September—October 2021 Newsletter

Visits from the EPA Administrator

*Administrator Michael Regan at the Rio Reimagined Summit in Tempe, Arizona, with Senator Mark Kelly and other officials.*

Administrator Michael Regan recently concluded his inaugural visits to Arizona and California. In northern California, he joined Governor Newsom to view wildfire damage and learn about EPA’s recovery work; he also met with Silicon Valley leaders to discuss technology companies’ work to reduce their carbon footprints. In southern California, he announced funding for building water infrastructure, reaffirmed EPA’s commitment to communities disproportionately affected by pollution, and met with local officials near the border to discuss the transborder wastewater challenge. In Arizona, the Administrator toured an abandoned uranium mine with Navajo Nation leaders and elected officials; he also met with officials about a project to revitalize the Salt and Gila Rivers.

A Partnership for Environmental Justice in California

EPA Region 9 Administrator and CalEPA's Jared Blumenfeld holding up signed MOU. — Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan is seated next to CalEPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld at the MOU signing event. Margaret Gordon of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project stands next to them.

EPA has signed a five-year, first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CalEPA to improve environmental compliance and enforcement in communities disproportionately affected by pollution. The MOU creates a framework for the two agencies to expand collaborative activities related to inspections, compliance assistance, communication, community engagement, and training to benefit public health and the environment in overburdened communities.

Protecting Children’s Health

October is Children’s Health Month. Children are more vulnerable than adults to pollutants and toxic substances such as lead. This is because of differences in body size, behavior and biology that can lead to greater exposure and unique windows of susceptibility during development. EPA works to protect children from environmental exposures by consistently and explicitly considering early life exposures and lifelong health in all human health decisions.

Enforcement Update

Sixteen to One Mine Operators Agree to Protect Local Waterways

EPA and the Sixteen to One Mine, one of California’s oldest operational gold mines, have agreed to an Administrative Order on Consent requiring the mine to install a new treatment system that will remove pollutants from mine drainage to prevent the pollutants from entering local waters. The mine was found to be in violation of its permit under the Clean Water Act after consistently discharging mine-influenced water that exceeded limits on pollutants. The Sixteen to One Mine, located in the Tahoe National Forest, discharges into Kanaka Creek, a tributary of the Yuba, Feather, and Sacramento Rivers.

YubaNet.com: Sierra County mine agrees with U.S. EPA to install wastewater treatment, protecting local waterways

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EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region serves Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations.

Alert
Mission Completed

California Wildfires
EPA has completed its post-wildfires recovery mission for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in close partnership with California and local partners. In this first phase of the larger recovery process, EPA assessed properties with fire-damaged structures and removed household hazardous waste, laying the groundwork for rebuilding.

2021 California Fire Response

A New Commitment to Addressing PFAS

EPA Administrator Michael Regan has announced EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap, laying out an agency-wide approach to addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), the "forever chemicals."