News


AAR Presents 2019 Environmental Excellence Award

Gary Van Tassel II of CSX Transportation and his team made the traditional intermodal facility more efficient by implementing new technology and modernizing site layouts, which allow CSX to operate with a smaller footprint, fewer diesel utility trucks, a transition to electrified cranes, and significantly reduced truck dwell times.

EPA Proposes Expanded Groundwater Treatment at NJ Superfund Site

The cleanup plan for the CPS/Madison Superfund site in Old Bridge, N.J., includes expanding the existing groundwater treatment system that is operating at the site, plus on-site treatment of contaminated soil that is a source of groundwater contamination.

New California Program Supports Clean Mobility Projects

The $17 million program focuses on the needs of smaller groups and communities to provide clean mobility solutions that include car- bike- or scooter-sharing projects and subsidies for transit or car-hailing companies.

EPA, DOJ Reach Superfund Settlement for NC Site

The settlement with Honeywell International Inc. and International Paper Co. concerns the cleanup of contaminated soils and sediments at the LCP-Holtrachem plant in Riegelwood, N.C. It is a 24-acre site adjacent to the Cape Fear River.

DOT Completes Review of Draft EA for DC-Baltimore Loop Project

The Boring Company's website for the project indicates the two tunnels would be constructed at least 30 feet below ground and the project initially would be a high-speed underground public transportation system in which passengers are transported in autonomous electric vehicles traveling at up to 150 miles per hour.

ILO Says Urgent Action Needed to Better Manage E-Waste

Representatives of governments and workers' and employers' organizations agreed at an April 9-11 meeting at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, that governments should increase and promote investments in waste management infrastructure and systems at all levels to manage the rapidly growing flows of e-waste.

Virginia DEQ Awards $20 Million in Stormwater Grants

DEQ Director David Paylor said the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund matching grants "help communities install effective and efficient pollution control measures, such as stream restorations, constructed wetlands, and methods to filter rainwater before it washes pollution into waterways."

NYC Mayor Ending City's Purchase of Single-Use Plastics

The mayor's executive order will reduce the city's carbon emissions by approximately 500 tons per year, decrease plastic pollution, and reduce risks to wildlife, with the city estimating it will reduce the purchase of single-use plastics by city agencies by 95 percent.



Understanding LEED, WELL, and the Differences

The WELL program was started by many of the same people involved in the original LEED program established by the U.S. Green Building Council back in 1998. The WELL program was created far more recently, in October 2014, which is likely one reason few of us are familiar with it.

Miami-Dade County Hosting First Sea Level Rise Workshops

Local experts will be available at the workshops to answer questions and to guide small group conversations to learn more about sea level rise in the county and to devise strategies to address anticipated impacts.

CDC, ATSDR to Fund PFAS Studies

The agencies are soliciting research applications to conduct a multi-site study on the human health effects of exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water.

CARB Hosting Event for Truckers on Clean Air Rules

State air quality experts will provide truck drivers and fleet owners with the latest information to help them comply with the clean air requirements and upcoming rule deadlines.

Consent Order Signed as Hawaiian Dairy Closes

The order was completed to address numerous discharges of wastewater containing manure from the dairy to state waters during the past two years that were documented by the department, and it requires Big Island Dairy's owners to terminate their dairy operations.

NYC Mayor Cutting City's Vehicle Fleet

The city will eliminate least 1,000 vehicles from its fleet by June 2021 and will reduce the number of take-home vehicles by at least 500 vehicles, curtail the reliance on SUVs in the city fleet, and promote increased vehicle efficiency by using advanced data collection.

More Federal Loan Guarantees Given for Vogtle Expansion

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry was on hand for the announcement of the closing of approximately $1.67 billion in additional Department of Energy loan guarantees for the Vogtle 3 and 4 units, which Georgia Power has predicted will cost about $25 billion to complete, or nearly twice their original estimated cost.

Virginia Governor Signs Coal Ash Cleanup Bills

"The potential risks to public health and water quality posed by unlined coal ash ponds in the Commonwealth are far too great for us to continue with business as usual," said Gov. Ralph Northam. "This historic, bipartisan effort sets a standard for what we can achieve when we work together, across party lines, in the best interest of all Virginians."

Houston-Area Petrochemical Terminal Fire Extinguished

The fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company's Deer Park terminal was fully extinguished by 3 a.m. March 10, the company reported.

Registration Available for 2019 Hanford Tours

The public tour program focuses on environmental cleanup and gives participants with a look at key projects that support the ongoing cleanup of the Richland, Wash., site.

Sacramento's Electric Car Share Program Expanded to All Residents

"Gig is thrilled to bring the largest all-electric car sharing service in the United States to Sacramento, a city that's becoming recognized as a worldwide leader in zero-emission energy," said Jason Haight, president of GIG Car Share.

UN Official Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed decried what she called the negative consequences of the current "take, make, and dispose" global economic model, citing harmful environmental and health impacts associated with the extraction of metals used in mobile phones, plastic waste flowing into the oceans, and the huge amount of electronic waste generated every year.