Tuesday, December 28, 2004

[Water quality] EPA Celebrates 30 Years of Progress for the Nation's Drinking Water December 16, 2004, marked the 30th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which has been a cornerstone of efforts to ensure public health protection by improving the quality of drinking water for all Americans. The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 has helped more than 273 million people served by 53,000 community water systems enjoy one of the safest and cleanest water supplies in the world.  In carrying out the Act, EPA has established public health standards for more than 90 contaminants to protect the public from chemicals and pathogens that can cause waterborne illnesses. It takes the committed efforts of thousands of people at the local, state and federal levels to ensure that our water supplies are clean, safe, and secure from acts of intentional harm.  State personnel are making sure that water suppliers understand and implement regulatory requirements.  States, private organizations, landowners, and local governments are working to protect surface and ground water supplies from contamination.  Local water suppliers are providing dedicated service to ensure that safe water is available when consumers turn on the tap.  And citizens are becoming more interested in understanding where their drinking water comes from and how it is treated by reading the consumer confidence report that is provided to them annually by their water utility. The last 30 years have seen great success in protecting public health. Throughout 2005, EPA will celebrate those successes and conduct an educational campaign focused on four themes:  “Community Water Systems: The Backbone of Public Health;” “Protecting Sources of Drinking Water;’’ “Public Involvement in Safe Drinking Water;’’ and “Planning for the Future.”  Information about the 30th anniversary is at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/30th/index.html.  General information about the Safe Drinking Water Act is at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/index.html and information about drinking water is at  http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwhealth.html. 11:49:24 AM Google It!    [Alternative energy] EPA Announces Biggest Green Power Purchase Nationwide EPA has announced a Green Power transaction involving biomass resources (paper pulp) in Georgia and the Agency’s Research Triangle Park, N.C., facilities.  Nationwide, this is the biggest EPA Green Power procurement to date.  EPA finalized a three-year contract with Unicoi Energy Services of Marietta, Ga., to provide RTP with 100 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy certificates (RECs) annually -- equivalent to the energy consumed by 3,680 homes each year.  Currently, EPA annually purchases more than 220 million kWh of Green Power for 26 of its facilities, laboratories and offices, across the nation.  Green Power now accounts for 77 percent of EPA’s estimated national electricity consumption.  Green Power is electric power derived from renewable resources such as wind, sun, and biomass (including burning of wood waste, plant materials and landfill gas).  Green Power sources have lower emissions than more conventional generating plants, and generally have less adverse impact on the environment. White House Executive Order 13123 (titled “Greening the Government through Efficient Energy Management”), encourages all federal agencies to expand the use of Green Power by developing renewable energy projects, supporting the development of renewable projects by others on federal land and purchasing electricity from renewable energy sources.  The Order also requires that federal agencies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent from 1990 levels by 2010.  EPA purchases Green Power through a process utilizing RECs (green tags), which are both cheaper and easier to procure than delivered power.  For a more detailed explanation of green tags, visit http://www.epa.gov/greeningepa/greenpower.htm#greentags.  For more information on EPA’s Green Power program in general, visit http://www.epa.gov/greeningepa/greenpower.htm. 11:45:22 AM Google It!    [Schools] Recycling in schools falling through the cracks Despite nearly two decades of promoting recycling, school budget constraints and holes in the recycling program mean piles of classroom paper, aluminum cans and other recyclables might end up in landfills. [Source: Annapolis (MD) Capital] 11:42:37 AM Google It!

© Copyright 2005 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 10/25/2005; 12:08:18 PM.