Results tagged “epa”

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that clean-up from the February 8 oil sludge spill at the Caterpillar, Inc. plant in Rockdale has been mostly completed. The EPA is also currently reviewing Caterpillar's plan and plans to issue any further rulings at a later date. The EPA and other federal authorities claim there was "no significant impact" on the ecological surroundings where the spill happened on the Des Plaines River. Officials did not state how many Shamwows were used in the clean-up.

Things are a mess at the Caterpillar plant in Rockdale (near Joliet) this morning after a holding tank overflowed, sending 65,000 gallons of oil sludge spilling out into the surrounding area. Of that, 6,000 gallons wound up in the Des Plaines River. By Sunday night, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency officials claimed the spill had been contained and, according to spokeswoman Maggie Carson, "there is no evidence of a fish kill or harm to water fowl." Ginny Narsete, a spokeswoman for the U.S. EPA, said there was not enough oil or sludge in the water to cut off the oxygen supply to any fish in the river, the biggest danger in these situations. Of course, it was a three mile stretch of the Des Plaines that was affected, so while it's not out of the question there wasn't much harm to wildlife, it's still 6,000 gallons of oil sludge; that's going to mess with some part of the eco-system, right? Officials insist there is no eminent danger to any humans living in the area, though.

The EPA has put Chicago and it's surrounding metro area on notice: clean up your air in five years or else.

The agency on Monday released a list of counties and urban areas that violate the revised standard. Six northeastern Illinois counties are on the list—Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Also cited are two fast-growing townships in Grundy County and one in Kendall, because pollution there is believed to contribute to the wider problem.

It seems our area of the nation suffers from elevated levels of soot in the air and the EPA is in the midst of taking action against five coal-fired power plants (the EPA must have played SimCity growing up) in the area owned by Midwest Generation. Two plants are located in Chicago in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods and the other plants are located in Joliet, Romeoville and Waukegan. However, recent tests show that new standards in place have already had an effect on cleaning the air. But if we don't make good, what will the EPA do? While "fines" and "shutting down factories" are the obvious answers, we guess there's also taking our air via Mega Maid.

According to an EPA study, Cook County had the worst dangerous air pollution of any county in 2005 and the highest risk score, says a Tribune Watchdog Report, is a Lincoln Park steel mill. But it's not just in the city; according to the study, Will and DuPage Counties have six of the area's worst 50 factories and Lake County, Indiana has nine.

According to a letter the EPA sent Governor Blagojevich, air quality in 14 Illinois Counties—Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Grundy, Kendall, Rock Island, Massac, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair and Randolph—does not meet federal pollution standards. Prepare ye wrists for slapping, Illinois! "The EPA said it intends to settle on its final soot nonattainment list by Dec. 18. Counties included on that list would face pressure to cut levels of microscopic soot produced by power plants, diesel-burning trucks, cars and factories." [AP, Trib]

Although it may not feel like it, at some point summer will (allegedly) kick in and children will once again take up ye olde pastimes like stickball, frolicking in sprinklers, and drinking from garden hoses. Pesky science, however, has once again reared its ugly head to mar said pastimes. Parents are becoming alarmed by labels on garden hoses warning of the risk of lead leaching into the hose water, making it unsafe for those who drink water straight from the hose.

EPA Midwest administrator Mary Gade has been forced to resign her post. Last summer, Gade invoked emergency powers against Dow Chemical to force the company to clean up three toxic hotspots near their Midlands, Michigan headquarters. She had been fighting the company for years over dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles beyond the Midlands plant and into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. And when tests revealed that dioxin levels in along a park in Saginaw were the highest in the nation, she ordered more dredging. Dow and the EPA had been working out a deal over the cleanup, but Gade ended those negotiations in January, saying that Dow wasn't taking the steps necessary to protect public health. Company officials appealed to Washington, and Gade was forced from her position yesterday.