Back in April, we notified you that the new EPA Lead Certification was in effect as of April 22, 2010  and of the new requirements it meant for contractors. Click here to see the Seton blog that notified you.

Now, due to unforeseen issues, such as the long processing time for applications and the difficulty people are encountering when trying to obtain the necessary renovator training, the EPA has lifted its April 22, 2010 deadline for certification as follows:

• Renovation Firms: The EPA will not enforce against renovation firms for violations of the certification requirement until October 1, 2010.
• Individual Renovators: The EPA will not enforce against individual renovators if the person has applied to enroll in, or has enrolled in, a certified renovator training class by September 30, 2010. Renovators must complete the training by December 31, 2010

This leniency in the certification deadline does not, however, mean that this certification is no longer needed. You must apply and enroll in the proper training by the new deadlines in order to still be considered in compliance.

So if you are one of those contractors having trouble obtaining the certification or training, relax, there are others like you and the EPA has listened and they are working to solve the issues.

If you would like to read more on the EPA’s lift on the Lead Certification deadline, please go here.

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The ENERGY STAR Challenge is a national call-to-action to improve the energy efficiency of America’s commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more.  The Challenge for Industry recognizes industrial sites that improve their energy efficiency by 10% within 5 years.

Who Can Take the Challenge for Industry?

Any manufacturing site can take the Challenge for Industry. However, to receive EPA recognition, you need to be an ENERGY STAR partner.  Not an ENERGY STAR partner?

Join today!

Why Take the Challenge for Industry?

Be part of the solution by reducing greenhouse gases caused by energy use.  Companies and sites that step up to the Challenge:

• Demonstrate their commitment to protecting the environment by pledging to improve energy performance with ENERGY STAR
• Leverage the most recognized name in energy efficiency to motivate sites
• Utilize ENERGY STAR resources and communication tools
• Create momentum for energy initiatives by establishing a public goal
• Establish energy management practices for tracking and benchmarking energy performance that will help drive results.

Sites that achieve a 10 percent reduction in energy intensity within 5 years and whose parent company is an ENERGY STAR partner are recognized by the US EPA for their commitment to protecting the environment by fighting global climate change. The site earns:

• Official framed certificate from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program documenting savings
• A profile on the ENERGY STAR web site
• Letters from EPA to the company’s CEO and to the site’s US Senators and Congressional Representatives highlighting their accomplishments
• Materials for communicating the site’s ENERGY STAR Challenge achievement to employees, stakeholders, customers, and others

For more information on how your company can participate in the Energy Star challenge, visit the Energy Star site here.

Source: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=industry_challenge.industry_challenge

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So when you think of milk you tend to think of a delicious satisfying cool-down drink that nicely compliments a very rich piece of cake or a handful of cookies right? Yeah me too. But not the EPA. Yes, I said the EPA. I know your wondering how do milk and EPA fall into the same sentence? I’ll tell you how.

While this oil spill in the gulf is not horrific enough, it appears that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) under the Clean Water Act, apparently intends to classify milk as a hazard to the waters of the United States and add tremendous compliance costs and regulatory burdens. To some, okay many, especially farmers, this goes way beyond the focus of the Clean Water Act. Since when did the spillage of milk cause thousands of fish to die, much like the oil in the gulf is right now?

In addition to the Clean Water Act is a separate program called the Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Program. According to the EPA, “The goal of the SPCC program is to prevent oil spills into waters of the United States and adjoining shorelines.” According to this program, a farm would be covered by the SPCC if the farm:

Stores, transfers, uses, or consumes oil or oil products, such as diesel fuel, gasoline, lube oil, hydraulic oil, adjuvant oil, crop oil, vegetable oil, or animal fat

Could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into waters of the US or adjoining shorelines, such as interstate waters, intrastate lakes, rivers, and streams

Stores more than 1,320 US gallons in above ground containers or more than 42,000 US gallons in completely buried containers

So what exactly has farmers crying over spilled milk? The EPA is loosely defining now, milk as an oil. How you ask? Because if you look at the first criteria of this SPCC coverage, it included the storage of animal fat, and what is in all milk? You got it.  “Milk typically contains a percentage of animal fat, which is a non-petroleum oil,” the EPA rule says. “Thus, containers storing milk are subject to the SPCC rule when they meet the applicability criteria…”  So without a doubt, any substantial sized farmer would definitely store more than 1,320 gallons of milk on their property making them subject to the laws & regulations of the SPCC rule.

But have faith, the farmers are not taking this sitting down. They are currently preparing their own 20-page appeal in regards to milk being classified as an oil.  As the oil from the BP spill continues to pollute and kill thousands of wildlife and ruin thousands of miles of beaches in the South, so to does the farmers war against the EPA in this ruling.

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Effective, Today, April 22nd, 2010, a new EPA lead rule takes effect.

Contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.  Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children.

Effective today, federal law requires:

• Renovation firms be certified
• Individuals be trained in lead-safe work practices
• Training providers be accredited by the EPA

To get more information on the new certification required for Contractors performing these duties, please visit the EPA’s website.

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So it seems the latest craze these days is how everyone can help protect our natural resources. From recycling certain waste, to buying earth-friendly cleaning chemicals and even hybrid cars, learning how we can protect our earth is becoming more and more important.

But while we have the ability to control how we ourselves treat the environment, did you know that there is a government agency that polices how we treat our greatest resource, our water? The EPA or Environmental Protection Agency, in 1990 created the Oil Pollution Act. Coming up on celebrating its 20th year in existence, the OPA has been monumental in the nation’s ability to prevent and respond to oil spills. The OPA was developed in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, when the tanker struck a reef in Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. This spill was the largest in U.S. history.

Now, one of Australia’s most scenic sites is in great danger due to the same circumstances. A coal-carrying ship that strayed outside a shipping lane and ran aground in protected waters is leaking oil onto the Great Barrier Reef. To read more about the endangerment of the Great Barrier Reef, go here. Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world’s largest coral reef, which is off northeast Australia and listed as a World Heritage site.

While this is a long clean up process, one that the Reef may have to endure for years to come, the first line of spill response would be to use containment booms.

We can do our part as consumers to protect the life of our resources, but it is just as important that we have government agencies policing our resources as well.

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