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Dow AgroSciences fined $70,000 by EPA for violations at Harbor Beach

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(MI) Bay City Times – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with Dow AgroSciences on alleged Clean Air Act violations at the company’s pesticide production facility in Harbor Beach. The agreement, which includes a $70,000 penalty, resolves EPA allegations that Dow Agro violated national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants at the plant, according to information from the EPA’s Region 5 office in Chicago. More

Air

Burning cars: Flames aren’t the worst environmental hazard

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By Thea Neal
Dec. 1, 2009

Salvaged cars aren’t the only ones producing dangerous byproducts. A simple spark at an accident can turn cars into environmental health hazards. Burning cars often emit dangerous toxic gases, said Bill Peters, owner of East Lansing Automotive Center. “So many toxins are released, especially cyanide gas.

Air

Once an autumn tradition, leaf-burning now under fire

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(MI) The Detroit News – It used to be a regular part of fall weekends all over Michigan:  a yard full of leaves raked into a pile and burned, creating that distinctive smell that became an integral part of the season. But these days, one man’s nostalgia-inducing aroma is another’s air pollution. In many places, leaf-burning isn’t welcomed with open arms or even welcomed at all. Many older inner-ring communities have banned the practice outright. Other communities that have seen population growth in recent decades have found that closer quarters and leaf-burning don’t mix.

Air

Polluted spray ‘big surprise’

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(IN) The Post-Tribune – For the past week, U.S. Steel has been spraying contaminated wastewater collected from the bottom of its hazardous waste landfill into the air over the landfill. The landfill holds sediment dredged from the Grand Calumet River contaminated with mercury and possible cancer-causing pollutants, such as benzene, naphthalene and polychlorinated biphenyls. The 20-foot tall landfill is located within a quarter of a mile of residential neighborhoods. The announcement was a shock to several attendants at U.S. Steel’s quarterly citizens meeting in Gary Thursday, who didn’t know about the project. More

Echo

EPA says air around schools safe in the short-term

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(IN) The Post-Tribune – The air around two Northwest Indiana elementary schools contains a slew of hazardous air pollutants, but not enough to be of short-term concern, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The EPA began monitoring by Jefferson Elementary on Jackson Street in Gary and Abraham Lincoln Elementary on East 135th Street in East Chicago on Aug. 23. More

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Indiana University awarded $5 million for Great Lakes environment project

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(IN) Indiana University – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Indiana University a $5 million grant to continue a project that measures levels of airborne toxic chemicals being deposited in the Great Lakes. The Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) project is led at IU by Ronald Hites, Distinguished Professor, and by Ilora Basu, a research scientist in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The project began in 1990 under an agreement between the U.S. EPA and Environment Canada. Indiana University has been in charge of the U.S. portion of the study since 1994. The grant announced today continues the project for five years.

Echo

Think twice before burning leaves, Michigan enviro quality officials say

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(MI) The Mudpuppy – Ah, fall. Cool air, crisp leaves, fine particulate matter?  The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is asking people to think twice about burning leaves when they clean up their yards this season. Mulching, by mowing those leaves over, is a better alternative, along with composting, DEQ officials say. Leaf burning creates air pollution, contributes to breathing problems and is a serious fire hazard, DEQ officials say. Not to mention that it stinks, and is illegal in many Michigan cities and communities.

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Obama’s EPA cracks down, orders more tests for BP refinery

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(IL) Chicago Tribune – The Obama administration is cracking down on BP as the oil company overhauls its massive refinery in northwest Indiana, one of the largest sources of air pollution in the Chicago area. In response to a petition from environmental groups, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday ordered Indiana regulators to revamp a new operating permit for the Midwest’s biggest refinery. The groups, along with elected officials in Illinois, contend Indiana had allowed the oil giant to avoid stringent requirements under the federal Clean Air Act. More

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Environmental officials: River Rouge asphalt fire not a problem

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(MI) The Detroit News – Environmental officials have determined there is no dangerous fallout from an industrial fire that broke out in River Rouge this morning. Paving-grade asphalt in a 70-square-yard area went up in flames during a cleanup shortly after 9 a.m., said Curt Robinson, terminal manager at Michigan Marine Terminal in River Rouge. It had spilled from a leak in May at the property, he said. An oil storage tank on the property also exploded. More

Echo

State mercury rules breakthrough for children’s health, water quality

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(MI) The Michigan News – Leading Michigan environmental groups today applauded the long-awaited finalization of state rules designed to reduce mercury pollution from power plants as much as 90 percent starting in 2015. “We are pleased that Gov. Granholm is following through on her campaign promise to help curb this dangerous metal from further contaminating our Great Lakes, poisoning Michigan’s fish and threatening our children,” said James Clift of the Michigan Environmental Council. “These reductions are affordable, achievable, and of paramount importance to creating a healthier Michigan.” More