The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 recently announced awards to states and industry for efforts to streamline hazardous waste cleanup programs under the Resource and Conservation Recovery Act.
EPA presented the awards at the first in a series of annual conferences to showcase Midwest success stories in cleaning up hazardous wastes. Award certificates were presented at a conference in late October to the following:
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, for its voluntary cleanup programs at almost every regulated facility in the state's high, medium and low priority sites.
- Whirlpool Corp., for leadership in the cleanup and redevelopment of its facility in St. Joseph, Mich., and an excellent state and local partnership in environmental improvement.
- General Motors Corp., for its help in developing a simplified cleanup agreement at its plant in Defiance, Ohio. EPA and General Motors collaborated on a plan to save time and money on cleanups, which have become models used throughout EPA Region 5.
Robert Springer, director of EPA's Division of Waste, Pesticides and Toxics, said, "We congratulate the winners for their commitment to helping us improve the efficiency of our hazardous waste cleanup programs. Their example will ensure the protection of human health and the environment in the future."