The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a legal settlement with the developers of the Vanderbilt and La Concha Hotels of San Juan for discharging pollutants into the San Juan stormwater sewer system, which is connected to the Condado Lagoon. The settlement requires the payment of a $472,240 civil penalty and the expansion of an existing artificial habitat for fish in the Condado Lagoon. Under the agreement’s terms, the hotel’s developer, International Hospitality Associates S. en C. por A. (IHA-SE) and its managing partner, International Hospitality Associates, Inc. (IHA-INC), will construct 30 units of reef modules at an estimated cost of $32,000.

Read more...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is helping to reduce air pollution in and around the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico by providing the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico with $886,095 to install pollution reduction technology on 72 heavy-duty trucks and replace 10 old heavy-duty trucks with 2010 or newer less polluting models.

Read more...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory are evaluating the feasibility of developing solar power production on the Price’s Pit Landfill in Pleasantville and Egg Harbor, New Jersey. The assessment is part of the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative through which EPA will help revitalize abandoned sites, clean up the environment and lay the groundwork for renewable energy and job creation.

Read more...

The Puerto Rico Land Authority will preserve 1,000 acres of wetlands as part of an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wetlands help prevent flooding and the pollution of rivers, lakes and streams. The wetlands preserved under the settlement, the majority of which are in Loiza just east of San Juan, will now be protected from future commercial and industrial development. The land will be protected through a conservation easement filed under Puerto Rico law to ensure that it will remain undeveloped forever.

Read more...