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EPA Presents Environmental Merit Awards to Seven in New Hampshire

Release Date: 05/01/2002
Contact Information: Andrew Spejewski, EPA Press Office 617-918-1014

BOSTON – Seven individuals and organizations from New Hampshire were honored today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their contributions to the environment.

The New Hampshire winners were among 35 recipients from around New England that received Environmental Merit Awards at a ceremony at Faneuil Hall. The awards, given out since 1970, honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the region's environment. This year's competition drew more than 90 nominations.

"These individuals, businesses, non-profits and government agencies, often with little fanfare, have invested huge amounts of their time to make the environment of New England's cleaner and safer for future generations. And for that I think we should all be grateful," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "The recipients we are honoring today are New England's environmental heroes."

The winners from New Hampshire were:

NH Department of Environmental Services Dioxin Reduction Initiative

Dioxin has recently received renewed attention as a significant public health threat requiring urgent action. In order to quantify and address the impacts of dioxin in New Hampshire, the state's Department of Environmental Services completed a dioxin reduction strategy ranking dioxin releases from 22 stationary, mobile and area source categories. DES then made a total of 58 recommendations to eliminate or substantially reduce dioxin in New Hampshire, ranging from regulatory actions to public education. Implementation of these recommendations has already taken place with significant public input. With the recommendations already in place, DES believes that dioxin emissions statewide have already been reduced by almost 30 percent and will be reduced by a total of 50 percent in two years.

Groveton Paper Board Innovative Methanol Reduction Strategy – Groveton

As a result of EPA's effluent limitation guidelines and national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act, Groveton Paper Board expects it will have to significantly reduce emissions of baseline hazardous air pollutants. Groveton Paper Board identified an innovative process to reduce emissions that is not only more cost-effective, but also reduces more methanol emissions than is currently required. The alternative has the potential to remove from Groveton's emissions 42 tons of methanol a year and an additional 20 tons of other hazardous air pollutants. The company has been working closely with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and EPA New England to find a legally enforceable way to implement the controls. Groveton's innovative strategy to reduce its hazardous air pollutant emissions is now being considered by other paper companies in New Hampshire.

Whitney Screw Site Brownfields Redevelopment Team– Nashua

This project represents how a local community, working in collaboration with private, state and federal partners, can leverage resources to assess, cleanup and redevelop a community blight. The City of Nashua took an aggressive leadership role to tackle the environmental problems at the Whitney Screw Brownfields site by using federal funds to start an environmental investigation. With more federal funds, the city was able to hire a contractor who in turn found funding for cleanup of the site. A developer was able to successfully market the site to businesses. Once developed, the former Whitney Screw site will have two new retail facilities. It is significant in that it is the first site to receive a loan under New Hampshire's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund.

Piscataqua River Co-op - Piscataqua River

Preparing for and responding to oil spills on land and on water is always a tough business, especially in populated areas of New England. The Piscataqua River Co-op is a blend of private, local, state and federal organizations created to do just this along the Piscataqua River which forms the border of Maine and New Hampshire in the southern part of the two states. The co-op created a local spill management team to respond to an oil spill in the crucial 24 to 26 hours after an accident For the past several years, the co-op has been playing a leadership role in the development of geographic response plans to enhance their response capability. The co-op has an inventory of state-of-the-art boats booms and skimming equipment in case of a spill and spends a considerable amount of energy training to address a wide variety of spill scenarios.

The Gulf of Maine Council – Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

In 1989, the New England governors and Canadian maritime provinces premiers created the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, a unique alliance of government agencies working to foster ecosystem conservation and cross-border cooperation. The council's mission is to maintain and enhance the environmental quality of the Gulf of Maine and to allow for sustainable resource use by existing and future generations. The council recently completed "A Year of the Gulf" celebration and developed a five-year action plan that charts a course for improved stewardship of this priceless natural resource. The EPA is recognizing the Gulf of Maine Council and in particular, seven dedicated individuals with 2002 Environmental Merit Awards for their innovative and sustained commitment to improving management of the gulf. The following people are cited for this award: Bill Ayer of New Brunswick (with the Department of Environment and Local Government), Richard Delaney of Massachusetts (former director of Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management), David Hartman of New Hampshire (director of the New Hampshire Coastal Program), Barry Jones of New Brunswick (formerly with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture), David Keeley of Maine (with the Maine State Planning Office), Art Longard of Nova Scotia (deceased, was with the Department of Fisheries) and Peter Underwood of Nova Scotia (formerly with the Department of Environment, now Deputy Minister of Dept. of Fisheries and Aquaculture).

Representative Jeb E. Bradley – Wolfeboro

New Hampshire Representative Jeb E. Bradley has a long list of accomplishments when it comes to environmental protection and stewardship. He has served his constituents by addressing far reaching and long-term environmental problems, such as those associated with mercury, dioxin, global warming, acid rain, smog and ozone to name a few. When Rep. Bradley had a full understanding of the far reaching and detrimental effects of mercury emissions coming from waste-to-energy plants in New Hampshire, he lead the effort to drastically reduce those emissions through legislation and industry cooperation. When the controls are in place, mercury emissions from this industry will be reduced by 96 percent – from 553 to 21 pounds a year. In addition, he drafted legislation to reduce the outputs of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide from these plants.

Herbert Lippold – Atkinson

For 17 years, Herbert Lippold has been president of the Big Island Pond Corporation in New Hampshire, which today counts 400 members on its roster. The group was established to protect water rights, water quality and the lake's environment as a whole. He is in constant contact with state officials over wetlands regulations and violations to ensure that environmental laws on the lake are being followed. Every need is taken care of by Mr. Lippold when it comes to the lake, which is lucky to have such a dedicated environmental steward.

Also recognized for their work in New Hampshire were:

The New England Chapter of the American Public Works Association

Spurred by EPA penalties against several town Department of Public Works (DPWs), the New England Chapter of the American Public Works Association took action in 2001. The group approached EPA New England to develop a self-audit program for DPWs in New England. DPW garages who performed self-audits, reported environmental violations, and corrected the violations would be given a low priority for inspections. Together with EPA, the Association has developed tip sheets and fact sheets for DPW directors, and held a series of workshops. More than 250 people attended the NEAPWA spring meeting last April to learn about the initiative. To date, more than 300 New England DPW garages have signed up for this voluntary program. NEAPWA is working with EPA New England to measure the environmental benefits of the program.

Connecticut River Watershed Council

Nearly 50 years ago, the Connecticut River was described as the best landscaped sewer in the nations. Today, the river is largely cleaned up and restored – an environmental jewel to be appreciated and protected. At the center of this turn around is the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC). Founded in 1952, the group has worked to promote restoration, conservation, and protection of the river and surrounding watershed. The council's record of achievement is founded on partnerships – when important issues arise, the council brings people together to address the challenges. In the mid-1980s, CRWC created the Connecticut River Watch program to monitor water quality using trained volunteers. More recently, the council has established a migratory fisheries restoration initiative to build fishways and remove dams to restore access to spawning habitats. For five decades the council has worked to resolve environmental challenges and protect New England's largest river ecosystem, the Connecticut River.

Trust for Public Land

Founded in 1972, the Boston-based Trust for Public Land has protected more than 1.4 million acres of land across the country, including 100,000 acres in New England. The trust is a non-profit group dedicated to preserving land for people to enjoy as parks and open space. For the trust, 2001 was an extraordinary year in New England with the protection of 26,000 acres and a new 171,000-acre project in northern New Hampshire. Recently, the Trust for Public Land celebrated its 200th project in the region. As a result of their dedication, thousands of acres of precious wildlife habitat across New England has been conserved. These beautiful lands will be enjoyed by many throughout the region.

Wheelabrator Technologies

Wheelabrator has taken on the challenge of mercury reduction in New England and nationwide. Recognizing the threat to the environment caused by releases of mercury, Wheelabrator designed a voluntary mercury pollution prevention program. In two Wheelabrator-run mercury collection and exchange events in New Hampshire and Connecticut the company has collected approximately 165 pounds of mercury from thermometers, thermostats and other equipment for proper disposal. The goal of Wheelabrator's voluntary mercury pollution prevention program is to decrease the amount of mercury in the environment.