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WASHINGTON –
As prepared for delivery.

Thank you for inviting me to testify on the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. I’m joined by the Agency’s Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Bennett.

EPA’s budget request of $8.344 billion focuses on fulfilling EPA’s core mission of protecting public health and the environment, while making the sacrifices and tough decisions that Americans across the country are making every day.

EPA’s budget request fully reflects the President’s commitment to reducing government spending and finding cost savings in a responsible manner while supporting clean air, clean water and the innovative safe guards that are essential to an America that’s built to last. In some cases we have had to take a step back from programs – this budget reflects a savings of $50 million through the elimination of several EPA programs and activities that have either met their goals, or can be achieved at the State or local level or by other Federal agencies.

Let me spend a moment discussing major elements of EPA’s budget request.

This budget recognizes the importance of our partners at the State, local and tribal level. As you know, they are at the front lines of implementing our environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. In fact, the largest portion – 40% percent of EPA’s funding request — is directed to the State and Tribal Assistance Grants appropriation to support their efforts.

Specifically, this budget proposes that $1.2 billion – nearly 15% of EPA’s overall request – be allocated back to the States and tribes, through categorical grants. This includes funding for State and Local Air Quality Management grants, Pollution Control grants and the tribal general assistance program.

The budget also proposes that a combined $2 billion – another 25% of EPA’s budget request – also goes directly to the States for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This funding will help support efficient system wide investments and development of water infrastructure in our communities. We are working collaboratively to identify opportunities to fund green infrastructure – projects that can reduce pollution efficiently and less expensively than traditional grey infrastructure.

Additionally, EPA’s budget request would fund the protection of the nation’s land and water in local communities. Reflecting the President’s commitment to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, this budget requests that Congress maintain the current funding level of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This support will continue to be used for collaborative work with partners at the State, local and tribal level, and also with non-profit and municipal groups. The budget also requests support for protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and several other treasured and economically significant water bodies. The budget reflects the importance of cleaning up contaminated land sites in our communities by requesting $755 million for continued support of the Superfund cleanup programs and maintains the Agency’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

EPA’s budget request makes major investments in its science and technology account of $807 million, or almost 10 percent of the total request. This request includes $576M for research, including $81 million in research grants and fellowships to scientists and universities throughout the country for targeted research as part of the Science to Achieve Results – or STAR – program, including children’s health, endocrine disruption, and air monitoring research. Also, as part of this request, EPA includes funding increases into key areas that include green infrastructure and hydraulic fracturing.

As I’ve mentioned before, natural gas is an important resource which is abundant in the United States, but we must make sure that the ways we extract it do not risk the safety of public water supplies. This budget continues EPA’s ongoing congressionally directed hydraulic fracturing study, which we have taken great steps to ensure is independent, peer reviewed and based on strong and scientifically defensible data. Building on these ongoing efforts, this budget requests $14 million in total to work collaboratively with the United States Geological Survey, the Department of Energy and other partners to assess questions regarding hydraulic fracturing. Strong science means finding the answers to tough questions, and EPA’s request does that.

We are making investments to support standards for clean energy and efficiency in this budget. Specifically, this budget supports EPA’s efforts to introduce cleaner vehicles and fuels and to expand the use of home-grown renewable fuels. This includes funding for EPA’s Federal Vehicle and Fuel Standards and Certification program to support certification, and compliance testing for all emissions standards. This also includes implementation of the President’s historic agreement with the auto industry for carbon pollution and fuel economy standards through 2025 for cars and light duty vehicles, including testing support for NHTSA’s fuel economy standards. Taken together, the Administration’s standards for cars and light trucks are projected to result in $1.7 trillion dollars of fuel savings, and 12 billion fewer barrels of oil consumed. This funding will also help support implementation of the first ever carbon pollution and fuel economy standards for heavy duty trucks.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. While my testimony reflects only some of the highlights of EPA’s budget request, I look forward answering your questions.

WASHINGTON –
As prepared for delivery.

Thank you for inviting me to testify on the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. I’m joined by the Agency’s Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Bennett.

EPA’s budget request of $8.344 billion focuses on fulfilling EPA’s core mission of protecting public health and the environment, while making the sacrifices and tough decisions that Americans across the country are making every day.

EPA’s budget request fully reflects the President’s commitment to reducing government spending and finding cost savings in a responsible manner while supporting clean air, clean water and the innovative safe guards that are essential to an America that’s built to last. In some cases we have had to take a step back from programs – this budget reflects a savings of $50 million through the elimination of several EPA programs and activities that have either met their goals, or can be achieved at the State or local level or by other Federal agencies.

Let me spend a moment discussing major elements of EPA’s budget request.

This budget recognizes the importance of our partners at the State, local and tribal level. As you know, they are at the front lines of implementing our environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. In fact, the largest portion – 40% percent of EPA’s funding request — is directed to the State and Tribal Assistance Grants appropriation to support their efforts.

Specifically, this budget proposes that $1.2 billion – nearly 15% of EPA’s overall request – be allocated back to the States and tribes, through categorical grants. This includes funding for State and Local Air Quality Management grants, Pollution Control grants and the tribal general assistance program.

The budget also proposes that a combined $2 billion – another 25% of EPA’s budget request – also goes directly to the States for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This funding will help support efficient system wide investments and development of water infrastructure in our communities. We are working collaboratively to identify opportunities to fund green infrastructure – projects that can reduce pollution efficiently and less expensively than traditional grey infrastructure.

Additionally, EPA’s budget request would fund the protection of the nation’s land and water in local communities. Reflecting the President’s commitment to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, this budget requests that Congress maintain the current funding level of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This support will continue to be used for collaborative work with partners at the State, local and tribal level, and also with non-profit and municipal groups. The budget also requests support for protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and several other treasured and economically significant water bodies. The budget reflects the importance of cleaning up contaminated land sites in our communities by requesting $755 million for continued support of the Superfund cleanup programs and maintains the Agency’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

EPA’s budget request makes major investments in its science and technology account of $807 million, or almost 10 percent of the total request. This request includes $576M for research, including $81 million in research grants and fellowships to scientists and universities throughout the country for targeted research as part of the Science to Achieve Results – or STAR – program, including children’s health, endocrine disruption, and air monitoring research. Also, as part of this request, EPA includes funding increases into key areas that include green infrastructure and hydraulic fracturing.

As I’ve mentioned before, natural gas is an important resource which is abundant in the United States, but we must make sure that the ways we extract it do not risk the safety of public water supplies. This budget continues EPA’s ongoing congressionally directed hydraulic fracturing study, which we have taken great steps to ensure is independent, peer reviewed and based on strong and scientifically defensible data. Building on these ongoing efforts, this budget requests $14 million in total to work collaboratively with the United States Geological Survey, the Department of Energy and other partners to assess questions regarding hydraulic fracturing. Strong science means finding the answers to tough questions, and EPA’s request does that.

We are making investments to support standards for clean energy and efficiency in this budget. Specifically, this budget supports EPA’s efforts to introduce cleaner vehicles and fuels and to expand the use of home-grown renewable fuels. This includes funding for EPA’s Federal Vehicle and Fuel Standards and Certification program to support certification, and compliance testing for all emissions standards. This also includes implementation of the President’s historic agreement with the auto industry for carbon pollution and fuel economy standards through 2025 for cars and light duty vehicles, including testing support for NHTSA’s fuel economy standards. Taken together, the Administration’s standards for cars and light trucks are projected to result in $1.7 trillion dollars of fuel savings, and 12 billion fewer barrels of oil consumed. This funding will also help support implementation of the first ever carbon pollution and fuel economy standards for heavy duty trucks.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. While my testimony reflects only some of the highlights of EPA’s budget request, I look forward answering your questions.

The UC Berkeley College of Chemistry will rebuild the college’s aging undergraduate teaching labs and design a new curriculum based on the principles of sustainability and green chemistry with the support of a $3.5 million gift from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation.

“I am very grateful for the support we have received from Dow,” says College of Chemistry Dean Richard A. Mathies. “This very generous and ground-breaking gift from the Dow Foundation will transform chemical sciences instruction for the 21st Century. These funds will enable us to completely renew our undergraduate instructional laboratories and our curriculum with a sharp focus on sustainable green chemical practices. The impact of this gift is huge because these courses serve thousands of students every year. Furthermore, Berkeley is now leading the way in making sustainable green chemical practices a core concept in our entire profession.”

David Kepler, Dow Executive Vice President for Business Services, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Information Officer, and a 1975 UC Berkeley chemical engineering graduate, helped coordinate the gift. Says Kepler, “As a leading global chemistry company committed to sustainability, Dow sees the need to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers beyond traditional chemistry into the discipline of sustainable chemistry.”

Sustainable chemistry uses the principles of green chemistry in the design of products and processes which reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances while addressing environmental impact. Sustainable chemistry is applied across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture and use. Sustainable chemistry is a highly effective and innovative scientific approach to addressing solutions to real-world environmental and social situations.

Read the complete article at Environmental Protection On-Line

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) and AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), an authority in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure solutions, announced AeroVironment’s selection as an additional authorized and approved nationwide supplier of EV home charging systems, on-site installation services and support for the all-new 100 percent electric-powered 2012 Mitsubishi i, providing drivers safe and reliable indoor/outdoor home charging and the ability to start everyday fully charged.

“AeroVironment and Mitsubishi Motors share a vision where EV drivers enjoy a positive transportation experience that includes a full ‘tank’ at the start of every day. We look forward to working with Mitsubishi Motors to achieve that vision.”
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AeroVironment’s turnkey solution includes its UL-listed home charging station, permit acquisition, installation, customer training, 24/7 customer service and a leading three-year warranty on both parts and installation labor. With a single telephone call, EV drivers can order their charging station and schedule its installation from AeroVironment, a pioneer in the electric transportation industry for more than 20 years.

“The AeroVironment EVSE-RS Level 2 electric vehicle charging system is an easy-to-use, reliable and safe option for Mitsubishi i owners to use for charging their brand-new EVs in their own homes,” said Yoichi Yokozawa, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. “AeroVironment has consistently delivered excellent and innovative EV products and services that cover every step of the purchase and installation process.”

Mitsubishi Motors is waiving the $99.99 site consultation for the first 2,000 customers to pre-order the 2012 Mitsubishi i until April 19, 2012. The on-site home consultation includes an analysis of current electrical wiring capacity, recommended station placement and a full breakdown of activities and costs related to installing an electric refueling system. AeroVironment’s trained and certified installers secure necessary permits, take into account specific homeowners’ and renters’ unique requests and account for both electrical and building requirements in local areas. Customers can schedule their site consultation by calling the dedicated AeroVironment/Mitsubishi Motors reservation hotline at 866-732-3219 or through an online portal, that will be accessible through the Mitsubishi i website.

Read the complete article at Environmental Protection On-Line

From Environmental Leader 2/27/2012

The professional cleaning industry is far larger than most people realize, with more than $50 billion estimated in annual sales, and its impact on the environment and sustainability is considerable as well. An estimated 6 billion pounds of cleaning chemicals, many from nonrenewable petroleum products, are used each year; 450 billion pounds of paper products, some of which does get recycled but a large amount is simply discarded as waste; and an estimated 25 million pounds of cleaning equipment end up in landfills each year.

Further, many people would be surprised at just how much water the cleaning industry and cleaning in general consumes. For instance, many cleaning workers hose down commercial kitchen floors using wall-mounted, chemical/water-dispensing system. Although effective, these systems can release more than 10 gallons of water per minute, 600 gallons in an hour.

Conventional carpet extractors can use as much as 1.5 gallons of water per minute. Older models may use more. To perform an hour’s worth of carpet cleaning means as much as 90 gallons of water is necessary. And floor cleaning in general and restorative floor care in particular, which typically involves stripping and refinishing floors, also require significant amounts of water and both carpet care and floor care generates waste that can be considered hazardous.*

However, the industry is making significant strides in becoming more environmentally responsible and sustainable, and this applies to water consumption as well. The following are some of the more recent technologies helping to make this possible:

Floor cleaning alternatives: As water becomes more of a concern — and cost –  the use of water hoses to clean commercial kitchen floors on a daily basis is being reconsidered.  Mopping will likely take its place. However, mopping still uses a lot of water and some studies report that as spaghetti-type mops become soiled, they can actually spread soils and contaminants instead of remove them. An alternative to conventional mopping is the use of trolley buckets that dispense a precise amount of water/chemical directly on to floors; the floor is deck brushed as needed. A wet vac system can be used to vacuum up the moisture as well as the soils. Initial reports indicate this is a healthier way to clean floors and also more water responsible.

Carpet care: The development of low-moisture carpet extractors, which use less than a gallon of water per minute, has reduced the amount of water used in carpet cleaning. However, this is still a considerable amount of water. Recycling carpet extractors, which filter and recycle cleaning solution as they are used, appear to be the next step in reducing water consumption in carpet cleaning. According to some studies, instead of using 90 gallons of water, as in our example earlier, recycling systems may only use 10 to 15. Additionally in some cases, the extractor’s wand head, a section of the machine often overlooked, has been re-engineered so that it “atomizes” the cleaning solution. This helps the machine clean effectively with less water and chemical consumption.

Restorative floor care: Typically, when floors are stripped, a rotary pad machine is used. Although these machines work well and have served us well, they tend to be most effective cleaning the tops of floor surfaces. To clean grout areas, uneven floors, or porous flooring requires more effort and more water. An alternative is a new type of floor machine now available from a few US manufacturers. Referred to as cylindrical brush technology, these machines use counter-rotating brushes instead of pads. The bristles on the brush have the ability to reach deeper into the floor, removing soils and contaminants, requiring an estimated 30 percent less chemical and water.

What is also going to help the professional cleaning industry become more water responsible is simply awareness of the need for water conservation. Until recently, it really has not been a concern. However, that is changing and is likely to change even further. Reports are that the new LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certification requirements are going to put a much greater emphasis on facility water consumption for everything, most specifically cleaning.

While becoming more sustainable does have its benefits, some facility managers wonder if greener cleaning services are more expensive. Interestingly, a 2010 survey by advertising and marketing firm HitMan Advertising asked US carpet cleaning contractors this very question. More than half said they had no plans to increase charges when offering or marketing their green services.

A similar attitude most likely prevails throughout the professional cleaning industry and the reason is simple. “Green” is now the new norm in the professional cleaning industry. Many contractors or in-house cleaning professionals will likely select a green cleaning product first and only select a conventional product if an environmentally preferable one is either not available or performs unsatisfactorily. And, because most green cleaning products are cost competitive with conventional products, there really is no reason for them to be more costly.

*In California, waste generated from stripping floors is considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of according to specific rules and regulations.

Doug Berjer has an extensive background of industry experience in the JanSan sector.  He has worked for a large JanSan distributorship in St. Louis, MO, as their equipment specialist and has also worked as the operations manager for a large building service contractor that specialized in servicing shopping malls and anchor store retailers throughout North America. He is now brand manager for CFR, Continuous Flow Recycling extractors, based out of West Chicago, IL.

Sustainability is best thought of as a process, rather than a thing. US Executive Order 13423 states that sustainability “means to create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.” In order to achieve such conditions, new ways of designing, constructing and operating buildings and facilities must be identified.

The Green Products Compilation (GPC) is presented as an educational tool to facilitate the procurement of green products and services. The products listed are those for which the EPA, DOE, or USDA have issued designations or otherwise provided guidance for environmental or energy attributes.

This interactive tool consolidates and organizes information from these federal green purchasing programs in one place, saving you from researching multiple web sites. It allows Federal purchasers to search, sort, and identify sustainable products and their associated guidance documentation to facilitate green purchasing decisions.

Go to the GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool

Air emissions of dioxins have decreased by 90 percent since the 1980s

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its non-cancer science assessment for dioxins, which was last reviewed in the 1980s. Dioxins are toxic chemicals that naturally exist in the environment and can be released into the environment through forest fires, backyard burning of trash, certain industrial activities, and residue from past commercial burning of waste. Today’s findings show that generally, over a person’s lifetime, current exposure to dioxins does not pose a significant health risk.

Over the past two decades EPA has worked to reduce emissions from all of the major industrial sources of dioxins. As a result of efforts by EPA, state governments and industry, known and measurable air emissions of dioxins in the United States have been reduced by 90 percent from 1987 levels. The largest remaining source of dioxin emissions is backyard burning of household trash.

Most Americans have low-level exposure to dioxins. Non-cancer effects of exposure to large amounts of dioxin include chloracne, developmental and reproductive effects, damage to the immune system, interference with hormones, skin rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, and possibly mild liver damage.

EPA has identified many known sources of dioxins. Working with other federal partners, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, EPA has taken steps to address dioxin. This includes supporting research on dioxin exposure and effects; assessing dioxin human health risks; measuring dioxin levels in the environment, our diet and in our bodies; and reducing exposure to dioxin.

The non-cancer health assessment for dioxin released today could be considered in a range of agency activities, from establishing cleanup levels at Superfund sites, to reviewing the dioxin drinking water standard as part of EPA’s regularly scheduled review process, to evaluating whether additional Clean Air Act limits on dioxin emissions are warranted.

More information on dioxin: http://www.epa.gov/dioxin/

New permit includes more protections for waterways, shaped by important public and stakeholder feedback

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a new permit, in accordance with the Clean Water Act, that will provide streamlined permitting to thousands of construction operators, while protecting our nation’s waterways from discharges of polluted stormwater from construction sites. Stormwater discharges from construction sites can contain harmful pollutants, such as nutrients, that contaminate waters, increase drinking water treatment costs, and damage aquatic ecosystems. The new permit was shaped by important input from the public and stakeholders to ensure that it provides important protections for waterways, while also providing flexibility to operators.

The 2012 construction general permit (CGP) is required under the Clean Water Act and replaces the existing 2008 CGP, which expired on February 15, 2012. The new permit includes a number of enhanced protections for surface waters, including provisions to protect impaired and sensitive waters. Under the Clean Water Act, national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits are typically issued for a five-year period, after which time EPA generally issues revised permits based on updated information and requirements, as is the case with today’s announcement. NPDES permits control water pollution by including limits on the amount of pollutants that can be discharged into waterways by specific sources. The permit also provides new flexibilities for operators. For example, it allows for emergency projects (e.g., restoration following a flood or other natural disaster) to begin immediately without permit authorization from EPA, while still retaining full authority for EPA to ensure that the project proceeds in an environmentally responsible manner once it has commenced. The permit also enables operators of already permitted projects flexibility where compliance with a new permit requirement is economically impracticable.

The 2012 CGP updates include steps intended to limit erosion, minimize pollution sources, provide natural buffers or their equivalent around surface waters, and further restrict discharges to areas impaired by previous pollution discharge.

Many of the permit requirements implement new effluent limitations guidelines and new source performance standards for the construction and development industry that became effective on February 1, 2010, which include pollution control techniques to decrease erosion and sediment pollution.

The permit will be effective in areas where EPA is the permitting authority: Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and most U.S. territories and in Indian country lands.

EPA invited the public to comment on the draft permit. The agency also had a webcast to introduce owners and operators of construction sites, members of the public, and State or Tribal permitting authorities to the new requirements of the proposed CGP.

More information on the proposed construction general permit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/cgp.cfm

If companies had to pay for the full environmental costs of their activities, they would have lost 41 cents out of every dollar earned in 2010 – and these costs are doubling every 14 years, according to a Trucost analysis for a KPMG report.

The environmental profit and loss-style analysis for 11 key sectors found the cost to global society of environmentally-sensitive corporate activities for food producers actually outweigh the sectors’ entire earnings, at a whopping $200 billion, and in five other sectors – electricity, industrial metals, mining, marine transport, and airlines – environmental costs could account for more than half their earnings.

In reality, these costs are not borne solely by companies but are passed on at least partially to end-users, KPMG said in the report, Expect the Unexpected: Building Business Value in a Changing World.

But it said the data gives an indicator not only of industries’ impact, but of the potential value at stake. And companies should expect to pay a rising proportion of these costs, posing a near-future financial risk, KPMG said.

Trucost says that environmental costs across the 11 sectors – which also include automobiles, beverages, chemicals, oil and gas, and telecommunications and internet – rose by 50 percent between 2002 and 2010, from US$566 billion to US$854 billion. It says the projected doubling of costs every 14 years is unlikely to be sustainable, even in the medium term.

Read the complete article at EnvironmentalLeader.com