Focus on metal finishing and P2 by Mary Werner

Metal finishing wastes: why are we concerned? by SA Rehder, PE

NY's Strategic Goals Program for Metal Finishers by DJ Lucia, PE

Anoplate: stewardship, involvement, success by MF Stevenson, ME Florczykowski

SGP—a municipal perspective by P Heckler PE and R LaGrotta PE

Governor's awards for pollution prevention by C Montes

Direct discharge of treated metal finishing wastewater by JM Harrington PE

Metal products and machinery, proposed rule by V Wong

Pollution Prevention Unit works with metal finishers by C O'Brien

Metal finishing wastes: why are we concerned? by M Gampel

Wild and scenic

Voices from the field

People and places

Partnering by A Zabinski

Executive director's message by P Cerro-Rehill


Winter 2000 — Vol. 30, No. 4

 

Voices from the field


 
USEPA celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2000. To commemorate the event, Region 2 published a retrospective, "Remember the past—protect the future." The following are quotes from a few individuals on the Agency's staff.

The biggest challenge we faced in the past was: Establishing an "environmental conscience"—educating and controlling industrial polluters - teaching people that there is a connection between their everyday activities and water pollution - upgrading municipal sewage treatment plants—getting industry to comply with the laws—communicating risk to the public - ignorance.

My greatest sense of accomplishment in protecting the environment is/has been: Seeing major air quality problems in New York City, like carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, improve—helping to protect the Region's drinking water supplies - ending the discharge of raw sewage to the Hudson River—abating the discharge of ground water contaminated with toxic pollutants to the Niagara River—taking an enforcement action against an egregious water polluter, forcing them to clean up their discharges—making a positive difference—sharing our 30 years of experience with our counterparts around the world who are now grappling with tough environmental issues—assisting residents with successful permanent relocation at an NPL site - the joy that I feel when every-day people and children express their desire to protect the environment too.

National environmental improvements, economics, and population growth
Air emissions: criteria pollutants
Surface water: not fishable, swimmable

My greatest frustration in protecting the environment is/has been: People who do not see the link between the environment and public health—political pressures preventing environmental advancement - PCBs in the Hudson - the amount of time that it takes to get anything done—dealing with red tape—lack of resources.

The greatest challenge we face in the future will be: Keeping the public interested in environmental protection—how we will manage our resources when the additional three billion people are born in the next 50 years - managing our precious resources to provide a healthy and sustainable earth for generations to come—regulating agricultural and feedlot water discharges - combined sewer overflows - habitat protection - urban sprawl - political interference - how to have free global market and environmental responsibility—protecting our tenuous drinking water supplies—maintaining wild lands for the protection of other species - developing programs over the near term that won't compromise our efforts in the long term - maintaining and improving wastewater treatment facilities in the Caribbean—directing our limited resources at real rather than perceived risks - not letting down our guard -complacency - educating the public.

Increasing levels of dissolved oxygen in the Delaware River

____________
From "Remember the past, protect the future," 30 years of environmental progress from USEPA Region 2, Jeanne M. Fox, Regional Administrator. http://www.epa.gov/region2


 

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