Environmental Insider News articles from September 2001

Environmental Insider News archives from September 2001

Chisum: Hope for LLRW.
September 3, 2001... House Environmental Regulations Committee Chairman Rep. Warren Chisum has posited what he calls a "possible remedy" for low-level radioactive waste, which is a growing problem in Texas and around the nation. Chisum says that there has been an...

NASEO Gets $320K Grant.
September 3, 2001... In a joint project, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have provided nearly $320,000 in grant money to the National Association of State Energy Officials (based in Alexandria, Virginia) to promote more...

MPN, MF Methods for E. Coli, et al.
September 3, 2001... In its never-ending onslaught on water pollution problems, EPA on August 30 announced a proposed regulation that would amend the "Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants" [Clean Water Act, section 304(h)] by...

More Recycled-Content Rules.
September 3, 2001... EPA Administrator Christie Whitman has proposed to designate 11 recycled-content products which federal government agencies will be required to purchase. This Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines covers five product categories - vehicular,...

Cornyn Cites SB 1444.
September 3, 2001... In response to a series of questions asked by Rep. Tom Ramsay, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs, concerning the creation of fresh water supply districts, Attorney General John Cornyn noted that Ramsay's questions centered around the...

HGA VMT SIP On Hold.
September 5, 2001... EPA has withdrawn its direct final rule to approve the Vehicle Miles Traveled Offset State Implementation Plan for the Houston-Galveston ozone nonattainment area. In the July 10 direct final rule, EPA had stated it would withdraw the rule upon...

UCMR Changes at EPA.
September 5, 2001... EPA has also issued a direct final rule that corrects an omission in its January 11, 2001, List 2 Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation for public water systems concerning laboratory certification. EPA is required under the 1996 Safe...

More Starvation Looms in Africa.
September 5, 2001... A new study, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute, says that, without major investments, malnutrition among African children, already at a shocking 33%, could reach as high as 49% by 2020. The Washington think tank says...

Sikes Alive! $120 MM, Some to Texas!
September 10, 2001... In a settlement announced by the U.S. Department of Justice late last week, a bevy of petrochemical companies has agreed to pay a total of $120 million for a massive, 5-year cleanup of chemical waste at the Sikes Disposal Pits Superfund site...

EPA Updates LED Fuel SIP.
September 10, 2001... EPA on September 7 announced its intention to approve a State Implementation Plan revision for Texas that establishes a low-emission diesel (LED) fuel program for nine counties within the Dallas-Fort Worth Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical...

Hearings Set for Whistleblower Rule.
September 10, 2001... TNRCC has scheduled six public hearings on its proposal, pursuant to House Bill 2912, that addresses how the agency plans to use information provided by private individuals in enforcement proceedings [Log 2001-029-070-AD]. The controversial...

Rules for Corporate Warriors.
September 12, 2001... In his Introduction to Nick Nichols' forthcoming book, "Rules for Corporate Warriors," Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Patrick Moore says the crisis management expert has written "a detailed guidebook on how to fight and win battles and wars with...

Stop Bad Science Texts in Texas!
September 12, 2001... By now many EI NEWS readers may have seen stories about publisher Duggan Flanakin's appearance before the State Board of Education last Thursday to present findings from his report, published by Texas Public Policy Foundation, on the...

Corpus Christi Superfund Site.
September 13, 2001... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to add the Brine Service Company site in the western section of Corpus Christi to the federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). "Adding this site to the Superfund list makes federal...

Ticona Polymers Wins UIC Exemption.
September 13, 2001... EPA on September 11 announced it had granted an exemption to the land disposal restrictions under ther 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to Ticona Polymers, Inc., for three Class I injection...

Whitman Picks Two More.
September 13, 2001... While holdover Gregg Cooke continues to serve as EPA Region 6 Administrator long after he had thought he would be moving on to a new job, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman on September 13 announced the appointment of two more Regional...

Sierra Club To Hold Its Tongue.
September 13, 2001... The Sierra Club has decided to shift its communications strategy for the immediate future, in response to the recent attacks on America. A memorandum to staff from media director Allen Mattison notes that the club has taken all of its ads off...

Scofflaws Abound in PST Program.
September 15, 2001... TNRCC staffers Anne Rhyne and Zoe Rascoe on September 14 informed their superiors that the Commission's Petroleum Storage Tank Self-Certification Program, created by House Bill 2815 [76th Legislature, 1999], is going well, but that there are...

IOGCC Cites Need for Energy Independence.
September 15, 2001... Given the backdrop of the past week's assaults by Middle Eastern terrorists on the nation's economic and military institutions, the Interstate Oil and Gas Association wasted no time in urging renewed efforts to find and develop domestic sources...

Terror Brought Environmental Concerns, Too.
September 15, 2001... EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced on Thursday that her agency is working hard to ensure the safety of rescue workers and the public at the World Trade Center and Pentagon disaster sites, and to protect the environment. EPA is working...

Waco Fights TNRCC CAFO Actions.
September 21, 2001... The Waco City Council on Wednesday voiced strong objections to actions taken in late August by TNRCC Executive Director Jeff Saitas to approve the expansion of three Erath County dairy operations via the agency's uncontested agenda. Attorney...

Draft State Water Plan OK'ed for Review.
September 21, 2001... The Texas Water Development Board has announced a series of public meetings and hearings pursuant to its release of a draft 2002 State Water Plan. The plan, which will soon appear on the agency's website [at www.twdb.state.tx.us], is the...

EPA To Cut Nonroad Emissions.
September 21, 2001... EPA has proposed to regulate several types of nonroad engines to help reduce emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides into the environment. Controlling these emissions will provide protection to operators who work with or...

NASA Confirms Arctic Ozone Depletion Trigger.
September 21, 2001... A September 17 report by the Goddard Space Flight Center states that 22 years of satellite-derived data have confirmed a theory that the strength of "long waves" - bands of atmospheric energy that circle the Earth - regulate the temperatures in...

TCPS Wants Flat Water Fee.
September 28, 2001... At the same time that Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission is proposing what it calls a simplified fee system for community and non-transient, non-community water systems, the Texas Environmental Tax & Fee Reform Project (a consortium...

Cato: Trade Sanctions Slow Greening.
September 28, 2001... Contrary to popular mythology, including environmental and labor sanctions as part of trade agreements does not help - but almost always hurts - the goals of those demanding the sanctions. That is the conclusion of a new report by Daniel...

Atrazine Water Quality Criteria.
September 28, 2001... EPA has published two draft documents concerning aquatic life criteria for atrazine, which have been developed in conjunction with its process for developing or revising water quality criteria. The agency has developed both acute and chronic...

EPA Local Government Panel To Meet in Dallas.
September 28, 2001... In other EPA news, the agency's Local Government Advisory Committee and its three subcommittees - Small Community Advisory, Process, and Issues - will all hold meetings in Dallas on October 24-26. Each will be discussing issues concerning the...

EPA Withdraws TCM Approval.
September 28, 2001... Due to an adverse comment filed by California attorney Marc Chytilo on behalf of the Committees for Land, Air, Water, and Species (CLAWS), EPA has removed the direct final rule, published on July 16, that approved the Texas Transportation...

RRC "Kids World" Website.
September 28, 2001... The Railroad Commission has unveiled a new website aimed at educating Texas school children and raising their awareness about the importance of energy, safety, and the environment. The "Kids World" website [http://kids.rrc.state.tx.us] is...