This National Program Manager Guidance applies to the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional enforcement programs, and states and federally-recognized Indian tribes (tribes) implementing EPA-approved inspection and enforcement programs.1 OECA coordinates with the regions, states and local agencies and consults with tribal governments as it designs, develops, implements and oversees national compliance and enforcement programs. Regional offices also work with states and local agencies and consult with tribes to implement...

Report explores the evolving landscape of state environmental, financial and technical programs designed to promote brownfields cleanup and reuse. This report provides a concise, user-friendly synopsis of the programs and tools that are available through state programs. The information contained in this report was gathered from state response program contacts and state response program websites. State programs continue to be at the forefront of brownfields cleanup and redevelopment, as both the public and private markets recognize the responsibilities and opportunities of state response...

Much has changed since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Program began in 1995. Years ago, brownfields were seen primarily as undesirable contaminated properties that often sat idle and contributed to blight. Today, many communi- ties recognize that while brownfields are contaminated properties, they also can be important community assets that present a tremendous opportunity for community revitalization. Most major brownfields are well-located in centers of economic activity, and many brownfields properties have excellent existing infrastructure and access to...

Brownfields and other contaminated lands are found throughout the United States. Often legacies of an industrial past or bygone business, they dot the landscape of large and small communities. To address brownfields and environmental issues in Indian country, many tribes establish their own environmental protection and natural resource management offices, and create brownfields programs or "Tribal Response Programs." However, tribal communities often lack funding to sustain environmental program capacity building and continue to need outside technical assistance and expertise. Additionally,...

The objective of this report is to characterize the baseline levels of economic activity and related ecosystem services values for the Bristol Bay wild salmon ecosystem. The overarching purpose of this report is to provide baseline economic information to the Environmental Protection Agency in order to inform review of mining proposals in the Nushugak and Kvichak drainages. Both regional economic significance and social net economic accounting frameworks are described in this report. This study reviews and summarizes existing economic research on the key sectors in this area and reports...

Saving energy through energy efficiency improve- ments can cost less than generating, transmitting, and distributing energy from power plants, and provides multiple economic and environmental benefits. Energy savings can reduce operating costs for local govern- ments, freeing up resources for additional investments in energy efficiency and other priorities. Energy efficiency can also help reduce air pollution and GHG emissions, improve energy security and independence, and create jobs. Local governments can promote energy efficiency in their jurisdictions by improving the efficiency of...

Millions of Pacific salmon return from feeding in the open ocean each year and swarm through Bristol Bay en route to their natal spawning streams. Nine major river systems comprise the spawning grounds for Bristol Bay salmon (Figure 1), and schools navigate toward the mouths of their respective rivers as they pass through the Bay. Each summer, thousands of commercial fishermen use drift and set gill nets to capture millions of returning fish, making Bristol Bay the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Salmon that escape the fishery distribute throughout the Bay's watersheds and spawn...

This report evaluates the potential impacts of large-scale mining development on salmon and other fish populations, wildlife, and Alaska Native cultures in the Nushagak River and Kvichak River watersheds of Bristol Bay, Alaska. It is not an assessment of a specific mine proposal for development, nor does it outline decisions made or to be made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The assessment was conducted as an ecological risk assessment and starts with a review and characterization of the fisheries, wildlife, and Alaska Native cultures of the Bristol Bay watershed,...

The impact that the lack of investment in water infrastructure will have on the performance of aging underground infrastructure over time is well documented and the needed funding estimates range as high as $325 billion over the next 20 years. With the current annual replacement rate averaging 0.5%, pipes would be expected to last for 200 years, but most pipes are designed for 50 or 100 year life cycles. While this replacement rate may be sufficient in the immediate term because pipes are still relatively young, as systems grow older, the necessary replacement rates will inevitably increase....

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a year 2007 air quality modeling platform in support of the Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards. The air quality modeling platform consists of all of the emissions inventories, ancillary files needed for emissions modeling, and the meteorological, initial condition, and boundary condition files needed to run the air quality model. This platform uses all Criteria Air Pollutants (CAPs) and a select set of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). This document focuses on the emissions modeling components of the 2007 platform,...