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Dallas Love Field pledges to cut more pollution

Release Date: 03/21/2008
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Tressa Tillman at 214-665-2200 or [email protected]

Airport to eliminate 1,000 additional pounds of PCBs as part of national EPA program

(Dallas, Texas – March 21, 2008) After cutting 4,000 pounds of harmful chemicals at its airport, Dallas Love Field is pledging to reduce 1,000 more as part of a national program run by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The airport plans to reduce 1,000 pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, as part of the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) program. In addition, it is pledging to cut 50 pounds of mercury from light bulbs, thermometers, thermostats and other equipment under the NPEP “Mercury Challenge” campaign.

“More and more top facilities are finding smart, simple ways to conduct business and care for the environment at the same time,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “It is even more inspiring when members of industry not only stick with their commitments to the environment, but expand on them, as Dallas Love Field has done.”

The airport will replace the ballasts and mercury-containing instrumentation with modern equipment that is free of priority chemicals. It will also recycle light bulbs that contain mercury.

“Our efforts at Love Field are an extension of city-wide policies pertaining to environmental responsibility, which are implemented through our Environmental Management System,” said Director of Aviation, Daniel T. Weber. “Our success with removing harmful chemicals from the system follows our earlier program to reduce air emissions, in conjunction with our tenant airlines. Our staff will continue to work at reducing all Dallas Airport System facilities’ impacts on the environment.”

The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities promotes the voluntary reduction of 31 priority chemicals. Through work with EPA, both public and private organizations identify activities that will reduce the use of these chemicals, preventing their ability to accumulate in the environment and cause harm to humans and the ecosystem. The Mercury Challenge promotes the voluntary, systematic elimination of mercury-containing equipment.

More than 150 organizations nationwide have joined the NPEP program, which has set a goal of reducing the use or release of four million pounds of priority chemicals by 2011. Dallas Love Field is one of only four airports nationwide to join the NPEP program and is the first to add additional goals to its original commitment.

Additional information on the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities is available by contacting Rob Luschek at (214) 665-7148 or visiting https://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/npep/index.htm.

To learn more about activities in EPA Region 6, go to https://www.epa.gov/region6.

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/audio.htm#audio032008_lovefield.