This page provides access to a listing of some of the recent additions and new materials made available on the EPA Web site within the past six weeks.

October 30, 2008

• New from the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds:

  • Atmospheric Mercury Deposition Project for Watershed Planning - The Atmospheric Mercury Deposition Project for Watershed Planning contains the results of a fine, 12-km grid cell modeling analysis for the lower 48 States. In this project, roughly 300 of the top mercury emitters in the US were "tagged" in order to allow source attribution analysis for individual areas of concern, such as waterbodies, watersheds, or catchments.

  • Incorporating Green Infrastructure into TMDLs (PDF) - The purpose of this fact sheet is to summarize how Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development (GI/LID) practices can be incorporated into Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), and to show how these concepts have been applied in two recent TMDLs. An 11 pp., 172K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

October 28, 2008

• New from the Office of Pesticide Programs:

  • Pesticide reregistration chemical Web page for carbaryl updated - Links to Federal Register notices and an amended Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) has been added.

  • Pesticide reregistration chemical Web page for ethylene oxide (ETO) updated - A link to a Federal Register notice has been added.

  • Final rule amending the pesticide container and containment regulations - New and updated information and Web pages about pesticide container and containment.

October 27, 2008

• Selenium "Bluegill Report" now available - EPA has released a technical report describing the results from testing the toxicity of selenium to juvenile bluegill sunfish under winter temperature conditions. We are also providing references for data we've obtained since 2004 (Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water).

October 24, 2008

• 2007 Progress Report: Vehicle and Engine Compliance Activities - Specifically, this report summarizes vehicle and engine compliance program data we collected in 2007. These data include test results from model year (MY) 2007 certification activities plus other types of compliance reports and test results produced during calendar year 2007. Sales data presented in this report are based on MY 2006 sales because MY 2007 sales data were not yet available at the time of publication. National emissions inventory data are also for 2006, as those were the most recent data at the time of publication (Office of Transportation and Air Quality).

• Sustainable Financing for State and Tribal Wetland Programs - Since 1990, this Federal grants program has supported State, Tribal, and local efforts to protect wetlands by providing funds to enhance existing programs or develop new programs (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds).

October 22, 2008

• Costs Claimed under EPA Grants XP96909501 and XP97963701 Awarded to the Washoe County Department of Water Resources, Nevada (PDF) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General is reviewing Special Appropriation Act Project (SAAP) grants to identify issues warranting further analysis. We selected Washoe County Department of Water Resources (grantee) for one of these reviews. A 27 pp, 504KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 19-25. This year EPA is highlighting its new rule to protect families from the dangers of lead dust resulting from renovations and everyday painting and repairs, the “Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule.” Learn about lead poisoning prevention activities across the country (Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics).

October 20, 2008

• NESHAP Reconsideration Final Rule - This rule announces the final action regarding the eight issues for which EPA granted reconsideration and addresses comments received in response to the September 2007 notice (Office of Solid Waste).

October 17, 2008

• Audio Version of "Managing Nutrients in Your Backyard and Your Community" is Now Available - This Webcast examines the serious impacts on water quality from excess nutrients and will highlight two exceptional programs at the state and local level that encourage homeowners, businesses, and neighborhoods to adopt more sustainable practices to prevent harmful runoff from yards and lawns (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds).

October 16, 2008

• New Overview of Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads Program Web Page Released - The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters" (33 U.S.C §1251(a)). Under section 303(d) of the CWA, states, territories, and authorized tribes, collectively referred to in the act as "states," are required to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters for which technology-based regulations and other required controls are not stringent enough to meet the water quality standards set by states. The law requires that states establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), for these waters. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still safely meet water quality standards (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds).

October 15, 2008

• EPA announces the release of the Fuel Economy Guide - The Fuel Economy Guide is an annual publication containing the fuel economy estimates for all cars and light trucks. The guide includes much more information than appears on the window sticker label, including information about alternative fueled vehicles, the range of fuel economy for different classes of vehicles, a list of fuel economy leaders, and tips for improving fuel economy. The guide is published jointly by the Department of Energy and EPA. Every year, EPA announces the release of the fuel economy estimates and publishes lists of the models with the highest and lowest fuel economy (Office of Transportation and Air Quality).

October 14, 2008

• Petroleum Brownfields Action Plan (PDF) - EPA has begun to collaborate across all levels of government and with private industry to develop a new Petroleum Brownfields Action Plan—one that improves stakeholder communications; expands technical assistance to states, tribes, and local governments; explores potential policy changes; and builds upon existing successes by expanding partnerships. Such actions can serve to revitalize petroleum brownfields through new, innovative approaches and to promote sustainability through efficient resource use, waste reduction, and a longer-term perspective on site and community benefits. An 11 pp, 161K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Underground Storage Tank Program.

October 10, 2008

• New international standards for marine diesel engines and fuels adopted - This new program will dramatically reduce air pollution from ships by establishing a new tier of performance-based standards for marine diesel engines and their fuels and by establishing additional, more stringent emission requirements for ships that operate in specially-designated coastal areas where air-quality problems are acute (Office of Transportation and Air Quality).

October 9, 2008

• Pesticide Product Labels Web pages published - New and revised content about pesticide product labels and the consumer labeling initiative are available on the pesticides Web site (Office of Pesticide Programs).

October 7, 2008

• EU Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan - On July 16, 2008, the European Commission announced a series of proposals to improve the environmental performance of products and to increase the demand for more sustainable goods and production technologies. The Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan identifies voluntary and required actions to influence consumer behavior and improve the energy and environmental performance of products (Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response).

October 6, 2008

• EPA Beach Program Publishes National List of Beaches - EPA is announcing the availability of the updated National List of Beaches. The National List of Beaches is a picture of the extent of beach monitoring in U.S. coastal and Great Lake waters. The List provides information to the public about beaches in their state. It will also help EPA determine how to better implement the BEACH Act. EPA compiled this list using information submitted by states and territories to EPA as of January 31, 2008 (Beach Monitoring and Notification Division).

October 3, 2008

• Pre-publication of the October 2008 Preliminary Regulatory Determination for Perchlorate posted - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted extensive review of scientific data related to the health effects of exposure to perchlorate from drinking water and other sources and found that in over 99% of public drinking water systems, perchlorate was not at levels of public health concern (Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water).

• Notice: IRIS Toxicological Review of Ethylene Glycol Mono-Butyl Ether (EGBE): Listening Session Announcement - EPA is announcing a listening session to be held on Friday, October 10, 2008, for the external review draft document entitled, "Toxicological Review of Ethylene Glycol Mono Butyl Ether (EGBE): In Support of Summaiy Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)" (Integrated Risk Information System Program).

• Publication: BASINS 4.0 Climate Assessment Tool (CAT): Supporting Documentation and Users Manual - EPA is releasing the external review draft report titled, “BASINS 4.0 Climate Assessment Tool (CAT): Supporting Documentation and Users Manual” for a 30-day public review and comment period. The deadline for comments is November 3, 2008 (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

• New from the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds:

  • Cover Memo: Elements of Mercury TMDLs Where Mercury Loadings are Predominantly from Air Deposition (PDF) - The document (also referred to as a “checklist”) includes considerations when addressing TMDL elements on different geographic scales, such as waterbody, regional, and multi-state. A 2 pp, 13K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

  • TMDLs Where Mercury Loadings are Predominantly from Air Deposition (PDF) - The attached document is part of EPA’s continuing efforts to provide information on approaches and tools for addressing mercury‐impaired waters under Clean Water Act Section 303(d). A 22 pp, 410K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

September 30, 2008

• New from the Office of Inspector General:

  • Report: A Region 5 Penalty Reduction Was Unjustified and Undocumented (PDF) - We conducted this review in response to a complaint alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Region 5 Regional Counsel arbitrarily reduced a civil penalty against Minnesota Metal Finishing,Inc. (MMF), without justification. A 30 pp, 243K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

  • Report: Innovative Techniques for State Monitoring of Revolving Funds Noted (PDF) - We conducted this special review to determine whether the States receiving State Revolving Funds comply with the subrecipient monitoring requirements of the Single Audit Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. We also reviewed procedures the States use to prevent and detect fraud in the State Revolving Funds. A 16 pp, 263K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

• A new Summary for Propionaldehyde and accompanying Toxicological Review (PDF) (78 pp, 496K) have been added to the IRIS Web site (Integrated Risk Information System Program).

• Publication: Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook (Final Report) - The National Center for Environmental Assessment Staff have prepared this handbook to provide information on various physiological and behavioral factors commonly used in assessing children’s exposure to environmental chemicals. Children have different exposure circumstances than do adults. Understanding these differences is key for evaluating potential for environmental hazards from pollutants (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

September 29, 2008

• EPA Has Initiated Strategic Planning for Priority Enforcement Areas, but Key Elements Still Needed (PDF) - We undertook this review to determine how well the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) planned to ensure success in its enforcement priority areas. We reviewed current priority area strategies for air toxics, combined sewer overflow, and mineral processing. A 40 pp, 403K Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.

• Publication: State-of-the-Science Workshop Report: Issues and Approaches in Low Dose–response Extrapolation for Environmental Health Risk Assessment - EPA is announcing the release of the final report,State-of-the-Science Workshop Report: Issues and Approaches in Low Dose–response Extrapolation for Environmental Health Risk Assessment , originally posted in the Environmental Health Perspectives Journal (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

September 24, 2008

• New from the Office of Inspector General:

  • Report: Management of EPA Headquarters Internet Protocol Addresses Needs Improvement (PDF) - The Office of Inspector General contracted with Williams, Adley & Company, LLP to conduct the annual audit of the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act. Williams, Adley & Company, LLP conducted network vulnerability testing of the Agency’s local area network located at the EPA’s Head-quarters in Washington, DC. A 1 pp, 56K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

  • Report: EPA Personnel Access and Security System Would Benefit from Improved Project Management to Control Costs and the Timeliness of Deliverables (PDF) - We evaluated the cost justifications for major Information Technology (IT) investments in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) IT investment portfolio. We also evaluated contracted work for IT investments to determine whether the work met EPA’s (1) time and budget estimates, and (2) intended needs. A 25 pp, 228K Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

• EPA begins rolling out nearly $50 million in funding for clean diesel projects, starting with $3.4 million in grants to help small trucking firms lower fuel costs and carbon footprints (Office of Transportation and Air Quality).

• Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA 2) of 2009 & 2010 - This web page provides information on updated fees for pesticide registration applications (Office of Pesticide Programs).

• Underground Storage Tank Compliance Assistance And Training Support In Indian Country - This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals to promote the prevention of releases from federally-regulated underground storage tanks (USTs) in Indian country and the compliance of UST facilities in Indian country with federal regulations (Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response).