:

• Environmental Cleanup and Disinfection: The researchers are currently evaluating the use of ultraviolet (UV), ozone, and steam as solutions for large-scale disinfecting needs; for example in a school or an office. The researchers are also evaluating whether electrostatic sprayers and foggers used with EPA-approved disinfectants can be effective at killing the virus.
• Wastewater Virus Detection: The researchers are studying whether SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in wastewater at levels that could inform public health strategies. They will focus on understanding viral loads, or how much of the virus is present, whether it is in an infectious state, and how it moves through the wastewater system. This information will help public health agencies by acting as an early warning system and can identify if there is an outbreak in a specific community. Public health agencies can then take early action to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
• Salivary Antibody Assay Development: The researchers are developing an easy, non-invasive, and reliable antibody assay to help determine the true infection rate across the country.

EPA researchers are some of the leading experts in their fields and are working hard to protect public health and the environment. This is just a small sampling of the work they intend to complete in these areas.

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Learn more about EPA Region 7: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-7-midwest

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Follow us on Twitter: @EPARegion7