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EPA a organization with clout
The United States established the EPA has an independent agency in 1970. Sense
that time the agency has monitored and environmental quality as part of the executive
branch of the U.S. government. The EPA seeks to control the pollution caused by solid
wastes pesticides toxic substances noise and radiation is established special programs
in care and water pollution hazardous wastes and toxic chemicals and sponsors
research and technologies of pollution control tender regional offices facilitate
coordination of pollution control efforts with state and local governments.
Air conditioning contractors recognized that the EPA has real clout. We have seen the
EPA control of use and distribution of Freon. The EPA started out slowly with
education next came certification and then restriction along with penalties for breaking
the law. At sometime in the future Freon would be a thing of the past. We all know that
this effort by the EPA is designed to protect the environment.
Energy consultants have recently learned of the involvement of the EPA in our industry.
Because the generation of electricity causes carbon dioxide emissions into the
atmosphere thus increasing the greenhouse gases the EPA says we should conserve
electricity. We have noticed that when the EPA makes the suggestion it also provides
the where-with-all to see that is accomplished. The EPA is putting the energy Star
rating on houses that are 25 percent more efficient than title 24 requirements. This
incentive is designed to increase the value of a house and make available lower interest
loans, while saving energy overall.
I wanted to find a more about the EPA so I logged on to the Internet location for the
EPA. It is located at WWW.epa.gov/. The EPA provides press releases listed by
dates. For the date April 17th 1998 I found six press releases from the Criminal
Investigation Division that I want to share with you. Think you'll be surprised at the great
variety of work that this organization does in preserving our environment.
No. 1 Virginia man indicted for violating Clean Water Act on April 9 Robert Kirk from
Virginia was indicted by the U.S. District Court for discharging untreated wastewater.
Mr. Kirk faces fines of two hundred fifty thousand dollars on each of the 10 violations if
convicted.
No. 2 Stephen Leslie from Idaho was sentenced to five months in prison and five
months home detention and one-year probation for illegally transporting hazardous
wastes. The grounds of plating solution were found that three different locations, two in
the U.S. Forest. Leslie fled to Alaska where he was arrested and brought back to face
charges. Could we say the long arm of the EPA caught him?
No. 3. Gary Keck, a wastewater treatment operator from Minnesota was sentenced
to six months in prison and two years probation for discharging ammonia and other
pollutants into the Blue Earth River. The rendering plant where he works has paid in
four million dollar fine.
No. 4 Dana Dulohery will serve 10 months in prison and pay a fine of 15 thousand
dollars along with three years probation for tampering with the air emission control
equipment at Louisiana-Pacific Corp. Dana concealed the fact that airborne emissions
of sulfur dioxide, methlyne dioxyisocynate, and formaldehyde exceeded the facility's
discharge permit.
No. 5 Hess environmental laboratories of Pennsylvania was ordered to pay 5.5 million
dollars in restitution and serve five years probation by the U.S. District Court of Eastern
Pennsylvania. The case pointed out that Hess Environmental the fronted hundreds of
customers for in bar mental lab tests that were falsely reported or never performed.
No. 6 Mountain Aviation of Alaska pleaded guilty in court to violating to clean air act.
The defendant submitted that the hired teenagers to clean up an area were asbestos
containing material had been improperly removed. The teenagers were not protected
from inhale and the leaking asbestos dust. The company had to pay a fine of fifty
thousand dollars. They also had to establish a trust fund for medical monitoring of the
three teenagers.
I am totally blown away by the clout of the EPA. These six press releases for one-day
certainly emphasize the busy schedule of the organization. Frankly this only scratches
to surface, the reality is this massive organization is extremely diversified in its effort to
protect our environment.
The EPA WebSite has a section: what's new. This section summarizes the activities of
this nationwide organization. Rather than dealing with the criminal investigation
division of the EPA, this section focuses on the educational programs and scope of
this bohemith organization. You'll find a calendar of events listing each day's several
activities.
I think that the EPA has grown over the years to become the large organization that it is.
For example notice the increase in fines starting in 1981 7 million, 1983 8 million,
1985 22 million, 1988 31 million dollars. Criminal penalties rose from 1987 to 1989
by 500 percent. What accounts for this growth in fines and jail sentences? Protecting
our environment costs money and cheating becomes attractive. I'm glad for the
watchdog, our EPA.
In 1990 the amendments to the clean-air-act allowed companies in utilities to purchase
one-year permits to release one ton of sulfur dioxide. Stiff penalties are imposed when
venting with out a permit therefore expensive exhaust scrubbers are being installed.
The cost of the one-time permit is one hundred twenty-five dollars to four hundred fifty
dollars depending on the bidding. Environmental groups have purchased some of the
permits sold in March of 1993 and kept them off the market. By the year 2000 9.5
million permits will be sold. These permits allow sulfur dioxide to be exhausted into the
air.
How has the EPA organization gotten involved in saving energy? One example we can
point to, in 1993 the EPA promoted the energy Star computer idea. A computer with
Energy Star rating has a energy saving timing device. When left on for a time the
computer would use a power-down mode. This device reduces yearly electric costs of
105 dollars to 17 dollars. This effort was achieved by contacting over 100 computer
manufacturers and inducing them to participate and this idea.
What is the main energy user and CO2 venter? Transportation. To cut transportation
the EPA is looking into ideas how to produce more efficient autos. One method is to
raise the cost of gas to $2+ per gallon. This would give incentive to cut travel and for
auto manufactures to produce energy efficient transportation. Even the Sierra Club is
pushing for “regulation of transportation” according to the June 1 st Los Angeles Times,
page D2. Studies show people think fuel efficiency is a good idea but would have to
switch autos in order to achieve that, about 30% of those interviewed refused to
upgrade autos.
The reality is that no one wants to give up the freedom to drive anywhere and pay little
for it. We turn down the thermostat instead of opening the windows. We turn up the
thermostat instead of putting on a sweater. The problem is that this society is only a
small part of the world population. We are throwing away great quantities of the worlds
supply of non-replaceable oil, way more than our share! On what? For frivolous trips,
thermostats too high or low, too much lighting, too many trucks returning home empty,
etc. We will see the EPA getting involved in these issues in the future.
Each year when I pay my income taxes I am glad that they go for the support of the
EPA. Of course I appreciate the fine roads I drive on, the fire department, the police
department, the judicial system and other protections under the law, however the
hard-working EPA protects my water, my air, my workplace and even the ground I walk
on. I want to thank all the people working so hard at the EPA.