Region 7

Serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and 9 Tribal Nations

Booth Planned for NAFB Trade Talk Event

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 5, 2008) - EPA officials will attend the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk event in Kansas City Thursday, Nov. 13. Attendees will be available for news interviews in Booth 70. News Release

Public Television Stations to Air "Liquid Assets" Documentary on Challenges Facing Nation's Water Infrastructure Systems

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 5, 2008) - At least two public television stations in EPA's Region 7 are planning to broadcast "Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure," a special documentary about the challenges facing the nation's rapidly aging drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems. News Release

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Local Groups Honored for Building Materials Reuse Efforts

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 30, 2008) - The Planet Reuse Project in Kansas City, Mo., and the Greensburg, Kan., Arts Center, designed by the University of Kansas Studio 804, have been recognized for Lifestyle Building Challenge 2 (LBC2) Awards. News Release

Local Contractor Chosen to Continue Cleanup of Mine Waste in Jasper County, Mo.

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 21, 2008) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected Snyder Construction Co., 3400 East 20th Street, Joplin, Mo., to continue the cleanup of surface mine waste in Jasper County, Mo. This company has extensive experience working on mine waste remediation, most recently as the November 2007 contract recipient for the first phase of cleanup at this site. News Release

Region 7 Volunteers Help Clean Up Trash along Missouri River

EPA staff participated in Missouri River Relief's cleanup recently at La Benite Park in Sugar Creek, Mo., just east of Kansas City. Boats from EPA and other agencies brought hundreds of volunteers to "trashy" areas of the river banks and islands. Many items were recovered along a 15-mile stretch, including old refrigerators, tires, 55-gallon drums, storage tanks, and an abandoned boat. Missouri River Relief has sponsored a cleanup in the Kansas City area for the last six years. Last year, Missouri River Relief hosted 19 cleanups, recruited 1,777 volunteers, cleaned 98 miles of the river, removed 68 tons of trash, and removed 499 tires from the river environment.

Outstanding Achievements in Water Quality Recognized in Kansas and Missouri

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 20, 2008) - EPA has announced that water facilities in Kansas and Missouri are among the recipients of the 2008 National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards, presented Oct. 20 at the Water Environment Federations Technical Exposition and Conference in Chicago, Ill. News Release

Nebraska Contractor Chosen to Continue Cleanup of Lead-Contaminated Residential Soil in Madison County, Mo.

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 17, 2008) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected ASW Associates, Inc., of Lincoln, Neb., to remove and dispose of lead-contaminated residential soil in Madison County, Mo. The company has extensive experience working on lead sites in Region 7, most recently on the Omaha Lead Site, the country's largest residential lead site. News Release

Rule Strengthens Lead Air Quality Standard, Increases Monitoring

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 16, 2008) - EPA significantly reduced the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead with the signing of the final rule Oct. 15. The Agency reduced the standard from the 1.5 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air, which was set in 1978, to 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter. News Release

Texas Contractor Chosen to Continue Cleanup of Mine Waste in Cherokee County, Kan.

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 16, 2008) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected Encon International, Inc., of El Paso, Texas, to continue the cleanup of mine waste in Cherokee County, Kan., specifically around the cities of Baxter Springs and Treece. News Release

City of St. Louis Receives More Than $1.23 Million for Assessment and Cleanup of Urban Core Hazards

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 15, 2008) - EPA Region 7 Administrator John Askew will present a ceremonial check for more than $1.23 million tomorrow to the City of St. Louis, representing a series of brownfields funding awards for the assessment and cleanup of hazardous substances and petroleum in the city's older urban core. News Release

Liberty, Mo., Company Receives SmartWay Excellence Award for Reducing Fuel Use and Carbon Emissions

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 7, 2008) - American Central Transport, Inc. (ACT) of Liberty, Mo., is one of 27 businesses receiving the SmartWay Excellence Award today for its efforts to reduce fuel use and lower carbon emissions from the transport of freight. EPA presents the award to those companies that significantly reduce their environmental footprint. News Release

Students Learn About Stream Health at Outdoor Classroom

The Stream Doctor, alias EPA Scientist Gary Welker (in lab coat), led a Region 7 team who recently taught students from Corinth Elementary School in Prairie Village, Kan., about stream health and helped them test the water quality and examine the aquatic life in Brush Creek. The EPA outdoor classroom was held in observance of Water Monitoring Month, which runs from Sept. 18 to Oct. 18. Students learned about the water chemistry of the stream and its biology, looking for certain animal species such as fish and insects, as well as the stream's physical environment and habitats and the affects of land uses and urban runoff on a watershed. News Release

EPA to Continue Screenings of Homes in Pittsburg, Kan., in Response to Mercury Spill at Local Skate Park

(Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 1, 2008) - EPA Region 7 emergency response teams and Crawford County Health Department staff are expecting to complete the screenings of at least a dozen more homes in Pittsburg, Kan., today for mercury exposure, as a joint agency response to a spill of the toxic metal at a local skate park enters its second day. News Release

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