Tag Archives: EPA

PMF & Green Chemistry final reports/Ecology & EPA news/EAP sampling schedule/Upcoming mtgs.

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Task Force,

The PMF blank study final report with the changes discussed at the last Task Force meeting can be seen on the website at this link: http://srrttf.org/?page_id=10186

The final IPCBs and Pigments report from Northwest Green Chemistry can be seen at this link: http://srrttf.org/?page_id=10179

Ecology’s Water Quality Program is offering more than $183 million in financial assistance for 106 high-priority clean water projects across the state.  See the link below for more information:
From onsite septic repair to stormwater infrastructure, $183 million is going to more than 100 clean water projects

EPA’s May 2019 Fish and Shellfish Program Newsletter focuses on PCBs. Click the link for some interesting articles.

Brandee Era-Miller and Siana Wong from the Dept. of Ecology will be out on the Spokane River doing sampling work the first week in August and they could use one additional person to help on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday August 6-8. Please email Siana Wong, swon461@ECY.WA.GOV if interested.

Upcoming work group meetings (conf. calls: 605-313-5141, 723394#):
July 31 – Tech Track @ 10 am (Dept. of Ecology office, 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane)
Aug. 7 – TSCA conf. call @ 10 am
Aug. 8 – Data Management conf. call @ 3pm
Aug. 13 – Education and Outreach @ 10 am (Spokane Regional Health District office)
For meeting materials please follow this link on the website: http://srrttf.org/?page_id=9623 and then select the work group you are interested in.


PMF Phase 1 Report comments due 5/17 – Ecology letter to EPA regarding WA water quality standards

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Hi Task Force members and interested parties,

As a reminder, the PMF phase 1 report comments are due to Mike Hermanson (mhermanson@spokanecounty.org) by next Friday, May 17.  Please also cc lara@whitebluffsconsulting.com.  Here is the report: PMF Blank Study draft final report_030419

Maia Bellon, the Director of Ecology recently sent a letter to EPA urging them not to reconsider Washington’s water quality standards for human health criteria.  The letter can be found here: 5-7-19 Director Bellon Letter to EPA Administrator Wheeler re HHC

Also, here is a research brief provided by Mike LaScoula from Spokane Regional Health District on the breakdown of PCBs to potentially harmful metabolites in humans: SRP_ResearchBrief_293_508

Thanks!

Proposed NPDES Permit for Wellpinit Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Spokane Indian Reservation

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The EPA is proposing to issue a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to the Wellpinit Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington.

The draft permit places conditions on the discharge of pollutants from the wastewater treatment plant to waters of the United States. In order to ensure protection of water quality and human health, the permit places limits on the types and amounts of pollutants that can be discharged from the facility.

Refer to the webpage for access to the draft permit, fact sheet and information about how to submit comments during the public comment period.

Proposed Permit for Wellpinit Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Spokane Indian Reservation

Comments Due:            11/12/2018

EPA response to SRRTTF Inadvertent PCBs letter from 5/9/2018

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Hi Task Force,

On May 9, 2018 the Task Force sent a letter to the EPA expressing concerns about regulatory consistency between the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).   Here is the EPA response letter: EPA letter

In addition to the letter, EPA has also provided a bibliography of inadvertent PCB research sources compiled in early 2018 : Bibliography of PCB Research 2018

Thanks!

May 3, 2018 Task Force/TSCA Work Group Conference Call

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The Task Force will hold a conference call, as part of the TSCA Work Group meeting scheduled for May 3, 2018 to approve an issues letter to EPA Region 10 Administrator, Chris Hladick. The letter was drafted and vetted with some members of the TSCA work. In order to get the letter approved, at least 7 Voting members of the Task Force must be on the call to reach a quorum.  The decision part of the call will be the first agenda item, and should be fairly brief. A cc list for the letter will also be developed during the meeting.

Please do not send editorial comments on the letter. If you can live with the letter as is, that is great. If you cannot live with the letter as it stands, please provide your comments with specific wording changes to Lisa Dally Wilson (lisadallywilson@gmail.com) no later than 5 pm on Monday April 30th, 2018.

Meeting Details: 

Date: Thursday, May 3, 2018
Time:  10:00 a.m. to  11:00 a.m.
Location: Conference Call
Conference Line: 509-335-2277, Meeting Code: 8042917#

The agenda for the meeting will be as follows:

 1.     Review and approve the draft “Issues” Letter to EPA Region 10 Administrator Chris Hladick (attached).  Voting members of the SRRTTF will be on the call at this time to approve the letter for submittal (minimum of 7 voting members required for a quorum).  Voting members that are not participants of the TSCA workgroup will be excused after completion of the vote.

2.     Review and approve the draft letter to Governmental Organizations regarding “Adoption of Alternatives to PCB-containing Road Striping Paints” (attached).  The TSCA Workgroup members will be approving this letter for posting to the SRRTTF Advisory Committee for their final approval at the May 23rd meeting.

3.     Review and status update of the Action Items from the “2018 Plan of Activities Meeting Summary” (attached) from our prior meeting held on April 4th.

EPA News: 2017-2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 Solicitation

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation Now Open Through Dec. 19, 2017

Open: Oct. 31, 2017 Close: Dec. 19, 2017

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the release of its 2017-2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation to develop innovative technologies that will help protect human health and the environment.

EPA is calling for small businesses to apply for Phase I awards up to $100,000 to demonstrate proof of concept in the following topic areas: air quality, manufacturing, clean and safe water, land revitalization, homeland security, and building construction materials. See the full solicitation posted on FedConnect to learn more about these topic areas, view specific subtopics for each area, and access instructions on how to apply.

EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the SBIR program enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development, create jobs, and promote U.S. technical innovation from idea conception to commercialization. EPA’s SBIR funding boosts local economies by creating jobs and promoting collaborations among communities and small businesses. This funding also supports technologies aimed at creating cleaner manufacturing materials and better infrastructure in communities. Successful Phase I companies are eligible to apply for Phase II funding, which awards up to $300,000 for two years with a commercialization option of up to $100,000, to further develop and commercialize their technologies.

All applications must be submitted through FedConnect.  For more information on eligibility, application process and the SBIR program, visit the EPA SBIR website at www.epa.gov/sbir.

Missed the Sept. 28, 2017, informational webinar on how to apply for the 2017-2018 EPA SBIR Phase I Solicitation? View the presentation at https://www.epa.gov/sbir/us-epa-2017-2018-small-business-innovation-research-sbir-solicitation-webinar.

The EPA SBIR Program is part of EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy (SHC) research program.

October 25, 2017 Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force Meeting

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Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Click here for a map

To attend by phone:
Call In Number: (509) 335-2277
Participant Code: 5266916
Meeting Documents:
DES (Sundae Delgado) Presentations

EPA NEWS: FY 2017 Grant Announcement: FY 2017 Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program

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Request For Proposals

2017 Pollution Prevention (P2) Source Reduction Assistance Grant Request for Proposal for EPA Region 1

RFP# EPA-Region10-P2-2017-001

Open Date: June 16, 2017

Closing Date: Wednesday July 26, 2017, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (8:59pm Pacific Daylight Time)

P2 Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) awards support pollution prevention through source reduction and resource conservation work. You can read a description of SRA awards in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 66.717.

  • Eligibility: The fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the U.S., local governments, city or township governments, independent school district governments, state controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia.
  • Match requirement: 5%
  • Range of possible award amounts: $20,000 – $95,000.
  • Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov “FY 2017 Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program for Region 10″
  • For more information, contact Robert Drake (drake.robert@epa.gov), 206-553-4803
Related information:

June 28, 2017 Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force Meeting

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Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Click here for a map

To attend by phone:
Call In Number: (509) 335-2277
Participant Code: 5266916
Meeting Documents:

May 10, 2017 Task Force Meeting Conference Call – special meeting

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The Task Force will hold a special meeting by conference call in order to review and approve a letter to EPA drafted by Doug Krapas and reviewed by the Technical Track Work group at the May 3rd Tech Track Work Group meeting. The letter was drafted to address President Trump’s signed Executive Order 13777 and EPA’s Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190. The letter specifies the Task Force request for the evaluation and correction of discrepancies that exist between the Toxics Substance Control Act (TSCA) and Water Quality Standard regulations for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs).

Voting members are highly encouraged to call in in order to achieve a quorum for the decision.

Time:Wednesday May 10th, 2017 from 10:00 am to 10:30 am
Where: Conference  Call
Call in information: 509-335-2277
Conference ID: 849827

Please review the letter prior to the call. The letter needs to be submitted before May 15th, so there is not a lot time for redrafting and incorporating many edits/changes; therefore Task Force members are asked to determine if they can live with the letter as is, and only provide edits if absolutely necessary in order to be able to approve the letter.

Agenda:SRRTTF May 10 2017 Agenda_draft

FINAL VERSION: Approved by Task Force on the Conference Call (Quorum reached)
– SRRTTF-Comments-to-Docket-EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190-_Final Draft

– 5.10.17 SRRTTF conference call Final notes

Previous Draft Letter: REVISED DRAFT 5-9-2017
– SRRTTF-Comments-to-Docket-EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190-revised-at-TTWG-meeting -SpoCounty and Riverkeeper edits _ REVISED DRAFT

SRRTTF-Comments-to-Docket-EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190-revised-at-TTWG-meeting-SpoCounty-and-Riverkeeper-edits-Ecology comments_-REVISED-DRAFT

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